How We Got to Now How We Got to Now How We Got to Now is a British-American factual television series that was broadcast on PBS in 2014 and BBC Two in 2015. The series was commissioned by the BBC in the United Kingdom and made by Nutopia, a British-American production company in the United States. The six-part series, presented by Steven Johnson, explores the legacy of great ideas. Episode titles for the six parts are: 1) Clean, 2) Time, 3) Glass, 4) Light, 5) Cold, and 6) Sound. The historical characters who appear include Thomas Edison, Clarence Birdseye, Frederick McKinley Jones, Willis Carrier, Tim
Philip Diehl (inventor) Philip Diehl (inventor) Philip H. Diehl (January 29, 1847 – April 7, 1913) was a German-American mechanical engineer and inventor who held several U.S. patents, including electric incandescent lamps, electric motors for sewing machines and other uses, and ceiling fans. Diehl was a contemporary of Thomas Edison and his inventions caused Edison to reduce the price of his incandescent bulb. He occasionally spelled his first name 'Phillip'. Philip H. Diehl was born in Dalsheim, Germany. In July 1868, he immigrated to New York City where he worked in several machine shops before finding work as an apprentice with the Singer