On August 6, 1890, a prisoner named William Kemmler became the first man executed in the electric chair. It was designed to be a more humane form of execution, but the gruesome scene in the death chamber that day revealed the device to be anything but. Still, the chair stuck around. And Kemmler’s execution proved to be a pivotal moment in the history of capi ... Show More
Nov 2019
The Modern Ambulance | S19-E1
Today, if you or someone you know experiences a medical emergency, you dial 9-1-1 and a squad of trained medical professionals arrives at your door. But just 55 years ago, that was not the case.Emergency calls were generally dispatched to funeral homes simply because their vehicl ... Show More
43m 17s
Nov 2019
Kodak Roll Film: As Convenient as a Pencil | S20-E1
Today, if we want to take a photo, we unlock our phone, aim, and click. It can be done on a whim, without a second thought. We document everything from new haircuts to latte art, cute cats to baby’s first smile. But prior to the 1900s, photography was the exclusive domain of prof ... Show More
35m 48s
Jan 2020
Electronic Television: The Picture Radio | S21-E1
The invention of the electronic television was uniquely complicated for its time. So complicated, in fact, that the prevailing narrative is that it couldn’t have been invented by a single person -- let alone Philo Farnsworth. After all, some of the most brilliant minds in the wor ... Show More
38m 57s
Aug 2017
Mr. Hollowell Didn’t Like That
Arrested, arraigned, indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced to die in the electric chair in 24 hours. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
35m 23s
Feb 2021
The First Gas Chamber Execution In America - February 8 2021 - Daily True Crime
February 8th: Gee Jon Executed (1924)
For over a hundred years, the criminal justice system has tried to find the best way to dole out punishment to its criminals. And, by the 1920s, they were ready to try out a new method of execution. On February 8th 1924 a man became Americ ... Show More
7m 36s
Sep 2021
11: Thomas Edison maybe killed a guy and other enlightening Edison tales
When people think of American innovation, one name always comes up: Thomas Edison. But, just like everything else in our series, there’s a dark side to Tommy boy. Today, Bailey reveals a story that shines Edison in a different light, a more unflattering one filled with buried tal ... Show More
47m 40s