The lightbulb conspiracy is both real and everywhere
About this episode
This episode explores the conspiracy behind the lightbulb and its impact on the consumer economy.
Over the next few episodes, we present Hidden Histories : stories that will make you rethink how the world works. First up, the conspiracy behind the lightbulb—and how it came to shape the entire consumer economy. If you ever wondered why your tech outdates so quickly or just plain fails, you can thank the lightbulb. (This episode originally aired in 2019.) Guests: Sally Helm, former NPR Planet Money correspondent Markus Krajewski, author of The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy Giles Slade, author of Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America Support shows like Throughline with NPR+. Sign up today at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
People in this episode
Guests: Sally Helm, Markus Krajewski, Giles Slade
Topics covered
- lightbulb conspiracy
- consumer economy
- technology obsolescence
- hidden histories
- history of technology
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NPR
Books & works: The Great Lightbulb Conspiracy, Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America
More episodes of Throughline
- How baseball got its beat
- Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?
- The school report that changed public education
- The SAT's 100-year grip on higher ed
- The pillage that fueled America's tech booms
- How Korean culture went global
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