In this episode, hosts Nate and Mike enjoy smoking the Cohiba Red Dot cigar while diving into the fascinating yet lesser-known story of Thomas Harriot, a 16th-17th century English mathematician, astronomer, and early scientist. They discuss Harriot’s pioneering contributions—such as his early telescopic moon sketches preceding Galileo, advancements in algebra, and detailed, respectful ethnographic observations of Native American societies during the Roanoke expeditions. The conversation explores Harriot’s role as a scientific employee under the patronage system of the time, his limited publication leading to historical obscurity, and contrasts with more celebrated contemporaries like Galileo and Descartes.

The hosts also reflect on the colonial and scientific context of Harriot’s era, including Elizabethan England’s rivalry with Spain, the  ...