How We Got to Now

Polymath author Steven Johnson hosts this six-part series (a companion book was also released) celebrating “unsung heroes” of yesteryear whose ideas and inventions laid the groundwork for many of the facets of modern living that we take for granted today. The exuberantly boyish Johnson kicks off the initial episode “Clean” with a look at a chain of hygienic events that began in Chicago, circa the mid-19th century, when the streets were paved with something decidedly less glamorous and distinctly more odorous than gold. Unable to dig beneath the city, Ellis S. Chesbrough hit upon an alternative for creating an underground sewer system: raise the buildings, using jacks. Chicago's sewer system was a smashing success, except for the fact that the waste emptied into Lake Michigan—source of the Windy City residents' drinking water, solving one problem but leading to another. In a kind of six degrees of Thomas Edison way, Johnson traces the continuing story of “clean”—from John L. Leal's bold unauthorized dosing of the water supply in Jersey City with chlorine (which is lethal in the wrong amounts, but wound up cleaning the water) to Annie Murray's marketing of a new product called Clorox that would herald the birth of one of the biggest consumer industries in history. Throughout the series, Johnson travels the world, exploring the connections between seemingly disparate occurrences, such as how the invention of the mirror gave rise to the first “selfies” by Renaissance artists. Some of these are a bit of a stretch: the link between Hollywood Golden Age actress Hedy Lamarr and the development of secure wireless communications seems tangential (albeit entertaining), but for the most part, Johnson's invigorating survey of how we got to now takes viewers on an intriguing, mind-expanding journey. Also featuring the segments “Time,” “Glass,” “Light,” “Cold,” and “Sound,” extras include an interview with Johnson. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)