The rise of Carthage is one of the most dazzling stories of the ancient world. A tale of cunning queens, glittering harbors, and empires built not just by sword and sail, but by soil.

In this episode, John and Patrick trace the astonishing birth of Carthage - from Queen Elyssa’s legendary ox-hide bargain to the booming agricultural empire that threatened Rome itself. Far from a mere city of merchants, Carthage was a powerhouse of farming innovation: with iron plows, vine-laced terraces, and sweet wines that made even the Romans jealous.

At its heart was a rich and fertile land, one so abundant that Homer himself sang its praises. From pomegranates to elephants, from olive groves to slave-worked estates, Carthage was an empire rooted in the earth. And behind it all loomed a mysterious figure: Mago of Carthage, the so-called "father of agriculture," whose lost treatise would echo across centuries.

Join John and Patrick as they unearth the agricultural engine behind Carthage’s meteoric rise. A story of invention, ambition, and the fields that fed an empire on the brink of war with Rome.

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In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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The tulip - elegant, exotic, and ephemeral - has long captivated the human imagination. But in 17th-century The Netherlands, it ignited something far more volatile: a frenzy. This is the story of Tulip Mania, the extraordinary episode in Dutch history when a single flower became the object of national obsession - and financial ruin.

In this episode, John and Patrick trace the tulip’s journey from the windswept mountains of Central Asia to the refined gardens of Persian poets and the grand courts of the Ottoman Empire, where it became a potent symbol of power and beauty. Then there was Carolus Clusius: the eccentric botanist whose passion for plants (and a few misplaced bulbs) unleashed the tulip upon Europe.

As the Dutch Republic soared to riches during its Golden Age, so too did its appetite for rare and unusual tulips. At first the preserve of aristocrats and collectors, tulips soon spilled into the hands of speculators, shopkeepers, and artisans. As demand for variegated and ‘broken’ tulips surged, prices climbed to lunatic heights - until, suddenly, they didn’t.

What followed was a spectacular crash, a financial catastrophe that would echo down through the centuries. Or did it?

Join John and Patrick as they uncover the truth behind the tulip craze: from its exotic roots to its supposed ruinous end, and how one 19th-century Scottish journalist may have exaggerated the entire affair.

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In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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How did a drunk church-goer influence the Navy’s go-to-beverage? What does a Persian fruit beverage and sherbet powder have to do with each other? How did an American favorite drink fall from grace? And why does tomato juice taste so much better on a plane?

In this month's livestream, John and Patrick each reveal their top three produce-based drinks from history.

From orange juice’s vital role in World War II to grape juice’s unexpected place in the fight against alcoholism, these drinks don’t just quench thirst - they reflect the spirit of their times.

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In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community.

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