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."

The first time I had full control of a plane!

15 Rules To Win At Life (Part 1)

View All

Jeff Bezos: "Nerd of the Amazon" | 60 Minutes Archive

60 Minutes rewind. Who would have guessed that one of the hottest stocks of all time, one of the fastest growing companies in history, would be a bookstore? That’s right, books—one of the oldest products made by man. We didn’t. That’s because we didn’t pr…

Shipwreck Hunter Unearths Lost History and Treasures | Best Job Ever

When I tell people what I do, there’s a sort of complete silence till they process what does that mean and how could somebody actually have a job like that. “Get the metal detector! I’m David Mearns and I’m a shipwreck hunter. In terms of the significanc…

Coffee Farmers Hopeful For Their Dying Crops | Short Film Showcase

Coffee is the second most traded commodity after oil. Socially and ecologically, it still represents a big chunk of Guatemala’s economy, Guatemala’s social networks, and biodiversity sustainability as well. Recent outbreaks of pests and infestations linke…

The Japanese Have it Figured Out

Have you ever heard of blue zones? These are areas in the world where a large number of centenarians live. That’s people who are over 100 years old. Many people have studied these areas to try and discover the secret to longevity, and the thing they found…

Homeroom with Sal & Jeffrey Rosen - Thursday, September 17

Hi everyone, welcome to the homeroom live stream! Sal here from Khan Academy. A happy National Constitution Day for all of y’all from the United States. We’ll be digging deep into the U.S. Constitution with one of the world’s leading experts on it. So, st…

2015 AP Calculus AB/BC 4ab | AP Calculus AB solved exams | AP Calculus AB | Khan Academy

Consider the differential equation: the derivative of y with respect to x is equal to 2x minus y. On the axis provided, sketch a slope field for the given differential equation at the six points indicated. We see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 points. So what I can d…

The Power of Transportation | Origins: The Journey of Humankind

More Articles