Modern Marvels

Penicillin was first used to save human life in 1941, but just fifty years later, bacteria has emerged that appears resistant to every known antibiotic. Are the days of the antibiotic miracle at an end?

From Thomas Edison to Nikola Tesla, the world's greatest minds have enabled us to acquire our light, heat, and power with a simple flip of a switch. The foundation for all of this originates from one important source: Power Plants.

From farms to refineries, factories, and restaurants, learn all about beans... soybeans, baked beans, rare heirloom beans, chickpeas, azuki beans and more. Each have their own special uses, in the kitchen and beyond.

All it takes to set off a booby trap is an unsuspecting victim and a harmless-looking object. Explore their history, from the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks, and Romans to the modern War on Terror.

Designed like defensive machines, medieval castles represented the perfect fusion of form and function. Journey back to that unruly era to examine the complexity of their construction and many uses.

More than 2 million people die in the U.S. each year. That works out to about 5,500 burials a day. Take a look at dealing with the dead throughout the centuries - and at today's $20 billion funeral industry.

Trace the origins of this tasty drink from over 1,000 years ago. Discover how billions of coffee beans make their journey from farms and plantations to cups all over the world. Detail the production of decaf, instant coffees, and more.

Explore the tech developed to create and respond to doomsday threats ranging from very real (nuclear arsenals) to controversial (global warming) to futuristic (nanotechnology, cyborgs, and robots).

Get schooled in the tricks of the fried food trade. Learn what goes into forging the classic cast iron frying pan. Find out what makes international fried favorites so tasty. And see how Cooking oil is now being deployed as a fuel.

Whatever the crop, there's a custom machine to harvest it. From the debut of the sickle in ancient Egypt to McCormick's famous Reaper to the field of ergonomics, we'll dig into the past and future of the harvest.

Enjoy an explicit exploration of the aphrodisiacs, drugs, contraceptives, toys, and cyber-tech innovations that have ushered in a brave new world of modern sexuality.

In June 1944, the greatest machine of World War Two springs into action, made up of thousands of ships and aircraft, tens of thousands of men, and millions of tons of steel and concrete. This is Operation Overlord.

Candy is America's sweetest guilty pleasure. Find out the ingredient that gives Lemonheads their sour punch, the substance that puts the polish on Mike and Ikes, and more mouth-watering confectionery secrets.

Examine more threats - both natural and man-made - that may endanger civilization. From the far reaches of space to tiny viruses, doomsday sources are many, but so are technologies used to keep the chaos at bay.

Built over impenetrable mountains and frozen tundra, the Alaskan oil pipeline is a technological triumph.

With technological advances, our ancient struggle against the sea has turned into a luxurious holiday. Come aboard the modern ocean liner for a peek at the elegant life on these floating resorts.

Completed in 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was considered the greatest building achievement in U.S. history. But an even greater challenge lay ahead: harnessing the awesome potential of the rails to tame the West.

Examine the history of the shipyard from ancient days through the Industrial Revolution and Pearl Harbor. Will the craftsmanship and practical knowledge of ship-building disappear in the 21st century?

Tea has existed as a drink for 5000 years, and 6 billion pounds are harvested annually. Learn about tea's global and political history. And visit plantations and factories, as well as a high-end boutique tea garden.

Travel from the potato's mysterious origins in the South American Andes to the ethnic enclaves of New York's lower Eastside. Visit large-scale potato producers, and learn how to mass produce tots, chips, vodka, and more.

Explore the psychology of the supermarket including store layout, lighting, music and aromas that trigger the appetite. And learn how technological advancements are making customers' visits to the market as efficient as possible.

Get an introduction to the machines gutsy enough to call themselves "the world's biggest." See what they do and how they operate, and go behind the scenes to see how they're designed and assembled.

The stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime-schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and manmade wonders.

Travel over land and sea to find more of the biggest, baddest, most audacious feats of engineering in the world.

"Strength" is a powerful word, but how is it measured? Why are some things simply stronger than others? Find out what makes the strongest tractor, the strongest rope, and the strongest natural mineral on earth.