When a society makes quick steps forward in technology and inventions, safety concerns will sometimes arise. Once the need is known, there are always sharp minds who can come up with clever solutions. The story today is about a tragedy and the invention that it sparked!

New inventions are often met with skepticism and are tested against the things they were made to replace. The story today is about that exact situation-- the Tom Thumb, the newly invented steam locomotive, is challenged to a race with a horse. Will it be able to prove itself or be declared a failure? Listen and find out :)

Have you ever been so busy and wished that one of the things on your "to do" list could just magically be completed on its own? Well, that's pretty much what happens every time we turn on an appliance and walk away! It is really thanks to inventions that we can be "in two places at the same time." The story today tells about a young man who created a machine to get him out of a tight spot. Enjoy!

Dreams can be funny or scary or just plain confusing. But in today's story, a dream ending up being quite useful! Listen to find out all about it :)

Music used for the episode:

https://freetouse.com/music/pufino/enlivening

No one wants to think that they are too old to still be useful, and the donkey, dog, cat, and rooster in this story certainly have that in common. To avoid their respective fates, they band together to become the musicians that they were meant to be. And they find more adventure than they originally bargained for!

Do you ever wish that you could just talk to a pot and have it fill up with your favorite food? Unlimited soup or pasta sounds pretty good to me. The Brothers Grimm play with that idea in this delightful story about a magic pot that goes a little wrong. Enjoy!

Today's episode is a charming story, although perhaps lesser known, from the great Hans Christian Anderson. If they had hashtags in the mid 1800s, I think this one would be labeled #CoupleGoals

Music credit for the episode

https://freetouse.com/music/pufino/enlivening

A mother dragon tells a story of her husband's heroics for her children's bedtime story.

Mentioned in the episode:

"The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" ISBN # 9780140544510

Music used:

https://freetouse.com/music/pufino/enlivening