Modern Marvels Episode Guide

Episode Guide

Modern Marvels: Season 14 (2008)

• Season 14 Episode 41: Retro Tech

  The evolution of technology; how things now considered obsolete worked such as the typewriter, VCR, analog TV, vinyl record, film camera and brick-sized mobile phone, as well as products that superseded them.

• Season 14 Episode 40: Night

  Some activities occur only when the world is dark; fishermen use lights to lure squid to their nets; finding night crawlers in Toronto; military night-vision gear; police helicopter's Spectrolab spotlight; baseball stadium.

• Season 14 Episode 39: Measure It

  How distance, time, speed, weight and temperature are measured; weighing a whale; how a speedometer works; the National Institute of Standards and Technology; measuring tapes made by Stanley Tools.

• Season 14 Episode 38: Super Human

  Whether humans have the ability to possess superpowers; a man can strap on an exoskeleton and lift hundreds of pounds with little effort; Mr. Cyborg can control machines with his thoughts; flying like Superman.

  Next on: Tomorrow at 1:00am EST - History International
• Season 14 Episode 37: Car Wash

  Americans visit car washes 2 million times per day at an annual cost of $25 billion; how car washes are built to clean, ranging from tunnel systems to in-bay automatics; visiting the biggest car wash facility in the United States.

• Season 14 Episode 36: Salt

  Salt is a versatile substance with 14,000 known uses; visiting a salt mine under Lake Erie; an evaporation facility harvests ocean salt near San Francisco; a Florida restaurant offers 40 varieties of salt.

• Season 14 Episode 35: The Turkey

  The turkey is the centerpiece of Thanksgiving dinners and one of the dumbest birds in the animal kingdom, but it has managed to survive since the dinosaurs; Butterball factory; turkey hunting; dining on turkey testicles and eggs.

• Season 14 Episode 33: Halloween Tech

  The celebration of Halloween has become a $6 billion economic powerhouse; the annual Halloween Haunt at Knott's Berry Farm; the production of monster makeup, masks and costumes; carving pumpkins; making fake blood; haunted house.

• Season 14 Episode 32: Bulls-Eye

  Examining how frequently experts in various disciplines can hit their targets, including archers, sharpshooters and even a billiards player; the ancient world's ballista and trebuchet weapons; knife thrower; Cirque du Soleil's daring artists.

  Next on: Wednesday 16th December 10:00pm EST - History International
• Season 14 Episode 31: Corrosion & Decomposition

  America's aging infrastructure is in danger of collapse due to corrosion, according to engineers; technology for battling corrosion; harnessing the destructive power of decomposition.

• Season 14 Episode 30: Soft Drinks

  The history of soft drinks; the production process at Dr. Pepper, the world's third-largest soft-drink supplier; the Gatorade sports drink; energy drinks; the roots of ginger ale and root beer.

• Season 14 Episode 29: Mold & Fungus

  Learning about various fungal organisms that live in the human body, grow from the ground, float in the air, and help create some foods and beverages; professional remediators battle millions of green invaders in a moldy home.

• Season 14 Episode 28: Dangerous Roads

  Traveling some of the world's most dangerous roads, including Bolivia's 'Death Road,' California's fog-shrouded Highway 99, the road to Baghdad's airport and Colorado's Million Dollar Highway; highway safety; off-road drivers.

  Next on: Friday 18th December 10:00pm EST - History International
• Season 14 Episode 27: Wheat

  How wheat feeds the world; wheat becomes everything from bread to beer; a custom harvester follows ripening wheat fields from Texas to North Dakota; exporting wheat; grinding grain into flour; Widmer Brothers Brewery; Wheatware.

• Season 14 Episode 26: Iron

  How iron mined in Minnesota is made into steel; iron weapons revolutionize warfare; military metallurgists customize weapons and demonstrate their firepower; iron magnets.

  Next on: Tomorrow at 12:00am EST - History International
• Season 14 Episode 25: Secrets of Oil

  The secrets of oil and the many products it has spawned; oil refinery in California; chemical weapons suits; making asphalt; blending jet fuel; Vaseline.

• Season 14 Episode 24: Coin Operated

  Americans insert more than 3.5 million coins into vending machines every 15 minutes; how vending machines work; visiting a factory that produces high-tech vending machines; giant gumball machine.

• Season 14 Episode 23: Batman Tech

  Batman dazzles readers with an amazing array of gadgets since his DC Comics debut in 1939; going inside the Batcave, experts compare the Dark Knight's gadgets to actual technology.

• Season 14 Episode 22: Underwear

  Brief history of undergarments; the evolution from itchy woolen union suits to comfortable briefs and boxers; socks with special threads to prevent odor; fire retardant underwear; the bra industry.

• Season 14 Episode 21: Crashes

  World-shaking crashes; efforts to make auto racing safer; the latest in motorcycle crash survival equipment; a sky diver survives falling 11,000 feet without a parachute; NASA's asteroid tracking team; colliding subatomic particles.

• Season 14 Episode 20: Bathroom Tech II

  Bathroom technology; Kohler makes a digitally controlled shower complete with steam, music and LED chromatherapy; manufacturing sinks; 'uncloggable' toilet; the engineering behind low-flow showers and toilets.

• Season 14 Episode 19: Ice Cream

  The history of ice cream ranging from the gelato of Italy and a 19th-century French process to today's frozen desserts; visiting Dreyer's, TCBY and Joy Cone Co. factories; Ben & Jerry's flavor innovations.

• Season 14 Episode 18: Corpse Tech

  The human body is host to a multitude of hidden secrets even after death; coroner; funeral home director; forensic anthropologist; engineers.

• Season 14 Episode 17: Lead

  Lead is a versatile but toxic metal that has served mankind for 6,000 years; mining; car battery factory; specialists remove harmful lead objects from homes and businesses; lead makes crystal sparkle.

• Season 14 Episode 16: Super Hot

  Pyroman the life-size mannequin is exposed to more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit; how steel workers suit up to beat refinery heat; coffee makers and hair dryers malfunction at Underwriters Laboratories; a friction lab tests aircraft and race-car brakes.

• Season 14 Episode 15: Most Dangerous

  The most dangerous snakes, sports, weather events; America's most dangerous volcano; tornado hazards; base jumping.

• Season 14 Episode 13: Mad Electricity

  The genius of Nikola Tesla, creator of the alternating current (AC) electric power system, is reflected every time a light is switched on; wireless power; Tesla coil; energy-efficient light bulbs.

• Season 14 Episode 12: Rats

  Rats are dangerous, destructive but useful animals.

• Season 14 Episode 11: Locomotives

  The history of locomotives; the oldest diesel; the fastest locomotive that travels the French countryside.

• Season 14 Episode 10: Gadgets 3

  The evolution of gadgets; the latest trends for the future.

• Season 14 Episode 9: Bread

  Different cultures' history, production and consumption of bread reveal its variety of forms, ranging from baguettes to pita, corn bread, and flour tortillas.

• Season 14 Episode 8: Hooked

  A fishing boat pursues Alaskan pollack in the Bering Sea during the last voyage of a grueling season.

• Season 14 Episode 7: Whiskey

  Tours of some of the world's finest whiskey distilleries demonstrate how different countries put their unique stamps on an ancient drink called the 'water of life'; Jack Daniels; Jim Beam; Canadian Club; Jameson's; Glenlivet.

• Season 14 Episode 6: Strange Weapons

  Strange weapons of the past and present include Japanese ninja claws, microwavelike rays, lasers, robots, the 'pukelight,' and a superslippery substance.

• Season 14 Episode 5: World's Strongest III

  Mechanical feats of strength by the world's most-powerful elevators, a monster mine machine, the world's strongest mountain bike, a space vehicle transporter and an unbeatable blender.

• Season 14 Episode 4: Superhighways

  How superhighways move millions of people every year; 20-lane project in Houston; China's 28,000-mile National Trunk Highway System; High-Five interchange in Dallas; the anatomy of a traffic jam.

  Next on: Tuesday 15th December 10:00pm EST - History International
• Season 14 Episode 3: '90s Tech

  Technologies of the 1990s: the information superhighway; DVDs; TiVo; GPS; Google; Amazon distribution center; virtual pets; George Foreman's grill.

• Season 14 Episode 2: Carbon

  All life-forms and modern technology are built on a foundation of carbon; the steel industry; coal-fired power plants; graphite pencils; a charcoal water filter; diamonds.

• Season 14 Episode 1: Milk

  Around the world, people consume billions of gallons of milk every day; a cow-milking parlor; pasteurization; a three-story milk evaporator; milking a yak; the world's largest butter churn; yogurt.

Modern Marvels: Season 13 (2007)

• Season 13 Episode 44: The Destroyer

  Fletcher-class destroyers take on the full ferocity of the Japanese and win.

• Season 13 Episode 43: Fast Food Tech

  Vendors grow, process, freeze, ship, track and cook fast-food across the U.S.; the history of fast-food chains.

• Season 13 Episode 42: Cold Cuts

  The history and production of cold cuts.

• Season 13 Episode 41: Most Shocking

  The electric shock comes in many forms, including lightning, stun guns, eels and the electric chair.

• Season 13 Episode 40: Rocks

  Geological history from the Stone Age to the Space Age; moon rocks provide clues to how planets were formed; quarrying marble and granite; blasting at a sand-and-gravel pit.

• Season 13 Episode 39: The Pig

  Some say pigs are as smart as 3-year-old humans; turning pigs into bacon, ham, ribs and sausage; boar semen collection; the use of pig organs in medicine.

• Season 13 Episode 38: Corn

  Corn is the largest agricultural crop in the world, and it is used in more than 3,000 diverse items, ranging from food to the plastic wrap for packaging it.

• Season 13 Episode 37: Environmental Tech II

  Inventions for holding off a global warming meltdown include giant solar energy towers, a rooftop wind turbine, a car that runs on air and a kite that tows a cargo ship.

• Season 13 Episode 36: Engineering Disasters 21

  A steam-pipe explosion in Manhattan; Boston's Big Dig highway project; a Mannheim, Germany, air show.

• Season 13 Episode 34: Acid

  Dangerous acid; explosives; a sulfuric acid plant; acid etching; vinegar.

• Season 13 Episode 33: Deep Freeze

  Freezer unit filled with 135 million pounds of ice cream; Alcor, where researchers keep cadavers on ice in hopes of future revival.

• Season 13 Episode 32: Extreme Aircraft II

  U.S. military fighter jets.

• Season 13 Episode 31: Batteries

  How batteries are made, what they power and what uses they may have in the future.

• Season 13 Episode 30: Star Wars Tech

  The six 'Star Wars' films exhibit technological advances.

• Season 13 Episode 29: Traps

  Trapping black bears with West Virginia Division of Natural Resources biologists; trapping and releasing feral cats left stranded in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

• Season 13 Episode 28: Vacuums

  Giant-sized vacuums used in the Sept. 11th and Hurricane Katrina cleanup.

• Season 13 Episode 27: Bedroom Tech

  Technology that offers sleepers a good night's sleep.

• Season 13 Episode 26: Chocolate

  The chocolate making process.

• Season 13 Episode 25: Sticky Stuff

  Duct tape; transparent tape; flypaper; denture adhesive.

• Season 13 Episode 24: Aluminum

  Rolling mills; the creation of aluminum foil; aluminum bats.

• Season 13 Episode 23: Saws

  The history and evolution of the saw.

• Season 13 Episode 22: Cheese

  The ancient techniques, cutting-edge technologies and history of cheese.

• Season 13 Episode 21: Fertilizer

  Using fertilizer to make crops and grass grow.

• Season 13 Episode 20: Truck Stops

  The world's largest truck-stops.

• Season 13 Episode 19: '70s Tech

  PONG; microprocessors; Texas Instruments; Mr. Coffee; the microwave oven; Polaroid.

• Season 13 Episode 18: Engineering Disasters of the '70s

  The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald; the Buffalo Creek Dam disaster; the explosion of a supertanker in Los Angeles Harbor.

• Season 13 Episode 17: World's Strongest 2

  The MegaFly, a giant ram-air parachute; boron carbide body-armor; the monster truck Bigfoot.

• Season 13 Episode 16: It Came From Outer Space

  Space travel technologies.

  Next on: Sunday 20th December 1:00pm EST - History International
• Season 13 Episode 15: '60s Tech

  Color TV; satellite broadcasting; transistor radios; the Ford Mustang.

• Season 13 Episode 14: Welding

  The history of welding and its modern applications.

• Season 13 Episode 13: Deep Sea Salvage

  The U.S. Navy's diving and salvage programs; the USS Salvor's underwater remote-operated robots; bomb-locating minisub Alvin.

• Season 13 Episode 12: More Military Movers

  The CV-22 Osprey; the Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter; LMSRs.

• Season 13 Episode 11: Yard Tech

  The Arizona Cardinals' dome stadium and its movable lawn; Scotts Company; Toro Company; sprinkler systems developed by the Rain Bird Company.

• Season 13 Episode 9: Dams

  Hoover Dam; Utah State University Water Research Laboratory hydraulics lab in Logan, Utah.

  Next on: Friday 18th December 1:00pm EST - History
• Season 13 Episode 8: Barbarian Battle Tech

  The forts, weapons and technology of barbarians.

• Season 13 Episode 7: Weapons of Mass Destruction

  Nuclear bombs and microscopic anthrax spores can be weapons of mass destruction.

• Season 13 Episode 5: Ice

  Ice plays a key role in shaping history and makes its mark as an unusual tool of technology; how glaciers sculpted North America; how ice drilled from Greenland and Antarctica provides a climate chronicle; iceberg dynamics and dangers.

• Season 13 Episode 4: Pumps

  The history and uses of the pump.

• Season 13 Episode 3: Canning

  Packing and preserving food.

• Season 13 Episode 2: Environmental Tech

  New technologies such as carbon sequestration and bioremediation combat environmental crises.

• Season 13 Episode 1: Balls

  The Wilson Sporting Goods football factory; Rawlings' Costa Rica baseball factory; the National Soccer Hall of Fame; the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Modern Marvels: Season 12 (1995 - 2007)

• Season 12 Episode 74: The Panama Canal

  Construction of the Panama Canal.

• Season 12 Episode 73: Grand Coulee Dam

  Built in 1931 on the Columbia River, the Grand Coulee Dam is one of the world's largest hydroelectric plants.

• Season 12 Episode 72: Firefighting! Containing the Demon

  Technology of firefighting; Chicago Fire; Triangle Shirtwaist Factory; Coconut Grove.

• Season 12 Episode 71: More Earthmovers

  Big earth-moving machines are used on, under and off Earth.

• Season 12 Episode 70: Statue of Liberty

  Intrigue, controversy and financial problems dog the construction of Liberty Enlightening the World.

• Season 12 Episode 69: Empire State Building

  During the Depression the Empire State Building is completed four months ahead of schedule.

• Season 12 Episode 68: Stealth Technology

  An examination of the technology behind F-117 stealth fighter planes, which razed much of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, and virtually won the 1991 Gulf War overnight. The investigation reveals how they were able to bypass Saddam's tough defences

• Season 12 Episode 67: Space Shuttle

  NASA's space shuttle is the world's first reusable space ship.

• Season 12 Episode 66: Shotguns

  The shotgun takes on a variety of roles.

• Season 12 Episode 65: The Cola Wars

  Research suggests Americans consume more gallons of soft drink per year than tap water.

• Season 12 Episode 64: B-25 Bomber

  Twin-engine bomber, the B-25 Mitchell.

• Season 12 Episode 63: High Explosives

  The history of explosives.

• Season 12 Episode 62: Guns of the Civil War

  The first truly modern weapons begin to be used in the Civil War.

• Season 12 Episode 61: Horsepower

  A celebration of the horse, the animal that helped mankind change the world; the thoroughbred racing industry in Kentucky; how a Minnesota logging company uses real horsepower; a Colorado program pairs horses and prison inmates.

• Season 12 Episode 60: Copper Kings

  William Clark and Marcus Daly control 19th-century U.S. copper production.

• Season 12 Episode 59: Trans-Atlantic Cable: 2,500 Miles of Copper

  In 1866, the trans-Atlantic cable links the United States and Europe.

• Season 12 Episode 58: Battlefield Engineering

  Laying the groundwork for battles.

• Season 12 Episode 57: Oakland Bay Bridge

  San Francisco's Oakland Bay Bridge features a unique double suspension.

• Season 12 Episode 56: Las Vegas

  A glittering desert oasis, Las Vegas is a mecca for dreamers.

• Season 12 Episode 55: The M-16

  The Korean War and the M-16 assault rifle.

• Season 12 Episode 54: FBI's Crime Lab

  Scientists and technicians use cutting-edge forensic technology to unearth identities of perpetrators at the FBI's crime lab at Quantico.

• Season 12 Episode 53: Forensic Science: The Crimefighter's Weapon

  Forensics: in fiction; fingerprints; DNA; tracking terrorists.

• Season 12 Episode 52: Secrets of the Acropolis

  Pagan rituals make the Acropolis the heart of ancient Athenian life.

• Season 12 Episode 51: World's Longest Bridge

  Documentary examining how engineers were able to complete Japan's Pearl Bridge, the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world at just under 2,000 metres. Its construction was plagued by mind-boggling mechanical difficulties, and the need for it to withstand high winds, earthquakes and strong sea currents

• Season 12 Episode 50: Christmas Tech

  Tree preparation at Rockefeller Center; holiday window decorations at Macy's and Herald Square; Yule Tree Farms.

• Season 12 Episode 49: Tea

  The Lipton tea plant; the 127-acre Charleston Tea Plantation in South Carolina; the history of tea.

• Season 12 Episode 48: Snow

  The benefits and perils of snow.

  Next on: Thursday 17th December 10:00pm EST - History International
• Season 12 Episode 47: Engineering Disasters 20

  BP's Texas City oil refinery's 2005 explosion; the 2001 crash of American Airlines flight 587; NASA's Skylab.

• Season 12 Episode 46: Harvesting 2

  High-tech harvesting.

• Season 12 Episode 45: Wine

  France's Moet vineyards and La Tour d'Argent.

• Season 12 Episode 44: Breakfast Tech

  Making breakfast on the USS John C. Stennis.

• Season 12 Episode 43: The Supermarket

  Safeway's distribution center; supermarket pioneers and the chains they created.

• Season 12 Episode 42: Tobacco

  The harvesting and cultivation of tobacco.

• Season 12 Episode 41: Tomcat Sunset

  The F-14 Tomcat Sunset; host Terry Deitz.

• Season 12 Episode 40: World's Strongest

  The Foss Maritime tugboat; Spectra rope; diamond; polycarbonate plastic.

  Next on: Monday 14th December 10:00pm EST - History International
• Season 12 Episode 39: Distilleries 2

  The Christian Brothers distillery; working moonshine still; Jade absinthe distillery.

• Season 12 Episode 38: Ink

  The history and uses of ink.

• Season 12 Episode 36: Stealth and Beyond: Air Stealth

  Stealth aircraft, ships and soldiers of the past, present and future; advances in stealth military aircraft.

• Season 12 Episode 35: Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway

  The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway stretches from Boston to Florida.

• Season 12 Episode 33: Freight Trains

  The vast network of trains transporting everything from coal, cars, crops and chemicals across the US, hauling some 1.8billion tonnes of goods every year. Featuring a visit to the legendary Union Pacific Bailey Yard pitstop

• Season 12 Episode 32: Renewable Energy

  Renewable energy sources.

• Season 12 Episode 30: Copper

  The history and uses of copper.

• Season 12 Episode 29: Water

  Insight into the ever-changing role of water, which can take the form of stunning waterfalls and devastating floods, and provide a source for irrigation machines, and architectural wonders such as the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas

  Next on: Monday 14th December 1:00pm EST - History
• Season 12 Episode 28: Levees

  A look at flood defences, including Europe's mechanical storm surge barriers and the Mississippi levees, which failed in spectacular fashion following 2005's hurricane Katrina, leaving much of the city of New Orleans under water

• Season 12 Episode 27: Mummy Tech

  A look at the technology used to create Egyptian mummies - one of the most recognisable images of the ancient civilisation

• Season 12 Episode 26: Nuts

  The agri-tech and genetic engineering behind nuts.

• Season 12 Episode 24: World's Biggest Machines 5

  Wind tunnel; flight simulators; mining machine; IMAX technology.

• Season 12 Episode 22: Pirate Tech

  Pirates use firearms, swords and navigational equipment.

  Next on: Friday 11th December 1:00pm EST - History
• Season 12 Episode 21: BBQ Tech

  Famous barbecue cook-offs; long-established barbecue restaurants.

• Season 12 Episode 20: Money

  The U.S. Mint; the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

• Season 12 Episode 19: Heavy Metals

  Copper, uranium, chromium, lead, nickel and zinc.

• Season 12 Episode 18: Ben Franklin Tech

  The inventions of Ben Franklin.

• Season 12 Episode 17: '80s Tech

  New and exciting gadgets of the 1980s.

• Season 12 Episode 16: Drilling

  Tunnel-boring machines; robotic drills; hand-held power drills.

• Season 12 Episode 15: Shovels

  California's borax mines; steam shovel; the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

• Season 12 Episode 14: Hi-Tech Hitler

  Scientific advances of the Nazi period continue to have an impact today.

• Season 12 Episode 13: Insulation

  The past, present and future of insulation technology.

• Season 12 Episode 12: Engineering Disasters 19

  The Edmund Fitzgerald; Boeing 737 crashes; nuclear disasters; oil storage facility.

• Season 12 Episode 11: Leather

  Modern tanneries and exotic leathers.

• Season 12 Episode 10: Engineering Disasters: New Orleans

  The levees and water-pumping system of New Orleans.

• Season 12 Episode 9: Nature Tech: Avalanches

  An avalanche can stretch a mile wide and weigh more than a million tons.

• Season 12 Episode 8: Weird Weapons: The Axis

  Extraordinary armaments of the Axis during World War II; vortex cannon; army in space; death rays.

• Season 12 Episode 7: Candy

  Boxed chocolates as See's Candy; Schimpff's Confectionery; Jelly Belly; salt-water taffy pullers.

• Season 12 Episode 6: Engineering Disasters 18

  Debris causes workers to plunge 200 feet; Salton Sea; China's Sunjiawan coal mine.

• Season 12 Episode 5: Weird Weapons: The Allies

  The Allied secrets of World War II.

• Season 12 Episode 4: Nature Tech: Lightning

  Flashes of light pique humans' imaginations.

• Season 12 Episode 3: Cotton

  Cotton's journey from dirt to shirt; cotton's ancient origins.

• Season 12 Episode 2: Fire

  Fire-breathing boilers make steam heat for downtown Philadelphia; creating electricity at a biomass plant; coal-fired locomotives; rocket engines.

• Season 12 Episode 1: Containers

  Steel freight containers; Georgia-Pacific plant; Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

Modern Marvels: Season 11 (2004 - 2006)

• Season 11 Episode 61: Nature Tech: Hurricanes

  Hurricane chaser planes; building construction; modern skyscrapers.

• Season 11 Episode 60: Walt Disney World

  Behind the scenes at the Magic Kingdom; its original designs; what makes each park function.

  Next on: Monday 14th December 6:00am EST - History
• Season 11 Episode 59: More Snackfood Tech

  Coca-Cola; Cadbury Schweppes; Krispy Kreme; Oberto jerky; Rudolph Foods pork rinds.

• Season 11 Episode 58: More Hardware

  Wrenches; measuring tools; demolition tools; the development of rope; sandpaper.

• Season 11 Episode 57: Custom Cars

  History, technology and culture connect successive generations who create art from automobiles.

• Season 11 Episode 56: Da Vinci Tech

  An insight into the mind of visionary artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci, who designed technology and innovations that were hundreds of years ahead of their time, and questionning whether his ideas would actually work if created

• Season 11 Episode 55: The Lumberyard

  Plywood and pressed wood; exotic woods; recycled and antique wood.

• Season 11 Episode 54: Brewing

  The earliest known traces of brewing; brewers attempt to concoct a beer based on DNA found in a 2,700-year-old drinking vessel.

• Season 11 Episode 53: Engineering Disasters 17

  The 1931 Fokker F-10 passenger airplane crash; Marine Electric coal ship; Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

• Season 11 Episode 52: Secret Allied Aircraft of WWII

  U.S. and U.K. military aircraft.

• Season 11 Episode 51: The Auto Store

  Car parts and accessories stores.

• Season 11 Episode 50: German Small Arms of WWII

  German small arms evolve from World War I to the end of the Second World War.

• Season 11 Episode 49: Cereal: History in a Bowl

  Huge fields of golden grains produce the cereals that are a $10 billion global industry.

• Season 11 Episode 48: Sugar

  The history of sugar; a sugar plantation on Maui; the technology used to create the sweetener.

• Season 11 Episode 47: Coffee

  The beverage coffee originates in Ethiopia more than 1,000 years ago.

• Season 11 Episode 46: HMS Victory
• Season 11 Episode 45: Wiring America

  Technicians risk their lives in order to provide electric power and 21st-century communications.

• Season 11 Episode 44: High Risk: Helicopter Linemen

  Pilots and linemen maintain and repair live high-voltage power-lines.

• Season 11 Episode 43: B-2 Bomber

  The key to victory is the ability to strike the enemy without them knowing what hit them.

• Season 11 Episode 42: The World's Fastest

  The Koenigsegg CCR automobile; the Shanghai Maglev train; motorboat racer Ken Warby and the Spirit of Australia; the Kingda Ka roller coaster; the Holloman High Speed Test Track.

• Season 11 Episode 41: Route 66

  Route 66 remains a destination for nostalgic travelers wishing to recapture a simpler, more adventurous era.

• Season 11 Episode 40: Secret Luftwaffe Aircraft of WWII

  German military aircraft designs are decades ahead of their Allied counterparts.

• Season 11 Episode 39: Lube Job

  Lubricants are crucial to the advance of technology.

• Season 11 Episode 38: Dredging

  Dredgers clear and deepen ports for vessels that carry megacontainers.

• Season 11 Episode 37: World's Biggest Machines 4

  A machine-press stamps out an entire car body; a chain-saw cuts through rock; a telescope glimpses the ends of the known universe; a rock crusher; Keck Observatory.

• Season 11 Episode 36: Challenger Tank

  The Challenger tank boats one of the world's most effective computerized weapons-systems.

• Season 11 Episode 35: Sewers

  The sewer is a network of underground pipes and tunnels.

• Season 11 Episode 34: Cowboy Tech

  Today's cowboys use computer chips, retinal scans and DNA evidence to round up cattle rustlers.

• Season 11 Episode 32: Mountain Roads

  Roads pass through mountain ranges.

• Season 11 Episode 31: Secrets of Soviet Space Disasters

  The problems in the space program lead to more than 150 recorded deaths.

• Season 11 Episode 30: Edison Tech

  Thomas Alva Edison successfully files more than 1,000 patents.

• Season 11 Episode 29: Future Tech

  Paper-thin television; hydrogen-fueled vehicle; brain-computer interface; robotic soldiers; commercialization of space; Mars base-station.

• Season 11 Episode 28: Boys' Toys: Private Collections

  Individuals collect a wide variety of items; famous collectors.

• Season 11 Episode 27: Secret Japanese Aircraft of WWII

  Japanese designers create a range of warplanes.

• Season 11 Episode 26: The Cape Cod Canal

  The creation of a canal turns Massachusetts' Cape Cod into an island.

• Season 11 Episode 25: The John Hancock Center

  Chicago's John Hancock Center's 100 stories contain homes, shops, offices, and a swimming pool.

• Season 11 Episode 24: Machines of D-Day

  In order to invade Nazi-occupied Europe, the Allies produce an array of specialized equipment.

• Season 11 Episode 23: Civil War Tech

  Civil War technology revolutionizes the way war is waged.

• Season 11 Episode 22: F/A-22 Raptor

  The F/A 22 Raptor fighter-jet is deadly and undetectable at long range.

• Season 11 Episode 21: Glue

  Glues keep the material world together.

• Season 11 Episode 20: Bricks

  Fallen civilizations' brick-and-mortar structures defiantly stand against time and the elements.

• Season 11 Episode 19: Mega Movers

  Two structural-moving families struggle to relocate historic homes.

• Season 11 Episode 18: Paint

  Paint has quietly been one of humankind's most ingenious methods of defeating the elements.

• Season 11 Episode 17: The Basement

  Subterranean rooms help human beings to live comfortably.

• Season 11 Episode 16: The Doomsday Clock

  Scientists develop the Doomsday Clock as an image to symbolize urgency in the Cold War and the threat of nuclear disaster.

• Season 11 Episode 15: Deadliest Weapons

  Gladius; siegecraft; artillery; crossbows; gunpowder; firearms; cannons; poison gas; shrapnel shells; machine guns; firebombs; nuclear and hydrogen bombs; ICBMs; vehicles of transportation; biological and chemical agents; dirty bombs.

• Season 11 Episode 14: SWAT

  Mid-1960s criminal-sniping incidents engender SWAT teams.

• Season 11 Episode 13: Taxidermy

  Ancient and modern humans share a fascination with the preservation of the living form.

• Season 11 Episode 12: Edwards Air Force Base

  Edwards Air Force Base in California becomes the world's foremost center for aviation research.

  Next on: Friday 11th December 11:10pm EST - Military History Channel
• Season 11 Episode 11: Boys' Toys: Howard Hughes Tech

  TWA's Constellation; Spruce Goose; remote-guided weapons systems; geosynchronous communications satellite; Apache military helicopter; spacecraft Galileo.

• Season 11 Episode 10: The Great Bridge: 8 Miles of Steel

  Oakland Bay Bridge.

• Season 11 Episode 9: Sub Zero

  U.S. South Pole Station; Polartec Clothing; snowmobiles and Sno-Cats; ice-breaking ships; LC-130 transport plane; robot explorer; glycoproteins.

• Season 11 Episode 8: Desert Tech

  Hydroelectric power, refrigeration and air-conditioning technologies make life in desert communities comfortable.

• Season 11 Episode 7: George Washington Carver Tech

  Visionary George Washington Carver shares his knowledge with the world.

• Season 11 Episode 6: The Butcher

  Butchers take carcasses of unsavory flesh and carve them into mouth-watering cuts.

• Season 11 Episode 5: World's Biggest Machines 3

  Giant, flame-breathing robots; floating fortress; diesel engine with 108,000 horsepower.

• Season 11 Episode 4: Nature's Engineers 2

  Earth's non-human inhabitants use tools, build intricate structures and perform complex procedures.

• Season 11 Episode 3: The Arch

  The arch is one of the strongest and most versatile structures made by humans.

• Season 11 Episode 2: Car Tech of the Future

  Concept cars of the past; futuristic designs; progressive autos.

• Season 11 Episode 1: Poison

  The ancient and deadly practice of poisoning, an increasingly effective method of murder that has been in employment since the time of the Egyptian dynasties

Modern Marvels: Season 10 (2004 - 2005)

• Season 10 Episode 60: More Doomsday Tech

  Asteroids; bioterrorism; cyberterrorist attacks; genetic engineering.

  Next on: Sunday 13th December 1:00pm EST - History International
• Season 10 Episode 59: Doomsday Tech 1

  Innovations with potential for creation and destruction, including nuclear power, nanotechnology and robotics

• Season 10 Episode 58: Engineering Disasters 16

  Underground explosion; dam collapse; school collapse; giant oil spill.

• Season 10 Episode 57: More Dangerous Cargo

  Transporting dynamite; movement and destruction of illegal drugs; transport of powerful fuel.

• Season 10 Episode 56: Commercial Fishing

  Old fishing community; monstrous factory trawler; deep-sea fish farms.

• Season 10 Episode 55: Snackfood Tech

  Potato chips; candy bars; Twinkies; chocolates.

• Season 10 Episode 54: Engineering Disasters 15

  Chicago flood; Alpine tunnel fires; riverboat boiler explosion; building collapse; plane crash.

• Season 10 Episode 53: Washington Monument

  One hundred years from concept to completion, the Washington Monument stands over 55 stories high.

• Season 10 Episode 52: Engineering Disasters 14

  Oil-tanker explosion; subway tunnel cave-in; freighter-plane crash; molasses flash-flood; freeway-ramp collapse.

• Season 10 Episode 51: Sub Disasters

  Engineers learn from disaster to make modifications to increase the chances of survival aboard submarines.

• Season 10 Episode 50: Engineering Disasters 13

  Love Canal; flaws in Patriot Missile systems; collapse of the World Trade Center; Cocoanut Grove fire; failed building demolition.

• Season 10 Episode 49: Surveillance Tech

  Big Brother tracks every aspect of our lives.

• Season 10 Episode 48: Engineering Disasters 12

  Denver International Airport baggage disaster; Texas A&M bonfire; M-4 Sherman tank; Milwaukee Water Treatment disaster of 1993; Skyline Plaza collapse.

• Season 10 Episode 47: M1 Abrams Supertank!

  The United States builds a supertank to combat Soviet tank supremacy during the Cold War.

• Season 10 Episode 46: Engineering Disasters 11

  Sinkholes; use of asbestos; Chang River flood; liquid natural-gas explosions; Hyatt Hotel walkway collapses.

• Season 10 Episode 45: Gas Tech

  Hydrogen use may one day replace the use of fossil fuels.

• Season 10 Episode 44: Presidential Movers

  Presidential planes, trains and automobiles become high-tech cocoons.

• Season 10 Episode 43: Engineering Disasters 10

  Tropicana Casino Garage collapse; Transvaal Aqua Park roof collapse; gas-storage explosion; Bhopal chemical plant disaster.

• Season 10 Episode 42: Engineering Disasters 9

  Grain-elevator explosion; freighter crashes into mall; collapse of Rosemont Horizon; Schoharie Bridge collapse; airship crash.

• Season 10 Episode 41: Harvesting

  Custom machines harvest each type of crop.

• Season 10 Episode 40: Engineering Disasters 8

  Sinking of Ocean Ranger offshore oil rig; plane carrying golfer Payne Stewart malfunctions; Connecticut Turnpike collapse; South Fork Dam failure; PEPCON jet fuel plant explosion.

• Season 10 Episode 39: More of the World's Biggest Machines

  Biggest aircraft; largest and most powerful jet engine; Sikorsky helicopter; biggest steam-locomotive; largest oil-drilling ship; 'heavy lift' ships.

• Season 10 Episode 37: St. Lawrence Seaway

  The St. Lawrence Seaway is the longest inland waterway in the world.

• Season 10 Episode 36: Police Pursuit

  Technology gives law enforcement the upper hand in modern pursuits.

• Season 10 Episode 35: Sears Tower

  Chicago's Sears Tower becomes the largest building in the world.

• Season 10 Episode 34: Building a Skyscraper: The Human Environment

  Elevators; air-conditioning systems; heating; ventilation.

• Season 10 Episode 33: Building a Skyscraper: The Arteries

  Data lines; power; plumbing; photovoltaics; conserving energy; painting; carpeting; moving furniture; lights.

• Season 10 Episode 32: Building a Skyscraper: The Exterior

  Construction problems of mega-skyscrapers; exterior wall system; energy-conserving glass; safety issues; aesthetics.

• Season 10 Episode 31: Building a Skyscraper: The Skeleton

  Construction of the California Department of Transportation Headquarters; design; excavation; skeleton; hurricane- and earthquake-proofing; structural systems.

• Season 10 Episode 30: George Washington Bridge

  The George Washington Bridge stands as the main traffic artery between Manhattan and New Jersey.

• Season 10 Episode 29: Extreme Aircraft

  The technological achievements that have enhanced aircraft, including the X-1 that broke the sound barrier, the use of spy planes in the Cold War and contemporary stealth bombers

• Season 10 Episode 28: Engineering Disasters 7

  The Baldwin Hills dam collapse in Los Angeles; a wing separates from a passenger plane; a freighter slams into a Florida bridge; the Northridge earthquake of 1994.

• Season 10 Episode 27: Oil Tankers

  Oil tankers are the largest moving objects built by humans.

• Season 10 Episode 26: World War One Tech

  A look at some of the technological developments in World War One, including submarines, tanks, bombing aircraft and chemical weapons

• Season 10 Episode 25: Apollo 11

  The space race accelerates technology and gets humans to the moon and back.

• Season 10 Episode 24: Distilleries

  History of alcohol distillery; how each liquor is produced; spirits-tasting event.

• Season 10 Episode 23: Nuclear Tech

  Nuclear technology has uses in medicine, food preparation and radiation detection.

• Season 10 Episode 22: Robots

  The history of robotics is traced over 2,000 years; archival interview with Isaac Asimov.

• Season 10 Episode 21: Greatest Movie Gadgets

  On-screen tools of the superspy trade; how Hollywood comes up with its creations.

• Season 10 Episode 20: City Water

  Public water-supply systems supply 99 percent of the U.S. population.

• Season 10 Episode 19: Rubber

  Rubber shapes modern industrial society.

• Season 10 Episode 18: A-10 Tankbuster

  The A-10 Tankbuster is designed for close air support, working with ground troops to take out enemy positions and tanks.

• Season 10 Episode 17: D-Day Tech

  The Allies devise scientific and mechanical breakthroughs to thwart Hitler's Atlantic Wall and to make the D-Day invasion successful.

• Season 10 Episode 16: Plane Crashes

  Plane crashes plague the aviation industry and terrorize the public.

• Season 10 Episode 15: Hydraulics

  The transmission of forces from point to point through fluid opens the door for the Industrial Revolution.

• Season 10 Episode 14: F-18 Hornet

  Using sophisticated computerized technology, the F-18 Hornet becomes one of the foremost fighters of the 21st century.

• Season 10 Episode 13: Engineering Disasters 6

  AV-8-Harrier jump jet; Ford Explorer-Firestone tire rollovers; offshore oil-rig fire; derailment of a high-speed train; computer errors almost set off nuclear war.

• Season 10 Episode 12: Bathroom Tech

  The history of bathing and showering; how modern plumbing systems work; history of oral hygiene.

• Season 10 Episode 11: The Power Grid

  The electronic power grid is comprised of a huge complex of power plants, sub-stations and transmission lines.

• Season 10 Episode 10: Bible Tech

  The use of technology is ever-present in the Bible.

• Season 10 Episode 9: Nature's Engineers

  Beavers, honeybees, birds, termites and spiders build their homes.

• Season 10 Episode 8: Frontline Reporting

  Modern civilian correspondents dispatch the news of war with speed, range and clarity.

• Season 10 Episode 7: Command Central

  Centcom in Doha, Qatar, represents everything a modern military command post can be.

• Season 10 Episode 6: Oil Fire Fighting

  Insight into the the people and technology deployed in combatting blazing oil wells - a highly specialised and dangerous job

• Season 10 Episode 5: Racetrack Tech

  NASCAR relies upon innovations in vehicles, tracks, safety walls and tools.

• Season 10 Episode 4: Gangster Guns

  Colt .45s and .38s; Tommy guns; Whippets; Browning automatic rifles.

• Season 10 Episode 3: Pacific Coast Highway

  The Pacific Coast Highway winds from exclusive retreats in Malibu, Calif., to the wilds of Washington state.

• Season 10 Episode 1: Guns of the Russian Military

  Russian small arms emphasize robustness and simplicity of design.

Modern Marvels: Season 9 (2003 - 2006)

• Season 9 Episode 66: Engineering Disasters 5

  A misplaced oil rig spells disaster in Louisiana; West Virginia flood; Exxon Valdez oil spill; collapsing radio and TV antenna towers; freeways and earthquakes.

• Season 9 Episode 65: Toys

  Super Soaker water gun; Lionel electric train; Erector Set; cap gun; Lincoln Logs; Matchbox Cars; G.I. Joe; LEGO bricks.

• Season 9 Episode 64: The Berlin Wall

  Communists erect a 103-mile-long wall through and around Berlin in order to stop the flow of refugees to the West.

• Season 9 Episode 63: Egyptian Pyramids

  Constructed as tombs for the ancient pharaohs, more than 100 pyramids remain in Egypt.

• Season 9 Episode 62: The Technology of Kitty Hawk

  The Wright brothers methodically break down the problem of flight and change the world forever.

• Season 9 Episode 61: Tailgating

  Football fans arrive early to participate in pre-game revelry.

• Season 9 Episode 60: Extreme Gadgets

  Technology of sports captures the public's imagination and revolutionizes the sporting industry.

• Season 9 Episode 59: The Technology of Lewis and Clark

  Planning, craftsmanship, improvisation and sheer determination contribute to the success of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

• Season 9 Episode 58: ET Tech

  Scientists use life-seeking planetary landers to search for extraterrestrial life on Mars.

• Season 9 Episode 57: Extreme Trucks

  Jet truck; mobile command truck; building specialty trucks.

• Season 9 Episode 56: Shipyards

  Shipyards are waterside construction sites where some of the largest tools ever built help create the biggest machines on earth.

  Next on: Saturday 19th December 10:00am EST - History International
• Season 9 Episode 55: Inviting Disaster 4

  Technological breakdowns; the battle between man and machine; links between past and present tragedies.

• Season 9 Episode 54: Inviting Disaster 3

  Technological breakdowns; the battle between man and machine; links between past and present tragedies.

• Season 9 Episode 53: Inviting Disaster 2

  Technological breakdowns; the battle between man and machine; links between past and present tragedies.

• Season 9 Episode 52: Panzers

  German tanks help create the blitzkrieg, revolutionizing military doctrine.

• Season 9 Episode 51: The Luftwaffe

  Goering's well-trained fliers fill enemy pilots with dread.

• Season 9 Episode 50: Inviting Disaster 1

  Technological breakdowns; the battle between man and machine; links between past and present tragedies.

• Season 9 Episode 49: Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

  Two ribbons of concrete span the largest inland body of water in Louisiana, forming the world's longest automobile bridge.

• Season 9 Episode 48: Smart Bombs

  Precision-guided weapons become a flashpoint for war critics.

• Season 9 Episode 47: Machu Picchu

  Perched on a ridge in the Peruvian Andes is the engineering marvel Machu Picchu, originally built by the Incas.

• Season 9 Episode 46: Terror Tech 2

  A look at devices for protecting people in the home, including panic rooms and windows with biological weapon detectors

• Season 9 Episode 45: Overseas Highway

  The Overseas Highway contains 51 bridges, linking mainland Florida with the Florida Keys.

• Season 9 Episode 44: Space Shuttle Columbia

  The shuttle opens space to an international community of scientists and explorers.

• Season 9 Episode 43: Landmines

  Landmines remain littered throughout 64 nations.

• Season 9 Episode 42: Metal

  Metal structures shape human progress.

• Season 9 Episode 41: Aircraft Carrier

  U.S. aircraft carriers did not sink under the barrage of kamikaze assaults.

• Season 9 Episode 40: Bullets

  In 1841 a conical bullet changes ammunition forever.

• Season 9 Episode 39: Terror Tech: Defending the Highrise

  A look at the steps taken to increase defence in America, including the scientists, engineers and security advisors who were brought in after 9/11

• Season 9 Episode 38: Police Guns

  Police are a thin blue line between the law-abiding populace and criminal activity.

• Season 9 Episode 37: Military Movers

  Military planners move millions of soldiers and tons of cargo halfway around the world and into the thick of action.

• Season 9 Episode 36: Nature Tech: Tornadoes

  Tornado technology.

• Season 9 Episode 35: Terror Tech: Military

  Smart Bombs; Tactical Ballistic-Missile Systems; GPS-driven technology; Electro-Optical Systems; pilotless drone Predator.

• Season 9 Episode 34: Loading Docks

  Loading docks serve as the connecting point between products coming from the factory to reaching store shelves.

• Season 9 Episode 33: Convertibles

  The convertible transforms the driving experience.

• Season 9 Episode 32: Car Crashes

  Technological advancements may eliminate the need for human drivers, possibly reducing the frequency of car accidents.

• Season 9 Episode 31: 4x4

  The four-wheel drive vehicle.

• Season 9 Episode 30: Breaking the Sound Barrier

  In 1947, young test-pilot Chuck Yeager becomes the first to smash through the sound barrier.

• Season 9 Episode 29: Logging Tech

  The logging industry topples billion of trees.

• Season 9 Episode 28: Nature Tech: Tsunamis

  Large-scale displacement of seabed sediment causes giant water walls.

• Season 9 Episode 27: Engineering Disasters 4

  Buried within the wreckage of engineering disasters lie lessons which point the way to a safer future.

• Season 9 Episode 26: More Engineering Disasters

  Attempts to create modern marvels collapse.

• Season 9 Episode 25: Gunslingers

  Wild Bill Hickok; Jesse James; Wyatt Earp.

• Season 9 Episode 24: Dangerous Cargo

  Hazardous-material shipment; trucks carrying classified government materials; Con-Air flight moves dangerous felons.

• Season 9 Episode 23: High Voltage

  Linemen string and repair 250-foot-high electrical transmission wires.

• Season 9 Episode 22: The Exterminator

  Termites, mosquitos, rats, mice, ants and cockroaches have spread damage, disease and death for millions of years.

• Season 9 Episode 21: Torture Devices

  A medical doctor who specializes in victims of torture explains its use.

• Season 9 Episode 20: Harley-Davidson

  The Harley-Davidson motor company rebounds from the brink of bankruptcy.

• Season 9 Episode 19: Tank Crews

  The M-4 Sherman tank is the mainstay of the American tank fleet during World War II.

• Season 9 Episode 18: T-34: Russian Victory

  Stalin enlists the ideas of an American engineer to develop one of the most formidable tanks in history.

• Season 9 Episode 17: MiG 15

  Soviet MiGs meet their match in American F-86 Sabre jets, beginning a new era in air warfare.

• Season 9 Episode 16: U.S. Guns of World War II

  The weapons of American troops withstand surf, snow, dense jungle and choking dust.

• Season 9 Episode 15: Ball Turret Gunners

  Airmen man the B-17's belly guns.

• Season 9 Episode 14: Machine Guns

  The machine gun originates in the Civil War.

• Season 9 Episode 13: Coal Mines

  Coal provides more than half of the electricity used on a daily basis.

• Season 9 Episode 12: Titanic Tech

  Watertight compartments and a steel-plated hull convince all that HMS Titanic would be unsinkable, but a collision with an iceberg proves the belief wrong.

• Season 9 Episode 11: Black Hawk: Night Stalker

  The Black Hawk remains the world's most advanced twin-turbine military helicopter.

• Season 9 Episode 10: Army Corps of Engineers

  Congressional mandate creates the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to respond to the nation's engineering needs.

• Season 9 Episode 9: Non-Lethal Weapons

  High-tech tools disperse angry crowds and take down criminals without harming bystanders.

• Season 9 Episode 8: Bullet Trains

  Trains capable of speeds of up to 190 miles per hour can be found throughout the world.

• Season 9 Episode 7: Mackinac Bridge

  One of the longest suspension bridges in the world connects the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan.

• Season 9 Episode 6: Twin Towers of the East

  The Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia is the tallest structure in the world.

• Season 9 Episode 5: The Alcan Highway

  The 1,522-mile-long Alaskan Highway takes 11,000 soldiers to build.

• Season 9 Episode 4: Booby Traps

  Booby traps continue to worry law enforcement.

• Season 9 Episode 3: Ice Road Truckers

  Long-haul truckers risk their lives to bring supplies to remote Canadian villages.

• Season 9 Episode 2: Castles & Dungeons

  Medieval castles withstand both bloody assaults and the test of time.

• Season 9 Episode 1: Trans-Siberian Railroad

  The Trans-Siberian railroad provokes a war, crosses treacherous terrain, and encounters huge obstacles.

Modern Marvels: Season 8 (2002 - 2004)

• Season 8 Episode 51: Runways

  Runways play a vital role as the backbone of aviation.

• Season 8 Episode 50: Salt Mines

  Most life depends upon salt.

• Season 8 Episode 49: Digi-Tech

  DVD; CD; PDA; HDTV; PVR.

• Season 8 Episode 48: Boys' Toys: Limos

  Limousines have been stretched to greater and greater lengths.

• Season 8 Episode 47: More Bond Gadgets

  The best in James Bond-style gadgetry.

• Season 8 Episode 46: James Bond Gadgets

  Secret Agent 007 has outrageous and creative gadgets.

• Season 8 Episode 45: Tunnels of Vietnam

  A daring band of infantry soldiers uncovers secret enemy arms and intelligence caches.

• Season 8 Episode 44: High Tech Sex

  Aphrodisiacs; cybersex; contraception devices; erotic devices.

• Season 8 Episode 43: Train Wrecks

  The record accidents/fatalities when profit ruled contrast with the safety-first goal of today's railroads.

• Season 8 Episode 42: Sherman Tanks

  The U.S. M-4 Sherman tank fights in some of the bloodiest battles of World War II.

• Season 8 Episode 41: Cranes

  The crane is a simple but important combination of the pulley and the lever.

• Season 8 Episode 40: Muscle Cars

  During the 1960s and 1970s, auto-manufacturers compete to create high-performance cars.

• Season 8 Episode 39: Pickup Trucks

  The pickup moves from back roads to main streets.

• Season 8 Episode 38: The Autobahn

  Germany's Autobahn has no speed limit, yet is one of the safest roads in the world.

• Season 8 Episode 37: The Chrysler Building

  The art deco Chrysler Building stands out in the New York skyline.

• Season 8 Episode 36: Breweries

  A history of American beer.

• Season 8 Episode 35: Magnets

  Magnets serve as the underpinning for much of modern technology.

• Season 8 Episode 34: The Magnum

  The Magnum is known as the most powerful gun in the world.

• Season 8 Episode 33: Liberty Ships of WWII

  Industrialists transform U.S. shipyards into mass-production facilities in a matter of months in the 1940s.

• Season 8 Episode 32: Nordhausen

  Underground factory Nordhausen employs thousands of concentration-camp workers to manufacture Hitler's secret weapons.

• Season 8 Episode 31: Jet Engines

  Development of jet-powered aircraft.

• Season 8 Episode 30: Towing

  Tugboats; roller-coasters; funicular railroads; flat-bed truck; 747.

• Season 8 Episode 29: Engines

  Electronic motors make appliances run.

• Season 8 Episode 28: Gasoline

  Without gasoline, modern life would grind to a halt.

• Season 8 Episode 27: Strategic Air Command

  At the height of the Cold War, the Strategic Air Command controls thousands of nuclear weapons, planes and missiles.

• Season 8 Episode 26: Super Guns of Today and Tomorrow

  Weapons exist on the cutting edge of firearm technology.

• Season 8 Episode 25: Hangars

  Stark, massive structures house and protect aircraft.

• Season 8 Episode 24: Models
• Season 8 Episode 23: Camouflage

  Elaborate disguises can make soldiers and equipment, forts and cities become 'invisible.'

• Season 8 Episode 22: Hunting Gear

  Hunting technology evolves from the primitive to the digital.

• Season 8 Episode 21: The Tackle Box

  People try to lure creatures out of their watery world and into the frying pan.

• Season 8 Episode 20: The Manhattan Project

  Los Alamos scientists and engineers build the ultimate weapon of war in the interest of peace.

• Season 8 Episode 19: Big Rigs of Combat

  Armored fighting machines; combat construction vehicles.

• Season 8 Episode 18: Drag Racing

  Dragsters hit top speeds above 330 miles per hour.

• Season 8 Episode 17: The World's Biggest Machines

  Excavators; machines lug NASA rockets to the launch pad; cruise ship; machine to create a fusion reaction.

• Season 8 Episode 16: Axes, Swords and Knives

  The history and technology behind the ax as a weapon and tool; lumberjack competition; battle-axes; American Indian tomahawks; ax factory; ax collector.

• Season 8 Episode 15: Fire and Ice

  Technology for keeping cool lags far behind that of keeping warm.

• Season 8 Episode 14: Icebreakers

  Icebreaker ships plow headlong into one of nature's most formidable barriers.

• Season 8 Episode 13: The Wheel

  The invention of the wheel impacts science, society, technology and commerce.

• Season 8 Episode 12: Motors
• Season 8 Episode 11: The F-14

  The U.S. Navy's most lethal fighter, the F-14, soars at supersonic speeds.

• Season 8 Episode 10: The Junkyard

  One man's trash can become another man's treasure.

• Season 8 Episode 9: Siege Machines

  Siege machines convert energy into mechanical force to breach barriers.

• Season 8 Episode 8: Bulletproof

  Experts design materials that can catch gunfire.

• Season 8 Episode 7: Pleasure Boats

  People devote their lives to pleasure boating.

• Season 8 Episode 6: Million Dollar Tech

  Luxury toys function as status symbols.

• Season 8 Episode 5: Remote Control

  Nicola Tesla invents the first remote control in 1898.

• Season 8 Episode 4: Boys' Toys: Private Jets 2

  Buying a previously-owned jet; the Associated Air Center; kit jets; personal jets the size of commercial airliners.

• Season 8 Episode 3: Boys' Toys: Private Jets 1

  Bill Lear, Clyde Cessna and his nephews, and Walter and Olive Beech pioneer corporate jets.

• Season 8 Episode 2: Helicopters

  Helicopters, first theorized by Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison, have proven their worth in a wide array of uses.

• Season 8 Episode 1: Failed Inventions

  Dreamers and schemers try an odd assortment of flawed ideas for inventions.

  Next on: Saturday 12th December 7:00pm EST - History

Modern Marvels: Season 7 (1997 - 2006)

• Season 7 Episode 39: The St. Louis Arch

  The arch's simple and elegant form rises boldly over the Mississippi River.

• Season 7 Episode 38: Firing Ranges

  Military and law-enforcement personnel hone their shooting skills.

• Season 7 Episode 37: Glass
• Season 7 Episode 36: Times Square

  New York City's Times Square is the city's most vibrant area.

• Season 7 Episode 35: Los Angeles
• Season 7 Episode 34: Drive-Thru

  A history of car-culture commerce.

• Season 7 Episode 33: Cemeteries

  More than 2 million people die in the United States each year.

• Season 7 Episode 32: Bunkers

  In the constant struggle to hold off ever more potent forms of attack, bunkers function in a variety of forms.

• Season 7 Episode 31: Work Clothes
• Season 7 Episode 30: The House - Part Two
• Season 7 Episode 29: The House - Part One
• Season 7 Episode 28: Diamond Mines

  Miners dig for rough diamonds half a mile deep.

• Season 7 Episode 27: Quarries

  Without rock, modern society wouldn't exist.

• Season 7 Episode 26: West Point

  The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., trains students in the art of war.

• Season 7 Episode 25: Air Shows

  Aerobatic events advance aviation.

• Season 7 Episode 24: Nuclear Subs

  Some nuclear submarines carry more firepower than all of the bombs dropped in history.

• Season 7 Episode 23: Cannons

  The self-propelled Crusader launches artillery shells farther than 33 miles.

• Season 7 Episode 22: Saloons

  Saloons; speakeasies; modern bars.

• Season 7 Episode 21: Cattle Ranches

  Legendary cattle drives; future ranching may involve cloning.

• Season 7 Episode 20: More Gadgets

  Some tools and toys have stood the test of time.

• Season 7 Episode 19: World Trade Center
• Season 7 Episode 18: Hardware Stores

  The history and evolution of the hardware store.

• Season 7 Episode 17: Battle Gear

  Development of weapons; evolution of body armor.

• Season 7 Episode 16: The Colosseum

  The Colosseum, built in the first century A.D., is the prototype for the modern stadium.

• Season 7 Episode 15: Codes

  The demands for private communication lead to cryptology.

• Season 7 Episode 14: International Airports

  International airports; ground control; cargo holds; security; customs.

• Season 7 Episode 13: Chemical and Biological Weapons

  The history and technology of chemical and biological weapons.

• Season 7 Episode 12: Engineering Disasters 3

  The leaning Tower of Pisa; nuclear accident in 1961 Idaho; Soyuz 11; the Air Force's Texas Tower Radar Station; Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander.

• Season 7 Episode 11: The Computer

  Computers touch every aspect of life.

• Season 7 Episode 10: Lighthouses

  The Pharos of Alexandria was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

• Season 7 Episode 9: Monster Trucks

  Monster trucks entertain using brute force.

• Season 7 Episode 8: Hadrian's Wall

  Roman soldiers build a 74-mile-long wall in northern England.

• Season 7 Episode 7: Construction Machines

  Earthmoving equipment; dredging equipment; space equipment.

• Season 7 Episode 6: Garage Gadgets

  Lawn mower; string trimmer; leaf blower; barbecue grill.

• Season 7 Episode 5: Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel

  The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel stretch 17 miles.

• Season 7 Episode 4: Survival Technology

  Humans adapt to potentially deadly environmental conditions.

• Season 7 Episode 3: Apollo 13

  Scientists and engineers race against time to save the crew of crippled spacecraft Apollo 13.

• Season 7 Episode 2: Commercial Jets

  Billion-dollar deals ride on cutting-edge designs.

• Season 7 Episode 1: Proving Grounds

  On a proving ground, performance is the only thing that matters.

Modern Marvels: Season 6 (1997 - 2006)

• Season 6 Episode 42: Line of Defense
• Season 6 Episode 41: Plumbing: The Arteries of Civilization

  Documentary footage and animation depict the art and science of past and future plumbing.

• Season 6 Episode 40: Inventions of War

  A look at the modern day items that were originally produced for use in wars, including Spam, mobile phones, hairspray and microwaves

• Season 6 Episode 39: Power Plants

  The world's greatest minds enable us to acquire light, heat and power with the flip of a switch.

• Season 6 Episode 38: Death Devices

  Societies rid themselves of criminals.

• Season 6 Episode 37: Remote-Operated Vehicles

  ROVs extend human range into worlds previously unreachable, unknown or unsafe.

• Season 6 Episode 36: Combat Training

  Today's warriors train for the battlefields of tomorrow.

• Season 6 Episode 35: The London Underground

  The history and architectural design of the London Underground, from its beginnings in the 19th century to the recent expansion of the Jubilee Line

• Season 6 Episode 34: Suez Canal

  The Isthmus of Suez is the gateway to trade between East and West.

• Season 6 Episode 33: Assembly Lines

  The industries responsible for the development of the assembly line.

• Season 6 Episode 32: Farming Technology

  Growing and processing food becomes more sophisticated as technology improves.

• Season 6 Episode 31: Machine Tools

  Power-driven machines used to make metal parts help build the modern world.

• Season 6 Episode 30: Body Shop 2
• Season 6 Episode 29: Body Shop 1
• Season 6 Episode 28: Video Games: Behind the Fun

  Video games are one of today's dominant entertainment media.

• Season 6 Episode 27: The Maginot Line

  France builds a defensive string of forts between itself and Germany.

• Season 6 Episode 26: China's Great Dam
• Season 6 Episode 25: Aswan Dam

  Egypt harnesses the Nile.

• Season 6 Episode 24: Trucks

  Trucks form the backbone of the construction and transportation industries.

• Season 6 Episode 23: The Erie Canal

  The Erie Canal is responsible for making New York City a commercial capital.

• Season 6 Episode 22: Banks

  Modern technology revolutionizes the way banks do business.

  Next on: Wednesday 16th December 7:00am EST - History
• Season 6 Episode 21: Gold Mines

  Gold stands as a symbol of power, wealth and love.

  Next on: Saturday 12th December 10:00am EST - History International
• Season 6 Episode 20: Buses

  Buses go from an eight-passenger carriage to a wheeled luxury liner.

• Season 6 Episode 19: Traffic

  An abundance of vehicles must be managed and regulated.

• Season 6 Episode 18: Race Cars

  Computers and space-age composite materials are as much a part of racing as the drivers.

• Season 6 Episode 17: Private Planes

  Vintage aircraft; homemade planes; private jets.

• Season 6 Episode 16: Camping Technology

  Camping technology provides access to diverse outdoor environments.

• Season 6 Episode 15: Concrete

  Concrete is a relatively simple formula that changed the world.

• Season 6 Episode 14: Tower Bridge
• Season 6 Episode 13: Disaster Technology

  Technological tools help science mitigate nature's fury.

• Season 6 Episode 12: Police Technology

  Technology transforms many aspects of police work.

• Season 6 Episode 11: Household Wonders

  Labor-saving inventions and the kitchen of tomorrow.

• Season 6 Episode 10: Office Wonders

  Technological marvels of the office.

• Season 6 Episode 9: Great Inventions

  Wheel; steam engine; railroad; automobile; airplane; printing press; electric light; wireless telegraph; telephone; television; computer.

• Season 6 Episode 8: Gadgets

  Mechanical and electronic devices make life a bit easier.

• Season 6 Episode 7: Prisons

  The philosophy, architecture of today's U.S. prisons emerge from those of history.

• Season 6 Episode 6: Bridges

  Bridges play a key role in the human quest to connect and unify.

• Season 6 Episode 5: The Pentagon

  The Pentagon is the largest office-building in the world.

• Season 6 Episode 4: Space Stations

  Engineers and astronauts overcome monumental obstacles to allow humans to live in space.

• Season 6 Episode 3: The Chunnel

  French and British teams drill toward each other under the English Channel.

• Season 6 Episode 2: The City Beneath Our Feet

  Workers build and maintain urban infrastructures underground.

• Season 6 Episode 1: Household Gadgets

Modern Marvels: Season 5 (1994 - 2003)

• Season 5 Episode 34: Balloons

  The history of balloon flight; pioneers who designed and flew balloons; diversified uses for balloon technology.

• Season 5 Episode 33: Lost Marvels

  Artistic, engineering feats fall prey to the ravages of nature, war, indifference.

• Season 5 Episode 32: Casino Technology

  The gaming industry evolves into a high-tech, multi-billion-dollar industry.

• Season 5 Episode 31: Niagara Power

  Scientists harness Niagara Falls' power.

• Season 5 Episode 30: Engineering Disasters 2
• Season 5 Episode 29: Security Systems

  The war between protectors and thieves endures.

• Season 5 Episode 28: Motorcycles

  To many, motorcycles symbolize freedom.

• Season 5 Episode 27: Demolition

  The cycle of construction and destruction reflects the shifting values of any given era.

• Season 5 Episode 26: Emergency Room

  E.R. medicine has been a recognized specialty since 1989.

• Season 5 Episode 25: Forts

  Fortifications defend territory from attack.

• Season 5 Episode 24: Earthmovers II
• Season 5 Episode 23: The Tool Bench: Hand Tools

  Primitive humans make tools; computer-designed, high-tech hand tools.

• Season 5 Episode 22: The Tool Bench: Power Tools

  Power tools become quieter, lighter and more powerful.

• Season 5 Episode 21: Simulators
• Season 5 Episode 20: The Atlantic Wall

  Nazi Germany's bold attempt to build the Atlantic Wall, 3,000 miles of fortifications along coastal Europe, to defend against an anticipated attack from Britain

• Season 5 Episode 19: Fireworks

  Fireworks designers create wondrous spectacles.

• Season 5 Episode 18: Newspapers

  Tycoons made information available cheaply and efficiently.

• Season 5 Episode 17: Parachutes

  Parachutes have influenced warfare and leisure.

• Season 5 Episode 16: New York Bridges

  Bridges reveal much about the history of New York City.

• Season 5 Episode 15: Baseball Parks

  Ballpark designs have mirrored the times during which they were built.

• Season 5 Episode 14: Hoover Dam

  The construction of the Hoover Dam. Built during the Great Depression, the structure was designed to provide hydroelectric power and control the flow of the Colorado river. At a time of poverty and unemployment, the project provided a vast number of jobs, but chief engineer Frank Crowe's punishing methods took their toll on the workforce - 112 of whom lost their lives

• Season 5 Episode 13: Offshore Oil Drilling

  Engineers learn how to locate and extract oil and gas while faced with high winds and mountainous waves.

• Season 5 Episode 12: Dynamite

  Dynamite blasts out the natural resources that have built our modern world.

• Season 5 Episode 11: Scuba and Deep-Sea Diving

  Scuba gear evolves to various uses.

• Season 5 Episode 10: Bombs

  The advancement of bomb technology in the second half of the 20th century, from guided missiles to atomic weapons

• Season 5 Episode 9: Rescue Technology

  Advances in technology save thousands of lives each year.

• Season 5 Episode 8: U.S. Mints: Money Machines

  History of the U.S. Mint and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving.

• Season 5 Episode 7: The Motion Picture

  Rare film from the Edison Studios marks the invention of the motion picture.

• Season 5 Episode 6: Battlefield Medicine

  Medics, nurses struggle to keep pace with the advances of war.

• Season 5 Episode 5: Spy Technology

  Espionage technology of the Cold War.

• Season 5 Episode 4: Engineering Disasters

  Engineering mistakes have the potential to wipe out cities.

• Season 5 Episode 3: The NYC Subway

  New York subway system's riders, workers and street performers make it a microcosm of city life.

• Season 5 Episode 2: Airships

  The crash of the Hindenburg puts an end to the era of zeppelins.

• Season 5 Episode 1: Mail Delivery: Erasing the Miles

  History of postal service.

Modern Marvels: Season 4 (1998)

• Season 4 Episode 4: Weather Predictions

  Meteorology; early observations; thermometers; barometers; Doppler radar; satellite imaging.

• Season 4 Episode 3: Medical Imaging: The Voyage Inward

  Medical imaging; discovery of X-rays; ultrasound; CAT scan; digital photography.

• Season 4 Episode 2: Las Vegas Hotels

  Eleven of the world's largest hotels are in Las Vegas.

• Season 4 Episode 1: American Steel: Built to Last

  The United States steel industry faces decline in the '70s, then rebounds in the '90s.

Modern Marvels: Season 3 (1997 - 2003)

• Season 3 Episode 12: The Alaskan Oil Pipeline

  The Alaska pipeline carries crude oil 800 miles across the state.

• Season 3 Episode 11: Deep Sea Exploration: Challenging the Abyss

  Advances in deep-sea diving technology.

• Season 3 Episode 10: Earthmovers: The Power to Move Mountains

  Shovels; mining and construction equipment; tractors; cranes; steam shovels.

• Season 3 Episode 9: Transcontinental Railroads

  During the 19th century, transcontinental railroads link California to the East.

• Season 3 Episode 8: The Stock Exchange

  Origins of the stock exchange; early traders; crash of 1929; computerization.

• Season 3 Episode 7: The Search for the Polio Vaccine

  Polio's toll; development of the polio vaccine; FDR; Jonas Salk.

• Season 3 Episode 6: Radio: Out of Thin Air

  Larry King and Casey Kasem explore the history of radio.

• Season 3 Episode 5: Satellites

  Documentary traces the technological race to build satellites.

• Season 3 Episode 4: The Great Wall of China

  Historians and engineers explore the Great Wall of China.

• Season 3 Episode 2: Pyramids: Majesty and Mystery

  After more than two millennia, the pyramids continue to inspire architects.

• Season 3 Episode 1: Air Force One: A History

  A profile of presidential planes shows aircraft construction, outfitting and operations.

Modern Marvels: Season 2 (1996)

• Season 2 Episode 4: The Telephone

  Alexander Graham Bell races Elisha Gray to patent the telephone.

• Season 2 Episode 3: The Tennessee Valley Authority

  During the Depression, President Roosevelt's plan turns a river basin into a model of industrial progress.

• Season 2 Episode 1: The Railroads That Tamed the West

  Begun during the Civil War, the transcontinental railroad links a tattered nation.

Modern Marvels: Season 1 (1995)

• Season 1 Episode 6: Oil

  The oil industry in the United States begins in 1853 Pennsylvania.

• Season 1 Episode 5: Paving America

  American roads: from pre-World War II highways to the interstate system.

• Season 1 Episode 4: Brooklyn Bridge

  Opened in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge is the engineering wonder of its time.

• Season 1 Episode 3: Silver Mines

  The Comstock Lode ensures statehood for Nevada.

• Season 1 Episode 2: Golden Gate Bridge

  An unstable shoreline and wild San Francisco Bay challenge the engineers of the Golden Gate Bridge.

• Season 1 Episode 1: Transcontinental Railroad

  During the 19th century, transcontinental railroads link California to the East.

Modern Marvels: Special (1995 - 2005)

• Antibiotics: The Wonder Drugs

  Scientists fear that evolving strains of bacteria will end the miracle of antibiotics.

• Aqueducts: Man Made Rivers of Life

  Aqueducts of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

• Captured Light

  Photographic pioneers; Joseph Niepce; Louis Daguerre; William Talbot; George Eastman.

• Concept Cars

  The world of 1950s concept cars.

• Cosmodrome

  Russian engines and U.S. rockets.

• Eiffel Tower

  Gustave Eiffel designs a tower for the 1887 Paris World's Fair.

• F-117: Nighthawk Stealth

  Lockheed's covert development arm creates the F-117 Stealth aircraft in 1977.

• Gothic Cathedrals

  Gothic cathedrals; Notre Dame; Chartres; National Cathedral in Washington.

• Ocean Liners

  Luxurious ocean liners rival world-class land resorts.

• The PT Boats

  Small, wooden patrol-torpedo boats of World War II are fast, maneuverable and versatile.

• Radar

  Development of radar and World War II; stealth technology; Doppler imaging and meteorology.

• Television: Window to the World

  The creation and popularity of television.

• Tunnels

  Design and construction of tunnels; Holland Tunnel; Lincoln Tunnel.