There's a theory that the invention of paint had something to do with the dawn of humanity. We are on a never-ending quest to create brighter, better colours. From grinding rocks, to crushing bugs, concocting chemicals and now manipulating nanotubes - a mind-boggling array of beautiful pigments and dyes litter our history. Today's guest is Kassia St Clair, author of international bestseller The Secret Lives of Colours. Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giant mouse ears at the ready, we're off to Disneyland! Hop on board and travel with us inside Walt Disney's mind (for better or for worse). We discover how he came up with the idea, what it all means, and how his dream of a Utopian city led indirectly to the Magic Kingdom. Dallas's guest today is Sabrina Mittermeier, author of 'A Cultural History of Disneyland Theme Parks: Middle Class Kingdoms'. Edited by Tom Delargy, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 15th edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, published in 1974, cost $32 million to create. The largest investment in publishing history. And yet you can now buy the complete set for pennies. Who invented encyclopedias? Who wrote for them? And why did Samuel Taylor Coleridge get so upset about them? Dallas is joined by Simon Garfield, author of All the Knowledge in the World: The Extraordinary History of the Encyclopaedia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We live in a world where everything is bugged. We all know we are being monitored. The surprising thing is that this is nothing new. From tapped telegraph wires to bugged Martini olives, Dallas is finding out about the history of Wiretapping with Brian Hochman, author of The Listeners: A History of Wiretapping in the United States. Before that though Dallas chats to comedian, writer and masterful impersonator Anil Desai. Can Dallas finally learn how to do a Sean Connery impression? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The most famous chicken nugget of them all, the McDonald’s McNugget, turns 40 this year. So we’re asking, who invented the Chicken Nugget?  Enter food-scientist Robert Baker who came up with them twenty years before the McNugget was even a glimmer in Ronald McDonald's eye. Baker was a poultry alchemist who could turn a chicken into anything he wanted. And he did it all to try to save the chicken farmers he loved so much. Editing and sound design by Stuart Beckwith, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Cocktail Hour! In honour of James Bond we ask who invented cocktails? Have they always been a cool thing to drink? And where do horses bottoms fit into things? Dallas' guest today is the pre-eminent historian (and maker) of cocktails David Wondrich, author of 'Imbibe! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this story, the cart really does come before the horse. Horse transport doesn't begin with people riding around on horses' backs. It starts with the invention of the Chariot. Dallas's guest to explain the origins of horse transport and how it changed the world is William T. Taylor, anthropologist at the University of Boulder and expert on all things ancient horse related. Saddle up partners, it's time to gallop back into the mists of time for another exciting story of invention! Edited and produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who was the first King of England? Who invented a place called 'England' anyway? And what on earth are the 'bracelets of sincerity'? With coronations in the air Dallas is going back in search of the origins of all things regal with his guest Matt Lewis, host of the History Hit podcast 'Gone Medieval'. If you are not a listener to Gone Medieval yet then go check it out! It's a fantastic show. Edited by Stuart Beckwith, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How’s this for a CV? 1821 - invented the Electric Motor. 1831 - invented the Electric Generator. Oh, and I also created the first Electric Transformer, discovered Benzene and liquidised Chlorine.  Michael Faraday is a giant of invention. Here to help Dallas tell the story of how he laid the foundations of the modern world is Frank James, editor of Michael Faraday’s correspondence and author of Michael Faraday: A Very Brief Introduction. Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fast and sleek with a satisfying rumble in the engine. What else could you want from a car? Well, for James Bond, the answer to this question is usually a couple of hidden weapons and some form of camouflage device. For this episode of 'Inventing Bond' - our series marking the 70th anniversary of Fleming's Bond - Dallas is joined by Jason Barlow, author of 'Bond Cars: The Definitive Guide'. We also spoke to David Butler, who drove some specially modified cars behind the Iron Curtain, about how close Bond cars come to the truth. Edited by Tom Delargy. Produced by Freddy Chick and Sophie Gee. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Book. It’s the most powerful object in history (sorry Sword fans). But how did it come to be? And what was wrong with good old scrolls in the first place? Dallas is joined by Keith Houston, author of The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time to unpack the story of how the book came to be. Edited by Siobhan Dale, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dagger shoes, Lipstick gas grenade, Razor rimmed hat, Milk bottle Grenade…Prosthetic Nipple. We’re continuing our exploration of the inventions that have made Bond, James Bond. This time it’s gadgets, gadgets, gadgets. Dallas talks to Andre Millard, author of Equipping James Bond, about the role of inventions in the Bond books and films. And to Andrew Hammond, curator of the Spy Museum in Washington D.C., to hear about Bond-esque gadgets in the real world. Produced by Freddy Chick and Sophie Gee, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready for the story of how the telegraph went from a long line of monks holding hands to a technology that straddled the earth. One which foreshadowed the internet in many strange ways, from online dating to fraud. Dallas’s guest is Tom Standage, author of The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-Line Pioneers and deputy editor of The Economist magazine. With special thanks to Frances Grey for her wonderful acting. Edited by Stuart Beckwith, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well before Bond was lasering and limboing himself out of fictional situations, these were the questions faced by the British forces trying to repatriate prisoners of war during the Second World War. In this episode, we explore the solutions that they came up with. Dallas is joined by Helen Fry, author of MI9: Escape and Evasion, to find out who the inventive 'Clutty' was, and how he managed to get men out of POW camps with the help of some playing cards and a monopoly board. Edited by Tom Delargy, Produced by Freddy Chick and Sophie Gee, Senior Producer was Charlotte Long. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did Sigmund Freud want a vasectomy at 67 years old? Why were goat gonads all the rage in the 1920s? Who was the first person to get the snip? Today we're handing over the mic to our sister podcast at History Hit - "Betwixt the Sheets" - to bring you the weird history of vasectomies. Host Kate Lister is joined by Georgia Grainger (https://twitter.com/sniphist) to discuss the vasectomy’s place as a contraceptive, as well as its relationship with eugenics and masculinity. *WARNING this episode includes mentions of mental illness, eugenics and themes of an adult nature* Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Pete Dennis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get ready for the coming of our robot overlords by listening to this episode all about the history of AI. Who was Shakey the robot? Why did we spend thousands of hours trying to tell a machine the basic facts of life (like that the hot tap is coloured red)? What was King Charles’ grey goo theory all about? The first half of the show is with Matthew Sparkes of the New Scientist. Matthew spends his life covering the latest developments in the field of AI and is a regular contributor to the New Scientist’s podcast ‘New Scientist Weekly’. Then in the second half Dallas is with Professor Michael Wooldridge, author of The Road to Consciousness: the story of AI. Edited by Stuart Beckwith, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer was Charlotte Long. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When does spaghetti grow on trees? When can you milk a duck? When does Google read your brainwaves? On April Fool’s Day! Come with us into the chaotic world of April 1st as we explore where the tradition originated and how many kinds of hilarious pranks there are. Dallas’s guest today is Moira Marsh, a folklorist at Indiana University and author of Practically Joking. Edited and Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Early aquariums didn't have much more in them than some sorry looking trout. Yet such was the excitement at being able to see this underwater world for the first time people queued for hours to get a peak. Taking Dallas through the surprising history of fish tanks and aquariums is the world's only fish tank historian (that we know of) Samantha Muka, author of Oceans Under Glass: Tank Craft & Science of the Sea Edited and Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Ouija Board was patented in 1890. But in did not appear out of thin air. It was only one in a long, long line of devices attempting to pierce the veil between this world and the next. Come with us, if you dare, on a journey through the Spiritualism that rocked America in the 19th century and the wild world of inventions the movement spawned. Dallas’s guest today is the wonderful Brandon Hodge, expert on all things talking board. Find out more at Brandon’s website: http://www.mysteriousplanchette.com/ Edited by Stuart Beckwith, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1890, the Governor of New York called for a new method of capital punishment. A more modern, efficient, scientific method was being sought. There was still a buzz around the recently harnessed power of electricity, which, when delivered. at high voltage to a prisoner strapped to a chair, would do the job (though not quite, at least the first time). The terrifying prospect of the Electric Chair was also hoped to put off potential criminals. Mark Essig, author of Edison and the Electric Chair: a Story of Light and Death, tells Dallas how it came about. Mixed by Benjie Guy. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer: Charlotte Long. For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters here. If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.