The Power of Transportation | Origins: The Journey of Humankind

less than 1m read

·Nov 11, 2024

[music playing] [motor revving]

JASON SILVA: What does it take to power a global civilization to connect billions of people across continents? It takes the power of transportation. From the beginning, speed and strength were paramount in the hunt, on the battlefield, for holding together far-flung empires. We sought new forms of power, harnessing the forces of nature to drive us forward—the horse, the wheel, steam power, jet engine. Every new innovation powered our next great leap.

Transportation has become our exoskeleton allowing us to transcend our biology. [music playing] Faster than sound, farther than the moon, our inventions give us a level of power we never imagined. With our machines we carved through solid rock, tunneled beneath the sea floor, connecting the world, mixing distant cultures. Freedom of movement has given us freedom of mind.

The flow of people and materials exposes us to new ideas and new understanding. This is the story of how transportation turned society inside out, how engines and animals powered the rise of civilization, and how the innovations that drive humanity forward made us modern. This is "Origins."

Comic-Con WRAP UP: From The Wackygamer Podcast!

How queer identity shapes Nat Geo Explorers | Podcast | Overheard at National Geographic

View All

How to Get Your Dream Job When Nobody is Hiring | Ask Mr. Wonderful Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary

Hi everybody! Welcome to another episode of Ask Mr. Wonderful. Now this week, we got a deal with the 10,000-pound gorilla in the room, and there are 30 million-plus people out of work right now. It’s extraordinary, unprecedented, and the majority of the q…

Homeroom with Sal & Katy Knight - Tuesday, October 13

Hi everyone, Sal here from Khan Academy. Welcome to the Homeroom live stream! We had a little bit of a hiatus, but now we are back. I had a torn calf and other things, but I’m almost fully recuperated. But thanks for joining! We have a really exciting con…

Welcome to the Chop Shop | Underworld, Inc.

I think I own probably about 11 cars personally, old to new. Drop a top and hit the highway and ride out, you know what I mean? You and your lady, you get money on the level. I get it; you can buy whatever you want—a legit business in the daytime, and at …

Lion Rapid Response Team | Best Job Ever

[Music] I’m a first responder for lions in Gorong Goa National Park. Every day, we’re out there working with lions. Very slowly, let’s just see what she’s up to. Gorong Goa National Park is undergoing a remarkable recovery after two decades of civil war,…

Why your $1 is REALLY worth $5 (Real Estate Investing Mind Trick)

This is also why when you’re investing in real estate, how you should look at every one dollar is actually being worth five dollars. Because this is how much it’s actually truly worth. So this is something I catch myself doing all the time and I thought I…

Complete List of Way to Get Rich (62 Examples)

Nowhere on the web was there a complete list of ways that one could get rich, so we did the hard thing and built it ourselves. Any one of these, if executed well, could get you to financial wealth. So let’s get started. Here’s a complete list of ways to g…

The Power of Transportation | Origins: The Journey of Humankind

More Articles