A physical model based on the old Connections TV show
which looked at how one technology would lead to
another, then another, chain reaction style, ending up
with
a technology far removed from the technology that
started
the whole chain of events off in the first place.
Events would be
re-inacted with little dioramas in such a
way that an event leads to the next chronological event
physically. So a piece of gold slides down a touchstone
which triggers a bunch of little model ships converging
on
a map of Alexandria. This shows how the standardization
of gold as a medium for currency allowed for greater
more
efficient commercial trading, which at this time in
history
centered in Egypt. A library made possible by the free
trade of books pops up that includes Ptolemy's star
tables,
aiding navigators during the age of discovery hundreds of
years later.
Then the following events would be triggered, illustrated
by little models, dolls etc that would trigger the next
event.
Mariners using the previously illustrated star tables
discovered that the compass's magnetized needle did not
actually point directly north. Investigations into the
nature
of magnetism by Gilbert led to the discovery of
electricity
by way of the sulphur ball of von Guericke. Further
interest
in atmospheric electricity at the Ben Nevis weather
station
led to Wilson's cloud chamber which in turn allowed
development of both Watson-Watt's radar and (by way of
Rutherford's insights) nuclear weaponry.
It would be an artistic challenge to do this in such a way
that it actually made sense, and it would obviously need
narration to explain what's going on, but it would be a
fun
way to go over thousands of years of technology
evolution
in a few seconds.