Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World

Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World

Ended First aired 21/Apr/2019 United Kingdom English 1 season(s) 6 episode(s)
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.
View Episodes
Login to Track
Improve / Add
Edit Show Details Add New Season Add Show Cast Add Show Crew

Episode Time in Your Timezone

See when new episodes air in your local time.

Air Time

Source: America/New_York · Your timezone: America/New_York

When does the episode air near you?

The episode airs in your local time New York - United States at:

10:00 PM on Wednesday
Notice: This scheduled time is based on: /10:00 PM/America/New_York/Wednesday.

Show Insights

See how viewers feel about this show before you start watching.

TimeScore 33% Skip It
Binge Meter 48% Slow Burn
Episode Pulse Quiet 40% activity score
Drop Rate 0% Very Low

Scores are based on audience votes, watchlist activity, episode progress, and viewer behavior on EpisodeTime.

Seasons & Episodes

Browse episodes by season.

Season 1 · Season 1
6 episode(s) · Air date: 21/Apr/2019
Improve Season
Edit Season Details Add New Episode Add Season Cast Add Season Crew
Season Overview

--

S1E6
The Smartphone
Air date: 26/May/2019 · Time: 22:00 · Runtime: 60 min
Summary

Dial in to the fascinating history of the smartphone, from its roots in Morse Code to 2007, when Apple unveiled the first-ever iPhone. Plus, see how the next generation of smartphones will allow us to communicate through them just by thinking.

Summary

Dial in to the fascinating history of the smartphone, from its roots in Morse Code to 2007, when Apple unveiled the first-ever iPhone. Plus, see how the next generation of smartphones will allow us to communicate through them just by thinking.

✎ Edit
Contribute
Edit Episode Details Add Guest Cast Add Episode Crew
Open
S1E5
The Rocket
Air date: 19/May/2019 · Time: 22:00 · Runtime: 60 min
Summary

Learn the explosive history of the rocket, from its origin in ancient China, to its use as a weapon of war, to how adding hydrogen allowed it to carry astronauts all the way to the moon.

Summary

Learn the explosive history of the rocket, from its origin in ancient China, to its use as a weapon of war, to how adding hydrogen allowed it to carry astronauts all the way to the moon.

✎ Edit
Contribute
Edit Episode Details Add Guest Cast Add Episode Crew
Open
S1E4
The Car
Air date: 12/May/2019 · Time: 22:00 · Runtime: 60 min
Summary

Go for a ride through the 9,000-year history of the car, from its roots in dogsleds to Henry Ford's affordable and assembly line-built Model T, and meet the scientists working on the next generation of self-driving automobiles.

Summary

Go for a ride through the 9,000-year history of the car, from its roots in dogsleds to Henry Ford's affordable and assembly line-built Model T, and meet the scientists working on the next generation of self-driving automobiles.

✎ Edit
Contribute
Edit Episode Details Add Guest Cast Add Episode Crew
Open
S1E3
The Robot
Air date: 05/May/2019 · Time: 22:00 · Runtime: 60 min
Summary

Learn how robots were first conceptualized in ancient Rome and see how their use has evolved over the centuries, from the calculator to the Roomba. Then, take a sneak peek at what future robots will be able to do.

Summary

Learn how robots were first conceptualized in ancient Rome and see how their use has evolved over the centuries, from the calculator to the Roomba. Then, take a sneak peek at what future robots will be able to do.

✎ Edit
Contribute
Edit Episode Details Add Guest Cast Add Episode Crew
Open
S1E2
The Airplane
Air date: 28/Apr/2019 · Time: 22:00 · Runtime: 60 min
Summary

Take to the sky with the dreamers whose work gave humans the ability to fly. From Leonardo da Vinci's "flying machines" to the modern commercial plane, without these inventions, we may have never left the ground.

Summary

Take to the sky with the dreamers whose work gave humans the ability to fly. From Leonardo da Vinci's "flying machines" to the modern commercial plane, without these inventions, we may have never left the ground.

✎ Edit
Contribute
Edit Episode Details Add Guest Cast Add Episode Crew
Open
S1E1
The Telescope
Air date: 21/Apr/2019 · Time: 22:00 · Runtime: 60 min
Summary

Meet the brilliant minds throughout history, from Galileo to Edwin Hubble, responsible for creating the telescope. Today, their invention allows humanity to reach the furthest limits of seeing 13 billion light-years out.

Summary

Meet the brilliant minds throughout history, from Galileo to Edwin Hubble, responsible for creating the telescope. Today, their invention allows humanity to reach the furthest limits of seeing 13 billion light-years out.

✎ Edit
Contribute
Edit Episode Details Add Guest Cast Add Episode Crew
Open

Cast

Main cast members.

Add Cast
Jim Al-Khalili
Jim Al-Khalili
Self - Presenter
Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Narrator (voice)
Robert Ryan
Robert Ryan
Louis Daguerre

Crew

Creators, directors, writers, and production crew.

Add Crew
No Photo
Ben Harding
Director
No Photo
Anthony Willis
Editor
No Photo
Ben Bowie
Executive Producer
No Photo
Iain Riddick
Executive Producer
No Photo
Tim Green
Producer
No Photo
Erin E. O'Flaherty
Production Executive

Similar TV Shows

Community picks and smart matches based on genre, network, country, and language.

Smart picks
H2O: The Molecule that Made Us H2O: The Molecule that Made Us Matched by details Secrets of the Manor House Secrets of the Manor House Matched by details Monty Python's Best Bits (Mostly) Monty Python's Best Bits (Mostly) Matched by details Secrets of the Dead Secrets of the Dead Matched by details Evolution Earth Evolution Earth Matched by details Niall Ferguson's NetWorld Niall Ferguson's NetWorld Matched by details Lucy Worsley's Royal Myths & Secrets Lucy Worsley's Royal Myths & Secrets Matched by details Kingdoms of the Sky Kingdoms of the Sky Matched by details Wild Scandinavia Wild Scandinavia Matched by details Our New World Our New World Matched by details Life Unearthed with Ariel Waldman Life Unearthed with Ariel Waldman Matched by details Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Television Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Television Matched by details

Suggest a Similar Show

Login to suggest similar TV shows.

User Reviews & Ratings

Audience score, review cards, votes, comments, and watch activity.

+ Review
★ 0.0 0 review(s)
No ratings yet.
Watch Activity
Watching0
Completed0
Dropped0
Not Interested0
Watched Episode0
Season Rating Chart

Season Rating Chart

Average rating from all episode ratings in each season.

No episode ratings yet. Rate episodes below to build this chart.
Top Rated Episodes

Top Rated Episodes

Episodes ranked by audience rating.

No top episodes yet.
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate this show.
My Rating

My Rating

What did you think of Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World?

Login to Review