Comedian Mark Williams explains how 19th-century Britons drank beer as a healthy alternative to water because the fermentation process killed many harmful bacteria
2: What to Wear?
Jan 17, 2005
Mark Williams discovers how 19th-century hats were made of rabbit fur that had been shrunk in urine
3: Gas on Wheels
Jan 24, 2005
The use of gas to power the machines and inventions from the Industrial Revolution are explained by Mark Williams
4: Print and Paper
Jan 31, 2005
In a look at the history of printing, Mark Williams discovers why early typesetters arranged lower-case letters according to their usage, with the most common being in the middle
5: Under Pressure
Feb 7, 2005
Mark Williams visits a pub cellar and bridges across the Tyne, all powered by hydraulics, revealing how the beer pump started a power revolution
6: Building a Revolution
Feb 14, 2005
Documentary exploring how the massive construction boom triggered by the Industrial Revolution forced the building industry to find new materials to cope with increasing demand.
7: Bright Sparks
Feb 21, 2005
How the electricity industry was created from scientific experimentation and entrepreneurial enthusiasm - becoming the world's main power source.
8: Heavy Metals
Feb 28, 2005
The development of the Cornish mining industry, from pebble-picking in streams to the building of a honeycomb of mines below the sea
9: Cutting it Fine
Mar 7, 2005
How silk was instrumental in the invention of the binary code, which went on to inspire the computer revolution.
10: Machine Tools
Mar 14, 2005
Mark Williams learns about Joseph Whitworth, the man who standardised the threaded screw. Plus, the total cost of wood required to build HMS Victory
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