I’m a huge fan of James Burke, the British TV science host. Though he is best known for the Connections series, for me his strongest work is the ten-episode The Day the Universe Changed.

It’s a globe-trotting, era-spanning series on the history of science, technology and the human condition, but Burke keeps it low-key and intimate. He pulls each program together without any apparent effort, and with more than an ounce of wit. It was a major influence on how I approached our books, especially Born Smart?.

And now it’s on the web. Mr. Burke himself has put the ten episodes up as 45-minute podcasts.

Okay, glasses fashions have changed, and corduroy jackets are harder to come by these days, but I think that this 20-year-old series holds up very well. Enjoy.