Dr. John Lienhard – Houston Public Media

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1642: Halley’s Comet 16.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 1642 Reflections upon Halley’s, and other, Comets. Today, a comet approaches.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3420: Dams 15.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 3420 A look at power-producing dams and their safe use. Today, hydroelectric power.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3418: King and Mboya 13.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 3418 Martin Luther King Jr., Tom Mboya, and their joint legacy. Today, two talks.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3417: Archaeology of the Cinema 12.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 3417 Archaeology of the Cinema: The long road to a moving picture story. Today, a book about movies.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1641: Aaron Montgomery Ward 11.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 1641 Aaron Montgomery Ward and the catalog that didn’t belong in a store. Today, meet Montgomery Ward.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1640: Learning Electricity 10.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 1640 Learning electricity and learning about technological revolutions. Today, we become electrified.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1639: Flying to the Edge of Air 09.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 1639 Helios, NASA’s high-flying almost-satellite. Today, let us ride Helios’ golden chariot.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3415: Dorothea Erxleben 06.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 3415 Germany's first woman doctor has some hard advice for her fellow doctors. Today, a new look at Dorothea Erxleben.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3414: Bone Music 05.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 3414 In which bootleg music rides on X-rays. Today, Bone Music.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1638: Floating Airports 04.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 1638 Floating airports: How to fly the ocean in 1930. Today, let us hop across the ocean.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1637: Natural Magic 03.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 1637 In which science and magic struggle to become separate pursuits. Today, let’s practice Natural Magic.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1636: Of Books and Learning 02.10.2026 ↓

Episode: 1636 Of books and learning in nineteenth-century America. Today, thoughts on books and learning.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3412: Bipedalism’s Message 29.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 3412 In which we humans (and birds) depend upon being unstable – and thinking unstably. Today, we walk on two legs.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3411: Roland Garros 28.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 3411 Roland Garros: Airplane pioneer, inventor, and almost combat air ace. Today, meet Roland Garros.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1635: The Sign of the Barber’s Pole 27.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 1635 At the Sign of the Barber Pole: of barbers and barber-surgeons. Today, reflections in a barbershop.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1635: The Sign of the Barber Pole 27.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 1635 At the Sign of the Barber Pole: of barbers and barber-surgeons. Today, reflections in a barbershop.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1634: Daedalus 26.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 1634 Flying the Aegean Sea in Daedalus’ slipstream. Today, we mix a magic drink for Daedalus and Icarus.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1633: Studying Calculus 25.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 1633 In which a Cambridge don doubts his own calculus teaching. Today, a mathematician misses the point.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3410: Fragile History 22.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 3410 Some thoughts on how history must get written with vastly incomplete information. Today, fragile history.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3409: Pickelhaube 21.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 3409 We trace the long life of a silly helmet. Today, a puzzling headpiece.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1632: The Sunken Monitor 20.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 1632 Rediscovering the sunken Union Monitor. Today, we find the first modern warship — on the ocean floor.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1631: Borrowing a One 19.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 1631 Learning to subtract 49 from 62: more than meets the eye. Today, what is 49 from 62?

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1630: Creating Nature 18.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 1630 In which we ponder a very subjective notion of reality. Today, nature changes before our eyes.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3408: When Molecules Bump 15.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 3408 When Molecules Bump. Today, a historical injustice.

The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3407: Who Wrote the Song? 14.09.2026 ↓

Episode: 3407 In which we forget that John Jacob Niles gave us some of our best-loved music. Today, who wrote the song?