From a small, wet island, English has come to be the world's dominant language. How did this actually happen, where does English actually come from, and how has the language changed over the years? Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/history-of-english-language

English Learning for Curious Minds

A Short History of The English Language

It's the day of the year where we celebrate love and desire. But where does it actually come from? The origins of Valentine's Day are mysterious, and not even that closely related to love at all. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/valentines-day

Valentine's Day

Discover the story of what happened when an Italian engineer decided to build an island off the coast of Italy..and then declare it to be an independent country. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/rose-island

Rose Island

It's the world's most famous book on military strategy. Learn about its fascinating history, about the lessons in the book, and discover how you can apply some ideas from this 2,500-year-old book to your English learning. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/art-of-war

The Art of War

It's the world's favourite sweet snack, and the chocolate industry is worth over $100 billion. Discover the fantastic history of where it comes from, how it became so popular, and learn about some of the economics of chocolate production. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/chocolate

Chocolate

In August 1995 Britain's two biggest bands battled for the number one position. Discover what happened, how the battle divided the nation, and why the story is about much more than just music. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/oasis-vs-blur

Oasis vs. Blur

It's the most famous cryptocurrency in the world, and went up in value by 269% in 2020. In this episode, we take a look at what it actually is, how it works, why some people think it is the future or money and others think it is a giant bubble. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/bitcoin

Bitcoin

It's the iconic Italian scooter that has conquered the world. Learn about how it started, how it got its name, and why it has become such a huge, global success story. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/vespa

Vespa

You might think that nothing of historical importance ever happens on Christmas Day, but you'd be wrong. Here are 9 weird and wonderful events. The one thing they have in common? They all happened on December 25th. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/9-things-happened-christmas-day

9 Things That Happened on Christmas Day

He was the creator of utilitarianism, a philosophical framework for how societies should be structured, based on the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Learn about the fascinating life of this interesting character, how this theory impacted the law, and how he was true to his beliefs even in death. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/jeremy-bentham

Jeremy Bentham & Utilitarianism

He is the father of modern biology, and his 1869 book On the Origin of Species presented a revolutionary new idea about how species evolve. Discover the amazing story of Charles Darwin, and the journey of how he developed this groundbreaking theory. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/charles-darwin

Charles Darwin & On the Origin of Species

The personality industry is worth billions, and promises to help us better understand ourselves. But how did it start? How does it actually work? And most importantly, does it actually work? Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/personality-tests

Personality Tests

It's the biggest shopping day of the year. How did it start, what actually happens, and how much do people really spend? Plus, learn about the history of discounting, and how companies trick you into buying things you don't need. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/black-friday-history-of-discounting

Black Friday & A Short History of Discounting

Starting in the 17th century, Britain sent hundreds of thousands of people to America and Australia for crimes as small as stealing a loaf of bread. Learn about why this happened, how it worked, and the legacy it has left on the countries where these prisoners were sent to. Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/penal-colonies

Penal Colonies

From black cats to Friday the 13th, superstitions exist in cultures all over the world. Where do they come from? Why do so many people believe them? And is there any evidence to suggest that they are actually true? Full transcript, subtitles and key vocabulary available on the website: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/superstitions

Superstitions

Are you looking for a more interesting way to to learn English? English Learning for Curious Minds is where you can learn English from native speakers while learning fascinating things about the world. Every episode comes with a transcript & key vocabulary, and is spoken at a speed you can understand. Join listeners from 110 countries and discover the most interesting way to learn English.

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English Learning for Curious Minds

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