Modern Marvels

They're the meat in our sandwiches and slices of American pop culture. Take a look behind the deli counter to reveal the secret ingredients and history of cold cuts.

It strikes without warning and kills in an instant. We fear its might even as we use it to save a life. Explore the electric shock in its numerous forms, from fences to eels to the electric chair.

From the Stone Age to the Space Age, our world has been built from rocks. Visit the Johnson Space Center in Houston to examine moon rocks and see how marble and granite are extracted.

It is said that the pig is as smart as a three-year-old human-yet its primary use is for food. Watch the pig transform into bacon, ham, ribs and sausage.

Corn is not only a vegetable and a cereal grain; it's a commodity as well. Find out how it's harvested, canned and even converted into fuel.

What's the world's sharpest blade? Discover all the possibilities, from the Katana blade of the Samurai to industrial wood chippers to disposable razors found in any corner store.

It is the most widely produced chemical in the world and possibly the most dangerous. Take a look at the many uses of acid.

Take a look at the technology of keeping things cold. From your home refrigerator to Arctic vaults that store millions of different seeds and even places where cadavers are kept on ice.

More extreme aircrafts are profiled. Among them the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, the B-1B Lancer (a supersonic bomber), the DC-10 Supertanker, drones and personal aircraft vehicles.

Batteries make our tech, tools and toys surge with energy. Visit the world's most powerful battery in Fairbanks, Alaska, then see how the Energizer facility churns out one million D-cells every day.

Gotcha! Traps are a device designed to capture and kill, but they don't always harm their prey. Check out some high-tech versions straight out of action movies.

Vacuums aren't just for cleaning floors. There are giant vacuums that clean up after disasters like Hurricane Katrina and underwater vacuums that save coral reefs.

We spend one-third of our lives in the bedroom. Explore the technologies that help to ensure we wake up on the right side of the bed.

Americans eat over three and a half billion pounds of chocolate each year. Take a tour through the wide world of this sweet treat's harvesting and production.

From Velcro hooks to Gecko feet, making things that stick is no easy task. Come revel in electrostatics, sticky rubber and even a roll of tape so strong it sticks together skyscrapers.

This useful metal was once considered more valuable than gold. Watch as aluminum is stretched, pounded melted and even turned into foam.

Sink your teeth into the razor sharp world of saws. Cut across the centuries to discover how this essential tool has been used for construction, destruction, surgery, torture and more.

From cheddar to brie, Parmesan to blue, take a look at both ancient techniques and new technologies behind some of the world's most popular cheeses.

Fertilizer: without it, two thirds of the world would starve. It makes our lawns grow greener and our crops grow taller. Take a tour of the places where fertilizer is harnessed.

Catering to more than twenty million truckers a year, truck stops are now bigger and better than ever. We'll tour some of the world's most tricked-out.

The 1970s were a decade of excess. Dust off your mirror ball, put on your leisure suit and rediscover the technology and gadgets of the era, from PONG to Polaroid to the Concorde.

More than 50% of all U.S. products require some form of welding. From the Las Vegas strip to oil platforms hundreds of feet below the sea, discover how welders forge the backbone of civilization.

Driven by the need for deep sea rescue and salvage capabilities, the U.S. Navy Diving and Salvage Programs have gathered together a highly skilled team of divers and engineers.

Soldiers, machines and supplies are only effective if they arrive at the battlefield in time. Explore the history and the technology behind the machines that do the heavy moving in times of war.