Factory

From50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

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Factory

From50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

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Length:

9 minutes

Released:

Jun 29, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Tim Harford charts the history of the factory, from "dark, Satanic mills" to the sprawling industrial parks where today's consumer goods are assembled. Have factories made workers' lives better - and what does their future look like?

Released:

Jun 29, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Tim Harford tells the fascinating stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which have helped create the economic world.

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Lightbulb: Once too precious to use, light is now too cheap to notice by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Clock: The clock was invented in 1656 and has become an essential part of the modern economy. by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
M-Pesa: Transferring money by text message is far safer and more convenient than cash by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Haber-Bosch Process: Saving lives with thin air - by taking nitrogen from the air to make fertiliser by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Diesel Engine: Rudolf Diesel died in strange circumstances after changing the world with his engine by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Antibiotics: The tale of antibiotics is a cautionary one, and economic incentives are often to blame by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Compiler: Installing Windows might take 5,000 years without it by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Seller Feedback: Without seller feedback, companies like eBay might not have grown as they have by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Shipping Container: The boom in global trade was caused by a simple steel box by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Concrete: It's improved health, school attendance, agricultural productivity and farm worker wages by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
iPhone: How Uncle Sam played an essential role in the creation and development of the iPhone. by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Billy Bookcase: Low cost, functional and brilliantly efficient, one is produced every three seconds by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Banking: Warrior monks, crusaders and the mysterious origins of modern banking by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Google: The words 'clever' and 'death' crop up less often than 'Google' in conversation by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Barcode: How vast mega-stores emerged with the help of a design originally drawn in the sand by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Public Key Cryptography: Geeks versus government – the story of public key cryptography by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Insurance: Insurance is as old as gambling, but it’s fundamental to the way the modern economy works by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Gramophone: "Superstar” economics – the story of how the gramophone led to a winner-take-all market by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Infant Formula: For many new mothers who want, or need, to get back to work, infant formula is a godsend by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Disposable Razor: King Camp Gillette created the disposable razor. But his influence extends beyond shaving by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Plastic: We make so much plastic these days that it takes about eight percent of oil production by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Coming soon: Season two: Fifty more things are on their way! Tim Harford returns with season two on 25 March 2019 by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
1 min listen
Passports: If anyone could work anywhere, some economists think global economic output would double by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Paper: The Gutenberg press changed the world – but it could not have done so without paper by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
TV Dinner: The TV dinner, and other inventions from the same era, made a lasting economic impression by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Paper Money: Currency derives value from trust in the government which issues it by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Limited Liability Company: How some legal creativity has created vast wealth down the centuries by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Double-entry Bookkeeping: Renaissance man Luca Pacioli wrote the definitive book on double-entry bookkeeping by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Barbed Wire: “Lighter than air, stronger than whiskey” – barbed wire wreaked huge changes in America by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen
Leaded Petrol: When lead was added to petrol it made cars more powerful – but it also poisoned people by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
9 min listen

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Introducing 13 Minutes to the Moon Season 2: Jump on-board a doomed mission to the Moon. Apollo 13: the extraordinary story by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Gutenberg press: A revolutionary technology - so why did its inventor struggle to make money from it? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Slot machines: Spinning wheels, flashing lights, and the business of addiction by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Chess algorithms: What chess reveals about the power of computers by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Auctions: Are things only worth what people are willing to pay for them? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Dams: The benefits they bring can be huge - but so can the problems by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Tulips: Did colourful flowers really cause a financial bubble? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Sanitary towel: Selling a product that some people found too embarrassing to mention by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Wardian case: How miniature greenhouses were a powerful tool for British colonisers by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Fast food franchise: How a milkshake-mixer salesman turned a burger restaurant into a global giant by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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CCTV: How do we feel about being watched? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Retirement: How should we treat our elders? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Santa: Why does Father Christmas wear red and white? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Sewing machine: A device that changed women's lives was designed to make a man very rich by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Hollerith punch card: The machine that turned data into money by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Stock option: An incentive for good performance, or another way to boost executives' pay? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Fundraising appeal: What's the best way to get people to give to charity? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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SWIFT: A system that solved big problems is now facing its greatest challenge by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Wedgwood: What does the fashion industry owe to an 18th-century potter? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Glasses: A vital aid for many, but billions don't know they need them by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Vickrey turnstile: How did an invention that was never built help make the modern world? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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GPS: What would happen if GPS stopped working? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Bonsack machine: Why did a machine for making cigarettes transform the advertising industry? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Prohibition: How much does it cost to outlaw something? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Interface Message Processor: The big metal box that made the internet possible by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Canned food: The surprising lessons lurking under the lid by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Interchangeable parts: The manufacturing revolution that started with a gun by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Oil: How did the price of oil become so important? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Chatbot: Can a computer convince you that it's human? by 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
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Factory

Factory

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

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