Modern Marvels

7,1

1993

8 / 10

Episodes

EP 2: Tower Bridge

Join us as we span the history of one of the world’s most famous bridges, London’s Tower Bridge. The world’s largest bascule bridg...

EP 3: The Chunnel

The challenge of linking Britain and France with a tunnel under the English Channel was both monumental and delicate. It took 18 m...

EP 4: Space Stations.

Join us on an out-of-this-world exploration of the history of long-duration life in space–from the first Soviet station to Skylab ...

EP 5: The Pentagon

The pentagon…The name alone conjures up an imposing image of American power and prestige. As the largest office building in the wo...

EP 6: Bridges.

From amazing ancient Roman aqueducts and arch bridges, romantic Renaissance spans, 19th-century railroad crossovers, to monumental...

EP 7: Prisons

“All hope abandon, ye who enter here!” This sentiment has permeated the masonry and clanging bars of prisons built throughout the ...

EP 8: Great Inventions

Join us for a survey of the world’s greatest inventions in which we examine the wheel, steam engine, railroad, automobile, airplan...

EP 9: Office Wonders

Don’t look now, but your office is a technological marvel. From the humble paper clip to the revolutionary personal computer, your...

EP 10: Police Technology

When police forces were born in the 1800s, British “bobbies” made due with a billy club. Public wariness and institutional resista...

EP 11: Disaster Technology

An examination of the historical development of technological tools that help science mitigate nature’s fury. It’s a survival stor...

EP 12: Concrete

Modern Marvels explores how the basic formula of cement, aggregate and water has changed the world. Concrete has enabled us to cr...

EP 13: Camping Technology

As camping technology develops, it provides greater access to diverse outdoor environments. The earliest camping technology was de...

EP 14: Private Planes

The plane’s on the runway and revving up for our flight of power and whimsy. The panorama reveals some amazing machines–from vinta...

EP 15: Race Cars

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...

EP 16: Traffic

In less than a century, the world went from dirt tracks to highways, from propeller planes to space travel, from sailboats to supe...

EP 17: Buses

The most opulent are wheeled luxury liners with satellite TV and hot tubs–a far cry from the first bus, an 8-passenger carriage! W...

EP 18: Gold Mines.

Around the world and across the eons, gold stands as a symbol of power, wealth, and love. The quest for the yellow metal took men ...

EP 19: Banks.

Backbones of worldwide economics, for centuries banks enabled the creation of wealth, and industry leaders became icons. But moder...

EP 20: The Erie Canal

The Erie Canal was America’s first superhighway. It was a narrow ribbon of water carved through sheer rock and untamed wilderness....

EP 21: Trucks

Icons of the open road, trucks form the backbone of the construction and transportation industries. The facility to handle nearly ...

EP 22: Aswan Dam

In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Arab Republic of Egypt’s first prime minister, had a plan to bring his poor country into the 20th...

EP 23: China's Great Dam

When completed, China’s Three Gorges Dam will tower 607 feet in the air and weigh 40 Great Pyramids. Other than China’s Great Wall...

EP 24: The Maginot Line

The Maginot Line, a defensive string of large and small forts built during the years between World War I and World War II, was int...

EP 25: Video Games: Behind The Fun

A fun-filled glimpse into the not so distant history of video games. Since inception, the gaming industry has been a driving force...

EP 26: The Body Shop

Host Ron Hazelton and two mechanics dissect a 2000 Ford Taurus to trace the evolution of the automobile’s major systems. This 2-ho...

EP 27: Machine Tools

No one wants a hand-made car or gun or an airplane. We want things made by machines. Machine tools are power–driven machines–of al...

EP 28: Farming Technology

The US agricultural process, from seed to shelf, is so efficient that most people don’t think much about it. But food growing and ...

EP 29: Assembly Lines

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, an assembly line is an “industrial arrangement of machines, equipment, and workers for c...

EP 30: Suez Canal

Since the ancient pharaohs’ time, the Isthmus of Suez has been the gateway to trade between East and West. It’s thought that the p...

EP 31: London Underground

Deep beneath London runs a complex network of many miles of tunnels; and, while traffic congests the roads above, hundreds of trai...

EP 32: Combat Training.

Sign up at the ultimate survival school, where soldiers learn to kill or be killed, and learn how 21st-century warriors are traini...

EP 33: Remote Operated Vehicles

Remotely operated vehicles allow us to explore the mysteries of inner and outer space, provide firsthand glimpses of the horrors o...

EP 34: Death Devices

Since the creation of the first laws, societies have demanded the ultimate punishment for certain capital crimes. Throughout histo...

EP 35: Power Plants.

Mankind controls the environment in a variety of ways, whether by capturing the force of a river, harnessing the power in coal or ...

EP 36: Inventions of War.

Arising from the horrible carnage, deprivation, and suffering caused by war is a countless array of everyday items–from hairbrushe...

EP 37: Plumbing: The Arteries Of Civilzation

Join 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...

EP 38: Line of Defense

Fortification evolved as man tried to defend his territory from attack. From fenced-in hills to walled cities to impenetrable fort...

EP 39: Gadgets

Close cousins to machines and tools, gadgets are mechanical or electronic devices that make life a bit easier. While they don't al...

Overview

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.

  • en
  • Documentary,

Episodes >>

The City Beneath Our Feet

Episode 1

now-playing-animation

Tower Bridge

Episode 2

Join us as we span the history of one of the world’s most famous bridges, London...

The Chunnel

Episode 3

The challenge of linking Britain and France with a tunnel under the English Chan...

Space Stations.

Episode 4

Join us on an out-of-this-world exploration of the history of long-duration life...

The Pentagon

Episode 5

The pentagon…The name alone conjures up an imposing image of American power and ...

Bridges.

Episode 6

From amazing ancient Roman aqueducts and arch bridges, romantic Renaissance span...

Prisons

Episode 7

“All hope abandon, ye who enter here!” This sentiment has permeated the masonry ...

Great Inventions

Episode 8

Join us for a survey of the world’s greatest inventions in which we examine the ...

Office Wonders

Episode 9

Don’t look now, but your office is a technological marvel. From the humble paper...

Police Technology

Episode 10

When police forces were born in the 1800s, British “bobbies” made due with a bil...

Disaster Technology

Episode 11

An examination of the historical development of technological tools that help sc...

Concrete

Episode 12

Modern Marvels explores how the basic formula of cement, aggregate and water has...

Camping Technology

Episode 13

As camping technology develops, it provides greater access to diverse outdoor en...

Private Planes

Episode 14

The plane’s on the runway and revving up for our flight of power and whimsy. The...

Race Cars

Episode 15

Today, race cars tear up the tracks at 300 m.p.h. Computers and space-age compos...

Traffic

Episode 16

In less than a century, the world went from dirt tracks to highways, from propel...

Buses

Episode 17

The most opulent are wheeled luxury liners with satellite TV and hot tubs–a far ...

Gold Mines.

Episode 18

Around the world and across the eons, gold stands as a symbol of power, wealth, ...

Banks.

Episode 19

Backbones of worldwide economics, for centuries banks enabled the creation of we...

The Erie Canal

Episode 20

The Erie Canal was America’s first superhighway. It was a narrow ribbon of water...

Trucks

Episode 21

Icons of the open road, trucks form the backbone of the construction and transpo...

Aswan Dam

Episode 22

In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Arab Republic of Egypt’s first prime minister, ...

China's Great Dam

Episode 23

When completed, China’s Three Gorges Dam will tower 607 feet in the air and weig...

The Maginot Line

Episode 24

The Maginot Line, a defensive string of large and small forts built during the y...

Video Games: Behind The Fun

Episode 25

A fun-filled glimpse into the not so distant history of video games. Since incep...

The Body Shop

Episode 26

Host Ron Hazelton and two mechanics dissect a 2000 Ford Taurus to trace the evol...

Machine Tools

Episode 27

No one wants a hand-made car or gun or an airplane. We want things made by machi...

Farming Technology

Episode 28

The US agricultural process, from seed to shelf, is so efficient that most peopl...

Assembly Lines

Episode 29

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, an assembly line is an “industrial arr...

Suez Canal

Episode 30

Since the ancient pharaohs’ time, the Isthmus of Suez has been the gateway to tr...

London Underground

Episode 31

Deep beneath London runs a complex network of many miles of tunnels; and, while ...

Combat Training.

Episode 32

Sign up at the ultimate survival school, where soldiers learn to kill or be kill...

Remote Operated Vehicles

Episode 33

Remotely operated vehicles allow us to explore the mysteries of inner and outer ...

Death Devices

Episode 34

Since the creation of the first laws, societies have demanded the ultimate punis...

Power Plants.

Episode 35

Mankind controls the environment in a variety of ways, whether by capturing the ...

Inventions of War.

Episode 36

Arising from the horrible carnage, deprivation, and suffering caused by war is a...

Plumbing: The Arteries Of Civilzation

Episode 37

Join us as we take a peek at the plumbing hiding behind your walls and snaking u...

Line of Defense

Episode 38

Fortification evolved as man tried to defend his territory from attack. From fen...

Gadgets

Episode 39

Close cousins to machines and tools, gadgets are mechanical or electronic device...