Everybody's heard about Alexander the Great, but what about the empire he conquered? Come learn about the dawn of the mighty Persian kingdom, from the region's humble beginnings in shepherd tribes to the world's first major centralized economy under Darius I. We'll discuss major historical events, several linguistic etymologies, and the inherent bias of understanding a civilization purely from the accounts of their enemies.

Prince Albert's World Fair (then called the Great Exhibition) marked the first time in history that all nations would be gathered together in industrial discussion under a single roof. The roof that would house it was constructed over the course of nine months, and went on to grace the London skyline for more than eighty years. Come learn about the man who designed it, the new structural elements that made it possible, and how it changed the nature of architecture permanently.