Origins: The Journey of Humankind
What made us modern? Fire, medicine, money, writing, designed buildings, and exploration to the unknown world. Our primal curiosity has sparked new inventions and revealed the mysteries of the universe. Hosted by Jason Silva, Origins: The Journey of Humankind is an eight-part documentary series, tracing the pivotal innovations that make us modern.
Focusing on the influence key elements such as fire, medicine, money and writing have had on humanity, the series looks back at pivotal moments throughout human history and traces the origins of the elements.
| Episode 1 - Spark of Civilization |
Episode 1 - Spark of Civilization
Harnessing fire is the ultimate origin event that made us modern. Fire allowed us to create, to destroy and to transform, but also taught us hard lessons.
Episode 2 - Cheating Death
Microscopic armies have waged war on humanity for thousands of years. Medicine is our great weapon to fight back against invisible, unthinkable death.
Episode 3 - Power of Money
From a simple act of trade to today's global economy, the meaning of money and what we value changes as civilization evolves.
Episode 4 - Writing on the Wall
If knowledge is power, communication is the jet fuel, the delivery system, the gift we give each other that links the modern world. But it has a dark side.
Episode 5 - Progress of War
War brings out the best and worst in humanity. It has revolutionized medicine, transportation and communication, and changed how we live and how we think.
Episode 6 - Building the Future
This is the story of how humans built a world of their own design. From bone huts to skyscrapers, shelter inspired new technologies and societies.
Episode 7 - Into the Unknown
Exploration has created and defined our modern world. Humanity's primal curiosity has sparked new inventions and revealed the mysteries of the universe.
Episode 8 - The Road Ahead
Transportation turned society inside out. Engines and animals powered the rise of civilization, driving humanity forward into the modern world.
| Related Links |
| The Ascent of Man This is a BBC documentary series written and presented by Jacob Bronowski, looking at human history through scientific and technological achievements from prehistoric era to the mid-20th century. |
| The Story of Science This is a BBC science documentary series presented by Michael Mosley, exploring how the evolution of scientific understanding is intimately interwoven with society's historical path. |
| James Burke's Connections This is a ten-part documentary series presented by science historian James Burke, exploring the various paths of how our modern technological world came into existence. |
| Mankind: The Story of All of Us This is a twelve-part documentary series telling the history of the human race from the beginning of humanity to the rise of modern society as we know it through some of critical events in human history. |
| Andrew Marr's History of the World This is a eight-part BBC documentary series looking at 70,000 years of human history and the story of the world. |