Revolution: Ideas That Changed The World

The telescope is the invention that has allowed the great discovery of the universe itself. Over the millennia, humans built ever more elaborate constructions aligned with the heavens, revealing an ancient fascination with the night sky.

The airplane is the machine that gave humans their greatest superpower: the ability to fly. The journey to here is a story full of passion, danger and death.

Robots are first conceptualized in ancient Rome; how uses for robots have evolved over the centuries, from the calculator to the Roomba; what future robots might be able to do.

The car is the ultimate freedom machine as it transports people to places at great speeds and with less effort. It has transformed the world and revolutionised how people live.

The history of the rocket, from its origin in ancient China to its use as a weapon of war; how adding hydrogen allowed rockets to carry astronauts to the moon.

Few inventions have revolutionised everyday existence like the smartphone. It puts the world's knowledge in people's hands, democratises news gathering and, through social media, connects billions of people in a way that wasn't possible before.