From Cow’s Milk To Saltwater Oysters: The First People To Dive Into The Unknown
We explore the many firsts throughout history and how key archaeologic evidence plays a role in accurately telling these narratives.
How Did Past Civilizations Keep Time?
Chad Orzel joins us this week to highlight just how much we rely on accurate clocks and how timekeeping technology has evolved across human history.
The Rise & Fall of General Electric
William D. Cohan joins us this week to share the story of General Electric.
The History of Timekeeping
From sundials to mechanical clocks to atomic clocks, humans – throughout the centuries – have kept track of time using many different methods. Physics and astronomy professor Chad Orzel joins us this week to highlight just how much we rely on accurate clocks and how timekeeping technology has evolved across human history.
The Private Sector Space Race
Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson both made history last month as they rocketed out of Earth’s atmosphere and successfully reached space. This trip was many years in the making as both billionaires built their own respective companies, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, to transport them to space as private civilians. Now, people are lining up and paying hefty …
The 40th Anniversary of the NASA Space Shuttle
The birth of the space shuttle in 1981 marked a new era of space travel. For the first time ever, NASA had a spacecraft that could launch into space and come back to earth and land like an airplane. While the shuttle had many successful flights, there were also some big catastrophes that ultimately led the program to cease operations in 2011. Former chief …
The State of Science
Before the pandemic, roughly 4 in 10 people across the world believed that if science didn't exist their lives would be no different, according to a global survey conducted by 3M Corporation. We dig into this staggering statistic and how COVID-19 has altered people's perception of the field.
Fueling Creativity: Funding Modern, Independent Invention
Without inventors like Benjamin Franklin or visionaries like Elon Musk, the world would look a bit different. Both of these people and countless others followed their passion, but sometimes it can be hard to slow down and take a risk.
The Invention of Instant Photography (2020)
In the early to mid 1900's, capturing a picture was cumbersome and complicated and took weeks to process the film. Then, Edwin Land, the creator of the Polaroid camera, came along and revolutionized the industry.
The Many Firsts Throughout History
We discuss the many firsts throughout history and the bold civilizations who uncovered these discoveries.
The Fall of Theranos
The rise and fall of the now defunct blood-testing company Theranos has captivated the attention of millions and exposed the dark side of the startup culture in Silicon Valley. Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of Theranos, is awaiting trial next summer, facing 11 felony charges for allegedly defrauding the public. We speak with Stanford professor Dr. …
Inventing the Polaroid (2017)
We look back at the man, and the business deals, that made Polaroid and instant photography possible.
A Triumph of Genius Edwin Land and Polaroid
These days “instant photography” means digital pictures that can be cropped, enhanced, captioned and uploaded to the Internet in a matter of minutes. It wasn’t that long ago, however, that “instant” photography was a lot more cumbersome and complex, and as novel as the latest tech gadgets are today. We’ll hear about the genius who made the first instant …
Becoming Steve Jobs
Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, was hailed as a genius during his lifetime for the success he and his partner made of the fledgling computer company. However, Jobs was also accused of being a divisive manager who burnt out his employees, and was eventually sidelined at his own company. We talk to one of his biographers about how Jobs changed his ways after he …
