How It Began: A History of the Modern World

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my new podcast: Context. If you’ve enjoyed engaging in history with me so far, I think you’ll continue to find value in the new show. Join me as we explore how other scholars have interpreted the rise of the modern world. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts! For more information, visit the new website, bradharris.com. I'll see you there!

Money is a form of trust.  And credit, not coins, has been the heart of financial innovation. Communities that have figured this out have sustained the most progress, from the Medician money exchange networks that funded the Renaissance to the cryptography companies that are developing the blockchain-based internet of value today. But, how did money evolve as a system of trust? To support How It Began, https://howitbegan.com/support. For more information, https://howitbegan.com.

Our submergence in the flow of time makes it difficult to comprehend how fundamental timekeeping technology has been to the evolution of civilization. But, to wind up the mechanism of modernity, our mastery of clockwork was critical. Where did the authority of our clockwork come from?  I give you measuring time, and how it began. To support How It Began, https://howitbegan.com/support. For more information, https://howitbegan.com.

The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement centered in Europe during the 1700s that established our modern convictions concerning the virtues of representative government, religious toleration, and human rights.  It inaugurated the idea that humanity could learn how to make the world a better a place, but why is its legacy so misunderstood?  To help support How It Began, go to https://howitbegan.com/support. For more information on this episode, go to https://howitbegan.com.

We've all heard about how the printing press revolutionized book production. But, the real revolution was in how printed books, as opposed to handwritten ones, obliterated the intellectual barriers between us, leading to the Scientific Revolution, The Enlightenment, and beyond. To help support How It Began, go to https://howitbegan.com/support. For more information on this episode, go to https://howitbegan.com.

The transition from the Stone Age to the age of metals marks the historical arrival of civilization. But, how was it that people first learned to see stone not as a tool in itself but as a reservoir of better tools? And how did we master that material revolution to forge cars & computers from sticks & stones? To help support How It Began, go to https://howitbegan.com/support. For more information on this episode, go to https://howitbegan.com.

Historian Brad Harris reveals the correlations between the spread of coffee and the rise of modern institutions. From science to security, insurance to stock exchanges, and all the way through to democratic liberation, coffee's arrival into Europe in the 1600s helped awaken Western Civilization from centuries of booze-induced slumber, catalyzing a new age of progress featuring revolutionary change on every front. To help support How It Began, go to https://howitbegan.com/support.

Historian Brad Harris reveals what empowered us to wield cold.  While most of the achievements of technology seem based on our conquest of heat, the unsung technological hero of modernity is refrigeration. It’s on-demand cold is critical in preserving the unprecedented cornucopia of foods we eat.  But refrigeration does so much more... How It Began is supported by CuriosityStream!  Check them out at curiositystream.com/howitbegan. For more information on this episode, visit howitbegan.com.

In this introduction to Season Two, historian Brad Harris challenges the growing cynicism toward the ideas of progress and modernity, recalling what The Enlightenment was all about. Music provided by Zack Hemsey, "Redemption," from the album, The Way, 2011. How It Began is supported by CuriosityStream.  Go to curiositystream.com and use the promo code "howitbegan" when you sign up for a membership to get your first month free! For more information on this episode, visit howitbegan.com.

In this Season One finale of How It Began, historian Brad Harris reveals the beautiful history of how life came to know its true origins through humanity's theory of evolution. Witness the courage and the brilliance of investigators, from modest coal miners to scientists like Darwin, as they challenged traditional beliefs in their quest to discover where all of the plants and animals came from. By Brad Harris, Historian of Science & Technology. For more information on this episode, visit howitbegan.com.

In this episode, historian Brad Harris takes us back to collapse of the Roman Empire to reveal how the world's most popular and expressive language, English, emerged from the dimmest moment of the dark ages. Hear how English actually sounded a thousand years ago and discover how it evolved through the centuries by absorbing other languages. By Brad Harris, Historian of Science & Technology. For more information on this episode, including a select bibliography, visit howitbegan.com.

In this episode, historian Brad Harris reveals the surprisingly fascinating history of financial markets and how the development of stock sales since the 1600s powered everything from the age of discovery to the ability of senior citizens to avoid poverty and retire comfortably. By Brad Harris, Historian of Science & Technology. For more information on this episode, including a select bibliography, visit howitbegan.com.

In this episode, historian Brad Harris takes us back to the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and reveals how that moment scared America's best scientists and engineers into inventing the Internet. Discover how a series of brilliant technical breakthroughs enabled us to connect our computers and build a world wide web of everything that everyone everywhere knows. By Brad Harris, Historian of Science & Technology. For more information on this episode, including a select bibliography, visit howitbegan.com.

In this episode, historian Brad Harris uncovers how we managed to advance from building machines for our muscles to building machines for our minds. Explore the history behind the life or death struggle to process information at the speed of light through two World Wars, a Space Race, and a digital revolution. By Brad Harris, Historian of Science & Technology. For more information on this episode, including a select bibliography, visit howitbegan.com.

In this episode, historian Brad Harris reveals the incredible story of how humanity learned to harness electricity. From William Gilbert's work with magnets and sparks in the 1600s to Nikola Tesla's establishment of the modern electric grid in the 1900s, discover the history behind the defining technology of the modern age. By Brad Harris, Historian of Science & Technology. For more information on this episode, including a select bibliography, visit howitbegan.com.