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Series 1

Barcode

How vast mega-stores emerged with the help of a design originally drawn in the sand.

• 15 mins

Series 1

Banking

Warrior monks, crusaders and the mysterious origins of modern banking.

• 15 mins

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Light Bulb

Once too precious to use, light is now too cheap to notice.

• 15 mins

Series 1

M-Pesa

Transferring money by text message is far safer and more convenient than cash.

• 15 mins

Series 1

Compiler

Installing Windows might take 5,000 years without the compiler.

• 15 mins

Series 1

Billy Bookcase

The Billy bookcase epitomises the pursuit of lower costs and acceptable functionality.

• 15 mins

Series 1

Antibiotics

The tale of antibiotics is a cautionary one, and economic incentives are often to blame.

• 15 mins

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Paper

The Gutenberg press changed the world - but it could not have done so without paper.

• 15 mins

Series 1

Insurance

Insurance is as old as gambling, but it's fundamental to the way the modern economy works.

• 15 mins

Series 1

Google

The words 'clever' and 'death' crop up less often than 'Google' in conversation.

• 15 mins

Series 1

Clock

The clock was invented in 1656 and has become an essential part of the modern economy.

• 9 mins

Series 1

Disposable Razor

King Camp Gillette created the disposable razor. But his influence extends beyond shaving.

• 9 mins

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Robot

Robots threaten the human workforce, but they are crucial to the modern economy.

• 9 mins

Series 1

Public Key Cryptography

Geeks versus government - the story of public key cryptography.

• 9 mins

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Battery

The story of the battery begins inside a dead murderer. It's a tale that's far from over.

• 9 mins

Series 1

Gramophone

'Superstar' economics - how the gramophone transformed the performing industry.

• 10 mins

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TV Dinner

The TV dinner, and other inventions from the same era, made a lasting economic impression.

• 9 mins

Series 1

Contraceptive Pill

The pill wasn't just socially revolutionary, it also sparked an economic revolution.

• 9 mins

Series 1

Part 24: Elevator

The safety elevator is a mass transit system that has changed the shape of our cities.

• 9 mins

Series 1

Air Conditioning

Invented for the printing industry, air conditioning now influences where and how we live.

• 15 mins

Series 1

Cuneiform

Cuneiform, the earliest known script, was used to create the world's first accounts.

• 9 mins

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Video Game

From Spacewar to Pokemon Go, video games have shaped the modern economy in surprising ways

• 9 mins

Series 1

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property reflects an economic trade off when it comes to innovation.

• 9 mins

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Passport

If anyone could work anywhere, some economists think global economic output would double.

• 9 mins

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Tally Stick

The tally stick shows us what money really is: a kind of debt that can be traded freely.

• 9 mins

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Index Fund

Warren Buffett is one of the world's great investors. His advice? Invest in an index fund.

• 15 mins

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Infant Formula

For many new mothers who want, or need, to get back to work, infant formula is a godsend.

• 15 mins

Series 1

Tax Havens

Gabriel Zucman invented an ingenious way to estimate how much wealth is hidden offshore.

• 10 mins

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Barbed Wire

'Lighter than air, stronger than whiskey' - barbed wire wreaked huge changes in America.

• 9 mins

Series 1

Department Store

Harry Selfridge pioneered a whole new retail experience with his London department store.

• 9 mins