Mankind Decoded - Season 1
Season 1
Episodes
Arms Race
About 10,000 years ago we discover farming. But when crops fail, early farming communities face a new threat. War. It's the birth of the arms race.
Lust for Luxury
When ordinary people desire the luxuries of the rich, ingenuity and innovation come together to take history in a new direction. From the obsession with silk to the fall of Constantinople, the discovery of the Americas to the launch of the Industrial Revolution, our desire for luxury has shaped our history and evolution.
Violent Planet
Over millions of years mankind has evolved from a puny, vulnerable creature to become a dominant force on the planet. Occasionally the planet bites back--with terrifying consequences that have shaped our evolution.
Connecting the World
The world is linked like never before. Modern transport and communications have resulted in a world that is wealthier, healthier, more mobile and better informed than ever before. But throughout history new trade routes have proved to be double-edged swords, opening the way to wealth as well as terrible dangers--among them revolutionary ideas and terrifying pandemics.
Rise of the Machines
Tools and machines have allowed us to overcome our physical limitations, and become the most successful species on Earth. But tools are also transforming what it means to be human.
Eat It, Drink It, Smoke It
Man uses plants to feed, heal and clothe himself, to build his world and even to alter how he feels. The use of plants like corn, tobacco and cotton become such an important part of our lives that they play a central role in our evolution, and lead to everything from War to Prohibition.
Fire, Coal, and Oil
Early man rubbed two sticks together and created fire. We learn to cook our food, saving vital energy. As a result, our brains expand--making us the most intelligent species on the planet. Armed with fire, we experiment by heating minerals to make stronger tools allowing us to fight wars and build civilizations. But burning wood destroys our landscape, so Mankind exploits a new energy--oil.
Man and Metals
Five thousand years ago man first throws a handful of rocks into a campfire and stumbles upon a discovery that changes the world: Metal. Copper, Tin and Bronze empower the ancient world and allow empires to expand, armed with sharp, hard-wearing weapons.
Information is Power
Communication is the vital ingredient in the building of civilization. The ability to share complicated ideas allowed early man to hunt, farm and build communities. And the creation of things like a 22-letter alphabet and the printing press allow Mankind to further expand, leading to the proliferation of new ideas and revolution.
Man and Beast
15,000 years ago man and the wolf form a partnership that shapes the future of Mankind. With the help of man's new best friend we domesticate more animals, sowing the first seeds of farming and civilization.
Building Earth
Mankind is a building species. Inspired by the divine, we create monuments to its power (Stonehenge, the Great Pyramid). New challenges create new sciences, and when the Romans mixed volcanic ash with water they created a new super-material: concrete. Today, we shape the surface of the earth to facilitate our needs.
Need for Speed
No prizes for second place! In this episode we learn how being the fastest enabled empires to be born and capitalism to thrive.
Recently Updated Shows
The Morning Show
Nominated for three Golden Globes®, this unapologetically candid drama looks at the modern workplace through the lens of the people who help America wake up. Pull back the curtain on early morning TV.
Revival
Revival is set on one miraculous day in rural Wisconsin when the recently deceased suddenly rise from their graves. But this is no zombie story as the "revived" appear and act just like they once were. When local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she's left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.
Black Doves
Helen Webb, politician's wife, doting mother, and professional spy, has been passing on her husband's secrets to the Black Doves, the shadowy organization for whom she works. But when her lover Jason is assassinated, Helen's life is turned upside down, and only her old friend Sam Young can keep her safe. But Sam, a suave, champagne-drinking assassin, also has problems of his own. Out of the game, since his last job went wrong, he soon realizes his past is coming back to haunt him. Together, they set off on a mission that will lead them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy. One that links the murky underworld of London to a looming geopolitical crisis — and leads them to question the cost of the moral choices they've made.