Modern Marvels

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  • Premiered: Nov 1992
  • Episodes: 851
  • Followers: 75
  • Ended
  • History
  • Sunday at 22
  • Documentary History

Seasons:

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Season 12
12x1
Poison
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 05, 2005
Since ancient times, man has tried to control the "devil's bounty"--deadly substances found throughout nature. Paradoxically, some of these lethal compounds are now found to possess .. show full overview
12x2
Car Tech of the Future
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 06, 2005
Engage the satellite navigation, fire-up the fuel cell, and activate the radar-guided cruise control! You're in for the joyride of your life as we investigate what drives and will drive .. show full overview
12x3
Nature's Engineers 2
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 18, 2005
Think man is unique within the animal kingdom? You might not after this hour that features an amazing collection of earth's non-human inhabitants that use tools, build intricate .. show full overview
12x4
World's Biggest Machines 3
Episode overview
Air date
Jan 26, 2005
Giant robots on the factory floor and in outer space. A floating fortress that's home to 6,000 military personnel, which is almost as long as the Empire State Building is tall. And a .. show full overview
12x5
Blackbird Stealth!
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 04, 2005
Starting with the circumstances that led to it's creation up through its reitrement, this episode covers the SR-71 in depth. Stealth wasn't the ace in the whole for this bird...speed .. show full overview
12x6
The Butcher
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 08, 2005
In a carnivorous world, a butcher is a necessary link in the food chain, carving a carcass of unsavory flesh into mouthwatering cuts. We trace the grisly trade's evolution--from .. show full overview
12x7
George Washington Carver Tech
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 15, 2005
One of the 20th century's greatest scientists, George Washington Carver's influence is still felt. Rising from slavery to become one of the world's most respected and honored men, he .. show full overview
12x8
The Great Bridge: 8 Miles of Steel
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 23, 2005
San Francisco's Oakland Bay Bridge stands as an incredible feat of engineering against the nearly impossible. Once chosen as one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world, it .. show full overview
12x9
Desert Tech
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 23, 2005
It's hot, dry, deadly, and hard to ignore with close to 40% of Earth classified as desert. But in this scorching hour, the desert turns from barren wasteland into an environment rich .. show full overview
12x10
Sub Zero Tech
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 23, 2005
Come in from the cold while we explore some of Earth's most frigid places and examine how man copes with sub-zero climates. With the advance of technology, our boundaries have .. show full overview
12x15
Taxidermy
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 09, 2005
It began as a tool used by prehistoric man to attract animals to the hunt. Over time it became an invaluable study aid for the natural scientist and a popular hobby for hunters and .. show full overview
12x16
SWAT
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 09, 2005
Special weapons and tactics (SWAT) originated in the mid-1960s after several sniping incidents against civilians and police officers nationwide, particularly in Los Angeles during and .. show full overview
12x17
Deadliest Weapons
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 16, 2005
In this fiery hour, we profile five of the world's deadliest weapons, focusing on the inventors, battles, and dark technology behind their lethality. Beginning with the deadliest bomb .. show full overview
12x14
Edwards Air Force Base
Episode overview
Air date
Mar 18, 2005
Examine the colorful history of the premier flight test center, and America's most important aviation facility for more than 60 years, Edwards Air Force Base in California. Every single .. show full overview
12x18
The Doomsday Clock
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 07, 2005
Scientists develop the Doomsday Clock as an image to symbolize urgency in the Cold War and the threat of nuclear disaster.
12x19
The Basement
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 26, 2005
Venture down that creaky staircase to explore the most misunderstood room in the house! From Pompeii to Pittsburgh, the dark, cool, and forlorn spaces beneath our living quarters have .. show full overview
12x20
Paint
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 27, 2005
From the Impressionist canvas to the Space Shuttle...from customized hotrods to the brilliant orange hue of the Golden Gate Bridge or tiny electronic devices--paint is one of our most .. show full overview
12x21
Mega Movers
Episode overview
Air date
Apr 27, 2005
Join us on two treacherous trips as we follow two separate structural moving families in their struggles to relocate and save a 100-year-old homestead and an 1890 Queen Anne Victorian .. show full overview
12x23
Bricks
Episode overview
Air date
May 11, 2005
The history of civilization has been built on the back of brick, and it's been said that "architecture itself began when two bricks were put together well." From great Egyptian temples .. show full overview
12x24
Glue
Episode overview
Air date
May 18, 2005
It's Super! It's Krazy! And it can be found in everything from carpet to computers, books to boats, shoes to the Space Shuttle. It's even used in surgery! Without it, our material world .. show full overview
12x25
F/A-22 Raptor
Episode overview
Air date
May 20, 2005
Built around "first look, first shot, first kill" design, the F/A-22 Raptor, the most advanced aircraft of its breed, is set to become the Air Dominance Fighter of the 21st century. .. show full overview
12x26
Civil War Tech
Episode overview
Air date
May 25, 2005
America protects its homeland with the most technologically advanced military force ever conceived. Although they fight 21st-century battles worldwide, the technology unleashed is .. show full overview
12x23
HMS Victory
Episode overview
Air date
May 26, 2005
The HMS Victory would play a crucial role in the foremost naval engagement in 19th century maritime history, the battle of Trafalgar. This victory was so decisive that no fleet .. show full overview
12x27
Machines of D-Day
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 03, 2005
June 6, 1944--the greatest machine of World War Two springs into action. It is made up of thousands of ships and aircraft, tens of thousands of men and millions of tons of steel and .. show full overview
12x28
The John Hancock Center
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 08, 2005
A steel giant standing 1,107 feet high on broad shoulders, this vertical city houses 1,200 people. Join us as we explore how a young architectural team from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill .. show full overview
12x26
Future Tech
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 10, 2005
A paper-thin, wall-sized holographic television...a car that runs on processed seawater...an army of robotic killing machines...outer-space luxury resorts and a cleaning droid controlled .. show full overview
12x29
The Cape Cod Canal
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 15, 2005
In a battle against the ferocious Atlantic or safe passage through waters where ships wrecked and lives were lost, it was an engineering feat that many believed impossible. This is the .. show full overview
12x30
Secret Japanese Aircraft of WWII
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 16, 2005
In the 1930s, Japanese designers created a range of warplanes, culminating in the legendary Ki-43 Oscar and the A6M Zero. As the war turned against Japan, designers created the .. show full overview
12x29
Edison Tech
Episode overview
Air date
Jun 28, 2005
He was the father of the future...electric lights, power systems, motion pictures, recorded sound--even the tattoo pen. Life as we know it would be inconceivable without the prodigious .. show full overview
12x34
Secrets of Soviet Space Disasters
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 01, 2005
An investigation into one of the 20th century's most shocking hidden stories--the dismal failure of the Soviet space program, which led to more than 150 recorded deaths. Much has come to .. show full overview
12x31
Route 66
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 06, 2005
Route 66, encompassing eight states from Illinois to California and 2,400 miles, represented an American myth--that something better lay over the rainbow. Route 66 began in the early .. show full overview
12x36
Cowboy Tech
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 20, 2005
Today's cowboy plants one boot firmly in the traditions of the Old West and the other in the world of modern technology. Beginning in the 19th century, the era in which the American .. show full overview
12x37
Sewers
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 27, 2005
A simple flush and it's forgotten. But haven't you secretly wondered where it all goes when we go? Join us as we explore this less-than-polite topic, and examine the network of .. show full overview
12x38
Challenger Tank
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 29, 2005
When this 60 tons of high-tech military hardware rumbles onto the battlefield at nearly 40 mph, there's nowhere for the enemy to hide. Behind its impenetrable armor lies one of the most .. show full overview
12x35
World's Biggest Machines 4
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 02, 2005
From a giant machine press that stamps out an entire car body to a 125-ton chainsaw that cuts through the world's hardest rock; from a huge telescope that glimpses the ends of the known .. show full overview
12x40
Dredging
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 03, 2005
They dig, scoop, suck, and spew an ocean of silt and sediment. Dredgers are the mechanical beasts that fuel the world's economic engine by clearing and deepening ports for mega-container .. show full overview
12x41
Lube Job
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 10, 2005
From chariot wheels of ancient Egypt to hard disks in a computer to the wheels on a Mars rover, machinery can't function without lubricants. And in today's technology, there are a .. show full overview
12x44
The World's Fastest
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 24, 2005
Perhaps no field has experienced this revolution in velocity more acutely than transportation. We look at five blazingly fast technological marvels that have pushed the speed limits to .. show full overview
12x45
The B-2 Stealth Bomber
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 26, 2005
In any battle, the key to victory is the ability to strike the enemy without them knowing what hit them. Within the US arsenal one such weapon can go into harm's way, deliver 40,000 .. show full overview
12x46
High Risk: Helicopter Linemen
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 31, 2005
The remarkable story of the men who maintain and repair live high-voltage power lines--an elite team of pilot and lineman that looks for damage and makes critical repairs without turning .. show full overview
12x47
Wiring America
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 31, 2005
We begin with electrical linemen perched precariously out a helicopter door, repairing 345,000-volt high-tension power lines. They are part of an army of technicians and scientists we'll .. show full overview
12x48
Nature Tech: Lighting
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 31, 2005
Unlocking the secrets behind lightning, which annually kills nearly 100 people and injures hundreds in the United States.
12x50
Engineering an Empire: Rome
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 13, 2005
One of the most powerful civilizations in history, the Roman Empire ruled the world for more than five centuries. Although renowned for its military prowess, Rome's real power stemmed from its unprecedented mastery of urban planning and engineering.
12x51
Coffee
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 14, 2005
Traces the origins of this tasty drink from Ethiopia over 1,000 years ago to the espresso-fueled explosion of specialty coffee stores like Starbucks today. Along the way, we'll see how .. show full overview
12x52
Sugar
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 14, 2005
The sugar industry came of age on the backs of slaves toiling in Caribbean fields, and British desire to control production of sugar and its byproduct, rum. Sugar also played a .. show full overview
12x53
Cereal: History in a Bowl
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 14, 2005
Move over pancakes, step aside bacon! Cereal is arguably the true breakfast king, a $9-billion industry with an indisputable place in pop-culture history. Full of surprise, nostalgia, .. show full overview
12x54
The F-117 Nighthawk
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 22, 2005
The project was surrounded by secrecy and dogged by controversy from the very beginning. Starting in the late '70s, engineers at Lockheed's legendary "Skunkworks" developed a .. show full overview
12x55
German Small Arms of WWII
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 24, 2005
An evaluation of the evolution of German "small arms" from the end of WWI, when the defeated nation was denied the right to rearm by the Treaty of Versailles, to the end of WWII, after .. show full overview
12x47
The Auto Parts Store
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 05, 2005
Need a car part or an accessory to give it personality? Since 1903, when Sears dedicated a portion of its catalog, the automotive after-market grew into a billion-dollar juggernaut. We .. show full overview
12x57
Secret Allied Aircraft of WWII
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 14, 2005
At WWII's outset, US and UK military aircraft designs were woefully behind Germany's and Japan's technologically superior planes. But the genius and ingenuity of innovators on both sides .. show full overview
12x49
Mountain Roads
Episode overview
Air date
Oct 28, 2005
Join our journey along monumental feats of engineering that preserved America's natural wonders while paving the way towards her future. Travel the Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada .. show full overview
12x50
Engineering Disasters 17
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 02, 2005
It's another chapter of complex, deadly and controversial engineering failures, using 3-D animation, forensic engineering experts, and footage of the actual disasters to understand what .. show full overview
12x59
Brewing
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 16, 2005
It's one of the world's oldest and most beloved beverages, revered by Pharaohs and brewed by America's Founding Fathers. Today, brewing the bitter elixir is a multi-billion-dollar global industry.
12x60
The Lumberyard
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 30, 2005
At the center of the American Dream is the home, and at the center of its creation or renovation is the lumberyard. We'll explore the options lumberyards provide for builders and renovators, from natural to engineered woods.
12x61
Da Vinci Tech
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 04, 2005
early 500 years after his death, Leonardo da Vinci still intrigues us. Most people think of him as a great artist, but he was also a remarkable scientist and inventor. His love of .. show full overview
12x62
Custom Cars
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 05, 2005
For most of us, cars are an ordinary fixture of daily life. But then there are custom cars--literal labors of love. Supercharged hot rods, sublimely sculpted classics, flashy tricked-out .. show full overview
12x55
Hardware Stores 2
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 06, 2005
The hardware store is the epicenter of the construction world for both the weekend handyman or professional builder.
12x65
More Snack Food Tech
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 20, 2005
They crunch; they ooze; they crackle; they pop--mmmmm, yeah! Soft drinks, donuts, meat snacks, popcorn, and gum. What's your weakness? From the handmade treats of the earliest .. show full overview
12x66
Walt Disney World
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 25, 2005
It is a magical place, full of animated storybook characters, majestic castles, thrilling rides, and colorful parades. For over thirty-five years, Walt Disney World has been welcoming .. show full overview
12x58
Nature Tech: Hurricanes
Episode overview
Air date
Dec 30, 2005
Explore how hurricanes start, how scientists track them, and how if at all possible they can be stopped.
12x64
Weird Weapons: The Allies
Episode overview
Air date
Feb 08, 2006
Modern Marvels takes a look at some of the strangest weapons used by Allied forces in WW II.
12x30
B-25 Bomber
Episode overview
Air date
Aug 05, 2006
In 1943, a B-25 Mitchell, WWII's most versatile twin-engine bomber, crash-landed in South Carolina. It sank 150 feet to the bottom of a lake and over time was forgotten. Now, 60 years .. show full overview
12x22
Punishment
Episode overview
Air date
Jul 16, 2012
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