The Best Episodes of American Genius

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
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   8.3/10(44 votes)

   #1 - Oppenheimer vs. Heisenberg

   S1:E76/22/2015

   J. Robert Oppenheimer and Werner Heisenberg are in the world's largest arms race to build the first atomic bomb.

   Director:Richard Lopez

   Writer:Jim Rapsas

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   Director:Richard Lopez

   Writer:Jim Rapsas
2. 

   8.1/10(60 votes)

   #2 - Space Race

   S1:E56/15/2015

   America and the Soviet Union, deadlocked in the Cold War, set their sights on the final frontier — space. Go inside the more than decadelong struggle between the two superpowers as they both set out to conquer the moon. German scientist Werner Von Braun leads the charge for the U.S. and Sergei Korolev for the Soviets, but in the race to space, only one side can get there first.

   Director:Paul Abascal

   Writer:Jim Rapsas

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   Director:Paul Abascal

   Writer:Jim Rapsas
3. 

   8.1/10(79 votes)

   #3 - Edison vs. Tesla

   S1:E86/22/2015

   Celebrated inventor Thomas Edison goes to war with his former assistant, Nikola Tesla, to determine who will power the world with electric light.

   Director:Paul Abascal

   Writer:Unknown

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   Director:Paul Abascal

   Writer:Unknown
4. 

   7.8/10(59 votes)

   #4 - Wright Brothers vs. Curtiss

   S1:E26/1/2015

   The Wright Brothers build and fly the world’s first airplane, but they keep it a secret, leaving an opening for motor designer, Glenn Curtiss, to swoop in and compete to be the first to fly in public.

   Director:Richard Lopez

   Writer:Jim Rapsas

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   Director:Richard Lopez

   Writer:Jim Rapsas
5. 

   7.7/10(46 votes)

   #5 - Farnsworth vs. Sarnoff

   S1:E36/8/2015

   A young Midwestern farm boy creates an innovation that forever changes the future of communication, only to have it stolen away by one of America's greatest media moguls.

   Director:Richard Lopez

   Writer:Jim Rapsas

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   Director:Richard Lopez

   Writer:Jim Rapsas
6. 

   7.4/10(65 votes)

   #6 - Colt vs. Wesson

   S1:E66/15/2015

   Samuel Colt and partners Edwin Smith & Daniel Wesson become locked in the first true “arms” race, as they compete to perfect the world’s first revolver.

   Director:Paul Abascal

   Writer:Jim Rapsas

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   Director:Paul Abascal

   Writer:Jim Rapsas
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7. 

   7.3/10(94 votes)

   #7 - Jobs vs. Gates

   S1:E16/1/2015

   In the 1980s, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs break out in a heated battle to bring the personal computer to the masses.

   Director:Paul Abascal

   Writer:Jim Rapsas

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   Director:Paul Abascal

   Writer:Jim Rapsas
8. 

   7.0/10(41 votes)

   #8 - Hearst vs. Pulitzer

   S1:E46/8/2015

   The newspaper redefined the way America tells its stories, but its rise to prominence was born out of a bitter rivalry between a man who built himself up from nothing and the wealthy son of a business tycoon. Follow William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer as they push the limits of journalism in unthinkable ways, forever changing the media landscape.

   Director:Richard Lopez

   Writer:Jim Rapsas

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   Director:Richard Lopez

   Writer:Jim Rapsas