Muggy. Sticky. Miserable. For eons, that’s just what summer was. In fact, when air conditioning first became available, few people took advantage of it. Wasn’t summer supposed to be uncomfortable? This is the story of how people finally warmed up to the idea of keeping cool.You can binge all episodes of American Innovations exclusively and ad-free on Wondery ... Show More
Oct 2020
The Fight Against AIDS | The Epidemic Begins | S32-E1
In the early 1980s, a mysterious new disease spread like wildfire through the gay communities of major U.S. cities. Before it even had a name, AIDS had already killed over half its victims. Public response was hampered by ignorance, fear, and homophobia. This is the story of the ... Show More
42m 23s
Jul 2022
[BONUS: REPLAY] The Rise of Air Conditioning
<p><strong> </strong></p><br><p>It has gone from luxury to necessity, and there are over 2 billion air conditioning units in the world today.</p><p>In this episode, we'll take a look at how air conditioning got started, why people didn't mind being hot in the past, and what the t ... Show More
23m 51s
May 2023
How a freezing summer gave us Frankenstein, bicycles and more
Joy and co-host Asa learn about the year without a summer, and how it led to some amazing inventions! 1816 was a very strange year. In many parts of the world warm summer weather never came, and crops froze. Scientists now know these were the effects of a volcanic eruption, but b ... Show More
34m 39s
Jun 2024
Staying safe in extreme heat
The summer's first major heat wave has arrived. Our bodies do have natural ways to dissipate heat, but when temperatures get extreme, sometimes they just can't keep up. In this episode of Life Kit, learn how to keep cool, hydrated and safe in extreme heat. See pcm.adswizz.com for ... Show More
12m 8s