The BEST episodes written by Matthew P. Hickey
#1 - Construction Machines
Modern Marvels - Season 8 - Episode 7
Feel the earth move under your feet and dig into the fascinating story of earthmoving equipment--from the simple spade to today's powerful steam shovels. Meet legendary giants like John Deere, Jerome Case, and the founders of Caterpillar, who helped forge America's monolithic construction industry. Ride on specialized behemoth dump trucks, delve below sea level to view dredging equipment, and leave the planet altogether to explore earthmoving space equipment in this 2-hour special presentation.
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#2 - Hadrian's Wall
Modern Marvels - Season 8 - Episode 8
74-miles long and 2,000 years old, Hadrian's Wall winds over the hills and valleys of Northern England, marking the northernmost extent of a long-dead empire. Built of stone and mortar by Roman soldiers, it is the most significant Roman ruin in England. Ordered built by the Emperor Hadrian around the time of his visit in 122 AD, it was more a permanent demarcation and less a defensive barrier. We'll visit this archaeological treasure, which teaches us much of what the Roman era was like for Britain.
#3 - The Maginot Line
Modern Marvels - Season 7 - Episode 26
The Maginot Line, a defensive string of forts with enfilading firepower, was built by France between WWI and WWII. Conceived by Minister of War André Maginot, it was meant to forestall another German invasion until troops could arrive. But the French began to think of the line as a substitute for manpower. When Belgium declared neutrality and exposed France's flank, Germany was able to sidestep the line. We'll visit the "impregnable" line's forts, observation turrets, and underground railroads.
#4 - Metal
Modern Marvels - Season 10 - Episode 50
They constitute the very essence of the modern world; the cadence of our progress sounds in the measured ring of the blacksmith's hammer. From soaring skyscrapers and sturdy bridges to jet planes and rockets, metals play a key role. Our journey begins before the Bronze Age and takes us into the shiny future when new metal structures--engineered at a molecular level to be stronger, lighter, and cheaper--shape human progress, as they have since man first thrust copper into a fire and forged a tool.
#5 - International Airports
Modern Marvels - Season 5 - Episode 16
The developments and technology of international airports' construction and operation.
#6 - Cranes
Modern Marvels - Season 9 - Episode 46
One of the most useful machines ever created, the crane is a simple but important combination of the pulley and the lever. Though cranes have been helping us build civilization from at least the time of the Egyptian pyramids, the modern steel-framed construction cranes are a relatively recent development. Put on your work boots as we ride through the history of cranes from ancient days to skyscraper construction sites, ocean-freighter docks, and the International Space Station.
#7 - Military Movers
Modern Marvels - Season 10 - Episode 44
Military planners move millions of soldiers and tons of cargo halfway around the world and into the thick of action.
#8 - Route 66
Modern Marvels - Season 12 - Episode 43
Route 66, encompassing eight states from Illinois to California and 2,400 miles, represented an American myth--that something better lay over the rainbow. Route 66 began in the early 20th century when a confluence of technologies--automotive, steel construction, and concrete paving--merged with population explosion, westward migration, and prosperity after WWI. The federal government responded with highway bills that converted existing roadways into an interstate called Route 66. Later, WWII highlighted the need for a strategic system similar to Germany's Autobahn--wider, safer, and more advanced. As federal and state governments worked on a superhighway, millions sought "their kicks on Route 66." By 1985, the abandoned roadway no longer "officially" existed, yet, it remains a destination for nostalgic travelers wishing to recapture a simpler, more adventurous era.
#9 - Axes, Swords And Knives
Modern Marvels - Season 9 - Episode 17
Blade implements have been a part of civilized man's arsenal since the Paleolithic Age, when sharp tools were chipped off of flint or obsidian. But with the discovery of metallurgy, people were able to forge stronger, more versatile blade implements. We visit an axe-throwing contest in Wisconsin for an introduction to the least subtle of the blade tools. Then we visit a swordsmith and an experienced swordfighter who work in traditional methods from ancient sources, and review the history of knives.
#10 - The Wheel
Modern Marvels - Season 9 - Episode 13
Spinning your wheels isn't just going around in circles. In fact, it's revolutionary--literally. The history of civilization has turned on the wheel, and we have traveled as far as we have because of it. One of the six simple machines and perhaps the most important invention in the history of mankind, the wheel has been essential in all aspects of life--from farming to fighting, traveling to trading. Features interviews with scientists, historians, philosophers, millers, potters, and spinners.
#11 - Central Command
Modern Marvels - Season 11 - Episode 9
"Centcom" in Doha, Qatar represents everything a modern military command post can be with the most sophisticated military information systems--from video-conferencing to real-time frontline satellite communication. From this forward command in the heart of the Middle East, the U.S. ran the Iraq War. But command posts have not always been so technologically advanced as we see when we delve into the history of military communication--from tattooed messenger to satellite technology.
#12 - Lighthouses
Modern Marvels - Season 8 - Episode 10
From the earliest known lighthouses, such as the Pharos of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, to modern-day automated buoys and solar-powered lantern rooms, this history of lighthouses is rich with personal stories of lighthouse keepers, daring construction efforts, and ingenious optical discoveries. Today, as lighthouses are usurped by more efficient aids to navigation, these elegant structures are being converted to bed-and-breakfast inns and environmental retreats.
#13 - Titanic Tech
Modern Marvels - Season 10 - Episode 15
Welcome aboard the luxury liner Titanic, the world's largest ship and pride of the White Star Line. Watertight compartments and a steel-plated hull render it all but unsinkable. Nearly every technological breakthrough of the previous 50 years is employed onboard, providing comfort and safety for passengers and crew. But none of this will matter on April 15, 1912, when the ship bears down on an iceberg on her maiden voyage, sinking within hours with more than 1,500 lives lost. Learn the details of her construction and how the achievements of technology may have masked her vulnerabilities.