87. Macadam

Pack your bags and grab some snacks, because this week Kyle and Emily are going on a literal road trip through the meaning and origin of the word macadam.

This eponym leads our hosts back to the life of one John McAdam, a man involved with Long Island history, the American Revolution, the Scottish highway system, and most of all civil engineering. Kyle and Emily reveal how McAdam paved the way (pun intended) for modern asphalt.

They discuss McAdam’s major innovations in road building, such as using a camber, decreasing the need for maintenance, making a smooth ride for the increasing number of carriages on the road. Kyle tells Emily about how the name McAdam became synonymous with well laid roads, and can even still be seen on the airport tarmac.