Series ・ 10 parts

A World History of Energy: From Fire to Fusion

Why was humankind able to wield a 'power' that no other animal could grasp? From the discovery of fire to firewood and charcoal, the muscle of people and beasts, and on to waterwheels and windmills. Episode 1 of A World History of Energy traces how pre-modern societies obtained power and the limits that bound them.

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01 The Ape Who Tamed Fire — The Beginning of the Energy Revolution Why was humankind able to wield a 'power' that no other animal could grasp? From the discovery of fire to firewood and charcoal, the muscle of people and beasts, and on to waterwheels and windmills. Episode 1 of A World History of Energy traces how pre-modern societies obtained power and the limits that bound them.
02 The Roar of Steam — Coal That Turned the Industrial Revolution Coal, the black stone sleeping underground. When its heat boiled water and steam set machines in motion, humankind broke through nature's ceiling for the first time. The steam engines of Newcomen and Watt, factories and railways, and cities choking on smoke. Episode 2 of A World History of Energy depicts the dawn of the fossil-fuel age.
03 The Magic of Electricity — Edison, Tesla, and the Sparks of the Current War Flip a switch and the room lights up. This everyday magic did not exist a mere century and a half ago. From Faraday's discovery, to the Current War in which Edison battled Tesla and Westinghouse over direct and alternating current, to the birth of the grid that blankets the world — episode 3 traces the story of the electricity that lit civilization.
04 Black Gold — The Century in Which Oil Moved Nations A black liquid gushing from deep underground ran the whole of the twentieth century. From Drake's oil well, to the explosive spread of the internal-combustion engine and the automobile, to the rule of the oil majors, and on to the resource geopolitics of the Middle East and the oil shock — episode 4 traces the century of oil, in which energy became national strategy itself, through both its prosperity and its scramble.
05 Dams and the Power Grid: Building the Electric State In the early 20th century, humanity dammed its rivers and drew electricity from colossal walls of concrete. The Hoover Dam, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and a power grid spanning the continent. A neutral account of the era when electricity became a project of the state and laid the foundation of modern society, told through both its triumphs and its costs.
06 The Atomic Fire: The Age It Was Called the Energy of Dreams Born as a weapon, the power of the atom eventually turned toward peaceful use. The world's first nuclear plant, Eisenhower's speech, and a wave of promotion pushed along by the oil shock. A neutral account of the age when nuclear power was called the energy of dreams, setting the case for promotion and the case for caution side by side.
07 Three Accidents — Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima The atomic fire once hailed as a dream energy posed humanity three grave questions. Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, Fukushima Daiichi — with respect for those harmed and lost, avoiding the condemnation of hindsight, this piece quietly traces half a century of wavering between promotion and abandonment, within the bounds of the public record.
08 The Revolution of Wind and Light — The Rise of Renewable Energy Too expensive, too unreliable. Long relegated to supporting roles, wind and solar cut their costs by nearly ninety percent in a little over a decade, transforming into power sources cheaper than fossil fuels. Centered on Germany's Energiewende, this piece traces the reversal by which commonplace natural forces became real options.
09 The Great Decarbonization ― How Climate Reshaped Energy The science that the Earth is warming finally began to change how we choose our energy. From the Kyoto Protocol to the Paris Agreement to carbon neutrality, humanity is attempting to graduate from fossil fuels after three centuries in the lead role. Episode 9 looks at that ideal, and the real difficulty behind it, with a neutral eye.
10 The Future of Energy ― Hydrogen, Fusion, and Beyond The story of humanity's power, which began with fire, has at last arrived at the challenge of building a sun on the ground. Hydrogen energy, nuclear fusion, evolving storage technology, and energy security. With what force will humanity drive the next civilization? A final episode that, without rushing the answer, surveys the signs of what is to come.