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The Best Episodes of Modern Marvels

Every episode of Modern Marvels ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Modern Marvels!

Binge this in 21d 13h•Peaking at 9.6/10

HISTORY’s longest-running series moves to H2. Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity, invention and imagination found in the world around us. From commonplace items like ink and coffee to architectural masterpieces and engineering disasters, the hit

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Modern Marvels Season 7 Episode 25 - Video Games: Behind The Fun
    9.6/10(11 votes)

    S7:E25

    A fun-filled glimpse into the not so distant history of video games. Since inception, the gaming industry has been a driving force in computer technology and video games are one of today’s dominant entertainment mediums. We’ll talk to creators of many of the most popular games in an hour packed with thrilling visuals from the virtual world of video games.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Modern Marvels Season 9 Episode 23 - Axes, Swords and Knives.
    9.4/10(11 votes)

    S9:E23

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Modern Marvels Season 10 Episode 32 - Gunslingers
    9.2/10(12 votes)

    S10:E32

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Modern Marvels Season 10 Episode 78 - Rolls Royce
    9.2/10(12 votes)

    S10:E78

    The world’s most famous brand, Rolls Royce, is owned by the same company that makes Bentley, a luxury leader once known for its prowess on the track. Their stories combine all that inspires envy in mere mortals; wealth, glamour, speed, sex, scandal and political intrigue.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Modern Marvels Season 6 Episode 11 - Medical Imaging
    9.0/10(14 votes)

    S6:E11

    The story of 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!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Modern Marvels Season 8 Episode 11 - Lighthouses
    9.0/10(12 votes)

    S8:E11

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Modern Marvels

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  7. Modern Marvels Season 8 Episode 21 - Saloons
    9.0/10(13 votes)

    S8:E21

    From a computerized liquor-dispensing system in modern L.A., to a ladle and a tin cup in an 1850′s mining camp, MODERN MARVELS investigates the history and technology of the American saloon.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Modern Marvels Season 10 Episode 53 - Overseas Highway
    9.0/10(1 votes)

    S10:E53

    A spectacular roadway nearly 120 miles long, the Overseas Highway links mainland Florida with the Florida Keys, and contains 51 bridges, including the Seven-Mile Bridge. A boat was the only mode of travel from Miami to Key West until oil tycoon Henry Flagler completed his railroad line in 1912. After a 1935 hurricane destroyed 40 miles of track, the scenic highway was built using Flagler’s bridges. A $175-million refurbishment that ended in 1982 resulted in today’s remarkable Overseas Highway.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Modern Marvels Season 17 Episode 4 - Engineering Disasters 22
    9.0/10(17 votes)

    S17:E4

    They are catastrophic failures with deadly consequences. Caused by a single spark or a massive collapse, these disasters reveal one thing–the danger inherent in our most common industries. From a massive oil spill to refinery blaze to a downed plane, find out what went wrong… and how to prevent the next engineering disaster.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Modern Marvels Season 7 Episode 15 - Race Cars
    8.9/10(16 votes)

    S7:E15

    Today, race cars tear up the tracks at 300 m.p.h. Computers and space-age composite materials are as much as part of racing as the drivers. They’re fast, they’re thrilling, and they’ve gone high-tech. We’ll review the history of the innovations that led to today’s technological wonders.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Modern Marvels Season 7 Episode 34 - Death Devices
    8.9/10(26 votes)

    S7:E34

    Since the creation of the first laws, societies have demanded the ultimate punishment for certain capital crimes. Throughout history it has been left to a select few to develop the devices that will carry out the mandate of the people. This is the story of those inventors and their dark inventions. Modern Marvels traces the evolution of death technology up to the present and then take a brief look into its future.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Modern Marvels Season 9 Episode 46 - Cranes
    8.9/10(16 votes)

    S9:E46

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Modern Marvels Season 10 Episode 23 - Tank Crews
    8.9/10(17 votes)

    S10:E23

    During WWII, American tank crews duked it out with Nazi Panzers in a high-explosive duel to the death. The German tanks had thicker armor and better guns than the mainstay of the U.S. armored forces, the M-4 Sherman. For many crewmen, the Sherman lived up to its nickname as a steel coffin. But what the tanks lacked in firepower and protection, the crews made up for in guts and good old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity. We’ll meet some of these armored warriors from WWII.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Modern Marvels Season 10 Episode 34 - Engineering Disasters 4
    8.9/10(14 votes)

    S10:E34

    Engineering disasters can result in personal tragedy, national humiliation, and economic ruin. But buried within their wreckage lie lessons that point the way to a safer future. The fire at the Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel, the collapse of Seattle’s Lacey V. Murrow Floating Bridge, the car that spurred creation of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, and the flaw that grounded the first commercial jet are among the engineering disasters that led to improvements in design and safety.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Modern Marvels Season 6 Episode 38 - The Tool Bench: Power Tools
    8.8/10(13 votes)

    S6:E38

    The history of civilization could easily be measured in terms of our ability to make, use, and improve tools–an activity that is at least 4 million years old! At the tip of our toolmaking timeline are power tools. We’ll examine today’s power tool industry, which is booming thanks to more powerful, lighter, and quieter cordless tools.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Modern Marvels Season 6 Episode 46 - Niagara Power
    8.8/10(12 votes)

    S6:E46

    An exploration of the rich history of one of the world’s greatest technological achievements–the harnessing of power from Niagara Falls. From the “War of the Currents”, a battle between geniuses Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, to the Robert Moses Plant, primed to take the powerhouse into the 21st century, we highlight its story.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Modern Marvels Season 7 Episode 20 - The Erie Canal
    8.8/10(20 votes)

    S7:E20

    The Erie Canal was America’s first superhighway. It was a narrow ribbon of water carved through sheer rock and untamed wilderness. It featured an ingenious network of stone locks and aqueducts. Skeptics called it “Clinton’s Ditch,” but visionaries saw it as the gateway to a gleaming future. An engineering marvel when it was built some called it the Eighth Wonder of the World.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Modern Marvels Season 9 Episode 7 - Private Jets
    8.8/10(28 votes)

    S9:E7

    From today’s ultra chic, state-of-the-art private jets to Lockheed’s 1957 Jetstar, this 2-hour special investigates the history, the luxury, and technology of America’s corporate jets. We meet a few of the men and women who pioneered them–Bill Lear, Clyde Cessna and his nephews, Walter and Olive Beech. Actor Michael Dorn explains what it takes to buy a previously-owned jet. And, we see the latest in kit jets and look into the new must-have of the super rich–jets the size of commercial airliners.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Modern Marvels Season 9 Episode 8 - James Bond Gadgets.
    8.8/10(18 votes)

    S9:E8

    His movies are legend, his women beautiful, and his toys the best in the world. Whether James Bond is foiling villains in space-age flying machines or eavesdropping on his enemies with ultra-sophisticated spy gear, British Secret Agent 007 is always guaranteed to have the most outrageous and wonderfully creative gadgets ever to grace the silver screen. Bond had it all. But as we see in this exclusive look at his gadgets, it takes a lot to save the world!

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Modern Marvels Season 9 Episode 48 - Sherman Tanks
    8.8/10(11 votes)

    S9:E48

    An exciting series that takes viewers into the heart of action as it focuses on a particular machine from WWII, beginning with the story of its design and manufacture and showing the machine in combat, using vintage archive footage. Miniature cameras take viewers inside the machine to share with its crew the experience of war. In this episode, ride along in the thick of battle in the American M4 Sherman Tank, as it blasts its way into history and paves the way for the liberation of Europe.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Modern Marvels Season 10 Episode 33 - More Engineering Disasters
    8.8/10(14 votes)

    S10:E33

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Modern Marvels Season 10 Episode 68 - Inviting Disaster 4, Building Failures
    8.8/10(12 votes)

    S10:E68

    Based on the popular book, this episode explores historical building collapses–from ancient pyramids to the Cathedral at Beauvais to Kansas City’s Hyatt Regency–and demonstrates that clear warning signs often existed, but were ignored. We also examine the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York. Author Jim Chiles believes that designers and engineers must better prepare for all potential disasters–by understanding existing risks, they can prepare for the unknown, like terrorism.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Modern Marvels Season 10 Episode 83 - Egyptian Pyramids
    8.8/10(21 votes)

    S10:E83

    Constructed as tombs for the ancient pharaohs, over 100 pyramids remain in Egypt. Built during a span of well over 1,000 years, they stand as cultural and engineering marvels of staggering proportions. But many things about these monuments, including the exact methods used to construct them, remain tantalizingly obscure. Travel back in time as we investigate their evolution–from the earlier mastaba to the Step Pyramid, Bent Pyramid, and of course, the magnificent necropolis at Giza.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Modern Marvels Season 14 Episode 4 - Pumps
    8.8/10(18 votes)

    S14:E4

    The history of the pump is chronicled. Pumps used in water distribution in Southern California - The Colorado River Aqueduct, a robotic cow-milking pump and a pump used in heart surgery.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Modern Marvels Season 6 Episode 7 - Monumental Statues
    8.7/10(13 votes)

    S6:E7

    What inspires societies to create sculptures on a superhuman scale? We’ll examine gigantic statues and the monumental commitment of time, money, and talent needed to complete them. We’ll study the Sphinx, Colossus of Rhodes, Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer, Russia’s Motherland and the Crazy Horse Memorial.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Video Games: Behind The Fun" is the best rated episode of "Modern Marvels". It scored 9.6/10 based on 11 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 9/12/2000. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Axes, Swords and Knives.".