How the First Olympics Worked

This 2014 episode covers the invention of the canned meat known as Spam. The Hormel Foods product was invented in the 1930s to make use of a surplus of shoulder meat from pigs, and was an instant hit ...

11 Mai 202428min

Holly and Tracy discuss George Heye using his senior thesis to drink beer and how his collection was almost purchased by Ross Perot. They also discuss Maria Orosa and the types of bananas used to make...

10 Mai 202431min

Maria Ylagan Orosa was born in the Philippines, and she spent her life working to eliminate food insecurity there. She revived the use of locally available ingredients, and wrote recipes that are foun...

8 Mai 202445min

George Gustav Heye’s work in curating a collection of Native American artifacts has enabled many people to learn about indigenous cultures. But his colleting practices and relationship to those cultur...

6 Mai 202443min

This 2012 episode from prior hosts Sarah and Deblina covers dentist Horace Wells. At an exhibition in 1844 he became certain that nitrous oxide could revolutionize medicine. He tried to demonstrate hi...

4 Mai 202429min

Tracy and Holly discuss Sir Humphry Davy's less than spectacular poems, Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," and the end of Davy's career and life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Mai 202416min

Davy's career after his work in nitrous oxide included the invention of a miner's lamp designed to make mining safer. This invention came with a bit of controversy.  Research: "Britons take laughing ...

1 Mai 202434min

Chemist Sir Humphry Davy is known for his work with nitrous oxide, or laughing gas. That early part of his career is the focus of part one of this two-parter. Research: "Britons take laughing gas mer...

29 Apr 202437min