So with social distancing the new normal, what is there to do to keep busy? Each of us handles social distancing in our own way. Some in the fitness community are determined to not only stay in shape, but socialize. Some are doing virtual yoga classes. Others are turning to art. And I have found that coloring is very, very soothing, and some are even more creative. And since today's St Patrick's Day, why not hunt for a leprechat. And then there are those truly rare birds like Sir Isaac Newton.
He once turned his time in quarantine into an opportunity to change the way we understand the world around us. We're all living in the ripple effects of history. A butterfly flaps its wings in China in the nineteenth century, and your uber driver misses the turn for the airport. Or a twenty two year old genius is forced to stay home from college and ends up becoming a father, the father of modern science. Welcome to Flashback, a new
podcast from AZZI, the creators of The Thread. I'm Sean Braswell and I'll be your visiting professor, taking you on a journey through history that will change the way you look at the past, and even at some of its most disastrous events. When the Great Plague hit England in sixteen sixty five, Isaac Newton wasn't a sir or a scientific legend, just a college student at the University of Cambridge.
And when the university closed its doors and sent its students home for the seventeenth century version of social distancing, Newton returned to his family estate to spend his time working on a few of his own pet projects. The young scholar thrived at home, calling the year plus he spent away as his Year of Wonders, among other things. Newton used this time to work out calculus and his theory of gravity, aided by the apple tree right outside
his window. Newton returned to Cambridge the following year with some groundbreaking theories under his belt, ideas that would make him a call age fellow, then a professor, and ultimately the founding father of a new scientific age. History is littered with stories like Newton's Year of Wonders, stories about unexpected turning points and hidden connections. You just have to know where to look. And that was the world we saw.
It was the only world we saw. And occasionally do a little digging, I heard about Hitler's personal physician, fit Or Morel, and I found an extraordinary that his case notes on adult Hitler's health had been lying in the archives for you know, the better part of sixty seventy years, and they revealed the most extraordinary story. In the first season of Flashback, will connect the dots on some of the most incredible unintended consequences in history. We'll hear about
dangerous books. It assumes that you're interested in this conspiracy that explains everything that's wrong with the world and their explosive legacy. A massive car bomb exploded outside of a large federal building in downtown Oklahoma City. About virtuous intentions steps into the gap and says well will volunteer and the vices they can produce, stacks of cash, piles of weapons, and a mountain of cigarettes, And about remarkable individuals who
can reshape entire industries. Michael Jordan today comes back not just to play, but again aiming to be the best. We'll learn about how some of the past greatest unintended outcomes continue to impact us today. What we have now is really almost frictionless environment for this kind of propaganda. Stay at home and change the world, or at least
the way you look at it. Learn about histories unintended consequences on Flashback, a new podcast from Aussie and I Heart Radio podcast Network, find out how some of the best laid plans can go horribly wrong or prove unexpectedly magnificent. On May six, listen to Flashback on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or ever you get your podcasts. We all need a break from the constant cycle to
learn something new, to gain new perspectives. The Great Courses Plus streaming service is an excellent resource to expand our knowledge on a variety of subjects or pick up a new hobby. I've been enjoying the Great Courses Plus while researching this season of Flashback. Lectures like Playball, the Rise of Baseball is America's Pastime, History of the Supreme Court, and Battlefield Europe have helped me connect the dots on
several stories from history. Right now, they're giving our listeners a special limited time offer a free month of unlimited access to their entire library. Sign up now through our special U r L go to the Great Courses Plus dot com slash Aussie that's the Great Courses Plus dot Com slash o z Y The Great Courses plus dot com slash Ozzie