From soup to beer, the aluminum can is a trophy of human ingenuity and is one of the most ubiquitous Man-Made products on the planet. Across the globe, the can is mass produced on a mind-boggling scale: more than 220 billion cans a year, including 600 million a day and 400,000 every minute. It has become a necessity, a technology, an icon, a cultural artifact and even an object of desire. NGC takes you on a journey through the history of this everyday item.
Originally considered a novelty item, The Flashlight has quickly become one of the world's most trusted tools. Each American owns an average of 3 or 4 flashlights, but providing light is not their only function. Join the National Geographic Channel to trace the flashlight's history and take a look at its unexpected role in our lives. From a military flashlight that can blind an enemy to crime-fighting flashlights used to find hidden clues, innovators continue to expand the flashlight's use.
In the South Pole, temperatures can drop to more than 100 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Now, witness as engineers go up against staggering odds to build a 160,000-square-foot, high-tech science facility in this frozen wasteland. Through exclusive access granted by the National Science Foundation, NGC"s cameras give viewers a glimpse of the intense danger & physical challenges of working in one of most inhospitable places on the planet.
Chronicling the two-year construction of the Queen Mary 2, which was the world's longest, tallest and widest passenger ocean liner when it was launched in 2003.
A visit across the country for a look at high tech technology concerning highway construction, including the machinery and engineering used to keep traffic moving.
An examination of the Los Angeles sophisticated sewer system, one of the world's largest.
A hotel is build mainly out of snow and ice in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, about 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
An exploration of what goes into the brewing of beer in major breweries, including a look at mass producing.
Experience the mighty mega shredder. The world's largest recycling machine takes the floor space of an entire factory. It will reduce the equivalent of 450 cars an hour to an unrecognizable pulp. And that's just one part of the 9 million tons of scrap metal spit from the jaws of the world's biggest metal shredder every year. Hauling away the fragments of what were once refrigerators and other household goods demands the services of a gargantuan gantry crane. In only 72 hours that crane will fill a 30,000 ton cargo ship that in turn will lug the precious scraps onto the world metal recycling market.
A profile of real life spies and security experts who work in everything from hostage rescues to the creation of high tech gadgets.
Head to the California Academy of Sciences in San Fransisco to investigate their use of sustainable technology which makes it one of the world's largest green public facilities.
A look at the science and engineering involved in the Bahrain World Trade Center, and its trio of 29-meter wind turbines which creates around 11-15% of the buildings energy demands.
In the city that never sleeps, one architects dream for a greener future has been realized. The One Bryant Park building in New York City is not only going to be the second tallest building in the city, but is set to be one of the most energy efficient skyscrapers in the world. Richard Cook and his team have taken on an exhilarating challenge to transform the modern approach to green technology. Both groups envisioned breaking new ground in the arena of environmentally conscious skyscrapers, a significant step forward in a city known for massive energy consumption. Join National Geographic as we examine the trials and triumphs of erecting a skyscraper whose blueprints just might map out a new design for our planets future.
NGC heads to the Boeing plant in Mesa, Arizona -- where cameras are rarely allowed -- for an in-depth look at the world's most lethal attack helicopter and its sophisticated technology.
Nicknamed the "Birds Nest", 42,000 tons of steel and hundreds of tons of concrete went into creating the main stadium for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
One of the world's longest bridges, the Carquinez in San Francisco, has to come down. How will engineers dismantle and recycle 24,000 tons of steel, concrete and rebar while fighting the elements in a race against time?
From its African origins to 17th century coffeehouses in Vienna to the ubiquitous Starbucks today, a potent little bean has revolutionized society throughout the ages.
Five high-tech mega-vessels are building a massive natural gas network below the Gulf of Mexico. This $2-billion project could produce enough gas for five million U.S. households. See what it takes to tap Earth's most inaccessible energy reserves.
A celebration of modern technology. EARTHMOVERS explores the best of the best of earthmoving machinery, offering great stories, fascinating facts and some surprising conclusions. Follow our team of experts as they examine the biggest and most powerful super-dozers, excavators and dumptrucks - some the size of office buildings - to reveal the worlds greatest marvels of excavation engineering.
In Canada's Northwest Territories, monster machines are moving mountains of gem-studded earth at the Ekati Diamond Mine. Here, in the brutal sub-Arctic, you'll meet a trio of the world's most hardcore mining machines.
NGC explores the 150-year history and evolution of the machine gun from the 19th-century Gatling gun to the first gangster "hit" with a Tommy Gun to one of the deadliest weapons in the world.
Construction is under way on the Hawaii Super Ferry - a commuter vessel complete with shops, restaurants and enough storage space for nearly 300 cars. Join NGC to find out how this super ferry will soon provide fast and affordable ferry service in Hawaii. But to succeed, it must provide a comfortable ride while blazing at speeds of almost 50 mph and cutting through 6-foot-high swells. Follow a team of workers as they attempt to convert the innovative design into a functional ferry.
Hoover Dam is regarded as an engineering masterpiece and an America icon. But what if it did not exist today? How would engineers build it today? In this one hour program, we ask a team of engineers what they would do the same and what they would do differently... as we re-invent Hoover Dam.
The longest bridge of its kind, the Oresund connects Denmark and Sweden for the first time since the Ice Age. Discover the extreme equipment, massive parts and innovative design it took to create the link that radically altered the map of Scandinavia.
See how designers and engineers overcame the near impossible to build this bridge -- one of the longest in the world -- in one of the most challenging environments on earth
Off the coast of Dubai, the world's tallest and most luxurious hotel rises from the water like a massive yacht. NGC takes you inside the conception and construction of this audacious structure that pushed the boundaries of engineering to the limit.
In the Arabian Gulf, the world's largest artificial islands are being constructed in the shape of a massive palm tree. It's part of a plan to transform Dubai into the world's premier luxury tourist destination. Will it work?
In Manning, Iowa, building movers haul a Lutheran church with a 100-foot steeple to a new location. In Sarasota, Florida, movers dismantle the iconic Crocker Church for a move through crammed downtown streets.
Two teams of movers overcome massive logistical obstacles to move two Massive Machines. In England we follow the exploits of heavy hauler Alf Arnold who faces the unenviable task of moving $40 million worth of brand new subway cars 200 miles across the UKs roads for Londons Underground. Once they reach the city, he has to thread each of the eighteen carriages down through a narrow hole in the road in the correct order and line them up on the track below. Can Alfs team deliver the pristine trains onto the tracks in 24 hours, and without a single scratch? In Manitoba, Canada, we chart the emotional journey of husband and wife wreck chasers Pat Madden and Annette Spaulding as they attempt to lift a long lost aircraft off the bottom of a Lake. Can the team haul the aircraft out of the water before winter strikes?
Two teams of building movers face the ultimate challenge : move two Entire Towns of homes. On Vancouver Island, Canada, a team of engineers attempts to build and move a series of floating luxury homes. But can they haul the 85-ton aquatic villas through 150 miles of rough waters, from the construction site to their moorings, without sailing off course? While in Denver, Colorado we reveal how a team of leading skyscraper designers is turning vertical construction methods horizontal to build, move and assemble an entire town of homes in record time. Will David Cohen's radical ideas transform the way communities are created in the future?
Dubai is taking nature into its own hands by creating 300 man-made islands off its coast in its attempt to become the top tourist destination in the world. Its goal: to develop these islands into what can be seen from space as a world map.
A family demolition team from Phoenix Maryland descends on Miami Beach, Florida to take down an outdated resort complex. Neighboring multi-million dollar condo buildings sit just 18 feet away. The team has limited time to load and rig dynamite and highly specialized, high speed explosives capable of cutting steel. They struggle to keep every ounce of explosive energy from impacting the buildings and people that surround the demolition site.
A family demolition team from Phoenix, Maryland descends on site of the Sellafield Nuclear plant to take down four outdated nuclear cooling towers. The demolition team plans on making history by being the first to successfully use explosives on an active nuclear site in the United Kingdom. The team has ten days to load and rig 4400 dynamite charges in the towers, one of which is only 40m away from a nuclear fuel processing plant. The team is set to make history, but are worried about the fallout.
The Orange Bowl home to the Miami Dolphins for 21 seasons, and host of five Super Bowls is about to be demolished. Its a monster breakdown jobwith a monster deadline: In just four months, a demolition team needs to clear over a quarter million feet of stadium to get ready for a new stadium. Not only is there a tight timetable, everything must be salvaged or recycled. But before the team can break down the stadium, theyll have to save parts of it. After a memorabilia company combs the bowl for collectibles and auctions off what they salvage its finally time for the demo team to get their hands on the bowl. 50,000 left over orange seats, nearly 100,000 square feet of turf, and eight ten-ton stadium light towers are recycled or resold, freeing the demo team to take down the stadium itself. Using a combo of wrecking balls and mega machines, theyll cut, pull, and pummel this historic structure until its a bowl full of rubble. The iconic Orange Bowl, is about to be history.
Built in 1914, the world's shipping shortcut, the Panama Canal, is having trouble keeping up with 21st century demand. A $5 billion expansion is about to change that.
The 747 Jumbo is a marvel of engineering that revolutionized world travel. Nearly forty years after the first flight it continues to be the worlds fastest subsonic jetliner . Now the bigger challenge isn't the construction of new aircraft, its the dismantling of the old. With pieces that are all substantially bigger, higher and heavier than standard jets, the 747 promises to be a tough deconstruction challenge for this group of airplane mechanics. Well be with them, from cockpit to cargo hold, as they tackle this mega feat of unengineering.
In Iceland, a giant boring machine called Jaws is tunneling through miles of basalt, one of the world's hardest rocks. The tunnel is the linchpin of a massive hydro-electric plant that will use glacier melt water to make electricity.
Along the shores of the Persian Gulf sits a building with two 50-story glass towers shaped like sails, Bahrain World Trade Center. Explore the worlds first skyscraper to incorporate wind energy on a large scale.
A family demolition team from Phoenix Maryland descends on Cape Canaveral, Florida to take down an obsolete rocket launch tower. The team has one month to load and rig highly specialized, high-speed explosives capable of cutting steel. They struggle to keep the job on schedule and the team safe on this industrial demolition site.
Science meets fashion when NGC travels the world to reveal the secrets, history and complex construction behind one of the world's most highly engineered garments.
With 101 floors, the Shanghai World Financial Center is China's tallest structure, engineered to withstand the toughest environmental challenges -- and even deadlier human threats.
Since the ancient Greeks and Romans started storing wine in ceramic vases, packaging has evolved to withstand plane crashes, outwit shoplifters, and reduce landfill trash. Packaging made from corn and rice may point the way to a cleaner future.
What's the key ingredient in potato chips? How many Goldfish to a bag? Learn the secrets of America's favorite snack foods.
As NGC explores the time-consuming reality of real life CSI, we see there is no perfect crime. Go behind the scenes of working forensic labs to see the true scientific processes need to turn the smallest clues into hard evidence.
Explore Tokyo - the worlds most populous metropolis. This place has it all, except the space for its 35 million residents. Architects must answer the challenge with an array of inventive solutions for living small in a big city. Visitors and residents sleep in hotel rooms the size of phone booths and use inventive floor and light plans to turn the small into the spacious. See how Tokyo overcomes the space crunch while staying comfortable and maintaining the citys distinct style.
In little over a year, an astonishing new bridge is designed and built to replace the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River that tragically collapsed in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Freedom of the Seas debuted in 2006 as the worlds largest cruise ship: a fast, fabulous floating city with nearly 6000 people on board almost every day. Freedom has a reputation for everything thats bold and beautiful, and her first New Year's is set to be an extravagant celebration with a week of intense preparation leading up to the biggest ever New Year's Eve party at sea. She is equipped with the technology to handle almost anything: rogue waves, hurricanes, terrorist attack and even contagious diseases - threats no captain can ignore. In the lead up to the big bash, Freedom and her crew of nearly 1500 will not only battle the elements but also a full complement of eccentric guests. The first New Years Eve on the worlds biggest cruise ship: plain sailing or a nautical nightmare? This is the inside story.
Experience the rush of a fighter jet launch from the world's most advanced nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and discover the inner workings of this floating American territory.
A family demolition team from Phoenix Maryland descends on Vegas to take down the legendary New Frontier Hotel and Casino complex.They've imploded 20 structures in Vegas but the Frontier proves to be particularly difficult. Its a stubborn old building, filled with massive amounts of rebar, that forces the team to load over 5000 sticks of dynamite. Further complicating the plan, the client wants to send the building out with a huge fireworks display. Loaded with dynamite, fireworks and steel, the Frontier impresses to the last.
Follow the construction of the world's biggest casino and its second biggest building. It's being sited in Macau, in Southern China, which is being groomed to be Asia's capital of gambling.
The Oasis of the Sea is the largest and most revolutionary cruise ship in the world. Apart from sheer size - with 18 decks, 2,700 staterooms and the ability to carry 5,400 guests - the ship is a high-tech vessel for the 21st century, presenting features that have never been seen on a ship before. To build it, designers and engineers are put to the ultimate test.
Get exclusive access to the construction of a man-made marvel suspended over one of Mother Nature's greatest wonders a horseshoe-shaped, glass-floored bridge that allows visitors to walk where eagles fly. NGC takes viewers behind the daring design and death-defying construction of the Grand Canyon Skywalk, formed from 1 million pounds of steel and glass, perched 4,000 feet above the Colorado River.
Could our modern Western preference for smooth mates have its origins in prehistoric dating? From sharpened rocks to the multi-blade razor, the story of shaving gets especially rough with the intense rivalry between inventors Gillette and Schick.
Stacking five ton sections of steel, fourteen hundred feet in the air - plucking fourteen thousand pound logs off of mountain slopes - blasting wildfires with twenty-five hundred gallons of water - all with one machine! It can only be the Air-Crane! Six blades and nine thousand horsepower under the control of fearless, expert pilots do the seemingly impossible day after death defying day. From Nevada to Sardinia to Vancouver Island, see this Extreme Helicopter in stunning High Def as it pushes the boundaries of flight.
The Amphicar, a German-built novelty, is not only a car; it's also a boat. Hampered by extensive repairs and hard-to-find parts, classic car expert Alan Lewenthal and his restoration crew transform a rare 1967 amphibious car from a rusty relic into a profitable auction-block winner. The restoration turns out to be twice the trouble as the crew finds their auto repair skills sorely tested when it comes to fixing a boat.
To resurrect a classic 1969 Chevrolet Camaro z28, restoration wizard Alan Lewenthal and his crew persist against the devastating effects of massive corrosion and the difficulties of finding authentic engine parts to restore this rare muscle car. They have just 12 weeks to complete the rebuild for a prestigious auto auction in Atlantic City where Alan hopes to sell the classic for a profit. Alan bought the Camaro sight unseen but information found on the z28s body tag made the rusty relic an irresistibly valuable restoration prospect. Along w/the standard designations for interior style and engine size, the tag indicated the former street racer had come from the GM factory with a custom color paint job. This z28 was a one-of-a-kindrare among the rare. Using auto-archaeology to find the original paint color and spending more than $100,000 in parts and labor, Alan raises this legendary muscle car from a rust heap to its former glory only to take a 40 thousand dollar loss at the Atlantic City auction. But he says, its all in the game.
The Caterpillar 797B is so large that assembly takes place at six different locations. Tour all of the factories that build this mining Goliath.
The soon-to-be-released Chevy Volt electric car just might redefine the automotive world: It can go from 0 to 60 in less than nine seconds, hit a top speed of 100 miles per hour and is good for 40 miles of zero-emission, pure electric driving. Our cameras got rare behind-the-scenes access to the pre-production factory for this revolutionary vehicle
See engineers "bake" dummies that are life-like enough to feel crash impacts as human bodies would. Then head to meet the world record holder for the "most human subject crash tests," who has willingly subjected his body to 852 real-life accidents
Find out how people through the ages have taken care of their private business, from sociable Romans, to buttoned-up Victorians, to astronauts answering nature's call in zero gravity. See how the toilet of the future may help the world's water shortage.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at some of the cutting-edge technologies being developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to detect, deter, and defeat terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and infrastructure within our borders.
Abu Dhabi is famous for its extreme engineering, but now one project could surpass them all - the world's most inclined skyscraper, Capital Gate. Capital Gate is a tower that spirals out of the ground at 525 feet and tilts almost five times more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower will include a five-star hotel on the top 18 levels, an infinity pool, a restaurant hanging 300 feet above the ground and a helicopter pad on the roof.
Breaking through over 5 feet of ice demands a vessel of incredible power- the Icebreaker. These behemoths keep the worlds shipping lanes open during the harshest of conditions making them vital to the global economy. We follow the construction of a vessel that can break ice and carry cargo at the same time: The Arctic Icebreaking Containership.
The global energy crisis is fueling innovation at rapid speeds, and in Power Quest we'll traverse the continent in search of the latest in alternative energy sources.
Three teams of engineers are locked in a race to harness what may be the most powerful form of green energy swift tidal currents and battering waves, the power of the oceans. Each team believes it can solve a portion of the worlds energy needs. They're testing out three different machines designed to be placed in the water and convert ocean energy into electricity. But getting the machine from the design stage to implementation has been a difficult challenge and now each team is ready to install their systems and turn them on for the first time. If they succeed, they could radically change the way we power our planet.
Alaskas Extreme Machines is a spine-jarring, jaw-dropping road trip aboard three the nations biggest and most powerful machines as their tough crews battle the extreme elements during an Alaska winter to accomplish their missions.
Gallon of Gas is a program that explores the journey of oil - from creation millions of years ago...all the way to your car's gas tank. Starting as prehistoric plankton, transforming in the pressure cooker of time, and finally emerging as the raw stuff which fuels the modern world. To win this elusive prize, well drill through miles of rock. And brave some of the harshest locations on the planet. All simply to fill our tanks
The Bugatti Veyron is a "super" super car - part automobile and part airplane. And with a base price of $1,750,000, it is the most expensive production car in the world. Designed with materials and construction techniques normally found in the aerospace industry, this remarkable engineering achievement is one of the fastest street-legal cars ever built. Now, NGC takes an insider look at the Bugatti factory to see how this modern engineering masterpiece is built.
Abu Dhabi will set out on the biggest project to date - a new micro-city with a round skyscraper taller than the Statue of Liberty and curved glass skin covering the area of four football fields. The spherical design and the proposed site pose numerous challenges, including design stability and a location that is half a mile out in the Persian Gulf and 25 feet under water. On top of everything, this skyscraper must be completed in just 30 montmonths' time.
Everything has a purpose: every ornament, every stone, every column, every arch, every room. Everything has its place, its form and thus its own meaning, its own deep symbolism. Cologne Cathedral is a stone creed, a book that hardly anyone can read anymore.
