Modern Marvels

Sit tight and belt in because while there are over 230 million licensed drivers in America; we are going way beyond the driver's seat of your average automobile. It's time to jump behind the wheel of some of the biggest, fastest, most powerful machines on the planet. From battle tanks to blimps, helicopters to harvesters, you'll get the chance to sit in the driver's seat of some the world's most incredible vehicles for some truly Wild Rides.

Turn up the heat because it's time for Steam Power. From Jay Leno's personal steam cars and 11-ton steam engine to carousels, boats and skyscrapers fueled entirely by steam, Modern Marvels takes a deep dive into one of the oldest means of locomotion. It's high tech - 1800s style - as we travel the country in search of the most incredible vehicles, engines and even robots that run on Steam Power.

Ready to take a ride on the most thrilling helicopters in the sky? From the military's deadliest and most sophisticated choppers to homemade helicopters and million-dollar models customized with everything from bars and entertainment systems - Modern Marvels explores some of the coolest copters to ever take flight.

Buckle up as we take a rip-roaring ride through the world of extreme horsepower! From 8000 horsepower dragsters and hydroplanes with top speeds of 200 miles per hour, to a cargo ship propelled by the most powerful diesel engine on earth - a whopping 95,000 horsepower - Modern Marvels muscles through the most impressive engines ever built and how they achieve their incredible performance.

From Bolivia's Death Road to California's fog-smothered Highway 99 to dodging IEDs on the road to Baghdad Airport, "Modern Marvels" experiences the harrowing journey down some of the world's scariest roads.

Two million people wash their car every single day; taking a look at all the technology used to keep those beloved vehicles sparkling clean.

Climbing aboard the complex rail network that snakes through valleys, over rivers and across prairies to get America's goods from the factory to front doors.

All aboard! Modern Marvels takes a ride on the fastest and most powerful locomotives from around the globe. From France's 300 MPH speed train to future trains that glide on cushions of air to mining locomotives that traverse tunnels 700 feet underground, we'll catch a ride on the little-and big-engines that can.

Let's head to the fields as Modern Marvels takes a fascinating journey from farm to table! From the dizzying heights of California's date palm trees to the soggy Wisconsin cranberry marshes to the cavernous labyrinths of Pennsylvania's mushroom farms, we pick through the most unique and timeless forms of harvesting.

Prepare to be shocked and enlightened because it's time to enter the mad world of Nikola Tesla's remarkable inventions! From his 187-foot-high wireless network tower to his lifelong rivalry with Thomas Edison to his disturbing death ray and earthquake machines, Modern Marvels illuminates the genius--and the quirks--behind an electrifying mastermind.

Better be kind and rewind because we're diving into some blasts from technology's past! From unwieldy television sets and vintage record-making to evolving Mustang motors, join Modern Marvels as we rediscover some of the most beloved retro devices that built the tech-driven world we live in today.

Time to dig through those sofa cushions as Modern Marvels changes the way you think about coin-operated machines! From parking meters and pinball machines to vending machines and coin counters, we explore the ways people spend their quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies every day.

Get ready for a royal flush as Modern Marvels looks at the latest and greatest in bathroom technology. From the ultimate computerized shower experience to toilets that clean themselves, getting dirty has never been so much fun. It's everything you ever wanted to know about how the bathroom evolved into one of the most beloved, and expensive, rooms in the house.

Time to prime your tastebuds because Modern Marvels is about to get extra salty! From a mine 1800 feet below Lake Erie to a desalination plant that turns ocean water into drinking water to a restaurant that offers 40 different kinds of salt, we'll explore the many ways we extract, eat and use this essential mineral.

Think dirt is dull? Think again! From grand-scale Supercross tracks to mud wrestling; millions of homes to dusty car art, we're rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty as Modern Marvels unearths the many murky mysteries of the soil beneath our feet. Join us as we plunge into the muck that paved the way for ground-breaking innovations.

Time to sink your teeth into the super sharp world of saws. From a bank of six circular saws spinning at 1750 RPM to a diamond-coated belt saw that can slice through limestone like butter, Modern Marvels takes a sharp look at the cutting-edge tool that changed history by always being a cut above.