Dead Men Tales

Ed Holohan came back from the war in the Pacific and went to work in a supply house because they were hiring strong, young men who wanted to work six days a week. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares memories of his father.

In this episode, Dan Holohan takes us to a seaside Victorian estate and meets a beautiful old radiator with tears in its eyes.

John Mills was one of the great-granddaddies of heating. He worked with the H.B. Smith Company as a freelance inventor and engineer from 1873 until 1897. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares why you may think of John Mills the next time you’re doing a heat-loss calculation or looking at an old steam heating system.

In this episode, Dan Holohan tells the story of Thomas Tredgold, defining the British thermal unit, and why it pays to develop a healthy skepticism.

In 1942 a group of industry leaders wrote a booklet containing their predictions for the future of heating in America after the war. Were they correct? Find out in this episode.

At the turn of the century, the crowded quilt of lower Manhattan was teeming with manufacturers of heating equipment and the spirit of invention. In this episode, Dan Holohan takes us on a walking tour and shares little-known stories of heating history.

In 1899 an association of boiler manufacturers got together in the spirit of what they called cooperative competition. In this episode, Dan Holohan tells about The Carbon Club’s brazen (and very successful) efforts to not only control the price and supply of boilers, but to also set standards that would keep those boilers from exploding.

Gil Carlson first pointed out the importance of a circulator's location in a closed hydronic system. In this episode, Dan Holohan shares how his teacher’s curiosity and brilliant mind changed the way we pipe heating systems.

After the American Revolution, skilled craftsmen gathered in a tavern in lower Manhattan to discuss how they’d rebuild the war-torn city. They formed an organization that now supports NYC's oldest technical school. In this episode, Dan Holohan tells the story of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen and its lasting impact, as well as why 1880s steam heating is very different from 1930s steam heating.

Do you ever wonder why the chimneys are on the sides of most buildings? Or why most homes have eight-foot ceilings? In this episode, Dan Holohan explores how purpose shaped design throughout our industry’s history.