Picture someone you love.

A parent, a cousin, a dear friend.

Now imagine walking into a room and finding them slumped over,

clutching their chest, gasping in pain.

You would be frantic, and the first thing, you would probably dial 911.

Within minutes, paramedics in an ambulance would be racing toward your home, their sirens blaring.

They would rush in with equipment.

Maybe they would administer drugs or shock your loved one's chest with a defibrillator.

And with any luck, they would save their life.

God forbid that anyone listening has had to live through something like that.

But even if you haven't, you almost certainly know what paramedics do

and how they save lives during emergencies.

What you might not know is that the scenario I just outlined,

someone collapsing, calling 911, paramedics rushing

in, would have been impossible a half century ago. Not because we didn't have the technology,

we did, but because being a paramedic was illegal in most of the United States. It's true. And this episode explains why.

It also explains what changed everything.

A cheesy TV show.

In fact, given its impact and the sheer number of lives saved,

it is arguably the most important television show in history.

Music arguably the most important television show in history. From the Science History Institute,

this is Sam Kean and the Disappearing Spoon,

...