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Inventions That Changed the World

2004

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 The Gun Jan 15, 2004

There would be no guns without gunpowder, the volatile mixture of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), charcoal and sulphur that came to Europe in the 14th century. Chinese chemists were experimenting with early forms of gunpowder by the 9th century or even earlier. Mixing gunpowder was a tricky procedure largely carried out by hand under the constant threat of accidental explosions. Gunpowder production was as dirty as it was dangerous. To make saltpetre, workers mixed rotting vegetable waste and animal (or human!) excreta together in large beds and waited for nitrates to form as a white powder, which was later refined.

EP2 The Computer Jan 22, 2004

In Victorian times 'computers' were people who added up rows of figures. Now they are mechanical wonders - without them we couldn't fly planes, drive cars or even run our dishwashers. We need them, but will they ever get smart enough to take over? Jeremy tells the remarkable story of the computer's evolution from man with pencil to android with sub-machine gun. It's an epic spanning three centuries, a tale of passion, espionage and suicide – and it's far from over. Jeremy discovers that the threat from computers lies not with Schwarzenegger's Terminator but from a much more devastating computer - Armageddon. The computer might yet change the world in a way that none of us are expecting.

EP3 The Jet Engine Jan 29, 2004

When Sir Frank Whittle was developing his revolutionary jet engines during the 1940s, he needed robust but lightweight airframes to attach them to. Aluminium was the answer. Modern aviation could not have developed without this versatile, light and durable metal. The raw form of aluminium, bauxite, was first discovered in 1807 by Sir Humphry Davy (who also invented the famous miner's safety lamp) but it took years for scientists to develop it into a usable metal. By the late 19th century, aluminium was being used to make airship frames. By the 1920s, the first all-aluminium aircraft were flying.

EP4 The Telephone Feb 06, 2004

At the time of Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson's first successful telephone transmission in 1875, the only wires strong enough to be strung over long distances were made of iron. Iron wires had been used for telegraph systems but they were unsuitable for long-distance telephone links. But, in 1877, an American, Thomas Doolittle, developed a method of manufacturing copper wires strong enough to be strung between telegraph poles. Copper's superior conductivity preserved the integrity of the telephone signal to an extent that iron could not. The age of mass communications was born.

EP5 The Television Feb 12, 2004

Television would never have developed without the cathode ray tube (CRT). It was invented by a German, Karl Ferdinand Braun, in 1897. A CRT is a glass vacuum tube with a narrow neck that flares into a flat "screen" at one end. The inside surface of the screen is covered with a phosphorescent layer. Electrons are fired at high voltage along the tube, illuminating when they hit the phosphorescent layer. Refined versions of this basic tube were at the heart of millions of TVs, radars and computer monitors manufactured in the 20th century.
8| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

The stories behind some of the most significant inventions which have helped shape the world we live in today.

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Reviews

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
Derry Herrera Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.
PeteRoy I like Jeremy Clarkson a lot, he has great sense of humor and he is very good commentating on cars with clever humor and intelligence.But this show was boring I'm sorry, the only decent episode was about the gun.It is boring because most of it focuses too much on the story of the invention, you hear Jeremy Clarkson telling the story while sometimes they will include scenes of actors portraying the inventors.But the most bothering thing is that they tell you how every invention is actually a British invention, in the computer episode for example, they tell you it was a British invention, but if they had gone deep enough they would tell you it was the Chinese who made the first computer which was the Abacus, only at the end of the episode they bother to mention that it was the Americans who made computers as we know them today.Milding interesting but ultimately misleading and not objective.
GerardF1 There are 5 episodes in this series covering the 5 inventions that "Changed the World" They are are the Gun, Computer, Jet, Telephone, and Television Clarkson has a more British perspective on these inventions than you would see on Nova. He does give credit where credit is do, but does make everyone aware that what you take for granted is not always correct.The series does remind one of the the old James Burke series, connections, but with a more modern twist. It is amazing how much things have changed in computer and telephones since Burke did his series in 1979. 15 Years is several lifetimes in the modern world of electronics.The series is well shot, well written, and presented in a fashion that is both humorous and serious. If you're not careful you might actually learn something.
Jackson Booth-Millard I know this was a five episode documentary type TV series, but the only one of these programmes that I actually saw was the Gun episode. Jeremy Clarkson hosting/presenting this programme obviously gives it more humour and Britishness to it, even if he's not talking about cars. However, him talking about guns and not knowing whether they are good or bad is really intriguing. The demonstrations, facts, flashbacks and look of all these inventions that come into one category are all very interesting. He shows all the types of guns you can think of, the pistol, the shotgun, the cannon the machine gun and the bazooka, or rocket launcher. He briefly explains how guns are very cool in the media, I don't know whether that's all good or some bad. But whether we like it or not, the gun will be in the world for a long time. Good!