Understanding the Inventions That Changed the World

People are surrounded by great inventions that have transformed their daily lives; beginning the exploration of great inventions by considering just how pervasive inventions are; knowing how they work; who invented them and why.

Stepping back to the Stone Age to look at the craft of pottery and the development of metals; although one might think of ancient people as primitive, early humans were observant about the world around them; showcasing several complex inventions.

Technology and material abundance; how the Agricultural Revolution changes life for early humans; tracing the development of alcoholic beverages, from the earliest days of civilization through the Middle Ages; the cultural insights alcohol can offer.

Technology, whether it is an oxcart or a telecommunications network, facilitates interaction between people; exploring the role of trade in early societies; how ships, coins and the alphabet shape the civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean.

Studying the use of technology in securing and maintaining political power; examining the role of the crossbow in the Warring States era of China; the crossbow is a marvel of engineering that shapes the political history of China for centuries.

The glory of Roman engineering, from the Romans' system of roads to their impressive monuments; how these structures work from a technical standpoint; why build them; studying Roman history; exploring the way in which technology serves state ends.

Two inventions that move humanity from the ancient to the modern world; the waterwheel is the first major energy source beyond human muscle and animal labor that frees people to perform sophisticated tasks; the development of the mechanical clock.

Witnessing the evolution of the pagoda and the cathedral, which grow out of the spiritual practices of East Asia and Europe respectively; how religious beliefs can inspire developments in engineering and architecture.

Surveying the development of writing, from the days of clay tablets and parchment through the development of the printing press; the history of movable type; how different cultural circumstances shape the impact of different inventions.

Witnessing the origins of gunpowder in ancient China; tracing its movement into Europe; the development of gunpowder weapons; how cannons, rifles and handguns change the face of warfare as well as the world's political and social structures.

Not all inventions arise from science; the history of telescopes and microscopes shows that the invention of new technology facilitates scientific advances; optical technology drives the Scientific Revolution, inspiring Galileo and others.

The story of Prince Henry the Navigator; his promotion of ship design and navigation during the 15th century and its influence; better ships, information about wind and currents, and new navigation techniques; political and economic change in Europe.

The Industrial Revolution, which is marked by economies of speed, scale and coordination as well as improvements in transportation; how the high thermal output of coal allows for new uses of iron, which lead to bigger and stronger machines.

How the invention of the steam engine allows people to produce more goods more efficiently; the division of labor and Adam Smith's story of pin-making show how the integration of social and technical innovations causes improvements in production.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, canals and railroads provide the backbone of the Industrial Revolution; investigating the engineering challenges of creating nationwide transportation systems; the connection between infrastructure and the economy.

The modern food industry appears during the Industrial Revolution; advancements in canning and refrigeration; these improvements transform the American marketplace, redefine the cultural meaning of home and lay the groundwork for year-round products.

The history of water and sewer systems; seeing how they change the world in the 19th century; from the Roman aqueducts and the London sewer system to indoor plumbing, a clean water supply saves lives; how inventions serve the public good.

A look at where batteries and electric generators come from; how they work; the relationship between electricity and magnetism; the difference between direct and alternating currents; the role of science and experimentation.

The mid-19th century sees the rise of analog communications, where film and electric currents are used as substitutes for an object or message; the inventors of the first information age; how they make information and knowledge available to millions.

Electricity reshapes American culture and sets the stage for the major inventions of the 20th century; an introduction to the history and science of electricity; the inventions of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla; the rivalry between their companies.

The consumption side of the story; the 19th and early 20th centuries give rise to the department store, the mail order catalog and chain stores; how these new ways of selling goods shape American life and lead to some of the most iconic brands.

The 20th century can be seen as a time of mass production, mass market and mass destruction; mass entertainment is exemplified by the rise of Hollywood and the film industry; tracking the development of motion pictures and the inventions behind them.

Medicine before the 19th century is not a pleasant affair, especially when it comes to surgery; exploring medical innovations such as the operating room, sterilization procedures and antibiotics; social challenges to introducing these innovations.

The engineering trends of the 20th century are based on new materials; diving into the world of steel, glass and plastics; finding out how these materials transform people's daily lives and their expectations of what the world should look like.

Other than the personal computer, the Model T is perhaps the single most important technological artifact of the 20th century; surveying the history of automobiles; meeting Henry Ford; discovering the story of the Model T.

Understanding the lesson that social or political circumstances are as important for an invention's success as the technology itself; tracing the development of aviation, from the Wright brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk through the jet age.

The sudden emergence of broadcasting in the 1920s leads to competition between broadcast networks; the technology of radio and television; the challenges broadcasters face; the origin of radio commercials; the cultural effects of these technologies.

Studying nuclear weapons and nuclear power; nuclear technology inspires the utopian dream of cheap, abundant electricity as well as the apocalyptic fear of annihilation; a look at the inner workings and risks of nuclear bombs and reactors.

Drawing on themes that include the mass production of goods; how appliances such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines are invented; how they change life in American homes; how they act as symbols for the middle class.

How the combination of several essential functions leads to the production of electronic gadgets such as radios and computers; exploring the world of vacuum tubes, transistors and integrated circuits.

Visiting the world of communications satellites, radio towers and mobile networks; an in-depth look at how bandwidth, infrastructure and competition between companies like Motorola and AT&T allow for truly global communications.

A tour of personal computing, beginning with its roots in the 1920s and World War II; comparing the mainframes of the 1960s with today's PCs; considering the key roles of software programming and graphical user interfaces.

The story of genetics, from Darwin and Mendel to Watson and Crick; genetic engineering, which is the direct manipulation of an organism's hereditary information by introducing foreign DNA or synthetic genes; the important applications of PCR.

Where the World Wide Web comes from; how it works; the conversion from analog to digital; the world of file sharing, packet switching, the Defense Department's inter-network and email; web browsers, search engines and Internet advertising.

Inventions are not necessarily finished until they are put into the hands of consumers, which is apparent in the world of social media; looking at the evolution of social media; its role in global political events.

How studying inventions changes one's understanding of history; reflecting on the material dimension of history; considering the nature of progress; some key messages about how one can use yesterday's technology to solve tomorrow's problems today.