Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchS2E10: New Media, Old Story
Season 2 Episode 10
Radio was originally a social medium, as early radio sets (each of which could transmit as well as receive) turned cities into giant chatrooms, populated by Morse Code-tapping enthusiasts. But the ex…
Published on 6 years, 3 months ago
S2E9: A Brief History Of Timekeeping
Season 2 Episode 9
The first mechanical clocks were made to summon monks to prayer. Ever since, timekeeping technology has often been about control and obligation. But underneath a mountain in Texas, a new kind of cloc…
Published on 6 years, 3 months ago
S2E8: Salvation In The Air
Season 2 Episode 8
At the dawn of the 20th century, chemists dreamed of extracting nitrogen from the air and turning it into a limitless supply of fertiliser. Sceptics thought they were crazy -- it was possible in theo…
Published on 6 years, 3 months ago
S2E7: A Bug In The System
Season 2 Episode 7
The first ever computer program was written in 1843 by Ada Lovelace, a mathematician who hoped her far-sighted treatise on mechanical computers would lead to a glittering scientific career. Today, as…
Published on 6 years, 4 months ago
Dots, Dashes, and Dating Apps
Season 2 Episode 6
In the 19th century, young people wooed each other over the telegraph. But meeting strangers on the wires could lead to confusion, disappointment, and even fraud. Do modern online dating apps have an…
Published on 6 years, 4 months ago
Mars on Earth
Season 2 Episode 5
Polar exploration was the Victorian equivalent of the space race. Major powers vied to outdo each other, funding expeditions to the most inhospitable parts of the world as demonstrations of their sup…
Published on 6 years, 4 months ago
Meat and Potatoes
Season 2 Episode 4
The potato seemed strange and unappetizing when it first arrived in Europe. But it grew into a wonder food that helped solve the continent’s hunger problems. Can its journey tell us what to expect fr…
Published on 6 years, 4 months ago
Unreliable Evidence
Season 2 Episode 3
In the early 20th century a new forensic technique—fingerprinting—displaced a cruder form of identification based on body measurements. Hailed as modern, scientific, and infallible, fingerprinting wa…
Published on 6 years, 4 months ago
Second Wind
Season 2 Episode 2
For thousands of years we sailed our cargo across oceans using zero-emission, 100 percent renewable wind. Then we switched to ships that run on oil, creating a global maritime fleet that pumps greenh…
Published on 6 years, 5 months ago
A Familiar Tune
Season 2 Episode 1
The 19th century invention of the phonograph left composers worried they might not be paid for recordings. The 20th century proliferation of digital sampling outmoded old copyright laws. Can these pr…
Published on 6 years, 5 months ago