October 17, 1978
Both the beginning and the end of the story are here. The end is our present dependence on complex technological networks illustra...Read more
October 24, 1978
How did a test of gold's purity revolutionize the world 2500 years ago and lead to the atomic bomb? Standardizing precious metal i...Read more
October 31, 1978
Telecommunications exist because the Normans wore stirrups at the Battle of Hastings- a simple advance that caused a revolution in...Read more
November 7, 1978
Each development in the organization of systems (political, economic, mechanical, electronic)influences the next, by logic, by gen...Read more
November 14, 1978
The power to see into the future with computers originally rested with priest-astronomers who knew the proper times to plant and h...Read more
November 21, 1978
A dramatically colder climate gripped Europe during the 13th century profoundly affecting the course of history for the next seven...Read more
November 28, 1978
Often, materials discovered by accident alter the course of the world. In the 1600s Dutch commercial freighters controlled Atlanti...Read more
December 5, 1978
When Napoleon marched huge forces across Europe, he needed an efficient way to store provisions. A Frenchman preserved sterilized ...Read more
December 12, 1978
What happens when you combine a carbon arc light, a billiard ball coating, a spoked wheel and consecutive images? Motion pictures!...Read more
December 19, 1978
"Why did we do it this way?" Essential moments from the previous programs are reviewed to illustrate the common factors that make ...Read more