Modern Marvels (1993)

Beneath every modern city, hidden by manhole covers, drains, and ventilation grates – lies a labyrinth of tunnels, wires, conduits and pipe…

Join us as we span the history of one of the world’s most famous bridges, London’s Tower Bridge. The world’s largest bascule bridge (a coun…

The challenge of linking Britain and France with a tunnel under the English Channel was both monumental and delicate. It took 18 months jus…

Join us on an out-of-this-world exploration of the history of long-duration life in space–from the first Soviet station to Skylab to Mir to…

The pentagon…The name alone conjures up an imposing image of American power and prestige. As the largest office building in the world, it s…

From amazing ancient Roman aqueducts and arch bridges, romantic Renaissance spans, 19th-century railroad crossovers, to monumental marvels…

“All hope abandon, ye who enter here!” This sentiment has permeated the masonry and clanging bars of prisons built throughout the ages. We’…

Join us for a survey of the world’s greatest inventions in which we examine the wheel, steam engine, railroad, automobile, airplane, printi…

Don’t look now, but your office is a technological marvel. From the humble paper clip to the revolutionary personal computer, your desk is…

When police forces were born in the 1800s, British “bobbies” made due with a billy club. Public wariness and institutional resistance to ch…

An examination of the historical development of technological tools that help science mitigate nature’s fury. It’s a survival story that be…

Modern Marvels explores how the basic formula of cement, aggregate and water has changed the world. Concrete has enabled us to create every…

As camping technology develops, it provides greater access to diverse outdoor environments. The earliest camping technology was developed o…

The plane’s on the runway and revving up for our flight of power and whimsy. The panorama reveals some amazing machines–from vintage aircra…

Today, race cars tear up the tracks at 300 m.p.h. Computers and space-age composite materials are as much as part of racing as the drivers.…

In less than a century, the world went from dirt tracks to highways, from propeller planes to space travel, from sailboats to supertankers.…

The most opulent are wheeled luxury liners with satellite TV and hot tubs–a far cry from the first bus, an 8-passenger carriage! Watch a bu…

Around the world and across the eons, gold stands as a symbol of power, wealth, and love. The quest for the yellow metal took men across oc…

Backbones of worldwide economics, for centuries banks enabled the creation of wealth, and industry leaders became icons. But modern technol…

The Erie Canal was America’s first superhighway. It was a narrow ribbon of water carved through sheer rock and untamed wilderness. It featu…

Icons of the open road, trucks form the backbone of the construction and transportation industries. The facility to handle nearly any load…

In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Arab Republic of Egypt’s first prime minister, had a plan to bring his poor country into the 20th century.…

When completed, China’s Three Gorges Dam will tower 607 feet in the air and weigh 40 Great Pyramids. Other than China’s Great Wall, it will…

The Maginot Line, a defensive string of large and small forts built during the years between World War I and World War II, was intended to…

A fun-filled glimpse into the not so distant history of video games. Since inception, the gaming industry has been a driving force in compu…

Host Ron Hazelton and two mechanics dissect a 2000 Ford Taurus to trace the evolution of the automobile’s major systems. This 2-hour nuts-a…

No one wants a hand-made car or gun or an airplane. We want things made by machines. Machine tools are power–driven machines–of all shapes…

The US agricultural process, from seed to shelf, is so efficient that most people don’t think much about it. But food growing and processin…

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, an assembly line is an “industrial arrangement of machines, equipment, and workers for continuous…

Since the ancient pharaohs’ time, the Isthmus of Suez has been the gateway to trade between East and West. It’s thought that the pharaohs c…

Deep beneath London runs a complex network of many miles of tunnels; and, while traffic congests the roads above, hundreds of trains run th…

Sign up at the ultimate survival school, where soldiers learn to kill or be killed, and learn how 21st-century warriors are training today…

Remotely operated vehicles allow us to explore the mysteries of inner and outer space, provide firsthand glimpses of the horrors of nuclear…

Since the creation of the first laws, societies have demanded the ultimate punishment for certain capital crimes. Throughout history it has…

Mankind controls the environment in a variety of ways, whether by capturing the force of a river, harnessing the power in coal or oil, cont…

Arising from the horrible carnage, deprivation, and suffering caused by war is a countless array of everyday items–from hairbrushes to micr…

Join us as we take a peek at the plumbing hiding behind your walls and snaking under the floors of your house. We’ll also meet the plumbing…

Fortification evolved as man tried to defend his territory from attack. From fenced-in hills to walled cities to impenetrable forts, strong…

Close cousins to machines and tools, gadgets are mechanical or electronic devices that make life a bit easier. While they don't always fall…