In this episode, we journey through centuries of human ambition and trade — from Stone Age flint to olive oil empires, from the Silk Road’s silks and spices to the steel rails that fed the Industrial Revolution. We watch coal power cities and oil fuel a world that learned to fly. We see how plastics, computers, and artificial intelligence reshape the map again. We glimpse the next frontiers — asteroid mines, lunar hotels, a universe where energy is king and ideas are currency. This is the ever-turning wheel of the global market — how every age crowns a new titan, and how every titan someday becomes history’s footnote.     Explore all topics covered by the National Media Archive:  Intimate Audio Stories Power & Influence Luxury & Prestige Wealth & Finance Personal Growth & Achievement Crime & Corruption (True Crime) Knowledge & Ideas History & Legacy News, Culture & Society Technology & Innovation Exploration & Wonder