A personal view by James Burke in ten parts.

The 15th-century world was one of magic, mime and memory. Bible stories were told in pictures on church walls; news was broadcast in song by bands of wandering troubadours; when people died, what they knew died with them. Then, sometime around 1450, a German goldsmith and small-time entrepreneur came up with one more idea to make a few quick pfennigs. In doing so, he changed the world and took away our memories forever. His secret invention ushered in a new world of standardised technology.

It shook the Catholic Church, and made Martin Luther a household name. It spread news like wildfire; what was fashionable in Florence became fashion in France. And vague memories became a matter of hard fact. Find out the goldsmith's secret...

(Ceefax subtitles)