In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett talk about France's metamorphosis from post-Roman fragmentation to unified nation-state, analyzing how Frankish conquests, feudal innovations, and religious conflicts shaped French cultural identity.
They reveal the paradoxical consequences of centralization—cu ... Show More
Nov 11
Explaining the Age of Romanticism
In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett analyze romantic era Europe's dueling philosophical currents—romanticism versus utilitarianism—through the Congress of Vienna, industrial capitalism, and the political tensions preced ... Show More
2h 16m
Nov 7
Explaining the History of Trade (feat. Ryan Petersen of Flexport)
In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch sits down with Ryan Petersen, Flexport CEO to examine how commerce shaped civilizations—from ancient maritime networks through containerization's revolution. They trace currency systems' societal impacts, expon ... Show More
1h 26m
Oct 2024
Jeffrey Ding, "Technology and the Rise of Great Powers: How Diffusion Shapes Economic Competition" (Princeton UP, 2024)
When scholars and policymakers consider how technological advances affect the rise and fall of great powers, they draw on theories that center the moment of innovation—the eureka moment that sparks astonishing technological feats. In Technology and the Rise of Great Powers: How D ... Show More
34m 6s
Oct 2024
Pourquoi la France a-t-elle voulu conquérir l’Algérie ?
<p>La conquête de l’Algérie par la France en 1830 s’inscrit dans un contexte de politique expansionniste, de raisons économiques, et d’enjeux politiques. À cette époque, la France sort d’une période de bouleversements avec la fin de l'Empire napoléonien et le début de la Restaura ... Show More
2m 57s
Oct 7
Andrew Lambert, "No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One" (Yale UP, 2025)
How, for just over a century, Britain ensured it would not face another Napoleon Bonaparte--manipulating European powers while building a global maritime empire At the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, a fragile peace emerged in Europe. The continent's borders were redrawn, and ... Show More
53m 54s
Sep 15
Throwback: Role Modelling Vulnerability with Kensho’s Bhavesh Dayalji
What does allyship look like when you’re leading a company? For Bhavesh Dayalji, it often means being honest about the challenges of balancing work and family, and choosing to show up as a husband and father first. This is a throwback episode, but Bhavesh’s reflections on leaders ... Show More
25m 46s
Jun 2024
Inside Europe's tech hubs: France's AI push puts it on the rise
France is home to some of the most high-profile artificial intelligence start-ups. The country, which was once seen as anti-tech, has attracted big funding, backed by a public push from the government. Roxanne Varza, the head of the world's biggest startup campus Station F, which ... Show More
31m 49s
Sep 9
Nuclearn gets $10.5M to help the nuclear industry embrace AI, plus ReOrbit lands record funding to take on Musk’s Starlink from Europe
Nuclearn got its start when the founders were working at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station just west of Phoenix. They had been experimenting with ways to streamline various repetitive tasks first from a data science perspective then with more advanced AI models. Also, ReO ... Show More
8m 13s
Sep 17
Decoding the Genius Bill: A Catalyst for Stablecoin Innovation and Adoption
Austin Campbell, Managing Partner at Zero Knowledge Consulting, and Adam Zarazinski, CEO at Inca Digital, explore the Genius Bill and its potential to revolutionize the stablecoin landscape. They discuss the many changes with the current government, including regulations and comp ... Show More
31m 40s