Santa

From50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

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Santa

From50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

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Length:

16 minutes

Released:

Dec 16, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Why does Father Christmas wear red and white? It's not for the reason you may think. In an updated version of an episode from 2018, Tim Harford tells the story of Christmas and consumerism.

Released:

Dec 16, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

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

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Barcode: How vast mega-stores emerged with the help of a design originally drawn in the sand by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Banking: Warrior monks, crusaders and the mysterious origins of modern banking by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Paper: The Gutenberg press changed the world – but it could not have done so without paper by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Diesel Engine: Rudolf Diesel died in strange circumstances after changing the world with his engine by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Haber-Bosch Process: Saving lives with thin air - by taking nitrogen from the air to make fertiliser by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
M-Pesa: Transferring money by text message is far safer and more convenient than cash by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Elevator: The safety elevator is a mass transit system that has changed the shape of our cities by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Robot: Robots threaten the human workforce, but they are crucial to the modern economy by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Lightbulb: Once too precious to use, light is now too cheap to notice by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Barbed Wire: “Lighter than air, stronger than whiskey” – barbed wire wreaked huge changes in America by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Insurance: Insurance is as old as gambling, but it’s fundamental to the way the modern economy works by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Shipping Container: The boom in global trade was caused by a simple steel box by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Seller Feedback: Without seller feedback, companies like eBay might not have grown as they have by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
iPhone: How Uncle Sam played an essential role in the creation and development of the iPhone. by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Clock: The clock was invented in 1656 and has become an essential part of the modern economy. by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Public Key Cryptography: Geeks versus government – the story of public key cryptography by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Antibiotics: The tale of antibiotics is a cautionary one, and economic incentives are often to blame by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Passports: If anyone could work anywhere, some economists think global economic output would double by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Gramophone: "Superstar” economics – the story of how the gramophone led to a winner-take-all market by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Air Conditioning: Invented for the printing industry, air conditioning now influences where and how we live by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Concrete: It's improved health, school attendance, agricultural productivity and farm worker wages by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Limited Liability Company: How some legal creativity has created vast wealth down the centuries by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Compiler: Installing Windows might take 5,000 years without it by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Radar: A high-tech ‘death ray’ capable of zapping sheep led to the invention of radar by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
11 min listen
Battery: The story of the battery begins inside a dead murderer. It’s a tale that’s far from over by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
TV Dinner: The TV dinner, and other inventions from the same era, made a lasting economic impression by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Dynamo: The big story behind the way dynamos made electricity useful by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Google: The words 'clever' and 'death' crop up less often than 'Google' in conversation by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Billy Bookcase: Low cost, functional and brilliantly efficient, one is produced every three seconds by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Leaded Petrol: When lead was added to petrol it made cars more powerful – but it also poisoned people by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen

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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 by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Introducing 13 Minutes to the Moon Season 2: Jump on-board a doomed mission to the Moon. Apollo 13: the extraordinary story by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Gutenberg press: A revolutionary technology - so why did its inventor struggle to make money from it? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Slot machines: Spinning wheels, flashing lights, and the business of addiction by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Chess algorithms: What chess reveals about the power of computers by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Auctions: Are things only worth what people are willing to pay for them? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Dams: The benefits they bring can be huge - but so can the problems by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Tulips: Did colourful flowers really cause a financial bubble? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Sanitary towel: Selling a product that some people found too embarrassing to mention by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Wardian case: How miniature greenhouses were a powerful tool for British colonisers by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Fast food franchise: How a milkshake-mixer salesman turned a burger restaurant into a global giant by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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CCTV: How do we feel about being watched? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Retirement: How should we treat our elders? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Sewing machine: A device that changed women's lives was designed to make a man very rich by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Hollerith punch card: The machine that turned data into money by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
10 min listen
Stock option: An incentive for good performance, or another way to boost executives' pay? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Fundraising appeal: What's the best way to get people to give to charity? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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SWIFT: A system that solved big problems is now facing its greatest challenge by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Wedgwood: What does the fashion industry owe to an 18th-century potter? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
10 min listen
Glasses: A vital aid for many, but billions don't know they need them by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Vickrey turnstile: How did an invention that was never built help make the modern world? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
10 min listen
GPS: What would happen if GPS stopped working? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
10 min listen
Bonsack machine: Why did a machine for making cigarettes transform the advertising industry? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
10 min listen
Prohibition: How much does it cost to outlaw something? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
10 min listen
Interface Message Processor: The big metal box that made the internet possible by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
10 min listen
Canned food: The surprising lessons lurking under the lid by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Interchangeable parts: The manufacturing revolution that started with a gun by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
11 min listen
Oil: How did the price of oil become so important? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Chatbot: Can a computer convince you that it's human? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Solar PV: How important is solar power to the future of the planet? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Santa

Santa

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy