Extras
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Take a journey through history, told through six objects modern people take for granted.
Preview
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Polybius invents a code so words can be exchanged between battalions freely.
Polybius Square
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Hedy Lamarr invents a way to control torpedoes remotely.
Hollywood Icon Hedy Lamarr
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Episode 6 Preview | The Smartphone
Dial in to the fascinating history of the smartphone.
Episode 6 Preview | The Smartphone
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Jim Al-Khalili demonstrates why hydrogen is the ultimate rocket fuel.
The Ultimate Rocket Fuel
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Franklin Chang-Diaz demonstrates the energy required to launch a rocket into space.
The Rocket Equation
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Episode 5 Preview | The Rocket
Blast off into history to see how rockets originated not in the sky, but in a cave.
Episode 5 Preview | The Rocket
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
The First Long Distance Test Drive
In 1886 Karl Benz has his patent accepted for what is regarded as the first automobile.
The First Long Distance Test Drive
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Go for a ride through the 9,000-year history of the ultimate freedom machine: the car.
Episode 4 Preview | The Car
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
In 1909, the Model T’s first year of production, Henry Ford sells over 10,000 cars.
A Chicago Slaughterhouse
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Robots That Think for Themselves
How military robots let the charge towards autonomous machines.
Robots That Think for Themselves
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
A lab in Germany is developing a robot that could fill factories with mechanical workers.
Humanoid Robots
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Check out the history of robots and learn how they are becoming a part of everyday life.
Episode 3 Preview | The Robot
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
A legendary artist studies the bodies of flying animals in extraordinary detail.
Leonardo da Vinci
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
A modern day jet man tells the story of the pioneer of the jetty engine.
Frank Whittle and the Jet Man
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Episode 2 Preview | The Airplane
Take to the sky with the dreamers whose work gave humans the ability to fly.
Episode 2 Preview | The Airplane
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Alphonse Pénaud - The Forgotten Pioneer
The invention of the rubber powered plane inspires the famous Wright brothers.
Alphonse Pénaud - The Forgotten Pioneer
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Legend has it Ibn Firnas jumped from a cliff with feathers attached to his arms and legs.
Abass Ibn Firnas
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
How a New York property boom led to the discovery of the distance to the stars.
How Far Are the Stars?
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Learn how clear glass was born - and gave us spectacles almost 800 years ago.
Glass - A New Wonder Material
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
In 1923, Edwin Hubble began the manual process of photographing the Andromeda Nebula.