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All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 Corn

    • November 13, 2008
    • Discovery

    Let’s get right to the point: Corn is much more than a backyard barbecue side dish. In fact, there are more than 3,500 different uses for corn products: Chewing gum, peanut butter, vitamins, paint, antibiotics and ethanol fuel are just few examples.

  • S01E02 Turkey

    • November 20, 2008
    • Discovery

    According to the University of Illinois Extension, 97 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving, and 87 percent of people in the U.K. eat turkey at Christmas. Roasting up a big bird is a treat -- it's probably fair to say that many of these noshers look forward to their meaty meals long before the holidays.

  • S01E03 Timber

    • December 4, 2008
    • Discovery

    Log cabins may be a historical footnote and fossil fuels may reign supreme, but forests remain critical natural resources. What does the future hold for Paul Bunyan's favorite industry?

  • S01E04 Water

    • December 11, 2008
    • Discovery

    You could call water a liquid paradox.

  • S01E05 Beer

    • December 18, 2008
    • Discovery

    Barley, water, hops and yeast might not sound like a recipe for success, but to the beer connoisseur, the fine balance of those four ingredients is the stuff of legend.

  • S01E06 Aluminum

    • January 8, 2009
    • Discovery

    If you need a handy metal, you can't get much better than aluminum.

  • S01E07 Wheat

    • January 15, 2009
    • Discovery

    Nutritional and versatile, wheat isn't just for food anymore. Explore its surprising uses in everything from brewing beverages to building houses.

  • S01E08 Coffee

    • January 22, 2009
    • Discovery

    From Columbia to coffeehouses we talk to farmers, baristas, and everyone in between about the incredible beverage that fuels the World.

  • S01E09 Salt

    • January 29, 2009
    • Discovery

    We delve into the science of salt, the prehistoric, life-sustaining mineral that has 14,000 known uses from seasoning food to so much more.

  • S01E10 Rubber

    • February 12, 2009
    • Discovery

    Durable, flexible, waterproof, and of course, bouncy, rubber is versatile enough for things as different as basketballs and Hollywood special effects.

  • S01E11 Lead

    • February 19, 2009
    • Discovery

    Lead has gone from a dangerous to indispensable product that is evolving past its former stigma to become an integral part of our daily lives.

  • S01E12 Steel

    • March 21, 2009
    • Discovery

Season 2

  • S02E01 How Summer Changed the World

    • June 6, 2010
    • Discovery

    From the pyramids to modern warfare, discover how our favourite season helped change the world as we reveal the science and surprising history behind summer.

  • S02E02 How Whiskey Made America

    • June 6, 2010
    • Discovery

    From saving the whales to putting a man on the moon, discover how whiskey helped change the world

  • S02E03 Secrets of Chocolate

    • December 17, 2010
    • Discovery

    It fueled the Aztecs, helped win WW2, transformed TV and may save the rainforest. Go inside the intricate science and the outrageous history behind chocolate.

  • S02E04 Cereal Beyond the Bowl

    • December 10, 2010
    • Discovery

    Cereal helped fight World War II, invented the modern bank, and even sparked an invasion from Mars! That's just the beginning of the Cereal's story....

  • S02E05 Christmas Unwrapped

    • December 10, 2010
    • Discovery

    From creating the solar system to ending slavery, discover the amazing science and surprising history behind Christmas, on How Stuff Works.

  • S02E06 Games Unboxed

    • May 8, 2011
    • Discovery

    From Backgammon to billiards, discover how the games we love started the American Revolution and changed the world.

  • S02E07 Money

    • May 15, 2011
    • Discovery

    Whether it's struck from silver or stacked from cash, there's more to money than purchasing power. From the birth of writing to the pennies that marched into WW2, come explore the root of all evil.