Nanotechnology may seem like something from a sci-fi movie plot, but it’s a very real thing and has likely affected many areas of your life, whether you realise it, or not.

Nanotechnology looks at dimension and tolerances of less than 100 nanometers. For context, hair follicles or a sheet of paper are 100,000 nanometers thick. So, pretty small…

But what is it? How are scientists changing our lives with it? And why was King Charles III famously afraid of it?

Dallas Campbell is joined by nanochemist Suze Kundu to find out more.

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Wernher von Braun launched America's space programme, and took Apollo 11 to the moon. He was also a Nazi member who served in the SS, and developed the lethal V-2 rocket bomb.

He helped America progress in the Cold War, but he also helped Hitler attack his enemies, and as many as 20,000 concentration camp prisoners died assembling his missile invention.

Von Braun was able to manipulate the Nazi regime to serve his own agenda, but what was his intention...was he evil?

Today Dallas unpicks the Nazi space engineer's life and legacy with Annie Jacobsen.

You can find out more about Annie's book, Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program That Brought Nazi Scientists to America, here.

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What did humans do before calculators? How big was the very first electronic calculator? And what do monkey bones have to do with the history?

Dallas Campbell is joined by Keith Houston to talk about the rise and reign of the pocket calculator.

You can find out more about Keith’s book here.

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Robert Oppenheimer was the father of the atomic bomb - a weapon of unprecedented power, which, when dropped on Japan, would end WWII and would change the course of history. 

While some perceived the bomb as inhumane and other’s perceived it as necessary to end the war, we did manage to come to the conclusion that a ban on nuclear weapons was necessary due to the unacceptable humanitarian consequences of its use.

Teller had been part of Oppenheimer’s Manhattan Project. But from the early days he had been drawn to the idea of developing a Hydrogen Bomb, and was desperate to make one. He would go on to crack the science of making one and become known as the ‘Father of the Hydrogen Bomb’. Although Oppenheimer was the ‘father of the Atomic Bomb’, he was vehemently opposed to the development of this new weapon.

Who was right about the ethics of the Hydrogen Bomb; Oppenheimer or Teller?

Professor Gregg Herken who specialised in modern American diplomatic History at the University of California joins me to get to the bottom of that question. 

Edited by Tomos Delargy, Produced by Alex Carlon & Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, James Holland, Mary Beard and more.

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Was Coca Cola originally made with Cocaine? Did Coca Cola invent Santa? Who knows the Coca Cola recipe? Dallas is joined by Bart Elmore, an award-winning Professor and Writer who investigates the impact of big business on our environment to answer all of the questions which bubble in our minds about Coca Cola.

In 1864 Pharmacist, John Pemberton is injured in the American Civil War, finding himself bankrupt, addicted to morphine and trying to ween himself off it. If you're thinking about the person who's about to create the best brand in the world.... you might not think of this guy.

He concocts a tonic in his backyard to deal with his addiction to help take the edge of, but little did he know, he was creating arguably the most recognisable drink and brand in the world.

To learn more about the fascinating world of Coca Cola, make sure to check out Bart Elmore's book Citizen Coke: The Making of Coca-Cola Capitalism.

Edited by Tom Delargy, Produced by Alex Carlon & Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, James Holland, Mary Beard and more.

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Fritz Haber is an undisputed genius and is considered one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th Century. He’s an incredibly complex person, who has given so much to the world, but whether his inventions and intentions are good or evil are up for debate. 

Dalllas is joined by Dan Charles, Author of Master Mind: The Rise and Fall of Fritz Haber, the Nobel Laureate Who Launched the Age of Chemical Warfare to discuss the life and inventions of Fritz Haber and ask the complex question – was he evil? 

In 1918 Haber won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his invention of the Haber–Bosch process. At the time intensive farming was depleting the nitrogen in the soil, raising fears of a global food crisis. However Haber invented a method to synthesise ammonia from nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas. His process led to the synthesis of fertilisers, which helped feed the world’s growing population and dwindling supply of food. 

However in WWII, Haber devoted his research and resources to meeting Germany’s wartime demands, using chlorine gas as a chemical weapon and essentially birthed modern Chemical Warfare. After the war, Haber was criticised for his involvement in the gas-warfare program and thus leads us to ask the question. Was Fritz Haber an evil Inventor? 

Please note, this episode discusses topics of suicide and self-harm. If these topics are triggering, please skip this episode. You can seek help by calling Samaritans on 116 12. 

Edited by Alex Carlon, Produced by Alex Carlon & Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, James Holland, Mary Beard and more.

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She’s the most famous cat’s in the world. She’s definitely the most expensive. She’s worth a cool $84.5 Billion. She’s none other than Hello Kitty! 

In the final episode of our mini series on Japanese Inventions, Dallas is once again joined by Matt Alt, Author of Pure Invention. There’s an entire chapter in his book designated to Hello Kitty called “Cult of Cute” explaining why she became a runaway success story. 

Matt describes why in 1975 a girl’s purse with a picture of a cat on it, was flying off the shelves in Japan. How Sanrio capitalised on the idea of “kawaii” meaning “cute” and who drew the original Hello Kitty.

Mixed by Alex Carlon, Produced by Alex Carlon & Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, James Holland, Mary Beard and more.

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Isn’t it mind-blowing that a thermos flask can keep your drink hot or cold for 8 hours, despite what’s happening in the climate around you? A real sip of relief really/ 

But who invented this incredibly helpful concept of keeping hot things hot and cold things cold? Enter the troubled and quick-tempered Scottish Chemist and Physicist, James Dewar who invents the vacuum flask.

But how did he get to this point? Join Dallas Campbell and esteemed Chemist Andrea Sella as we learn all about the history of chemistry and science that led us to this point. 

Edited by Alex Carlon, Produced by Alex Carlon & Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, James Holland, Mary Beard and more.

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Think about how intimate our relationship with technology is. In today’s day and age, it’s almost impossible to function in the modern world without it. 

Believe or not, this intimate relationship with technology actually starts with the Sony Walkman. For the first time in history, we’d put on our headphones and unplug from the world around us. 

Matt Alt, author of Pure Invention joins Dallas for another episode on our Japanese Inventions mini series. Today Matt and Dallas are discussing the invention of the Sony Walkman, how it changed society and even how it inspired Steve Jobs to invent the iPod. 

Edited by Tom Delargy, Produced by Alex Carlon & Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, James Holland, Mary Beard and more.

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Spearmint, peppermint, double-bubble. You may think that chewing gum is a modern invention, when in fact we've been chewing the stuff since the year 200. Both the product and the flavour have improved immensely over almost 2000 years.

Jennifer Mathews joins Dallas on Patented today. She is a Professor of anthropology in sociology and knows everything there is to know about chewing gum. Starting from chewing on Chicle found among Mayan ruins to the brilliant PR campaign from William Wrigley, chewing gum has an ever-changing, social and practical history.

Edited by Tom Delargy, Produced by Sophie Gee & Alex Carlon. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, James Holland, Mary Beard and more.

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