Despite having failed to construct the Panama Canal, France's efforts drew America's attention to the need for control over the canal, leading President Rutherford Hayes to warn Europe against threatening American control in the event of unrest.
The host discusses the science behind flash flooding and upward flowing water that carries loose sediment and deposits it at the bottom of a mesa or butte, leading to the phenomenon of water running uphill.
As the risk associated with giant container vessels increases, smaller and faster ships may be necessary. The current societal structures, which have worked well so far, are now at risk of failure.
The speaker describes a red building that floods frequently and a golf cart where people were seen making out.
The idea that switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is impossible is unfounded since history has shown that building new infrastructures is non-trivial yet feasible. We have built four different transportation infrastructures in 100-150 years alone.