Russia, it turns out, accidentally helped the US win its independence.



Also: we meet two sisters who will go to the Olympics together but on competing teams; we remember when North and South Korea teamed up to beat China at table tennis; we go a few rounds with a boxer who’s inspiring young women in Jordan; we learn why an all-girl robotics team from Afghanistan is going to be competing virtually in a US competition; and we get the backstory to a popular baseball podcast hosted by three fans of the sport who also happen to be blind.



(Image: People watch fireworks as they celebrate US Independence Day on July 4, 2017 in Washington, DC. Credit: Brendan Smialowski/Getty