Engines of Our Ingenuity
Episodes
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2562: Paul Samuelson and the textbook Economics
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2562 Paul Samuelson and the textbook Economics. Today, a book that helped educate the world.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3354: Wharton Esherick
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3354 Wharton Esherick's finely-crafted furniture, objects, and art enliven the studio building he designed and constructed. Today, building...
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3266: New Year Fireworks
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3266 Fireworks, Firecrackers, and Lunar New Year. Today, we ring the new year in with a bang.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3353: Sandrin
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3353 An example showing how music, like other technologies, evolves. Today, a lesson from an old song.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1530: The Medieval Mason
22 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1530 Medieval masons and the mischief of success. Today, we meet a medieval mason.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1529: Osborne Reynolds
21 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1529 Osborne Reynolds: of sand Reynolds Numbers. Today, a great Victorian engineer.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1527: Polio and Clean Water
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1527 How Clean Water triggered the Great Polio Epidemics. Today, we wonder where polio came from.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2559: Going, Going, Gone!
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2559 Going, Going, Gone! A look at auctions. Today, going, going, gone!
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2035: The Gunpowder Plot
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2035 The Gunpowder Plot: Terrorism little-changed in four hundred years. Today, historian Cathy Patterson asks us to "Remember, remember, t...
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2739: Hall
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2739 Evolution of the Hall from Anglo-Saxon times to the present. Today, a room without a view.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1526: Learning to Talk
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1526 Learning speech: the Paleolithic technological explosion. Today, we learn to talk.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1525: Liberty Ships
15 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1525 Liberty ships: an amateur takes over the trade. Today, an amateur builds ships.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1524: The Great Peshtigo Fire
14 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1524 The other great fire of 1871: Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Today, the other great fire.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1523: Lighthouses and Cabooses
13 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1523 On saying goodbye to lighthouses and cabooses. Today, we say goodbye to lighthouses and cabooses.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2556: Hilbert and Euclid’s Elements
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2556 Euclid's Elements, David Hilbert, and modern notions of mathematical abstraction. Today, making a point.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3352: A Taste of Orange
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3352 A Taste of Orange. Today we are "Tasting Orange".
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3350: Pickering’s Harem
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3350 Today honoring a special group of women scientists. Pickering’s Harem.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3351: Crossbow
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3351 The curious struggle of the Crossbow. History is full of instances where armies cling to outmoded weapons.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1522: Fifty Years in the Future
08 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1522 A 1950 prediction of technology in the year 2000. Today, we go fifty years into the future.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1521: John P. Parker
07 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1521 John P. Parker, slave, freedom-fighter, inventor, and businessman. Today, we follow a slave out of slavery.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1520: Automobile Drag Coefficients
06 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1520 In which automobile makers gradually learn aerodynamics. Today, aerodynamics and automobiles.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2555: Google Books
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2555 The brave new world of digitizing books for the Web. Today, this old book.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2862: Randomness
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2862 Randomness out of Nothingness. Today, let's talk about how to pick random numbers out of thin air.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3349: Inhuman Distances
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3349 The Inhuman Distances of the Speed of Light. Today, inhuman distances.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1519: Seeing Around the Corner
02 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1519 Learning to acquire knowledge and create it at the same time. Today, we wonder where knowledge comes from.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1518: Looking for Reality
01 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1518 A concern about computers and the redefinition of reality. Today, we try to tell fact from fiction.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1517: A Tripartite Bridge
31 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1517 The very odd bridge that Roebling almost built. Today, a strange bridge.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1516: Saving the Lore
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1516 In which we must save the lore as well as the plants. Today, we have to save more than the endangered plants.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2554: Slogans and Jingles
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2554 The Creativity of Slogans and Jingles. Today, "think different."
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3090: Friedrich Richard Petri
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 3090 Friedrich Richard Petri. Today, drawing the frontier.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2881: Racial Mythologies: Günther vs. Huxley
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2881 Racial Mythologies: Hans Günther vs. Julian Huxley on the Concept of Race. Today, poison in the library.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1515: Oxygen
26 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1515 The would-be discovery of oxygen and scientific revolution. Today, let's try to find out who discovered oxygen.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1514: The Resistence Movement
25 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1514 The resistance movement: a look at ongoing evolution. Today, we watch creatures evolving around us.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1513: The Accidental Creationist
24 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1513 The Accidental Creationist: In which science changes with the telling of it. Today, the problem of telling about science.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1512: The Corner Store
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1512 The corner store: a retail outlet that is lost but not forgotten. Today, let's buy candy at the corner store.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2552: Frederick the Great, Patron of the Arts
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2552 Frederick the Great, Patron of the Arts. Today, what made Frederick great?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2836: Bumping Into Signs
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2836 Bumping into Signs: Emergent Semiotic Spaces. Today, signs of the times.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2243: Organizing for Disaster
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2243 Organizing for disaster: One place where New Orleans did it right. Today, our guest, UH journalist Michael Berryhill, prepares for a r...
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1511: Lotus and High-Tech
19 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1511 In which the lotus blossom gives a lesson in engineering design. Today, lotus petals and high-tech.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1510: Thomas Sopwith
18 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1510 Thomas Sopwith's hundredth birthday. Today, we meet the oldest airplane designer.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1509: Roads, Canals, and Railways
17 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1509 Late 18th century competition among roads, canals and railways. Today, we look at roads, canals, and railways.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1508: Alchemy
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1508 The alchemists and chemistry before the middle 19th century. Today, we remember alchemy.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2550: Napoleon’s Theorem
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 2550 Could Napoleon have proved Napoleon's Theorem? Today, did he, or didn't he?
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3244: Bias in Face Recognition Software
14 Jan 2026
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 1856: Form and Feeling
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1856 Form and feeling, a necessary partnership. Today, our guest. Seattle actor Megan Cole, considers a necessary partnership.
The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1507: Lighter Than Air
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Episode: 1507 Rediscovering lighter-than-air flight. Today, do you suppose you'll ever get to ride in a dirigible?
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.