82 years ago this week, the Allied forces of World War II launched the largest seaborne invasion in history. Code-named Operation Neptune, it would mark the turning point of the war in Europe. How did it happen? Why did they choose the beaches of Normandy? And, most importantly, what does the D in D-Day mean? We're answering all that and more on this week's show.

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In 1905, a Swiss patent clerknamed Albert Einstein published a paper that upended our entire understanding of the universe. It explained supernovas, black holes, and even time travel. It also gave us E=mc2, probably the most famous equation ever. And the math was simple enough that a high-schooler could work it out. After spending five minutes with us, you'll know it all, too.

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The early twentieth century was a time of massive upheaval. Between World War 1, the Soviet Revolution, and Albert Einstein, everything we thought we knew about the world was suddenly gone. Into that swirling chaos came an art movement made for the era: Dadaism. Intentionally nonsensical and absurd, it was as much a reaction to the changing times as it was a product of them. This week, we're learning about it and how Dada continues to influence art produced to this day.

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Mother's Day is one of the most important holidays in America, and not just because we love our moms. Billions of dollars in flowers, greeting cards, and restaurant brunches make Mother's Day an economic powerhouse. But it wasn't always this way, and when it transformed rom a day of remembrance to a commercial industry, its founder tried to have it abolished. This week, we're talking about Anna Jarvis and the holiday she made.

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Imagine building an entire society around the idea of fighting people. That, in a nutshell, was Sparta. For over three millenia, the Spartans have been source of fascination for their military prowess, their massive slave population, and their seeming willingness to fight anyone over anything. This week's show explores the history behind their enduring legend.

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Why call something an ocean when you can call it a sea? Why call it a sea when you can call it a gulf? Why is Long Island Sound a body of water and not a rock band? If you've ever looked at a map of the world's bodies of water and wondered what anyone was thinking, this week's show is for you.

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History is full of restless, ambitious overachievers who wanted to make some difference in the world. But what if our idea of the world is wrong? What if life is nothing more than a dumb accident of the universe with no meaning? This is the philosophy of absurdism. In Albert Camus' The Stranger, the idea of absurdism is told through the character of Meursalt, a guy so checked out of life that he can't even explain why he murdered someone. On this week's show, we're talking about life, death, and the meaning of it all. 

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When stars die, they don't go quietly. They can shrink, expand, explode, and everything in between. How does a star know what to do when it's done? We're covering all that in the conclusion of our two-part series.

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Black holes have been a reliable source of inspiration in science fiction and made astrophysicists like Stephen Hawking into household names. On this week's show, we follow how the idea of black holes went from a mathematical sideshow to a phenomenon that has fundamentally reshaped our understanding of the universe. This episode is the first of a two-parter on the funny business that happens when stars stop being stars.

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Impressionism was a 19th century art movement borne out of an insult, but quickly became one of the most popular and enduring art forms in history. Legendary painters like Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edouard Manet, and Mary Cassatt were impressionists. On today's show, we explore the history of this movement and how its artists embraced that derisive term. All of the paintings featured on today's episode can be found in the show notes on the www.5minutetrivia.com website.

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