Episode notes
Alex Schmidt is joined by comedy writers/performers Sam Reich and Mike Trapp (Dropout.tv) for a look at why ball bearings are secretly incredibly fascinating.
Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week’s bonus episode.
LINKS FOR THE GUESTS:
RESOURCES USED TO INFORM THE EPISODE’S LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
- native-land.ca
- U.S. Department Of Arts And Culture
- The True Native New Yorkers Can Never Truly Reclaim Their Homeland (Smithsonian)
- Mapping Manahatta: 10 Lenape sites in New York City (6sqft)
- “Finding Lenapehoking” (YouTube / Hudson River Maritime Museum)
RESEARCH SOURCES:
- Ball Bearing: This is a caged six-ball single row deep groove bearing that was made by Fichtel & Sachs of Schweinfurt, Germany around 1950. (Smithsonian National Museum of American History)
- YouTube upload of Discovery Channel ‘How It’s Made’: Ball Bearings — this is the video of a ball bearing factory Alex mentions.
- “FidgetDoctor.com” guide to the best ball bearings for fidget spinners
- Smallest commercially available steel ball bearing (Guinness Book of World Records)
- SKF Produces its Largest Spherical Roller Bearing for Mining Application (OEM Off-Highway)
- The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester
- Civilization Turns On Ball Bearings (Cycle World Magazine)
- You Could Make Wooden Ball Bearings This Weekend (Popular Mechanics)
- Special Operations Executive (UK National Army Museum)
- The Cost of Schweinfurt (Air Force Magazine)
- Pointblank Directive, 14 June 1943 (American Air Museum in Britain)
- Swedish ball-bearings and The German war economy (Scandinavian Economic History Review)
- The (Not So) Neutrals of World War II (The New York Times)
- If You Like Ballpoint Pens, Thank the R.A.F. (Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine)
- The cheap pen that changed writing forever (BBC Future)
In this episode...
Guests
- Mike Trapp
- Sam Reich
About the show
A weekly podcast about the history, science, lore and surprises that make everyday things secretly incredibly fascinating. Hosted by comedy writer, emoji creator, and ‘Jeopardy!‘ champion Alex Schmidt. Join Alex & his co-host Katie Goldin for a joyful deep dive into seeing the world a whole new way!
Get in touch with the show
@sifpod
@sifpod
SIF on Discord!People
How to listen
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