No summer blockbuster. No Las Vegas and no skyscrapers in Dubai. No chocolate bars when the weather gets hot. Air conditioning is one of those things we take for granted but that has transformed the world around us, for good and for bad.There are 1.6 billion air conditioners in the world today and they consume an estimated 10% of all electricity. Both these figures are likely to rise dramatically as the climate changes.But when air conditioning first appeared people were slow to adopt it. People were so used to suffering extreme heat that it's as if it was hard to believe this godsend was real. Now it is hard to imagine life in many parts of the world without it.Who do we have to thank for this transformative piece of technology?How did Queen Victoria keep cool?And what is the connection between Hollywood's summer blockbusters and air conditioning?Our guest to explore this world-changing technology is Salvatore Basile, author of – Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything.The episode was produced by Emily Whalley The senior producer is Charlotte Long For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

The United States has been suffering from a baby formula shortage for months now. It’s shown how reliant we are on this one commodity. People need it to feed their babies. It doesn’t get much bigger than that.But we managed without baby formula for a very, very long time. So when did the United States along with large swathes of the rest of the world become so dependent on baby formula?Learn the real origins of Baby Formula and its rise and rise on Patented with our guest Dr Jacqueline Wolf.The answer will surprise you.The episode was produced by Emily Whalley The senior producer is Charlotte Long For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

A pint might be Britain’s most beloved measurement. But what’s the name for the distance a reindeer can walk before it needs to pee?The way we measure things changes the way we see the world. Measurements have shaped our history and are bound up in ideas of statehood, power and control.“Measurement is as important to human civilization as language or mathematics.”That’s the view of today’s guest James Vincent, journalist and author of Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement.The episode was produced by Emily Whalley The senior producer is Charlotte Long Edited by Freddy Chick For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

Imagine knowing no language at all…*wordlessness*…and then giving birth to one.This is what happened amongst the children at a school for the deaf in Nicaragua in the 1980s. And my guest today was there to witness and document it.Judy Shepard Kegl is a linguist who specialises in sign languages. Back in 1985 she had recently completed her PhD when out of the blue she was invited down to Nicaragua’s then relatively new school for the deaf.What she saw tells us something about the nature of languages - regardless of whether they’re signed or spoken -  and about how each and every one of us learn our mother tongue.The episode was produced by Freddy ChickThe senior producer is Charlotte LongEdited and mixed by Thomas NtinasFor more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

When the ancient Egyptians mummified their dead they were trying to stop time, to preserve the body so well that it would last throughout eternity.They succeeded (sometimes). There are mummies that when we look at their faces today it’s as if they’re about to wake up and say hello.How did they do it? What chemicals were involved? How many mummies even are there?We speak to Egyptologist Salima Ikram. Salima works to unpick the mysteries of mummification both by analysing ancient mummies and by having a go at making some new ones herself!This episode was produced by Emily Whalley and Freddy Chick The senior producer is Charlotte Long Edited and mixed by Aidan Lonergan For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

Often mistakenly called Cryogenics, Cryonics is the speculative practice of preserving and storing recently dead bodies at very low temperatures — all in the hope we may one day be able to bring them back to life.Crucially, the technology to execute that final step, reanimation, doesn't exist. At least not yet. Individuals who sign up to a Cryonics service today are betting on people of the future to solve that particular problem.Despite these scientific roadblocks, the concept of cryogenic preservation has certainly captured our imaginations with references littering pop culture — from rumours about Walt Disney's Head, to characters like Austin Powers and Futurama's Fry.So, what attracts us to the idea of living into the future? And what is the technology that could possibly get us there?Today on the show, we speak to two guests to explore the past and future of Cryonics — from its origins in 1970s California to today, and a possible tomorrow.First, I speak with Haley Campbell, journalist and author, about her visit to The Cryonics Institute, a facility founded by the the “Father of Cryonics” Robert Ettinger, whilst reporting her latest book.Then, I am joined by Tim Gibson from Cryonics UK. He walks us through how they actually conduct procedures, how much services cost, and the legal status of cryonics.This episode was produced by Emily WhalleyThe senior producer is Charlotte LongEdited and mixed by Emily Whalley and Pete DennisFor more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

A whistle stop tour of the 50 year history of video games — and all the innovations along the way, from our TV sets to virtual reality.Why are the roots of gaming in universities and labs?What technology helped gaming spread and grow?How do you explain the console wars of the 1990s?Find out all that and more today on the show with our guest John Wilis, the Director of the Centre of American Studies at The University of Kent and author of Gamer Nation: Videogames and American Culture.This episode was produced by Emily Whalley and Freddie ChickThe senior producer is Charlotte LongEdited and mixed by Stuart BeckwithFor more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

The drones are coming. In twenty years there’s going to be a hundred times more flying planes, taxis, parcels in the airspace than today thanks to drone technology. Assuming we don't try to stop them first...Today on Patented we're handing over the mic to the incredible Jacob Goldstein (former host of Planet Money) and his new podcast ‘What’s Your Problem?’. Jacob explains the problems that really smart people are trying to solve right now. And how they’ll change the world if they succeed.In this episode he’s joined by Keenan Wyrobek, co-founder of Zipline (they make drones) to discuss the obstacles that lie between us and flying pizza deliveries.Thanks to Pushkin Media for giving us this episode to share with you.For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

Today we are talking warships: from the revolutionary Tudor ships to modern aircraft carriers, and all the innovations along the way. Our guest is History Hit’s own Dan Snow. Dan, a self-confessed Martime history nerd, gives Dallas a whistle stop tour of nearly 200 years of history — from the rise of wooden warships, to how these feats of engineering were built and how they transformed the world, forever. This episode was produced by Emily WhalleyThe senior producer is Charlotte LongEdited and mixed by Seyi AdaobiFor more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!

The history of Special Effects — from stop motion to motion capture.In just over a century, we special effects have been subject to rapid innovation. What were the biggest breakthroughs? How did the digital revolution transform the industry? And, what does the future hold?Today on the show, we speak to film historian Julie Turnock who answers all that and more, revealing the biggest technological secrets behind movie magic.This episode was produced by Emily WhalleyThe senior producer is Charlotte LongEdited and mixed by Stuart BeckwithFor more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today!