I am endlessly fascinated by documentaries that give insight into how our world has been shaped by various forces. And until I watched these 2 documentaries about humans’ love of alcohol, I truly didn’t understand what an impact this amazing liquid has had on humanity.
“How Beer Saved the World” is completely serious and scientific, but is also very funny. I learned that the agricultural revolution is the result of beer, not bread, and as a result, most of civilization (writing, numbers, mathematics, money, and the wheel, to name a few) are directly linked to our desire to make larger and larger quantities of beer. Sound far-fetched? Give this 1-hour documentary a watch and let me know what you think.
For a look at America’s relationship with alcohol, we couldn’t ask for a better documentarian than Ken Burns. He’s been making films for over 30 years, and some of his most famous works are about the Civil War, Baseball, & Jazz (see a complete list with previews of each). In 2011 he produced one called “Prohibition” in 3 parts (5.5 hrs total). You can watch the whole thing (in small parts) at this website. It’s riveting!