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A History of the World in 100 Objects

Factual: History

Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, retells humanity's history through objects

Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, narrates 100 programmes that retell humanity's history through the objects we have made.

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A History of the World in 100 Objects: The World of Our Making (1914 - 2010 AD): Solar-powered lamp and charger

Solar-powered lamp and charger

The World of Our Making (1914 - 2010 AD)

A History of the World in 100 Objects Omnibus

BBC Radio 4 - A History of the World in 100 Objects, The World of Our Making (1914 - 2010 AD), Solar-powered lamp and charger

Neil MacGregor's last object in his world history - a solar-powered lamp and charger.

The final programme in Neil MacGregor's world history as told through things. For his last object he has selected a solar-powered lamp and charger that is already changing lives.

The very last episode in Neil MacGregor's history of humanity as told through the things that time has left behind. The director of the British Museum in London has spent the past year choosing objects from the museum's vast collection to represent a two million year story of humanity. 
Throughout this week he has been with objects that that speak of the great shifts in human organisation and thinking in the modern world. Here he describes the object that he has picked as his last; it's a solar-powered lamp and charger that he believes can revolutionise the lives of poor people around the globe. The portable panel can provide up to 100 hours of light after just 8 hours of direct sunlight. It can also charge mobile phones and help bring power to millions of people around the world who have no access to an electrical grid. Simple, cheap and clean - this is revolutionary technology for the future. Professor Nick Stern, the expert on the economics of climate change, describes the potential impact of new solar technology - and we hear examples of how the technology is being adopted in Africa and India. Neil explains why he has chosen a solar-powered lamp and charger as his final object  - with examples of how it is already being used in rural Bengal and urban Kenya. 

Producer: Anthony Denselow


A History of the World in 100 Objects: The World of Our Making (1914 - 2010 AD)

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Neil MacGregor explores aspects of contemporary sexual, political and economic history.

Neil MacGregor concludes the series with five objects whose stories explore different aspects of our world from plastics to propaganda, sexual revolutions to war.

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A History of the World in 100 Objects

The World of Our Making (1914 - 2010 AD)

Solar-powered lamp and charger

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