Isaac Newton: His Life and Work

This video traces the life of Isaac Newton and various aspects of Newton's work in science and theology, relating them to the political, social and theological concerns of the late 17th century and early 18th century England. It is presented by Simon Schaffer.

Related Links
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton: The Last Magician

Mechanical Marvels: Clockwork Dreams

This is a BBC documentary presented by Professor Simon Schaffer which charts the amazing and untold story of automata - extraordinary clockwork machines designed hundreds of years ago to mimic and recreate life.

The film brings the past to life in vivid detail as we see how and why these masterpieces were built. Travelling around Europe, Simon uncovers the history of these machines and shows us some of the most spectacular examples, from an entire working automaton city to a small boy who can be programmed to write and even a device that can play chess. All the machines Simon visits show a level of technical sophistication and ambition that still amazes today.

Related Links
The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Computer