By Keith Decent
The Story of How We Make Stuff
The story of how two industries, a bunch of scientists, the leading electronics companies of the 80, and even Billy Joel worked together to change the future of audio recording... and possibly the entire physical makeup of the planet. Thanks to...
Ever wonder why they call it a 2x4 when it's actually 1 1/2 x 3 1/2? Why the edges are all rounded over? Why it exists in the first place? Delve into the history of the world's most famous block...
Every now and then an invention comes along that is made of inventions. A merging of technologies that pushes the worlds of design and manufacturing to their limits, and changes them irreversibly. Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic represents one of those leaps....
Whether it's sitting in the back of your junk drawer, being used to lift a 14,000 lb car into the air, or holding a wound closed on the battlefield, CA Glue, also known as Superglue, is certainly one of the...
A beer company CEO walking on a beach comes up with a plan that could change the world. Music provided by: Lee Rosevere FTGU is a (severely overworked) one-man operation. Please consider going to Patreon.com/keithdecent to donate to the show. Alternatively, sharing...
A family, ruined by disease. A widow, haunted by vengeful spirits. A house, built to trick and trap the dead. Secret rooms, trap doors, stairs to nowhere, and deadly pitfalls. The Winchester Mystery House is a weird, weird place, with...
From ancient cave dwellers to modern firefighting, the history of the ladder is the history of humanity striving to rise to new heights, to reach beyond our limitations, and to come back from the journey safer and better than when...
How many Napoleons does it take to accidentally invent the Flea Market? Music: Lee Rosevere - Puzzle Pieces Couperin - Pieces en Concert - Prelude, La Tromba, Air de Diable Lee Rosevere - Under Suspicion Ruff and Ready - Matt Oakley Lee Rosevere -...
Invisible wood? Bullet proof wood? 1200 foot-tall, fire-resistant skyscrapers made from timber? This episode explores the various superpowers given to wood by scientists and engineers of the modern age as well as our recent past. Music: Puzzle Pieces - Lee Rosevere It’s...
From a colony of insects on a tree branch in India, to your fingernails, food, medicine, artwork, and furniture, shellac undergoes a 3000 year journey to become a worldwide industry. Myths, inventions, the delta blues, and apples are all touched...
The tragic tale of two brothers, Hosea and Ethan, who set off into the American West search of riches, only to find disease, famine, thievery, toil, and eventually, death. This episode takes the form of an epic poem with some...
Why does the US House of Representatives have it’s own mace? And why is it silver? Come to think of it, why is silver so prominent in the history of the US? In part 1 of this series, we explore...
No French Canadians were harmed in the making of this podcast. Everyone has one somewhere. The little wrench named after… well some guy probably. But who? And more importantly, why? Today we explore the history of the Allen Screw, how the...
This episode digs deep into the past, following history from ancient kingdoms, across colonial seas, through industrial revolutions, and right into the palm of your hand in order to find out the story of one of the world’s most useful...
When everyone said it couldn’t be done, he stood and he did it. When no one would believe him, he stood and he proved it to them. And when everything came tumbling down, his legacy would bring us back together...
It has has sailed across the oceans, carried passengers through early pneumatic subways, flown through the heavens, and helped heal the wounded. It’s won wars, housed an unfortunate nation, carried our burdens, and propelled us into the future. This episode...
Ancient warrior chiefs, sinister treasure hunters, adventurous archaeologists, and a mysterious blue disk that holds the secrets of the heavens; the story of how one accidental discovery forever altered human history and ignited the rise of human civilization on a...
From humble beginnings to rock and roll legend, the story of how a boy and his father built the world’s greatest electric guitar in a makeshift workshop out of a bunch of scraps. Huge thanks to Tim Sway of New Perspectives...
Radioactive dinnerware, the wallpaper that may have assassinated Napoleon, and the brown paint that was made of Pharaohs. This episode explores what happens when enterprising people put their creative endeavors ahead of the common good, and celebrates those with the...
From ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire, from Pre-Enlightenment France to the Great Depression, the history of the Spirit Level is a story of necessity, ingenuity, and collaboration. Join us as we explore the great minds behind one of our...
A look into one of reclaiming and upcycling's most divisive topics, Pallets of fear provides background and expert insight into what makes these tools of the shipping trade so appealing to many, and so unnerving to others. Special thanks to Paul...
