Engines of Our Ingenuity
The story of technological progress is one of drama and intrigue, sudden insight and plain hard work. Let’s explore technology’s spectacular failures and many magnificent success stories. This content is in service of Houston Public Media’s education mission and is sponsored by the University of Houston. It is not a product of our news team.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1635: The Sign of the Barber’s Pole
Episode: 1635 At the Sign of the Barber Pole: of barbers and barber-surgeons. Today, reflections in a barbershop.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1635: The Sign of the Barber Pole
Episode: 1635 At the Sign of the Barber Pole: of barbers and barber-surgeons. Today, reflections in a barbershop.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1634: Daedalus
Episode: 1634 Flying the Aegean Sea in Daedalus' slipstream. Today, we mix a magic drink for Daedalus and Icarus.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1633: Studying Calculus
Episode: 1633 In which a Cambridge don doubts his own calculus teaching. Today, a mathematician misses the point.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2642: Structured Data
Episode: 2642 The Importance of Structuring Data. Today, putting it all together.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3092: Description of Arts and Crafts
Episode: 3092 Descriptions of Arts and Crafts. Today, saving arts and crafts.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3410: Fragile History
Episode: 3410 Some thoughts on how history must get written with vastly incomplete information. Today, fragile history.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3409: Pickelhaube
Episode: 3409 We trace the long life of a silly helmet. Today, a puzzling headpiece.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1632: The Sunken Monitor
Episode: 1632 Rediscovering the sunken Union Monitor. Today, we find the first modern warship -- on the ocean floor.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1631: Borrowing a One
Episode: 1631 Learning to subtract 49 from 62: more than meets the eye. Today, what is 49 from 62?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1630: Creating Nature
Episode: 1630 In which we ponder a very subjective notion of reality. Today, nature changes before our eyes.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2460: The Singing Nun
Episode: 2460 In praise of the City: A fine piece of the natural world. Today, another look at form and function.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2955: The Friendship Paradox
Episode: 2955 The Friendship Paradox: Why Your Friends Are More Popular Than You Are. Today, let's talk about your friends.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3408: When Molecules Bump
Episode: 3408 When Molecules Bump. Today, a historical injustice.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3407: Who Wrote the Song?
Episode: 3407 In which we forget that John Jacob Niles gave us some of our best-loved music. Today, who wrote the song?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1629: Resisting Change
Episode: 1629 An old book tells about textile engineering and conservatism. Today, we resist change.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1628: The First Red Cross Ambulance
Episode: 1628 The first red cross ambulance. Today, we care for wounded soldiers.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1627: The Medical Genius
Episode: 1627 A shocking look at medications in 1892 shows us how far we've come. Today, we measure how far we've come.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2639: The Space Needle
Episode: 2639 The Seattle World's Fair and the Space Needle. Today, a landmark in the clouds.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2927: Dual Inheritance Theory
Episode: 2927 Dual Inheritance Theory: How our Genes and our Culture are co-evolving. Today, let's talk about cultural complexity.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2999: Hannibal’s Grand Strategy
Episode: 2999 Hannibal's Grand Strategy: Genius or Failure? Today, Hannibal at the gates.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3406: Short Subjects
Episode: 3406 About the Short Subjects that we see, and that we once saw, before the movie we came to see. Today, short subjects.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1626: The Yellow River
Episode: 1626 Using China's Yellow River to contemplate a flood. Today, a look at flooding.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1625: Elisha Gray and Miracles
Episode: 1625 Telephone inventor Elisha Gray talks about miracles. Today, a telephone inventor talks about miracles.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1624: Garrett Morgan
Episode: 1624 Garrett A. Morgan: Black American inventor. Today, thoughts about traffic lights, gas masks, and hair straighteners.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2636: Admiral Michael Mullin and Mathematics
Episode: 2636 Admiral Michael Mullen and Mathematics. Today, leading the charge.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2851: Unplanned Obsolescence
Episode: 2851 The Lake Breeze Fan: Unplanned Obsolescence. Today, invention and obsolescence.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3404: Correspondence Schools
Episode: 3404 The rise and fall of ICS, The International Correspondence School. Today, International Correspondence Schools.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1623: Joel Dorman and Ester Steele
Episode: 1623 The textbooks of J. Dorman and Esther Steele. Today, we meet two very special teachers.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1622: Fingerprints
Episode: 1622 Fingerprints, crime detection, and identification. Today, I ask, "Who are you?"
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1621: Motherland
Episode: 1621 Motherland: The Stalingrad Memorial. Today, we visit a really big statue
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2753: Henry Gantt
Episode: 2753 Henry Laurence Gantt. Today, we chart new territory.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2641: Ghosts of Niagara
Episode: 2641 Niagara Falls and the development of hydroelectric power. Today, ghosts of Niagara.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2977: Thomas Jefferson and the Maison Carrée
Episode: 2977 Thomas Jefferson, the Maison Carrée, and the Virginia State Capitol. Today, Thomas Jefferson in love.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3403: Telephone in 1904
Episode: 3403 An old book about telephones reminds of a time before our technologies were not “black boxed.” Today, we look under the hood.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1620: The Indian Canoe
Episode: 1620 The Indian canoe -- another perfected technology. Today, birch-bark canoes.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1619: A Theatre of Machines
Episode: 1619 Theatre of Machines -- forerunners of engineering handbooks. Today, the first handbooks.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1618: Existence and Uniqueness
Episode: 1618 Today we wonder whether something other than one solution exists. Today, the forgotten lecture in your math course.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2631: The Double Slit Experiment
Episode: 2631 The Double Slit Experiment. Today, a mysterious experiment.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3402: Absolute Zero
Episode: 3402 Absolute Zero: The hunt for the lowest possible temperature. Today, absolute zero.
