Episodes
Season 1
8. Solar Power
What technology powers billion-dollar satellites and your $10 calculator, and now provides a tenth of the whole world's power? Yes, it's solar power!
7. Credit Cards
How much do you spend each day on your credit card? You probably buy everything from a sandwich to a suit and a latte to a laptop. But how often do you stop to think about where this convenience comes from?
6. Fridges and Freezing
Remember the agony of vinyl car seats in summer? Driving everywhere with the windows down to keep cool? How relieved were you when air-conditioning came along? And how often do you reach into your fridge or freezer for an icy cold drink or 'paddle-pop'?
5. TVs and Screens
Look around the room right now. You are likely surrounded by them: in your pocket, on your desk, mounted on the wall, or strapped to your wrist. In this episode of the Common Knowledge Club, we are looking at screens.
4. Ball Point Pens
Ever wondered why there's a microscopic hole in the side of your pen? Or why a seemingly cheap piece of plastic outsells the iPhone, the Rubik’s Cube, and every Toyota ever built combined?
3. Reading Glasses
Imagine if reaching your 40s came with a silent unavoidable tax that could end your career? For centuries, the natural hardening of the lens in the human eye did exactly that, forcing master craftsmen and scholars into unwanted early retirement.
2. Twist-Off Bottle Tops
Ever look at the beer bottles in your fridge or the bottle of wine on the counter and realize you’re staring at an engineering masterpiece? How did the twist-top save kitchen benches worldwide and frustration on camping trips? And how did the wine screw-cap cause a 'mutiny' in Australian wine makers?
1. Tin Cans
Go to your kitchen and look in the back of your pantry. Sitting in the dark is an object so profoundly boring, you probably haven't thought about it since the day you bought it: the tin can. But don’t be fooled! That little metal cylinder began life as a piece of pivotal military hardware.