Engines of Our Ingenuity

The Engnines of Our Ingenuity 1506: The First Mechanical Clocks

11 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 1506 The invisible invention of the clock.  Today, we look for the first mechanical clock.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1503: New Women Fliers

10 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 1503 The second generation of women fliers comes to maturity.  Today, a new generation of women fliers.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1502: The Temptress Moon

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 1502 In which the temptress Moon leads calendar-makers astray.  Today, the moon deceives us.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2038: Leap Second

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 2038 Putting a leap second in an elastic year.  Today, we add a second to our lives.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2566: Champagne

07 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 2566 Taking Champagne to the Masses.  Today, we pop the cork.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2364: The Longest Year in History

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 2364 46 BC: In which Julius Caesar creates the longest year.  Today, UH scholar Richard Armstrong tells us about the longest year in history...

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1501: Horizontal Diffusion

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 1501 The orientation of continents determines their development.  Today, the advantage of being horizontal.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1500: A Landmark: 1500/2000

04 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 1500 1500th episode and 2000 AD: A poor time to summarize.  Today, we reach a landmark.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1499: Domesticating Animals

03 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 1499 Domestic animals: A tricky marriage between human and beast.  Today, we try to domesticate a wild animal.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1563: Toys

02 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 1563 Looking back at the impact of toys.  Sorting through a box the other day, I found old toys -- a lead soldier, a stuffed dog, a set of b...

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1760: The Christmas Lectures

01 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 1760 The Christmas Lectures: Michael Faraday's Gift to children.  Today, the Christmas Lectures.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3348: Christmas

31 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 3348  The unspoken binding tissue of Christmas – and of Hanukkah.  Today, a Merry Christmas to all.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3037: Carol of the Bells

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 3037 Carol of the Bells.  Today, a Christmas carol.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3347: Circus

29 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Episode: 3347  My metaphor for the academic life: The Circus.  Today, we welcome new faculty.

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.