PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances.

The history of the smartphone, from its roots in Morse code to Apple's unveiling of the first-ever iPhone in 2007; how the next generation of smartphones may allow for communication just by thinking.

Breakthrough: The Ideas That Changed the World

The Smartphone

The history of the rocket, from its origin in ancient China to its use as a weapon of war; how adding hydrogen allowed rockets to carry astronauts to the moon.

The Rocket

The 9,000-year history of the car, from its roots in dog sleds to Henry Ford's Model T; the next generation of self-driving automobiles.

The Car

Robots are first conceptualized in ancient Rome; how uses for robots have evolved over the centuries, from the calculator to the Roomba; what future robots might be able to do.

The Robot

A look at inventions that gave humans the ability to fly, from Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines to modern commercial planes.

The Airplane

A look at how the telescope was invented, from Galileo to Edwin Hubble, and how the invention reaches the universe 13 billion light-years out.

S1 E4 | The Car

E6 | The Smartphone

E5 | The Rocket

E4 | The Car

E3 | The Robot

E2 | The Airplane

E1 | The Telescope