Modern Marvels (1993)
HISTORY’s longest-running series moves to H2. Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity, invention and imagination found in the world around us. From commonplace items like ink and coffee to architectural masterpieces and engineering disasters, the hit series goes beyond the basics to provide insight and history into things we wonder about and that impact our lives. This series tells fascinating stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime-schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and manmade wonders. The hit series goes deep to explore the leading edge of human inspiration and ambition.
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Episodes
Season 1Season 2Season 3Season 4Season 5Season 6Season 7Season 8Season 9Season 10Season 11Season 12Season 13Season 14Season 15Season 16Season 17Season 18Season 19Season 20Season 21Season 22Season 23
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1. Breweries.2002-01-02 · 44mFrom Pilgrim brew masters to early commercial ventures to today's monolithic corporations, we'll imbibe American beer's long history, focusing on the commercial brewing industry th
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2. War Planes of World War II2002-01-17 · 44mFlight was born in America at the turn of the 20th century. But WWII saw more planes built in a single year–300,000–than had been built in the previous 40. Footage of restored airc
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3. The Winchester2002-01-28 · 44mWinchester…the name still evokes images of the Wild West and the taming of the frontier–it was the first reliable repeating rifle and settlers brought it along as they moved west.
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4. Big Rigs of Combat: Tanks and Jeeps2002-01-29 · 44mThe rousing story of the tank, from its primitive appearance in WWI to the high-tech world of modern tank warfare, with emphasis on the tank’s Golden Age during WWII. In the second
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5. Tunnels of Vietnam.2002-01-30 · 44mHere is the heroic story of a intrepid band of infantry soldiers, the "Tunnel Rats", charged with a daring mission–to search for, find, and destroy a secret subterranean network of
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6. Helicopters2002-01-31 · 44mFrom the early “egg beaters” of World War II to the “flying tanks” of Operation Desert Storm, we’ll fly aboard one of the most agile and potent weapons on the battlefield–the helic
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7. Private Jets2002-02-01 · 44mFrom today’s ultra chic, state-of-the-art private jets to Lockheed’s 1957 Jetstar, this 2-hour special investigates the history, the luxury, and technology of America’s corporate j
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8. James Bond Gadgets.2002-02-19 · 44mHis movies are legend, his women beautiful, and his toys the best in the world. Whether James Bond is foiling villains in space-age flying machines or eavesdropping on his enemies
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9. Remote Control2002-02-26 · 44mPress a button and you can soar in the sky, command a virtual pet, adjust the thermostat in your house while driving in your car, and, of course, change the channel on your TV. The
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10. Million Dollar Tech2002-03-05 · 44mFor millennia, luxury toys have functioned as flashy instruments of affluence, authority, and identity and driven many kingly consumers to covet, create, and purchase these status
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11. Pleasure Boats2002-03-12 · 44mAs we power-up and unfurl the sails on a magical cruise through time, viewers meet the people who’ve devoted their lives to pleasure boating. Traveling throughout the U.S. and Euro
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12. Bulletproof.2002-03-19 · 44mHow do you stop a speeding bullet? From body armor to armored cars and trucks, we review the history of the race between the bullet and a successful way to stop it. It's not exactl
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13. Siege Machines.2002-03-26 · 44mA look at siege machines that convert energy into mechanical force to go over, under, or through fortified or fixed defenses too strong for conventional force. These engines range
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14. The Junkyard2002-04-09 · 44mIt’s the place where one man’s trash is truly another man’s treasure. Enter the strange and mysterious world of the junkyard, where many pieces actually do add up to a whole. Uncov
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15. The F-142002-04-16 · 44mOctober 7, 2001: Missiles from lethal U.S. jets rain down onto Afghanistan. One powerful and deadly plane led the majority of the assaults–the F-14 Tomcat, the world’s most complet
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16. Engines2002-04-18 · 44mStory of the development of engines and motors, with particular emphasis on the ones that have profoundly changed society. Beginning with the steam engine, we see how it was create
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17. The Magnum2002-05-07 · 44mIt’s known as the most powerful handgun in the world, made famous by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movies. But its origins stretch back more than a century to the Indian Wars o
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18. The Wheel2002-05-14 · 44mSpinning your wheels isn’t just going around in circles. In fact, it’s revolutionary–literally. The history of civilization has turned on the wheel, and we have traveled as far as
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19. Star City2002-05-21 · 44mStar City, the Gagarin Center for Training Cosmonauts, was established by the former Soviet Union in the 1960s as a school for the future conquerors of space. Today, it’s where Rus
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20. Ice Breakers2002-06-02 · 44mThey are the toughest ships in the water, plowing headlong into one of nature’s hardest obstacles. Modern icebreakers can smash through 10-foot thick ice sheets without stopping, a
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21. Fire and Ice.2002-06-04 · 44mWho could imagine life without our "man-made weather"? On cold winter nights and hot summer days, we are forever grateful to the visionaries who took two basic elements–fire and ic
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22. Muscle Cars2002-06-11 · 44mPop open the hood, check out the carbs, and hear the engines roar as we journey back to a time when gas was cheap, emission controls non-existent, and all that mattered was acceler
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23. Axes, Swords and Knives.2002-06-12 · 44mBlade implements have been a part of civilized man's arsenal since the Paleolithic Age, when sharp tools were chipped off of flint or obsidian. But with the discovery of metallurgy
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24. The World's Biggest Machines.2002-06-18 · 44mJoin us for a look at the biggest, heaviest, tallest, longest, meanest machines on the planet! We'll see what these monsters do and how they operate, and how they're designed and a
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25. Drag Racing2002-06-20 · 44mLegendary drivers lead us on a record-breaking race through a century-long search for sheer acceleration that began before World War One, when hot-rodders modified Model-T Fords to
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26. The Manhattan Project.2002-06-25 · 44mAt 5:30 a.m., July 16, 1945, scientists and dignitaries awaited the detonation of the first atomic bomb in a desolate area of the New Mexico desert aptly known as "Jornada del Muer
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27. The Tackle Box2002-07-02 · 44mFrom ancient Egyptian fishing parties to today's high-tech bass tournaments, we untangle the fascinating technical history of man's quest to seduce creatures of the deep out of the
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28. Hunting Gear.2002-07-08 · 44mThey are lethal tools that ensured our survival, altered our evolution, and maintained our dominion over other animals. Though hunting technology is the backbone of a multi-billion
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29. Camouflage2002-07-15 · 44mFrom ancient hunters’ camouflage to computer-generated digital pattern uniforms, we uncover the past, present, and future of deception through disguise. During an ambush exercise b
- 30 30. Models2002-07-16 · 44mThough they duplicate the real world for fun and fantasy, models are not always toys and they’re not always tiny. We explore the magic of these fascinating replicas–from the Rover
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31. Hangars2002-07-23 · 44mCome in for a smooth landing as we explore the history of hangars–stark, massive structures that house and protect flight vehicles. We visit the first hangar, built on a German lak
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32. Beach Technology2002-07-24 · 44mSlap on your sun block and head to the ocean for a sizzling hour that explores the beach in a whole new way! We cover everything from Japan’s Seagaia, the world’s largest indoor be
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33. The Big Dig2002-08-06 · 44mThe Massachusetts Central Artery/Tunnel Project, a.k.a. The Big Dig, is the most amazing municipal construction project in U.S. history. Its objective–to replace Boston’s decaying
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34. Super Guns2002-08-08 · 44mThey are the cutting edge in firearm technology. They fight simulated battles on computers, decades before a shot is fired. But will they make the world safer…or more dangerous tha
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35. Strategic Air Command.2002-08-13 · 44mWith the ironic motto "Peace is our Profession", the Strategic Air Command was in charge of US nuclear forces from 1946 to 1992. SAC was the ultimate Cold War military machine, at
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36. Gasoline2002-08-14 · 44mTraces the history and evolution of the world’s most important fossil fuel. Without gasoline, modern life would grind to a halt. Americans use about 360-million gallons of gas ever
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37. Towing.2002-08-15 · 44mThink you know towing? As simple as engaging a tow man when your car is stalled? From mighty tugboats that guide massive ships safely into port, dizzying roller coasters that send
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38. Jet Engines2002-08-21 · 44mThis program will tell the story of jet propulsion, which has radically transformed our world since it was first introduced near the end of World War II. We’ll trace the developmen
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39. Nordhausen2002-08-27 · 44mIt was the world’s largest underground factory–seven miles of tunnels built to manufacture Hitler’s secret weapons, primarily the V-2 rocket. But Nordhausen kept more than one secr
- 40 40. War Trains2002-08-30 · 44mExamines how the great 19th-century peacetime invention developed into a powerful war machine, forever altering how, when, where, and why battles were fought. Also looks at the bra
- 41 41. Liberty Ships of World War II2002-09-10 · 44mBetween 1941 and 1945, U.S. shipyards built more shipping tonnage than had been previously produced in the history of the world. American industrialists like Henry Kaiser transform
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42. Magnets2002-09-17 · 44mWe played with them as children, but the world of magnets isn’t kid’s stuff! The pervasive magnet serves as the underpinning for much of modern technology. They can be found in com
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43. The Chrysler Building.2002-09-18 · 44mThe 1,046-foot Chrysler Building in New York City, erected between 1928 and 1930, was the world's tallest edifice–until the Empire State Building eclipsed it in 1931! Since then, t
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44. The Autobahn2002-09-20 · 44mImagine a superhighway designed for speed…thousands of miles of roadway unhindered by limits of any kind. Buckle up for safety as we take you for the ride of your life when we expl
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45. Home Tech2002-09-27 · 44mFrom the outhouse to the smart house, our lives have improved drastically in the last 150 years. Convenience and comfort have always been considerations in home design. Yet, it is
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46. Cranes2002-10-08 · 44mOne of the most useful machines ever created, the crane is a simple but important combination of the pulley and the lever. Though cranes have been helping us build civilization fro
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47. The Internet: Behind The Web2002-10-09 · 44mOver 200-million people around the world use the Internet–yet no one owns or controls it. Its phenomenal usage puts it on a par with the printing press as a civilization-shaping in
- 48 48. Sherman Tanks2002-10-10 · 44mAn exciting series that takes viewers into the heart of action as it focuses on a particular machine from WWII, beginning with the story of its design and manufacture and showing t
- 49 49. Great Train Disasters2002-10-22 · 44mThroughout railroad history, disasters lay at the heart of progress since expansion and profit proved the main goals of management. In 1875 alone, an average of 22 train accidents
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50. Secret Life Of The Crash Test Dummy2002-10-28 · 44mThe crash test dummy, patron saint of vulnerable motorists, has become a modern icon and is a potent symbol of safety in a risk-obsessed age. But what’s the real story behind this
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51. High Tech Sex2002-10-29 · 44mJoin us for a walk on the wild side of the history of sexual enhancement and contraception–from Cleopatra’s box of buzzing bees to 17th-century condoms to Internet sex and 21st-cen
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52. The Spitfire2002-10-30 · 44mDesigned in 1935 by R.J. Mitchell, the Supermarine Spitfire was a revolutionary fighter plane, which proved to be more than a match for its German opponents. In 1940, it helped tur
- 53 53. Garbage2002-11-06 · 44mModern Marvels examines the ever-changing nature of trash, the history of our efforts to dispose of unwanted material, and the evolving technology used to rid ourselves of solid wa
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54. More Bond Gadgets2002-11-07 · 44mHe’s everyone’s favorite spy, the man with a woman in every port and a gadget in every pocket! No villain is too strong, no situation too tough for His Majesty’s Secret Agent, than
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55. Limos2002-11-13 · 44mLimousines have been stretched to greater and greater lengths–as has the notion of what can be done inside them! You can have a rolling disco in a stretched SUV, go for a rumble of
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56. Digi-Tech2002-11-15 · 44mDVD, CD, PDA, HDTV, PVR–they are the ultimate in “gotta have it” gadgets and gizmos and “to die for” technology that populate a digital world of acronyms. We trace digital technolo
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57. Salt Mines2002-12-02 · 44mIt’s the only rock we eat – a priceless commodity essential to our very survival. It has over 14,000 uses – from de-icing our roads to softening our water. We dynamite it from vas
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58. Concept Cars2002-12-03 · 44mThey were pure fantasy on wheels, machines designed to make the heart race and the mind ask…what if? Explore the world of 1950s concept cars–automotive art built to attract public
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59. Runways2002-12-04 · 44mWhat do you think about when you gaze out the window as your plane takes off? Probably not about the least heralded part of our infrastructure–airport runways. But runways play a v
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60. Failed Inventions.2002-12-05 · 44mJoin us for a salute to the dreamers and schemers who brought the world an odd assortment of flawed ideas–like flying, swimming, and jet-powered automobiles, flying rocket belts, a
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