Shatter-Proof: How Glass Took Over the Kitchenand Ended Child Labor
Cheers! The lively clink of glass on glass is a must for any festive gathering, whether you\u2019re sipping champagne in a flute or lemonade in a tumbler. We rely on glass in the kitchen\u2014for baking perfectly browned pies, preserving jams and pickles, and so much more. But glass wasn\u2019t always so cheap and ubiquitous: to ancient Egyptians and Romans, this was precious stuff\u2014it was high fashion to own a clear wine goblet in ancient Rome. Later, Venetians so prized their glass know-how that they imprisoned their glassmakers on an island. So how did glass go from fragile and precious tabletop ornament to an oven-ready kitchen workhorse? How did the inventions of a glassmaker in Toledo, Ohio, transform the peanut butter and ketchup industries, as well as put an end to child labor? And are we running out of sand to make glass?\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices