Back to Show
NOVA
Ben Franklin's Balloons Preview
The first stage in human flight didn’t begin with the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, but with daring inventors and aeronauts in 18th century Paris. In a period of just 19 months, humanity not only left the ground for the first time but thanks to a handful of brilliant and colorful pioneers, developed all the essential features of today's hot air air and gas balloons.
Support Provided By
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:52
A team uncovers the advanced engineering behind an ancient Egyptian war machine.
53:10
Is our universe unique, or could it be just one in an endless "multiverse"?
53:40
Take a wild ride into the quantum realm, where even the impossible seems possible.
53:40
It defines our lives, but what is time really? Have a look into its true nature.
53:40
Surprising clues indicate that space is very much something and not nothing.
1:43:15
We are on the verge of answering one of the greatest questions in history: Are we alone?