Season 14 |
| 551 :14x01 - Balls (Jan/17/2007) | | From professional sports to the playground, balls have been a way of life for generations. Explore the research, development, technology and performance of balls as they spin through our sporting lives, bouncing evenly, spiraling tightly, and careening off our feet, bats, racquets and clubs. Tour the Wilson Football Factory and the Rawling's Costa Rica Baseball Factory as well as visit the National Soccer Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. | |
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| 552 :14x02 - Environmental Tech (Jan/24/2007) | | Environmental technology is examined. Included: blue-green algae is turned into fuel; and methane from decomposing garbage is converted into clean-burning natural gas. Also: carbon sequestration and bioremediation. | |
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| 553 :14x03 - Canning (Jan/31/2007) | | The history of canning is chronicled. Included: a self-heating can; self-cooling cans; microwaveable cans; ozone-safe aerosol cans; and cans for storing nuclear waste. | |
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| 554 :14x04 - Pumps (Feb/07/2007) | | The history of the pump is chronicled. Included: the Colorado River Aqueduct; pumps used in water distribution in Southern California; a robotic cow-milking pump; and a pump used in heart surgery. | |
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| 555 :14x05 - Ice (Feb/11/2007) | | Ice and ice-related technology are examined. Included are a visit to the U.S. National Ice Core Laboratory in Colorado; a study of icebergs and glaciers. | |
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| 556 :14x06 - The Destroyer (Feb/13/2007) | | The destroyers made during World War II for the Pacific theater are examined. Included: interviews with veterans; archival film footage. | |
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| 557 :14x07 - Weapons of Mass Destruction (Feb/21/2007) | | Weapons of mass destruction, from the nuclear to the biological, are examined. Included: a computer-generated depiction of a dirty-bomb attack in Seattle. Also: how scientists identify biological agents; and suicide bombing-prevention strategies. | |
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| 558 :14x08 - Barbarian Battle Tech (Mar/04/2007) | | Examining the technology of barbarians, including the bow and arrow, a chariot suspension system, and the metal work of a Celtic sword. | |
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| 559 :14x09 - Deep Sea Salvage (Mar/14/2007) | | Deep-sea salvage technology used in U.S. Navy diving-and-salvage operations is examined. Included: the USS Salvor salvage ship's help after the TWA Flight 800 crash in 1996. Also: Alvin, a Navy deep-submergence vehicle. | |
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| 560 :14x10 - Dams (Mar/28/2007) | | A history of dams and the technology used in them; and a study of their ecological impact. Included: a visit to a hydroelectric dam; a tour of the Utah Water Research Laboratory hydraulics lab. Also: a dam in Brazil. | |
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| 561 :14x11 - Yard Tech (Apr/10/2007) | | Lawn technology is explored. Included: a tour of the Toro Company to examine lawn mowers; a trip to the Scotts Company to learn about varieties of grass seed. Also: the Rain Bird automatic-sprinkler system; and the Davey tree-moving company. | |
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| 563 :14x13 - Welding (May/09/2007) | | A history of welding includes techniques used to create body armor; robotic welding; and explosion welding. | |
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| 564 :14x14 - It Came From Outer Space (May/16/2007) | | Space-travel technology adapted for commercial use, including heat-resistant paint used in high-rise buildings; satellite batteries used in sports cars; oxygen tanks from Apollo missions used by firefighters. | |
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| 565 :14x15 - '60s Tech (May/16/2007) | | The groovy technology of the 1960s is recalled. Included: color television; transistor radios; satellite broadcasting; touch-tone telephones; the Ford Mustang; lava lamps; Etch A Sketch; and the Super Ball. | |
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| 566 :14x16 - World's Strongest 2 (May/23/2007) | | Some of the strongest things in the world are examined. Included: boron carbide body armor; the Bigfoot monster truck; a crane that can lift a 600-ton yacht; and a car shredder. | |
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| 567 :14x17 - '70s Tech (May/30/2007) | | The technology of the 1970s is recalled. Included: PONG; Speak & Spell; the Concorde supersonic jet; Mr. Coffee; and Polaroid cameras. | |
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| 568 :14x18 - Engineering Disasters of the '70s (May/31/2007) | | Engineering mishaps of the 1970s are recalled. Included: the 1975 sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior; the 1972 Buffalo Creek dam disaster in West Virginia; and a supertanker explosion in Los Angeles Harbor. | |
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| 569 :14x19 - Truck Stops (Jun/13/2007) | | An examination of truck stops. Included: a tour of the world's largest truck stop complete with a movie theater, barbershop and a dentist's office; stops that provide an electric source so truckers can use their vehicles as living quarters without idling. Also: the future of truck stops. | |
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| 570 :14x20 - Fertilizer (Jun/20/2007) | | An examination of fertilizer features visits to places where the key nutrients needed for fertilizers are produced. Included: a phosphate mine; a sewage-treatment plant; and a trough filled with millions of worms. | |
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| 571 :14x21 - Cheese (Jun/27/2007) | | A history of cheese includes a visit to dairy farms in Wisconsin and cheese factories in California. Also, cheese varieties during the Roman Empires; and changes in the making and packaging of cheese in during the industrial revolution. | |
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| 572 :14x22 - Saws (Jul/18/2007) | | The history of saws examines how Egyptians cut through stone and how modern saws slice easily through rock-solid objects like limestone. Also: saws as instruments of torture and tools for surgery. | |
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| 573 :14x23 - Aluminum (Jul/25/2007) | | The history of aluminum. Included: a visit to NASA to see how aluminum is used in telescopes and reflective mirrors; a look at the widest rolling mill; and a segment on aluminum baseball bats. | |
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| 574 :14x24 - Sticky Stuff (Jul/30/2007) | | Sticky adhesive substances are examined. Included: duct tape, fly paper and denture adhesives. | |
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| 575 :14x25 - Chocolate (Aug/06/2007) | | A history of chocolate examines the chocolate-making process and the many properties it is thought to possess. Included: the making of M&Ms is observed; a cacao-bean farm in Central America is toured. | |
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| 576 :14x26 - Bedroom Tech (Aug/13/2007) | | Technology used in the bedroom includes ancient Chinese fire clocks, a modern flying alarm clock, napping pods, snore stoppers and sunrise simulators. Also: Hugh Hefner's bedroom in the Playboy Mansion. | |
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| 577 :14x27 - Vacuums (Aug/20/2007) | | A history of vacuum devices. Included: underwater vacuums designed to remove algae from coral reefs; huge vacuum cleaners used in the aftermath of natural disasters; pneumatic tubes used in the 19th century to deliver mail; vacuum-powered railways. Also: a visit to Hoover's Vacuum Cleaner Museum in Ohio; and the world's largest vacuum chamber at the NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station. | |
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| 578 :14x28 - Traps (Aug/27/2007) | | The history of traps. Included: bear traps in West Virginia; traps to catch cats stranded after Hurricane Katrina; and underwater traps to count salmon in the Columbia River. | |
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| 579 :14x29 - Nature Tech: Volcanoes (Aug/29/2007) | | Shows the different technologies used to monitor volcanoes from seismographs to gps monitoring. Shows the destructive power of three volcanoes, Mt. St. Helen's, Mt Pinatubo, and one in Colombia. USGS scientists discuss the various monitoring technologies used to monitor volcanoes and also future tech and technology used for countries that need help from the USGS in monitoring. | |
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| 581 :14x31 - Batteries (Sep/19/2007) | | A history of batteries examines how they are produced, their many uses and what they will be like in the future. | |
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| 582 :14x32 - Extreme Aircraft II (Sep/20/2007) | | Cutting-edge aircraft are spotlighted. Included: the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter; the B-1B Lancer; and Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs), which can be launched from a backpack, travel and hover to provide reconnaissance information. | |
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| 584 :14x34 - Deep Freeze (Sep/25/2007) | | Deep-freeze technology is examined, including a 12-story freezer to store 135 pounds of ice cream. Also: a visit to the Alcor Life Extension Foundation cryonics center in Arizona; and a look at how cold is used to shatter rubber and strengthen steel. | |
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| 585 :14x35 - Acid (Oct/01/2007) | | It is the most widely produced chemical in the world and possibly the most dangerous. Take a look at the many uses of acid. See how the military harnesses acid to make the explosive "Comp B-4." Visit a sulfuric acid plant to see how acid can take the stain out of stainless steel and learn how it can be mixed to dissolve precious metal. At the Heinz vinegar plant discover why acid's sour taste is sweet. Finally, meet a mad scientist who will demonstrate how acid can hollow out a penny and turn a hot dog to sludge! | |
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| 586 :14x36 - World's Sharpest (Oct/11/2007) | | It's time to slice and dice! Take a cutting-edge look at the most amazing blades in the world, from the legendary sword of the samurai warrior with an edge sharp enough to sever a man's arm in a single swipe, to industrial shredder blades capable of gobbling anything from a sofa to a fridge, to the precision slicing power of lasers and plasma. | |
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| 589 :14x39 - Environmental Tech II (Nov/12/2007) | | Eco-friendly technology designed to help prevent global warming is examined. Included: solar-energy towers in Spain; a rooftop wind turbine; and a car that runs on air. | |
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| 590 :14x40 - Corn (Nov/19/2007) | | A closer look at the many uses for corn, including as a food and fuel. Included is a trip to Lakeside Foods in Reedsburg, Wisc. and VeraSun Energy in Charles City, Iowa, where fuel is created from corn. | |
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| 591 :14x41 - The Pig (Nov/27/2007) | | The pig is the subject. Included: the use of heart valves, the pancreas and intestines for human transplant operations; a visit to Burger's Smokehouse in Missouri to see how bacon, hams, ribs and sausage are made. Also: chef Chris Cosentino makes dishes using pig parts. | |
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| 592 :14x42 - Rocks (Dec/03/2007) | From the Stone Age to the Space Age, our world has been built from rocks. Visit the Johnson Space Center in Houston to examine America's horde of moon rocks to determine how the planets were formed, and how old the solar system is. See how marble and granite are extracted, cut and polished. Do some blasting at a gravel pit, watch ore turn into steel and finally, learn how the Geysers in Northern California harness heat from rocks to create energy for 85,000 homes.
Source: history.com | |
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| 593 :14x43 - Most Shocking (Dec/10/2007) | It strikes without warning and kills in an instant. We fear its might even as we use it to save a life. Explore the electric shock in its numerous forms. Visit a modern day taser factor, uncovering the history behind these devices. Deconstruct a lightening bolt, which can travel up to 100,000 miles per second, and listen to the shocking tales from survivors of lightening strikes. From fences to eels, to the electric chair, we reveal the jolting truth about the electric shock.
Source: History.com | |
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| 594 :14x44 - Cold Cuts (Dec/17/2007) | They're the meat in our sandwiches and slices of American pop culture. Take a look behind the deli counter to reveal the secret ingredients in boloney. Watch a master sausage maker craft salami, and pile it on at Carnegie Deli with their famous mile-high pastrami sandwich. We'll construct exotic cold cuts made of pig head parts and livers, make the cut with the best meat slicers, past and present and see how to make turkey out of tofu. And don't forget that olive loaf for the holidays. Served cold and cut with precision. Pureed, pounded, and poured, it's time for a taste of cold cuts.
Source: History.com | |
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| 595 :14x45 - Fast Food Tech (Dec/26/2007) | Can fast food get any faster? Fast food joints in the US pull in $150 billion dollars in annual sales. Their mantra is "fast, consistent, and inexpensive." Learn how they grow it, process it, freeze it, ship it, track it, fry it, flip it and pack it. Watch as hundreds of burgers, fries and shakes fly across counters and drive-thru windows at Carl's Jr., Jack in the Box, Wendy's and McDonald's. Visit a potato-processing plant for the scoop on how fries are made and learn how Taco Bell's founder developed the fast-food hard shell taco. Find out what the future holds for fast food technology.
Source: History.com | |
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