Microphones have changed the way we hear the world. From the experiments of Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Alva Edison, through the birth of rock and roll to the explosion of podcasts and video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic, microphones have become integral to our modern lives.  

In this episode, National Science and Media Museum curator Annie Jamieson takes us on a journey through the surprising story of the microphone, while host Nihal Arthanayake and air traffic controller Adam Spink reveal how microphones are essential to their working lives. 

Listen and discover how microphones changed the direction of pop music and amplified political voices, why smaller is not always better, and how spider silk might be used in the microphones of the future.  

This episode was inspired by the BBC Marconi AXBT ribbon microphone in the Science Museum Group Collection. The episode also features a carbon granule microphone and lip microphone. Our incredible collection contains more than 7 million items which illustrate the impact of science, technology, engineering and medicine on all our lives. 

If you would like to uncover more about how sound is created, how it moves and how we hear it, explore the National Science and Media Museum’s Sound Season this summer.  

A Brief History of Stuff is a Storythings and Science Museum Group production. Find out more about the items in this episode and read the transcript on our website, you can also discover more stories about the everyday objects around you. You can support this podcast and our museums by donating online. 

Follow the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more insights into the collection and use #ABriefHistoryOfStuff to join the conversation on social media.

Follow @NATS or visit www.nats.aero to find out more about the work of air traffic controllers. 

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