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Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World

Hollywood Icon Hedy Lamarr

In 1941 the Nazi’s are winning the war in Europe. The Nazi U boats are fast and agile and the allied torpedoes are not very accurate. Hollywood star, a secret inventor, Hedy Lamarr is determined to help fight the Nazis. Inspired by a player piano, she invents a way to control torpedoes remotely and creates the world’s first secret communications system.

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The Smartphone
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54:51
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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54:51
Look back in time to see how humans invented the telescope.
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