The Story of Glassmaking

Some of the topics covered in this episode

• The earliest glass beads discovered in ancient Mesopotamia
• How Egyptians perfected glass vessels and colored ornaments
• The revolutionary invention of glassblowing in the Roman Empire
• The creation of the first transparent window panes
• Medieval stained glass and the artistry of cathedral windows
• The chemistry of how sand becomes glass through heat
• Venetian glassmakers and their closely guarded secrets
• The evolution from ancient techniques to modern glass production

Someone once turned ordinary sand into something you can see clean through, and civilization never quite got over it, so let it carry you off too. May your sleep stay as clear and untroubled as good glass tonight.