Up Next
Back to Show
Power Trip: The Story of Energy
Lamp Lighters and Moonlight Towers
In most major cities before public lighting, people had to carry torches to go out at night. It was not unusual for con men to offer wayward strangers or visitors their services for a fee to light their path through a dark, unknown city after sunset, only to lead them into an alley where their colleagues would rob them. The rise of city lighting reduced those risks and made the streets safer.
Support Provided By
Unlock with PBS Passport
56:19
Learn how energy enabled rapid globalization.
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:44
Culture and modern energy go hand in hand.
Unlock with PBS Passport
57:15
Modern energy enabled mass entertainment like popular music, movies, TV shows, and video g
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:33
The human story of work is the story of how work has been transformed by energy.
Unlock with PBS Passport
56:47
Learn the sweeping history of the worst energy disasters since the industrial revolution.
Unlock with PBS Passport
56:49
Modern energy takes us on a journey to the final frontier.