Sunday, February 25, 2007.  [Yes, we're running a couple days late, but I thought these episodes were worth posting anyway.]

Twenty years ago today, police in Peru got an archaeologist out of bed to protect a tomb from grave robbers.  That tomb, of an ancient warrior priest called the Lord of Sipan, is still being explored and its artifacts (such as the ornament pictured to the right) recovered to this day.

I also talk a little about how I developed an interest in archaeology and the ancient cultures of Central and South America.

Today's episode music is from "Forgotten Man," by David Henderson.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Friday, February 23, 2007.  Twenty years ago today, the light from a supernova in the Greater Magellanic Cloud galaxy reached the Earth, after a journey of 168,000 years.  I talk about that celestial phenomenon, and a little about why I find astronomy a particularly fascinating science.

The picture is an image of the gas cloud from Supernova 1987A, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope.

Today's episode music is "InnaFabledCity," by Jeff Shields.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Thursday, January 22, 2007.  Twenty years ago today was the first Cat Day celebration in Japan.  I take a look at the origins of that day, days set aside to honor cats in other countries, and then tell the story of the cat I owned twenty years ago.  I can no longer remember her name, but I have one picture of her, and I've posted it here.

Today's episode music is "Bella," by Patrick Gorman.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

You haven't stepped into a time warp --this is the first of an occasional series of "lost episodes" of "It Was 20 Years Ago Today."  This episode was written and recorded for December 11, 2006.  On that day twenty years before, a number of companies registered "dot com" domain names.  There were less than 100 "dot coms" in those days, and no Internet as we know it today.  I talk a little bit about how different it was to get wired in those days.

Today's episode music is "Boot Strap," by Jeff Shields.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007.  Twenty years ago today, the President authorized the construction of the Superconducting Supercollider, the biggest atom smasher that -- as it turned out -- never was.

Near the end of the show I mention the Large Hadron Collider, a new super-sized atom smasher which will be opening for business later this year.  The NPR program Science Friday did a segment on the LHC last week.

If you're curious about the Grammar Girl podcast (one of the most popular on the Internet at the moment), it can be found here.

Today's episode music is from "6 Is Lucky," by Hayfield.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.