Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World.

Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World

The Airplane

A look at inventions that gave humans the ability to fly, from Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines to modern commercial planes. (60 minutes)

Can't find the episode you're looking for?

Check PBS Video

UPCOMING EPISODES

Mon, 3/30 at 1:00 pm on Austin PBS WORLD

The Telescope

A look at how the telescope was invented, from Galileo to Edwin Hubble, and how the invention reaches the universe 13 billion light-years out. (60 minutes)

Mon, 3/30 at 2:00 pm on Austin PBS WORLD

The Airplane

A look at inventions that gave humans the ability to fly, from Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines to modern commercial planes. (60 minutes)

Mon, 3/30 at 3:00 pm on Austin PBS WORLD

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. (60 minutes)

Tue, 3/31 at 1:00 pm on Austin PBS WORLD

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. (60 minutes)

Tue, 3/31 at 2:00 pm on Austin PBS WORLD

The Rocket

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. (60 minutes)

Tue, 3/31 at 3:00 pm on Austin PBS WORLD

The Smartphone

The history of the smartphone, from its roots in Morse code to Apple's unveiling of the first-ever iPhone in 2007; how the next generation of smartphones may allow for communication just by thinking. (60 minutes)