The History Channel

U.S. soldiers today face enormous challenges, often stationed in desolate locations behind enemy lines. Keeping them protected is priority number one--and the military is making enormous leaps in devising a wide array of high-tech equipment to protect today's soldier. From elaborate elite training facilities, to GPS-guided air drops, to revolutionary high-tech tents and fire-retardant uniforms, we explore the science and technology of building, operating and protecting a base in a warzone.

Tens of millions of them all over the world--soda and snack machines, parking meters and payphones, video games and vending machines... and they all use coins--but for how long? Examine the historic one-armed bandits and the 21st century, cutting edge, computerized slot machines that occupy Vegas casinos and get an exclusive look at their inner workings in a never-before-seen factory in Reno, Nevada. Search out some of the wackiest, strangest vending machines on the planet that sell everything from bottles of wine to dog washes. Get a close-up look at the famous binoculars located at popular tourist sites around the world, as well as a unique company that collects and cleans the coins thrown into fountains for good luck. But it all starts and ends in the historic halls of the U.S. Mint, where coins are made and destroyed. Will coins one day become obsolete?

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 its height controlling thousands of nuclear weapons, planes, and missiles, and boasting over a quarter-million personnel. We travel to the Strategic Air and Space Museum, located 20 miles from SAC's old headquarters in Nebraska, and walk through the cavernous bomb bay of SAC's workhorse, the B-52 Bomber.

It has been said that necessity is the mother of all invention--but that is not always the case. Some strange machines are built for sheer spectacle, some a glimpse into the future or even the past, while others are just plain...Weird. Take a look at machines that specialize in high functionality and low practicality, prompting two very important questions: What is it and...how do I get one? An Alaskan navigates the Juneau waters with his homemade submarine. A California company shocks local beach bums with their fully submersible "shark boats." We'll also meet a bicep-curling robot that's built to save lives; scale a mountain with a 21st century Batman-esque rope ascender; witness an engineered, forty-foot vortex of fire known as the Flame Tornado; and hit the backcountry trails with a snowboard-motorcycle hybrid inspired by a shopping cart.

Imagine the ultimate cheating move--so outrageous, audacious, and simple that not even the best casino detective can come close to catching the genius behind it... In this hour of a series profiling people who took Vegas for lots of cash, we meet Richard Marcus, who perfected the craft of casino cheating from the 1970s through the early `90s. Join Marcus and teammates Mark "Balls" Abromowitz and Pat Mallery on a raucous robbery romp through the world's toniest casinos. Their primary scheme? Past-posting--laying down or swapping out chips after a winning bet is known. Hot on their tail is casino investigator Andy Anderson who's made it his mission to bring them down. We also explore past-posting's history, security systems' evolution, and the psychology of casino cheating. Features exclusive interviews with Marcus, Abromowitz, and Mallery, and their nemesis, high-tech cheating sleuth Anderson.

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 training ground for High Surf Rescue. Then, we trace the evolution of life-saving technology at sea, and learn why the EPIRP (Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon) is the pleasure boater's greatest friend. And we take a look at how the U.S. Navy deals with accidents classified as "Man Overboard" in the 21st century.

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 ancillary technologies to store nuclear waste and clean up accidents. Despite the risk of use and abuse for destructive purposes, many scientists remain optimistic about what's next for the atom. In an explosive hour, we explore the atom in war and peace, and the latest in nuclear power generation, safety, and security.

How do you weigh a whale? We go to Shamu's Tank at Sea World to find out. How does your speedometer work? Off to GM's test track for the answer. We'll look at the five most common areas of measurement in our everyday lives: distance, time, speed, weight, and temperature. We visit the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to find out where common measurements come from and how standards for those measurements are set. Next, we'll go inside Stanley Tools where we'll see how they guarantee every measuring tape gives the right distance every time. And while we're measuring time, we'll learn why a $5 kid's watch is more accurate than a $10,000 luxury brand.

Explore the world of extreme temperatures. See what happens to Pyroman, a life-size mannequin, as he is exposed to over 3,000 degrees F. Visit Underwriters Laboratories and see how common household appliances can go lethal. Follow geologists as they take lava samples from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. Finally, journey into a fusion facility in San Diego, California and watch as scientist's heat plasma to over 200 million degrees F in hopes of someday creating an inexhaustible power source.

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 its height controlling thousands of nuclear weapons, planes, and missiles, and boasting over a quarter-million personnel. We travel to the Strategic Air and Space Museum, located 20 miles from SAC's old headquarters in Nebraska, and walk through the cavernous bomb bay of SAC's workhorse, the B-52 Bomber.

It started out as China's answer to Woodstock, but it ended like Kent State. Here, using unseen footage and declassified diplomatic sources, we present a previously shrouded story of the battles and deaths of hundreds of young Chinese students in June 1989--martyrs for democracy at Tiananmen Square--and the imprisonment of many others. Watch the birth and death of a movement, and learn how the demonstrators changed China forever.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

They are the largest moving objects on land--and one of the most powerful machines ever constructed...Trains. With over 100 cars joined together, and stretching over a mile in length, they can move tons of materials at speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour. They ride on almost 100,000 miles of steel rails that literally crisscross the nation. To service this vast system, an equally huge complex of railroad boneyards has emerged. Imaginative entrepreneurs have found new and innovative uses for every single component of the railroads--from tracks and ties--to the trains themselves. Though most of these great iron horses will ultimately be ripped and torn apart for scrapping, some will be grandly restored to live on in other roles.

Ron Harris worked for the Nevada Gaming Control Board but became disillusioned with the NGCB's lax attitude towards criminals he worked so hard to capture. He began reprogramming computer chips in slot machines the Board asked him to test and then directed accomplices to the rigged machines to collect the cash. As the winnings accumulated, Harris set his sights on the "random" number generator in the keno game. His plan? To create a program to replicate the "pattern" of a given keno board--a program that could take a series of winning numbers, decipher the code, and predict the next set of "random" winning numbers. Using a network of cell phones, calculators, and a laptop, Harris and partner John O'Connor meticulously prepare to beat the system for millions. But will it work?

Imagine the ultimate cheating move--so outrageous, audacious, and simple that not even the best casino detective can come close to catching the genius behind it... In this hour of a series profiling people who took Vegas for lots of cash, we meet Richard Marcus, who perfected the craft of casino cheating from the 1970s through the early `90s. Join Marcus and teammates Mark "Balls" Abromowitz and Pat Mallery on a raucous robbery romp through the world's toniest casinos. Their primary scheme? Past-posting--laying down or swapping out chips after a winning bet is known. Hot on their tail is casino investigator Andy Anderson who's made it his mission to bring them down. We also explore past-posting's history, security systems' evolution, and the psychology of casino cheating. Features exclusive interviews with Marcus, Abromowitz, and Mallery, and their nemesis, high-tech cheating sleuth Anderson.

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 training ground for High Surf Rescue. Then, we trace the evolution of life-saving technology at sea, and learn why the EPIRP (Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon) is the pleasure boater's greatest friend. And we take a look at how the U.S. Navy deals with accidents classified as "Man Overboard" in the 21st century.

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 ancillary technologies to store nuclear waste and clean up accidents. Despite the risk of use and abuse for destructive purposes, many scientists remain optimistic about what's next for the atom. In an explosive hour, we explore the atom in war and peace, and the latest in nuclear power generation, safety, and security.

How do you weigh a whale? We go to Shamu's Tank at Sea World to find out. How does your speedometer work? Off to GM's test track for the answer. We'll look at the five most common areas of measurement in our everyday lives: distance, time, speed, weight, and temperature. We visit the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to find out where common measurements come from and how standards for those measurements are set. Next, we'll go inside Stanley Tools where we'll see how they guarantee every measuring tape gives the right distance every time. And while we're measuring time, we'll learn why a $5 kid's watch is more accurate than a $10,000 luxury brand.

Explore the world of extreme temperatures. See what happens to Pyroman, a life-size mannequin, as he is exposed to over 3,000 degrees F. Visit Underwriters Laboratories and see how common household appliances can go lethal. Follow geologists as they take lava samples from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. Finally, journey into a fusion facility in San Diego, California and watch as scientist's heat plasma to over 200 million degrees F in hopes of someday creating an inexhaustible power source.