HOW WE GOT TO NOW, a new six-part series co-created and hosted by best-selling science and technology author Steven Johnson ("Where Good Ideas Come From," "Everything Bad is Good for You"), examines the fascinating stories of the unlikely people whose ideas have made our modern world possible.
The series looks at the little-known stories of the men and women who came up with revolutionary innovations that have had far reaching consequences beyond their original intent and play a role in just about every aspect of our daily lives.
The ideas are broken down into six themes that encompass the pillars of modern civilization: Clean (Oct. 18), Time (Oct. 25), Glass (Nov. 1), Light (Nov. 8), Cold (Nov. 22) and Sound (Dec. 13).
Preview of Clean
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“It is very easy to take many of the conveniences that we encounter every day for granted. Most people wouldn’t think sipping a glass of ice water in the summer is very remarkable. Yet clear glass, clean water and the ability to keep ice frozen in warm weather are all the products of innovations without which the world as we know it today would not exist,” said Steven Johnson. “And amazingly, the amateur inventors, entrepreneurs and tinkerers who made our modern world possible have nearly been forgotten to history.”
The enthusiasm, curiosity and humor that are hallmarks of Johnson’s award-winning writing on popular science are evident on screen as he goes to great lengths and distances to illustrate how these ideas shape our lives.
In San Francisco, he climbs into a rat and cockroach-infested sewer that keeps the above-ground world clean; in Dubai, he goes skiing in a gigantic indoor winter wonderland in the middle of the desert; and, in Venice, he meets a descendant of Angelo Barovier, the first person to create crystal-clear glass — an invention that creates a chain reaction of innovations that has made everything from deep space exploration to global communication possible.
Episode 1: "Clean" airs Wednesday, October 18 at 11 p.m. - Dirty water has killed more humans than all the wars of history combined, but in the last 150 years, a series of radical ideas, extraordinary innovations and unsung heroes have changed our world.
Host Steven Johnson plunges into a sewer to understand what made a maverick engineer decide to lift the city of Chicago with screw jacks in order to build America’s first sewer system.
He talks about John Leal, who deliberately “poisoned” the water supply of 200,000 people when, without authorization, he added chlorine, considered lethal in 1908, into Jersey City’s water and made it safe to drink.
This isn’t only about the world becoming a cleaner place — the iPhone, the subway, flat screen TVs and even the bikini are the result of the valiant efforts of the unsung heroes of clean.
Follow @stevenbjohnson on Twitter.
Up Next: "Time" episode airs Wednesday, October 25 at 11 p.m. - Best-selling author Steven Johnson boards a submarine to discover what a lack of natural light means for a sailor’s working day and visits Heathrow, the world’s busiest airport, to try to get timings right at air traffic control.
How We Got To Now Preview
Six-Part Series to Premiere in Fall 2014 on PBS.
Preview of Glass
Find out what is coming up in the episode 'Glass'.
Preview of Light
Here's what's coming up in next week's episode - light.
Preview of Cold
Preview of Sound
Here's what to look forward to in the episode 'Sound'.
Where do good ideas come from?
How do good ideas happen? Steven explains the process of coming up with them in the first place.
Steven's Memorable Moments
Steven looks back at some of his most memorable moments during the filming of How We Got To Now.
