This podcast investigates the curious history of invention and innovation. Did Thomas Edison take credit for things he didn’t actually invent? What everyday items have surprising origins? And would man have ever got to the moon without… the bra? Each episode host Dallas Campbell dives into stories of flukey discoveries, erased individuals and merky marketing ploys with the help of experts, scientists and historians. Expect new episodes every Wednesday and Sunday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes
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30 min
Things vs. Humans: the spiteful behaviour of inanimate objects
If you can never connect to a printer, if furniture jumps out to stub your toe, if when you do the dishes the water jumps out the sink to soak you - then you are victim of the inan…
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40 min
First Ever Submarine
400 years ago on the River Thames a mad genius showed off the world's first submarine. A crowd of thousands including King James watched as Cornelis Drebbel disappeared beneath the…
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37 min
Inventing Fire: the First Spark of Humanity
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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48 min
Rise and Fall of High Heels
For most of their history, High Heels were resolutely masculine. The most manly of manly footwear. How did they turn into burning icons of femininity? And now that the heyday of wo…
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30 min
Sunglasses
What do all incredibly cool people have in common? They wear Sunglasses. Whether you're Miles Davis or Audrey Hepburn, James Dean or Bob Dylan, your sunglasses are never far away.W…
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36 min
Deep-Sea Submersibles & the Titan Disaster
The Titan submersible implosion was a tragic example of marine exploration going wrong. Today Dallas speaks to one of the world's leading marine archaeologists about Titan and the…
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48 min
Patriarchy
Why are men in charge? Who invented Patriarchy?Was it chest-thumping primate ancestors? Was it spear-wielding hunter gatherers? Was it at dawn of agriculture and the creation of pr…
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31 min
Donald Hebb: Brainwashing in the Cold War
In 1950, a new word ‘brainwashing’ entered the English language. From the paranoia of the Cold War a new type of Evil Scientist had emerged — the Mind Controller. But was there any…
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36 min
Medieval Swords
No invention conjures up the 'Old World' as much as the Sword. It's an utterly iconic object that whisks us back to knights in shining armour. But what were Medieval swords really…
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38 min
Marie Curie
In a leaky shed in Paris, Marie Curie turned two tons of pitchblende (aka special rocks) into a single test tube of radium chloride - its green glow lighting up the walls. It must…
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49 min
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology may seem like something from a sci-fi movie plot, but it’s a very real thing and has likely affected many areas of your life, whether you realise it, or not.Nanotech…
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50 min
Wernher Von Braun: Nazi Father of Rocket Science
Wernher von Braun launched America's space programme, and took Apollo 11 to the moon. He was also a Nazi member who served in the SS, and developed the lethal V-2 rocket bomb.He he…
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46 min
Digital Calculators
What did humans do before calculators? How big was the very first electronic calculator? And what do monkey bones have to do with the history?Dallas Campbell is joined by Keith Hou…
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41 min
Bombs: Oppenheimer, Teller & Armageddon
Robert Oppenheimer was the father of the atomic bomb - a weapon of unprecedented power, which, when dropped on Japan, would end WWII and would change the course of history. While s…
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53 min
Coca Cola: A Backyard Invention
Was Coca Cola originally made with Cocaine? Did Coca Cola invent Santa? Who knows the Coca Cola recipe? Dallas is joined by Bart Elmore, an award-winning Professor and Writer who i…
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45 min
Fritz Haber: Inventor of Poisonous Gas
Fritz Haber is an undisputed genius and is considered one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th Century. He’s an incredibly complex person, who has given so much to the world, bu…
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32 min
Inventing Hello Kitty
She’s the most famous cat’s in the world. She’s definitely the most expensive. She’s worth a cool $84.5 Billion. She’s none other than Hello Kitty! In the final episode of our mini…
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38 min
Thermos Flask: A Hot and Cold History
Isn’t it mind-blowing that a thermos flask can keep your drink hot or cold for 8 hours, despite what’s happening in the climate around you? A real sip of relief really/ But who inv…
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35 min
The Walkman: The First Intimate Technology
Think about how intimate our relationship with technology is. In today’s day and age, it’s almost impossible to function in the modern world without it. Believe or not, this intima…
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34 min
Chewing Gum: From the Aztecs to Avocados
Spearmint, peppermint, double-bubble. You may think that chewing gum is a modern invention, when in fact we've been chewing the stuff since the year 200. Both the product and the f…