Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity invention and imagination found in the world around us. This series tells fascinating stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and man made wonders. The hit series goes deep to explore the leading edge of human inspiration and ambition. Episode The Golden Gate Bridge - The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the foremost man, made tourist attractions in the United States. But at one time, critics said it could never be built. From the start, the project looked impossible. Yet engineer Joseph B. Strauss' plans proved to be a masterpiece of design and function. In four years the longest, highest, most spectacular suspension bridge on earth opened to the public, and became one of the greatest symbols of American ingenuity ...

Controversial historian Professor Niall Ferguson argues that in the last century there were not in fact two World Wars and a Cold War but a single Hundred Years' War. It was not nationalism that powered the conflicts of the century, but empires. It was not ideologies of class or the advent of socialism driving the century, but race. Ultimately, ethnic conflict underpinned 20th century violence. Finally, it was not the west that triumphed as the century progressed, in fact, power slowly and steadily migrated towards the new empires of the East. Episode 1 The Clash of Empires - An alternative perspective to the events of the 20th century, offering different explanations for the two world wars and the shifting balance of power as the 1900s progressed. He begins by studying the origins of World War One, arguing that the conflict sparked racial hatred which was exploited by nation states for ...

John Rhys-Davies hosts this 1991 series that explores various archeological subjects and their link to stories of the past. The show explores the efforts of archaeologists and the methods they use to discover the answers to these mysteries. The Ancients of North America - Southeastern Utah is one of the richest and least disturbed archaeological areas in the Southwest. In 1990, archaeologists in this region discovered a dry cave/rock shelter with human remains. Only a small piece of sandal was removed in order to obtain a date on the site. Amazingly, the date was revealed as 5,490 B.C. Who were the peoples who first conquered North America's southwest? ...

WWII was not just a military conflict. It was also a series of psychological battles waged by the four great leaders Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. In these mental duels, the "warlords" lied, schemed, charmed, flattered and cheated to win. Inter-weaving the leaders' own words with personal recollections and private diaries, it reveals the four warlords as fascinating, flawed, and fully human. Episode 2 Churchill vs Roosevelt, May 1940 April 1942 An examination of the mental battles waged between 20th century leaders Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt during the first two years of their relationship. A duel of false promises, evasion and delusion ensued, which was far removed from the more familiar image of friendship and loyalty ...