The Ascent of Man (1973) · WatchGuide

The Ascent of Man (1973) · WatchGuide

Episodes

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E1 · Airs May 5, 1973 · 50m
Lower Than the Angels
The programme follows the changes in Man as he marches out of Africa, through desert and ice age, to leave the print of his hand in a dark Spanish cave.
E2 · Airs May 12, 1973 · 50m
The Harvest of the Seasons
As the ice retreats and the land flowers, Man the hunter turns to agriculture, domesticating plant and animal, imposing his will on the wild wheat and the horse.
E3 · Airs May 19, 1973 · 50m
The Grain in the Stone
The wandering nomads cease their migrations and settle in townships, learning new skills.
E4 · Airs May 26, 1973 · 50m
The Hidden Structure
The programme follows the beginnings of chemistry: from the techniques of ancient metallurgy in China and Japan to the mystical searchings of the alchemists.
E5 · Airs Jun 2, 1973 · 50m
Music of the Spheres
Mathematics is a way of describing the world that we see, hear and touch.
E6 · Airs Jun 9, 1973 · 50m
The Starry Messenger
From the earliest times, Man has looked outwards from the earth and wondered at the movements of sun, stars and planets. The programme hinges on the crisis of the scientific conscience in the person of the astronomer Galileo and in the rich cities of Venice and Rome, the scenes both of his triumph and his punishment.
E7 · Airs Jun 16, 1973 · 50m
The Majestic Clockwork
The universe of Newton, clear, English, stately, like the music and the great buildings of his century ticking away with a fine clockwork mechanism, wisely regulated by laws. Then the quizzical world of Einstein whose direct truth and questions could turn the dignified universe upside-down in the interests of a clearer understanding. We ride with Einstein on his beam of light to end our journey in our own century.
E8 · Airs Jun 23, 1973 · 50m
The Drive for Power
As political revolutions shook France and America, another quieter, yet more profound restructuring was taking place in Britain - the Industrial Revolution.
E9 · Airs Jun 30, 1973 · 50m
The Ladder of Creation
How did life begin on earth? Dr Jacob Bronowski recounts the adventures of Alfred Russell Wallace, and how they triggered off the ideas of Charles Darwin.
E10 · Airs Jul 7, 1973 · 50m
World Within World
Dr Jacob Bronowski tells the story of the men and ideas that gave concrete expression to the invisible, intangible structure that lies beneath all matter.
E11 · Airs Jul 14, 1973 · 50m
Knowledge or Certainty
Dr Jacob Bronowski considers how the great achievement of physics in the 20th century has been to show that absolute certainty, in science or outside of it, is beyond our grasp.
E12 · Airs Jul 21, 1973 · 50m
Generation Upon Generation
Dr Jacob Bronowski follows the history of genetics, from the lonely experiments of Gregor Mendel to the discovery of the structure of DNA. Should we see human sexuality as a gift?
E13 · Airs Jul 28, 1973 · 50m
The Long Childhood
From his home, Dr Jacob Bronowski takes stock of man's complex and often precarious ascent, drawing on experiences from his own lifetime.