Big History (2013–2013)

1. S01E01The Superpower of SaltNovember 2, 2013—We all know that mankind can't live without air, food and water...the same is true of salt. The salt on your table is a key to unlocking the
2. S01E02Horse Power RevolutionNovember 2, 2013—The horse has been a revolutionary animal in unexpected ways. It has changed how we speak, what we wear, and sets the hidden limit for the s
3. S01E03Gold FeverNovember 9, 2013—This episode asks why mankind is gold crazy, and discovers there's a hard-wired reason we lust after it, and a microscopic explanation for w
4. S01E04Below ZeroNovember 9, 2013—Reveals how cold has the power to turn men into Barbarians, spark history's longest running war, and create the concept of race. After the h
5. S01E05MegastructuresNovember 16, 2013—From the Great Pyramid at Giza to the towering skyscrapers of today, humans have engineered massive constructions for at least 5,000 years.
6. S01E06Defeating GravityNovember 16, 2013—Flight takes more than wings. We need the right kind of air, the perfect materials cooked up over billions of years, and cosmic forces that
7. S01E07Brain BoostNovember 23, 2013—Behind that cup of coffee or tea is a global story that goes back to the collision that created the Moon and the evolution of plant and anim
8. S01E08World of WeaponsNovember 23, 2013—Humans have small teeth and no claws or armor, so how do we project our power? Warfare has defined traditional history, but Big History digs
9. S01E09Mountain MachinesNovember 30, 2013—They form natural boundaries, dictate how we spread around the planet, create natural defenses, and control our weather. From the World War
10. S01E10Pocket Time MachineNovember 30, 2013—How does the cellphone in your pocket link to the Big Bang, the evolution of human memory, and even the Titanic disaster? Big History reveal
11. S01E11DecodedDecember 7, 2013—Secret codes run the world. The code of life, DNA, is the operating system for all organisms, which spawned intelligent life like us who eve
12. S01E12Deadly MeteorsDecember 7, 2013—Impacts from space have created our planet and just about everything in it. Like celestial supply ships, they brought in water, metal, and m
13. S01E13The SunDecember 14, 2013—The Sun is our master and creator. It gives us our perception of time, controls our reality, and powers our lives. Big History sheds new lig
14. S01E14Rise of the CarnivoresDecember 14, 2013—Eating meat made us human...by giving us bigger brains, better tools, and spoken language. The human need for beef has driven history across
15. S01E15H₂ODecember 21, 2013—Water is the miracle molecule, and mankind has used its perfect properties to revolutionize our lives. It was our first superhighway, the li
16. S01E16Silver SupernovaDecember 21, 2013—At critical moments in history, our second place metal was the most important metal on Earth. Big History reveals how silver's place in our
17. S01E17The Big History of EverythingDecember 28, 2013—A two-hour special that caps off the 16-episode first season of H2's "Big History", the program illustrates the eight major "thresholds" or

Season 1 ranked & reviewed