America today is experiencing unparalleled abundance. How have we managed to advance at such a significant rate? Have we lost anything to the tides of progress? Join host Gabe McCauley as he sets out on a journey to answer these questions and more.
Food in America is easy, you just put it in your shopping cart and pay. But it hasn’t always been this way. From sustenance farming to big business enterprises, we take a look at how farming has scaled to epic proportions while some have chosen to return to the land from whence we came.
Thanks to your smart phone, mankind is more connected than ever before. However, we may be experiencing the beginning of a communication epidemic. We review our tech heritage from the first electronic dashes beyond the boom of the dot coms.
From purple mountain majesties to amber waves of grain, America has a wealth of natural treasures to behold. After a century of the National Park service, much of our lands have been preserved for countless generations to enjoy, but not without the mixed blessings of progress.
This country was built on the shoulders of some of the hardest-working American immigrants--European bred draft horses. America’s working horses may have been out-paced by the greater horsepowers of today, but there are still a few careers with the job requirement of a strong back and 4 hooves.
If there's a memory that most every American has in common, it's learning to ride a bike. In the last century, the bicycle has pedaled out of our memories and into the skies. See how the bicycle led to the automobile and to the airplane, while remaining a staple in the American garage.
From one room school houses with pencil & paper to campuses with smart-boards & tablets, education in this country has experienced a massive overhaul. Putting the education system to the test, we visit homeschool coops, modern one room schoolhouses, and a high school who might just understand the big picture.
Gabe visits Jack White's Third Man Pressing to find out if the vinyl resurgence is just a fad, or if it's here to stay.
From tents to steeples to megachurches: how religious groups have divided, multiplied, and united Americans for generations.
From the land of the green to the land of the Free: why so many Irish left for America and why it’s worth looking back on.
Wagons Ho, Now Boarding, Stand Clear, Closing Doors: journeying back to the ways we traveled and how they changed the reasons why we travel.
From survival, to privilege, to sport: how one of our most fundamental means for living led to extinction of life and consequently created a means and system to preserve it.
A complicated and forgotten history: How the (stolen) land of the free neglected to make a home for the braves.
From transcontinental progress to high speed success: how trains catapulted America into the future while never fully leaving the stations of our hearts.
The determination and spirit of America made us shoot for the stars and land on the moon. Gabe visits the Johnson Space Center and chats with an astronaut to find out why we’re so determined to explore the space outside our planet.
A giant network of power was created to energize our nation - and in the process, completely transformed life in America. From whale oil to nuclear energy, Gabe finds out just what it takes to give power to the people.
The U.S. dollar conquered the world economy, then turned plastic and went digital. So, what does a "dollar" even mean these days? Gabe visits Ben Stein to help make “cents” out of our money.
While early Americans worked the land to survive, the job market of today allows greater freedom of choice. But is it harder to find purpose in our work now? And are we any happier than before? Special guest Mike Rowe helps Gabe figure out if working hard is worth all the hard work.
The gifts of private individuals have long benefited America’s public well-being. But is it possible for our country to become too dependent on them? What happens when spreading the wealth is a little more complicated than simply writing a check?
Freedom, government control and craftsmanship were distilled together thanks to a uniquely American spirit - bourbon! More than just a mere drink, this concoction at one point affected just about every American’s lives. Gabe hikes the bourbon trail to learn how this special blend both changed America and was changed by it.
Out of all the sports played in America, there’s one in particular that really hit it out of the park. A game that united civil rights and workers' rights, America’s pastime stepped up to the mound and pitched us all into the future.
Movies allowed America to export its dreams around the world, influencing culture along the way. From the silver screen to the laptop screen, Gabe takes a journey through cinema history to find out why celluloid holds a special place in America’s heart.
From experiments, to art, to everyday life, we’re surrounded by photos and the memories they keep. But are they still meaningful if we take millions a day? On location at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, National Geographic Explorer Joel Sartore helps host Gabe McCauley understand the power that a single image can wield as we see how the photography industry developed’ from darkrooms to phone screens.
America’s menu includes family recipes, TV dinners, company luncheons, and everything in between. Gabe breaks bread with James Beard award winner Mashama Bailey in Savannah dinner destination The Grey and helps her prepare one of her favorite dishes based on regional ingredients. We explore the concept of foodways and why Americans now have more culinary choices than most families can agree on.
Clothing is an essential need, but in America, clothes are so abundant they are given away. From seamstresses in textile mills using organic materials, to offshore fast fashion with man-made fabrics, the way we get our looks has changed drastically. Gabe meets with celebrity designer Jeff Garner to find out the true cost of our fast-evolving fashion. Gem Sweater sensation Leslie Hall guest stars.