Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World
TV Show · Documentary · History

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.

2019 · 54m
Starring Patrick Stewart, Jim Al-Khalili
Director Stephen Mizelas, Nathan Williams

Season 1

  • EPISODE 1
    The Telescope
    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 our ancient fascination with the night sky.
    40m
  • EPISODE 2
    The Airplane
    A look at inventions that gave humans the ability to fly, from Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines to modern commercial planes.
    40m
  • EPISODE 3
    The Robot
    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.
    43m
  • EPISODE 4
    The Car
    The 9,000-year history of the car, from its roots in dog sleds to Henry Ford's Model T; the next generation of self-driving automobiles.
    40m
  • EPISODE 5
    The Rocket
    The incredible story of that amazing invention, the rocket; it took a teenage genius, a Chinese monk, a Soviet plot and a butter machine to give us the ability to leave the Earth.
    40m
  • EPISODE 6
    The Smartphone
    Few inventions have revolutionized our everyday existence like the smartphone. It put the world's knowledge in our hands, democratized news-gathering and through social media, connected billions of people in a way that wasn't possible before.
    43m

Related

Cast & Crew

  • Patrick Stewart
    Narrator
  • Jim Al-Khalili
    Host
  • S‌M
    Stephen Mizelas
    Director
  • N‌W
    Nathan Williams
    Director
  • I‌R
    Iain Riddick
    Producer
  • B‌B
    Ben Bowie
    Producer

About

Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World

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.

Information

Studio
PBS
Released
2019
Rated
PG
Region of Origin
United States
© 2019 Bigger Bang Communications

Languages

Original Audio
English (United Kingdom), English
Audio

English (United Kingdom) (AAC)

Subtitles

English (United Kingdom) (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg (English)
  • Malta
  • Moldova, Republic Of
  • Nederland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal (Português)
  • Россия
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • España
  • Sverige
  • Schweiz
  • Türkiye (English)
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina (Español)
  • Bahamas
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia (Español)
  • Brasil
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • Dominica
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala (Español)
  • Honduras (Español)
  • México
  • Nicaragua (Español)
  • Panamá
  • Paraguay (Español)
  • Perú
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (Français)
  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)