Before the invention of the dialysis machine, kidney failure was basically a death sentence. Registered nurse Janice Breen explains how the design of dialysis machines has evolved since she started working with them back in 1973 ...

When Nintendo released Donkey Kong in 1981, it was one of the only arcade games in which you did more than just blast space invaders. It contained an entire world, with a damsel in distress and an unlikely hero: a little Italian plumber named Mario. ...

In 1960, zip tops made opening aluminum cans more convenient — and dangerous. Those razor-sharp metal tags you ripped off and threw away were a hazard for the thirsty. That all changed in 1972, when a young engineer named Daniel Cudzik...

For chemists, the periodic table of the elements is a hugely coveted piece of real estate. Writer Sam Kean explains the origins of the periodic table and its enduring brilliance. Produced by KJHK’s Becky Sullivan.

Kitchen designer Lyn Peterson says that everything we take for granted can be traced back to the Frankfurt Kitchen, created by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky in the late 1920s. It's the mother of all modern kitchens, and an original version was recently acquired by New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Road signs on interstate highways have been standardized since the Eisenhower era. But the typeface is badly out of date, and it looks fuzzy in all sorts of road conditions. Graphic designer Don Meeker explains how he helped bring highway signage back into focus with a typeface called Clearview. Produced by Studio 360’s Derek John.

Before the invention of the dialysis machine, kidney failure was basically a death sentence. Registered nurse Janice Breen explains how the design of dialysis machines has evolved since she started working with them back in 1973. Produced by Gretta Cohn.

Neon signage has been around for exactly a century, but today the glowing lights face competition from cheaper LED technology. Physics professor Eric Schiff and Jeff Friedman, of New York's Let There Be Neon studio, explain what's behind neon's everlasting glow. Produced by Jordan Sayle.

Designed for keeping ammunition dry in World War II, duct tape is now available in every color, clear, camouflage, and tie-dye. Author Tim Nyberg explains how duct tape has become ubiquitous. Produced by Dennis Nishi.

Nathan Isherwood owns a moped repair and retail shop in Brooklyn. He loves the modest motorbikes because they're easy to fix and they get 100 miles per gallon. Produced by Matt Frassica.

Graphic designer Noah Scalin created a new skull design every day for a year and posted them to his blog Skull-a-Day. He used whatever was at hand: breakfast cereal, sparklers, and little green army men. Scalin thinks that no matter the material, the skull is timeless. ...

This fall, eight NFL teams have donned the old American Football League uniforms. Graphic designer and sports blogger Jim Ransdell thinks these bold, simple patterns are timeless. Produced by Alana Harper.

Air Force One, the Presidential 747, is designed to be a White House in the sky. But it wasn't always so deluxe. Historian Gene Eisman explains how Air Force One evolved from a bare-metal military jet into its current hi-tech luxury incarnation. Produced by

You might remember zoot suits from the swing craze in the late nineties. But for one Southern California tailor and her prom-bound customers, zoot suits have never gone out of style. Produced by Eric Molinsky.

Cubicles have a bad reputation as soul-crushing, gray boxes wallpapered in Post-its. But they were originally designed to promote health and wellness. Cubicle pioneer Joe Schwartz explains what went wrong. Produced by Catherine Epstein.

It’s been spinning for over a hundred years but, as James Buzard explains, some people still aren't comfortable with it. Where it stops, nobody knows. Produced by Chloe Plaunt.

Wylie Dufresne loves state-of-the-art equipment, but his favorite kitchen tool is modest: the whisk. We asked an expert, Gourmet Magazine’s style director Corky Pollan, what makes a whisk really mix and beat. 

You put your coins in, they disappear forever ... and somehow you don't mind. We sent Hammad Ahmed to Atlantic City to find out what makes a slot machine spin.

Culinary Arts Museum curator Richard J.S. Gutman explains why an American classic from the aluminum age never goes out of style. Produced by Kathryn Eident.

Design guru Steven Heller explains how Father Christmas became branded as a jolly bearded old man in a red suit.