The Best Episodes of Modern Marvels

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9.6/10(11 votes)
#1 - Video Games: Behind The Fun
S7:E259/12/2000
A 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 today’s dominant entertainment mediums. We’ll talk to creators of many of the most popular games in an hour packed with thrilling visuals from the virtual world of video games.
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8.9/10(26 votes)
#2 - Death Devices
S7:E3411/2/2000
Since 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 devices that will carry out the mandate of the people. This is the story of those inventors and their dark inventions. Modern Marvels traces the evolution of death technology up to the present and then take a brief look into its future.
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8.8/10(28 votes)
#3 - Private Jets
S9:E72/1/2002
From 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 jets. We meet a few of the men and women who pioneered them–Bill Lear, Clyde Cessna and his nephews, Walter and Olive Beech. Actor Michael Dorn explains what it takes to buy a previously-owned jet. And, we see the latest in kit jets and look into the new must-have of the super rich–jets the size of commercial airliners.
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9.4/10(11 votes)
#4 - Axes, Swords and Knives.
S9:E236/12/2002
Blade 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, people were able to forge stronger, more versatile blade implements. We visit an axe-throwing contest in Wisconsin for an introduction to the least subtle of the blade tools. Then we visit a swordsmith and an experienced swordfighter who work in traditional methods from ancient sources, and review the history of knives.
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9.0/10(17 votes)
#5 - Engineering Disasters 22
S17:E411/19/2010
They are catastrophic failures with deadly consequences. Caused by a single spark or a massive collapse, these disasters reveal one thing–the danger inherent in our most common industries. From a massive oil spill to refinery blaze to a downed plane, find out what went wrong… and how to prevent the next engineering disaster.
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8.5/10(53 votes)
#6 - Mad Electricity
S15:E135/14/2008
Nikola Tesla's bizarre vision of the future brought him failure, but his genius electrified the world.
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The 20 WORST Episodes of Modern Marvels

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9.2/10(12 votes)
#7 - Gunslingers
S10:E326/26/2003
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9.2/10(12 votes)
#8 - Rolls Royce
S10:E7812/2/2003
The world’s most famous brand, Rolls Royce, is owned by the same company that makes Bentley, a luxury leader once known for its prowess on the track. Their stories combine all that inspires envy in mere mortals; wealth, glamour, speed, sex, scandal and political intrigue.
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8.8/10(21 votes)
#9 - Egyptian Pyramids
S10:E8312/18/2003
Constructed as tombs for the ancient pharaohs, over 100 pyramids remain in Egypt. Built during a span of well over 1,000 years, they stand as cultural and engineering marvels of staggering proportions. But many things about these monuments, including the exact methods used to construct them, remain tantalizingly obscure. Travel back in time as we investigate their evolution–from the earlier mastaba to the Step Pyramid, Bent Pyramid, and of course, the magnificent necropolis at Giza.
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8.9/10(17 votes)
#10 - Tank Crews
S10:E235/15/2003
During WWII, American tank crews duked it out with Nazi Panzers in a high-explosive duel to the death. The German tanks had thicker armor and better guns than the mainstay of the U.S. armored forces, the M-4 Sherman. For many crewmen, the Sherman lived up to its nickname as a steel coffin. But what the tanks lacked in firepower and protection, the crews made up for in guts and good old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity. We’ll meet some of these armored warriors from WWII.
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8.8/10(20 votes)
#11 - The Erie Canal
S7:E207/31/2000
The 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 and aqueducts. Skeptics called it “Clinton’s Ditch,” but visionaries saw it as the gateway to a gleaming future. An engineering marvel when it was built some called it the Eighth Wonder of the World.
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9.0/10(14 votes)
#12 - Medical Imaging
S6:E1112/7/1998
The story of medical imaging, the technology that allows us to see inside the human body, is full of amazing stories. Learn how X-rays were discovered in 1895, completely by accident; how ultrasound was developed to locate enemy submarines, and how the CAT Scan might never have been built if it weren’t for The Beatles!
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8.9/10(16 votes)
#13 - Race Cars
S7:E156/6/2000
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.
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8.9/10(16 votes)
#14 - Cranes
S9:E4610/8/2002
One 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 from at least the time of the Egyptian pyramids, the modern steel-framed construction cranes are a relatively recent development. Put on your work boots as we ride through the history of cranes from ancient days to skyscraper construction sites, ocean-freighter docks, and the International Space Station.
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8.7/10(23 votes)
#15 - Terror Tech: Defending the Highrise
S10:E468/12/2003
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8.8/10(18 votes)
#16 - James Bond Gadgets.
S9:E82/19/2002
His 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 with ultra-sophisticated spy gear, British Secret Agent 007 is always guaranteed to have the most outrageous and wonderfully creative gadgets ever to grace the silver screen. Bond had it all. But as we see in this exclusive look at his gadgets, it takes a lot to save the world!
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8.8/10(18 votes)
#17 - Pumps
S14:E42/7/2007
The history of the pump is chronicled. Pumps used in water distribution in Southern California - The Colorado River Aqueduct, a robotic cow-milking pump and a pump used in heart surgery.
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9.0/10(13 votes)
#18 - Saloons
S8:E216/27/2001
From a computerized liquor-dispensing system in modern L.A., to a ladle and a tin cup in an 1850′s mining camp, MODERN MARVELS investigates the history and technology of the American saloon.
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8.9/10(14 votes)
#19 - Engineering Disasters 4
S10:E347/2/2003
Engineering disasters can result in personal tragedy, national humiliation, and economic ruin. But buried within their wreckage lie lessons that point the way to a safer future. The fire at the Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel, the collapse of Seattle’s Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge, the car that spurred creation of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, and the flaw that grounded the first commercial jet are among the engineering disasters that led to improvements in design and safety.
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9.0/10(12 votes)
#20 - Lighthouses
S8:E114/11/2001
From the earliest known lighthouses, such as the Pharos of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, to modern-day automated buoys and solar-powered lantern rooms, this history of lighthouses is rich with personal stories of lighthouse keepers, daring construction efforts, and ingenious optical discoveries. Today, as lighthouses are usurped by more efficient aids to navigation, these elegant structures are being converted to bed-and-breakfast inns and environmental retreats.
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8.6/10(24 votes)
#21 - More Engineering Disasters.
S6:E4511/29/1999
Throughout history the same builders and engineers that paved man's path out of the caves and into the modern world also caused some of mankind's worst disasters. Often a huge calamity is traced back to a tiny cause, insignificant in itself, but triggering a domino effect. We'll revisit notable disasters and search for probable causes.
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8.7/10(17 votes)
#22 - Weather Prediction
S6:E151/1/1999
A study of the discoveries, inventions, and technological advances that have helped us understand and predict weather accurately. From simple observations made by early humans, to early instruments such as thermometers and barometers, to Doppler radar and satellite imaging, we’ll see how man has tried to harness weather.
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8.7/10(17 votes)
#23 - Forts
S6:E4110/25/1999
The art of fortification evolved along with man’s need to defend his territory from attack. There was no other reason. From hills surrounded by branches and crude fences to intricate walled cities, to impenetrable castles – the strongholds of the past echo the history of great battles for territorial control.
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8.7/10(17 votes)
#24 - Apollo 11
S11:E277/21/2004
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.
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8.8/10(14 votes)
#25 - More Engineering Disasters
S10:E337/2/2003
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