�鶹�� Sounds - 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

Tim Harford tells the fascinating stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which have helped create the economic world.

World Service,110 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Introducing: Season 2 of 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter
How animals make us smarter – we thought you might like to hear our brand new episode
18 mins22 Jul 2021
Introducing 13 Minutes to the Moon Season 2
Jump on-board a doomed mission to the Moon. Apollo 13: the extraordinary story
3 mins09 Mar 2020
Gutenberg press
A revolutionary technology - so why did its inventor struggle to make money from it?
10 mins07 Mar 2020
Slot machines
Spinning wheels, flashing lights, and the business of addiction
9 mins29 Feb 2020
Chess algorithms
What chess reveals about the power of computers
9 mins22 Feb 2020
Auctions
Are things only worth what people are willing to pay for them?
9 mins15 Feb 2020
Dams
The benefits they bring can be huge - but so can the problems
9 mins08 Feb 2020
Tulips
Did colourful flowers really cause a financial bubble?
10 mins01 Feb 2020
Sanitary towel
Selling a product that some people found too embarrassing to mention
9 mins25 Jan 2020
Wardian case
How miniature greenhouses were a powerful tool for British colonisers
9 mins18 Jan 2020
Fast food franchise
How a milkshake-mixer salesman turned a burger restaurant into a global giant
9 mins11 Jan 2020
CCTV
How do we feel about being watched?
9 mins04 Jan 2020
Retirement
How should we treat our elders?
10 mins28 Dec 2019
Santa
Why does Father Christmas wear red and white?
16 mins21 Dec 2019
Sewing machine
A device that changed women's lives was designed to make a man very rich
9 mins14 Dec 2019
Hollerith punch card
The machine that turned data into money
9 mins07 Dec 2019
Stock option
An incentive for good performance, or another way to boost executives' pay?
10 mins30 Nov 2019
Fundraising appeal
What's the best way to get people to give to charity?
9 mins23 Nov 2019
SWIFT
A system that solved big problems is now facing its greatest challenge
10 mins16 Nov 2019
Wedgwood
What does the fashion industry owe to an 18th-century potter?
9 mins09 Nov 2019
Glasses
A vital aid for many, but billions don't know they need them
10 mins02 Nov 2019
Vickrey turnstile
How did an invention that was never built help make the modern world?
9 mins26 Oct 2019
GPS
What would happen if GPS stopped working?
9 mins19 Oct 2019
Bonsack machine
Why did a machine for making cigarettes transform the advertising industry?
9 mins12 Oct 2019
Prohibition
How much does it cost to outlaw something?
10 mins05 Oct 2019
Interface Message Processor
The big metal box that made the internet possible
10 mins28 Sep 2019
Canned food
The surprising lessons lurking under the lid
9 mins21 Sep 2019
Interchangeable parts
The manufacturing revolution that started with a gun
10 mins14 Sep 2019
Oil
How did the price of oil become so important?
8 mins07 Sep 2019
Chatbot
Can a computer convince you that it's human?
10 mins31 Aug 2019