Feet of Engineering

In 1982, a twelve-year-old paperboy, Johnny Gosch, vanished from a quiet Iowa street and sparked an unlikely campaign: the faces of missing children printed on milk cartons by the billions. Roman Mars and Annie Brown trace how a regional dairy campaign exploded into a national sy ... Show More

A Louisiana man born into slavery designs an airship with hopes to take flight. Those plans are interrupted, but maybe not forever. Listen to Family Lore wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole ... Show More

In 1902, an American classic was born: the teddy bear. Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, the toy became a huge hit, and sparked an idea…maybe every president from then on should have their own viral stuffed animal. Jon Mooallem tells the story of the ill-fated billy possu ... Show More

As girly as you may think stilettos are, they were actually created for men. Women started wearing heels only in the late 18th century and they became all the rage. Find out the history behind this beautiful and equally painful creation in this episode. You can listen to this sho ... Show More

In this episode of Thick & Thin we discuss why we subject ourselves to the pain and inconvenience that comes with wearing high heels. Is it really just in the name of high fashion, or is there a much more shocking origin to the trend? Plus, we’ll take a look at what created such ... Show More

Be careful with those heels, ladies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

WTFF Wide, Thin, Flat, Flexible - This is what to look like in a shoe. We need to free our feet because our feet are the ultimate technolgy and by not allowing them to be used in the way that they are designed we put stress on other parts of our bodies, like our hips and and kne ... Show More

Pointy shoes were banned in London in time as far as the 14th century. They were used by the higher orders to court and often resulted in foot deformities as they altered their natural shape. In the present-day world also, fashion often precedes comfort and there exist shoes that ... Show More

Footwear - the ‘magic’ & the material reality. Laurie Taylor talks to Claudio Benzecry, Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Sociology at Northwestern University, about the people and places involved in the global manufacture of women’s shoes. They’re joined by Elizab ... Show More

Learn phrases related to feet in this week's The English We Speak. 

<p>Put on your walking shoes, lace up your boots, or slip on your sandals – this episode is all about footwear!<br /> We'll explore lots of vocabulary for different shoe styles, from sneakers to stilettos so that you can boost your English skills, one step at a time.  </p> <p>Sho ... Show More

<p>Thought of as &#39;petite&#39; in your homeland, as you browse the corner shoe store, you are alarmed to find that the only thing you can get your dainty foot into is a florescent orange counterfeit men&#39;s &#39;Croc&#39; clog. Things aren&#39;t looking up anytime soon, so l ... Show More

<p>The human foot is an evolutionary masterpiece, far more functional than we give it credit for. So why do we encase it in “a coffin” (as one foot scholar calls it) that stymies so much of its ability — and may create more problems than it solves?</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecas ... Show More