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