8.0/1045 votes#1 - Clean
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 10/8/2014
Dirty water is transformed with a series of innovations - Chicago builds America's first sewer system, and Jersey City makes water safe for drinking (and bikinis). Manufacturing is transformed with the elimination of dust.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/1042 votes#2 - Time
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 10/15/2014
With no natural light, submarines re-invent the workday. Frustrated with hundreds of local time zones, a railroad clerk fights to standardize time. Navigation, travel, and technology advances result from unrecognized contributions to time.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/1030 votes#3 - Glass
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/22/2014
The invention of the mirror gives rise to the Renaissamce; glass lenses reveal worlds within worlds worlds; glass is essential; for communication in the deep ocean; glass lens allows millions to watch a man walk on the moon.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/1030 votes#4 - Light
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/29/2014
The pioneers of light; Edison's light bulb; a French scientist accidentally discovers a neon light.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/1028 votes#5 - Cold
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 11/5/2014
Ice delivery becomes big business, the father of frozen foods, Clarence Birdseye, and his vision for the future, and penguins who live in the desert.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/1028 votes#6 - Sound
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 11/12/2014
30,000 year old traces of a desire to record sound are located in caves, how radio influenced the civil rights movement, the weapon that laid the ground work for today's mobile phones, and the role of the ultrasound in modern medicine.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of How We Got to Now Season 1
Every episode of How We Got to Now Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of How We Got to Now Season 1!
How We Got To Now with Steven Johnson is a six part documentary series that reveals the story behind the remarkable ideas that made modern...
Genre:Documentary
Network:PBS
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Clean" is the best rated episode of "How We Got to Now" season 1. It scored 8/10 based on 45 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 10/8/2014. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Time".