50 Things That Made the Modern Economy Podcast
Tim Harford tells the fascinating stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which have helped create the economic world.
Episodes to download
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Battery
Sat 18 Mar 2017
The story of the battery begins inside a dead murderer. It’s a tale that’s far from over
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Public Key Cryptography
Sat 11 Mar 2017
Geeks versus government – the story of public key cryptography
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Robot
Sat 4 Mar 2017
Robots threaten the human workforce, but they are crucial to the modern economy
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Disposable Razor
Sat 25 Feb 2017
King Camp Gillette created the disposable razor. But his influence extends beyond shaving
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Clock
Sat 18 Feb 2017
The clock was invented in 1656 and has become an essential part of the modern economy.
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Google
Sat 11 Feb 2017
The words 'clever' and 'death' crop up less often than 'Google' in conversation
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Insurance
Sat 4 Feb 2017
Insurance is as old as gambling, but it’s fundamental to the way the modern economy works
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Paper
Sat 28 Jan 2017
The Gutenberg press changed the world – but it could not have done so without paper
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Antibiotics
Sat 21 Jan 2017
The tale of antibiotics is a cautionary one, and economic incentives are often to blame
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Billy Bookcase
Sat 14 Jan 2017
Low cost, functional and brilliantly efficient, one is produced every three seconds
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M-Pesa
Sat 31 Dec 2016
Transferring money by text message is far safer and more convenient than cash
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Barcode
Sat 10 Dec 2016
How vast mega-stores emerged with the help of a design originally drawn in the sand
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iPhone
Sat 3 Dec 2016
How Uncle Sam played an essential role in the creation and development of the iPhone.
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Concrete
Sat 26 Nov 2016
It's improved health, school attendance, agricultural productivity and farm worker wages
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Haber-Bosch Process
Sat 12 Nov 2016
Saving lives with thin air - by taking nitrogen from the air to make fertiliser
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Diesel Engine
Sat 5 Nov 2016
Rudolf Diesel died in strange circumstances after changing the world with his engine
