The World Is Yours: "Man Against Germs" (aired March 28, 1937)

The World Is Yours was the Smithsonian’s first radio program. It was a weekly thirty-minute radio show that aired from June 7, 1936 to May 10, 1942. Funded by the Works Progress Administration and presented as part of the Educational Radio Project, it is considered one of the most successful educational radio programs of the 1930s. The scripts were written in consultation with Smithsonian staff and over the life of the show, the programs covered virtually every aspect of the Smithsonian’s collections and research. Given the continued prevalence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the episode titled “Man Against Germs” immediately piques interest. What was the discussion surrounding germs like in the 1930s? With the help of “Old Timer,” the host, the episode highlights some of the important historical discoveries in humanity's quest for knowledge of the unseen through quirky reenactments by voice actors.

Discover more about this program in this collection.