Engines of Our Ingenuity
Episodes
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1498: Thoughts on Jumping
28 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1498 How the In which we try to jump as high as a flea. Today, can you jump as high as a flea?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1497: The Double-Bitted Axe
27 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1497 The rise of Paul Bunyan's radical double-bitted axe. Today, we learn to use a new axe.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1496: Mrs. Greenhow, Confederate Spy
26 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1496 Mrs. Greenhow, the first great Confederate spy. Today, we meet a Confederate spy.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2548: Informs
25 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2548 INFORMS and the mathematics of problem solving. Today, strange bedfellows.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2817: Creativity
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2817 Where do creative ideas come from? Today, let's talk about creativity.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2834: Wombs and Witchcraft
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2834 Wombs and Witchcraft: Edward Jorden's Suffocation of the Mother (1603). Today, wombs and witchcraft.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1495: The Chauffer Problem
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1495 The new technological elite: chauffeurs then, computer experts today. Today, we learn to drive our own cars -- and manage our own comp...
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1494: X-Ray Hair Removal
21 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1494 The strange persistence of X-ray hair removal. Today, we kill ourselves to remove hair.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1492: Necessity in the Siege of Paris
20 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1492 Necessity and invention during the 1870 siege of Paris. Today, necessity, invention, and the Siege of Paris.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1491: Orpheus
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1491 In which business schools study a leaderless orchestra. Today, we have no leader.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2547: Charging Interest
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2547 Changing views on charging interest throughout history. Today, interest.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2831: Reading Cosmo
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2831 Reading the Long History of Cosmopolitan Magazine. Today, a great American magazine.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2674: The Royal Navy Surgeon
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2674 The Royal Navy Surgeon; Taking Medicine to Sea in the Age of Sail. Today, the Royal Navy Surgeon.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1490: Germs
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1490 Germs, John Snow, and the Broad Street Well. Today, we talk about germs.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1489 Helicopter
14 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1489 Inventing the helicopter: harder than it looked. Today, we invent the helicopter.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1488: The Roeblings
13 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1488 John, Washington, & Emily Roebling, and the Brooklyn Bridge. Today, a family gives us the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1492: Necessity in the Siege of Paris
13 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1492 Necessity and invention during the 1870 siege of Paris. Today, necessity, invention, and the Siege of Paris.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1487: Telephone Use
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1487 Teaching the American public to use the telephone. Today, would you buy the first telephone?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2545: Milton Bradley
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2545 Game Maker Milton Bradley. Today, a game maker.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2617: Facebooking
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2617 Facebook, social networking website, or new medium? Today, Facebooking.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2829: Cesare Lombroso
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2829 Cesare Lombroso and his Museum. Today, a head in a jar.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1485: Ship of Gold
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1485 Ship of gold in the Deep Blue Sea: an impossible treasure recovery. Today, we hunt treasure.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1484: Georg Cantor
07 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1484 Georg Cantor, the man who counted beyond infinity. Today, we wonder about counting to infinity.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1483: Gibbs and Visualization
06 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1483 In which J. Willard Gibbs pictures gear teeth. Today, a glimpse into the mind of J. Willard Gibbs.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1481: Photography: The Salad Days
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1481 A revealing view of photography's early days. Today, where was photography headed in 1854?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2542: Hippodamus of Miletus
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2542 Hippodamus of Miletus and Urban Design. Today, a grid for the ages.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3346: Mary Proctor
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3346 In which Mary Proctor uses myth to help children understand reality. Today, astronomy for children.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3345: Tacheometry
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3345 In which I learn that an old book is not about tachometry but tacheometry instead. Today, a set of misunderstandings.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3342: Bernardo Zamagna
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3342 Bernardo Zamagna designs a lighter-than-air ship that physics could not quite support. Today, let us fly with Bernardo Zamagna.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1480: Streamline
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1480 Streamlining and the American public. Today, we talk about streamlining.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1479: Great-Grandchildren
29 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1479 The riddle of more grandparents than people. Today, you and I are kin.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1478: Statue of Liberty
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1478 A sneak preview of the Statue of Liberty. Today, a sneak preview of the Statue of Liberty.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2538: Cheese
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2538 Engineering Cheese Through the Millenia. Today, say "cheese."
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3343: Frank Rosenblatt’s Perceptron
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3343 Frank Rosenblatt's perceptron and the quest to design machines that can learn. Today, the origin of learning in artificial neural ne...
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3344: Rachel Ruysch
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3344 That Rare Find, Rachel Ruysch. Today, we talk diversity in art and nature.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1477: A Car for Anne Boleyn
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1477 A horseless carriage offered to Anne Boleyn. Today, we offer Anne Boleyn an automobile.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1476: Inventing the Dishwasher
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1476 In which Josephine Cochrane invents the dishwasher. Today, the birth of the dishwasher.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1475: Evariste Galois
22 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1475 The tragic tale of Evariste Galois. Today, let's tell the remarkable tale of Evariste Galois.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1474: Beach’s Secret Subway
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1474 Alfred Ely Beach builds a secret subway in New York City. Today, a secret subway.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2535: Times Tables
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2535 The base of a number system: times tables and memorization. Today, go forth and multiply.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3341: The McCulloch-Pitts Model
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3341 How Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts laid the foundation for current AI research. Today, the origin of artificial neural networks.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3340: Scissors
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3340 We look at the curious mechanics behind scissors. Today, let’s look at scissors.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1473: Titanic and Great Eastern
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1473 Two unsinkable ships: the Titanic and the Great Eastern. Today, a story of two ships. One sank. One didn't.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1472: Big Numbers
16 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1472 New uses for huge numbers. Today, big numbers find new meaning.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1471: Jamestown and Suicide
15 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1471 Some thoughts about immigrants, depression, suicide & Jamestown. Today, a story about Jamestown and self-destruction.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1470: Occam’s Razor
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1470 Occam's razor and engineering design. Today, we cut with Occam's razor.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2533: The Power of Three
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2533 On Table Legs and Flat Surfaces. Today, the power of three.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2763: Steve Jobs, Simplifier
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2763 The legacy of Steve Jobs, who simplified computers and computing devices. Today, the man who made it simple.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3339: The Eames Lounge Chair and Leg Splint
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3339 Cradling the Body: The Eames Lounge Chair, Leg Splint, and Good Design. The Eames Lounge Chair and Leg Splint
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3338: Predicting Warcraft
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3338 An old Century Magazine tries to predict future warfare. Today, we predict warcraft.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1469: The Hourglass
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1469 The hourglass: the poor man's clock, the poor man's metaphor. Today, let's look at the hourglass.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1468: The Bicycle
08 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1468 The evolution of the bicycle. Today, let's talk about bicycles and freedom.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2529: Comparing Fingerprints
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2529 Comparing Fingerprints: What's Involved and What can go Wrong. Today, who dunnit?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3337: Claude Bernard
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3337 Claude Bernard’s important medical science, horrifically achieved. Today, let’s meet a problematic scientist.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2018: The Chamberlen Family Secret
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2018 The Chamberlen family secret: the invention of forceps. Today, guest historian Cathy Patterson reveals family secrets.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3007: Elastic Chair
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3007 Samuel Gragg's Unusual Chair. Today we look at an elastic Chair.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3336: Nickel
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3336 The evolution and potential demise of the lowly Nickel. Today, let us spend the lowly nickel.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1467: Napoleon and Iron
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1467 Napoleon Bonaparte and Iron in France. Today, Napoleon builds iron monuments.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1466: Vegetable Physiology
01 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1466 An old botany book for young girls changes scientific thinking. Today, a young student forms a scientific theory.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3335: Transcontinental
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode #3335 Learning to fly non-stop from coast to coast in America. Today, we fly across America.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2527: Alphonse Bertillon
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2527 Alphonse Bertillon: Measuring the Man. Today, the measure of a man.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3244: Bias in Face Recognition Software
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3244 Bias and Diversity in Photography and Face Recognition Software. Today, bodies, in beautiful black and white.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2909: Renewable Energy
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2909 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Providing Renewable Energy, A Comparison of Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Lithium Ion Battery. Today, a neat way to get en...
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1465: The Cancer Cluster Problem
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1465 In which random statistical clusters look significant. Today, we flip six heads in a row.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1464: Learning Curve
26 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1464 Trying to teach technologies that were novel for us, but not our students. Today, a thought about technological change and learning.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1463: New Hampshire Iron
25 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1463 An old pig iron smelter in the New Hampshire underbrush. Today, an old iron works hidden in the tall grass.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1462: Jedidiah Morse
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1462 Jedidiah Morse, geographer and Samuel F. B. Morse's father. Today, Jedidiah Morse's geography.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2523: Georges-Eugene Haussmann
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2523 Georges-Eugene Haussmann Reshapes Paris. Today, a city redone.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3334: In Praise of Humble Lint
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3334 In Praise of Humble Lint. Today highlighting a former fabric byproduct.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2818: The Pompeian Paradox
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2818 The Pompeian Paradox and Fiorelli's Body Casts. Today, the Pompeian paradox.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1461: Telescopes
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1461 George Everett Hale and BIG telescopes. Today, we look through some really big telescopes.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1460: Chindogu
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1460 The little-known Japanese art of Chindogu. Today, the odd Japanese art of Chindogu.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1459: Teaching and Ambiguity
18 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1459 A tongue-tied attempt to say what teaching is. Today, teaching and ambiguity.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1458: Streetcars in Houston
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1458 The brief bright day of the electric trolley in Houston. Today, let's ride the Houston trolley.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2520: Hybrid Car Technology
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2520 Hybrid Electric Car Technology. Today, we hit the brakes.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2815: How Ideas Spread
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2815 The spread of ideas in social networks. Today, let's talk about engineered social networks.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2638: Artificial Gravity
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2638 Artificial Gravity for Human Spaceflight; What is Gained, What is Lost. Today, astronaut Michael Barratt discusses the pros and cons o...
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1457: Eratosthene’s Diameter of Earth
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1457 Eratosthenes's 2200 year old calculation of Earth's size. Today, we measure the earth.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1456: Paper in Samarkand
12 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1456 In which paper goes from China to Europe by way of Samarkand. Today, paper makes a long journey.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1455: Dentistry
11 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1455 A brief history of dentistry and pain. Today, we drill teeth.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1454: Juxtaposition and Contradiction
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1454 The sometimes astonishing results of juxtaposing contradictory ideas. Today, a thought about juxtaposition and contradictions.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2517: Rebecca Clarke
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2517 Rebecca Clarke: Violist, Composer, Woman. Today, a woman in conflict.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2978: Matisse’s Verve
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2978 Henri Matisse cuts paper to design a cover for the art magazine Verve. Today we look at heroism through cut paper.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3333: Lawrence Morely and Seafloor Spreading
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3333 Lawrence Morely and Seafloor Spreading. Today, a question of priority.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3332: Dynamo
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3332 From DC Dynamo to AC Alternator. Today, the dynamo.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1453: Two Huygens and John Donne
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1453 Christiaan and Constantijn Huygens, and John Donne. Today, a tale of two Huygens and John Donne.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1451: Inventing the Library
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1451 Inventing the free public lending library: socialism in books. Today, we invent the library.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3331: What Is a Photo?
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3331 Some thoughts about photography and reality. Today, Let’s take pictures.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2513: Our Teachers
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2513 The Importance of Teachers in Shaping our Lives. Today, remembering our teachers.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2905: The Gift of Imagination
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2905 Imagination's Contributions to Science and Technology, Developmental Psychology and Imagination. Today, the gift of imagination.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3245: Memes
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3245 Memes, Internet Challenges, and the Selfish Gene. Today, memes.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1450: Searching for Cleopatra
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1450 In which we learn too much about Cleopatra and the Pharos Lighthouse. Today, we look for Cleopatra.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1449: Image and Reality
28 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1449 Another look at image and reality: Fake Triceratops and manuscript books. Today, more on images and reality.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1448: Guillotin/Guillotine
27 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1448 The Guillotine and the democratization of death. Today, heads will roll.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1447: Eighteenth-Century Factory Maintenance
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1447 18th-C factory maintenance: messier than Diderot showed us. Today, a question of image and reality.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2510: Reason in All Things
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2510 Reason in all things: Augustine, Galileo, Collins, The Human Genome, and God. Today, Augustine, Galileo, and the human genome.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2488: Creator vs. Revisor
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2488 Revision: An Essential Component of the Creative Process. Today, creator vs. revisor.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2823: Hypnotic Crimes
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2823 Gilles de la Tourette and Hypnotic Crimes. Today, hypnotic crimes.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1444: ThrustSSC : 763 MPH
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1444 In which ThrustSSC passes the sound barrier on land. Today, a very fast car.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1443: Praising the Famous
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1443 Some thoughts on fame and fortune in technology. Today, thoughts on fame and fortune.