Microphones

05/27/21 • 27 min

Microphones have changed the way we hear the world. From the experiments of Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Alva Edison, through the birth of rock and roll to the explosion of podcasts and video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic, microphones have become integral to our modern lives.

In this episode, National Science and Media Museum curator Annie Jamieson takes us on a journey through the surprising story of the microphone, while host Nihal Arthanayake and air traffic controller Adam Spink reveal how microphones are essential to their working lives.

Listen and discover how microphones changed the direction of pop music and amplified political voices, why smaller is not always better, and how spider silk might be used in the microphones of the future.

This episode was inspired by the BBC Marconi AXBT ribbon microphone in the Science Museum Group Collection. The episode also features a carbon granule microphone and lip microphone. Our incredible collection contains more than 7 million items which illustrate the impact of science, technology, engineering and medicine on all our lives.

If you would like to uncover more about how sound is created, how it moves and how we hear it, explore the National Science and Media Museum’s Sound Season this summer.

A Brief History of Stuff is a Storythings and Science Museum Group production. Find out more about the items in this episode and read the transcript on our website, you can also discover more stories about the everyday objects around you. You can support this podcast and our museums by donating online.

Follow the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more insights into the collection and use #ABriefHistoryOfStuff to join the conversation on social media.

Follow @NATS or visit www.nats.aero to find out more about the work of air traffic controllers.

Subscribe to A Brief History of Stuff wherever you listen to podcasts to be the first to hear new episodes. To help others discover A Brief History of Stuff, please rate our podcast.

If you have an idea for a future episode or want to share your thoughts on our podcast, please email us via [email protected].

If you would like to uncover more about how sound is created, how it moves and how we hear it, explore the National Science and Media Museum’s Sound Season this summer.

Follow @NATS or visit www.nats.aero to find out more about the work of air traffic controllers.

Subscribe to A Brief History of Stuff wherever you listen to podcasts to be the first to hear new episodes. To help others discover A Brief History of Stuff, please rate our podcast.

If you have an idea for a future episode or want to share your thoughts on our podcast, please email us via [email protected].

Previous Episode

Sticky tape

The wonder material graphene can be found in any pencil, but for years scientists couldn’t isolate its incredibly thin layers. Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov won the Nobel Prize in 2010 for doing just that, using little more than their curiosity and sticky tape.

In this episode Science and Industry Museum curator Sarah Baines reveals how thinking outside the box, making a frog levitate and sticky tape helped scientists isolate the thinnest and strongest material ever discovered, while luxury gift wrapper Rebekah Chol shares her advice on the best ways to wrap your gifts. Listen along with our host Nihal Arthanayake to the story of how graphene’s incredibly thin layers were first peeled away and uncover how its remarkable properties might transform our world.

This episode was inspired by the sticky tape dispenser used to isolate graphene in the Science Museum Group Collection. This incredible collection contains more than 7 million items which illustrate the impact of science, technology, engineering and medicine on all our lives.

A Brief History of Stuff is a Storythings and Science Museum Group production.

You can watch Andre Geim share his story in this talk recorded at the Science and Industry Museum and read about our graphene exhibition and Manchester’s impact on the study of atoms on our blog. Find out more about the items in this episode and read the transcript on our website, you can also discover more stories about the everyday objects around you. You can support this podcast and our museums by donating online.

Follow the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more insights into the collection and use #ABriefHistoryOfStuff to join the conversation on social media.

Follow luxury gift wrapper Rebekah Chol on Instagram.

Subscribe to A Brief History of Stuff wherever you listen to podcasts to be the first to hear new episodes. To help others discover A Brief History of Stuff, please rate our podcast.

If you have an idea for a future episode or want to share your thoughts on our podcast, please email us via [email protected].

Next Episode

Vacuum cleaners

Household chores are an unavoidable part of everyday life. For thousands of years a broom was enough, but by using the humble vacuum cleaner we changed our homes forever.

In this episode, carpet sweeper expert Laura Humphreys takes us on a journey through the remarkable history of the vacuum cleaner, while conservator Kate Perks describes the care taken to clean delicate items on display at the Science Museum.

Hear how the first vacuum cleaner was invented, why we should call them Spanglers not Hoovers, how the spring clean began and what housework can tell us about the world around us.

This episode was inspired by Booth’s red trolley vacuum cleaner and the Hoover constellation in the Science Museum Group Collection. Our incredible collection contains more than 7 million items which illustrate the impact of science, technology, engineering and medicine on all our lives.

A Brief History of Stuff is a Storythings and Science Museum Group production. Find out more about the items in this episode on our website. You can also discover more stories about the everyday objects around you, including on vacuum cleaners.

Follow the Science Museum on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more insights into the collection and use #ABriefHistoryOfStuff to join the conversation on social media.

You can follow Laura Humphreys on Twitter and find out more about Globalising Housework, her fascinating book on housework.

Subscribe to A Brief History of Stuff wherever you listen to podcasts to be the first to hear new episodes. To help others discover A Brief History of Stuff, please rate our podcast. You can support this podcast and our museums by donating online.

If you have an idea for a future episode or want to share your thoughts on our podcast, please email us via [email protected].