On this week’s episode of Florida Road Trip, join us as we traverse the Sunshine State to uncover the fascinating tales of Florida’s inventors and innovators. From the space coast to the panhandle, this edition promises viewers a captivating glimpse into the brilliant minds behind inventions that have profoundly impacted our lives.
Heather Bailey, Executive Producer of WUCF’s Florida Road Trip, shares her insights, stating, “This episode was fun to film because we really got a chance to see the inventions that are tied to Florida. But what I found really fascinating were the back stories behind these inventions. Many of the inventors spoke about looking for solutions to something else, which led to their discoveries.”
In this edition of Florida Road Trip, viewers will unravel the origins of groundbreaking innovations such as refrigeration, wifi, and pioneering technologies for NASA. They will also embark on a virtual tour of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame in Tampa. Additionally, host Allison Godlove will delve into the intriguing stories behind the creation of Gatorade and the invention of air conditioning by Dr. John Gorrie.
Allison Godlove, host of Florida Road Trip, expresses her pride, stating, “It makes me proud to learn about the inventors and innovations that have come out of our state. And thank goodness for Dr. Gorrie of Apalachicola, the man considered the father of air conditioning! Can you imagine a Florida summer without air conditioning?
Florida Road Trip: Inventors airs Thursday at 8 p.m. on WUCF TV,wucf.org and thePBS app. WUCF Passport members will also get early access, starting Thursday at 8 p.m. to next week’s episode,Florida Road Trip: Miami.
Learn more about the show atfloridaroadtrip.org.
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Funding Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
About WUCF TV
WUCF TV is the sole-service PBS member station for the nearly 4 million Central Floridians across nine counties. WUCF is Central Florida’s storyteller, encouraging curiosity and learning through compelling content and community engagement. WUCF produces award-winning local content like “Florida Road Trip,” which explores Florida through history, people and culture. WUCF also serves Florida’s youngest citizens, offering hours of PBS Kids content on-air, online and in the classroom, leading the state in usage for PBS LearningMedia. Throughout its ten-year history, WUCF has engaged with over 1.5 million people across Central Florida at in-person events, and over 30 million people online through virtual events and streaming content. The station is community-supported public broadcasting from the University of Central Florida. Learn more at http://wucf.org/.
