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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 discovery of electricity led to an explosion in invention and research. Increasingly complex electrical and electronic devices, from light bulbs to airplanes have revolutionized the way people live. Scientists studied light and radio waves, developed particle theories and continue to challenge the boundaries of knowledge.Jump to Episode
- 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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The New Physics: Newton Revised Part One
*@-1:40: James Burke is at the Geneva Airport complimenting the Swiss on their efficiency
*@-3:24: The 18th Century Swiss were the most enthusiastic to the idea of time thanks to Sir Isaac Newton
*@-3:43: 1801 in Geneva, they didn't know much about electricity
*@-5:23: Alessandro Volta presented his ideas to the ruler of France, Napoleon Bonaparte
*@-7:34: Researchers wondered whether there was a connection between chemistry and electricity
*@-8:54: In Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1820, Hans Christian Orsted made an electric discovery
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The New Physics: Newton Revised Part Two
*@-0:31: In 1821, English natural philosopher Michael Faraday built on the Electromagnetism ideas of Hans Christian Orsted
*@-1:10: In 1831, Michael Faraday detected electric currents
*@-3:30: By this time in America, there were lots of Electromagnetism gizmos being developed
*@-3:45: Some of these gizmos led to wonderful inventions like the electric generator and the electric motor
*@-4:21: In 1844, Samuel Morse revolutionized the United States in an unimaginable way; with Morse Code he connected people who lived miles away
*@-6:59: In 1861, James Clerk Maxwell continued to develop on Faraday's theories at the University of Cambridge
*@-8:49: Thomas Edison owned thousands of patents
*@-9:00: Henry Ford was a huge fan of Thomas Edison
*@-9:31: Thomas Edison had three basic secrets to his success, 1. Get the money, 2. Find the market, 3. Produce the goods
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The New Physics: Newton Revised Part Three
*@-0:01: Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, the repeating telegraph, the electric sewing machine, the electric pen the light bulb and the telephone
*@-3:08: Italian Guglielmo Marconi discovered radio waves and learned how to use them
*@-5:15: Albert Michelson made significant discoveries about light speed in Cleveland
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The New Physics: Newton Revised Part Four
*@-1:52: 1897 Englishman Sir Joseph John Thomson studied cathode rays
*@-2:22: Thomson's experiments led to the discovery of electrons
*@-3:00: By the beginning of the 20th century, Newton's theories were full of holes thanks to people like Thomson
*@-3:27: Albert Einstein changed the world of physics with his theory of relativity, which was published in 1916
*@-4:20: James Burke explains that he is in a Concorde airplane going Mach Speed...but not actually going Mach 2
*@-5:17: Albert Einstein's incredible Theory of Relativity was overshadowed by another compelling invention... moving pictures
*@-7:11: Once the moving pictures had sound, the public's love affair with technology grew immensely
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The New Physics: Newton Revised Part Five
*@-2:15: In Geneva, scientists agree: "You can only talk about the universe in probabilities, you can never be certain about it"
*@-2:46: As alarming as that sounds, we don't really care thanks to all the electronics we have
*@-2:56: We still live in a world much like that of the 18th century Swiss at the beginning of the program; as far as we're concerned everything is like clockwork even though science suggests otherwise
*@-3:11: Is there any direction to our journey into knowledge or do we make up the journey as we go along? The final episode will look and see where that question leads
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Names and Events in Part Five
- @2:15: In Geneva, scientists agree: "You can only talk about the universe in probabilities, you can never be certain about it"
- @2:46: As alarming as that sounds, we don't really care thanks to all the electronics we have
- @2:56: We still live in a world much like that of the 18th century Swiss at the beginning of the program; as far as we're concerned everything is like clockwork even though science suggests otherwise
- @3:11: Is there any direction to our journey into knowledge or do we make up the journey as we go along? The final episode will look and see where that question leads
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The Day the Universe Changed Episode 9 Questions
What would you change on this university's website? 4 AnswersUmm. 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 colleg... read more
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
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