If you google “science podcast”, you’ll get just about 1,010,000,000 results, including podcasts, instructional videos, science blogs, and peer reviewed journals. We live in an age of free-flowing information with an incredibly curious public ready to ingest the constant feed of information.
In our premiere episode of “Made in the Middle”, we look to the popular 19th century World’s Fairs, as early versions of the science and tech podcasts we all stream from our pockets today. World’s Fairs served up education coated in entertainment and one exhibit in Omaha Nebraska, took this idea to the extreme. Spoiler Alert: there were babies – live babies!
We would like to thank Martha Grenzeback of the Omaha Public Library, for her research assistance. As well as Tom O'Connor, Senior Associate Director of the UNMC Media Team for connecting us to medical professionals with expertise in the area of neonatology.
To satisfy your thirst for more on this subject, check out the resources linked below:
Trans Mississippi & International Exposition Archive
The Strange Case of Dr. Couney: How a Mysterious European Showman Saved Thousands of American Babies
To request citations from this episode or to suggest a topic to "Made in the Middle" please email emily.chennewton@kios.org