Timekeeping

Timekeeping

Author: History Hit December 28, 2022 Duration: 24:29

Today we’re bringing you an episode from Dan Snow’s History Hit. Normal Patented service will resume in the New Year.


Accurate timekeeping is at the very root of all of the technological advances in the modern world, but how did it all begin? From Roman sundials to mediaeval water-clocks, people of all cultures have made and used clocks for thousands of years. Dan speaks to horologist, historian and former curator of timekeeping at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, David Rooney, about the importance of time, and what clocks can tell us about the history of human civilisation. David’s book, About Time: A History of Civilisation in Twelve Clocks, is out now.


For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Dallas Campbell guides you through the fascinating and often overlooked backstories of the objects and ideas that shaped our world in Patented: History of Inventions. This isn't just a dry recounting of dates and blueprints; it's a deep dive into the human drama behind innovation. You'll hear about accidental breakthroughs, the forgotten figures whose contributions were sidelined, and the clever-sometimes dubious-marketing that turned an idea into a household name. From questioning the true legacy of figures like Thomas Edison to uncovering the surprising connection between foundational garments and space exploration, each episode unpacks these narratives with a sense of curiosity and wit. Produced by History Hit, the podcast brings in historians, scientists, and specialists to add depth and context, transforming every tale into a compelling detective story. Tune in for a consistently engaging exploration that reveals how luck, persistence, and sheer human ingenuity collide to create the fabric of modern life. The result is a listening experience that changes the way you look at the ordinary world around you, one remarkable story at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Patented: History of Inventions
Podcast Episodes
Rise and Fall of Zeppelins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:46
They were cigars the size of ocean liners that floated through the clouds. Cow intestines filled with hydrogen held them up. The world’s first flight attendant served champagne and caviar.Zeppelins seem almost too strang…
Online Advertising [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:22
What was the first ever internet ad? When was the last time someone actually clicked on one? What happened to all the proper ads with catchy jingles?Today Dallas investigates one of the most infuriating aspects of modern…
Paranormal Technology [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:01
Welcome to Patented-Gone-Paranormal!! Thomas Edison tried to make a telephone that called the spirit world. One of the pioneers of radio believed he could talk with his dead son through the 'Ether'.Technology might seem…
Nuclear Fusion Power [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:56
For almost a century we’ve been trying to build a star on earth. Not easy with temperatures reaching 150,000,000℃.Today on Patented it’s the story of our efforts to make a nuclear fusion reactor with Arthur Turrell autho…
Linoleum [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:51
Linoleum, or “lino”, once ruled the world (of flooring). It appeared everywhere from the Titanic to your gran’s kitchen. But where did it come from?We hear the story of the Victorian inventor, Frederick Walton, who came…
How The Victorians Took Us To The Moon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:36
If a Victorian met Elon Musk they would completely get him. The world’s richest man, determined to use technology that doesn’t yet exist to colonise Mars. Classic Victorian thinking.The Victorians didn’t really take us t…
Eco Farming [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:16
George Washington Carver is well known to Americans as the Peanut Man. It’s been written of him that ‘peanuts were like paintbrushes: They were tools to express his imagination’.If that sounds a bit ridiculous, it’s beca…
FORENSICS: DNA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:33
The birth of DNA fingerprinting will forever be tied to Leicester, England. It was invented in a lab in the city’s university by Alec Jeffreys in 1984. And it was in the outskirts of the city that it was first used to ca…
Punk & the Sex Pistols [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:53
Have you ever heard the story of how punk began?“They are Dickensian-like urchins who with ragged clothes and pockmarked faces roam the streets of foggy gaslit London…Some of these ragamuffin gangs jump up on tables amid…

«1...678910