Skip to main content
Access to this video is a benefit for members through
Back to Show
Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World

The Rocket

Season 1 Episode 5

Learn the explosive history of the rocket, from its origin in ancient China, to its use as a weapon of war, to how adding hydrogen allowed it to carry astronauts all the way to the moon.

Watch Preview
Support Provided By
The Smartphone
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:51
Dial in to the fascinating history of the smartphone.
The Car
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:51
Go for a ride through the 9,000-year history of the ultimate freedom machine: the car.
The Robot
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:51
Check out the history of robots and learn how they are becoming a part of everyday life.
The Airplane
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:51
Take to the sky with the dreamers whose work gave humans the ability to fly.
The Telescope
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:51
Look back in time to see how humans invented the telescope.
Active loading indicator