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I've got an 11-year-old daughter, and if I exclaimed math, science, history, out loud, and with enthusiasm, she would likely cringe. No thanks, Dad. And when I was 11, I probably would have cringed too. But as I grew a bit older, and I hope this is true for my daughter as well, I began to react differently to each of those boring school

subjects. I warmed up to science first, probably. It's got some cool stuff. Dinosaurs, volcanoes,

space travel. I remember making rudimentary batteries in the sixth grade and really loving the challenge

of getting the highest voltage in the class.

And then I warmed up to history, which is a good thing given my career now, as my teachers

began to unpack the names and dates in a more narrative way, just about tricking me into learning.

Math didn't really become interesting until it was coupled with physics in high school.

I needed the application to start to appreciate the theory,

and then these days I even follow math teachers on TikTok, like my Dallas neighbor, Tim Roshutie.

But why am I telling you all this?

Because math science history may not at first be everyone's jam.

They're certainly not my daughters, and they

weren't mine, until they were presented to me with the right framing. And many other

unfamiliar or uncomfortable topics can be revealed to us, accepted by us, and enjoyed by us,

too, with the right framing. You'll see where I'm going with this. On today's Saturday

matinee, we're bringing you an episode from

the podcast, Math, Science, History. What you're about to hear focuses on the lives and work

of the pioneering 18th century surgeon, Dr. James Barry, and the renowned nuclear physicist

...