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.

45min | Aired on Jan 03, 2001 | TV-G | CC

Scientists and engineers race against time to save the crew of crippled spacecraft Apollo 13.

Humans adapt to potentially deadly environmental conditions.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel stretch 17 miles.

44min | Aired on Feb 07, 2001 | TV-PG | CC

Monster trucks entertain using brute force.

45min | Aired on Mar 12, 2001 | TV-PG | CC

From the earliest known lighthouses, such as the Pharos of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, to modern-day automated buoys and solar-powered lantern rooms, this history of lighthouses is rich with personal stories of lighthouse keepers, daring construction efforts, and ingenious optical discoveries. Today, as lighthouses are usurped by more efficient aids to navigation, these elegant structures are being converted to bed-and-breakfast inns and environmental retreats.

46min | Aired on Mar 19, 2001 | TV-G | CC

The Pentagon...The name alone conjures up an imposing image of American power and prestige. As the largest office building in the world, it serves as the headquarters of the nation’s armed forces.

45min | Aired on Mar 27, 2001 | TV-G | CC

From colossal devices designed to save the world to mind-expanding, world-shrinking machines, we trace the evolution of mice and menus. Learn about the world's most powerful computer, IBM's ASCI White, that operates at 12-trillion calculations a second. See how the first room-sized computers, such as ENIAC, changed the world. Bite into Apple's history, the machine that made computers a household appliance. And peer through a microscope to see the molecular computers of the future.

46min | Aired on Apr 11, 2001 | TV-PG | CC

Tower of Pisa; nuclear accident; Soyuz 11; Mars Climate Orbiter.

43min | Aired on Apr 16, 2001 | TV-PG | CC

A daring band of infantry soldiers uncovers secret enemy arms and intelligence caches.

44min | Aired on Nov 13, 2002 | TV-PG V | CC

A salute to the tools and toys that have stood the test of time--from the Zippo lighter to the Palm Pilot, the 21st century's first great gadget.

44min | Aired on Jun 27, 2001 | TV-G | CC

The self-propelled Crusader launches artillery shells farther than 33 miles.

Since the 1950s, these lethal steel sharks have been a cornerstone of U.S. defense policy. The Cold War launched an underwater race for supremacy with the Soviet Union, and the result was an engineering miracle that roams the world's oceans and provides deterrence to enemies.

43min | Aired on Aug 28, 2001 | TV-PG | CC

From barnstormers to Blue Angels, antique aircraft to supersonic jets, each year there are an astonishing 425 air shows in America alone, entertaining over 18-million spectators

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., trains students in the art of war.

Without rock, modern society wouldn't exist.

45min | Aired on Sep 18, 2001 | TV-G | CC

Miners dig for rough diamonds half a mile deep.

Bunkers function in a variety of forms to protect leaders.

44min | Aired on Oct 23, 2001 | TV-PG | CC

More than 2 million people die in the United States each year.

It lies at the heart of one of the world's greatest cities and ranks among the most popular tourist destinations on the planet. Modern Marvels takes you behind the scenes at Times Square, showing you how this marvel came to be and why it remains an icon to this day.

Glass may be our most versatile material. It sheathes skyscrapers, contains liquids, aids vision, allows communication at unimaginable speeds, and yet remains a medium for artistic expression. We see how, when man learned that heating certain rocks and minerals together could produce glass, this remarkably transparent yet strong material began working its way into our culture and everyday life. As we look to its future, we learn that the only limit to what glass may do is our ability to imagine it!

45min | Aired on Dec 01, 2001 | TV-G | CC