Modern Marvels S07E15 · Race Cars

Overview

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. They’re fast, they’re thrilling, and they’ve gone high-tech. We’ll review the history of the innovations that led to today’s technological wonders.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. The City Beneath Our Feet2000-01-03 · 44mBeneath every modern city, hidden by manhole covers, drains, and ventilation grates – lies a labyrinth of tunnels, wires, conduits and pipes. They deliver power to our homes, water
2. 2 2. Tower Bridge2000-01-10 · 44mJoin 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 counterweighted drawbridge), when it was erec
3. 3 3. The Chunnel2000-01-11 · 44mThe challenge of linking Britain and France with a tunnel under the English Channel was both monumental and delicate. It took 18 months just to design and build the 28 foot diamete
4. 4 4. Space Stations.2000-02-03 · 44mJoin 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 International Space Station. Experie
5. 5 5. The Pentagon2001-03-27 · 44mThe pentagon…The name alone conjures up an imposing image of American power and prestige. As the largest office building in the world, it serves as the headquarters of the nation’s
6. 6 6. Bridges.2000-02-29 · 44mFrom amazing ancient Roman aqueducts and arch bridges, romantic Renaissance spans, 19th-century railroad crossovers, to monumental marvels of our time, bridges played a key role in
7. 7 7. Prisons2000-03-06 · 44m“All hope abandon, ye who enter here!” This sentiment has permeated the masonry and clanging bars of prisons built throughout the ages. We’ll see how the philosophy and architectur
8. 8 8. Great Inventions2000-03-16 · 44mJoin us for a survey of the world’s greatest inventions in which we examine the wheel, steam engine, railroad, automobile, airplane, printing press, electric light, wireless telegr
9. 9 9. Office Wonders2000-03-14 · 44mDon’t look now, but your office is a technological marvel. From the humble paper clip to the revolutionary personal computer, your desk is a museum of miracles designed to make you
10. 10 10. Police Technology2000-03-15 · 44mWhen police forces were born in the 1800s, British “bobbies” made due with a billy club. Public wariness and institutional resistance to change held back technological advances for
11. 11 11. Disaster Technology2000-04-17 · 44mAn examination of the historical development of technological tools that help science mitigate nature’s fury. It’s a survival story that begins with comprehending the force of disa
12. 12 12. Concrete2000-05-08 · 44mModern Marvels explores how the basic formula of cement, aggregate and water has changed the world. Concrete has enabled us to create everything from roads and runways to building
13. 13 13. Camping Technology2000-05-25 · 44mAs camping technology develops, it provides greater access to diverse outdoor environments. The earliest camping technology was developed out of necessity. Prehistoric man fashione
14. 14 14. Private Planes2000-05-31 · 44mThe plane’s on the runway and revving up for our flight of power and whimsy. The panorama reveals some amazing machines–from vintage aircraft to homemade winged wonders to posh pri
15. 15 15. Race Cars2000-06-06 · 44mToday, 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. They’re fast, they’re thrilling, and the
16. 16 16. Traffic2000-06-12 · 44mIn less than a century, the world went from dirt tracks to highways, from propeller planes to space travel, from sailboats to supertankers. And in the process, we have created a gl
17. 17 17. Buses2000-06-19 · 44mThe 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 bus being built from the ground up, and lea
18. 18 18. Gold Mines.2000-06-22 · 44mAround 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 oceans, into the depths of the Alaskan wint
19. 19 19. Banks.2000-07-27 · 44mBackbones of worldwide economics, for centuries banks enabled the creation of wealth, and industry leaders became icons. But modern technology revolutionized the way banks do busin
20. 20 20. The Erie Canal2000-07-31 · 44mThe Erie Canal was America’s first superhighway. It was a narrow ribbon of water carved through sheer rock and untamed wilderness. It featured an ingenious network of stone locks a
21. 21 21. Trucks2000-08-03 · 44mIcons of the open road, trucks form the backbone of the construction and transportation industries. The facility to handle nearly any load and the ability to deliver goods almost a
22. 22 22. Aswan Dam2000-08-14 · 44mIn 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. To pull it off, he needed to harness the
23. 23 23. China's Great Dam2000-08-22 · 44mWhen 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 be the only man-made object visible from
24. 24 24. The Maginot Line2000-09-10 · 44mThe 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 forestall another invasion by aggressive
25. 25 25. Video Games: Behind The Fun2000-09-12 · 44mA fun-filled glimpse into the not so distant history of video games. Since inception, the gaming industry has been a driving force in computer technology and video games are one of
26. 26 26. The Body Shop2000-09-17 · 44mHost Ron Hazelton and two mechanics dissect a 2000 Ford Taurus to trace the evolution of the automobile’s major systems. This 2-hour nuts-and-bolt special breaks the car down into
27. 27 27. Machine Tools2000-10-09 · 44mNo 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 and sizes-used to make metal parts. Machi
28. 28 28. Farming Technology2000-10-15 · 44mThe US agricultural process, from seed to shelf, is so efficient that most people don’t think much about it. But food growing and processing is ever more sophisticated, employing c
29. 29 29. Assembly Lines2000-10-16 · 44mAccording to the Encyclopedia Britannica, an assembly line is an “industrial arrangement of machines, equipment, and workers for continuous flow of workpieces in mass production op
30. 30 30. Suez Canal2000-10-17 · 44mSince the ancient pharaohs’ time, the Isthmus of Suez has been the gateway to trade between East and West. It’s thought that the pharaohs could connect the Red Sea with the Mediter
31. 31 31. London Underground2000-10-18 · 44mDeep beneath London runs a complex network of many miles of tunnels; and, while traffic congests the roads above, hundreds of trains run through these iron and concrete arteries, c
32. 32 32. Combat Training.2000-10-19 · 44mSign up at the ultimate survival school, where soldiers learn to kill or be killed, and learn how 21st-century warriors are training today for the battlefields of tomorrow. We foll
33. 33 33. Remote Operated Vehicles2000-10-25 · 44mRemotely operated vehicles allow us to explore the mysteries of inner and outer space, provide firsthand glimpses of the horrors of nuclear disasters, and offer the vicarious thril
34. 34 34. Death Devices2000-11-02 · 44mSince the creation of the first laws, societies have demanded the ultimate punishment for certain capital crimes. Throughout history it has been left to a select few to develop the
35. 35 35. Power Plants.2000-11-06 · 44mMankind controls the environment in a variety of ways, whether by capturing the force of a river, harnessing the power in coal or oil, controlling a nuclear reaction, or transformi
36. 36 36. Inventions of War.2000-11-08 · 44mArising from the horrible carnage, deprivation, and suffering caused by war is a countless array of everyday items–from hairbrushes to microwaves–that directly descend from wartime
37. 37 37. Plumbing: The Arteries Of Civilzation2000-11-14 · 44mJoin 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 students who undergo rigorous training p
38. 38 38. Line of Defense2000-12-05 · 44mFortification evolved as man tried to defend his territory from attack. From fenced-in hills to walled cities to impenetrable forts, strongholds of the past echo the history of bat
39. 39 39. Gadgets2000-03-13 · 44mClose cousins to machines and tools, gadgets are mechanical or electronic devices that make life a bit easier. While they don't always fall into clear categories, we know one when