8.21.14: Marty Glickman, The Art Of Tinkering, Element Names & Sister Sparrow And The Dirty Birds

In 1936 18-year-old Marty Glickman was one of the fastest sprinters in the country, earning him a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and a trip to the Berlin Games. Today on Word of Mouth, we have the story of how he was removed from the competition to appease Hitler and how he then became a legendary sports broadcaster. Then lessons in science with The Art of Tinkering and a conversation about how elements were named.
Finally, Producer Zach Nugent spoke with front-woman Arleigh Kincheloe of the band Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds. Their new album is called Fight.

Listen to the whole show and click Read more for individual segments.

This show originally aired on 3.27.14. 

Marty Glickman

• We have the story of a Jewish-American athlete who was pulled from competition to appease Hitler … and went on to became one of the greatest sports broadcasters in history.

The Art of Tinkering

• Bring out everything but the kitchen sink. We head to the tinkering studio of San Francisco’s beloved art and science museum, the Exploratorium. Karen Wilkinson is the co-author along with Mike Petrich, of a new book, The Art of Tinkering. Karen and Mike are also the co-directors of the popular “Tinkering Studio” at San Francisco’s renowned museum of science, art, and human perception, The Exploratorium.

Element Names

• Carbon, radium, uranium – at one point in our lives we were all expected to know the periodic table, but how on earth did those elements get their names?Joe Hanson is the host and writer behind PBS Digital Studios’ "It’s Okay To Be Smart," and he’s here to unravel the strange history of how the elements got their names.

Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds

• Fight is a new album produced by Grammy Award winner and former American Idol judge Randy Jackson. Producer Zach Nugent spoke with front-woman, Arleigh Kincheloe about growing up in a musical family and starting the band with her harmonica-playing brother.