Modern Marvels backdrop
Modern Marvels poster
Documentary

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...

Filter By Season23

  1. 9.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - Renewable Energy

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  2. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #2 - Containers

    Loading...
    S13:E1

    They hold just about everything we need, from condiments to cargo. Made of steel, aluminum, paper and glass, they protect and preserve. They're underground and above ground, they journey around the world. They've revolutionized civilization.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  3. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #3 - Fire

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  4. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #4 - Cotton

    Loading...
    S13:E3

    Tune in as Modern Marvels looks into the history of cotton, a product used in hundreds of different products, from clothing to lipstick.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  5. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #5 - Engineering Disasters 18

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  6. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #6 - Candy

    Loading...
    S13:E5

    It pulls, stretches, bubbles, hardens, crunches, and melts! We eat about 7-billion tons of it yearly. We’re talking about Candy–loved by kids and savored by adults. Candy-making evolved from a handmade operation to high-tech mass production. Nowhere is that more apparent than at Hershey’s. On a tour of their newest production facility, we learn how they process the cocoa bean. At See’s Candy, we see how they make their famous boxed chocolates–on a slightly smaller scale than Hershey’s. We get a sweet history lesson at Schimpff’s Confectionery, where they still use small kettles, natural flavors, and hand-operated equipment. Then, we visit Jelly Belly, purveyors of the original gourmet jellybean. Saltwater-taffy pullers hypnotize us on our sweet-tooth tour; we gaze at extruders making miles of licorice rope; and watch as nostalgia candy bars Abba-Zaba and Big Hunk get packaged. And in this sugary hour, we digest the latest sensations–gourmet chocolates and scorpion on a stick!

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Modern Marvels

    READ
  8. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Weird Weapons: The Axis

    Loading...
    S13:E6

    Examining unusual World War II weapons that were in the planning or testing stages for use by the Axis powers. Included: an assault rifle that could shoot around corners; a death ray capable of boiling people; and an army in space.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  9. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #8 - Nature Tech: Avalanches

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  10. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Engineering Disasters: New Orleans

    Loading...
    S13:E8

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

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  11. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Leather

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  12. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Engineering Disasters 19

    Loading...
    S13:E10

    More engineering disasters are profiled, including the sinking of SS Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975 in Lake Superior; two Boeing 737 crashes; a diesel-fuel leak, a radiation-spilling accident at Santa Susana, an oil spill in the Monongahela River, and the failure of Galaxy 4 Satellite affecting communications and pagers nation-wide.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  13. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #12 - Insulation

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  14. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Hi-Tech Hitler

    Loading...
    S13:E12

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

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  15. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #14 - Shovels

    Loading...
    S13:E13

    Man has always had a need to move large amounts of earth. In this episode, we profile the technological advances which have allowed shovels to become absolutely enormous, capable of carrying 200 tons of earth in one load today.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  16. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #15 - Drilling

    Loading...
    S13:E14

    The program features the quest to drill the deepest hole ever and the scientific drill ship expected to perform the feat, and also looks at drills used to recover ice cores that will unearth thousands of years of climate history.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  17. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #16 - 80s Tech

    Loading...
    S13:E15

    Remember “brick” cell phones, Pac-Man, Rubik’s Cube, Sony Walkman, and the first music CDs? Remember all the new and exciting gadgets of the 1980s? Join us as we investigate the transition from Industrial to Information Age–a digital decade dedicated to ergonomics and entertainment. The microchip ushered in an era that revolutionized the way we work, play, and communicate. And we tour Silicon Valley–birthplace of some of the greatest inventions from an amazing time of change, including the modern personal computer. Steve “Woz” Wozniak tells us about the evolution of Apple computers, and we talk to Sony–makers of the Walkman, Betamax, and the first CD players. A visit to the Computer History Museum shows fun technological “artifacts”, primitive by today’s standards. At Intel, makers of the first microchips, we learn why technology moves at such a fast pace. We also take a ride in a DeLorean DMC-12 sports car–few things moved faster.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:Beata Ziel
  18. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Ben Franklin Tech

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  19. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Copper Kings

    Loading...
    S13:E17

    More than a century ago two men controlled nearly all of U.S. copper production, transforming Butte, Montana from a washed-up gold-mining camp into a global powerhouse. William Clark, a ruthless banker known for preying on the misfortune of miners and Marcus Daly, a self-made man with a knack for knowing where to dig, created huge empires and lived like kings, while fighting a ferocious, personal, battle that lasted nearly 25 years.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  20. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Heavy Metals

    Loading...
    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!

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  21. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #20 - Money

    Loading...
    S13:E19

    Visit the United States Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for an inside look into the government facilities where U.S. legal tender is generated. Learn the history behind these two institutions and the process of making currency, including how the complex security features on bank notes are created and how the government agencies monitor and intercept counterfeit bills.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  22. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #21 - BBQ Tech

    Loading...
    S13:E20

    An old-fashioned style of cooking, barbecue has evolved into a modern food craze and spawned a multi-billion dollar industry. We digest famous barbecue cook-offs and visit long-established barbecue restaurants like Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City, where the huge grills and taste thrills of true barbecue are more popular than ever. At home, three out of four US households own a grill. After WWII's end, the phenomenon of backyard barbecuing swept the nation, thanks to inexpensive and mass-produced grills, including the kettle-shaped Weber. Our tour of Weber's modern factories shows how they keep pace with demand by manufacturing more choices than ever, including portable mini-grills. We also examine the variety of fuels available for the savory selection of spicy sauces and rubs. Join us as we devour the mouthwatering flavors of BBQ in this episode.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  23. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #22 - American Eats Special

    Loading...
    S13:E21

    No description available

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  24. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #23 - High Explosives

    Loading...
    S13:E22

    Since the creation of black powder in China centuries ago, explosives have been decisive on the battlefield. Follow their incendiary story from ancient times right up to today's plastic demolitions.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  25. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #24 - Pirate Tech

    Loading...
    S13:E23

    Bold, cunning, and audacious, pirates are a breed of fighting men and women who have terrorized the high seas since before recorded history. At the height of their power in the 1700s they literally influenced the fate of nations when they became embroiled in the rivalry between England and Spain. This special will visit maritime museums and shipwreck sites, utilize walk-and-talk demonstrations of fire arms, swords, and navigation instruments to help spotlight the innovations pirates brought to maritime technology. Includes a look at how many pirates modified their ships to make them faster and more powerful.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A
  26. NaN/10(0 votes)

    #25 - Boneyard: Where Machines End Their Lives

    Loading...
    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.

    0 Comments
    View all
    Director:N/A
    Writer:N/A

Season 13 Ratings Summary

"Renewable Energy" is the best rated episode of "Modern Marvels" season 13. It scored 9/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 9/20/2006. This episode is rated NaN points higher than the second-best, "Containers".