Extraordinary Stories Behind Everyday Things

In Texas, one company revolutionized cowboy hats in 1927 to be sturdier and stand up to harsh weather elements on ranches. Today, what seems like a simple hat requires 200 steps, two manufacturing locations and up to a month to make.

Manufacturers reveal how cranberry sauce is made in Cranmoor, Wisconsin. Since 1930, a co-operative of farmers has grown and harvested over seven million pounds of native berries, transforming them into the classic jelly sauce.

The manufacturers at Olhausen Billiards in Portland, Tennessee, show how they've built the pool table from the ground up since the 1980s. They transform the game using a unique bumper that provides a perfect bank shot.

A Virginia pharmacist created the world's first lip balm in the 1880s using only five ingredients. Today, Chapstick continues to innovate by creating new flavors in Richmond and manufacturing products in Burlington, Vermont.

Learn how a Belgian baker took his family's centuries-old wafer cookie recipe to Madison, Mississippi, and added a signature swirl and filling to create a modern-day favorite.

Travel to Greenville, North Carolina, to discover how Pawleys Island hammocks were originally created by a riverboat captain in 1889. Today, they're an elevated art form handcrafted with a special, durable yarn.

In 1869, blacksmith Alexander Vaughan began creating and forging hammers in Bushnell, Illinois. Today, fifth-generation owner Charlie Vaughan operates the family business and continues to make hammers using vintage forgers and modern equipment.

The Burns family reveals how they create the leather horse saddle in Salina, Utah. Since 1876, they've used 45 individual pieces that are layered and transformed into one moving piece.

Orvis fly fishing rods have been made for nearly 150 years in Manchester, Vermont. Today, they're made with a carbon fiber design that requires over a hundred hours to construct.

In 1963, John Deere, the famous farming equipment company, created its own lawn tractor in Horicon, Wisconsin. Fifty years and dozens of models later, John Deere continues to innovate and perfect this classic piece of gardening equipment.

Find out how Channel Islands owner Al Merrick revolutionized the surfboard's shape by blending classic and new designs in Santa Barbara, California.

A Chicago welder invented the dome-shaped kettle grill in 1952 to cook the perfect steak. While the design remains the same, the manufacturing process has been refined to produce one million grills per year.

In Southern California, an engineer and pro skateboarder reveal how they revolutionized skateboards in the 1970s by creating decks out of new materials and inventing new wheel recipes.

Travel to Ripon, Wisconsin, to find out how washing machines have been making life easier since 1908. Still built in the same century-old factory, the stainless steel washing bin is made to stand the test of time.

Wilson shows how they've been making the football for over 100 years in Ada, Ohio. Today, over 700,000 footballs are handcrafted each year in the place in which they originated.