logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
13m 5s

Mr. Dynamite

The Retrospectors
About this episode
Dynamite was invented by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, who demonstrated it in Britain for the first time on 14th July, 1867. He had discovered that when nitroglycerin, an explosive liquid, was absorbed by kieselguhr, a porous siliceous earth, it produced a solid that was resistant to shock but readily detonable by heat or percussion, making it safer to handl ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Publishing Punch
Punch Magazine published its first edition on 17th July, 1841. Subtitled ‘the London Charivari’, the weekly periodical aimed to carve a niche in the market with less crude and bawdy satire compared to its contemporaries. Its early days were challenging, with poor circulation and ... Show More
12m 28s
Jul 16
The Death of Kissing
Kissing was a big deal in the Middle Ages: for signing contracts, for greeting colleagues, and for showing deference to the King - a tradition that ended on 16th July, 1439, when Henry VI issued a decree imploring his citizens to stop kissing his ring. Some 400 years before the m ... Show More
11m 32s
Jul 15
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!
The inventor of margarine, French chemist Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès, patented his butter substitute on 15th July, 1869. Inspired by a competition launched by Emperor Napoleon III to find a cheaper, longer-lasting alternative to butter for the French Navy, Mège-Mouriès called his cre ... Show More
12m 6s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2020
Dynamite: The Controlled Explosion | S25-E1
In 1846, an Italian chemist discovered the volatile compound nitroglycerine, the first major breakthrough in creating man-made explosions since the invention of gunpowder a thousand years earlier. But almost everyone who experiments with the compound thinks it’s too dangerous for ... Show More
34m 14s
Sep 2011
What is dynamite? How does it work?
<p>Dynamite is a type of chemical explosive. Discover how explosives from gasoline to dynamite work in this episode of BrainStuff.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a><p>See <a href ... Show More
2m 23s
Oct 2025
Bonus episode from English Learning for Curious Minds: The Curious Origins of the Nobel Prize
This is an episode of the podcast English Learning for Curious Minds. If you enjoy this episode you can find English Learning for Curious Minds in your podcast app, or at leonardoenglish.comTranscript / Study pack : https://bit.ly/474GafO-------------------Alfred Nobel, the inven ... Show More
22m 44s
Oct 2024
The Infernal Machine
<p>The unexpected story of how Alfred Nobel’s invention of dynamite—designed to build the world—was co-opted by anarchists to bring about its destruction. From revolutionizing infrastructure to arming political radicals, dynamite shaped the rise of both terrorism and modern law e ... Show More
28m 58s
Aug 2025
#563 | The Curious Origins of The Nobel Prize
Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, was shocked to read his own obituary branding him the "merchant of death." While the story might not be entirely true, it pushed him to reconsider his legacy. His fortune went on to establish the Nobel Prizes, honouring achievements in phys ... Show More
23m 19s
May 2019
Alfred Bernhard Nobel
The prize most coveted by the best and brightest minds in society owes its name to one man: Alfred Nobel. This Swedish inventor born in 1833, has a complicated history after battling through childhood poverty in which only three of his seven siblings reached adulthood. Parcasters ... Show More
44m 48s