S.A. Andrée and the 1897 North Pole Ball...

This 2023 episode covers how humans have worked on ways to make garments water resistant almost since they started to wear them. But figuring out how to manufacture a raincoat using rubber was a big breakthrough that took centuries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat ... Show More

Holly and Tracy discuss how frustrating Charles Goodyear could be. Then Holly talks a lot about shoes and how much she loves them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

The evolution from leather-soled shoes of the 19th century to the sneakers people wear today started slowly, then built momentum. Many of the big names in sneakers today got their start surprisingly early in the process. Research: “A Column for the Girls.” Brooklyn Eagle. July 28 ... Show More

In July 1879, 33 men set sail aboard USS Jeannette on a two-year mission to become the first humans to reach the North Pole. Though many other expeditions have failed, Captain George De Long is confident that a warm northbound current will give them enough momentum to escape gett ... Show More

In July of 1897, three men were carried into the sky inside a hydrogen balloon with the goal of being the first to reach the North Pole. The fate of their ambitious expedition remained a mystery for decades until a chance discovery unveiled the location of their final camp. But t ... Show More

In March 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton works to put together a crew of twenty-eight men to sail from England to Antarctica. It was a new continent untouched by humanity that only the most adventurous men dared to explore—men who yearned to be the first to see what no other person h ... Show More

1910: Two men are racing to be the first to reach the South Pole. Captain Robert Falcon Scott heads a well-financed, technologically-advanced expedition - aiming to reach the pole in the "proper" and heroic way... on foot. Roald Amundsen's effort is more modest, relying on cheap ... Show More

Three friends venture into the depths of Alaska. Tackling some of the most extreme weather on Earth, they’re attempting to reach North America’s highest peak. Nigel, Steve and Anthony are experienced and well-prepared. But a series of unexpected twists will plunge them into a gru ... Show More

A 19th-century adventurer obsessed with reaching the North Pole set out in the summer of 1871. But the Arctic expedition would be the death of him. Was it the severe weather conditions that bested the seasoned explorer — as the ship’s doctor always claimed? Or did someone onboard ... Show More

In 2002, climbing partners Charlie Sassara and Jack Tackle set out to achieve a first ascent of the north face of Mt. Augusta - a remote 14,500ft peak on the border of Canada and the United States. Things did not go to plan...  A Sony Music Entertainment production.  Find more gr ... Show More

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Let's conclude our month of relaxing travels to sleep with a journey to the farthest reaches of the Arctic and the search for the North Pole. This time, we meet the region's people, learn about various home constructions, and ap ... Show More

<p>In this deep cut from 2012, we are searching for platonic ideals longing for completion, engaged in epic quests for holy grails in science, linguistics, and world peace. And along the way, we’ll meet the dreamers and measure just how impossible their dreams are. </p> <p>First: ... Show More

It’s September 1879 and the crew of USS Jeannette encounters pack ice that’s thicker than they expected, due to unseasonably cold weather. Captain George De Long is at a loss for how to push through it until the ship’s engineer George Melville proposes an ingenuous solution. But ... Show More