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[narrator] Could this
3,000-year-old gold cone
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reveal the secrets
of the cosmos.
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It can predict the future,
can communicate
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00:00:09,652 --> 00:00:12,120
with allegedly
supernatural forces.
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[narrator] Was this strange cube
created to win the war for Hitler?
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A handwritten note says
"Taken from Germany,
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from the nuclear reactor
that Hitler tried to build."
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[narrator] And could this weird
looking clock change the world?
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It really was a work
of engineering genius.
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[narrator]
These are most remarkable
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and mysterious objects on Earth.
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Hidden away in museums,
laboratories and storage rooms.
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Now, new research and technology
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can get under their skin
like never before.
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We can rebuild them,
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pull them apart and zoom in
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to reveal the unbelievable,
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the ancient,
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and the truly bizarre.
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These are
the world's strangest things.
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In a glass case, in a Berlin museum
sits a bizarre looking gold cone.
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It's a 3,000-year-old relic
thought to contain
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the secret knowledge
of a Bronze Age culture.
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A device for predicting
the future.
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[Maggie] If the theories
behind it are true,
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this is truly a revelation.
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[narrator] Now we're bringing
every detail
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of this astonishing artifact
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out into the light.
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It's utterly jaw dropping
in its, in its splendor.
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[narrator] It's 29-inches long,
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crafted from
wafer thin gold alloy
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and covered with intricate,
cryptic patterns.
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There are 21 horizontal
bands and almost 2,000 symbols
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[narrator] And experts
think these images
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are far more
than just decoration.
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They believe they form a
highly complex celestial code,
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one that some believe
they have finally cracked.
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[Mark] It's a very remarkable
artifact.
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It's beautiful,
meticulously done.
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And if you imagine this was
done during the Bronze Age,
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that is really astonishing.
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[narrator]
Where did it come from?
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What do these
cryptic symbols mean?
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What exactly is it?
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This peculiar cone is acquired by the
Berlin Museum of History and Prehistory
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from an antiques market in 1996.
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So they only have a rough idea
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of exactly where it is
originally discovered.
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[Ben] It was believed to
have been found somewhere
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north of the Alps,
Germany or Switzerland.
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It dates to between
a 1,000 to 800 BC.
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So we think it comes
from the Urnfield culture.
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[narrator] The Urnfield
dominate much of Central Europe
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from 1,300 to 750 BCE.
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They're called the Urnfield culture
because they practice cremation burials
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and they bury their dead in urns,
in cremation burial cemeteries.
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So you get these fields
of urns, the Urnfield culture.
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[narrator] One theory is that
this could be an ornate funeral urn,
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but speculation
doesn't end there.
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[Mark] There are a lot
of guesses of what it is.
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It could be a phallic symbol.
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It could be a containment
for arrows.
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It could be something
just decorative.
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[narrator] Others have
suggested that it might be a vase
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or even an ornamental cover
for a ceremonial standard.
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But archeologists now believe
its size and shape hold the answer.
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When you look at the objects
you know, you might turn around.
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You notice that it's got a hole in the
base about the size of a human head.
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[narrator] This leads experts
to a surprising conclusion.
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The thinking is that it's a hat.
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That that's exactly
what it's for.
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[narrator] This is now
considered the dominant theory
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for this strange object.
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It has even become known as the Berlin
Gold Hat, after the museum where it's kept.
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But it really stands out
for a hat.
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It's a really unusual level
of decadence and scale
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for this particular
archeological period.
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This hat is an amazing piece
of craftsmanship.
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You know, even today,
it would be very impressive
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to create such a beautiful
object out of gold.
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[narrator] If it's
difficult to make today,
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how on earth did Bronze Age metal
workers pull it off 3,000 years ago?
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Chemical analysis of the hat's
gold reveals that whoever made it,
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had a sophisticated
understanding of metals.
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[Anna] If this hat was made
of just pure gold,
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it probably buckle
under its own weight
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because the walls are so thin.
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[narrator] To overcome this,
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the hats maker mixes gold
with other metals.
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[Anna] The mixture
is about 9.8% silver,
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0.4% copper and 0.1% tin.
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That makes it much stronger and more rigid
so that it can stand up under its own weight.
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These goldsmiths clearly knew
what they were doing.
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This is actually about the right ratio
that we use for 22 karat gold today.
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[narrator] These are astonishing
lengths to go to for just a hat.
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An analysis of its construction
reveals something even stranger.
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When you X-ray the Berlin gold
hats, there are no seams in it,
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so this whole object has been
beaten out of a single piece.
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[narrator] The gold alloy has been
worked to an extraordinary degree.
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This is only possible because
the arrangement of atoms in gold
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make it uniquely malleable, so it can be
worked in a way no other metal can be.
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If you beat gold onto
a flat surface,
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you can create a really thin piece of
gold leaf that is just a few atoms thick.
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It's so thin that you can
actually see light through it.
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[narrator] Which explains
the hats delicate construction.
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The single sheet of gold
that this hat is made out of
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is just the thickness
of a few sheets of paper.
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This means that the
gold from the whole hat
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is the equivalent of a cube
about that size.
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[narrator] It's already an
incredible achievement
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for a Bronze Age craftsman.
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But there's far more to it.
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Every one of the almost 2,000
intricate symbols is individually crafted.
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That was probably made
from a mixture of two technique
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called repousse and chasing.
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With repousse what you do is
you create a sort of rough shape
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on a mold and you hammer
the gold from behind
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in order to create
the relief of the pattern.
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After that, you do chasing
which is using smaller tools
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to add to the intricate
fine details onto the front.
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[narrator] The finished piece
could have taken months to make.
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Why expend all this precious resource
and concentrated effort on a hat?
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Is there more to this mysterious
object than meets the eye?
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Detailed analysis
of these decorations suggests
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that the Berlin Gold Hat is anything
but a regular piece of head wear.
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Experts now believe that
some symbols represent the sun,
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others the moon.
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This leads to an astonishing
conclusion.
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The Berlin Gold Hat
may be a celestial calendar
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that can predict the future.
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[narrator] Experts believe
this 3,000-year-old Gold Hat
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may actually
be a celestial calendar
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used to predict the future.
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The Bronze Age people
who made it
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measure time
using the phases of the moon
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to count months,
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but the annual cycle of
the sun to measure years,
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and that is a problem for them.
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[Maggie] The lunar
cycle and the solar cycle
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don't mesh up very well.
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12 lunar cycles don't add up
to one solar cycle.
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It takes the earth 365 and a quarter
days to go all the way around the sun.
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But it takes the moon 29 and a
half days to go around the earth.
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[narrator] So 12 lunar months
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is 11 and a half days
short of a full year.
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And if you rely on the sun and the
moon to know when you should plant
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or harvest or hunt,
this is a problem.
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Your two essential calendars are
getting more and more out of sync
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with each other all the time.
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In 432 BCE,
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Greek astronomer Meton observes
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that it takes 19 years for the moon
cycle to come back into sync with the sun.
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He uses this
to come up with a fix.
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The ancient Greeks decided
to fit in with the Meton cycle
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to add an extra lunar month
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for 7 of the 19 years
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when the two calendars
were out of sync.
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[narrator] This fix keeps
the lunar and solar calendars
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approximately in sync
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until they actually
line up again every 19 years.
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What astonishes archaeologists
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is that the symbols
on the Gold Hat
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provide a way of calculating
exactly the same fix
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to correct for this difference.
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[Maggie] It seems to be a... an
indication of a cross reference
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between the lunar calendar
and the solar calendar.
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What's more, it looks as if
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they actually keep
the two calendars in check.
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[narrator] Astronomers call
this an intercalary correction.
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What makes this so exciting
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is that the Hat appears to
predate Meton's discovery
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by an incredible 500 years.
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If the theory
of this hat is correct,
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then it shows that these what
we consider to be primitive people
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had a detailed understanding
of astronomical cycles.
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To actually do this calculation,
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they would have to do very,
very detailed observations
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over long periods of time.
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So it shows a sophistication
that is unexpected.
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[narrator] This would be
an astonishing claim to make
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based on a single artifact.
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But the Berlin Gold Hat
is not alone.
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[Mark] There are three other
objects that are very similar.
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Two of them are from
today modern Germany,
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from Schifferstadt and
from Nurnberg... Nuremberg,
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and another one
is from Poitiers in France.
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[narrator]
The patterns on the other hats
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have not yet been
closely studied,
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but they are organized
in comparable sequences.
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So it's assumed
they have a similar purpose.
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00:11:51,954 --> 00:11:53,688
3,000 years ago,
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this level of astronomical
knowledge may have seemed magical.
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[Mark] We have an object here
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that allows you
to predict the future
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when it comes to sun and moon,
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it allows you to communicate
with supernatural forces.
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[narrator] That sounds as
much like religion as astronomy.
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[Ben] When we're
studying people in the past,
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it's really important
for us to remember
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that religion and everyday life
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00:12:19,748 --> 00:12:21,482
don't sit apart from each other.
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00:12:21,517 --> 00:12:24,352
They're completely intertwined
and completely interwoven.
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Your spiritual well-being had a
direct relationship and a direct effect
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00:12:30,459 --> 00:12:33,094
on things like
the success of your crops,
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00:12:33,128 --> 00:12:34,729
the happiness of your family,
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00:12:34,763 --> 00:12:37,632
the security of your community.
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00:12:37,666 --> 00:12:40,501
[narrator] So if the Hat
is a supernatural predictor
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00:12:40,536 --> 00:12:41,936
of the future,
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00:12:41,970 --> 00:12:44,405
is it also part
of religious life?
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00:12:45,674 --> 00:12:49,544
And if so, who or what
is being worshiped?
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00:12:53,515 --> 00:12:56,651
On the top of the Hat
is an eight-pointed star.
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00:12:56,685 --> 00:12:59,253
Some archaeologists believe
it represents the sun,
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00:13:00,722 --> 00:13:02,757
which is highly significant
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00:13:02,791 --> 00:13:06,327
because in the ancient world,
sun worship is a recurring theme.
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00:13:08,263 --> 00:13:09,997
Sun gods are known
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00:13:10,032 --> 00:13:12,233
through history
all over the world.
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00:13:12,267 --> 00:13:13,968
For example, in Shinto,
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00:13:14,002 --> 00:13:16,504
there's Amaterasu,
the Sun Goddess,
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00:13:16,538 --> 00:13:18,973
the prime ruler of the universe.
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00:13:19,007 --> 00:13:21,275
The Lozi tribe in Zambia believe
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00:13:21,310 --> 00:13:23,477
that their kings
are direct descendants
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00:13:23,512 --> 00:13:25,513
from the Sun God
and the Moon Goddess.
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00:13:26,582 --> 00:13:29,483
[narrator] And around 1,340 BCE,
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00:13:29,518 --> 00:13:32,520
one of the greatest
civilizations of the ancient world
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00:13:32,554 --> 00:13:35,590
also became
dedicated sun worshipers.
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00:13:36,692 --> 00:13:39,060
[Rebecca] There was one
moment in ancient Egypt
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00:13:39,094 --> 00:13:43,264
where the Sun God was raised
above all of the other gods
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00:13:43,298 --> 00:13:46,701
and worship was dedicated
completely to him.
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00:13:46,735 --> 00:13:48,302
This God was called the Aten
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00:13:48,337 --> 00:13:52,073
and he was created by
a pharaoh called Akhenaten.
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00:13:52,107 --> 00:13:53,975
He built sun temples
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00:13:54,009 --> 00:13:57,478
of absolutely unbelievable size
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00:13:57,512 --> 00:14:00,181
and he created a brand new city
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00:14:00,215 --> 00:14:03,184
that was totally dedicated
to the Sun God.
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00:14:03,218 --> 00:14:06,087
[narrator] Sun cults are
well known in Europe too.
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00:14:06,121 --> 00:14:07,889
So it would fit
with what we know
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00:14:07,923 --> 00:14:11,492
if the Berlin Gold Hat
is worn by a revered figure,
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00:14:11,526 --> 00:14:14,929
perhaps a high priest
in a European sun cult,
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00:14:14,963 --> 00:14:18,132
a holy person or leader
who can interpret the meaning
241
00:14:18,166 --> 00:14:20,301
and importance of its markings.
242
00:14:20,335 --> 00:14:24,138
This would have invested
that person with immense power
243
00:14:24,172 --> 00:14:27,842
the power to effectively
predict the astronomical future,
244
00:14:27,876 --> 00:14:31,345
perhaps when to sow crops,
when to harvest, things like that.
245
00:14:31,380 --> 00:14:32,947
Having that sort of knowledge,
246
00:14:32,981 --> 00:14:34,615
especially in that
sort of culture,
247
00:14:34,650 --> 00:14:36,350
would have been
immensely powerful.
248
00:14:37,953 --> 00:14:39,153
[narrator] The Berlin Gold Hat
249
00:14:39,187 --> 00:14:41,155
is transforming
our understanding
250
00:14:41,189 --> 00:14:43,958
of European life
in the Bronze Age.
251
00:14:43,992 --> 00:14:47,461
It suggests that these were
highly sophisticated people
252
00:14:47,496 --> 00:14:49,397
with the patience
to make what we consider
253
00:14:49,431 --> 00:14:52,133
scientific observations
over decades,
254
00:14:52,167 --> 00:14:53,334
possibly centuries.
255
00:14:55,170 --> 00:14:59,173
It's amazing how much you
can tell about an entire culture
256
00:14:59,207 --> 00:15:01,309
just by looking at a weird hat.
257
00:15:09,685 --> 00:15:12,019
In the summer of 2013,
258
00:15:12,054 --> 00:15:16,290
Professor Timothy Koeth at
Maryland University receives a package
259
00:15:16,325 --> 00:15:19,627
containing a curiously heavy
two-inch black cube.
260
00:15:20,696 --> 00:15:22,330
It comes with a message.
261
00:15:22,364 --> 00:15:24,565
A handwritten note says,
262
00:15:24,599 --> 00:15:26,734
"Taken from Germany
263
00:15:26,768 --> 00:15:30,471
from the nuclear reactor
that Hitler tried to build.
264
00:15:30,505 --> 00:15:32,206
Gift of Ninninger."
265
00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:35,087
[narrator]
What is this strange cube?
266
00:15:35,111 --> 00:15:38,346
Why is it sent
to a Maryland professor?
267
00:15:38,380 --> 00:15:40,815
Did Hitler really have
an atomic program?
268
00:15:42,150 --> 00:15:45,119
Did he try to create
a Nazi atom bomb?
269
00:15:45,153 --> 00:15:48,389
Is it really from
a Nazi reactor?
270
00:15:55,330 --> 00:15:58,099
[narrator] Is a small cube
sent to an American professor
271
00:15:58,133 --> 00:15:59,834
at a Maryland university
272
00:15:59,868 --> 00:16:02,336
part of a Nazi nuclear program?
273
00:16:04,239 --> 00:16:06,507
Now, using
the latest technology,
274
00:16:06,541 --> 00:16:10,544
we can examine it in minute
detail to uncover its secrets.
275
00:16:14,950 --> 00:16:17,885
It measures two inches
along each face
276
00:16:17,919 --> 00:16:20,121
and it's a dark
charcoal-black color.
277
00:16:21,790 --> 00:16:26,293
The surface is pockmarked with
voids, imperfections, and machined slots.
278
00:16:28,030 --> 00:16:30,431
The cube weighs
about five pounds,
279
00:16:30,465 --> 00:16:32,933
unexpectedly heavy
for such a small object.
280
00:16:34,002 --> 00:16:36,103
Only one material fits the bill,
281
00:16:37,406 --> 00:16:38,372
uranium.
282
00:16:41,443 --> 00:16:45,312
It's well documented that Hitler
dreams of having a Nazi atom bomb.
283
00:16:48,850 --> 00:16:51,719
I don't think there was really
any doubt in anyone's mind
284
00:16:51,753 --> 00:16:55,790
that if Hitler had an atomic
weapon, he... he would use it,
285
00:16:55,824 --> 00:16:57,124
he would use it
as soon as he had it.
286
00:16:58,160 --> 00:16:59,527
[narrator] Could the tiny cube
287
00:16:59,561 --> 00:17:01,262
really be part of that project?
288
00:17:06,068 --> 00:17:07,935
Uranium has a special property
289
00:17:07,969 --> 00:17:10,671
essential to making
an atom bomb,
290
00:17:10,705 --> 00:17:11,705
it's radioactive.
291
00:17:13,175 --> 00:17:16,110
That means that there are
so many subatomic particles
292
00:17:16,144 --> 00:17:19,880
packed into its nucleus
that it's... it's barely stable
293
00:17:19,915 --> 00:17:23,551
and it occasionally
sheds little clusters
294
00:17:23,585 --> 00:17:26,320
of subatomic particles
as radiation.
295
00:17:29,324 --> 00:17:31,025
[narrator]
What makes the cube so special
296
00:17:31,059 --> 00:17:33,627
is that it's not simply
raw uranium.
297
00:17:35,297 --> 00:17:39,600
[Philip] It was clear that this little
cube of uranium had been processed.
298
00:17:39,634 --> 00:17:42,503
So it had been refined
from uranium ore,
299
00:17:42,537 --> 00:17:45,473
and then it had
the sort of tell-tale markings
300
00:17:45,507 --> 00:17:48,175
of having been cast in some way.
301
00:17:48,210 --> 00:17:52,446
So this was clearly a very
deliberately human-made object.
302
00:17:53,849 --> 00:17:55,783
[narrator]
But is it a Nazi cube?
303
00:17:59,287 --> 00:18:01,989
The first step
is to analyze its chemistry.
304
00:18:03,425 --> 00:18:05,459
[Dougal] When you look at
the composition of this cube,
305
00:18:05,494 --> 00:18:07,094
it's pure uranium,
306
00:18:07,129 --> 00:18:08,829
it's not been enriched.
307
00:18:08,864 --> 00:18:11,298
[narrator] The most
radioactive part of pure uranium
308
00:18:11,333 --> 00:18:13,367
is the isotope U-235.
309
00:18:14,436 --> 00:18:17,304
But it makes up
just 1% of the material.
310
00:18:17,339 --> 00:18:19,306
So uranium is now enriched
311
00:18:19,341 --> 00:18:23,477
to increase the radioactive
U-235 content.
312
00:18:23,512 --> 00:18:25,913
[Dougal] Almost all of
the uranium that we use
313
00:18:25,947 --> 00:18:28,482
in modern day
is enriched uranium.
314
00:18:28,517 --> 00:18:32,386
That gives us a really good fingerprint
as to where the cube has come from
315
00:18:32,420 --> 00:18:35,356
because the time that we were
starting to play around with uranium
316
00:18:35,390 --> 00:18:36,824
in any great depth
317
00:18:36,858 --> 00:18:38,659
was towards
the end of World War II.
318
00:18:41,062 --> 00:18:43,764
[narrator]
So it is World War II uranium.
319
00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:48,402
But if Hitler has the raw material
for making a nuclear bomb,
320
00:18:49,471 --> 00:18:50,604
why doesn't he use it...
321
00:18:52,974 --> 00:18:53,974
or does he?
322
00:18:56,444 --> 00:19:00,114
In December 1938,
at a Berlin laboratory,
323
00:19:00,148 --> 00:19:04,285
German scientists
Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann
324
00:19:04,319 --> 00:19:06,854
do something that changes
the world forever.
325
00:19:08,890 --> 00:19:10,958
They split the atom.
326
00:19:10,992 --> 00:19:14,595
[Tim] They were doing
this by firing neutrons
327
00:19:14,629 --> 00:19:16,063
at the uranium targets,
328
00:19:17,933 --> 00:19:20,868
and the amazing discovery
wasn't just that they,
329
00:19:20,902 --> 00:19:23,103
say, chipped off
a little bit of it.
330
00:19:23,138 --> 00:19:27,708
They essentially split into two
other elements, cesium and barium.
331
00:19:28,710 --> 00:19:30,077
[narrator] What
makes this discovery
332
00:19:30,111 --> 00:19:33,047
the genesis of the most
dangerous weapon on earth
333
00:19:33,081 --> 00:19:35,849
is that the weight of the
two new elements is less
334
00:19:35,884 --> 00:19:38,285
than the weight of
the original uranium.
335
00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:40,588
Some mass has gone missing.
336
00:19:40,622 --> 00:19:42,323
Essentially, what's
happening is that
337
00:19:42,357 --> 00:19:45,392
some of the initial
mass of that nucleus,
338
00:19:45,427 --> 00:19:46,827
rather than just ending up
339
00:19:46,861 --> 00:19:50,397
in the mass of the,
the two fragments,
340
00:19:50,432 --> 00:19:54,568
some of it is being
converted directly into energy.
341
00:19:54,603 --> 00:19:56,103
[narrator] And the
tiny amount of mass
342
00:19:56,137 --> 00:19:59,640
produces a truly vast
amount of energy.
343
00:19:59,674 --> 00:20:03,611
[Philip] If you could find a
way of sustaining that process,
344
00:20:03,645 --> 00:20:05,713
then you could build... a bomb.
345
00:20:07,482 --> 00:20:10,150
[narrator] The discovery
is a Pandora's box.
346
00:20:12,354 --> 00:20:15,889
Because it comes at one of the
most perilous moments in world history.
347
00:20:17,892 --> 00:20:19,760
[Sascha]
The timing of this discovery
348
00:20:19,794 --> 00:20:22,029
is extremely... crucial.
349
00:20:23,465 --> 00:20:27,868
Germany is under the
dictatorship of Adolf Hitler,
350
00:20:27,902 --> 00:20:33,007
plans are being drawn up
for invasion of Poland.
351
00:20:33,041 --> 00:20:37,578
So, the world is on...
the knife edge of war.
352
00:20:37,612 --> 00:20:41,282
And into this extraordinarily...
fraught moment
353
00:20:41,316 --> 00:20:45,286
arrives the beginnings of the most
powerful weapon that human beings
354
00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:46,320
will ever develop.
355
00:20:47,956 --> 00:20:50,324
[narrator] And what's
worse is that leading the race
356
00:20:50,358 --> 00:20:52,693
to develop the
first nuclear bomb
357
00:20:52,727 --> 00:20:53,761
are the Nazis.
358
00:20:59,434 --> 00:21:01,302
[narrator] An innocent
looking metal cube
359
00:21:01,336 --> 00:21:04,371
that arrived through the
post at Maryland University
360
00:21:04,406 --> 00:21:07,875
turns out to have a
dark and disturbing past.
361
00:21:07,909 --> 00:21:09,843
It may be part of
the Nazis' attempt
362
00:21:09,878 --> 00:21:12,980
to develop an atomic bomb...
before the Allies could.
363
00:21:14,215 --> 00:21:19,620
The same month that World
War II begins, September 1939,
364
00:21:19,654 --> 00:21:24,191
the German Nazi government
establishes the Uranverein,
365
00:21:24,225 --> 00:21:25,292
the Uranium club.
366
00:21:26,361 --> 00:21:29,063
There's an immense number
of incredibly intelligent,
367
00:21:29,097 --> 00:21:30,564
well-trained people,
368
00:21:30,598 --> 00:21:32,466
including... Werner Heisenberg,
369
00:21:32,500 --> 00:21:34,335
who's one of the
fathers of quantum physics.
370
00:21:35,603 --> 00:21:37,805
[narrator] Heisenberg
and his team of scientists
371
00:21:37,839 --> 00:21:40,741
end up in a location straight
out of a Hollywood movie.
372
00:21:42,010 --> 00:21:45,346
A secret lab under
a medieval castle
373
00:21:45,380 --> 00:21:47,915
on the edge of the Black Forest.
374
00:21:47,949 --> 00:21:50,951
[narrator] Beneath Haigerloch
Castle in Southwest Germany,
375
00:21:50,985 --> 00:21:53,187
Heisenberg's team
begins to construct
376
00:21:53,221 --> 00:21:56,557
what he calls his
uranium machine.
377
00:21:56,591 --> 00:22:00,094
It's built around hundreds
of tiny cubes of pure uranium.
378
00:22:01,129 --> 00:22:03,897
We know it better
as a nuclear reactor,
379
00:22:03,932 --> 00:22:06,734
the first step on the
road to an atom bomb.
380
00:22:10,638 --> 00:22:14,742
[Philip] And when the splitting
apart of uranium happened, crucially,
381
00:22:14,776 --> 00:22:16,744
it releases neutrons
382
00:22:16,778 --> 00:22:21,115
and neutrons are the particles that
induce that splitting in the first place.
383
00:22:22,417 --> 00:22:24,818
[narrator] Each time
a uranium atom splits,
384
00:22:24,853 --> 00:22:26,820
it produces more
than one neutron,
385
00:22:26,855 --> 00:22:29,857
each of which can split
another uranium atom,
386
00:22:29,891 --> 00:22:33,293
creating an exponentially
increasing release of energy.
387
00:22:34,496 --> 00:22:37,765
It immediately became
clear to these physicists
388
00:22:37,799 --> 00:22:42,069
that what you've got here is the
potential for a self-sustaining process,
389
00:22:42,103 --> 00:22:43,437
a chain reaction.
390
00:22:45,140 --> 00:22:47,107
[narrator] The amount of
uranium needed to create
391
00:22:47,142 --> 00:22:50,377
a chain reaction is
called the critical mass.
392
00:22:50,412 --> 00:22:53,414
[Philip] So what they did was
to come up with a design
393
00:22:53,448 --> 00:22:57,584
where you'd assemble
this critical mass of uranium
394
00:22:57,619 --> 00:23:01,855
from small pieces, from
these cube blocks.
395
00:23:04,592 --> 00:23:08,429
[narrator] The arrangement of the cubes
looks like some kind of lethal candelabra.
396
00:23:11,766 --> 00:23:15,736
Expanding and rotating the
cube reveals machined notches
397
00:23:15,770 --> 00:23:18,305
in the middle of two edges.
398
00:23:18,339 --> 00:23:23,610
These fit perfectly with the wires
used to suspend Heisenberg's cubes.
399
00:23:23,645 --> 00:23:27,381
This is definitively
a Nazi cube.
400
00:23:27,415 --> 00:23:31,685
So why doesn't it lead to the
Nazis building the ultimate weapon?
401
00:23:34,489 --> 00:23:35,689
The reason is simple.
402
00:23:36,758 --> 00:23:37,891
They run out of time.
403
00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:41,462
In April 27, 1945,
404
00:23:41,496 --> 00:23:43,630
the Allies advance
enough into Germany,
405
00:23:43,665 --> 00:23:46,600
they actually
capture the main site
406
00:23:46,634 --> 00:23:49,937
where this experimentation
was happening.
407
00:23:49,971 --> 00:23:52,706
[narrator] Most of the scientists
and facilities are captured.
408
00:23:53,942 --> 00:23:55,108
Three months later,
409
00:23:55,143 --> 00:23:56,877
the US Manhattan Project
410
00:23:56,911 --> 00:24:00,414
proves just how dangerous
the atom bomb really is.
411
00:24:01,449 --> 00:24:03,450
On July 16,
412
00:24:03,485 --> 00:24:05,085
1945,
413
00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:06,954
the Trinity test
414
00:24:06,988 --> 00:24:11,525
and the first successful
atomic explosion happens.
415
00:24:17,765 --> 00:24:20,834
And the world will
never be the same again.
416
00:24:22,937 --> 00:24:25,572
Oppenheimer, who was
managing the project,
417
00:24:25,607 --> 00:24:28,976
actually quoted the Indian
epic, the Bhagavadgita,
418
00:24:29,010 --> 00:24:31,979
"I am become Death,
Destroyer of Worlds."
419
00:24:34,249 --> 00:24:37,184
[narrator] In the end, America's
victory in the race to harness
420
00:24:37,218 --> 00:24:40,120
the deadly power of the
atom appears decisive.
421
00:24:48,196 --> 00:24:52,666
But how close did the Nazis actually
come to winning the atomic race?
422
00:24:54,602 --> 00:24:57,604
US scientists
chemically test the cubes,
423
00:24:57,639 --> 00:25:00,774
looking for the fingerprints
of the new elements produced
424
00:25:00,808 --> 00:25:02,576
when uranium atoms are split.
425
00:25:03,778 --> 00:25:05,379
[Dougal]
When you analyze this cube,
426
00:25:06,915 --> 00:25:09,616
it's just uranium. There's
no cesium in it at all.
427
00:25:10,685 --> 00:25:12,686
So it didn't really
get that far.
428
00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:16,456
[narrator] It's clear Heisenberg's
uranium machine never works,
429
00:25:16,491 --> 00:25:21,828
yet the Manhattan Project creates a
working nuclear reactor by late 1942.
430
00:25:23,097 --> 00:25:25,966
Why don't the Nazis
have the same success?
431
00:25:28,436 --> 00:25:32,539
[Philip] One of the problems was
simply the disruption of the war.
432
00:25:33,808 --> 00:25:36,710
Berlin was suffering
so heavily from bombing
433
00:25:36,744 --> 00:25:41,214
that it was decided that they had to shift
the whole thing, including all the uranium
434
00:25:41,249 --> 00:25:43,116
out of Berlin and down South.
435
00:25:44,786 --> 00:25:48,455
[narrator] And Nazi ideology
causes a massive brain drain.
436
00:25:48,489 --> 00:25:50,991
[Tim] A lot of the
brightest minds in Physics
437
00:25:51,025 --> 00:25:53,427
had actually left Germany
at that time
438
00:25:53,461 --> 00:25:55,829
and gone on to
the United States.
439
00:25:55,863 --> 00:26:00,100
[narrator] Ironically, many of them
end up working on the Manhattan Project.
440
00:26:01,603 --> 00:26:04,404
But perhaps the Nazis'
greatest problem of all
441
00:26:04,439 --> 00:26:08,275
is their belief in
competition at all costs.
442
00:26:08,309 --> 00:26:11,812
[Philip] Heisenberg wasn't the only
one working on uranium projects.
443
00:26:11,846 --> 00:26:16,216
He had a competitor, a rival
really, called Kurt Diebner,
444
00:26:16,250 --> 00:26:20,153
who was engaged in a
completely different project.
445
00:26:20,188 --> 00:26:22,823
And so, you know, this
was also a hindrance,
446
00:26:22,857 --> 00:26:24,825
the... their resources
were split
447
00:26:24,859 --> 00:26:26,393
and their energies were split,
448
00:26:26,427 --> 00:26:29,496
and there was this rivalry
between the two groups.
449
00:26:29,530 --> 00:26:32,065
[narrator] Now, newly
declassified documents
450
00:26:32,100 --> 00:26:34,768
have revealed that if
not for that rivalry,
451
00:26:34,802 --> 00:26:39,406
the race for a Nazi atom bomb
could have turned out very differently.
452
00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:43,210
So recently, looking through
the archives, they realized that
453
00:26:43,244 --> 00:26:44,645
within the Heisenberg site,
454
00:26:44,679 --> 00:26:46,780
there were about 660 cubes.
455
00:26:47,882 --> 00:26:51,051
There were about 400
cubes at the other sites,
456
00:26:51,085 --> 00:26:53,120
and the rough estimates
of what was required
457
00:26:53,154 --> 00:26:55,656
in order to get the
reactor up and functional
458
00:26:55,690 --> 00:26:57,691
was on the order of a thousand.
459
00:26:57,725 --> 00:27:00,761
And so, they actually had the
uranium resources they need
460
00:27:00,795 --> 00:27:03,964
in order to drive a
functional nuclear reactor.
461
00:27:03,998 --> 00:27:07,367
It was just the choice to split
the cubes up among multiple sites,
462
00:27:07,402 --> 00:27:08,835
prevented them
from achieving that.
463
00:27:10,204 --> 00:27:12,939
[narrator] So, the only
thing left to answer is,
464
00:27:12,974 --> 00:27:16,943
how does a Nazi cube end up on
the desk of a Maryland professor?
465
00:27:16,978 --> 00:27:19,379
And who is Ninninger?
466
00:27:27,055 --> 00:27:30,090
[narrator] How does a key part
of the Nazi nuclear program
467
00:27:30,124 --> 00:27:32,993
end up in the office of a
Maryland university professor?
468
00:27:36,230 --> 00:27:41,334
Declassified papers show that the
cubes were shipped back to the States.
469
00:27:41,369 --> 00:27:45,305
This is where Ninninger comes in, he's one
of the managers on the Manhattan Project
470
00:27:45,339 --> 00:27:47,441
and he is the one who takes
471
00:27:47,475 --> 00:27:49,376
receipt of a bunch
of these cubes,
472
00:27:49,410 --> 00:27:52,345
so we know that they
crossed his desk at some point.
473
00:27:52,380 --> 00:27:56,349
Ninninger dies in 2004,
and according to his wife,
474
00:27:56,384 --> 00:28:00,353
he left the cube to a friend who
then gave it to another friend.
475
00:28:00,388 --> 00:28:03,890
And through this kind
of improbable chain of
476
00:28:03,925 --> 00:28:06,993
pass the cube, it eventually
ends up on the desk
477
00:28:07,028 --> 00:28:08,929
of a Maryland physicist.
478
00:28:10,498 --> 00:28:12,232
[narrator] In a different
version of history,
479
00:28:12,266 --> 00:28:14,868
the two-inch cube could
have been the first step
480
00:28:14,902 --> 00:28:17,604
to Nazi Germany
winning the nuclear race.
481
00:28:20,341 --> 00:28:24,678
Instead, Hitler's Nazi
nuclear program ends up
482
00:28:24,712 --> 00:28:25,712
as a paperweight.
483
00:28:32,220 --> 00:28:35,222
In a locked cabinet at
London's Science Museum,
484
00:28:35,256 --> 00:28:39,793
is a unique 290-year-old work
of mechanical genius.
485
00:28:42,230 --> 00:28:44,464
This incredible device
is designed to help
486
00:28:44,499 --> 00:28:48,502
build empires and create
unimaginable wealth.
487
00:28:48,536 --> 00:28:50,070
Huge money making,
488
00:28:51,072 --> 00:28:53,640
vast money making.
489
00:28:53,674 --> 00:28:57,477
An untold new sort
of money making,
490
00:28:57,512 --> 00:29:01,982
that's going to blow all other types
of moneymaking out of the water.
491
00:29:02,016 --> 00:29:05,051
[narrator] To understand why,
you need to get right inside it.
492
00:29:08,089 --> 00:29:10,891
This is H1.
493
00:29:10,925 --> 00:29:13,860
It was completely revolutionary.
494
00:29:13,895 --> 00:29:18,565
[narrator] In 1736, H1 is the
most advanced clock on the planet.
495
00:29:18,599 --> 00:29:21,735
It stands just 24
and a half inches tall.
496
00:29:21,769 --> 00:29:26,273
Its mechanical skeleton is made
from brass, bronze and steel,
497
00:29:26,307 --> 00:29:28,942
and it's unlike any other clock.
498
00:29:28,976 --> 00:29:33,980
Its decorated face has four dials
with strange double ended hands,
499
00:29:34,015 --> 00:29:38,051
parts of its mechanism move
with almost supernatural grace,
500
00:29:38,085 --> 00:29:41,666
and inside some components
have been precision machined
501
00:29:41,690 --> 00:29:44,090
from a rare tropical hardwood.
502
00:29:44,125 --> 00:29:45,759
It's almost like a living thing.
503
00:29:46,794 --> 00:29:49,129
When it's built, these odd
mechanisms make it
504
00:29:49,163 --> 00:29:51,832
one of the most accurate
clocks on the planet.
505
00:29:51,866 --> 00:29:54,167
A clock designed to
change the world.
506
00:29:55,203 --> 00:29:56,703
Who makes it?
507
00:29:56,737 --> 00:29:58,471
What is it for?
508
00:29:58,506 --> 00:30:01,508
How can one machine
be so important?
509
00:30:09,050 --> 00:30:11,585
H1 is created to achieve
two things,
510
00:30:11,619 --> 00:30:14,254
power and money.
511
00:30:14,288 --> 00:30:15,755
So the beginning of
the 18th century,
512
00:30:15,790 --> 00:30:21,428
Europeans are seeing a way of
just taking over the world basically.
513
00:30:21,462 --> 00:30:23,263
They think, oh, well,
we can take what we like,
514
00:30:23,297 --> 00:30:25,298
and the only competition
is between each other.
515
00:30:25,333 --> 00:30:28,101
The whole globe is there
seemingly
516
00:30:28,135 --> 00:30:32,472
up for grabs and
they are grabbing.
517
00:30:32,506 --> 00:30:36,443
[narrator] Europeans prefer to
call it the Golden Age of Exploration.
518
00:30:36,477 --> 00:30:40,513
It relies on one thing, ships.
519
00:30:40,548 --> 00:30:45,485
Europe had bigger, better,
faster, stronger, more robust ships
520
00:30:45,519 --> 00:30:47,621
that could handle
the big crossings,
521
00:30:47,655 --> 00:30:49,189
that could handle the storms,
522
00:30:49,223 --> 00:30:52,759
that could move large cargoes,
523
00:30:52,793 --> 00:30:56,763
and it was this that
unlocked the world.
524
00:30:56,797 --> 00:31:01,101
[narrator] But navigating the
world's oceans can go horribly wrong.
525
00:31:01,135 --> 00:31:03,637
Errors, calculating
a ship's position
526
00:31:03,671 --> 00:31:06,539
often result in
unintended contact with land,
527
00:31:07,975 --> 00:31:10,510
which rarely ends well
for the ships involved.
528
00:31:12,013 --> 00:31:14,381
In the 50 years before 1714,
529
00:31:14,415 --> 00:31:19,019
around 27 ships are lost
due to navigational errors.
530
00:31:19,053 --> 00:31:21,454
Losing one of this ships
is a big deal.
531
00:31:21,489 --> 00:31:25,659
I mean, economy busting sort of a
big deal, really, when you think about it.
532
00:31:27,028 --> 00:31:29,229
We know of at least one cargo
533
00:31:29,263 --> 00:31:31,998
that probably would have been
worth about a billion.
534
00:31:32,033 --> 00:31:34,034
One ship.
535
00:31:34,068 --> 00:31:37,871
[narrator] Any country that can stop
this by cracking the navigation problem
536
00:31:37,905 --> 00:31:41,541
will hold all the cards for
world trade and empire building.
537
00:31:42,877 --> 00:31:46,313
The British government
wants to win this race.
538
00:31:46,347 --> 00:31:51,384
So, in 1714, they offer up to
£20,000 for a solution,
539
00:31:51,419 --> 00:31:55,388
the equivalent of over
$5 million today.
540
00:31:55,423 --> 00:31:58,825
It was a huge sum and it
wasn't particularly prescriptive.
541
00:31:58,859 --> 00:32:00,327
You know, you could come up
with pretty much
542
00:32:00,361 --> 00:32:02,896
any sort of solution that
you thought would work.
543
00:32:02,930 --> 00:32:06,066
But if they believed it really
had, if you really solved it
544
00:32:06,100 --> 00:32:08,435
and they tested it
and it worked,
545
00:32:08,469 --> 00:32:10,737
big money.
546
00:32:10,771 --> 00:32:14,941
[narrator] Clockmaker John Harrison
wants to win this prize with H1.
547
00:32:14,976 --> 00:32:19,045
It's jam packed with the most
sophisticated technology in the world,
548
00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:22,582
because cracking navigation
is very tough.
549
00:32:22,616 --> 00:32:25,285
Even though we're on a sphere,
you can think about it
550
00:32:25,319 --> 00:32:27,387
is an X and a Y
coordinate first.
551
00:32:27,421 --> 00:32:30,223
So, North South gives you
your, your latitude
552
00:32:30,257 --> 00:32:32,392
and then the East West
as your longitude.
553
00:32:34,295 --> 00:32:39,032
[narrator] Latitude is easily ascertained
from the position of the sun or stars.
554
00:32:39,066 --> 00:32:42,635
H1 is created to find longitude,
555
00:32:42,670 --> 00:32:45,972
something that has confounded
sailors for thousands of years.
556
00:32:47,942 --> 00:32:52,545
The catch phrase discovering
longitude became a sort of way of saying
557
00:32:52,580 --> 00:32:54,714
that something was
completely impossible.
558
00:32:56,584 --> 00:33:00,487
[narrator] Yet the basic principles
don't seem all that complex.
559
00:33:00,521 --> 00:33:03,690
[Daniel] We grid out
longitude by drawing circles
560
00:33:03,724 --> 00:33:05,692
all the way around the earth
through the poles,
561
00:33:05,726 --> 00:33:08,261
and you divide the earth
up by degrees,
562
00:33:08,295 --> 00:33:11,031
and it looks a bit like
the segments of an orange.
563
00:33:11,065 --> 00:33:14,334
[narrator] And measuring
longitude is all about time.
564
00:33:15,469 --> 00:33:16,836
Have you ever wondered
565
00:33:16,871 --> 00:33:21,074
why noon in New York is five
hours later than noon in London?
566
00:33:21,108 --> 00:33:23,476
It's because that's how long
it takes the earth to rotate
567
00:33:23,511 --> 00:33:29,349
from the sun directly overhead in London
to the sun directly overhead in New York.
568
00:33:29,383 --> 00:33:34,421
To make more accurate measurements,
longitude is divided into 360 degrees.
569
00:33:35,856 --> 00:33:38,858
Each one of those degrees
represents 60 miles
570
00:33:38,893 --> 00:33:41,795
and so that's the relationship
between time and location.
571
00:33:43,664 --> 00:33:47,934
[narrator] Every four minutes,
the earth rotates by one degree.
572
00:33:47,968 --> 00:33:52,839
So, if you accurately know the time at
a fixed place called the prime meridian
573
00:33:52,873 --> 00:33:57,277
and you know how much later
or earlier noon is where you are,
574
00:33:57,311 --> 00:33:59,312
you can calculate
your longitude.
575
00:34:00,748 --> 00:34:03,016
All you need to
crack longitude is to know
576
00:34:03,050 --> 00:34:07,220
what the time is at your prime
meridian when you're away at sea.
577
00:34:07,254 --> 00:34:09,789
And that is H1s purpose.
578
00:34:09,824 --> 00:34:12,859
Sounds simple,
but it really isn't.
579
00:34:14,628 --> 00:34:16,696
To win the top prize from
the British government,
580
00:34:16,730 --> 00:34:20,533
H1 must keep phenomenally
accurate time.
581
00:34:20,568 --> 00:34:22,268
[Tim] In order to
achieve that prize,
582
00:34:22,303 --> 00:34:25,505
the clock could gain or lose no
more than three seconds per day.
583
00:34:26,674 --> 00:34:29,109
[narrator] Accurate
enough clocks do exist,
584
00:34:29,143 --> 00:34:33,980
but they use a swinging pendulum that
only works in a very stable environment,
585
00:34:34,014 --> 00:34:36,516
which is pretty much
everything a ship is not.
586
00:34:37,551 --> 00:34:41,387
An 18th century ship
was about the worst place
587
00:34:41,422 --> 00:34:46,526
to try and put a precision instruments
on, like a precise pendulum clock.
588
00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:49,662
When I've sailed ships like
that, they get into heavy weather,
589
00:34:49,697 --> 00:34:53,800
they roll from side to side,
they pitch up and down.
590
00:34:53,834 --> 00:35:00,106
Temperatures are going from
tropical down to freezing back up again.
591
00:35:00,141 --> 00:35:04,110
If you've got a precision
mechanism, it simply can't handle this
592
00:35:04,145 --> 00:35:06,312
and that was the challenge.
593
00:35:06,347 --> 00:35:08,214
[narrator] It seems impossible,
594
00:35:08,249 --> 00:35:11,851
which is probably why
the cash prize is so great.
595
00:35:11,886 --> 00:35:16,222
So, can H1 achieve the
impossible and snatch the prize?
596
00:35:21,996 --> 00:35:24,264
[narrator] Clockmaker John
Harrison creates H1
597
00:35:24,298 --> 00:35:26,799
to solve an unsolvable problem,
598
00:35:26,834 --> 00:35:31,037
calculating a ship's position,
East or West longitude.
599
00:35:31,105 --> 00:35:33,673
This has confounded mankind
for thousands of years.
600
00:35:34,708 --> 00:35:36,676
What makes him
think he can crack it?
601
00:35:37,845 --> 00:35:41,014
So, Harrison came
into this not as an amateur.
602
00:35:41,048 --> 00:35:43,049
He was actually an
established clockmaker
603
00:35:43,083 --> 00:35:46,352
with a track record of building
very accurate timepieces.
604
00:35:46,387 --> 00:35:48,087
[narrator] But Harrison
brings more than just
605
00:35:48,122 --> 00:35:51,791
superior clock making
to cracking longitude.
606
00:35:51,825 --> 00:35:55,461
He also has a deep understanding
of the fundamental science.
607
00:35:56,463 --> 00:35:59,365
So, the first sort of
intractable problem
608
00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:02,502
with putting a precision
clock at sea was the pendulum,
609
00:36:02,536 --> 00:36:05,305
because as it swings
and the ship rolls,
610
00:36:05,339 --> 00:36:07,207
that disturbs the
pendulum's motion
611
00:36:07,241 --> 00:36:10,877
and the pendulum is the heart
of making the timekeeper work.
612
00:36:10,911 --> 00:36:15,782
So, Harrison has a brilliant idea,
which might seem slightly counterintuitive.
613
00:36:15,816 --> 00:36:19,886
He puts what are essentially
two pendulums on the clock
614
00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:23,189
and they sit next to each
other, they pivot in the center.
615
00:36:23,224 --> 00:36:26,025
They've got little ball
weights on the top and bottom,
616
00:36:26,060 --> 00:36:29,362
and they move in
opposition to each other.
617
00:36:29,396 --> 00:36:32,999
And what that does is as the ship
moves back and forth and sways,
618
00:36:33,033 --> 00:36:35,268
as it impacts one
pendulum in one way,
619
00:36:35,302 --> 00:36:37,670
that's counteracted actually
in the other pendulum.
620
00:36:37,705 --> 00:36:41,441
And so together they can cancel
out a lot of the ship's motion.
621
00:36:44,211 --> 00:36:47,247
[narrator] One of Harrison's
other great enemies is friction.
622
00:36:48,415 --> 00:36:49,882
Friction is a real
problem because
623
00:36:49,917 --> 00:36:52,819
friction is where two things
rub against each other.
624
00:36:52,853 --> 00:36:55,788
It slows things down,
they jam, they stick.
625
00:36:55,823 --> 00:37:00,126
[narrator] Clockmakers usually use
oil to reduce friction by lubrication,
626
00:37:00,160 --> 00:37:02,295
but that is a problem for H1.
627
00:37:02,329 --> 00:37:05,765
The issue there is that as oil cools
down, it's going to become thicker.
628
00:37:05,799 --> 00:37:07,166
As it heats up it's thinner
629
00:37:07,201 --> 00:37:10,603
and that's going to be another
error source for the clock mechanism.
630
00:37:10,638 --> 00:37:14,741
[narrator] To solve this, Harrison
comes up with a counterintuitive idea.
631
00:37:14,775 --> 00:37:16,276
He uses wood.
632
00:37:16,310 --> 00:37:20,313
Wood just seemed odd in the precision
clock, but it's the perfect material.
633
00:37:20,347 --> 00:37:23,116
He uses wood to
actually make the clock
634
00:37:23,150 --> 00:37:27,186
lubricate itself without any
little drops of oil all over it.
635
00:37:27,221 --> 00:37:30,156
He makes the places where
the mechanism fit together
636
00:37:30,190 --> 00:37:33,293
out of a tropical hardwood
called Lignum Vitae.
637
00:37:33,327 --> 00:37:37,430
And Lignum Vitae kind of... it
sweats some oil out of itself all the time.
638
00:37:37,464 --> 00:37:39,799
So it's always got
a slightly oily sheen,
639
00:37:39,833 --> 00:37:41,901
but it's actually
within the wood.
640
00:37:41,935 --> 00:37:45,571
And what that actually
did was allow for the clock
641
00:37:45,606 --> 00:37:49,876
to rotate around without the
need for putting an external oil.
642
00:37:49,910 --> 00:37:52,211
[narrator] The first true
marine chronometer
643
00:37:52,246 --> 00:37:54,847
is packed with
revolutionary innovations.
644
00:37:56,250 --> 00:37:57,917
It takes Harrison five years
645
00:37:57,951 --> 00:38:02,955
to combine all this
brilliance into one clock, H1.
646
00:38:02,990 --> 00:38:05,425
The finished clock
has four dials,
647
00:38:05,459 --> 00:38:09,495
the bottom one shows the day,
on the right as the hour hand,
648
00:38:09,530 --> 00:38:13,199
its double ended pointer goes
around once every 24 hours.
649
00:38:14,268 --> 00:38:16,703
The dial on the left
shows minutes.
650
00:38:16,737 --> 00:38:20,640
It is also double ended and
rotates once every two hours.
651
00:38:20,674 --> 00:38:24,844
At the top, the second hand completes
one revolution every two minutes.
652
00:38:25,879 --> 00:38:29,449
H1 is unlike any clock
seen before.
653
00:38:29,483 --> 00:38:32,485
But is it enough
to secure the prize?
654
00:38:37,224 --> 00:38:42,929
In 1736, Harrison takes H1 on a
test voyage to Lisbon and back.
655
00:38:42,963 --> 00:38:47,834
They set off down the channel,
turn left, head down to Lisbon,
656
00:38:47,868 --> 00:38:52,004
and by all accounts,
it goes appallingly.
657
00:38:52,039 --> 00:38:54,006
The weather is really bad.
658
00:38:54,041 --> 00:38:59,479
Harrison gets appallingly sick. He's
completely unable to look after his clock.
659
00:38:59,513 --> 00:39:04,751
And when they get to Lisbon, and the
clock hasn't performed particularly well,
660
00:39:04,785 --> 00:39:07,720
Harrison's baby
has not done its job.
661
00:39:07,755 --> 00:39:09,989
[narrator] But after a little
R and R in Lisbon
662
00:39:10,023 --> 00:39:12,692
things improve enormously
on the voyage home.
663
00:39:14,194 --> 00:39:15,862
[Daniel]
Harrison's got his sea legs
664
00:39:15,896 --> 00:39:17,663
and the weather's not
quite as bad,
665
00:39:17,698 --> 00:39:21,300
and he looks after
his beautiful H1
666
00:39:21,335 --> 00:39:24,003
and it seems
to perform brilliantly.
667
00:39:24,037 --> 00:39:25,738
And when they make landfall,
668
00:39:25,773 --> 00:39:27,106
it's when you sight lands
669
00:39:27,141 --> 00:39:28,441
as they reach Britain,
670
00:39:28,475 --> 00:39:31,444
the captain is absolutely
convinced he's seeing the Starts,
671
00:39:31,478 --> 00:39:33,446
which is Start Point.
672
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:37,784
[narrator] Start Point is near Plymouth
on the South Coast of England.
673
00:39:37,818 --> 00:39:41,387
But according to H1, they
are actually seeing The Lizard,
674
00:39:41,422 --> 00:39:44,857
the most southerly point in
the country, 70 miles to the west.
675
00:39:46,026 --> 00:39:47,960
And sure enough,
Harrison's right
676
00:39:47,995 --> 00:39:51,197
because his clock
is absolutely bang on.
677
00:39:51,231 --> 00:39:53,833
[narrator] The impossible
longitude problem has been cracked.
678
00:39:54,968 --> 00:39:59,172
H1 is the first clock
that proves
679
00:39:59,206 --> 00:40:03,576
that you can navigate at sea, that
you can calculate and measure longitude
680
00:40:03,610 --> 00:40:04,610
using a clock.
681
00:40:06,747 --> 00:40:08,681
[narrator]
Having proven H1 works,
682
00:40:08,715 --> 00:40:13,453
Harrison is in line to win the
fortune offered by the government.
683
00:40:13,487 --> 00:40:16,889
All H1 must do is complete
a voyage to the West Indies
684
00:40:16,924 --> 00:40:19,325
to demonstrate its
long-distance prowess.
685
00:40:20,594 --> 00:40:25,364
But it never happens
because there is a problem,
686
00:40:25,399 --> 00:40:28,868
not with the clock, but
with its perfectionist creator.
687
00:40:29,903 --> 00:40:31,771
[Tim] It was actually
Harrison himself,
688
00:40:31,805 --> 00:40:33,639
who stepped back
and said, no, no,
689
00:40:33,674 --> 00:40:35,475
I'd actually like
to perfect this clock.
690
00:40:35,509 --> 00:40:36,976
I can do better.
691
00:40:37,010 --> 00:40:41,214
And he's the one who actually said
that the H1 clock was not good enough.
692
00:40:41,248 --> 00:40:46,018
[narrator] Harrison spends
five years refining H1 into H2,
693
00:40:46,053 --> 00:40:50,957
but he abandons that untested to
make an even more perfect version, H3.
694
00:40:50,991 --> 00:40:56,262
H3 takes a further
19 years to design and build,
695
00:40:56,296 --> 00:40:58,698
but H3 isn't to
his liking either.
696
00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:03,302
H4 is finally ready in 1761,
697
00:41:03,337 --> 00:41:06,606
31 years after
Harrison started on H1.
698
00:41:08,909 --> 00:41:11,377
[Tim] So Harrison's son
takes the H4
699
00:41:11,411 --> 00:41:16,015
and goes on a 81-day
voyage and at the end of it,
700
00:41:16,049 --> 00:41:19,418
they end up only five
seconds off, which is almost
701
00:41:19,453 --> 00:41:22,722
30 times better than what was
required for the longitude prize.
702
00:41:22,756 --> 00:41:27,860
[narrator] By the time Harrison finally
receives his money, he is 80 years old.
703
00:41:27,895 --> 00:41:29,729
He dies three years later.
704
00:41:31,999 --> 00:41:34,734
He doesn't live to see
marine chronometers
705
00:41:34,768 --> 00:41:37,637
become the gold standard
for navigation at sea.
706
00:41:39,606 --> 00:41:44,176
It all began with this clock,
the quite remarkable H1.
707
00:41:45,379 --> 00:41:47,547
And although,
it is no longer run,
708
00:41:47,581 --> 00:41:50,683
nearly three centuries
after it was created,
709
00:41:50,717 --> 00:41:53,519
H1 still works.