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James Burke Connections, Ep. 1 "The Trigger Effect"

DRS_Education · documentary · Watch on YouTube

Scientific method & science communicationDocumentaries & storytellingPower grid, heating & buildings

What it is

The first episode of James Burke's 1978 BBC series Connections traces modern dependence on complex technological networks, starting with the 1965 New York blackout, and moves through ancient agriculture to Kuwait's oil-driven leap.

Why Hacker News recommends it

Heavily recommended as a masterpiece of popular science and the classic illustration of how fragile interdependent systems are, trotted out in every blackout or supply chain thread.

  • 12 people recommended it
  • 11 different months
  • 5 strong recommendations
  • first 2019, last 2026

What HN commenters said

  1. “Years back I was introduced to a terrific BBC show called Connections with James Burke (1978).”

    Episode on society's reliance on power and fragility without it.

    jihadjihad, 2019-08 · Strong recommendation · in “A World Without Power (2013)”

  2. “I highly recommend James Burke's Connections”

    Original Connections series on technology and society.

    Angostura, 2019-10 · Strong recommendation · in “New Studies Warn of Cataclysmic Solar Superstorms”

  3. “It's a masterpiece of popular science production made better with the grainy film patina of the 70s and 80s.”

    A masterpiece of popular science production.

    DoubleDerper, 2022-09 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?”

  4. “Connections is one of the greatest shows in television.”

    Pilot episode on dependence on technology we don't understand.

    jh00ker, 2026-05 · Strong recommendation · in “The Greatest Shot in Television: James Burke Had One Chance to Nail This Scene”

  5. “he talks about how fragile our complex infrastructure can be”

    Burke on how fragile complex infrastructure is.

    notthemessiah, 2019-09 · Recommendation · in “Advice for a climate change apocalypse”

  6. “Watch episode one of James Burke's excellent documentary "Connections" to get an idea of what occurs when that breaks down”

    Shows what happens when interlinked systems break down.

    ThrowawayR2, 2020-11 · Recommendation · in “How Do You Know When Society Is About to Fall Apart?”

  7. “For those who haven't experienced Connections-style history, four episodes are on YouTube”

    Introduction to Connections-style history.

    sxp, 2020-11 · Recommendation · in “We have no idea what happens next”

  8. “Your comment reminds me of the excellent series "Connections" by James Burke.”

    Opening episode asks the question raised.

    hn_version_0023, 2022-06 · Recommendation · in “Younger Dryas cosmic impact of 12,800 years ago (2018)”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: james burke, connections, 1965 blackout, infrastructure fragility, bbc

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