The Engineering History Podcast | Inventions, Builders, Hackers, Projects, and Stories from Our Past

Anna Close and Paul
  • 3.7 (16)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Where engineering and history collide! Join us for rousing, thought-provoking discussions about how what we make reflects who we are.

  1. 10/27/2024

    Ep 67 - The Paris Catacombs 💀

    Anna and Paul discuss skeletons, spooky season, lack of hygiene, the French, protesting, and cannibalism! Follow @engineering_history_podcast on Instagram to keep up with our latest updates :)

    1h 3m

  2. 10/13/2024

    Ep 66 - The Great Steel Bridge

    Anna and Paul welcome Jack Brown to the show to discuss his new book, Spanning the Gilded Age: James Eads and the Great Steel Bridge. We discuss the very first steel structure in the world, the madcap guy who came up with it, and the unlikely story of its construction and continued use to this day! For more info, and to see some great pictures, go to greatsteelbridge.com Follow @engineering_history_podcast on Instagram to keep up with our latest updates :)

    1h 15m

  3. 07/21/2024

    Ep 65 - Howard Hughes, the Spruce Goose, the Golden Age of Hollywood, and the Descent into Madness

    Anna and Paul discuss Howard Hughes, aviation, filmmaking, the Spruce Goose, pissing in jars, Kleenex, being a shut-in, mental illness, tragedy, Romaine Street, and the dark side of glamorous lives. Follow @engineering_history_podcast on Instagram to keep up with our latest updates :)

    1h 57m

  4. 06/09/2024

    Ep 64 - How Fibonacci Built Our World

    Anna and Paul discuss math, finance, geometry, finance bros, Piza, pizza, New Yawk, the Yankees, and making things accessible to the common man. Note: We refer to the author of "Finding Fibonacci" as “Kevin Devlin.” He is actually Keith Devlin. Follow @engineering_history_podcast on Instagram to keep up with our latest updates :) Further reading: The Man of Numbers: Fibonacci’s Arithmetic Revolution By Keith Devlin Finding Fibonacci: The Quest to Rediscover the Forgotten Mathematical Genius Who Changed the World By Keith Devlin Fibonacci and the Financial Revolution By William Goetzmann  The Origins of Value: The Financial Innovations that Created Modern Capital Markets By William Goetzmann and K. Rouwenhurst   The History of Algrebra in Italy in the 14th and 15th Centuries. Some Remarks on Recent Historiography By Rafaella Franci  The Positional System and Base 10 | Mathematics for the Liberal Arts (lumenlearning.com)

    59 min

  5. 05/26/2024

    Ep 63 - Secret CIA Spy Satellites! (Pt. 2/2)

    Anna and Paul discuss the Hexagon and Gambit series of satellites, on-orbit reliability, the struggle of keeping work secrets from family, big gold orbs, classification, declassification, and the mystery of modern-day earth observation. Follow @engineering_history_podcast on Instagram to keep up with our latest updates :) Further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CORONA_(satellite) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor_(rocket_family) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RM-81_Agena https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor-Agena https://www.thespacereview.com/article/1063/1 https://www.cia.gov/legacy/museum/exhibit/corona-americas-first-imaging-satellite-program/ https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/kh-1.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belka_and_Strelka https://www.space.com/12996-secret-spy-satellites-declassified-nro.html https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticutmagazine/news-people/article/The-story-of-the-Hexagon-a-Danbury-built-spy-17046062.php

    38 min

  6. 05/12/2024

    Ep 62 - Secret CIA Spy Satellites! (Pt. 1/2)

    Anna and Paul discuss CORONA, Thor, Agena, space doggos, SAMOS, weird clips from The Ingraham Angle, the film bucket, the Dune popcorn bucket, and the Harry Potter Triwizard Tournament egg. Follow @engineering_history_podcast on Instagram to keep up with our latest updates :)

    53 min

  7. 04/28/2024

    Ep 61 - The Legend of the Pulaski

    Anna and Paul discuss firefighting, firebreaks, fire lines, gender reveal parties, ageism, chads vs virgins, and innovating on a classic. Follow @engineering_history_podcast on Instagram to keep up with our latest updates :)

    35 min

  8. 04/14/2024

    Ep 60 - Forging the Katana

    Anna and Paul discuss swords, Miyamoto Mushashi, phase diagrams, Samurai Jack, studying the blade, Ghost Dog, Guinness World Records, steel, and dueling. Follow @engineering_history_podcast on Instagram to keep up with our latest updates :)

    54 min
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3.7
out of 5
16 Ratings

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Where engineering and history collide! Join us for rousing, thought-provoking discussions about how what we make reflects who we are.

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