BBC - Connections (1978) - Episode 7: The Long Chain
BBC - Connections (1978) - Episode 7: The Long Chain
AVI/DivX MPEG-4 1744.9 kbps | 624x464, 30 fps | AC-3, 48 kHz, 224 kbps | English | 49:30 | 730 Mb
AVI/DivX MPEG-4 1744.9 kbps | 624x464, 30 fps | AC-3, 48 kHz, 224 kbps | English | 49:30 | 730 Mb
Connections is a documentary television series created, written and presented by science historian James Burke. It took an interdisciplinary approach to the history of science and invention and demonstrated how various discoveries, scientific achievements, and historical world events were built from one another successively in an interconnected way to bring about particular aspects of modern technology. The series was noted for Burke's crisp and enthusiastic presentation (and dry humour), historical re-enactments, and intricate working models.
Episode 7: "The Long Chain" traces the invention of the Fluyt freighter in Holland in the 16th century. Voyages were insured by Edward Lloyd (Lloyd's of London) if the ships' hulls were covered in pitch and tar (which came from the colonies until the American Revolution in 1776). In Culross, Scotland, Archibald Cochrane (9th Earl of Dundonald) tried to distill coal vapour to get coal tar for ships' hulls, which led to the discovery of ammonia. The search for artificial quinine to treat malaria led to the development of artificial dyes, which Germany used to produce fertilizers to grow wheat and led to the advancement of chemistry which in turn led to DuPont's discovery of polymers such as nylon.
Screenshots:
BBC - Connections (1978) - Episode 7: The Long Chain
BBC - Connections (1978) - Episode 7: The Long Chain
Episode 1: The Trigger Effect
Episode 2: Death in the Morning
Episode 3: Distant Voices
Episode 4: Faith In Numbers
Episode 5: The Wheel of Fortune
Episode 6: Thunder in the Skies
Links are interchangeable