Have you ever had an idea that seemed crazy -- maybe crazy enough to work? Every invention starts out as an idea, and it only takes a bit of genius to make it reality. See how some of the greatest inventions were brought to life ...
Have you ever had an idea that seemed crazy -- maybe crazy enough to work? Every invention starts out as an idea, and it only takes a bit of genius to make it reality. See how some of the greatest inventions were brought to life in The Stuff of Genius from HowStuffWorks.com. When George de Mestral and his dog set out on a leisurely mountain stroll, they returned covered in burrs. Learn how an afternoon walk inspired the creation of Velcro in this video podcast from HowStuffWorks.com.
Show allAlthough numerous inventors had devised adding machines of some sort, ...
Although numerous inventors had devised adding machines of some sort, William Seward Burroughs invented the first practical calculator. Tune in to learn more about his Stuff of Genius in this podcast.
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Nowadays flight recorders are a mandatory piece of equipment for ...
Nowadays flight recorders are a mandatory piece of equipment for all commercial planes -- but why? Tune in and learn more about black box recorders, as well as the genius behind them, in this podcast.
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Today, Vegemite is an iconic Australian condiment and a piece ...
Today, Vegemite is an iconic Australian condiment and a piece of the country's national identity. Yet this wasn't always the case. Tune in and meet Cyril Callister, the genius behind Vegemite.
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When Arthur Arnot moved to Australia, drills had already been ...
When Arthur Arnot moved to Australia, drills had already been around for quite a while. Yet they were still hand-operated, slow and unwieldy. Listen in to learn how Arthur stumbled on his Stuff of Genius in this podcast.
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Today, revolving doors are a common sight in large buildings ...
Today, revolving doors are a common sight in large buildings across the world -- but how did they get here? This episode ... wait for it ... revolves around Theo Kannel and his astonishing Stuff of Genius.
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Nowadays zippers are everywhere -- they're faster than buttons, convenient ...
Nowadays zippers are everywhere -- they're faster than buttons, convenient and reliable. But where did they come from? Tune in and learn more about Whitcomb Judson's stuff of genius in this episode.
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As a grocer in Oklahoma, Sylvan Goldman had a hunch ...
As a grocer in Oklahoma, Sylvan Goldman had a hunch that he was losing business because customers only bought as much as they could carry. Check out this episode to learn how his Stuff of Genius saved his store and spread throughout the world.
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Frustrated by the cumbersome and uncomfortable whalebone corsets common in ...
Frustrated by the cumbersome and uncomfortable whalebone corsets common in her time, Mary Phelps Jacob decided that something had to be done. Tune in and learn how her Stuff of Genius became one of the world's most popular undergarments in this podcast.
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Centuries before the European Renaissance, Zhang Heng had all the ...
Centuries before the European Renaissance, Zhang Heng had all the makings of a Renaissance man. Learn how this statesman, scholar and inventor invented the first seismometer in this podcast.
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When Chicago began planning for the World's Columbian Exhibition of ...
When Chicago began planning for the World's Columbian Exhibition of 1893, the city's planners asked George Ferris to build something "original, daring, and unique." Tune in to learn more about his invention -- and why it's considered the Stuff of Genius.
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