What the Ancients Knew

Tokyo's Skyscraper Secret

The central pillar concept, prevalent in traditional Japanese construction for centuries, has been directly adapted to sky scrapers.

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Host Jack Turner observes ancient techniques still being used today.WWW
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00:35

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Ancient Technique
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See how this ancient Seismoscope enabled the Chinese to know when an earthquake was coming. This was a useful tool for the Chinese Emperor!WWW
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00:50

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Chinese Seismoscope
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Each sword maker has his own formula, creating a extremely hard blade with willow like flexibility.WWW
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00:39

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Samurai Sword:The Formula
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Rome was one of the first cities with running water. Here is a segment on how the aqueducts transported the water.WWW
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01:56

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Roman Aqueducts
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Get a Quick History Guide of Rome.WWW
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00:31

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Rome QuickHistory
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The Magnificent Coliseum had some amazing technology. See how the first elevators worked.WWW
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02:57

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Coliseum's Elevators
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Host, Jack Turner, explains where perfume first came from.WWW
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00:46

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Egypt Perfume
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Romans enjoyed taking nice baths, and invented an effiecient Bath Heating System.WWW
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Roman Bath Heating System
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The ancient Egyptians wanted to be able to tell time to better organize their day, so they created the sundial.WWW
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01:21

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Sundial
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See how the Ancient Chinese created a rocket, by adding gunpowder to arrows. See how they figured out how to make the rockets larger and larger!WWW
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01:38

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Chinese Rocket
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Get a glance of the Roman Plumbing system that ensured public health in the big city.WWW
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00:29

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Roman Plumbing
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See how batten sails are useful on the open seas! The Chinese' design can be seen in modern sailboats!WWW
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00:55

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Chinese Batten Sail
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The Magic Mirror had a revival in the mid-16th century Japan, saving the lives of the persecuted.WWW
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00:59

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The Magic Mirror
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The Ancient Chinese were printing long before the West. However see why they abandoned their craft!WWW
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Chinese Methods of Print
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See how the Indians used astrological instruments to track the stars.WWW
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01:22

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Jantar Mantar
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The Chinese take fireworks very seriously. See how they accidentally discovered it, by mixing three compounds!WWW
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00:23

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Chinese Fireworks
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