We live in a world that our ancestors would barely recognise. Around the globe, landscapes are re-formed, hostile environments tamed at speeds, depths and heights that would have left our forebears breathless. From the everyday to the spectacular, we have been to the moon, created imaginary worlds for fun, and to save lives — peered back billions of years to glimpse the origins of our universe. Even sent robots to explore the far reaches of the solar system. Driving all these achievements is humankind’s extraordinary gift for invention.
In this series, we look at the successes and the failures, the brilliant ideas, and some … well not so brilliant. This series celebrates the million ways our Great Inventions have transformed our world.