Jacob Bronowski
Self - Presenter
Series SeasonSeason 1 episodes1973
The Ascent of Man
Season 1
No season overview available.
Episodes
Each episode has its own detail page.
Episode 150 min1973-05-05
Lower Than the Angels
The programme follows the changes in Man as he marches out of Africa, through desert and ice age, to leave the print of his hand in a dark Spanish cave.
Episode 250 min1973-05-12
The Harvest of the Seasons
As the ice retreats and the land flowers, Man the hunter turns to agriculture, domesticating plant and animal, imposing his will on the wild wheat and the horse.
Episode 350 min1973-05-19
The Grain in the Stone
The wandering nomads cease their migrations and settle in townships, learning new skills.
Episode 450 min1973-05-26
The Hidden Structure
The programme follows the beginnings of chemistry: from the techniques of ancient metallurgy in China and Japan to the mystical searchings of the alchemists.
Episode 550 min1973-06-02
Music of the Spheres
Mathematics is a way of describing the world that we see, hear and touch.
Episode 650 min1973-06-09
The Starry Messenger
From the earliest times, Man has looked outwards from the earth and wondered at the movements of sun, stars and planets. The programme hinges on the crisis of the scientific conscience in the person of the astronomer Galileo and in the rich cities of Venice and Rome, the scenes both of his triumph and his punishment.
Episode 750 min1973-06-16
The Majestic Clockwork
The universe of Newton, clear, English, stately, like the music and the great buildings of his century ticking away with a fine clockwork mechanism, wisely regulated by laws. Then the quizzical world of Einstein whose direct truth and questions could turn the dignified universe upside-down in the interests of a clearer understanding. We ride with Einstein on his beam of light to end our journey in our own century.
Episode 850 min1973-06-23
The Drive for Power
As political revolutions shook France and America, another quieter, yet more profound restructuring was taking place in Britain - the Industrial Revolution.
Episode 950 min1973-06-30
The Ladder of Creation
How did life begin on earth? Dr Jacob Bronowski recounts the adventures of Alfred Russell Wallace, and how they triggered off the ideas of Charles Darwin.
Episode 1050 min1973-07-07
World Within World
Dr Jacob Bronowski tells the story of the men and ideas that gave concrete expression to the invisible, intangible structure that lies beneath all matter.
Episode 1150 min1973-07-14
Knowledge or Certainty
Dr Jacob Bronowski considers how the great achievement of physics in the 20th century has been to show that absolute certainty, in science or outside of it, is beyond our grasp.
Episode 1250 min1973-07-21
Generation Upon Generation
Dr Jacob Bronowski follows the history of genetics, from the lonely experiments of Gregor Mendel to the discovery of the structure of DNA. Should we see human sexuality as a gift?
Episode 1350 min1973-07-28
The Long Childhood
From his home, Dr Jacob Bronowski takes stock of man's complex and often precarious ascent, drawing on experiences from his own lifetime.