Get ready for a speedy adventure! This BBC Learning Hub playlist, packed with clips from Grace’s Amazing Machines, takes students on a high-octane journey through land, sea, and sky. From gyrocopters and tugboats to superbikes and supercars, each video introduces a powerful machine — and the science that makes it move.
Perfect for teaching concepts like forces and motion, energy, friction, and transportation technology, these clips are a fun, fast-paced way to explore how things go, glide, float, and fly. Each video comes with discussion questions, hands-on activities, and more to help kids think, tinker, and learn like real engineers. Buckle up — it’s going to be a wild ride!
In Columbus in the New World, host Andrew Marr recounts how Christopher Columbus lands on the Bahamian island of Guanahani and decides to name it San Salvador. After meeting with the Indigenous people on the island, Columbus describes how he thinks he can claim the land for Spain, enslave the people, and convert them to Christianity. This kicks off a global gold rush. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In The Death of Socrates, host Andrew Marr explains how Socrates was condemned to death for challenging authority and corrupting the youth of Athens. However, his ideas lived on long after he was forced to drink hemlock. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In Ivan the Terrible and Siberian Expansion, host Andrew Marr describes the Russia of the past as a poor country until a dip in global temperatures drove up the prices and the demand for fur pelts. Russian mercenaries ventured into Siberia where their superior European weapons helped them defeat local forces. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In Aurangzeb's Fight to Lead India in the 17th Century, host Andrew Marr takes us to India in the early 17th Century. It is an open-minded place where ideas thrive and there is intellectual freedom and cultural celebration. But when the ruler, Shah Jahan, falls ill, his two sons fight for the throne. Aurangzeb wins the battle and takes over India. He starts an oppressive regime that undoes the progressive work of his father, taking India along a much different path. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In The Boston Tea Party Ignites the Revolutionary War, host Andrew Marr describes how Samuel Adams and fellow colonists rebelled against British rule by destroying a shipment of tea in Boston Harbor. This act of defiance would ignite the Revolutionary War and set the stage for the birth of a new nation governed by revolutionary ideals. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In The Fight for Freedom and Democracy in Haiti, host Andrew Marr describes how enslaved people in the French colony of Saint-Domingue learned about the ideals of the French Revolution. The idea of freedom and democracy spread from plantation to plantation through voodoo ceremonies. One leader, Dutty Boukman, was instrumental in inspiring Haitians to revolt, which led to the creation of the first Black republic. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In From Cowpox to a Smallpox Vaccine, host Andrew Marr introduces us to Edward Jenner, a young English doctor who was impacted by smallpox as a child. As an adult, he heard a rumor that people who catch cowpox were protected against smallpox. This sparked the idea for the first vaccine and produced a vaccine that would eradicate smallpox from the world, saving millions of lives. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In The Zimmerman Telegram and America’s Entry into WWI, host Andrew Marr takes us back to when the Great War was raging but the Americans hadn’t yet entered the fighting. The Germans attempted to keep America out of the war by getting Mexico to reclaim the territory it lost to the U.S., but this backfired when their telegram was intercepted by the British, ultimately pulling the Americans into the First World War. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In How Railways Powered the Industrial Revolution, host Andrew Marr describes how when the first locomotive went for a test run it drove for 26 miles. But by the end of the Industrial Revolution, locomotion and trains had reshaped transportation, industry, and the world. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In Gandhi’s Campaign and the Fall of an Empire, host Andrew Marr details how Gandhi sent a letter to the Viceroy demanding freedom from British rule. When the letter was ignored, Gandhi began his campaign for Indian freedom. Inspired by the Boston Tea Party, and using the media to garner support, Gandhi engaged in protests that led to India’s independence. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In Oppenheimer’s Atomic Bombs and the End of World War II, host Andrew Marr describes how J. Robert Oppenheimer developed the technology to end World War II with two atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Before the bombs were dropped, Oppenheimer calculated how to drop them to create the most damage. After the war was over, Oppenheimer felt conflicted about the creation of the bombs. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
Get ready for a speedy adventure! This BBC Learning Hub playlist, packed with clips from Grace’s Amazing Machines, takes students on a high-octane journey through land, sea, and sky. From gyrocopters and tugboats to superbikes and supercars, each video introduces a powerful machine — and the science that makes it move.
Perfect for teaching concepts like forces and motion, energy, friction, and transportation technology, these clips are a fun, fast-paced way to explore how things go, glide, float, and fly. Each video comes with discussion questions, hands-on activities, and more to help kids think, tinker, and learn like real engineers. Buckle up — it’s going to be a wild ride!
In Columbus in the New World, host Andrew Marr recounts how Christopher Columbus lands on the Bahamian island of Guanahani and decides to name it San Salvador. After meeting with the Indigenous people on the island, Columbus describes how he thinks he can claim the land for Spain, enslave the people, and convert them to Christianity. This kicks off a global gold rush. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In The Death of Socrates, host Andrew Marr explains how Socrates was condemned to death for challenging authority and corrupting the youth of Athens. However, his ideas lived on long after he was forced to drink hemlock. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In Ivan the Terrible and Siberian Expansion, host Andrew Marr describes the Russia of the past as a poor country until a dip in global temperatures drove up the prices and the demand for fur pelts. Russian mercenaries ventured into Siberia where their superior European weapons helped them defeat local forces. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In Aurangzeb's Fight to Lead India in the 17th Century, host Andrew Marr takes us to India in the early 17th Century. It is an open-minded place where ideas thrive and there is intellectual freedom and cultural celebration. But when the ruler, Shah Jahan, falls ill, his two sons fight for the throne. Aurangzeb wins the battle and takes over India. He starts an oppressive regime that undoes the progressive work of his father, taking India along a much different path. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In The Boston Tea Party Ignites the Revolutionary War, host Andrew Marr describes how Samuel Adams and fellow colonists rebelled against British rule by destroying a shipment of tea in Boston Harbor. This act of defiance would ignite the Revolutionary War and set the stage for the birth of a new nation governed by revolutionary ideals. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In The Fight for Freedom and Democracy in Haiti, host Andrew Marr describes how enslaved people in the French colony of Saint-Domingue learned about the ideals of the French Revolution. The idea of freedom and democracy spread from plantation to plantation through voodoo ceremonies. One leader, Dutty Boukman, was instrumental in inspiring Haitians to revolt, which led to the creation of the first Black republic. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In From Cowpox to a Smallpox Vaccine, host Andrew Marr introduces us to Edward Jenner, a young English doctor who was impacted by smallpox as a child. As an adult, he heard a rumor that people who catch cowpox were protected against smallpox. This sparked the idea for the first vaccine and produced a vaccine that would eradicate smallpox from the world, saving millions of lives. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In The Zimmerman Telegram and America’s Entry into WWI, host Andrew Marr takes us back to when the Great War was raging but the Americans hadn’t yet entered the fighting. The Germans attempted to keep America out of the war by getting Mexico to reclaim the territory it lost to the U.S., but this backfired when their telegram was intercepted by the British, ultimately pulling the Americans into the First World War. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In How Railways Powered the Industrial Revolution, host Andrew Marr describes how when the first locomotive went for a test run it drove for 26 miles. But by the end of the Industrial Revolution, locomotion and trains had reshaped transportation, industry, and the world. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In Gandhi’s Campaign and the Fall of an Empire, host Andrew Marr details how Gandhi sent a letter to the Viceroy demanding freedom from British rule. When the letter was ignored, Gandhi began his campaign for Indian freedom. Inspired by the Boston Tea Party, and using the media to garner support, Gandhi engaged in protests that led to India’s independence. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
In Oppenheimer’s Atomic Bombs and the End of World War II, host Andrew Marr describes how J. Robert Oppenheimer developed the technology to end World War II with two atomic bombs dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Before the bombs were dropped, Oppenheimer calculated how to drop them to create the most damage. After the war was over, Oppenheimer felt conflicted about the creation of the bombs. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.