1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:08,479 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi everyone, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:11,720 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast where we rip out 4 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: a page from the history books every day. Today is 5 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: February eleven. The day was February eleventh, nineteen thirty eight. 6 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: The BBC aired the first known science fiction television program 7 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: and adaptation of part of the play Are You Are? 8 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 1: Are You Are stands for Rosslam's Universal Robots. It's a 9 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:46,519 Speaker 1: science fiction play by Check writer kardel Chopic, written in 10 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 1: nineteen and first performed in Prague in ninety one. The 11 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: play popularized the word robot, so robots in the play 12 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: are not how we think of them today. The word 13 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: robot comes from the Check word robots uh, which means 14 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: forced labor. The robots in Are You Are are not mechanical. 15 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 1: They are living beings with artificial flesh and blood. Topic 16 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 1: himself was dismayed by the mechanical and chemical weapons used 17 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: in World War One, and he did not see the 18 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:21,919 Speaker 1: progression of technology as a holy positive force. In the play, 19 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: a scientist named Rawsum figures out how to make artificial people, 20 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: and he opens a factory to produce these robots. By 21 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: the time the play takes place, these robots are popular 22 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,759 Speaker 1: around the world. They are cheap and make production way 23 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: less expensive. A man named Doman is the general manager 24 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:43,839 Speaker 1: of Are You Are, the company that makes the robots. 25 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: Are You Are wants the robots to replace humans in 26 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: the workforce. While the robots at first seem like they 27 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: are subject to the whims of humans, they begin to 28 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: rebel all over the world. They imprison people and murder 29 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: some of the higher upset Are You Are. In the epilogue, 30 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: almost all humans have been killed and robots have taken 31 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 1: over the world. The play was popular in Prague, so 32 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:12,080 Speaker 1: it was translated into many languages, including English, and shown 33 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: in England and the US. Once the play made it 34 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: to the US in ninety two, it had its critics 35 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,400 Speaker 1: and fans. But just two years after the BBC started 36 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:26,239 Speaker 1: its regular service of TV broadcasts, the BBC showed a 37 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: thirty five minute long adaptation of the play. It aired 38 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 1: on February eleventh, ninety eight, at three pm. It featured 39 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: Derek Fond, Harvey Braben, and William Leon Brown. The Radio Times, 40 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: a British magazine that provided radio and television listings, said 41 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: the play was one that quote should lend itself very 42 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: well indeed to television from the point of view of effects. 43 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: A ninety minute version of the play was broadcast in 44 00:02:54,160 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: nineteen No known recordings of either program exist. I'm Eve 45 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: chef Cote and hopefully you know a little more about 46 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 1: history today than you did it yesterday. If you've seen 47 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: any good history means lately, you can send them to 48 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: us on social media at t d i h C 49 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: Podcast and you can send your thoughts are comments to 50 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:22,679 Speaker 1: us at this Day at I heart media dot com. 51 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to today's episode. We'll see you again tomorrows. 52 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:34,560 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 53 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.