Greatest Human Achievements

A 3-part series exploring the, sometimes unlikely, milestones in the history of human endeavour that brought us to where we are today. Breakthroughs in the fields of medicine, natural sciences, engineering, technology, architecture and communications all feature in this informative and engaging journey across time and place.

At a time when many are questioning the state of the world and the future of humanity, it seems appropriate to consider how we arrived at this point. And despite the current gloom, there’s plenty to celebrate. This series of three programs takes us through some of the greatest human achievements –  discoveries and creations that have changed the world and the way we live in it. It’s inevitably selective, taking as its guide the way that human traits such as persistence, imagination, curiosity and altruism have directed discovery – and how other, less laudable attributes, such as carelessness, forgetfulness, stubbornness and a taste for pleasure have also played their part. It traces the interconnections between the small light bulb moments as well as the mighty breakthroughs; from the discovery of fire to nailing DNA, from the first lenses to the first lunar landing, these are tales of a relentless drive to shape the world and direct the future.