The Smartphone
Dial in to the fascinating history of the smartphone, from its roots in Morse Code to 2007, when Apple unveiled the first-ever iPhone. Plus, see how the next generation of smartphones will allow us to communicate through them just by thinking.
Episodes
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The Smartphone
S1 E6 - 54m 51s
Dial in to the fascinating history of the smartphone, from its roots in Morse Code to 2007, when Apple unveiled the first-ever iPhone. Plus, see how the next generation of smartphones will allow us to communicate through them just by thinking.
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The Rocket
S1 E5 - 54m 51s
Learn the explosive history of the rocket, from its origin in ancient China, to its use as a weapon of war, to how adding hydrogen allowed it to carry astronauts all the way to the moon.
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The Car
S1 E4 - 54m 51s
Go for a ride through the 9,000-year history of the car, from its roots in dogsleds to Henry Ford’s affordable and assembly line-built Model T, and meet the scientists working on the next generation of self-driving automobiles.
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The Robot
S1 E3 - 54m 51s
Learn how robots were first conceptualized in ancient Rome and see how their use has evolved over the centuries, from the calculator to the Roomba. Then, take a sneak peek at what future robots will be able to do.
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The Airplane
S1 E2 - 54m 51s
Take to the sky with the dreamers whose work gave humans the ability to fly. From Leonardo da Vinci’s “flying machines” to the modern commercial plane, without these inventions, we may have never left the ground.
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The Telescope
S1 E1 - 54m 51s
Meet the brilliant minds throughout history, from Galileo to Edwin Hubble, responsible for creating the telescope. Today, their invention allows humanity to reach the furthest limits of seeing – 13 billion light-years out.
Extras + Features
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Episode 6 Preview | The Smartphone
S1 E6 - 30s
Dial in to the fascinating history of the smartphone, from its roots in Morse Code to 2007, when Apple unveiled the first-ever iPhone. Plus, see how the next generation of smartphones will allow us to communicate through them just by thinking.
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Polybius Square
S1 E6 - 1m 42s
Polybius, a Greek statesman and tutor to the Roman general, Scipio Africanus, sees that the Romans' method of signaling on the battlefield is limited to a small number of messages. He decides to invent a code so words can be exchanged between battalions freely. The result: the first long distance messaging system.
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Hollywood Icon Hedy Lamarr
S1 E6 - 2m 56s
In 1941 the Nazi’s are winning the war in Europe. The Nazi U boats are fast and agile and the allied torpedoes are not very accurate. Hollywood star, a secret inventor, Hedy Lamarr is determined to help fight the Nazis. Inspired by a player piano, she invents a way to control torpedoes remotely and creates the world’s first secret communications system.
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The Ultimate Rocket Fuel
S1 E5 - 2m 27s
Jim Al-Khalili recreates Konstantin Tsiolkovsky’s thought experiments to demonstrate why hydrogen is the ultimate rocket fuel.
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Episode 5 Preview | The Rocket
S1 E5 - 30s
Learn the explosive history of the rocket, from its origin in ancient China, to its use as a weapon of war, to how adding hydrogen allowed it to carry astronauts all the way to the moon.
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The Rocket Equation
S1 E5 - 2m 29s
Franklin Chang-Diaz demonstrates the energy required to launch a rocket into space.
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A Chicago Slaughterhouse
S1 E4 - 3m 23s
In 1909, the Model T’s first year of production, Henry Ford sells over 10,000 cars at $825 each. It’s a promising start, but it’s still only affordable for the well off. Ford has set his sights on creating a car for "everyman." He needs to speed up the Model T’s construction and slash its price in half. Therein lays the challenge. The solution comes from a visit to a Chicago slaughterhouse.
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Episode 4 Preview | The Car
S1 E4 - 30s
Go for a ride through the 9,000-year history of the car, from its roots in dogsleds to Henry Ford’s affordable and assembly line-built Model T, and meet the scientists working on the next generation of self-driving automobiles.
-
The First Long Distance Test Drive
S1 E4 - 2m 48s
In 1886, German inventor and engineer, Karl Benz, has his patent accepted for what is regarded as the world’s first automobile, but it’s a failure. Benz doesn't sell a single one for two years. Facing financial ruin he plunges into depression. Thankfully for humanity one person sees great potential in his "motor wagon" - someone who also knows how to create a bit of publicity, his wife Bertha.
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Humanoid Robots
S1 E3 - 4m 19s
A lab in Germany is developing a robot that could fill our factories with mechanical workers.
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Episode 3 Preview | The Robot
S1 E3 - 30s
Learn how robots were first conceptualized in ancient Rome and see how their use has evolved over the centuries, from the calculator to the Roomba. Then, take a sneak peek at what future robots will be able to do.
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Robots That Think for Themselves
S1 E3 - 2m
How military robots let the charge towards autonomous machines.
Schedule
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Image
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
The Telescope
Wednesday
Sep 25
1 Hour
A look at how the telescope was invented, from Galileo to Edwin Hubble, and how the invention reaches the universe 13 billion light-years out. -
Image
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
The Airplane
Wednesday
Sep 25
1 Hour
A look at inventions that gave humans the ability to fly, from Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines to modern commercial planes. -
Image
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
The Robot
Wednesday
Sep 25
1 Hour
Robots are first conceptualized in ancient Rome; how uses for robots have evolved over the centuries, from the calculator to the Roomba; what future robots might be able to do. -
Image
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
The Car
Thursday
Sep 26
1 Hour
The 9,000-year history of the car, from its roots in dog sleds to Henry Ford's Model T; the next generation of self-driving automobiles. -
Image
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
The Rocket
Thursday
Sep 26
1 Hour
The history of the rocket, from its origin in ancient China to its use as a weapon of war; how adding hydrogen allowed rockets to carry astronauts to the moon. -
Image
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
The Smartphone
Thursday
Sep 26
1 Hour
The history of the smartphone, from its roots in Morse code to Apple's unveiling of the first-ever iPhone in 2007; how the next generation of smartphones may allow for communication just by thinking.
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