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Interesting Technology TV

The Machine That Changed The World

Watch the PBS series on the history of computing.

Back in 1992 PBS aired a series on the history of computers called The Machine That Changed the World.

Produced by WGBH Television, it was written and directed by Nancy Linde and was also shown in the UK on the BBC.

You can watch all the episodes below, courtesy of Waxy.

Episode 1: Great Brains

Explores the earliest forms of computing, from Charles Babbage in the 1800s to the first working computers of the 1940s.

Episode 2: Inventing the Future

The second part picks up the story of ENIAC and the first commercial computer company, culminates with the moon landing in 1969 and the rise of Silicon Valley.

Episode 3: The Paperback Computer

Explores the rise of the modern personal computer, the development of the graphical user interface, the Apple II and Macintosh, along with some early 90s predictions of the future.

Episode 4: The Thinking Machine

The history of artificial intelligence and the possibility of teaching computers to think and learn like human beings.

Episode 5: The World at Your Fingertips

The final episode explores the rise of information networks including the Internet and the world wide web.

WGBH Boston
> IMDb entry