It’s the mid-1800s and in Maine, John Bacon Curtis is back from clearing the spruce forests with a crazy idea. He’s going to sell ready-to-chew gum.But his bold plan is only the start of what will become a decades-long search for the ideal chew. It’s a search that will see the nascent gum business butt heads with newspaper tycoons, strike an alliance with oi ... Show More
May 2020
Enemy of All Mankind | A True Story of Piracy, Power, and History's First Global Manhunt | S27-E1
On September 11th, 1695, two ships confronted each other in the middle of the Indian Ocean: one an enormous treasure ship owned by the Grand Mughal of India, and the other a much smaller British pirate ship led by Henry Every. What happened next changed the world. Every and his c ... Show More
36m 19s
Jul 2020
Radar | Welcome to Tuxedo Park | S29-E1
What technology won WWII? Most people would say the atomic bomb, but the real answer is radar.As a small island country, vulnerable to aerial attacks, England took the lead in developing radar in the 1930s. But the early radar systems were too massive to fit into planes, where th ... Show More
34m 5s
Dec 2023
Chew on this! The surprising history of gum
Who doesn’t love gum? It’s fun, sticky, and sweet! But did you know people have been chewing on stuff for centuries? Come explore the surprising history of gum with Joy, co-host Aliyah, and their new friend Gumpy (who may or may not be a sculpture made of old gum who magically ca ... Show More
25m 46s
Apr 2022
EP258: The Story of George Washington Carver and The House Built By Chewing Gum
On this episode of Our American Stories, National Park Service ranger Curtis Gregory at the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri tells us the story of George Washington Carver. William Wrigley, Jr. was a brilliant businessman, but his ingenuity was out ... Show More
38m 13s