CONNECTIONS
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What do the Hubble Space Telescope, Buffalo Bill, and the Spanish Inquisition have in common? How do margarineÕs strange origins tie it to plankton shells, receding stars, hot chocolate, and the first solo Atlantic flight? If youÕve ever seen James BurkeÕs documentary TV series Connections or read his column of the same name, you know how he brings together these seemingly unrelated ideas and innovations, spinning a vast web of knowledge. In a special visit to the Smithsonian, James Burke explains how the Internet now brings countless new connections to light. He also asserts that the World Wide Web has given us a new awareness of our interdependenceÑwith each other and with the pastÑand discusses how this will change our lives.
Connections: an alternative view of change by James Burke
Original Series Episodes
| 1:The Trigger Effect | 2:Death in the Morning | 3:Distant Voices |
| 4: Faith in Numbers | 5:The Wheel of Fortune | 6: Thunder in the Skies |
| 7: The Long Chain | 8:Eat, Drink, and Be Merry | 9: Countdown |
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10: Yesterday,
Tomorrow and You
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An Example of Episode 3 - "Distant Voices"
The introduction of the saddle stirrup at the Battle of Hastings by the Normans, triggered a whole series of innovations in the science of warfare; the armor, the shield, the very concept of knighthood. The cannon and a silver strike, spawned the serendipities of Galileo. The vacuum pump and air pressure were discovered in Galileo's attempt to extract silver from deep mines. Widespread experiments ultimately led to the discovery of magnetism, electricity, radio, radar and promise to help unravel the mysteries of deep space communications. Traces the connection between medieval advances in the science of warfare, the discovery of large silver deposits in Czechoslovakia, the discovery of natural laws, and the invention of modern telecommunications.
1. nuclear bomb
2. Battle of Hastings
3. stirrup
4. family name
5. identifying marks
6. Agincourt - Welch long bow
7. plow
8. crop rotation
9. gun powder
10. bell making
11. bombard
12. silver mines
13. tallers
14. water wheels
15. blast furnace
16. metal mining
17. sump pumps
18. vacuum study
19. barometer
20. electrical charges
21. Galvani
22. Volta
23. battery
24. electro-magnetism
5. telephone
26. inter-stellar communication
