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How the invention of the sewing machine led to other modern marvels

An invention at the heart of our modern world helped create radios, cars and smartphones. The team from Planet Money traces the origins back to a fight over who invented the sewing machine.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Sam Yellowhorse Kesler
Sam Yellowhorse Kesler is an Assistant Producer for Planet Money. Previously, he's held positions at NPR's Ask Me Another & All Things Considered, and was the inaugural Code Switch Fellow. Before NPR, he interned with World Cafe from WXPN. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and continues to reside in Philadelphia. If you want to reach him, try looking in your phone contacts to see if he's there! You'd be surprised how many people are in there that you forgot about.

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