During the siege of Syracuse in 214 BCE, the city-state's resident genius, Archimedes, built a number of clever war machines to thwart the invading Roman fleet. One invention, the death ray, has been considered the stuff of legend. But could it have been real?
AI Summary
In this fascinating episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the brilliant mind of Archimedes, the ancient Greek mathematician and inventor who lived in Syracuse around 287 BC. They explore his groundbreaking discoveries like calculating pi and his famous "Eureka!" moment with water displacement, plus examine his ingenious war machines that helped defend his city during a Roman siege. The hosts investigate whether Archimedes' legendary "death ray" - a collection of mirrors that supposedly burned enemy ships from afar - actually existed or was just an ancient tall tale, discussing modern attempts to recreate this mysterious weapon.
A View to a Kill
1985
2h 11m
★ 6.2
"You do a kill, maybe. All right, if you do a kill, boy, that one is a stinker — The hosts were trying to remember which James Bond or Superman movie featured a satellite weapon that harnesses sunlight."
— Chuck
Boomerang
1992
1h 57m
★ 5.7
"I mean, the last thing I remember seeing her in was Boomerang, the Eddie Murphy movie — Chuck mentioned this Eddie Murphy movie when discussing what happened to actress Grace Jones."
— Chuck
Good Will Hunting
1997
2h 7m
★ 8.2
"You know, like that Matt Damon soliloquy in Goodwill Hunting, where he's interviewed you by the NSA — Josh referenced a scene from Good Will Hunting where Matt Damon's character is interviewed by the NSA to illustrate how genius minds get co-opted by authorities."
— Josh
Idiocracy
2006
1h 24m
★ 6.4
"But it's like then you have the idiocracy problem — Josh referenced the movie while discussing the concept of smart vs. dumb people reproducing and its societal implications."
— Josh
"So some other dudes called the Mythbusters, is that what's pronounced? — Josh referenced the TV show MythBusters when discussing their attempts to recreate Archimedes' death ray."
— Josh
Office Space
1999
1h 30m
★ 7.4
"Did you like office space? Yeah, sure. Who didn't? — The hosts discussed Office Space as a beloved underground hit that became part of workplace vernacular."
— Josh
Pulp Fiction
1994
2h 34m
★ 8.5
"Marcellus Wallace. We're in charge here now... He's got a brief case that glows — Josh made a humorous reference to the character Marcellus Wallace from Pulp Fiction when discussing General Marcellus from the Archimedes story."
— Josh
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