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."

Example plotting corners of rectangle

Introduction to limits at infinity | Limits and continuity | AP Calculus AB | Khan Academy

View All

User input | Intro to CS - Python | Khan Academy

What are some of the ways you interact with digital technology every day? You might press a button, enter something into a text box, or swipe up or down. You might even move a joystick on a controller, tap a credit card, or turn a knob on a car. These are…

trying to fix my sleep schedule

I’m trying to fix my sleep schedule. I’ve been waking up at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., and I don’t know when I sleep. So, in today’s episode, I’m going to try to fix my sleep schedule as much as possible. I realized that in order to fix your sleep s…

Stoicism: Conquer Your Resolutions

Thank you. What is your New Year’s resolution? For some of us, it’s to be more productive; for others, it’s to lose weight or simply be healthier. For you, it might be to spend more time with friends and family, or finally write that book that you’ve been…

Joe Exotic and the Tiger Trade | Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller

[Car horns blaring] [Phone ringing] [Jungle wildlife calls] OPERATOR (THROUGH PHONE): Prepaid call from. JOE EXOTIC (THROUGH PHONE): Joe Exotic. OPERATOR (THROUGH PHONE): An inmate at the Grady County Jail. This call is also subject to being recorded o…

15 Traits Of A STRONG PERSON

Strong people are valuable assets in any space, but it takes a lot of work to be one. Becoming a strong person is not something we’re born with or something that happens in a day; it’s built over time. There are certain characteristics these people share,…

Is The 5-Second Rule True?

Hey, Vsauce. Michael here. And bananas are fantastic. They’re actually one of the most radioactive foods we regularly eat. Sometimes they’re difficult to peel from the top. One of my favorite ways to avoid that is to simply hold the banana and snap it in …

The Power of Transportation | Origins: The Journey of Humankind

More Articles