The BEST episodes of Modern Marvels season 5
Every episode of Modern Marvels season 5, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Modern Marvels season 5!
Celebrating ingenuity, invention and imagination brought to life on a grand scale, MODERN MARVELS tells the fascinating stories of the doers, dreamers and sometime-schemers who created everyday items, technological breakthroughs and man-made wonders.
#1 - World's Fair: Visions of the Future
Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/24/1998
A look at the expositions known as "World's Fairs," which have served as showcases for entertainment, cultural events and new technology.
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#2 - Medical Imaging: The Voyage Inward
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/28/1998
Medical imaging, the technology that allows us to see inside the human body, is full of amazing stories. Learn how X-rays were discovered in 1895, completely by accident; how ultrasound was developed to locate enemy submarines; and how the CAT Scan might never have been built if it weren't for The Beatles!
#3 - Firefighting! Extreme Conditions
Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/8/1998
The most extreme raging fires and the firefighters who tame them. Meet “Hell Fighters” who fight raging oil well fires and “smoke jumpers” who parachute into forest fires. Also, see how NASA guards against the very real risk of a fire aboard a space vessel.
Watch Now:Amazon
#4 - Plumbing: The Arteries of Civilization
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/2/1998
Each day, billions of gallons of water flow through cities into homes and back out again in a confusing mess of pipes, pumps, and fixtures. The history of plumbing is a tale crucial to our survival--supplying ourselves with fresh water and disposing of human waste. From ancient solutions to the future, we'll plumb plumbing's depths.
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#5 - U.S. Mints: Money Machines
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/10/1998
A rare behind the scenes look at how the U.S. Mint manufactures coins and medals for the U.S. Government.
#6 - Mail Delivery: Erasing the Miles
Season 5 - Episode 17 - Aired 12/23/1998
Behind the scenes of the world's largest communication agency to show how the mail gets through. Learn how the Post Office has changed through the years and get an up-close look at the technology on which the modern Post Office relies.
Watch Now:Amazon#7 - Clocks
Season 5 - Episode 18 - Aired 12/28/1998
“Clocks” examines mankind's predilection for telling time, from the ancient uses of shadows and hourglasses to the digital age. Also: a super-accurate atomic timepiece; water clocks.
Watch Now:Amazon#8 - Sports Technology: Equipment
Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/14/1998
The high tech equipment used to increase human performance including radar baseballs, lightweight bicycles, and inline skates. Also featured are in depth looks at the evolution of skiing, different sporting shoes, and football helmets.
#9 - Antibiotics
Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/28/1998
The history of bacteria, germ theory, and early medical treatments that gave way to revolutionary antibiotics starting with Fleming's penicillin.
#10 - Weather Prediction
Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/7/1998
A study of the discoveries, inventions, and technological advances that have helped us understand and predict weather accurately. From simple observations made by primitive humans, to early instruments such as thermometers and barometers, to Doppler radar and satellite imaging, we'll see how man has tried to harness weather.
#11 - Prosthetics
Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/23/1998
From the earliest recorded account of an amputation and subsequent prosthesis in ancient Hindu writings, to a 16th-century fully articulated artificial hand controlled by an intricate geared mechanism, to today's use of plastics and space-age materials, we chronicle the long history of prosthetic devices.
#12 - Las Vegas Hotels
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/3/1998
Eleven of the world's largest hotels are in Las Vegas. The story of Las Vegas' emergence from the desert and transformation into one of the world's most storied destinations..
#13 - Oakland Bay Bridge
Season 5 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/10/1998
The great bridge of San Francisco, not the Golden Gate, this one: The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Over 500 feet above the water, more than 8 miles long. One of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the modern world.
#14 - Firefighting! Containing the Demon
Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/7/1998
Any fire raging out of control is a hazard, but when compounded with obstacles of extreme conditions, such as an oil-well blowout or acres of forest ablaze, firefighters face new elements of danger. Meet a WWII London firefighter, "Hell Fighters" who squelch oil-well infernos, and smokejumpers who parachute into forest fires. with special guest John Travolta
#15 - Firefighting: The Arson Detectives
Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/17/1998
Topic: detecting arson. Included: finding clues in ashes; explaining motives behind church fires; psychological profiles of offenders.
#16 - Extreme Sports Gadgets
Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/4/1998
An exploration of the technological innovations that have made extreme sports a reality.
#17 - Plastics
Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 12/14/1998
Plastics, the omnipresent material that has revolutionized homes, workplaces, cars and commerce. Also examined: its uses in medicine and protective gear; and the recycling industry.
#18 - Stereo and the Sound Revolution
Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 12/16/1998
It has become a new dimension in entertainment. It pulls us into the center of the action with explosive sounds and computer controlled audio design. From it’s humble beginnings in the basements of amateurs, stereo has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry.