Season 6
(1998)
Cast
as Self - Narrator
Episodes
Demolition 0.0
July 27, 1998
While a civilization’s greatness is reflected in the achievements of architects and engineers, equally impressive are s…
The Atlantic Wall 0.0
August 3, 1998
The Atlantic Wall explores the construction of the shore fortifications built by the Nazis during World War II. We high…
History of Tall Buildings 0.0
August 24, 1998
A look up at the symbol of the American Century–the skyscraper, the construction of which is a triumph of engineering a…
Aquariums 0.0
September 28, 1998
Public aquariums have undergone dramatic changes since inception in mid-19th century. A series of technological innovat…
Las Vegas Hotels. 0.0
October 6, 1998
Out of the bleakness of a vast desert arose a city built on wish fulfillment and indulgence. Unencumbered by tradition …
The Oakland Bay Bridge. 0.0
October 12, 1998
San Francisco's Oakland Bay Bridge stands as an incredible feat of engineering against the nearly impossible. Once chos…
Monumental Statues 0.0
October 28, 1998
What inspires societies to create sculptures on a superhuman scale? We’ll examine gigantic statues and the monumental c…
Antibiotics: The Wonder Drugs 0.0
November 3, 1998
In 1941, penicillin was first used to save human life. But now, bacteria has emerged resistant to every known antibioti…
The Police Car 0.0
November 9, 1998
More than the gun, more than the billy club, it is the critical weapon in law enforcement’s arsenal. But for decades, p…
Plastics 0.0
November 23, 1998
Plastics are everywhere–the home, the workplace, the car, the human body, outer space, and most conspicuously, the garb…
Medical Imaging 0.0
December 7, 1998
The story of medical imaging, the technology that allows us to see inside the human body, is full of amazing stories. L…
Extreme Sports Gadgets 0.0
December 16, 1998
To run faster, jump higher, and play longer–the ultimate goal of all athletes. But when training runs its course, scien…
Bombs 0.0
December 23, 1998
Bombs…the most feared and powerful weapon in any nation’s arsenal. What began as incendiary devices in the 7th century …
Prosthetics 0.0
December 28, 1998
From the earliest recorded account of an amputation and subsequent prosthesis in ancient Hindu writings, to a 16th-cent…
Weather Prediction 0.0
January 1, 1999
A study of the discoveries, inventions, and technological advances that have helped us understand and predict weather a…
Stereos 0.0
January 25, 1999
The ability to transmit sound in stereo transformed the music of life into a rich symphony of sound. For over 100 years…
Mail Delivery 0.0
February 8, 1999
Through rain, snow, heat, or gloom of night, we expect postmen to deliver the mail. The U.S. Post Office handles over 6…
Clocks 0.0
February 22, 1999
Does anybody really know what time it is? Set your clocks as we explore the relativity of time from antiquity–when man …
Airships. 0.0
March 9, 1999
First there were balloons and blimps. Then, visionaries enlarged, reinforced, and motorized them and the airship was bo…
Physical Fitness 0.0
March 15, 1999
Meet the Strong Men and Women who go beyond mere fitness to pursue major muscle mass–from ancient Greeks, to performers…
Engineering Disasters 0.0
March 30, 1999
Throughout history, the builders and engineers who paved our way out of the caves and into the modern world have also c…
City Parks 0.0
April 26, 1999
Even in ancient times, city dwellers needed a scenic break from the urban landscape. But parks play a more important ro…
Spy Technology 0.0
May 1, 1999
Espionage has been used for at least the last 4,000 years. And where there are spies, you find gadgets! We focus on the…
Battlefield Medicine 0.0
May 25, 1999
“He who would become a surgeon should join the army and follow it,” Hippocrates counseled nearly 2,500 years ago. In th…
U.S. Mints: Money Machines 0.0
June 21, 1999
Whether it jingles in our pockets or folds in our wallets, it flows by the billions from government factories that have…
Rescue Equipment 0.0
July 6, 1999
Avalanches, earthquakes, hurricanes, bombings–all mean human tragedy unless rescuers respond within a moment’s notice o…
Scuba And Deep Sea Diving 0.0
July 12, 1999
In antiquity, a hollow reed served as an underwater link to oxygen. As in days of old, humans still need self-contained…
Offshore Oil Drilling 0.0
July 19, 1999
Offshore drilling is one of the greaest technological dances mankind has ever attempted. From the very beginning of oil…
Dynamite. 0.0
July 20, 1999
Join us for a highly charged hour as we see why Alfred Nobel's invention of dynamite took on earthshattering dimensions…
Hoover Dam. 0.0
August 2, 1999
The task was monumental: Build the world's largest dam in the middle of the desert, and tame the river that carved the …
Baseball Parks 0.0
August 9, 1999
Step up to the plate and play ball as we take you on a tour of those amazing edifices of the national pastime–baseball …
New York Bridges 0.0
August 23, 1999
Much of New York City’s history can be viewed via its bridges–all 18 that connect Manhattan Island to its neighbors. Jo…
Crash Testing 0.0
August 31, 1999
Delves into the little-known, hugely important, multi-billion-dollar industry of product testing–where wrinkles get iro…
Parachutes 0.0
September 6, 1999
The idea of floating to earth from great heights dates back centuries, and from the beginning parachutes combined enter…
Newspapers 0.0
September 13, 1999
Tracks the technological innovations that made newspapers what they are today, while exploring the stories of the publi…
Fireworks 0.0
September 27, 1999
Since the invention of gunpowder, fireworks have thrilled audiences around the world. We’ll view highlights of firework…
Simulators 0.0
October 11, 1999
Though “simulations” date back to cave paintings, devices for interacting with “synthetic realities” are a recent inven…
The Tool Bench: Power Tools 0.0
October 12, 1999
The history of civilization could easily be measured in terms of our ability to make, use, and improve tools–an activit…
The Tool Bench: Hand Tools 0.0
October 13, 1999
Well over two million years before the evolution of modern man, his primitive ancestors were making tools. The use of t…
More Earthmovers. 0.0
October 18, 1999
Join us for a second look at the big earth-moving machines used to tackle the most challenging jobs on, under, and off …
Forts 0.0
October 25, 1999
The art of fortification evolved along with man’s need to defend his territory from attack. There was no other reason. …
Emergency Room 0.0
November 8, 1999
Emergency room medicine has only been a recognized specialty since 1989, and it took close to two millennia to get to t…
Motorcycles 0.0
November 15, 1999
Set the sedan’s safety brake and hop on your “hog” for a 2-hour high-speed history of the motorcycle–from the 1868 “ste…
Security Systems 0.0
November 16, 1999
Since civilization’s earliest days, man has sought protection from those who would rob him of riches, knowledge, and ev…
More Engineering Disasters. 0.0
November 29, 1999
Throughout history the same builders and engineers that paved man's path out of the caves and into the modern world als…
Niagara Power 0.0
December 8, 1999
An exploration of the rich history of one of the world’s greatest technological achievements–the harnessing of power fr…
Casino Technology 0.0
December 13, 1999
Place your bets and join us for an exciting spin through the history of the casino. We’ll go behind the neon lights, fr…
Lost Marvels 0.0
December 14, 1999
The very spirit that drives man to dream up ever more fantastic creations can also conceive changes that destroy old tr…