The WORST episodes of Modern Marvels

#1 - Mold & Fungus

Season 15 - Episode 28 - Aired 9/18/2008

Learn about fungal organisms that live within our bodies, grow beneath our feet, float in the air and help create some of the foods and beverages we consume.

#2 - Batteries

Season 14 - Episode 31 - Aired 9/19/2007

Mixtures of metals and caustic chemicals that make our tech, tools and toys surge with energy.

#3 - Battleships: Then and Now

Season 8 - Episode 14 - Aired 4/21/2001

#4 - 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.

#5 - Corrosion & Decomposition

Season 15 - Episode 30 - Aired 10/13/2008

America's aging infrastructure is in danger of collapse due to corrosion, according to engineers; technology for battling corrosion; harnessing the destructive power of decomposition.

#6 - Night

Season 15 - Episode 40 - Aired 12/26/2008

Some activities only occur when the world is dark; fishermen use lights to lure squid to their nets; finding night crawlers in Toronto; military night vision gear; police helicopter's Spectrolab spotlight; baseball stadium.

#7 - Wheat

Season 15 - Episode 26 - Aired 8/21/2008

It feeds the world. See how harvesting crews brave months on the road, cutting thousands of acres, tour a pasta plant to see how special kinds of wheat becomes everything from spaghetti to rigatoni. Watch as grain is mashed into a thirst-quenching brew and finally visit a company that transforms wheat into plastic-like products

#8 - Dangerous Roads

Season 15 - Episode 27 - Aired 8/28/2008

Take a ride along some of the world's most dangerous roads. From Bolivia's "Death Road," to California's fog-shrouded Highway 99, find the danger that waits behind every blind curve

#9 - The Horse

Season 15 - Episode 33 - Aired 11/19/2008

A celebration of the horse, the animal that helped mankind change the world; the thoroughbred racing industry in Kentucky; how a Minnesota logging company uses real horsepower; a Colorado program pairs horses and prison inmates.

#10 - Retro Tech

Season 15 - Episode 37 - Aired 12/19/2008

Rummage around in your garage and you'll likely find remnants of gadgets past: a typewriter, analog TV, LPs, film cameras and brick-sized mobile phones. These products served us well and remember each one with nostalgic fondness. Take a trip down memory lane to examine how these oldies-but-goodies worked and find out how more advanced tech superseded them.

#11 - Salt

Season 15 - Episode 35 - Aired 12/1/2008

It's the only rock we eat, and we need it to live. History has shown that those who have salt rule the world--and today, this versatile substance has 14,000 known uses

#12 - Million Dollar Guns

Season 10 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/19/2003

Topic: valuable firearms. Included: Hitler's gold pocket pistol; Catherine the Great's pistols.

#13 - 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.

#14 - Concept Cars

Season 9 - Episode 55 - Aired 12/10/2002

This addition to the Modern Marvels documentary series takes a look at the many concept cars of the 1950's. These forward thinking designs sometimes were the first embodiments of changes that would become standard on vehicles, and other times they were radical attempts to change the way people drove. The filmmakers offer a wealth of archival footage, and interview numerous people who have made cars both their life's work and their life's passion.

#15 - Eiffel Tower

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/10/1996

Completed in 1889, the Eiffel Tower remains a symbolic icon of France's history and the industrial age. Modern Marvels takes you on a tour of this world famous monument from its inception to the present day.

#16 - NORAD: The War Game Fortress

Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 10/19/1997

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. See how its primary mission has changed through the years, and go inside the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center.

#17 - Car Wash

Season 15 - Episode 36 - Aired 12/8/2008

The car wash's in America are a $25 billion dollars a year industry, with tunnel systems to in-bay automatics, we'll show you how America keeps it's cars clean. We'll visit the largest car wash, seven acres wide which includes a dog wash, chapel, and barber shop. And then to a wash which uses trained electronic eyes, auto conveyors, and mega vacuums which can hold up a bowling ball. We also show tips for cleaning a car at home. Plus we'll add tar, glue, egg, bird droppings, and a bucket full of sludge to a $160,000 Porsche, and then challenge a detailer to clean it off. Also, see how cars are built to survive a car wash.

#18 - Measure It

Season 15 - Episode 39 - Aired 12/23/2008

How do you weigh a whale? How does your speedometer work? Take a look at the five most common areas of measurement: distance, time, speed, weight, and temperature

#19 - Super Human

Season 15 - Episode 38 - Aired 12/22/2008

hether humans have the ability to possess superpowers; a man can strap on an exoskeleton and lift hundreds of pounds with little effort; Mr. Cyborg can control machines with his thoughts; flying like Superman.

#20 - Iron

Season 15 - Episode 25 - Aired 8/14/2008

How iron mined in Minnesota is made into steel; iron weapons revolutionize warfare; military metallurgists customize weapons and demonstrate their firepower; iron magnets.

#21 - Bull's-Eye

Season 15 - Episode 31 - Aired 10/20/2008

Examining how frequently experts in various disciplines can hit their targets, including archers, sharpshooters and even a billiards player; the ancient world's ballista and trebuchet weapons; knife thrower; Cirque du Soleil's daring artists.

#22 - Beach Technology

Season 9 - Episode 27 - Aired 7/2/2002

Slap on your sun block and head to the ocean for a sizzling hour that explores the beach in a whole new way! We cover everything from Japan's Seagaia, the world's largest indoor beach, to boardwalks, dune buggies, surfboards, sunglasses, suntan lotion, wave pools, and more. We examine the development of each product and explain the technological advances that have been made over the years.

#23 - Bathroom Tech 2

Season 15 - Episode 19 - Aired 6/30/2008

The most used room in the home is the bathroom and it's full of tech. Visit Kohler and see the new digitally controlled uber-shower, complete with steam, music and LED chromatherapy. Check out American Standard's Champion 4--the supposedly "uncloggable" toilet. Learn all about the low-flow alternatives for showers and toilets. Touch-free fixtures and a futuristic toilet from Japan ensure a more hygienic restroom experience. Finally, what is New York City's latest hi-tech solution for going on the go?

#24 - Ultimate Gadgets

Season 15 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/4/2008

We're living in a gadget revolution. New and unimagined gizmos solve problems that we didn't even know we had. They emerge from cutting edge think tanks and tinkerers basement workshops. Will they usher in a techno utopia, or enslave us to pocket size technology?

#25 - Locomotives

Season 15 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/7/2008

Race through the French countryside at nearly 300 MPH on the fastest locomotive in the world. Ride on the little engines that could as they guide giant ships through the Panama Canal. Watch two locomotives crash head-on as the federal government monitors safety. Descend 700 feet below the earth's surface where mining locomotives move miners through a maze of tunnels. Then, it's a "jiffy lube" for locomotives inside America's largest maintenance shop. Finally, glide into the future with a locomotive that levitates on a cushion of air.