Ah springtime. Time to smell the daffodils- and find something that will stop this itching! But while there's no cure for allergies, temporary relief from the itchy eyes and runny nose is at every checkout counter thanks to a guy who thanklessly toiled away in the 1930s studying- art? That's right. But after all that art school, George Rieveschl couldn't find a job. Graduating during the Great Depression? Not so much. So back to the drawing board- er, college. Amazingly enough, he could afford it somehow, and George swapped that smock for a lab coat at the University of Cincinnati. Three years later, a doctorate in chemistry became his formula for success. While researching a chemical compound with a name as long as the first line of the Pledge of Allegiance, Dr. George was trying to find out how effective it could be as a muscle relaxer. But suddenly, a new attribute popped into George's view: this stuff was a terrific histamine blocker! All right- time to get all scientific up in here: Histamine is the stuff your body produces when it thinks it's under attack by cat hair, homework, brussel sprouts, any possible allergen, etc. But in addition to blocking all the sneezing and wheezing, George's compound packed a major bonus- it didn't put people into a super-sleepy coma. At least not as much as the other antihistamines at the time. Now they were knockouts! So it turns out having a knack for organic chemistry can be rather lucrative. And thankfully for us, George nicknamed beta-Dimethylaminoethyl benzhydryl ether hydrochloride to just “Benadryl.”

Illuminating Moments in American History
From the accidental invention of the microwave to the love story of rubber gloves, these 68 animated video shorts (shadow puppet style!) chronicle the history of unexpected American innovation.

Produced, written, and directed by Nathan Marsh. Art and Animation by Joel West and Isaac Windham. Sound by Scott Sprague. Narration by Carol Munse.