Modern Marvels: Season 9
Season 9 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 8.
- 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 9 Progress Shield
Breweries.
Jan 2, 2002 · 44 min
From Pilgrim brew masters to early commercial ventures to today's monolithic corporations, we'll imbibe American beer's long history, focusing on the commercial brewing industry th
War Planes of World War II
Jan 17, 2002 · 44 min
Flight was born in America at the turn of the 20th century. But WWII saw more planes built in a single year–300,000–than had been built in the previous 40. Footage of restored airc
The Winchester
Jan 28, 2002 · 44 min
Winchester…the name still evokes images of the Wild West and the taming of the frontier–it was the first reliable repeating rifle and settlers brought it along as they moved west.
Big Rigs of Combat: Tanks and Jeeps
Jan 29, 2002 · 44 min
The rousing story of the tank, from its primitive appearance in WWI to the high-tech world of modern tank warfare, with emphasis on the tank’s Golden Age during WWII. In the second
Tunnels of Vietnam.
Jan 30, 2002 · 44 min
Here is the heroic story of a intrepid band of infantry soldiers, the "Tunnel Rats", charged with a daring mission–to search for, find, and destroy a secret subterranean network of
Helicopters
Jan 31, 2002 · 44 min
From the early “egg beaters” of World War II to the “flying tanks” of Operation Desert Storm, we’ll fly aboard one of the most agile and potent weapons on the battlefield–the helic
Private Jets
Feb 1, 2002 · 44 min
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 j
James Bond Gadgets.
Feb 19, 2002 · 44 min
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
Remote Control
Feb 26, 2002 · 44 min
Press a button and you can soar in the sky, command a virtual pet, adjust the thermostat in your house while driving in your car, and, of course, change the channel on your TV. The
Million Dollar Tech
Mar 5, 2002 · 44 min
For millennia, luxury toys have functioned as flashy instruments of affluence, authority, and identity and driven many kingly consumers to covet, create, and purchase these status
Pleasure Boats
Mar 12, 2002 · 44 min
As we power-up and unfurl the sails on a magical cruise through time, viewers meet the people who’ve devoted their lives to pleasure boating. Traveling throughout the U.S. and Euro
Bulletproof.
Mar 19, 2002 · 44 min
How do you stop a speeding bullet? From body armor to armored cars and trucks, we review the history of the race between the bullet and a successful way to stop it. It's not exactl
Siege Machines.
Mar 26, 2002 · 44 min
A look at siege machines that convert energy into mechanical force to go over, under, or through fortified or fixed defenses too strong for conventional force. These engines range
The Junkyard
Apr 9, 2002 · 44 min
It’s the place where one man’s trash is truly another man’s treasure. Enter the strange and mysterious world of the junkyard, where many pieces actually do add up to a whole. Uncov
The F-14
Apr 16, 2002 · 44 min
October 7, 2001: Missiles from lethal U.S. jets rain down onto Afghanistan. One powerful and deadly plane led the majority of the assaults–the F-14 Tomcat, the world’s most complet
Engines
Apr 18, 2002 · 44 min
Story of the development of engines and motors, with particular emphasis on the ones that have profoundly changed society. Beginning with the steam engine, we see how it was create
The Magnum
May 7, 2002 · 44 min
It’s known as the most powerful handgun in the world, made famous by Clint Eastwood in the Dirty Harry movies. But its origins stretch back more than a century to the Indian Wars o
The Wheel
May 14, 2002 · 44 min
Spinning your wheels isn’t just going around in circles. In fact, it’s revolutionary–literally. The history of civilization has turned on the wheel, and we have traveled as far as
Star City
May 21, 2002 · 44 min
Star City, the Gagarin Center for Training Cosmonauts, was established by the former Soviet Union in the 1960s as a school for the future conquerors of space. Today, it’s where Rus
Ice Breakers
Jun 2, 2002 · 44 min
They are the toughest ships in the water, plowing headlong into one of nature’s hardest obstacles. Modern icebreakers can smash through 10-foot thick ice sheets without stopping, a
Fire and Ice.
Jun 4, 2002 · 44 min
Who could imagine life without our "man-made weather"? On cold winter nights and hot summer days, we are forever grateful to the visionaries who took two basic elements–fire and ic
Muscle Cars
Jun 11, 2002 · 44 min
Pop open the hood, check out the carbs, and hear the engines roar as we journey back to a time when gas was cheap, emission controls non-existent, and all that mattered was acceler
Axes, Swords and Knives.
Jun 12, 2002 · 44 min
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
The World's Biggest Machines.
Jun 18, 2002 · 44 min
Join us for a look at the biggest, heaviest, tallest, longest, meanest machines on the planet! We'll see what these monsters do and how they operate, and how they're designed and a
Drag Racing
Jun 20, 2002 · 44 min
Legendary drivers lead us on a record-breaking race through a century-long search for sheer acceleration that began before World War One, when hot-rodders modified Model-T Fords to
The Manhattan Project.
Jun 25, 2002 · 44 min
At 5:30 a.m., July 16, 1945, scientists and dignitaries awaited the detonation of the first atomic bomb in a desolate area of the New Mexico desert aptly known as "Jornada del Muer
The Tackle Box
Jul 2, 2002 · 44 min
From ancient Egyptian fishing parties to today's high-tech bass tournaments, we untangle the fascinating technical history of man's quest to seduce creatures of the deep out of the
Hunting Gear.
Jul 8, 2002 · 44 min
They are lethal tools that ensured our survival, altered our evolution, and maintained our dominion over other animals. Though hunting technology is the backbone of a multi-billion
Camouflage
Jul 15, 2002 · 44 min
From ancient hunters’ camouflage to computer-generated digital pattern uniforms, we uncover the past, present, and future of deception through disguise. During an ambush exercise b
Models
Jul 16, 2002 · 44 min
Though they duplicate the real world for fun and fantasy, models are not always toys and they’re not always tiny. We explore the magic of these fascinating replicas–from the Rover
Hangars
Jul 23, 2002 · 44 min
Come in for a smooth landing as we explore the history of hangars–stark, massive structures that house and protect flight vehicles. We visit the first hangar, built on a German lak
Beach Technology
Jul 24, 2002 · 44 min
Slap on your sun block and head to the ocean for a sizzling hour that explores the beach in a whole new way! We cover everything from Japan’s Seagaia, the world’s largest indoor be
The Big Dig
Aug 6, 2002 · 44 min
The Massachusetts Central Artery/Tunnel Project, a.k.a. The Big Dig, is the most amazing municipal construction project in U.S. history. Its objective–to replace Boston’s decaying
Super Guns
Aug 8, 2002 · 44 min
They are the cutting edge in firearm technology. They fight simulated battles on computers, decades before a shot is fired. But will they make the world safer…or more dangerous tha
Strategic Air Command.
Aug 13, 2002 · 44 min
With the ironic motto "Peace is our Profession", the Strategic Air Command was in charge of US nuclear forces from 1946 to 1992. SAC was the ultimate Cold War military machine, at
Gasoline
Aug 14, 2002 · 44 min
Traces the history and evolution of the world’s most important fossil fuel. Without gasoline, modern life would grind to a halt. Americans use about 360-million gallons of gas ever
Towing.
Aug 15, 2002 · 44 min
Think you know towing? As simple as engaging a tow man when your car is stalled? From mighty tugboats that guide massive ships safely into port, dizzying roller coasters that send
Jet Engines
Aug 21, 2002 · 44 min
This program will tell the story of jet propulsion, which has radically transformed our world since it was first introduced near the end of World War II. We’ll trace the developmen
Nordhausen
Aug 27, 2002 · 44 min
It was the world’s largest underground factory–seven miles of tunnels built to manufacture Hitler’s secret weapons, primarily the V-2 rocket. But Nordhausen kept more than one secr
War Trains
Aug 30, 2002 · 44 min
Examines how the great 19th-century peacetime invention developed into a powerful war machine, forever altering how, when, where, and why battles were fought. Also looks at the bra
Liberty Ships of World War II
Sep 10, 2002 · 44 min
Between 1941 and 1945, U.S. shipyards built more shipping tonnage than had been previously produced in the history of the world. American industrialists like Henry Kaiser transform
Magnets
Sep 17, 2002 · 44 min
We played with them as children, but the world of magnets isn’t kid’s stuff! The pervasive magnet serves as the underpinning for much of modern technology. They can be found in com
The Chrysler Building.
Sep 18, 2002 · 44 min
The 1,046-foot Chrysler Building in New York City, erected between 1928 and 1930, was the world's tallest edifice–until the Empire State Building eclipsed it in 1931! Since then, t
The Autobahn
Sep 20, 2002 · 44 min
Imagine a superhighway designed for speed…thousands of miles of roadway unhindered by limits of any kind. Buckle up for safety as we take you for the ride of your life when we expl
Home Tech
Sep 27, 2002 · 44 min
From the outhouse to the smart house, our lives have improved drastically in the last 150 years. Convenience and comfort have always been considerations in home design. Yet, it is
Cranes
Oct 8, 2002 · 44 min
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 fro
The Internet: Behind The Web
Oct 9, 2002 · 44 min
Over 200-million people around the world use the Internet–yet no one owns or controls it. Its phenomenal usage puts it on a par with the printing press as a civilization-shaping in
Sherman Tanks
Oct 10, 2002 · 44 min
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 t
Great Train Disasters
Oct 22, 2002 · 44 min
Throughout railroad history, disasters lay at the heart of progress since expansion and profit proved the main goals of management. In 1875 alone, an average of 22 train accidents
Secret Life Of The Crash Test Dummy
Oct 28, 2002 · 44 min
The crash test dummy, patron saint of vulnerable motorists, has become a modern icon and is a potent symbol of safety in a risk-obsessed age. But what’s the real story behind this
High Tech Sex
Oct 29, 2002 · 44 min
Join us for a walk on the wild side of the history of sexual enhancement and contraception–from Cleopatra’s box of buzzing bees to 17th-century condoms to Internet sex and 21st-cen
The Spitfire
Oct 30, 2002 · 44 min
Designed in 1935 by R.J. Mitchell, the Supermarine Spitfire was a revolutionary fighter plane, which proved to be more than a match for its German opponents. In 1940, it helped tur
Garbage
Nov 6, 2002 · 44 min
Modern Marvels examines the ever-changing nature of trash, the history of our efforts to dispose of unwanted material, and the evolving technology used to rid ourselves of solid wa
More Bond Gadgets
Nov 7, 2002 · 44 min
He’s everyone’s favorite spy, the man with a woman in every port and a gadget in every pocket! No villain is too strong, no situation too tough for His Majesty’s Secret Agent, than
Limos
Nov 13, 2002 · 44 min
Limousines have been stretched to greater and greater lengths–as has the notion of what can be done inside them! You can have a rolling disco in a stretched SUV, go for a rumble of
Digi-Tech
Nov 15, 2002 · 44 min
DVD, CD, PDA, HDTV, PVR–they are the ultimate in “gotta have it” gadgets and gizmos and “to die for” technology that populate a digital world of acronyms. We trace digital technolo
Salt Mines
Dec 2, 2002 · 44 min
It’s the only rock we eat – a priceless commodity essential to our very survival. It has over 14,000 uses – from de-icing our roads to softening our water. We dynamite it from vas
Concept Cars
Dec 3, 2002 · 44 min
They were pure fantasy on wheels, machines designed to make the heart race and the mind ask…what if? Explore the world of 1950s concept cars–automotive art built to attract public
Runways
Dec 4, 2002 · 44 min
What do you think about when you gaze out the window as your plane takes off? Probably not about the least heralded part of our infrastructure–airport runways. But runways play a v
Failed Inventions.
Dec 5, 2002 · 44 min
Join us for a salute to the dreamers and schemers who brought the world an odd assortment of flawed ideas–like flying, swimming, and jet-powered automobiles, flying rocket belts, a