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- Written and presented by James Burke
- Directed by Mick Jackson
- Episode length: 50 minutes
- First aired in 1978
- Network: BBC
- Shot at over 150 locations in 19 countriesPalmers Guide: Connections DVD Information
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Science historian James Burke’s ten part series Connections traces the progression of technology from ancient to modern times. According to Burke, every invention comes from putting the right pieces of already available technology together to build something new. By tracing the history of technology through a series of "triggers," each one of which sets off the next, Burke demonstrates how technology is an interconnected web and how one seemingly unrelated innovation leads to another.
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Death in the Morning Part One
@ 1:00: We can't see into the future, so the only thing we can do is guess and act on that guess.
@ 1:36: James Burke finds digging into the past much like a detective story; he takes modern devices and follows their progress backwards.
@ 2:11: This particular detective story begins during the 7th Century BCE in a place now known as Turkey.
@ 4:00: This time was when peoples first figured out how to measure the standards of gold by using a touchstone. This was a trading breakthrough.
@ 4:40: By the 3rd Century BCE the currency of Alexander the Great had spread throughout the Macedonian Empire. Commerce and trade began moving at a rapid pace.
@ 5:00: In 331 BCE, Alexander the Great founded the city of Alexandria in modern day Egypt as the worlds first major planned commercial hub.
@ 5:22: The city of Alexandria also had the worlds greatest library: The Great Library of Alexandria, which was tragically destroyed.
@ 7:10: The Great Library of Alexandria wasn't totally destroyed; underneath there is a tunnel system where many scrolls were stored, including one from the influential astronomer Claudius Ptolemy.
@ 7:17: One of Ptolemy's great works was a star catalog. The calculations that Ptolomy drafted up in 2nd Century would come in handy later in history.
@ 8:30: Sailors of the time had no use for astronomy because they used square sails, which simply went with the wind; no navigation was required.
@ 8:50: By the 8th Century, Roman ships were being plundered by Pirates, leading to the Romans to build smaller boats.
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Death in the Morning Part Two
@ 1:55: Western Europe was introduced to the triangular lateen sail, which played a great part in re-establishing the European economy after The Dark Ages.
@ 2:01: Constantinople had fallen to the Ottoman Empire and Europe was forced to build boats that could go around the city.
@ 3:00: In the16th Century, an age of discovery began as the European ships started to use the star charts Ptolomy had drafted up back in the 2nd Century.
@ 6:00: Europe really got a boost in boating technology when they figured out how to use a Compass properly.
@ 7:39: Queen Elizabeth I became Queen of England in 1558, it is said that when she took reign, England was a disaster.
@ 8:50: The Privateer, which is basically a state-sponsored Pirate, was a common part of life during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
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Death in the Morning Part Three
@ 0:21: Understanding the Compass meant a lot, if your ship ever veered off course, you could lose all your trade.
@ 0:28: The Compass was confusing in the 15th Century, Christopher Columbus panicked on his way across the Atlantic in 1492, about half way across the needed stopped pointing towards the North Star
@ 0:46: In 1580, when Francis Drake returned from his round-the-world voyage he believed something needed to be done to fix the Compass problem.
@ 3:01: In 1600, William Gilbert published ''De Magnete'' or ''On the magnet.'' The ideas were radical.
@ 5:00: James Burke visits the drunks of Regensburg, Germany
@ 7:02: Using William Gilbert's theories, Otto von Guericke was able to invent the vacuum. In 1654 Guericke introduced his invention to Ferdinand III, the Holy Roman Emperor.
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Death in the Morning Part Four
@ 0:40: Otto von Guericke's breakthrough in electricity sparked more study in lightning.
@ 1:35: Benjamin Franklin's idea of lightning rods was critically important at this time because Gunpowder storage's kept exploding during storms.
@ 1:40: Weather awareness also became important to Navies whose ships kept getting hit by Lightning, this brought about the need for weather charts.
@ 3:00: Vital weather information was gathered from Hot Air Balloons.
@ 5:52: The Ben Nevis weather observatory in Scotland opened October 17, 1883.
@ 8:05: The weather observers a top Ben Nevis were the first to catalog clouds.
@ 9:32: A Cambridge professor named Charles Wilson at Ben Nevis saw a Glory. And wanted to learn more.
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Death in the Morning Part Five
@ 0:40: Charles Wilson's curiosity led him to invent a device that replicates clouds, this invention
@ 4:05: Edward Appleton did tests with radio waves which led to advances in the radar
@ 6:56: The other significant thing that started from Wilson's cloud chamber, was the splitting of Atom, which ultimately led to the Atomic Bomb.
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James Burke Connections Episode 2 Questions
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Have you watched any of James Burkes documentaries? 2 AnswersAbsolutely! I loved both Connections and The Day the Universe Changed. The episodes that stand out were one where he took a whack at a cow carcass with a claymo... read more -
What is your favourite James Burke clip? 1 AnswerI like The Day the Universe Changed more than the Connections, because I am interested more in the Science field than history. In my point of view, the main hig... read more
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Who is James Burke? 2 AnswersJames Burke (born 22 December 1936) is a Northern Irish science historian, author and television producer best known for his documentary television series calle... read more -
Does anyone remember the PBS/ITV series "Connections" with James Burke? 1 Answeryes, I just took smt 310 at Cal State Dominguez hills and the Instructors use his series throughout the course, these videos are also available at youtube. read more
view more questions...
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James Burke : Connections, Episode 10, "Yesterday, Tomorrow and You", 2 of 5 (CC) - Find more at http://tinyurl.com/yb8pt8g
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