They're a little dated technically, but James Burke's Connections programs map relationships between seemingly inconsequential technical and scientific breakthoughs and society altering "inventions." A few segments into the original series, my notion that there existed some amorphous but thoughtfully interconnected scientific research melting pot was replaced with a (more) certain belief that the global research community is akin to a constantly spinning, un-programmed, metaphysical slot machine, where any combination of breakthroughs could line up at any time, with payouts of unknown value.
