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Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, these are some of the most ingenious minds in history. But many of their accomplishments would never have been possible without some of the geniuses of the ancient world. The fact is that most of our modern world is possible because of the incredible minds that lived thousands of years ago. We show the amazing genius of Archimedes, who managed to make water flow uphill and pull a ship up a beach single handed! Meet Philon the genius behind the world's first robot, and Ctesibius who was experimenting with pneumatics centuries before anyone else. As impossible as it sounds, Heron of Alexandria invented the world's first steam engine, as well as automatic doors and vending machines! You'd be surprised to find out just how much of today's technology would be impossible without these "Ancient Einsteins."

Ancient Impossible picks up where HISTORY's long running Ancient Discoveries left off. In this next generation of storytelling, Ancient Impossible reveals how many of today's technological achievements were actually developed centuries ago. Colossal monuments, impossible feats of engineering and technologies so precise they defy reinvention—the ancient world was far more advanced than we ever imagined. We'll travel through history to reveal a radically different picture of the past, with innovations so far ahead of their time, they're still in use today. New science uncovers a lost world more like our own than we ever suspected, and reveals how modern technology has its blueprint in the ancient world.

Primary Title
  • Ancient Impossible
Episode Title
  • Ancient Einsteins
Date Broadcast
  • Monday 2 March 2015
Start Time
  • 13 : 30
Finish Time
  • 14 : 30
Duration
  • 60:00
Series
  • 1
Episode
  • 5
Channel
  • History
Broadcaster
  • Sky Network Television
Programme Description
  • Ancient Impossible picks up where HISTORY's long running Ancient Discoveries left off. In this next generation of storytelling, Ancient Impossible reveals how many of today's technological achievements were actually developed centuries ago. Colossal monuments, impossible feats of engineering and technologies so precise they defy reinvention—the ancient world was far more advanced than we ever imagined. We'll travel through history to reveal a radically different picture of the past, with innovations so far ahead of their time, they're still in use today. New science uncovers a lost world more like our own than we ever suspected, and reveals how modern technology has its blueprint in the ancient world.
Episode Description
  • Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, these are some of the most ingenious minds in history. But many of their accomplishments would never have been possible without some of the geniuses of the ancient world. The fact is that most of our modern world is possible because of the incredible minds that lived thousands of years ago. We show the amazing genius of Archimedes, who managed to make water flow uphill and pull a ship up a beach single handed! Meet Philon the genius behind the world's first robot, and Ctesibius who was experimenting with pneumatics centuries before anyone else. As impossible as it sounds, Heron of Alexandria invented the world's first steam engine, as well as automatic doors and vending machines! You'd be surprised to find out just how much of today's technology would be impossible without these "Ancient Einsteins."
Classification
  • Unknown
Owning Collection
  • Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
  • Television
Languages
  • English
Captions
Live Broadcast
  • No
Rights Statement
  • Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
  • Documentary television programs--United States
  • Civilization, Ancient
  • Science, Ancient
Genres
  • Documentary
  • Educational
  • History
Hosts
  • Steve Wolf (Host)
Contributors
  • Bill Graves (Narrator)
  • Stuart Clarke (Producer)
  • Wild Dream Films (Production Unit)
Subjects
  • Documentary television programs--United States
  • Civilization, Ancient
  • Science, Ancient