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  • 2019-04-20T23:00:00Z on BBC Four
  • 1h
  • 6h (6 episodes)
  • United Kingdom
  • English
  • Documentary
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.

6 episodes

Series Premiere

2019-04-20T23:00:00Z

1x01 The Telescope

Series Premiere

1x01 The Telescope

  • 2019-04-20T23:00:00Z1h

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.

2019-04-27T23:00:00Z

1x02 The Airplane

1x02 The Airplane

  • 2019-04-27T23:00:00Z1h

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.

2019-05-04T23:00:00Z

1x03 The Robot

1x03 The Robot

  • 2019-05-04T23:00:00Z1h

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.

2019-05-11T23:00:00Z

1x04 The Car

1x04 The Car

  • 2019-05-11T23:00:00Z1h

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.

2019-05-18T23:00:00Z

1x05 The Rocket

1x05 The Rocket

  • 2019-05-18T23:00:00Z1h

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.

Season Finale

2019-05-25T23:00:00Z

1x06 The Smartphone

Season Finale

1x06 The Smartphone

  • 2019-05-25T23:00:00Z1h

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.

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