Inventors and Visionaries

⭐ TABOO TREASURES — “Visionaries or Inventors?” On Taboo Treasures this week, Bruce and Jeff take a victory lap through the minds of history’s most chaotic geniuses and ask the question nobody ever wants to say out loud: What exactly separates a visionary from a madman with a soldering iron? We kick things off with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison — two men who built the modern world while aggressively pretending the other one didn’t exist. Then we reach back to Leonardo da Vinci, the patron saint of “my notebook is full of stuff that could definitely get meinstitutionalized.” From there, Bruce dives headfirst into the holy tech wars of Jobs vs. Woz — the mystic and the mechanic — the guy who wore black turtlenecks and spoke in riddles versus the guy who quietly invented half the modern world between Diet Cokes. Hedy Lamarr makes an appearance too, because Hollywood’s most glamorous actress also invented the foundation of modern Wi-Fi while bored at a cocktail party. And of course Elon Musk shows up — not because Bruce invited him, but because he tends to appear wherever someone says the words “innovation,” “ego,” or “I could do that better.” But the crown jewel this week? The unicorn in the vault? Nikola Tesla — the gold standard of brilliant, eccentric, possibly extraterrestrial inventors — and the infamous “death ray” he swore he perfected before the U.S. government allegedly swooped in, confiscated his papers, and filed them under Absolutely Not, We’re Not Declassifying That. The missing files. The disappearing notebooks. The unanswered questions. Did Tesla actually create a directed-energy weapon… or did the government just want to make sure nobody else did? Bruce and Jeff don’t claim to have the answers — but they absolutely have the receipts. CALL TO ACTION If this series stayed with you, follow Taboo Treasures on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Leave a rating and review to help others discover the show. Explore more stories at eviocreative.com and follow us on Instagram at @taboo_treasures, @eviocreative, and email us at [email protected] SPONSORS Quince Luxury without the luxury price tag. Visit quince.com/DEVILWITHIN for free shipping and a full year of returns. Mint Mobile Cut your wireless bill today. Visit mintmobile.com/DEVILWITHIN to get premium wireless for only $15/mo. ExpressVPN Online privacy made simple. Visit expressvpn.com/DEVILWITHIN for three months free. MOOD Legal THC and CBD. Visit mood.com and use code DEVILWITHIN for discounted gummies shipped to your door. CREDITS Taboo Treasures is written and hosted by Bruce Witkin and Jeff Levine. Produced by Evio Creative in partnership with Bellaire Studios. Executive produced by Branden Morgan. Visit eviocreative.com for more shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices