History Hit, home of Dan Snow’s History Hit podcast, are expanding their slate with a twice-weekly podcast investigating the curious history of invention and innovation.
Released every Wednesday and Friday, each episode will explore history’s most impactful ideas and the genius minds who created them — from the stream engine to the condom.
Hosted by science broadcaster and author Dallas Campbell (The Gadget Show, BBCs Bang Goes the Theory, National Geographic), listeners can expect revealing interviews with scientists, historians and even a few real-life inventors.
Early guests include Dr Adam Rutherford on gene editing and eugenics, Timandra Harkness describing a time before ‘zero’ and Matt Ridley on the steam engine and the myth of the lone inventor.
The podcast launches 16 March and is available to stream for free wherever you can listen to podcasts.
Dallas Campbell The history of inventions is full of myths, from the genius lone inventor to the eureka moment. With this podcast, I wanted to investigate the real origin stories… because I have a sneaking suspicion they are just as fun as the mythical ones!
Dan Snow Of all the broadcasters that I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside and learn from, Dallas Campbell stands out for his knowledge, enthusiasm, and ability to explain what can be a complicated subject. I’m so excited that Dallas is coming abroad as the host of our 7th podcast. His will be dedicated to the history of science and technology. We know this topic is a favourite of our audience and Dallas will give them plenty to get their teeth into.
About Dallas Campbell: Dallas has presents some of television’s most popular factual programmes including: Science of Stupid, Bang Goes the Theory, The Gadget Show, Stargazing Live, The Sky at Night, and Britain Beneath Your Feet. Beyond television, Dallas is an author, speaker, and ambassador for STEM education.
About History Hit: History Hit is the UK’s biggest digital history brand across podcasts, Video on Demand, social media and the web. Go to historyhit.com for more. Their podcast network has 6 million listeners a month and is home to Britain’s most listened to history podcast, Dan Snow’s History Hit.
Patented: History of Inventions launches on Wednesday 16th March 2022.
Episode 1-5 Details
16th March – Genetic Engineering
Over the course of only half a century, genetic engineering has developed from an intellectual concept to a medical reality. Yet the ethical and moral questions underpinning remain unanswered.
We dig into the story of this invention that is still very much in progress with Dr Adam Rutherford (The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry, BBC R4).
16th March – The Steam Train and Simultaneous Invention
What does the steam engine and the search engine have in common? They were created by multiple people, at the same time.
In this episode, we talk to Matt Ridley, author of How Innovation Works, about the myth of the lone inventor, the reality of simultaneous inventions, and the importance of trial and error.
20th March – Spacesuits
Creating a successful spacesuit was one of the biggest challenges in man’s quest to land on the moon. And, it required borrowing skills from some surprising places to pull it off.
With the help of Ryan Nagata, artist and replica spacesuit maker, we chart the evolution of the spacesuit from the Wiley Posts, to the iconic Apollo suits and beyond.
23rd March – Condoms
As today’s guest puts it, there have been condoms of sorts as long as there have been penises. But, how did condoms as we know them — thin, latex and single use — come about?
This episode, Dr Jessic Borge, author of Protective Practices: A History of the London Rubber Company and the Condom Business, explains it all through the story of the world’s most popular contraceptive brand, Durex.
27th March – The Atomic Bomb
In a world at war, and no end in sight, the atomic bomb was touted as the one weapon that could end the conflict for good. In this episode, we are joined by Dr Craig Campbell who argues that it may have put an end to World War Two — but also laid the foundations for the Cold War that was to define the second half of the twentieth century.
Go to https://www.historyhit.com/podcasts/ for more.
Contact: partnerships@historyhit.com
