How does a struggling inventor become wealthy from a machine he couldn’t sell—and can the right cough really be worth one million pounds?

Today we explore Elias Howe’s sewing-machine patent war, discover how recently France was still using the guillotine, and listen closely to the suspicious game-show performance of Charles Ingram.

Along the way, we celebrate the birthday of José Feliciano, the groundbreaking musician who transformed a familiar national anthem by performing it in his own unmistakable voice.

Sometimes changing the method creates something remarkable. Other times, it makes the people running the microphones suspicious.