Big, Bigger, Biggest

Dam (2x7)

: 08, 2009

The Three Gorges Dam harnesses the power of China’s great Yangtze River. The gigantic structure is over two kilometres long, towers over 60 storeys high and creates a reservoir of 600 kilometres in length. On completion, the scheme will be able to generate 22,500 megawatts of power – enough to supply electricity to 60 million people. However, the Three Gorges Dam has some important predecessors to thank for its existence. It stands on the shoulders of engineering achievements that have made its immense scale possible. This film charts the stories of six historic inventions, embodied by six landmark dams. One by one, the incredible stories behind these structures, and the technology that allowed them to grow bigger and bigger, are revealed.