The worst episodes of Modern Marvels
Ranked by viewer rating, lows first. Vote on a placement to back it or contest it. Fewer than 10 rated episodes — treat this ranking as provisional.
- 01
Join us for a salute to the dreamers and schemers who brought the world an odd assortment of flawed ideas–like flying, swimming, and jet-powered automobiles, flying rocket belts, and radium-filled clothes that promised to inflate the owner's sagging love life! And we explore the minds of the off-kilter geniuses who thought up these off-the-mark concepts. Some tinkerers' musings were merely ahead of their time and deemed flops during the inventor's lifetime, but others were just plain bad!
- 02
In the land of Mardi Gras, jambalaya, and zydeco, exists an engineering marvel called the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway that seems to go on forever. Two ribbons of concrete span the largest inland body of water in Louisiana, and at nearly 23.87 and 23.88 miles long, these two spans form the world’s longest automobile bridge. At midpoint–12 miles out–water surrounds travelers who are unable to see either shoreline. The bridge is so long, it actually transverses 1/1000th of the earth’s circumference!
- 03
A spectacular roadway nearly 120 miles long, the Overseas Highway links mainland Florida with the Florida Keys, and contains 51 bridges, including the Seven-Mile Bridge. A boat was the only mode of travel from Miami to Key West until oil tycoon Henry Flagler completed his railroad line in 1912. After a 1935 hurricane destroyed 40 miles of track, the scenic highway was built using Flagler’s bridges. A $175-million refurbishment that ended in 1982 resulted in today’s remarkable Overseas Highway.
- 04
Take an in-depth look at the most proven and reliable sources: solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels, and tidal power. From the experimental to the tried-and-true, renewable energy sources are overflowing with potential... just waiting to be exploited on a massive scale.
- 05
An historical look at the technological engineering of the World Trade Center. The special was completed and the interviews took place before the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Rather than remake the program to reflect the horrors of that day, our program stands as an historical record to the wonder it once was–from the construction of this technological feat to the daily working of its complex system. The program offers some of the last interior footage of the Twin Towers.
Shows like Modern Marvels
The closest matches on shared genres, ranked by match strength and popularity.
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- 02Mystery·Nature·HistoryThe worst episodes of What on Earth?2015·Science
What on Earth? is a documentary series using satellite images of strange geological occurrences and man-made structures on Earth to examine such matters as the planet's extreme locations, phenomena and species. - 03Mystery·Nature·HistoryThe worst episodes of The Sky at Night1957–present·BBC FourOur team of astronomers tell us what's on view in the night sky.
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In each episode of Strip the Cosmos, stunning CGI strips major planets, moons, black holes, stars and galaxies of gases, minerals, rock, magma and gravitational force-fields – layer by layer – revealing the destiny,… - 06Mystery·History·AdventureThe worst episodes of Expedition Unknown2015–present·DiscoveryIn the hit series Expedition Unknown, Travel Channel's witty explorer Josh Gates seeks answers to some of the world's most captivating unsolved stories and legends.
