Big History
TV Show · Documentary · History

When producers came up with the title `Big History' for this programme they weren't thinking big, they were thinking really big. The show presents a grand theory postulating that every event throughout history is connected. Each episode begins with a traditional historic topic - like the American Revolution - before weaving together insights and evidence from other fields, including astronomy, chemistry and economics. In the end, the show puts together the puzzle pieces from 16 half-hour episodes and, in a two-hour finale, creates one grand narrative that reveals the unifying link among all events. Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston serves as narrator to, as he puts it, `be the voice of 13.7 billion years of history'.

2013 · 21m
Starring Bryan Cranston

Season 1

  • EPISODE 1
    The Superpower of Salt
    This episode reveals how salt underpins our civilization, launched wars, built monuments and sparked revolutions from India to France.
    20 min
  • EPISODE 2
    Horse Power Revolution
    The horse has been a revolutionary animal in unexpected ways. It has changed how we speak, what we wear and sets the hidden limit for the size of our most massive empires.
    20 min
  • EPISODE 3
    Gold Fever
    This episode asks why mankind is gold-crazy, and discovers that there's a hard-wired reason we lust after it and a microscopic explanation for why it shines.
    20 min
  • EPISODE 4
    Below Zero
    This episode reveals how cold has the power to turn men into Barbarians, spark history's longest running war and create the concept of race.
    20 min
  • EPISODE 5
    Megastructures
    Discover how biology and human emotions affect our desire to build gigantic structures.
    20 min
  • EPISODE 6
    Defeating Gravity
    Discover what makes planet Earth the perfect planet for flight.
    20 min

Related

Cast & Crew

  • Bryan Cranston
    Narrator
  • D‌C
    Douglas Cohen
    Producer
  • L‌T
    Louis Tarantino
    Producer
  • P‌C
    Paul Cabana
    Producer
  • K‌B
    Kristen Burns
    Producer

About

Big History

Documentary

When producers came up with the title `Big History' for this programme they weren't thinking big, they were thinking really big. The show presents a grand theory postulating that every event throughout history is connected. Each episode begins with a traditional historic topic - like the American Revolution - before weaving together insights and evidence from other fields, including astronomy, chemistry and economics. In the end, the show puts together the puzzle pieces from 16 half-hour episodes and, in a two-hour finale, creates one grand narrative that reveals the unifying link among all events. Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston serves as narrator to, as he puts it, `be the voice of 13.7 billion years of history'.

Information

Studio
History
Released
2013
Region of Origin
United States
© 2013 A+E Networks. All Rights Reserved.

Languages

Original Audio
English (United States)
Audio

English (United States) (AAC)

Subtitles

English (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions refer to subtitles in available languages 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)