How We Got To Now with Steven Johnson is a six part documentary series that reveals the story behind the remarkable ideas that made modern life possible; the unsung heroes that brought them into the world, and the unexpected and bizarre consequences each of these innovations has triggered.
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How We Got to Now is available to stream on pbs.org and the PBS app.
About the Show
"How We Got To Now" with Steven Johnson reveals the story behind the remarkable ideas that made modern life possible; the unsung heroes that brought them into the world – and the unexpected and bizarre consequences each of these innovations has triggered.
It's a journey that takes Steven to meet penguins in the middle of the desert, deep down into the sewers of San Francisco and to the frozen wastes of the Arctic to fish with the Inuit.
Be Inspired! Be an Innovator!
Explore lesson plans, video clips, background essays, discussion questions, activities and more from PBS LearningMedia on how to be an Innovator. For Grades K-13+
Steven dresses as a man would have done in the 19th Century, when the climates were hot and there was not yet a way of cooling down. A scenario ripe for innovation!
1/7
Steven investigates the Audion - the first electronic-amplifying vacuum tube, invented by American electrical engineer Lee De Forest in 1906.
2/7
Steven visits watchmakers Patek Philip, who like everyone in the middle of 19th century, make their watches by hand.
3/7
How many people does it take to invent a lightbulb? Steven reveals how this seminal innovation was developed.
4/7
The exploration of standardized time takes Steven to investigate the history of America's railway systems, and a man named William Allen, who introduced the idea of time zones.
5/7
Steven emerges, having explored the sewer systems underneath the city of San Francisco.
6/7
Steven explores Labrador, an area in Canada's sub-arctic north where inventor Clarence Birdseye explored his desire to find a fast freezing solution for fresh food.
7/7
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