Preview
Preview: Season 1 | 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Take a journey through history, told through six objects modern people take for granted.
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.
Preview
Preview: Season 1 | 30sVideo has Closed Captions
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.
How to Watch Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
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Now PlayingVideo has Closed Captions
Take a journey through history, told through six objects modern people take for granted. (30s)
Video has Closed Captions
Polybius invents a code so words can be exchanged between battalions freely. (1m 42s)
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Hedy Lamarr invents a way to control torpedoes remotely. (2m 56s)
Episode 6 Preview | The Smartphone
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Dial in to the fascinating history of the smartphone. (30s)
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Jim Al-Khalili demonstrates why hydrogen is the ultimate rocket fuel. (2m 27s)
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Franklin Chang-Diaz demonstrates the energy required to launch a rocket into space. (2m 29s)
Episode 5 Preview | The Rocket
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Blast off into history to see how rockets originated not in the sky, but in a cave. (30s)
The First Long Distance Test Drive
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In 1886 Karl Benz has his patent accepted for what is regarded as the first automobile. (2m 48s)
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Go for a ride through the 9,000-year history of the ultimate freedom machine: the car. (30s)
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In 1909, the Model T’s first year of production, Henry Ford sells over 10,000 cars. (3m 23s)
Robots That Think for Themselves
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How military robots let the charge towards autonomous machines. (2m)
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A lab in Germany is developing a robot that could fill factories with mechanical workers. (4m 19s)
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Check out the history of robots and learn how they are becoming a part of everyday life. (30s)
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A legendary artist studies the bodies of flying animals in extraordinary detail. (2m 46s)
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A modern day jet man tells the story of the pioneer of the jetty engine. (5m 32s)
Episode 2 Preview | The Airplane
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Take to the sky with the dreamers whose work gave humans the ability to fly. (30s)
Alphonse Pénaud - The Forgotten Pioneer
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The invention of the rubber powered plane inspires the famous Wright brothers. (1m 23s)
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Legend has it Ibn Firnas jumped from a cliff with feathers attached to his arms and legs. (2m 53s)
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How a New York property boom led to the discovery of the distance to the stars. (4m 44s)
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Learn how clear glass was born - and gave us spectacles almost 800 years ago. (4m 9s)
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In 1923, Edwin Hubble began the manual process of photographing the Andromeda Nebula. (5m 28s)
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