50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

Release Date: 11 Mar 2017

Available for over a year

Geeks versus government – the story of public key cryptography

More episodes

Programme Website

Coming Up Next

Autoplay

Now playing
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Public Key Cryptography
Geeks versus government – the story of public key cryptography
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Battery
The story of the battery begins inside a dead murderer. It’s a tale that’s far from over
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Gramophone
"Superstar” economics – the story of how the gramophone led to a winner-take-all market
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
TV Dinner
The TV dinner, and other inventions from the same era, made a lasting economic impression
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Contraceptive Pill
The pill wasn’t just socially revolutionary, it also sparked an economic revolution
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Elevator
The safety elevator is a mass transit system that has changed the shape of our cities
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Air Conditioning
Invented for the printing industry, air conditioning now influences where and how we live
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Cuneiform
Cuneiform, the earliest known script, was used to create the world’s first accounts
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Video Games
From Spacewar to Pokemon Go, video games have shaped the modern economy in surprising ways
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Intellectual Property
Intellectual property reflects an economic trade off when it comes to innovation
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Passports
If anyone could work anywhere, some economists think global economic output would double
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Tally Stick
The tally stick shows us what money really is: a kind of debt that can be traded freely
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Index Fund
Warren Buffett is one of the world’s great investors. His advice? Invest in an index fund
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Infant Formula
For many new mothers who want, or need, to get back to work, infant formula is a godsend
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Tax Havens
Gabriel Zucman invented an ingenious way to estimate how much wealth is hidden offshore
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Barbed Wire
“Lighter than air, stronger than whiskey” – barbed wire wreaked huge changes in America
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Department Store
Harry Selfridge pioneered a whole new retail experience with his London department store
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Leaded Petrol
When lead was added to petrol it made cars more powerful – but it also poisoned people
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Dynamo
The big story behind the way dynamos made electricity useful
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Limited Liability Company
How some legal creativity has created vast wealth down the centuries
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Paper Money
Currency derives value from trust in the government which issues it
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Seller Feedback
Without seller feedback, companies like eBay might not have grown as they have
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Plastic
We make so much plastic these days that it takes about eight percent of oil production
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Market Research
Market research marked a shift from a producer-led to consumer-led approach to business
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Radar
A high-tech ‘death ray’ capable of zapping sheep led to the invention of radar
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
S-Bend
The S-bend was a pipe with a curve in it, an invention that led to public sanitation
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Double-entry Bookkeeping
Renaissance man Luca Pacioli wrote the definitive book on double-entry bookkeeping
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Management Consulting
If managers often have a bad reputation, what about those who tell them how to manage?
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Searching for 51
The extra “thing” – what should it be?
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Property Register
Property rights for the world's poor could unlock trillions in ‘dead capital’
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Welfare State
Do welfare states boost economic growth, or stunt it? It’s not an easy question to answer
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Cold Chain
Refrigeration revolutionised the food industry, and other industries too
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
The Plough
The plough kick-started civilisation – and ultimately made our modern economy possible
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Number 51
Revealed – the winning 51st Thing! Which “thing” won the vote to be added to our list?
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Special Bonus: Santa Claus
Why does Father Christmas wear red and white? It is not for the reason you may think
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Coming soon: Season two
Fifty more things are on their way! Tim Harford returns with season two on 25 March 2019
1 min
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Bonus: 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter
Introducing our new podcast about innovation, technology and the animal kingdom
15 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Langstroth Hive
The Langstroth Hive: a wooden box that made the industrialisation of the bee possible
11 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Bonus 2: Octopus and camouflage
Episode 2 of our new podcast, 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter
13 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Cellophane
Cellophane transformed how consumers purchased food, as well as how producers sold it
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Bonus 3: Mosquito and surgical needle
Episode 3 of our new podcast: the blood-sucking pest and a pain-free surgical needle
15 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Gyroscope
The gyroscope: a remarkable device used to guide everything from submarines to satellites
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Bonus 4: Woodpecker and black box
The last bonus ep of #30Animals. For more, search for 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter
14 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
QWERTY
From the early typewriters, the QWERTY keyboard layout has stood the test of time
8 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Bicycle
Has the bicycle had its day, or is it a technology whose best years lie ahead?
8 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Mail order catalogue
How the Montgomery Ward shopping catalogue transformed the middle-class way of life
8 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Brick
The humble brick has housed us for thousands of years - will it endure?
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Spreadsheet
How a grid on a computer screen gives us a glimpse of the future of automation
10 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Recycling
Could recycling save cash, as well as the planet?
10 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Pornography
Did pornography help develop the internet?
8 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Dwarf wheat
Feeding a hungry world – how Norman Borlaug used genetics to tackle predicted famines
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
'Like' button
Are we addicted to getting 'likes' on social media?
8 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Pencil
Is the pencil underrated?
10 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Blockchain
How powerful could the technology behind Bitcoin be?
10 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Factory
Have factories made workers' lives better?
8 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
CubeSat
How a student engineering challenge has changed the way we use space
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Rubber
An everyday substance with a bloody past
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Postage stamp
How a disgruntled customer revolutionised the postal service
10 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
RFID: The tech you’ve never heard of – but use every day
Radio frequency identification is the foundation of many contactless technologies
10 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Fire
Does the story of economics really begin with a spark?
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Cassava
A toxic plant that sheds light on hidden social forces
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Solar PV
How important is solar power to the future of the planet?
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Chatbot
Can a computer convince you that it's human?
10 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Oil
How did the price of oil become so important?
8 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Interchangeable parts
The manufacturing revolution that started with a gun
10 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Canned food
The surprising lessons lurking under the lid
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Interface Message Processor
The big metal box that made the internet possible
10 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Prohibition
How much does it cost to outlaw something?
10 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
Bonsack machine
Why did a machine for making cigarettes transform the advertising industry?
9 mins
50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
GPS
What would happen if GPS stopped working?
9 mins

Public Key CryptographyPublic Key Cryptography

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

Public Key Cryptography