James Burke in his Connections TV series

James Burke (born 22 December 1936) is a Northern Irish science historian, author and television producer best known for his documentary television series called Connections, focusing on the history of science and technology leavened with a sense of humour. Events 1790 - The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created The primary role of a television producer is to control all aspects of production ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U Connections was a ten-episode documentary Television series created and narrated by Science Historian James Burke. The history of science and technology ( HST) is a field of History which examines how humanity's understanding of the natural world ( Science

Biography

Born in Derry, Northern Ireland and educated at Maidstone Grammar School and Oxford University, he received his MA in Middle English from Jesus College. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Maidstone Grammar School ( MGS) is a Grammar school located in Maidstone, United Kingdom. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the Middle English is the name given by Historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of Jesus College (in full Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Later he moved to Italy where he lectured at universities in Bologna and Urbino as well as at English schools in that country. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Bologna (boloɲa from Latin Bononia, Bulåggna in Bolognese dialect is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region in Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical

During that time he was engaged in the creation of an English–Italian dictionary and the publication of an art encyclopedia. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. After a period of broadcasting work in 1966, he moved to London to join the BBC's Science and Features Department where he hosted and co-hosted a number of programmes. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. He was fascinated by the possibilities of television and the potential to educate and entertain by making programmes about science and technology. He also worked for a while as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language at the Regency Language School in Ramsgate.

Burke first made his name as a reporter on the popular and very long-running BBC science series, Tomorrow's World. A reporter is a type of Journalist who Researches and presents information in certain types of Mass media. Tomorrow's World was a long-running BBC Television series showcasing new (and often wacky developments in the world of science and technology He was BBC television's science anchor and chief reporter on the Project Apollo missions, including being the main presenter on the BBC's coverage of the first moon landings in 1969. British television coverage of Apollo 11, man's first mission to land on the moon lasted from 16 to 24 July 1969. However, the prestige output of the BBC Features Department in the 1970s was the "epic 13-parter" dominated by one charismatic and scholarly figure, epitomised by Sir Kenneth Clark's Civilisation and Jacob Bronowski's The Ascent of Man. Kenneth McKenzie Clark Baron Clark, OM, CH, KCB, FBA ( July 13, 1903 &ndash May 21, 1983) was an Civilisation A Personal View (often called simply Civilisation) is the title of a book and a popular and influential Jacob Bronowski ( January 18 1908 – August 22 1974) was a British mathematician and biologist of Polish-Jewish origin The Ascent of Man (1973 was a groundbreaking BBC documentary series produced in association with Time-Life Following in their footsteps, Burke produced his most important work: a highly acclaimed 10-part documentary series Connections (1978) that was first aired on the BBC, and subsequently on PBS channels in the United States. Connections was a ten-episode documentary Television series created and narrated by Science Historian James Burke. The Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS) is a Non-profit Public broadcasting Television service with 354 member TV stations in the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The series was a great success for Burke and was followed by the 20-part Connections² (1994) and the 10-part Connections³ (1997) series. Later, it was shown in more than 50 countries and appeared in about 350 university and college curricula. Additionally, the book that followed the series was also a best seller on both sides of the Atlantic. Burke also produced a 10 part series "The Day The Universe Changed" in 1985 (revised in 1995). He has also been a regular contributor for Scientific American and Time magazines and served as a consultant to the SETI project. Scientific American is a Popular science magazine, published (first weekly and later monthly since August 28, 1845, making it Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence ( SETI) is the collective name for a number of activities to detect intelligent Extraterrestrial life.

He received the Royal Television Society's silver and gold medals. The Royal Television Society (commonly known in the television industry as the RTS) is a British -based society for the discussion analysis and preservation of

KnowledgeWeb

James Burke is the leading figure of the KnowledgeWeb Project. The KnowledgeWeb Project is a learning Web site about Knowledge envisioned and supervised by James Burke and the James Burke Institute for Innovation This is the digital incarnation of his books and television programmes, which allows the user to fly through history and create their own connective paths. It will eventually have immersive, inhabited virtual reality recreations of historical people and places.

In the closing scenes of The Day the Universe Changed, Burke suggested that a forthcoming revolution in communication and computer technology would allow people all over the world to exchange ideas and opinions instantaneously. The Day the Universe Changed (subtitled "A Personal View by James Burke" is a British documentary Television series produced by and Subsequent events seem to have proven him right. His views of the connected nature of history have also been substantiated by recent research in chaos/complexity/network theory. See for example complex systems and six degrees of separation. This article describes complex systems as field of Science. For other meanings see Complex system. Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that if a person is one step away from each person they know and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people they

Major television credits

Television series and major single documentaries made by James Burke:

• The Burke Special (1972–1976)
• The End of the Beginning, marking the end of Project Apollo (1972)
• Connections (1978)
• The Men who Walked on the Moon, 10th anniversary of Apollo 11 (1979)
• The Other Side of the Moon, a more critical look at Apollo (1979)
• The Real Thing, on various aspects of perception (1980)
• The Neuron Suite on the human brain (1982)
• The Day the Universe Changed (1985)
• After the Warming (1990), on the greenhouse effect
• Masters of Illusion (1993), on Renaissance painting
• Connections 2 (1994) (sometimes written Connections²)
• Connections 3 (1997) (or Connections³)
• Stump the Scientist, in which an audience of children were invited to put questions to a resident panel of scientists in the hope of "stumping" them

Books

• Tomorrow's World I, (with Raymond Baxter) (BBC 1970) ISBN 978-0563101628
• Tomorrow's World II, (with Raymond Baxter) (BBC 1973) ISBN 978-0563123620
• Connections: Alternative History of Technology (Time Warner International/Macmillan 1978) ISBN 978-0316116725
• The Day the Universe Changed (BBC 1985) ISBN 0-563-20192-4
• Chances (Virgin Books 1991) ISBN 978-1852273934
• The Axemaker's Gift, (with Robert Ornstein), illustrated by Ted Dewan (Jeremy P Tarcher 1995) ISBN 978-0874778564
• The Pinball Effect — How Renaissance Water Gardens Made the Carburettor Possible and Other Journeys Through Knowledge (Little, Brown & Company 1996) ISBN 978-0316116107
• The Knowledge Web (Simon & Schuster 2001) ISBN 978-0684859354
• Circles — Fifty Round Trips Through History Technology Science Culture (Simon & Schuster 2003) ISBN 978-0743249768
• Twin Tracks (Simon & Schuster 2003) ISBN 978-0743226196
• American Connections: The Founding Fathers. Connections was a ten-episode documentary Television series created and narrated by Science Historian James Burke. The human brain controls the Central nervous system (CNS by way of the Cranial nerves and Spinal cord, the Peripheral nervous system (PNS The Day the Universe Changed (subtitled "A Personal View by James Burke" is a British documentary Television series produced by and The Greenhouse effect refers to the change in the Thermal equilibrium temperature of a planet or moon by the presence of an Atmosphere containing gas that absorbs The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Raymond Frederic Baxter, OBE, FRSA ( 25 January 1922 – 15 September 2006) was a British Television Raymond Frederic Baxter, OBE, FRSA ( 25 January 1922 – 15 September 2006) was a British Television Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately-held International Publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Virgin Books is a United Kingdom book Publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally Dr Robert Evans Ornstein is a psychologist writer professor at Stanford University, and chairman of the Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK Ted Dewan is a UK-based American Cartoonist, born in 1961 in Boston Massachusetts, and is one of the UK’s best-known children’s authors and illustrators Little Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner James Brown. Simon & Schuster Inc, a division of CBS Corporation, is a Publisher founded in New York in 1924 by Richard L Simon & Schuster Inc, a division of CBS Corporation, is a Publisher founded in New York in 1924 by Richard L Simon & Schuster Inc, a division of CBS Corporation, is a Publisher founded in New York in 1924 by Richard L Networked (Simon & Shuster 2007) ISBN 978-0743282260

Popular Culture

James Burke is mentioned in the lyrics of the Human League song "The Black Hit of Space," a 1980 sci-fi-tinged single about a hit song "sucking up the human race. Simon & Schuster Inc, a division of CBS Corporation, is a Publisher founded in New York in 1924 by Richard L Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. " The lyrics urge, "get James Burke on the case. "

The BBC topical comedy series 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' included a sketch in which an actor imitating Burke delivered a passage of elaborately mischievous prose somewhat in his manner -- ending with the following: "So there we have it. Not the Nine O'Clock News is a Comedy Television programme shown on the BBC from 1979 to 1982 The truth is, the theory is really very, very simple. And if it isn't, I change it so it is. Or do I?"

External links

• Burke's KnowledgeWeb Project
• James Burke Connections 1 - Video
• James Burke Fan Companion a semi-official site regarding James Burke's career, television programs and books. Includes a speaking schedule.
• JamesBurkeMap; a visual representation of his latest book, K-Web project, speaking engagements, and previous work.
• James Burke at the Internet Movie Database
• James Burke: The Knowledge Web; Voices From The Smithsonian Associates - 1 hour audio lecture
• Burke's fans newsgroup
• Yahoo group for Burke's fans
• Documentary-Video where Connections 1, 2 and 3 are available for sale
• Re-Connections on Burke's corpus of work, as well as an introduction to his Knowledge Web project.
• Stranova Interview with James Burke on "The Knowledge Web" September 26, 2006.