Alexander Graham Bell Invented A “Photophone” That Sent Sound On Beams Of Light

Alexander Graham Bell is best known for the telephone, but he thought his light-based calling system, the photophone was way more important... so much so that he even tried to name his daughter Photophone Bell.

By |2024-12-12T06:19:10-05:00June 3, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Maria Beasley Invented A Life Raft And Lots Of Other Hugely Useful Things

Today in 1882 inventor Maria Beasley received the patent for a collapsible life raft. But Beasley was one of those inventors who came up with idea after idea in a bunch of fields, so there's lots more to her story.

By |2024-12-07T15:08:29-05:00May 16, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

When News Companies Tried To Deliver Newspapers Through Radio Transmissions

Today in 1939, the opening of the World's Fair in New York. One of the inventions featured there was a way that newspapers could broadcast newspapers over the radio and have special receivers print out a copy of the paper for customers.

This Smart Glove Could Help Divers Warn Each Other When There’s Danger Nearby

There’s a new development under the sea: a smart glove that could help scuba divers help each other steer clear of danger.

By |2024-12-01T12:24:55-05:00April 22, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , |

The Tempest Prognosticator Used Leeches To Predict Stormy Weather

Today was the birthday in 1794 of George Merryweather, the inventor of his era’s most fascinating leech-based weather predicting contraption: the tempest prognosticator. 

By |2024-12-16T08:10:06-05:00April 10, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , |

Legendary Physicists Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard Once Teamed Up To Design A Refrigerator

For Alfred Einstein's birthday, the story of how he and fellow prominent physicist Leo Szilard co-designed a unique kind of refrigerator in the 1920s.

By |2024-12-07T19:04:51-05:00March 14, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

Charles Strite, The Inventor Who Made Toasters Pop

Today was the birthday in 1878 of a guy who changed breakfast forever: Charles Strite, the inventor of the pop-up toaster. Here's how the idea popped up.

By |2024-12-16T08:09:13-05:00February 27, 2024|Categories: Cool Weird Awesome, Podcasts|Tags: , , , , |

How Google Street View Could Help Stop Invasive Weeds

A project out of the University of California - Davis uses images from a very well known navigation system to help slow the spread of invasive species.

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