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All Episodes of Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World

Browse all episodes of Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World

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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.

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Season 1

  • The Airplane
    8.2/1040 votes

    The Airplane

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/28/2019

    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.

    Director: Unknown

    Writer: Unknown

  • The Car
    8.2/1045 votes

    The Car

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 5/12/2019

    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.

    Director: Unknown

    Writer: Unknown

  • The Rocket
    8.2/1041 votes

    The Rocket

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 5/19/2019

    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.

    Director: Unknown

    Writer: Unknown

  • The Telescope
    8.1/1041 votes

    The Telescope

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/21/2019

    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.

    Director: Unknown

    Writer: Unknown

  • The Smartphone
    8.1/1041 votes

    The Smartphone

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 5/26/2019

    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.

    Director: Unknown

    Writer: Unknown

  • The Robot
    7.8/1039 votes

    The Robot

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 5/5/2019

    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.

    Director: Unknown

    Writer: Unknown