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Inventions that Shook the World

Season 1
Go on a decade-by-decade voyage of discovery through life-changing inventions, like the radio that made the world smaller, the machine gun that made it more dangerous, or the parking meter that made it more expensive. Witness the discovery and creation of billion-dollar inventions and financial disasters - all players in the most innovative century the world has ever known.
IMDb 8.1201210 episodesX-Ray13+
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Episodes

  1. S1 E1 - The 1900s
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    September 25, 2012
    45min
    ALL
    The first decade of the 1900s ushers in crucial inventions that will help shape the rest of the century. Communication gets a boost as a voice is transmitted wirelessly by radio for the first time. The vacuum cleaner stops rugs and carpets from taking a beating, and two brothers, the Wright, apply their skills as bicycle mechanics to build and fly the world's first airplane.
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  2. S1 E2 - The 1910s
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    September 25, 2012
    45min
    13+
    Saving lives and taking lives are the hallmarks of the inventions of the 1910s. From charcoal to lightly browned, the quest for perfect toast is finally realized. And, the Tommy Gun unleashes the fearsome power of the machine gun.
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  3. S1 E3 - The 1920s
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    August 16, 2011
    45min
    ALL
    Mobsters, jazz, and turbulent economic times mark the 1920s. Silent film makes the transition to the talkies as sound comes to the silver screen. Criminals find that there's one less place to hide with the invention of the lie detector. And, the Space Age is launched when a rocketeer who refuses to give up finally unlocks the secret of liquid fuel.
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  4. S1 E4 - The 1930s
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    August 23, 2011
    45min
    ALL
    Though overshadowed by the Great Depression, there is no shortage of ingenuity in the 1930s. The two-way radio gets miniaturized, and the world's first portable walkie-talkie goes on the air. The electric guitar changes popular music forever, and commuters become a cash cow for cities when the parking meter is introduced.
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  5. S1 E5 - The 1940s
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    September 25, 2012
    45min
    7+
    War is the driving force behind much of the innovation in the 1940s. The microwave is born after a self-taught inventor realizes that military equipment is responsible for melting a chocolate bar in his pocket. And, a sailor returns home and hits pay dirt with an invention that finally brings cats in from the cold: kitty litter.
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  6. S1 E6 - The 1950s
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    September 25, 2012
    43min
    7+
    The 1950s heralds the end of vacuum tubes and the rise of mobile technologies when two Japanese inventors shrink cabinet-size radios down to something small enough to fit in your pocket. And, the space race officially begins when the Soviet Union launches a satellite they call Sputnik.
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  7. S1 E7 - The 1960s
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    September 25, 2012
    45min
    13+
    The 1960s is a decade of both cultural and technological change. Home entertainment goes from the kitchen table to the TV screen when the video game console is unveiled. And, the United States finally wins the decade-long space race, taking a giant step for mankind by landing astronauts on the moon.
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  8. S1 E8 - The 1970s
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    September 25, 2012
    45min
    13+
    The cell phone moves from the car console to the hand when an engineer is inspired by a science fiction series. The hybrid car is reborn as an answer to the concerns over fossil fuels and pollution thanks to a tenacious inventor and the Environmental Protection Agency. The invention of the digital camera is kept in the darkroom for 20 years.
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  9. S1 E9 - The 1980s
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    September 25, 2012
    45min
    13+
    The 1980s launch an unprecedented technological age that will continue into the next century. DNA profiling begins changing crime scene investigations for all time. Network computing gets a giant boost around the world with the advent of the Internet. And, the MIR space station kicks off a new age of space science.
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  10. S1 E10 - The 1990s
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    September 25, 2012
    45min
    ALL
    A new telescope named Hubble lets us see even further into the universe, revealing more of its majesty and mysteries. A young software engineer's wife gives birth to his daughter while he develops the camera phone in the waiting room. Pathfinder safely bounces to a stop on Mars thanks to an airbag system that puts cars airbag system to shame.
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Details

More info

Content advisory
Violencealcohol usesmoking
Subtitles
None available
Directors
David Weaver
Producers
Guy O'SullivanRobert Scott
Cast
Steve HerringerMark DeNicola
Studio
Questar Inc.
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