Connections Season 1, with James Burke (1978) BBC

Yesterday, Tomorrow and You

"Yesterday, Tomorrow and You"A bit of a recap: change causes more change. Start with the plow, you get irrigation, pottery, craftsmen, civilization and writing, mathematics, a calendar to predict floods, empires, and a modern world where change happens so rapidly you can't keep up. What do you do? Stop the change? Throw away all technology and live like cavemen? Decide what change will be allowed by law? Or just accept that the world is changing faster than we can keep up with?

Connections was a ten-episode documentary television series created, written and presented by science historian James Burke. The series was produced and directed by Mick Jackson of the BBC Science & Features Department and first aired in 1978 (UK) and 1979 (USA). It took an interdisciplinary approach to the history of science and invention and demonstrated how various discoveries, scientific achievements, and historical world events built off one another in an interconnected way to bring about particular aspects of modern technology. The series was noted for Burke's crisp and enthusiastic presentation (and dry humour), historical reenactments, and intricate working models. The popular success of the series led to the production of two sequels, Connections² (1994) and Connections³ (1997), both for TLC. In 2004, KCSM-TV produced a program called Re-Connections, consisting of an interview of Burke and highlights of the original series, for the 25th anniversary of the first broadcast in the USA on PBS.
Source: Wikipedia