American Innovations

Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are preparing to land on the Moon. The whole world is watching live on television. But something is very wrong, their warning alarms are flashing and they don't know what it is. There’s only one woman who can fix it: MIT software engineer Margaret Hamilton. This is the first episode of a special series with Smithsonian Magazine highlighting the lives of women inventors to celebrate Women’s History Month. Head over to  and enter promo code AI at checkout to get 15% off your first order!

Things are really picking up for Coca-Cola, thanks to its industrious new—and most importantly, sober—owner, Asa Candler. Over the past year, Candler’s sold enough syrup to make half a million glasses of soda. The drink is loved by everyone who tries it, but on the business side, Candler is still just scraping by. To turn Coca-Cola into the sensation he knows it can be, he will have to battle a slew of imposters, take a massive marketing risk, and deal with one very problematic ingredient: cocaine. Support us by supporting our sponsors! ZipRecruiter - Right now, listeners of American Innovations can try ZipRecruiter FOR FREE at and enter promo code AI at checkout to get 15% off your first order!

In the wake of the Civil War, Atlanta emerged as both the cultural capital of the New South, and the epicenter of its snake oil trade. A shell-shocked populace, haunted by poverty, hunger and disease sought salvation in the dubious cure-all tonics of the pharmacy trade. What they got instead would go on to become the most famous beverage in the world: Coca-Cola. Support us by supporting our sponsors! ZipRecruiter - Listeners of American Innovations can try ZipRecruiter FOR FREE at

Every great collaboration is a love story. It’s intense. Passionate. Along the way, there are flashes of love, hate, pride, ego, ambition, and brilliance. This is One Plus One, the show about the spark that drives two original thinkers to ultimate success. We’ll unearth the stories of Paul McCartney & John Lennon, Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera, Beyonce & Jay-Z, Shaq & Kobe, and many more, and learn what it is about their chemistry that led them to greatness. Subscribe to One Plus One today at

Malcolm Gladwell joins Steven Johnson to talk about innovation, writing, and Steven’s latest book “Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions That Matter the Most.” The conversation was put on by the Next Big Idea Club . It’s a book club hand-curated by four legendary writers: Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Dan Pink and Adam Grant. You can sign up at