Get extended access to 1600+ episodes, binge watch your favorite shows, and stream anytime - online or in the PBS app.
Already a ValleyPBS member?
You may have an unactivated ValleyPBS Passport member benefit. Check to see.
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Clip: Episode 2 | 1m 23s
The invention of the rubber powered plane by a young Frenchman inspires the famous Wright brothers, who are just children at the time.
Aired: 04/24/19
Video has closed captioning.
Alphonse Pénaud - The Forgotten Pioneer
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
A modern day jet man tells the story of the pioneer of the jetty engine.
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.
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Legend has it Ibn Firnas jumped from a cliff with feathers attached to his arms and legs.
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
A legendary artist studies the bodies of flying animals in extraordinary detail.
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Dial in to the fascinating history of the smartphone.
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Blast off into history to see how rockets originated not in the sky, but in a cave.
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Go for a ride through the 9,000-year history of the ultimate freedom machine: the car.
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Check out the history of robots and learn how they are becoming a part of everyday life.
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Take to the sky with the dreamers whose work gave humans the ability to fly.
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Look back in time to see how humans invented the telescope.
