Next episode of CNN Millennium

Catch up

The last 3 episodes to air, newest first.

1. 10

   S01E10 · December 26, 1999

   The Twentieth Century: Century of the Globe

   For the first time, mankind saw the world as a whole. Sigmund Freud explored the human psyche. Science split the atom. DNA revealed the origin of life. The bloodbath of World War I, the starvation of millions in the Soviet Union and China, Nazi genocide and the crimes of Pol Pot in Cambodia surpassed the horrors of previous centuries. This is the century of migrations, Asians to Britain, Hispanics to the US, the Chinese worldwide. Now telephones, satellite television and computers allow us to circle the world instantly. Charlie Chaplin, Princess Diana, brand names such as Coca Cola and global events like the World Cup are recognized everywhere. The East rises. Japan, China, the tiger-economies of the Pacific Rim, bid for the limelight and for power. The wheel turns full circle. The planet survives and begins the next Millennium.

2. 09

   S01E09 · December 19, 1999

   The Nineteenth Century: Century of the Machine

   The steam engine transformed travel and transport as railways and steamships encircled the earth. Thomas Cook invented mass tourism. Darwin's Theory of Evolution and book The Origin of Species challenged religious certainties. Transatlantic steamers and railroads enabled unprecedented immigration and expansion westwards into and across America. China was unable to withstand the technology and weapons of the West and was humiliated by the Opium Wars. Industrialization in Europe, USA and Japan had huge social consequences. The pace of work changed, damp and filth led to disease and workers struggled for political representation.

3. 08

   S01E08 · December 12, 1999

   The Eighteenth Century: Century of the Furnace

   This was a century in which revolutionary ideas ignited and transformed society. Western scientists undertook heroic expeditions to determine the shape of the world. People began to think about politics and society in new ways. Lisbon was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt following rational and human ideals now known as Enlightenment. The American War and the French Revolution transformed Europe and North America. India's wealth of natural resources brought mass production of cotton, tea and silk but British Imperialism claimed her riches. China also prospered, colonizing new territories to the north and west.