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Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World

The First Long Distance Test Drive

In 1886, German inventor and engineer, Karl Benz, has his patent accepted for what is regarded as the world’s first automobile, but it’s a failure. Benz doesn't sell a single one for two years. Facing financial ruin he plunges into depression. Thankfully for humanity one person sees great potential in his "motor wagon" - someone who also knows how to create a bit of publicity, his wife Bertha.

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The Smartphone
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Dial in to the fascinating history of the smartphone.
The Rocket
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Blast off into history to see how rockets originated not in the sky, but in a cave.
The Car
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Go for a ride through the 9,000-year history of the ultimate freedom machine: the car.
The Robot
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Check out the history of robots and learn how they are becoming a part of everyday life.
The Airplane
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Take to the sky with the dreamers whose work gave humans the ability to fly.
The Telescope
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Look back in time to see how humans invented the telescope.
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