Wednesdays, July 5 - Aug. 9, 2023 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream now with KPBS Passport!
Take a mind-blowing journey through human history, told through six iconic objects that modern people take for granted, and see how science, invention and technology built on one another to change everything. Featuring passionate visionaries such as Alexander Graham Bell, Carl and Bertha Benz, Henry Ford, Robert Goddard, Hedy Lamarr, Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Ada Lovelace, Samuel Morse and more, the series captures how these revolutionary individuals, who faced triumphs and challenges — ridicule, poverty and, in some cases, death — advanced humankind with breakthrough after breakthrough.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Episode 1: “The Telescope” Wednesday, July 5 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV - 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.
Clip: Glass - A New Wonder Material
Clip: How Far Are the Stars?
Episode 2: “The Airplane” Wednesday, July 12 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV - 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.
Clip: Frank Whittle and the Jet Man
Clip: Alphonse Pénaud - The Forgotten Pioneer
Clip: Abass Ibn Firnas
Episode 3: “The Robot” Wednesday, July 19 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV - 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.
Clip: Robots That Think for Themselves
Clip: Humanoid Robots
Episode 4: “The Car” Wednesday, July 26 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV - 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.
Clip: The First Long Distance Test Drive
Clip: A Chicago Slaughterhouse
Episode 5: “The Rocket” Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV - 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.
Clip: The Rocket Equation
Clip: The Ultimate Rocket Fuel
Episode 6: “The Smartphone” Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV - 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.
Clip: Hollywood Icon Hedy Lamarr
Clip: Polybius Square
Watch On Your Schedule:
This series is available for streaming with KPBS Passport, a member benefit that unlocks exclusive shows and extra content on the PBS App, using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn how to activate your benefit now.
Available on DVD at shopPBS.org.
Credits:
A production of Bigger Bang Communications, Ltd. The executive producers are Ben Bowie and Iain Riddick, and the series producer is Tim Green. The series is narrated by Patrick Stewart.
