11x24 - Greatest Movies Gadgets

June 17, 2004

Cars that fly and drive themselves. Spiffy spy tools that see under doors and through walls. Water “Harleys” that fly above and below the surface. Only in the movies, right? Hollywood may have dreamt these things up, but regular guys are making them for real as we see in a 2-hour special combining clips of recent blockbusters and hilarious old movie serials, along with a look at real-life creations, including intelligence-gathering “insects” and undersea robots. Gadgets lovers beware your bank accounts!

11x25 - Robots

July 6, 2004

11x26 - Nuclear Tech

July 8, 2004

Nuclear research ranges from well-known applications, such as bombs and reactors, to little-known uses in medicine, food preparation, and radiation detection. It’s also spawned ancillary technologies to store nuclear waste and clean up accidents.

11x27 - Apollo 11

July 21, 2004

As mankind's greatest achievement of the 20th century, Apollo 11 stood as the apogee of science, exploration, flight, and technological prowess. In scarcely 10 years, America went from rocketing monkeys to landing a man on the moon. Leaving Earth on July 16, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Mike Collins pushed the limits of skill and endurance. See and experience the flight of Apollo 11 through the eyes of the astronauts, mission controllers, engineers, and designers who made it happen.

11x28 - World War I Tech

July 30, 2004

The first bombing airplanes and widespread use of chemical weapons…earliest tanks…submarines. When Industrial-Age technology and war first mixed on a large scale, the end result was ruthlessly efficient destruction. World War One epitomized the dark underbelly of the Industrial Revolution. We see how technological achievements that streamlined 19th-century production, improved transportation, and expanded science were used to efficiently decimate a generation of soldiers in the early 20th century.

11x29 - Distilleries

August 4, 2004

From water and grain…to mash…still…vat…barrel and bottle–the distilling of alcoholic spirits is a big business and near-sacred religion. Its acolytes eye the color, swirl the glass, inhale the bouquet, sip, and then ponder their ambrosia.

11x30 - Oil Tankers

August 11, 2004

The biggest moving objects ever built by man, oil tankers dominate the world’s waterways, both in size and numbers. Upwards of 10,000 strong, the world tanker fleet’s vast number results from the modern, insatiable thirst for oil. We’ll dig into the history of oil transport–from Civil War days to the critical WWII years and invention of the supertanker in the 1950s. And we examine the financial impact of modifying these steel leviathans to prevent future catastrophic environmental disasters.

11x31 - Athens Subway

August 18, 2004

Under Athens' bustling metropolis, an unique engineering project transformed the city, building a new underground Metro system, while uncovering secrets of its past, alleviating chronic traffic problems, and preparing for the 2004 Olympics. But to dig stations and tunnels in the heart of one of the world's oldest sites of continuous habitation, engineers had to accommodate the largest archaeological excavations conducted to date in Athens. Thousands of invaluable artifacts were discovered, spanning more than 25 centuries. We talk with leading project engineers and archaeologists to explore the difficult balance between progress and preservation. Unique library film records every stage by which gigantic Tunnel Boring Machines cut under some of the most famous architecture of the ancient world. Despite problems and delays, the Athens' Metro finally opened in January 2000. Its dazzling modern stations at the center of the city contain ancient artifacts found at the station sites.

11x32 - Extreme Aircraft

August 25, 2004

Join us for a supersonic look at some of the most cutting-edge aircraft ever developed–from the X-1 that first broke the sound barrier to the X-43 Scramjet that recently flew at Mach 7. These extreme aircraft have made their mark on aeronautical history, and sometimes on political history as well. The U-2 and SR-71 spy planes played a crucial role in the Cold War, and now Lockheed Martin's top-secret "Skunkworks" division is touting the new "air dominance" fighter plane– the F/A-22 Raptor.

11x33 - Engineering Disasters 7

August 31, 2004

Engineers and architects reveal what went wrong in five engineering disasters, including Baldwin Hills Dam that suddenly gave way, spilling liquid havoc in a quiet LA neighborhood; a mysterious plane crash that killed all aboard (Lockheed Electra); a massive freighter’s shuddering crash into Tampa Bay’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge; the 1994 Northridge, California earthquake that shook down poorly engineered buildings; and a 4-decade old coal mine fire that turned Centralia, Pennsylvania into a ghost town.

11x34 - George Washington Bridge

September 1, 2004

When opened on October 25, 1931, the George Washington Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Today, standing as a main traffic artery between Manhattan and New Jersey, the bridge referred to by locals as the “GW” is the busiest in the world, carrying nearly 320,000 cars each day. We’ll examine the construction methods employed that made the bridge an anomaly, coming in both under budget and ahead of schedule, and see why the GW is distinguished in a city of great bridges.

11x35 - Building a Skyscraper: The Skeleton

September 7, 2004

What does it take to construct a building that will cover an entire city block? Try 13,000 tons of steel, 36,000 cubic yards of concrete, enough wire and cables to stretch from New York City to Boston, hundreds of professionals, and two years of blood, sweat, and swearing. Welcome to Skyscraper 101. In the first hour, we see how architects design a building and check out the new California Department of Transportation headquarters–a project we’ve followed for two years.

11x36 - Building a Skyscraper: The Exterior

September 6, 2004

For two years, we’ve followed construction of the new California Department of Transportation headquarters in downtown LA–a massive 700,000 square-foot office building–and we use this building as a specific example to illustrate construction problems of mega-skyscrapers, from the Empire State Building to the Sears Tower to the TAIPEI 101. In hour two, the steel skeleton is up, but before the windows and walls go up, the general contractor tests the exterior wall system by building a mockup.

11x37 - Building a Skyscraper: The Human Environment

September 7, 2004

In hour three of our crash course on mega-skyscraper construction, we learn about the human element and development of systems that make us comfortable. And we’ll see the evolution from freight hoists to today’s fastest high-speed pressurized elevators and, on the cooler side, the evolution from ice refrigeration to 3,000-ton chillers. We meet Bobby, the manlift operator and the building site’s standup comedian, and travel to Taiwan to visit the world’s fastest elevators in the TAIPEI 101.

11x38 - Building a Skyscraper: The Arteries

September 7, 2004

For two years, we’ve followed the construction of the new California Department of Transportation headquarters in LA to learn the architectural, structural, and mechanical challenges of building mega-skyscrapers. In hour four, as we’re installing the veins and arteries of the building and wrapping up construction on CalTrans, we learn how development of electricity and indoor plumbing made skyscrapers possible–imagine needing to take an elevator down 70 stories to use the privy behind the building!

11x39 - The Sears Tower

September 8, 2004

Some 23,000 people walk through the Sears Tower’s domed entrances daily. 104 elevators (some double-decker), moving at speeds up to 1,600 feet per minute, transport workers and visitors to the 110 floors of North America’s tallest building. Sears, Roebuck and Company began as a small mail-order business in Chicago, and by 1960, had grown into the biggest global retailer. Sears Chairman Gordon Metcalf proposed bringing the company under one roof to create the world’s largest headquarters. Join us for a look at this pioneering building that remains a symbol of the future and a tribute to the company that dreamt big enough to build it!

11x40 - St. Lawrence Seaway

September 15, 2004

The St. Lawrence Seaway is a monumental stairway in water, lifting massive ships hundreds of feet over thousands of miles. It’s the world’s longest inland waterway, a system of rivers, lakes, canals, dams, and locks that stretches 2,400 miles. And it’s one of the greatest engineering triumphs of the 20th century, pulled off against the violence of raging water and extreme winter. An essential part of the commercial infrastructure of the US and Canada, this complex system provides direct access from the Atlantic to North America’s heartland, enabling ships packed with trade to stop at any one its 65 ports–from Montreal to Duluth. From the 16th century, when French explorer Jacques Cartier searched for the legendary Northwest Passage, to the modern Seaway, built in the 1950s, we highlight the incredible engineering feats that went into creating the waterway.

11x41 - Guns of WWII

September 17, 2004

11x42 - St. Lawrence Tech

September 22, 2004

11x43 - Police Pursuit

September 22, 2004

Join us for a high-speed look at police pursuits in an adrenaline-filled hour focused on the history and evolution of the technologies that give law enforcement the upper hand when pursuing bad guys. From the days of chasing moonshine runners in “hopped up” vehicles during Prohibition to the most recent 100-mph freeway chases, patrol cars have undergone many advances. We also examine how communications have improved, the use of airborne resources, and pursuit on the high seas.

11x44 - SOS Tech

September 28, 2004

A look at the technology that changed the serious game of Search and Rescue forever. At the mouth of Oregon’s Columbia River, we visit the Coast Guard’s Motor Lifeboat School, the training ground for High Surf Rescue. Then, we trace the evolution of life-saving technology at sea, and learn why the EPIRP (Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon) is the pleasure boater’s greatest friend. And we take a look at how the U.S. Navy deals with accidents classified as “Man Overboard” in the 21st century.

11x45 - More of the World's Biggest Machines

September 29, 2004

The ultimate celebration of outsized equipment returns for a second sweep through a world where size is everything.

11x46 - Firefighting: The Arson Detectives

September 30, 2004

Meet crime fighters who take on fiery killers. In Houston, visit the site of a suspicious fire with Fire Marshall Lalo Torres as he turns ashes into evidence. Former A.T.F. head Richard Garner explains motives behind the recent church fires. And at the California Criminalists Institute, John DeHaan trains special arson dogs.

11x47 - Guns of Israel

October 1, 2004

One of the youngest and smallest nations, Israel has produced some of the world’s fiercest weapons. In 1952, shortly after its War of Independence, Israel unleashed the Uzi…a submachine gun that set the standard for nearly 50 years. Between 1950 and 1980, Israel fought three wars, and superior weapons became a matter of survival. We examine the Negev Machine Gun and the Galil Assault Rifle, designed to survive the rigors of desert warfare, and the Tavor 21, a lightweight 21st-century assault rifle.

11x48 - Engineering Disasters 8

October 5, 2004

Join us for a devastating but enlightening hour as we delve into complex and often-tragic engineering failures that have shaped our world. Five dramatic events unfold as we discover the causes of: the 1983 collapse of New England’s Mianus Bridge; the sinking of the EM Ocean Ranger /EM offshore oilrig in 1982; the crash of a Learjet 35 private plane carrying pro-golfer Payne Stewart in 1999; the 19th-century failure of South Fork Dam that resulted in the flooding of Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and the 1988 PEPCON (Pacific Engineering Production Company of Nevada) jet fuel plant explosion.

11x49 - Harvesting

October 6, 2004

Cutting, digging, picking, stripping, shaking, and raking–whatever the crop, there's a custom machine to harvest it. It all began with handpicking and today it's often one man and one machine harvesting hundreds of acres in a single day. The farmer may even get a little help from satellites. Far above the earth, high-resolution photography is giving the grower more opportunities to cut costs and maximize the harvest. From the debut of the sickle in ancient Egypt to McCormick's famous Reaper to the field of ergonomics that assists human harvesters, we'll dig into the past and future of the harvest.

11x50 - Engineering Disasters 9

October 12, 2004

What happens when the calculations of builders and engineers prove wrong and their constructs come tumbling down? In this episode, we examine the 1987 failure of the Schoharie Creek Bridge in New York; the partial destruction by a runaway freighter of the Riverwalk Marketplace in New Orleans in 1996; the roof collapse of the Rosemont Horizon Arena in Illinois in 1979; the deadliest grain-dust explosion on record in Westwego, Louisiana, when a grain elevator exploded in 1977; and the crash of the British R101 airship in the 1920s.

11x51 - Guns of the Civil War

October 15, 2004

11x52 - Engineering Disasters 10

October 19, 2004

Disasters investigated include: the 1984 Union Carbide debacle in Bhopal, India, where a toxic chemical release killed 3,800 people and left 11,000 with disabling respiratory ailments; and the 2003 sudden collapse of a 10-story parking garage at the Tropicana in Atlantic City, New Jersey that killed four and injured 20. We find out why a series of structures in Hutchinson, Kansas mysteriously caught fire and exploded in 2001; and examine the 1933 construction of a canal ordered by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin that later proved to be nearly useless and cost many lives. And we get to the bottom of a maritime mystery, when a tanker carrying non-explosive materials in San Francisco Bay blew up in 1983.

11x53 - Presidential Movers

October 20, 2004

The vehicles that transport the President of the United States aren’t your ordinary planes, trains, and automobiles. They are top-secret. And for your Average Joe, there’s only two ways to find out what they’re really like inside–either get elected or watch Presidential Movers on Modern Marvels.

11x54 - Gas Tech

October 20, 2004

Gas–it makes a balloon go up, cooks our food, and fills our lungs. But this invisible state of matter does far more, and has a very visible impact on the world. We follow natural gas from well tip to stove top and trace its use from 3rd century BC Chinese salt producers to modern appliances. Next, we investigate the most plentiful gas in the universe–hydrogen–which may also prove to be the most powerful. We also experience the cryogenic world of industrial gasses–what they do and where they come from–as we travel to the British Oxygen Company's Braddock Air Separation Plant to see how they freeze millions of tons of oxygen and nitrogen. And at the Bush Dome Helium Reserve in Texas, we learn why the US government sits atop 36-billion cubic feet of the stuff. Finally, we look inside the colorful world of gas and neon lights. So lay back, breathe deep, and count backwards from 10…

11x55 - Engineering Disasters 11

October 26, 2004

Disasters profiled are a liquid natural gas explosion in Cleveland, the collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt walkway, flooding of the Yangtze River in 1931, as well as sinkholes caused by sewer collapses in San Francisco and Atlanta. Also features the impacts of asbestos on the modern world.

11x56 - The World's Longest Bridge

October 27, 2004

Bridges are the lifeline of Japan. Since the 1930s, the island nation has dreamt of linking its many parts as a whole. But WWII diverted the incredible resources needed to accomplish this, and only since 1960 has the dream moved again, slowly, toward reality. The final step in this massive undertaking was the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, currently the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world. This marvel of architectonics stands as a testament to the genius of Asian engineering and, judged in a context that perhaps the Japanese understand best, as the most beautiful bridge in the world. We’ll watch it rise, from sketch to completion, and see how it fared during the massive Kobe earthquake.

11x57 - Japanese Sub at Pearl Harbor

October 28, 2004

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a move of unprecedented aggression that shook the U.S. out of its peaceful slumber and into WWII. But for 60 years, veterans of the destroyer USS Ward claimed they sank an enemy submarine outside the harbor more than an hour before the aerial attack began. The wreck was never found, and the story was dismissed. In August 2002, a dive team crossed its path and their find made headlines worldwide. We travel to Pearl Harbor to investigate the midget sub mystery.

11x58 - M1 Abrams Supertank!

October 29, 2004

Join us as we penetrate the history of the world’s most sophisticated tank–the M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. In the most radical departure in U.S. tank design since WWII, the Supertank combines speed, heavy protective armor, and a fearsome 120mm main gun. In February 1991, the new and unproven Abrams tank was rapidly deployed on the frontline of Operation Desert Storm. Using night vision and laser targeting, the M1 Abrams tank destroyed the cream of Saddam Hussein’s armored Republican Guard.

11x59 - Engineering Disasters 12

November 9, 2004

In Milwaukee, 104 died after drinking contaminated tap water. At Texas A&M;, a tradition turned tragic when a pile of bonfire logs collapsed onto its builders. Thousands of US soldiers expired in known WWII deathtraps–Sherman Tanks. In 1973, 14 men working on a 26-story building died when supports were removed from wet concrete. And in 1993, Denver’s “dream” airport became a nightmare when its baggage-handling system ran amok. Aided by computer graphics, catastrophe footage, and visits to the locations today, MIT scientists, Center for Disease Control experts, WWII vets, bonfire builders, and construction engineers explain these tragedies and measures taken to prevent them in future.

11x60 - Surveillance Tech

November 10, 2004

In the world of surveillance, Big Brother is not only watching, he’s also listening, analyzing, recording, scanning, and tracking every aspect of our lives. And with advanced surveillance technology, there’s virtually no place to hide. We’ll examine some of the most important and potentially terrifying equipment the world has ever seen…or rather, not seen…in this thriving surveillance revolution. We check out parabolic microphones that pick up conversations a mile a way, cameras that learn what and who to photograph, RadarVision that “sees through walls”, and Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). And we explore the mind-bending future of surveillance technology, while, of course, reviewing its surprising history.

11x61 - Engineering Disasters 13

November 16, 2004

In this hour, death seeps out of the ground into a neighborhood sitting on a toxic waste dump at Love Canal in New York; soldiers die during Desert Storm in 1991 when software flaws render Patriot Missiles inaccurate; on September 11, 2001, World Trade Center Building #7 wasn’t attacked, but seven hours after the Twin Towers collapsed, it too is mysteriously reduced to a pile of rubble; a night of revelry in Boston turns the Coconut Grove nightclub into an inferno that kills over 400 people in 1942; and the science of demolition is put to the test and fails when a building in Rhode Island, the “Leaning Tower of Providence”, stands its ground.

11x62 - Submarine Disasters

November 17, 2004

When the men and women aboard a modern submarine hear the command to dive, they can take a measure of comfort in the fact that no US sub has been lost in nearly 40 years, though it’s been said that the sea is a more hostile environment than space. The tragedies of former disasters have not been forgotten or squandered and the Navy has been extremely motivated to find ever more effective ways to prevent them. We’ll examine sub disasters to discover what caused them and what they’ve taught us. And as we explore the early history of the submarine–including a sub used in the American Revolution and one used in the Civil War–we follow a modern crew using submarine simulators to train for disasters, study subs in the nuclear age, and explore state-of-the-art rescue technology.

11x63 - Engineering Disasters 14

November 23, 2004

In this hour, we examine a massive oil tanker explosion that killed nine; a subway tunnel cave-in that swallowed part of Hollywood Boulevard; a freighter plane crash that destroyed an 11-story apartment building; an historic molasses flash flood; and a freeway ramp collapse that buried construction workers in rubble and concrete. Investigators from NTSB, Cal/OSHA, and Boeing, structural and geo-technical engineers, and historians explain how so much could have gone wrong, costing so many lives. And aided by computer graphics, footage and photos of the disasters, and visits to the locations today, we show viewers what caused these catastrophes and what design experts have done to make sure they never happen again.

11x64 - Movie Theaters

November 24, 2004

11x65 - Washington Monument

December 1, 2004

The US capital boasts many memorials, but none with a more bizarre history than the obelisk erected to America's first president. Over 55 stories high and weighing over 90,000 tons, the Washington Monument stands stalwart in the city's center. From concept to completion, it took 100 years–years filled with mystery, ceremony, conflict, government action, and inaction. Proposed in the late 1700s by a group of prominent citizens and finished in the late 1800s by the Army Corps of Engineers, the exterior is mainly Maryland white marble, while the interior is made of granite, iron…and a few surprises. How did it come together and why did it take so long? Historians tell stories of stalling bureaucracy, secret societies, and triumphant engineering. Stark and daunting on the outside, we let viewers know what's inside.

11x66 - Engineering Disasters 15

December 8, 2004

A series of construction errors causes a devastating flood that brings Chicago to a standstill. A deadly accident traps hundreds in a smoke-filled Alpine tunnel, with no ventilation. Three boilers explode on a Mississippi riverboat resulting in thousands of deaths and earning the disaster the title of the worst in maritime history. Two buildings, halfway around the world from each other, collapse from the same type of shoddy construction methods–14 years apart. And a cockpit warning system malfunctions, causing a fiery, fatal crash before the jetliner ever takes off. We interview design and construction experts as we investigate what went wrong. And we talk with rescue personnel, eyewitnesses, and victims as we visit the tragedies' sites to see what improvements have been implemented to insure against these kinds of disasters.

11x67 - Snack Food Tech

December 16, 2004

Extruders, molds, in-line conveyor belts. Are these machines manufacturing adhesives, plastics, or parts for your car? No, they're making treats for your mouth–and you will see them doing their seductively tasty work in this scrumptious episode. First, we visit Utz Quality Foods in Hanover, Pennsylvania, that produces more than one million pounds of chips per week, and Snyder's of Hanover, the leading US pretzel manufacturer. Next, we focus on the world's largest candy manufacturer, Masterfoods USA, which makes Milky Way, Snickers, Mars, and M&Ms;, and take a lick at the world's largest lollipop producer, Tootsie Roll Industries. And at Flower Foods' Crossville, Tennessee plant, an army of cupcakes rolls down a conveyer belt. The final stop is Dreyer's Bakersfield, California plant, where 20,000 ice cream bars and 9,600 drumsticks roll off the line in an hour.

11x68 - More Dangerous Cargo!

December 21, 2004

It comes in many deadly shapes and sizes, and the transportation of dangerous cargo is one of the most meticulously planned procedures in the shipping world. We hitch a ride on a “dynamite run” from explosives factory to construction site; learn how liquid natural gas is shipped, a fuel that could vaporize entire city blocks if ignited; accompany a Drug Enforcement Administration truck as it transports confiscated illegal drugs to an incinerator site for destruction; fly with Air Net as it moves radioactive pharmaceuticals from factory to hospital; and tag along with two tigers, part of a breeding program for endangered species, as they travel from Texas to Ohio. As each story progresses, we explore the history of the transport of that particular form of Dangerous Cargo.

11x69 - Commercial Fishing

December 22, 2004

Battered and fried or simply raw–seafood is a popular dish, no matter how you serve it. Americans consume more than 5-billion pounds yearly, an order that takes more than a fishing rod to fill and worries conservationists. We follow the fish, the fishermen, and the science trying to preserve fisheries for future generations–from ancient ships on the Nile to a modern technologically sophisticated factory trawler on the Bering Sea to the University of New Hampshire's open-ocean aquaculture research project. And we witness a wide variety of fishing methods–from gillnetting and longlining STRONG /STRONG to lobster trapping. Hop aboard and sail through time and around the globe as we explore the harsh conditions of life at sea and experience firsthand one of history's deadliest jobs. Brace yourself and feel the ice-cold, salt spray on your face as we explore commercial fishing!

11x70 - Ancient Discoveries (1)

December 22, 2004

11x71 - Ancient Discoveries (2)

December 22, 2004

11x72 - Ancient Discoveries (3)

December 22, 2004

11x73 - Engineering Disasters 16

December 23, 2004

Chaos in Guadalajara, Mexico, when the city streets explode; an airplane crash outside of Paris that ranks as one of the worst in history; two mining dams in Italy collapse engulfing a village in a tidal wave of sludge; a generation of children in a small Texas town are entombed in the rubble of their school; an oil tanker runs aground off the coast of England and introduces the world to the devastation of the first super spill… EM Engineering Disasters 16 /EM delves into the shocking chain of events leading up to each of these horrific catastrophes and examines resulting technological improvements designed to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

11x75 - More Doomsday Tech

December 28, 2004

The second deadly hour examines more threats–both natural and manmade–that may endanger civilization. From the far reaches of space to tiny viruses, doomsday sources are many. But so are technologies used to keep doomsday at bay. Asteroids of significant size have hit our planet before and likely will again. Asteroid hunters demonstrate the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) program and methods being developed to destroy earth-aimed asteroids. Then, it's onto bioterrorism's sinister technologies–how highly virulent agents like smallpox and plague can be weaponized. Next, an ex-hacker turned cyber-security expert shows how vulnerable the nation's computers are to cyberterror. Finally, we visit the controversial world of biotechnology. Could genetically engineered crops backfire? Does a brave new world of genetically selected beings loom in our not-so-distant future?

11x76 - The Computer

December 29, 2004