The unlikely origins of everyday objects
World Service,Β·7 episodes
Who invented the paperclip and when?
How Victorian sword makers started making blades for shaving in times of peace
From Wilhelm Schickard's calculating clock in 1623 to the present day
The wonder of a substance that can be pressed like butter and blown like a bubble
The complex technology behind the humble toilet
The invention of the zipper in the late 1800s and the Velcro fastener in the 1950s
History and science of glue from Ancient Egypt to the Post-it note
