Modern Marvels: Season 11
Season 11 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Modern Marvels Season 10.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 11 Progress Shield
Guns of the Russian Military
Jan 16, 2004 · 44 min
Forged in Europe’s shadow, Russian small arms were once dismissed as crude copies. Often lacking the finish of Western counterparts, Russian guns have been battle-proven worldwide,
The F-15
Jan 17, 2004 · 44 min
Built to put U.S. pilots back in charge of the skies, the F-15 Eagle proved its superiority in Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. In a dogfight, it can maneuver against the
Pacific Coast Highway
Feb 4, 2004 · 44 min
For 25 years, construction crews dug, blasted, tunneled, and bridged their way up America's West Coast along the California, Oregon, and Washington shoreline to build the Pacific C
Racetrack Tech
Feb 18, 2004 · 44 min
A look at the “science of safety” as applied to Indy or NASCAR racing. From tires to roll-cages to hood flaps, we examine the incredible technology that’s helping prevent crashes a
Oil Fire Fighting
Mar 3, 2004 · 44 min
When a burning gusher shoots flames into the air, only a handful of men know how to snuff out the monster. Fighting fire with fire, they place explosives around the flames to blow
Command Central
Mar 17, 2004 · 44 min
“Centcom” in Doha, Qatar represents everything a modern military command post can be with the most sophisticated military information systems–from video-conferencing to real-time f
Front Line Reporting
Mar 19, 2004 · 44 min
In March 2003, embedded civilian correspondents rolled along with the U.S. military convoy as it invaded Iraq. Equipped with satellite and video phones, digital cameras, and lightw
Nature's Engineers
Mar 31, 2004 · 44 min
Towering skyscrapers buzzing with life, intricate tunnels connecting entire communities, mighty dams that tame the wildest rivers–this is construction animal style! Take a walk on
Bible Tech
Apr 7, 2004 · 44 min
Arguably the most influential book ever written, the Bible provides a glimpse into the origins of ancient technology and its uses. We examine the technological plausibility of bibl
The Power Grid
Apr 14, 2004 · 44 min
The largest manmade machine ever created, the electric power grid traverses the nation from California to Maine, Florida to Washington State. This huge complex of power plants, sub
Bathroom Tech
Apr 21, 2004 · 44 min
From tub to toilet to toothpaste, here's everything you ever wanted to know about the most used and least discussed room in the house. From the first home bathrooms in ancient Indi
Engineering Disasters 6
Apr 28, 2004 · 44 min
An in-depth look at the modern era's most complex, deadly, and controversial engineering failures. With the aid of 3-D animation, forensic experts, and footage of disasters, we see
F-18 Hornet
Apr 30, 2004 · 44 min
One aircraft in the U.S. arsenal best typifies the will to win. Using the latest and most sophisticated computerized technology, the F-18 Hornet is now one of the foremost fighters
Hydraulics
May 12, 2004 · 44 min
The machines that helped build our world have been powered by hydraulics, a compact system of valves, hoses, and pumps that transmits forces from point to point through fluid. This
Plane Crashes
May 26, 2004 · 44 min
When the most sophisticated machines fail, they do so horrifically, plunging to earth with a terrifying loss of life. From the beginning of manned flight, plane crashes have plague
D-Day Tech
Jun 3, 2004 · 44 min
Modern Marvels shines the spotlight on the array of inventions that made the epic invasion possible, telling the stories of their development and following them into combat in the
A-10 Tankbuster
Jun 7, 2004 · 44 min
Nicknamed the 'Warthog', the A-10 Tankbuster is one of the U.S. military's most prolific air support fighters. Focuses on its design, production, and life saving record on the batt
Rubber
Jun 9, 2004 · 44 min
The story of rubber is more than tires, toys, gloves, and gum–it’s imbedded in modern life, from the controversial Challenger O-rings to seals on hydrogen fuel cells. A gigantic wo
City Water
Jun 15, 2004 · 44 min
When you tap your faucet does clean, pure water flow? Can your city supply enough water for industry, firefighting, and street cleaning? U.S. public water-supply systems serve near
Greatest Movies Gadgets
Jun 17, 2004 · 44 min
Cars that fly and drive themselves. Spiffy spy tools that see under doors and through walls. Water “Harleys” that fly above and below the surface. Only in the movies, right? Hollyw
Nuclear Tech
Jul 8, 2004 · 44 min
Nuclear research ranges from well-known applications, such as bombs and reactors, to little-known uses in medicine, food preparation, and radiation detection. It’s also spawned anc
Apollo 11
Jul 21, 2004 · 44 min
As mankind's greatest achievement of the 20th century, Apollo 11 stood as the apogee of science, exploration, flight, and technological prowess. In scarcely 10 years, America went
World War I Tech
Jul 30, 2004 · 44 min
The first bombing airplanes and widespread use of chemical weapons…earliest tanks…submarines. When Industrial-Age technology and war first mixed on a large scale, the end result wa
Distilleries
Aug 4, 2004 · 44 min
From water and grain…to mash…still…vat…barrel and bottle–the distilling of alcoholic spirits is a big business and near-sacred religion. Its acolytes eye the color, swirl the glass
Oil Tankers
Aug 11, 2004 · 44 min
The biggest moving objects ever built by man, oil tankers dominate the world’s waterways, both in size and numbers. Upwards of 10,000 strong, the world tanker fleet’s vast number r
Athens Subway
Aug 18, 2004 · 44 min
Under Athens' bustling metropolis, an unique engineering project transformed the city, building a new underground Metro system, while uncovering secrets of its past, alleviating ch
Extreme Aircraft
Aug 25, 2004 · 44 min
Join us for a supersonic look at some of the most cutting-edge aircraft ever developed–from the X-1 that first broke the sound barrier to the X-43 Scramjet that recently flew at Ma
Engineering Disasters 7
Aug 31, 2004 · 44 min
Engineers and architects reveal what went wrong in five engineering disasters, including Baldwin Hills Dam that suddenly gave way, spilling liquid havoc in a quiet LA neighborhood;
George Washington Bridge
Sep 1, 2004 · 44 min
When opened on October 25, 1931, the George Washington Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Today, standing as a main traffic artery between Manhattan and New Jer
Building a Skyscraper: The Skeleton
Sep 7, 2004 · 44 min
What does it take to construct a building that will cover an entire city block? Try 13,000 tons of steel, 36,000 cubic yards of concrete, enough wire and cables to stretch from New
Building a Skyscraper: The Exterior
Sep 6, 2004 · 44 min
For two years, we’ve followed construction of the new California Department of Transportation headquarters in downtown LA–a massive 700,000 square-foot office building–and we use t
Building a Skyscraper: The Human Environment
Sep 7, 2004 · 44 min
In hour three of our crash course on mega-skyscraper construction, we learn about the human element and development of systems that make us comfortable. And we’ll see the evolution
Building a Skyscraper: The Arteries
Sep 7, 2004 · 44 min
For two years, we’ve followed the construction of the new California Department of Transportation headquarters in LA to learn the architectural, structural, and mechanical challeng
The Sears Tower
Sep 8, 2004 · 44 min
Some 23,000 people walk through the Sears Tower’s domed entrances daily. 104 elevators (some double-decker), moving at speeds up to 1,600 feet per minute, transport workers and vis
St. Lawrence Seaway
Sep 15, 2004 · 44 min
The St. Lawrence Seaway is a monumental stairway in water, lifting massive ships hundreds of feet over thousands of miles. It’s the world’s longest inland waterway, a system of riv
Police Pursuit
Sep 22, 2004 · 44 min
Join us for a high-speed look at police pursuits in an adrenaline-filled hour focused on the history and evolution of the technologies that give law enforcement the upper hand when
SOS Tech
Sep 28, 2004 · 44 min
A look at the technology that changed the serious game of Search and Rescue forever. At the mouth of Oregon’s Columbia River, we visit the Coast Guard’s Motor Lifeboat School, the
More of the World's Biggest Machines
Sep 29, 2004 · 44 min
The ultimate celebration of outsized equipment returns for a second sweep through a world where size is everything.
Firefighting: The Arson Detectives
Sep 30, 2004 · 44 min
Meet crime fighters who take on fiery killers. In Houston, visit the site of a suspicious fire with Fire Marshall Lalo Torres as he turns ashes into evidence. Former A.T.F. head Ri
Guns of Israel
Oct 1, 2004 · 44 min
One of the youngest and smallest nations, Israel has produced some of the world’s fiercest weapons. In 1952, shortly after its War of Independence, Israel unleashed the Uzi…a subma
Engineering Disasters 8
Oct 5, 2004 · 44 min
Join us for a devastating but enlightening hour as we delve into complex and often-tragic engineering failures that have shaped our world. Five dramatic events unfold as we discove
Harvesting
Oct 6, 2004 · 44 min
Cutting, digging, picking, stripping, shaking, and raking–whatever the crop, there's a custom machine to harvest it. It all began with handpicking and today it's often one man and
Engineering Disasters 9
Oct 12, 2004 · 44 min
What happens when the calculations of builders and engineers prove wrong and their constructs come tumbling down? In this episode, we examine the 1987 failure of the Schoharie Cree
Engineering Disasters 10
Oct 19, 2004 · 44 min
Disasters investigated include: the 1984 Union Carbide debacle in Bhopal, India, where a toxic chemical release killed 3,800 people and left 11,000 with disabling respiratory ailme
Presidential Movers
Oct 20, 2004 · 44 min
The vehicles that transport the President of the United States aren’t your ordinary planes, trains, and automobiles. They are top-secret. And for your Average Joe, there’s only two
Gas Tech
Oct 20, 2004 · 44 min
Gas–it makes a balloon go up, cooks our food, and fills our lungs. But this invisible state of matter does far more, and has a very visible impact on the world. We follow natural g
Engineering Disasters 11
Oct 26, 2004 · 44 min
Disasters profiled are a liquid natural gas explosion in Cleveland, the collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt walkway, flooding of the Yangtze River in 1931, as well as sinkholes cause
The World's Longest Bridge
Oct 27, 2004 · 44 min
Bridges are the lifeline of Japan. Since the 1930s, the island nation has dreamt of linking its many parts as a whole. But WWII diverted the incredible resources needed to accompli
Japanese Sub at Pearl Harbor
Oct 28, 2004 · 44 min
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a move of unprecedented aggression that shook the U.S. out of its peaceful slumber and into WWII. But for 60 years, veterans of the destroye
M1 Abrams Supertank!
Oct 29, 2004 · 44 min
Join us as we penetrate the history of the world’s most sophisticated tank–the M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. In the most radical departure in U.S. tank design since WWII, the Superta
Engineering Disasters 12
Nov 9, 2004 · 44 min
In Milwaukee, 104 died after drinking contaminated tap water. At Texas A&M;, a tradition turned tragic when a pile of bonfire logs collapsed onto its builders. Thousands of US sold
Surveillance Tech
Nov 10, 2004 · 44 min
In the world of surveillance, Big Brother is not only watching, he’s also listening, analyzing, recording, scanning, and tracking every aspect of our lives. And with advanced surve
Engineering Disasters 13
Nov 16, 2004 · 44 min
In this hour, death seeps out of the ground into a neighborhood sitting on a toxic waste dump at Love Canal in New York; soldiers die during Desert Storm in 1991 when software flaw
Submarine Disasters
Nov 17, 2004 · 44 min
When the men and women aboard a modern submarine hear the command to dive, they can take a measure of comfort in the fact that no US sub has been lost in nearly 40 years, though it
Engineering Disasters 14
Nov 23, 2004 · 44 min
In this hour, we examine a massive oil tanker explosion that killed nine; a subway tunnel cave-in that swallowed part of Hollywood Boulevard; a freighter plane crash that destroyed
Washington Monument
Dec 1, 2004 · 44 min
The US capital boasts many memorials, but none with a more bizarre history than the obelisk erected to America's first president. Over 55 stories high and weighing over 90,000 tons
Engineering Disasters 15
Dec 8, 2004 · 44 min
A series of construction errors causes a devastating flood that brings Chicago to a standstill. A deadly accident traps hundreds in a smoke-filled Alpine tunnel, with no ventilatio
Snack Food Tech
Dec 16, 2004 · 44 min
Extruders, molds, in-line conveyor belts. Are these machines manufacturing adhesives, plastics, or parts for your car? No, they're making treats for your mouth–and you will see the
More Dangerous Cargo!
Dec 21, 2004 · 44 min
It comes in many deadly shapes and sizes, and the transportation of dangerous cargo is one of the most meticulously planned procedures in the shipping world. We hitch a ride on a “
Commercial Fishing
Dec 22, 2004 · 44 min
Battered and fried or simply raw–seafood is a popular dish, no matter how you serve it. Americans consume more than 5-billion pounds yearly, an order that takes more than a fishing
Engineering Disasters 16
Dec 23, 2004 · 44 min
Chaos in Guadalajara, Mexico, when the city streets explode; an airplane crash outside of Paris that ranks as one of the worst in history; two mining dams in Italy collapse engulfi
Doomsday Tech
Dec 28, 2004 · 44 min
Doomsday threats range from very real (nuclear arsenals) to controversial (global warming) to futuristic (nanotechnology, cyborgs, and robots). Despite the Cold War’s end, we live
More Doomsday Tech
Dec 28, 2004 · 44 min
The second deadly hour examines more threats–both natural and manmade–that may endanger civilization. From the far reaches of space to tiny viruses, doomsday sources are many. But