Max Raphael

Where in Washington DC is the nation's most incredible treasure chest? It's a library unlike any other in the world, the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Modern Marvels explodes the myth that this 200 year old institution is simply "where members of Congress borrow books". Viewers are taken beyond the magnificent Jefferson Building Great Hall into the secret vaults where more than 600 miles of shelves hold 130 million items, many of them...

The scientists and engineers who helped build the world's first nuclear weapon reflect on their accomplishments and legacy.

Extensive photos and film clips of its construction; interviews with the inventors, engineers, and contractors who transformed the dream into a reality; and a behind-the-scenes tour.

Examines the history of war reporting, focusing on media technology inventions such as satellite and video phones, digital cameras, and lightweight satellite uplinks that make speedy and sophisticated frontline reporting possible.

The crushing weight of tons of water, a limited air supply, numbing cold and restricted visibility are just some of the hazards that make any effort deep below the ocean's surface among the most dangerous and technically demanding endeavors on the planet. Driven by the need for deep sea rescue and salvage capabilities, the US Navy Diving and Salvage Programs have gathered a highly skilled team of divers, scientists and engineers, who have been involved...

Explains how air, water, earth, and fire are transformed into clean, reliable sources of heat, electricity, and even automobile fuel. Looks at a solar roof implementation by FedEx at a regional sort facility in Oakland, Calif., a wind power project in central New York using fewer, larger turbines, and the widespread use of geothermal energy in Iceland. Visits Lovecraft Biofuels in Los Angeles, an auto repair shop that converts diesel car and truck...

Shows how the Berlin Wall was built and the role it played in the Cold War until it was demolished in 1989.

An in-depth look at the Roman Colosseum today, and its role in the past.

Delves into complex and often-tragic engineering failures, including the 1987 failure of New York's Schoharie Creek Bridge; the 1996 partial destruction of the Riverwalk Marketplace in New Orleans by a runaway freighter; the roof collapse at the Rosemont Horizon Arena in Illinois in 1979; the deadliest grain-dust explosion on record; and the crash of the British R101 airship in the 1920s.