The podcast “110 Histórias | 110 Objetos” (“110 Stories, 110 Objects”) covers the 110 years of history of Instituto Superior Técnico, through its past, present and future objects.

A collection of objects related to different fields, such as science, music, arts and sports, is the starting point for conversations with people who will tell us more about the history of these objects.

A new episode is released every week. The podcast “110 Histórias | 110 Objetos” (“110 Stories, 110 Objects”) is part of the Público newspaper podcasts.

Today’s episode (#87) – 23rd March 2023: “110 Histórias | 110 Objetos” (“110 Stories, 110 Objects”) – The kenotron

The kenotron is exhibited in the Faraday Museum, at Técnico – Alameda campus. Its history is intertwined with some of the school’s historical moments, in 1962: Manuel Alves Marques would become the first person to get a PhD in electrical engineering from Técnico. He studied the molecular vibrations around certain metals and created an installation to apply the X-ray diffraction technique. The kenotron, a vacuum rectifier that was used to provide high voltage DC for its operation, was used in the same installation. It was used by students until the late 1970s and survived a flood in a basement until it could reach 2023 and tell its story.

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