Episode list

Modern Marvels

Weather Predictions
A study of the discoveries, inventions, and technological advances that have helped us understand and more accurately predict our weather.
7.2 /10
Captured Light

Fri, Jan 31, 1997
The development of the still camera was one of the most significant advances of the age of invention. The captured image has transformed the way we see our world, preserving moments forever with the push of a button. Modern Marvels; presents the strange saga of the birth of photography, and the men at the heart of this tale. See how Frenchman Joseph Nicephore Niepce was the first to succeed in photographing an image in 1826, but his work was co-opted after his death by the artist and showman Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre. The Daguerreotype became popular, and Daguerre claimed the credit for himself, never recognizing the work of his former partner. Trace the story of Englishman William Henry Fox Talbot, who invented the negative-positive process that is still used today. And see how George Eastman brought photography to the masses with his affordable, easy to use cameras. With expert interviews and incredible images from the early days of photography including Matthew Brady's legendary images of the Civil War this is the illuminating story of Captured Light.
7.4 /10
Stealth Technology
The Pentagon denied its existence until the President blew the cover. One of the most expensive projects in military history, it was attacked as an extravagant waste. But the billions of dollars and long years of development paid off during the Gulf War. Night after night, F-117 Stealth Fighters performed their deadly missions undetected by Iraq's multi-billion dollar radar system. Modern Marvels takes to the skies with the most advanced planes ever built. Learn how the radical design and cutting-edge technology of the F-117 and its larger cousin, the B-2 Bomber, allow these planes to avoid detection by even the most sophisticated radar systems. In exclusive interviews, Air Force officials and company executives recall the long struggle to perfect an 'invisible' airplane, and combat pilots reveal what it is like to pilot the most effective strike aircraft ever built.
7 /10
Roller Coasters

Sat, Apr 12, 1997
They are the centerpiece of all great amusement parks, heart-stopping rides with names like 'The Cyclone' and 'The Beast'.
8.2 /10
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China mirrors China's turbulent history. Over two millenia the Chinese built, expanded or demolished parts of the wall in response to interstate rivalry, civil war, threat of invasion and relative peace. But only recently did the Chinese begin to regard this incredible structure with pride rather than shame.
6.8 /10

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