James May's 20th Century (2007)

S1E1 Honey, I Shrunk The World

At the dawn of the 20th Century, long-distance travel was largely reserved for the military, the displaced, and the wealthy elite, but the advent of flight transformed this landscape. James May explores this shift by taking a look at the Vickers Vimy aircraft, which famously enabled Alcock and Brown to make the first transatlantic flight in 1919. However, it wasn’t just aviation that expanded our horizons; the automobile introduced a new level of independence. When James tests a 1908 Model T Ford, he realizes driving was quite a complicated affair back then. He notes, "The right pedal was the brake, the middle one was reverse, and the left served as both clutch and gears—depending on how far you pressed it. I’m surprised this driving thing ever took off." Additionally, making the world more accessible wasn't only about easier travel; cinema allowed us to experience far-off places from home. James creates his own black-and-white newsreel at Waltham