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The Day the Universe Changed is a ten-part documentary television series presented by science historian James Burke. The series tells a series of stories of how specific scientific and technological advances have shaped the Western way of life. The series posits that when one's view of the universe changes, the universe itself effectively changes.
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Episode Summary
The concepts of leisure time and consumerism are relatively new to human society. The Industrial Revolution led to the creation of an educated middle class and the production of goods that were not necessary for survival. Increased manufacturing depleted natural resources without any concern for the sustainability of those resources or the long-term impacts of mass production. -
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- It Started with the Greeks
- Medieval Conflict: Faith and Reason
- Scientific Imagination in the Renaissance
- Printing Transforms Knowledge
- Science Revises the Heavens
- The Factory and Marketplace Revolution
- Social Impacts of New Medical Knowledge
- Darwin's Revolution
- The New Physics: Newton Revised
- Changing Knowledge, Changing Reality
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Managed Since: 06/14/2009
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Page revenue is subject to change as we obtain data from our partners
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The Factory and Marketplace Revolution Part One
*@-0:50: Right off the bat we hear steel drums playing and see a man carrying a tray full of Miller Lite
*@-1:09: Ah, it's James Burke on vacation to explain that "time off" is a relatively new concept
*@-1:30: Everything is mass produced, from underwear to cruise ships
*@-3:05: So much of what we have is not created by our own hands
*@-3:26: The concept of "vacation time" began in the West Indies in the late 17th Century
*@-4:02: The English made lots of money thanks to slavery in the 18th Century, when sugar was a cash crop harvested by the slaves in the West Indies
*@-4:46: Slaves only lasted about seven years in the sugar fields
*@-5:18: The sugar tycoons used fear to keep the slaves under control
*@-8:05: In 1720, England enjoyed bumper harvests, which meant lots of food and the for the average English farmer
*@-9:20: England had a cash flow problem; too much money and not enough ways to move the money around -
The Factory and Marketplace Revolution Part Two
*@-0:06: The Dutch were the best bankers during the late 17th Century
*@-0:33: In 1688, England brought in a Dutchman to be King of England
*@-0:51: Money was printed, taxes were raised and investments were made
*@-1:36: The irony is that England undercut the Dutch on overseas trade and became very successful at it
*@-2:50: The English can thank trade for their love of tea
*@-3:55: 18th Century philosopher John Locke didn't want the English government touching his stuff, thus the social contract, the individual acquired personal property rights
*@-4:42: This attitude of rewarding the wealthy created ambition and drive in England
*@-5:18: Not invited into the success of capitalism were the religious fanatics of the time: Quakers, Baptists, Unitarians and Presbyterians
*@-6:36: In the 18th Century, some of these fanatics left England and moved to America
*@-8:45: 18th Century England produced some of the best educated children ever
*@-9:31: In 1760, the dissenting religious fanatics started a revolution -
The Factory and Marketplace Revolution Part Three
*@-0:09: The Quakers owned many coal mines in the 18th Century
*@-0:50: Abraham Darby invented a revolutionary way to burn coal which made consumer goods easier to make
*@-1:10: The English coal-powered plants allowed many consumer goods to be built
*@-1:41: The businesses were segregated to the hills where they could be close to the watermills, which provided the power
*@-2:54: The industry was incredibly inefficient, but very lucrative
*@-4:39: By 1770, there were ten banks outside London this made investment a bit easier, but the poor roadways slowed down business
*@-5:15: The Quakers helped out again; this time they hired Irish workers to build roads and within ten years, a great traffic network was built across England, complete with Canals
*@-8:00: The canals revolutionized England
*@-9:30: James Burke enjoys a Scotch with a Scott
*@-9:31: In 1761, the union between England and Scotland opened up many lucrative Whisky markets -
The Factory and Marketplace Revolution Part Four
*@-0:39: Distilleries were looking to become more productive and Joseph Black of Glasgow brewed up a solution
*@-2:34: Joseph Black's discovery helped the distilleries and changed the world
*@-2:57: James Watt took Joseph Black's figures and brought us into the Industrial Age
*@-3:30: In 1781, industry finally separated from the watermills
*@-4:10: The factories were able to run 24 hours a day, thus shift work was invented
*@-5:28: The middle classes and the concept of "keeping up with the Joneses" came into full force, thanks to the Royal potter, Josiah Wedgewood
*@-6:30: Josiah Wedgewood had the first steam-powered production line factory and consumerism began in 18th Century England
*@-7:40: Increased wealth created more jobs and jobs required more job training. More job training helped lower the illiteracy rate, which created a more educated workforce, leading to the creation of Labor Unions
*@-8:44: The railway system began in 1825 with 27 miles of track and a couple of daredevils
*@-9:08: In no time there were railways all throughout the British Empire -
The Factory and Marketplace Revolution Part Five
*@-0:09: Thanks to the railways, suddenly people could hop on a train and be whisked off the different parts of the country; a spike in marriages followed
*@-3:00: The natural resource bauxite, which is used to make aluminum, is found in Jamaica
*@-3:05: In 1985, the world was using 2 billion tons of oil, 3 billion tons of coal, 750 million tons of iron and 820 tons of copper; James Burke wonders how much more there is
*@-3:56: The Industrial Revolution gave us the desire for more, bigger, better, cheaper, faster
*@-4:00: However, 18th Century thinking did not consider the longevity of the earth's natural resources -
Questions and Answers About The Day the Universe Changed Episode 6 | View All | Ask a Question
View All The Day the Universe Changed Episode 6 Questions (7217) | Ask a QuestionWhat would you change on this university's website? (4 Answers)Umm. I didn't even spend time reviewing the architecture because I couldn't get past 1 point. The whole right side of the page is white in safari! 50% of college ... read moreMy period is 6 days late. Could I be pregnant? (2 Answers)Yes, you could be. If you're always regular like clockwork, some of the tests out there can be used the day after a missed period. There are other reasons you ... read moreHave you watched any of James Burkes documentaries? (2 Answers)Absolutely! 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 claymore ... read more
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