PRX - Pieces for Tone: Quirky

Can't find it? Try Advanced Search
View by:

30 results


213: Unexpected Origin of Roller Skates
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
The first roller skates were patented by John Joseph Merlin in 1760. He showed off his new fangled wheeled shoes with an epic entrance to a party t...

Bought by WRFA-LP


  • Added: Apr 15, 2022
  • Length: 05:00
  • Purchases: 1
106: Civil War Candy
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
Necco Wafers and Jelly Beans were candies citizens were urged to "send to the troops" during the Civil War. Easy to transport and not likely to mel...

Bought by Spokane Public Radio


  • Added: Apr 29, 2020
  • Length: 04:05
  • Purchases: 1
The History of Carbonated Beverages
From: KSLU
Series: STEM Science Radio
Piece image
In this episode, our hosts dive into the history of pop, soda, cola, and other popular fizzes liquids.

Bought by Belfast Community Radio


  • Added: Mar 10, 2020
  • Length: 11:31
  • Purchases: 1
History of Radio
From: KSLU
Series: STEM Science Radio
Piece image
Dr. Rhett Allain and Issaak Bartholomew examine the science and history of radio

Bought by Belfast Community Radio


  • Added: Mar 09, 2020
  • Length: 07:25
  • Purchases: 1
47: Chlorine Trifluoride
From: Trace Kerr
Piece image
This chemical is no joke. Amy talks about how 1930's scientists discovered the explosive and insanely dangerous compound while trying to find a mor...

  • Added: Feb 19, 2019
  • Length: 04:25
35: Dr. Robert Liston
From: Trace Kerr
Series: Brain Junk
Piece image
Amy Barton has an eye for dangerous and innovative doctors and Dr. Robert Liston is no exception. FYI This episode has some up-close discussions of...

  • Added: Jan 10, 2019
  • Length: 03:09
breadboard
From: Pius Wong
Series: Engineering Word Of The Day
Piece image
You use it to help design devices that end up in more than your kitchen.

Bought by WETD


  • Added: Sep 26, 2017
  • Length: 03:43
  • Purchases: 1
StoryCorps: John Matlock and Carol Matlock
From: StoryCorps
Series: StoryCorps
Piece image
John and Carol met in 1964 when a computer dating service matched them up. This December, they will have been married for 52 years.

Bought by WMUU-LP and WEZU


  • Added: Aug 15, 2016
  • Length: 01:49
  • Purchases: 2
Type a Change in Communication: Simple Rediscovery #517
From: Teosson Wells
Piece image
One could argue that the introduction of the modern typewriter just a tad over 110 years ago did more to change the way that humans communicate tha...

  • Added: Nov 09, 2013
  • Length: 10:19
An Ode to Morse Code
From: KALW
Series: Crosscurrents
Caption: Richard Dillman transmits from KPH, Credit: Julie Caine
For nearly a hundred years, Morse Code was the official language of international communication for ships in distress. Then, at the end of the twen...

Bought by New Hampshire Public Radio


  • Added: Oct 09, 2013
  • Length: 06:45
  • Purchases: 1
Distillations Episode 173: Power Up
From: Distillations
Series: Distillations
Piece image
In this episode we look at the modern power grid, which is on the brink of important changes. First, why the smart grid matters. Then, the critical...

Bought by WTJU


  • Added: May 15, 2013
  • Length: 17:06
  • Purchases: 1
Gramophone Gods
From: VoiceBox
Caption: Meredith Axelrod
Singer and early vocal recordings champion Meredith Axelrod chats about the vocalists who pioneered recorded sound technologies in the early twenti...

  • Added: Apr 30, 2013
  • Length: 58:59
Distillations Episode 155: Shipwrecks
From: Distillations
Caption: Illustration of the carrack Mary Rose, which sunk off the coast of England in 1545. It's been remarkably preserved, thanks in part to resting in an anaerobic environment. , Credit: Original illustration by Anthony Anthony. Reproduction courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Ahoy, mateys. Join us on the ocean floor. In this episode we look at sunken ships: how they are preserved, and what they can tell us about past civ...

Bought by WTJU and XRAY.fm


  • Added: Sep 05, 2012
  • Length: 15:35
  • Purchases: 2
It's a car! It's a plane! No wait...it's both!
From: WTIP
Series: The Roadhouse
Caption: 1954 Aerocar, Credit: courtesy Golden Wings Museum
Greg Herrick, president of the Aviation Foundation of America and aviation buff, is the proud owner of a rare 1954 Aerocar (yes, a car with wings)...

  • Added: Aug 24, 2012
  • Length: 23:15
Distillations Episode 150: Sweat
From: Distillations
Piece image
In this episode we continue the three-part series Blood, Sweat, and Tears. First the history of deodorants; then experiments on how perspiration ca...

  • Added: Jul 05, 2012
  • Length: 16:44
Video Arcades
From: Andrew Bales
Series: Into It
Piece image
Since their rise with the release of the 1978 game Space Invaders, video arcades have evolved alongside home gaming systems.

Bought by New Hampshire Public Radio, PRX Remix, and New Hampshire Public Radio


  • Added: Apr 09, 2012
  • Length: 01:49
  • Purchases: 3
Distillations Episode 144: Mystery of Mass (Spec)
From: Distillations
Series: Distillations
Caption: What is it and what does it do?, Credit: courtesy of the Bendix Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Collection, CHF Collections.
In this episode we look at the diverse history of mass spectrometry, starting with a single question: exactly what is it? Then we dip into CHF's or...

  • Added: Mar 31, 2012
  • Length: 13:18
Distillations Episode 84: Crystals
From: Distillations
Series: Distillations
Caption: Images from the Othmer Library of Chemical History at CHF.
There are many different types of crystals we encounter, ranging from tiny to extremely large in size.

Bought by WTJU


  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 12:00
  • Purchases: 1
Distillations Episode 112: Nuclear Power
From: Distillations
Series: Distillations
Piece image
In this episode we learn about the history and future of nuclear power, in the U.S. and abroad.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 11:12
Distillations Episode 133: Halloween Candy
From: Distillations
Series: Distillations
Piece image
Trick or treat! On this episode of Distillations we give you a taste of both. First, try to choke back our explanation of a Dutch candy that featur...

Bought by WTJU


  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 13:16
  • Purchases: 1
Clever Apes 2011 Special
From: WBEZ
Series: WBEZ's Clever Apes
Caption: Host Gabriel Spitzer and producer Michael De Bonis, Credit: (WBEZ/Andrew Gill)
This science special is perfect for your holiday programming needs. We've gathered our favorite segments from 2011 and gift-wrapped them in this ho...

Bought by KBRP Community Radio


  • Added: Dec 07, 2011
  • Length: 53:59
  • Purchases: 1
Clever Apes: Godspeed, Tevatron
From: WBEZ
Series: WBEZ's Clever Apes
Piece image
We remember the legacy of the Tevatron, the particle collider that was shut down in September of 2011.

Bought by KUT and WRST-FM Oshkosh


  • Added: Sep 30, 2011
  • Length: 08:24
  • Purchases: 2
Distillations Episode 92: Scientific Collaborations
From: Distillations
Series: Distillations
Piece image
In honor of National Poetry Month, Distillations looks at Lord Byron and his classic Don Juan. Also, opium and The Age of Wonder.

  • Added: Apr 09, 2010
  • Length: 11:41
Distillations Episode 83: Fellows in Action
From: Distillations
Series: Distillations
Piece image
What do Isaac Newton, yeast, and Harold Urey have in common?

  • Added: Apr 07, 2010
  • Length: 12:28
Distillations Episode 91: Marvels and Ciphers
From: Distillations
Series: Distillations
Caption: Rudolph Pariser in front of a blackboard with quantum calculations, contemplating molecular model, 1950s. , Credit: Courtesy of The Hagley Museum and Library.
In this episode, host Meir Rinde and guest co-host Gigi Naglak give us a tour of the Chemical Heritage Foundation's new exhibit Marvels and Ciphers.

Bought by WTJU


  • Added: Apr 05, 2010
  • Length: 10:30
  • Purchases: 1