NaN/100 votes#1 - Demolition
Season 6 Episode 1 - Aired 7/27/1998
While a civilization’s greatness is reflected in the achievements of architects and engineers, equally impressive are spectacular acts of destruction throughout history. The cycle of construction and destruction reflects the shifting values of any given era. We’ll trace the evolution of planned destruction from ancient to modern-day.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#2 - The Atlantic Wall
Season 6 Episode 2 - Aired 8/3/1998
The Atlantic Wall explores the construction of the shore fortifications built by the Nazis during World War II. We highlight the logistics of construction, types of fortifications, weapons, and obstacles used in the wall. The Nazis attempted to fortify 3,000 miles of occupied European coastline before the Allies launched thier attack on occupied Europe. Finally the Allied D-Day invasion planning and execution, with its associated propaganda and deception, are detailed.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/1016 votes
#3 - History of Tall Buildings
Season 6 Episode 3 - Aired 8/24/1998
A look up at the symbol of the American Century–the skyscraper, the construction of which is a triumph of engineering and capitalism. Climb to the top of the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Sears Tower, and World Trade Center to see how ego, money, and technology joined to build the tallest of man-made structures.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/109 votes
#4 - Aquariums
Season 6 Episode 4 - Aired 9/28/1998
Public aquariums have undergone dramatic changes since inception in mid-19th century. A series of technological innovations has transformed them into virtual oceans with spectacular multi-million gallon displays. Examine the latest high-tech aquatic wonders and take a peek into their future.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/1019 votes#5 - Las Vegas Hotels.
Season 6 Episode 5 - Aired 10/6/1998
Out of the bleakness of a vast desert arose a city built on wish fulfillment and indulgence. Unencumbered by tradition or notions of good taste, for 50 years Las Vegas has taken tourists to the height of their imaginations while reaching into their pockets. Visit 11 of the world's largest hotels in the country's biggest playground.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.8/1015 votes
#6 - The Oakland Bay Bridge.
Season 6 Episode 6 - Aired 10/12/1998
San Francisco's Oakland Bay Bridge stands as an incredible feat of engineering against the nearly impossible. Once chosen as one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world, it features an unique double suspension structure in its west end. Join us as we cross this triumph of construction, while we visit its past and look to its future.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1013 votes
#7 - Monumental Statues
Season 6 Episode 7 - Aired 10/28/1998
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.7/1010 votes#8 - Antibiotics: The Wonder Drugs
Season 6 Episode 8 - Aired 11/3/1998
In 1941, penicillin was first used to save human life. But now, bacteria has emerged resistant to every known antibiotic, and scientists have begun to fear that the era of the wonder drugs is near to its end.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.5/1012 votes
#9 - The Police Car
Season 6 Episode 9 - Aired 11/9/1998
More than the gun, more than the billy club, it is the critical weapon in law enforcement’s arsenal. But for decades, police have struggled to stay ahead of well-equipped bad guys. Rare photos and interviews tell the story of their battle for high-tech horsepower.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/109 votes#10 - Plastics
Season 6 Episode 10 - Aired 11/23/1998
Plastics are everywhere–the home, the workplace, the car, the human body, outer space, and most conspicuously, the garbage heap and landfill. Artificially created test-tube material, plastic can’t be returned to nature. Will we drown in a sea of plastic? Join us as we review this protean substance’s past and future.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.6/1012 votes#11 - Medical Imaging
Season 6 Episode 11 - Aired 12/7/1998
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: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/109 votes#12 - Extreme Sports Gadgets
Season 6 Episode 12 - Aired 12/16/1998
To run faster, jump higher, and play longer–the ultimate goal of all athletes. But when training runs its course, science and technology jump in. Explore the history and technological advances in everything from athletic shoes to football gear. And leap into a future filled with radar-enhanced baseballs and virtual-reality stadiums.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#13 - Bombs
Season 6 Episode 13 - Aired 12/23/1998
Bombs…the most feared and powerful weapon in any nation’s arsenal. What began as incendiary devices in the 7th century has evolved into weapons that can literally blow the human race off the face of the earth! From the use of diseased carcasses flung over castle walls to Greek Fire to today’s smart bombs, we review the evolution of bombs.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/1013 votes#14 - Prosthetics
Season 6 Episode 14 - Aired 12/28/1998
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.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/1014 votes#15 - Weather Prediction
Season 6 Episode 15 - Aired 1/1/1999
A study of the discoveries, inventions, and technological advances that have helped us understand and predict weather accurately. From simple observations made by early humans, to early instruments such as thermometers and barometers, to Doppler radar and satellite imaging, we’ll see how man has tried to harness weather.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#16 - Stereos
Season 6 Episode 16 - Aired 1/25/1999
The ability to transmit sound in stereo transformed the music of life into a rich symphony of sound. For over 100 years, enthusiasts and scientists have worked to create the ideal listening experience. From Thomas Edison’s early phonograph to today’s digital revolution, we examine this multi-billion dollar business.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.0/108 votes#17 - Mail Delivery
Season 6 Episode 17 - Aired 2/8/1999
Through rain, snow, heat, or gloom of night, we expect postmen to deliver the mail. The U.S. Post Office handles over 603-million pieces of mail daily. Yet it represents only 43% of the world’s total mail volume. From ancient Sumerians to Pony Express, from airmail to E-mail, we follow the long journey of mail.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.6/1010 votes
#18 - Clocks
Season 6 Episode 18 - Aired 2/22/1999
Does anybody really know what time it is? Set your clocks as we explore the relativity of time from antiquity–when man attempted to chart time with methods ranging from shadows, candles, and water–to today’s atomic clock system–accurate to within one second every two-million years.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.2/1012 votes#19 - Airships.
Season 6 Episode 19 - Aired 3/9/1999
First there were balloons and blimps. Then, visionaries enlarged, reinforced, and motorized them and the airship was born. The biggest aircraft ever flown, they remain one of the most romantic aerial creations. In all, 161 rigid airships were built before spectacular crashes, including the EM Hindenburg /EM , put an end to the era.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
NaN/100 votes#20 - Physical Fitness
Season 6 Episode 20 - Aired 3/15/1999
Meet the Strong Men and Women who go beyond mere fitness to pursue major muscle mass–from ancient Greeks, to performers in the 1800s astounding audiences with feats of strength, to the body builders of California’s Muscle Beach! Lou Ferrigno and other stars share stories of the pursuit of muscle. Also looks at the effect of steroids.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
6.7/1015 votes#21 - Engineering Disasters
Season 6 Episode 21 - Aired 3/30/1999
Throughout history, the builders and engineers who paved our way out of the caves and into the modern world have also caused some of our worst disasters. What happens when their calculations prove wrong and it all comes tumbling down? From Hammurabi’s days, when the first building laws were instituted, to today’s potential nuclear or chemical disasters that can spell death for thousands, we’ll take a harrowing 2-hour tour through some of history’s greatest engineering mistakes.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.2/1016 votes#22 - City Parks
Season 6 Episode 22 - Aired 4/26/1999
Even in ancient times, city dwellers needed a scenic break from the urban landscape. But parks play a more important role than mere relief from tension–they also keep temperatures down and supply much-needed oxygen in congested cities. Come along for a stroll through New York City’s Central Park and L.A.’s Griffith Park.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/1015 votes#23 - Spy Technology
Season 6 Episode 23 - Aired 5/1/1999
Espionage has been used for at least the last 4,000 years. And where there are spies, you find gadgets! We focus on the last 100 years of cloak and dagger technology–from early code-breaking computers to satellite reconnaissance–and take a look at the James Bond-type gadgets of the Cold War.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/1017 votes#24 - Battlefield Medicine
Season 6 Episode 24 - Aired 5/25/1999
“He who would become a surgeon should join the army and follow it,” Hippocrates counseled nearly 2,500 years ago. In this history of medicine under fire, we see how a small army of medics, nurses, surgeons, stretcher-bearers, and ambulance drivers, races to keep pace with the deadly advances of war.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.4/1011 votes#25 - U.S. Mints: Money Machines
Season 6 Episode 25 - Aired 6/21/1999
Whether it jingles in our pockets or folds in our wallets, it flows by the billions from government factories that have mastered the art of making it.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Modern Marvels Season 6
Every episode of Modern Marvels Season 6 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Modern Marvels Season 6!
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...
Genre:Documentary
Season 6 Ratings Summary
"Demolition" is the best rated episode of "Modern Marvels" season 6. It scored N/A/10 based on 0 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 7/27/1998. This episode is rated NaN points higher than the second-best, "The Atlantic Wall".