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."

15 Things That Are Not Missing From a Rich Person’s Home

How To Compete With Yourself

View All

Best Spot in the Microwave? - Smarter Every Day 6

[Music] Okay, it’s me, Destin. I am here with Mike Simons at the National Electronics Museum, and he’s going to show us something that we interact with every day that you probably didn’t know. So, what do you got for us, Mike? (Mike) We have a microwav…

Monetary policy tools | Financial sector | AP Macroeconomics | Khan Academy

What we’re going to do in this video is think about monetary policy, which is policy that a central bank can use to affect the economy in some way. This is often contrasted with fiscal policy, and that would be a government deciding to tax or spend in som…

Solo Trip | Life Below Zero

[Music] My name is Martha May Salatan. I’m married to Eric Salatan. I’m from Ilama, Alaska, was born and raised here. I enjoy hunting, fishing, camping—anything that has to do with the outdoors. Beautiful day to go play on the lake, see if I can’t find so…

Abandoned Nuclear Weapon Facility Exploration

[Car door slams] [footsteps on gravel] Crunch. [Crunching continues] [footsteps on dried grass] Crunch, crunch. [Crunching continues] [lock unlocking] Clink. [Loud metal noises from chain] [lock unlocking] Clink. [Loud metal noises from chain] [gate creak…

Gamma decay | Physics | Khan Academy

If there’s a tumor deep inside the brain, how do you get rid of it without damaging the healthy tissues? One way is using a procedure called gamma knife radiosurgery. What’s funny about this is it neither uses a knife nor is it a surgery. Instead, it uses…

The Simple Secret of Runway Digits

While waiting on a plane during taxi ‘till takeoff, looking out the window, you may have noticed the giant number numbering the runway, say eight, which implies seven others exist, at least, but this is a flight out of L.O.L. Airport, in Nevada’s desert o…

The Power of Transportation | Origins: The Journey of Humankind

More Articles