250: An Instinct for the Regrettable

Labels warning of the lead content were a common sight on gas pumps in the US of the twentieth century.

Early internal combustion engines were subject to “knocking,” a metallic rattle that indicated something wasn’t right. GM engineer Thomas Midgley was assigned the task of identifying the cause and the cure. It turned out that knocking was caused by premature combustion in the engine, and the solution Midgley and GM hit upon was a fuel additive: tetraethyl lead. Soon car and airplane engines everywhere were fueled by leaded gasoline. Midgley went on to a second triumph: the development of chlorofluorocarbons as refrigerants.

By the time of his death in 1944, Midgley was being hailed as one of the eras great inventors. But by the last quarter of the twentieth century, a great effort would be undertaken to undo his inventions.

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Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening Theme

Symphony No. 6 in B minor, “Pathétique”
Composed in 1893 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Public domain.
Performed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing Theme 



Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

2 thoughts on “250: An Instinct for the Regrettable

  1. When I was growing up in Philadelphia in the 50s and 60s I remember a device on public display near City Hall that recorded the amount of lead in the air.

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