Thursday, June 18th, 2026 — Today is National Splurge Day, and today’s stories unexpectedly became about the traces people leave behind.
In this episode, we look at the uncertain beginning of the War of 1812… Sally Ride becoming the first American woman in space… and one of the strangest archaeological discoveries in recent memory: ancient chewing gum that helped scientists learn about someone who lived thousands of years ago.
Plus, the birthday of legendary film critic Roger Ebert, whose influence continues to shape how people talk about movies.
Anyway… that’s what I ended up finding while working through June 18.