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Private Notes
Documentary traces the technological race to build satellites. It took the innovation of three men, including a visionary British science fiction writer and a Nazi engineer, and one of the most desperate technological races of all time to create the satellite. Former NASA officials recall the desperate early days of the space race, when America feared that Russian dominance in the heavens would have tragic consequences on the ground. See how satellites evolved into the world's most essential communications tools, and explore the stunning capabilities of modern spy "birds".
Though now considered a country cousin when compared to the sophisticated television, merely a century ago, the radio galvanized communications as it linked the world without wires. The program examines the long life of the radio.
Rare film from the Edison Studios marks the beginning of movies.
To some it was a miracle. Others call it the triumph of illiteracy. Somewhere between adoration and scorn. Somewhere between the carrier pigeon and television. There was and is radio. We take radio for granted. Perhaps think of it as a second rate medium. A poor relation to our pride and joy, television. But fewer than a hundred years ago, the discovery that people could communicate over great distances without wires, galvanized the world to a degree that has been equalled.
Thomas Edison registered over 1,000 patents, but his favorite invention was one of his first. Rare photographs and early recordings show how the young inventor and his team outfoxed Alexander Graham Bell.
An examination of three of the world's tallest buildings---Seattle's Space Needle, Toronto's CNTower and the Las Vegas Stratosphere. Included: rare construction footage shot by daring photographers.
Reviews the revolution in home improvement and glimpses the kitchen of tomorrow. Included: the development of the stove, sewing machine, refrigerated air, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, toaster, and mixer.
Examine the history of this landmark technology, from its role in the Allied victory in World War II, to its widespread use in air traffic control, ocean surveillance, astronomy, geology and meteorology.
From Sherlock Holmes' examination of the physical evidence at a crime scene to today's DNA technology, we review the history of crime detection through the use of forensic science.
When "poliomyelitis" swept the nation, thousands died or were disabled before American ingenuity, trial and error, and blatant acts of desperation led to one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs in history. We'll see how polio shaped the vision of FDR, and catapulted the young unknown doctor Jonas Salk to international celebrity.
Welcome to the center of the American economy, where nearly $90-million changes hands each minute. Journey back to the wooden wall, built to hold back Indians, where early traders signed a pact creating the New York Stock Exchange; watch worldwide markets quake with the crash of 1929; and visit today's computer-driven wonder.
With California finally part of the United States, two rail companies raced to connect the monied East and the promising West. Along the way, fortunes would be made, lives lost, and adversity overcome. Join us for the exciting story of the largest, most expensive challenge of the 19th century.
Journey inside the top-secret headquarters of NORAD–the North American Aerospace Defense Command–a binational military command composed of the United States and Canada. Established in 1958 during the height of the Cold War, NORAD’S initial mission was air defense against a bomber attack by the Soviet Union. We see how its primary mission has changed through the years, and go inside the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, one of history’s most ambitious underground building projects.
An examination of how one man's vision and the cooperation between the US and England resulted in an instant, reliable transcontinental mode of communication in the mid-1800s. See how wealthy 33-year-old Cyrus West Field endured many failures and lost millions in his attempt to close the communication gap between the Old and New Worlds.
Feel the earth move under your feet and dig into the fascinating history of earthmoving equipment--from invention of the simple spade to today's powerful steam shovels. Meet the legendary giants like John Deere, Jerome Case, and the founders of Caterpillar, who helped forge America's monolithic construction industry.
The developments and technology of international airports' construction and operation.
Chronicling the development of deep-sea exploration and the vessels and devices that make it possible. Also: some of the revolutionary findings that have resulted from marine exploration.
In 1973, a desperate America, starved by an OPEC embargo, began construction on an 800-mile lifeline for its insatiable oil hunger. We'll examine this technological triumph, built over impenetrable mountains and tundra, where temperatures drop to 75 below zero. We also study its impact on a fragile ecological system.
It started as an idea at a French dinner party and became the symbol of the free world. The story of France's gift to the U.S. reveals a 20-year struggle to design and build the world's largest monument--using paper-thin copper sheets.
For over a century, the US steel industry was a powerful symbol of the nation's industrial might. Steel helped explode the stock market into an overnight powerhouse, and transformed a country of farmers and merchants into a nation of visionary builders. But America's domination of the market would meet new challenges in the 1970s.
Meet some of the most important, yet least-recognized, warriors--the battlefield engineers who lay the groundwork for oncoming conflicts. We'll cover combat engineering from ancient Rome to modern-day Iraq, and take a look at the "Next Big Thing".
Parks play an even more important role than simply offering city dwellers a scenic break from the urban landscape. They provide important ecological and health benefits that help cities like New York and Los Angeles thrive.
In the name of national security, the governments of the world have developed devices that could render privacy a quaint anachronism. But could this Orwellian nightmare ever really come to pass?
Spy Technology traces the evolution of the tools of espionage over the past century, from drop boxes and rudimentary codes to the tiny, high-tech devices that are already far more prevalent than most people imagine. Get an up-close look at some of the most important spy equipment ever made, and hear James Bond-esque stories of their use in the Cold War and afterwards. And find out why there is no technical reason why the lessons learned spying on other countries might soon be put into use internally. It is no longer a question of feasibility, but of ethics?
In antiquity, a hollow reed served as an underwater link to oxygen. As in days of old, humans still need self-contained breathing equipment for a variety of reasons–food-gathering, commercial, recreational, military, and scientific. Dive with the best as we test scuba diving’s past, and look to a future of mechanical gills.
They are virtual cities stuck in the middle of some of the most dangerous seas on earth. Life on them is hard and fraught with danger from calamitous fires and the risk of storms and natural disasters. But fueled by the endless demand for oil and the unpredictable politics of the global economy, the search for fossil fuel has led to the creation of some of the most incredible structures ever made. This episode takes a fascinating look at how oilrigs are designed, deployed and run. Meet the engineers who must develop structures that can handle waves of up to 50 feet high and 100mph winds while extracting oil from thousands of feet below the seas? surface. Hear from industry insiders like Rich Pattarozzi, CEO of Shell Deepwater, Inc. and Jim Bowles, Vice President of Phillips Petroleum, Inc. See incredible footage of some of the worst disasters ever to strike them. And go aboard rigs worldwide for an up-close look at how they work.
This episode visits the Brooklyn and George Washington Bridges, the Tri-Borough and the 59th Street. In the stone and steel of these edifices the history of modern bridge building can be seen. But they are more than just engineering marvels, and there are many more bridges than most people know. All-told, 18 spans link Manhattan to the mainland and Long Island, and each one has its own tale.
In the name of national security, the governments of the world have developed devices that could render privacy a quaint anachronism. But could this Orwellian nightmare ever really come to pass?
Spy Technology traces the evolution of the tools of espionage over the past century, from drop boxes and rudimentary codes to the tiny, high-tech devices that are already far more prevalent than most people imagine. Get an up-close look at some of the most important spy equipment ever made, and hear James Bond-esque stories of their use in the Cold War and afterwards. And find out why there is no technical reason why the lessons learned spying on other countries might soon be put into use internally. It is no longer a question of feasibility, but of ethics?
Venture back to the earliest days of aviation to see how the very first chutes were designed, made and used. Discover how, even during World War I, visionary commanders recognized the strategic possibilities of this life-saving tool--and set about using it for offensive purposes. See dramatic footage of some of the largest parachute jumps in history during World War II. Explore the growth of recreational jumping and see how it has sparked a new industry and spurred innumerable advances and refinements in parachute technology. Learn the previously top-secret stories of high-altitude jumps from the edge of space and see examples of parachutes from the days of silk and canvas to the high-tech, stunt chutes that daredevils use to wow audiences at airshows and exhibitions.
This episode uses captured Nazi documents, expert commentary, combat and archival footage and the recollections of the soldiers who lived through D-Day to tell the story of the most extensive defensive edifice erected since the Great Wall. The video visits the now-quiet coastlines where the remnants of the massive network remain and details the different defenses and weapons that were supposed to make the European coast impregnable. Then, see how the Allied commanders plotted their attack and hear from the soldiers who were charged with making their strategies work.
