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The Best Episodes of Modern Marvels Season 13

Every episode of Modern Marvels Season 13 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Modern Marvels Season 13!

The Best Episodes of Modern Marvels Season 13

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...

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  1. 8.4/10(12 votes)

    #1 - Rube Goldberg

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    S13:E31

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  2. 8.3/10(18 votes)

    #2 - Stealth & Beyond: Air Stealth

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    S13:E45

    They are the swarthy eagles of the sky: Past, present, and future advances in stealth military aircraft.

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  3. 8.2/10(16 votes)

    #3 - Engineering Disasters 18

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    S13:E4

    Modern Marvels shows more of the world's biggest engineering disasters. We look at faults in the U.S. Army's Stryker Light Armored Vehicle, the Sunjiawan coal-mine explosion in China in 2005, the death of three iron workers at Milwaukee's Miller Park in 1999, and much more.

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  4. 8.1/10(21 votes)

    #4 - The AK-47

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    S13:E27

    The development of the deadly Avtomat Kalashnikova, 1947, known as the AK-47, is discussed by its inventor, Mikhail Kalashnikov, who talks about working within the secretive world of the Soviet military at the height of the Cold War.

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  5. 8.0/10(22 votes)

    #5 - Making Medieval Armor

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    S13:E30

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  6. 8.0/10(11 votes)

    #6 - Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway

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    S13:E44

    The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway is comprised of a system of canals, land cuts, and a series of natural and artificial barrier islands, which provide a protected passage for low-draft vessels wishing to avoid the tumultuous currents of the Atlantic Ocean.

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  8. 7.9/10(23 votes)

    #7 - Insulation

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    S13:E11

    Although quite simple in nature, insulation is a very important component in keeping our homes a comfortable temperature. In this episode, we'll find out the history of insulation and then visit manufacturing plants to find out how insulation is being made today.

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  9. 7.9/10(23 votes)

    #8 - Cities of the Underworld

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    S13:E43

    Teamed with leading archeologists and experts, peel back the layers of the past--to reveal a hidden history that hasn't seen the light of day for ages.

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  10. 7.8/10(18 votes)

    #9 - Heavy Metals

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    S13:E18

    They are elements that occupy a select portion of the periodic table and are so essential to America's economic and military might that they are stored in the National Defense Stockpile in case of all-out war. We plan a riveting visit. Some of the vital heavy metals that we survey include copper, uranium, lead, zinc, and nickel. We also take a look at superalloys--consisting of steel combined with chromium, cobalt, and dozens of other heavy metals--that resist corrosion and perform increasingly elaborate functions. From Earth to space, from cosmetics to vitamins, in a million different ways, heavy metals are here to stay!

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  11. 7.8/10(9 votes)

    #10 - Batteries

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    S13:E32

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

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  12. 7.8/10(12 votes)

    #11 - Levees

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    S13:E34

    From collapsing floodwalls in New Orleans to high-tech mechanical storm surge barriers in Europe, we'll explore the 2,500-year history of keeping rivers and tides at bay by erecting levees.

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  13. 7.7/10(31 votes)

    #12 - Ben Franklin Tech

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    S13:E16

    One of the most prodigious American inventors, Ben Franklin is credited for creating things like the lightning rod, the armonica, the Franklin stove, bifocal glasses, and the flexible urinary catheter. In this episode of Modern Marvels, we examine how Dr. Franklin's inventive genius extended to things like Daylight Savings Time and the voluntary fire department.

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  14. 7.7/10(20 votes)

    #13 - Nuts

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    S13:E28

    Pintsized as a pea or big as a bowling ball, nutritional, durable, and versatile, nuts have been a staple of the human diet since time began, and archaeological evidence places them among our earliest foods. Nuts sustained the imperial armies of Rome and China, the royal navies of England and Spain, and the native tribes that roamed the American wilderness.

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  15. 7.6/10(9 votes)

    #14 - Fire

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    S13:E2

    Out of control it’s a monster with a voracious appetite. Properly harnessed it’s a force that has shaped our world. We’ve learned to create and exploit it, but we’ll never truly tame it. From furnaces to flamethrowers, fire testing to fireballs, now, Fire, on Modern Marvels.

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  16. 7.6/10(20 votes)

    #15 - Nature Tech: Avalanches

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    S13:E7

    Examining unusual World War II weapons that were in the planning or testing stages for use by the Allies. Included: floating tanks; pigeon-guided missiles.

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  17. 7.6/10(12 votes)

    #16 - Copper

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    S13:E37

    It transports electricity, water, and heat. It brings music to our ears and beauty to our eyes. Copper--its impressive traits, long history, and how it's mined. This versatile metal’s most famous attribute is its ability to conduct electricity.

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  18. 7.6/10(25 votes)

    #17 - Building In The Name Of God

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    S13:E39

    The greatest religious structures are marvels of engineering, technology, and invention, representing not only the glory of God, but also the ingenuity of man.

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  19. 7.5/10(22 votes)

    #18 - Engineering Disasters: New Orleans

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    S13:E8

    Modern Marvels examines the destruction Hurricane Katrina caused in New Orleans.

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  20. 7.5/10(15 votes)

    #19 - Leather

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    S13:E9

    Made by the tanning of animal hides, leather has proven to be a versatile and important material. Without it, the Pilgrims may not have survived the winters in Plymouth, and the Romans may not have been able to march to the Tigris.

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  21. 7.5/10(23 votes)

    #20 - Classic Cars

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    S13:E29

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  22. 7.4/10(19 votes)

    #21 - Water

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    S13:E35

    Water, the most needed substance for life, so powerful it can carve our landscape, yet so nurturing it can spawn life and support its intricate matrix.

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  23. 7.4/10(17 votes)

    #22 - Renewable Energy

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    S13:E41

    Take an in-depth look at the most proven and reliable sources: solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels, and tidal power. From the experimental to the tried-and-true, renewable energy sources are overflowing with potential... just waiting to be exploited on a massive scale.

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  24. 7.4/10(17 votes)

    #23 - Stealth & Beyond: Sea Stealth

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    S13:E46

    It's one thing to make a 60-foot-long jet aircraft seem invisible, but quite another to hide a 400-foot-long warship from the prying eyes of an enemy. Explore the challenging world of stealth technology at sea and how modern engineering can make our largest warships appear to be tugboats or fishing vessels.

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  25. 7.3/10(12 votes)

    #24 - Hi-Tech Hitler

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    S13:E12

    This is the true story of the scientific feats and failures of Hitler's Nazi Germany.

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  26. 7.3/10(14 votes)

    #25 - Boneyard: Where Machines End Their Lives

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    S13:E24

    Where do machines go when they die? From B-52 Bombers to massive aircraft carriers, from passenger cars to Cold War cruise missiles and remnants of the Twin Towers, all that we manufacture has a lifespan. But reaching the end of their original purposes can be just the beginning.

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Season 13 Ratings Summary

"Rube Goldberg" is the best rated episode of "Modern Marvels" season 13. It scored 8.4/10 based on 12 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 8/3/2006. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Stealth & Beyond: Air Stealth".