The Stuff of Genius
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.
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Mikkel Frandsen: Saving the World One Straw at a Time
In a world where millions of people don't have access ...
In a world where millions of people don't have access to clean water, entrepeneur Mikkel Frandsen saw a simple solution: the Lifestraw. Listen in and learn how this Stuff of Genius is changing lives across the developing world.
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Can we change the world one dollar at a time?
For most of the modern age, conventional bank loans have ...
For most of the modern age, conventional bank loans have been beyond the reach of the poor, forcing families across the globe to do business with loan sharks. At least, that is, until Muhammad Yunus invented microloans. Learn more in this podcast.
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How Rudolf Diesel Changed the World
Born in 1858, Rudolf Diesel was fascinated by engines from ...
Born in 1858, Rudolf Diesel was fascinated by engines from a young age. However, the engines of the time were incredibly inefficient -- at least, that is, until Rudolf's Stuff of Genius struck. Tune in and learn more in this podcast.
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Otto's Awesome Auto Engine
Nikolaus Otto wasn't the first to design an internal combustion ...
Nikolaus Otto wasn't the first to design an internal combustion engine, but his improved design made the engine practical and popular. Learn more about Otto's auto-related Stuff of Genius in this episode.
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How Zhou Youguang Invented Pinyin
The Chinese language uses non-phonetic characters, which means that a ...
The Chinese language uses non-phonetic characters, which means that a reader can't tell how a word is pronounced by looking at its written form. For readers facing unfamiliar Chinese words, life was rough -- at least, that is, until Zhou Youguang.
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Robert Jarvik and the Artificial Heart
Robert Jarvik wasn't the first person to patent an artificial ...
Robert Jarvik wasn't the first person to patent an artificial heart, but his design was the first heart successfully implanted in a human patient. Tune in and learn how Jarvik's Stuff of Genius gave new hope to heart patients in this podcast.
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Chaz Holder and the (Modern) Prosthetic Limb
Prosthetic limbs have been around for thousands of years, but ...
Prosthetic limbs have been around for thousands of years, but they've usually been clumsy and expensive. Tune in and learn how Chaz Holder's Stuff of Genius made prosthetic limbs more affordable -- and more comfortable -- for people across the world.
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Momofuku Ando: The Father of Instant Noodles
Momofuku Ando didn't set out to create noodle bowls, but ...
Momofuku Ando didn't set out to create noodle bowls, but the former textile company owner had an epiphany while watching a line of hungry people waiting for food. Tune in to learn what led him from garments to instant noodles in this podcast.
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Who invented the modern calendar?
Nowadays it's easy to take the calendar for granted -- ...
Nowadays it's easy to take the calendar for granted -- nations across the world have agreed that (for business purposes) each year is twelve months long. But how did we get this calendar in the first place? Tune in and find out.
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Edward Jenner vs. Smallpox
Although forms of vaccination had been discovered thousands of years ...
Although forms of vaccination had been discovered thousands of years ago in Asia and Africa, Western Europeans didn't pick up on it until Edward Jenner turned an old wives' tale into the Stuff of Genius. Tune in and learn more in this podcast.
