Episode 1
Clean
Dirty water is transformed with a series of innovations - Chicago builds America's first sewer system, and Jersey City makes water safe for drinking (and bikinis). Manufacturing is transformed with the elimination of dust.
TV series
How We Got to Now
20141 season7.9 / 10
How We Got To Now with Steven Johnson is a six part documentary series that reveals the story behind the remarkable ideas that made modern life possible; the unsung heroes that brought them into the world – and the unexpected and bizarre consequences each of these innovations has triggered.
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Checked Jul 22, 2026
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Synopsis
How We Got To Now with Steven Johnson is a six part documentary series that reveals the story behind the remarkable ideas that made modern life possible; the unsung heroes that brought them into the world – and the unexpected and bizarre consequences each of these innovations has triggered.
Season 1 episodes
Watch options above are for the show and may vary by season or episode.
Episode 2
Time
With no natural light, submarines re-invent the workday. Frustrated with hundreds of local time zones, a railroad clerk fights to standardize time. Navigation, travel, and technology advances result from unrecognized contributions to time.
Episode 3
Glass
The invention of the mirror gives rise to the Renaissamce; glass lenses reveal worlds within worlds worlds; glass is essential; for communication in the deep ocean; glass lens allows millions to watch a man walk on the moon.
Episode 4
Light
The pioneers of light; Edison's light bulb; a French scientist accidentally discovers a neon light.
Episode 5
Cold
Ice delivery becomes big business, the father of frozen foods, Clarence Birdseye, and his vision for the future, and penguins who live in the desert.
Episode 6
Sound
30,000 year old traces of a desire to record sound are located in caves, how radio influenced the civil rights movement, the weapon that laid the ground work for today's mobile phones, and the role of the ultrasound in modern medicine.
Episode information updated Jul 22, 2026
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