Episode
Modern Marvels: Niagara Power
Overview
An exploration of the rich history of one of the world’s greatest technological achievements–the harnessing of power from Niagara Falls. From the “War of the Currents”, a battle between geniuses Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, to the Robert Moses Plant, primed to take the powerhouse into the 21st century, we highlight its story.
Details
- Series
- Modern Marvels
- Season
- Season 6
- Episode
- Episode 46
- Air date
- 1999-12-08
- Runtime
- 44 min
Episode context
Niagara Power is Episode 46 in Season 6 of Modern Marvels. It aired on 1999-12-08. The runtime is 44 min.
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Episode 45: More Engineering Disasters.
Throughout history the same builders and engineers that paved man's path out of the caves and into the modern world also caused some of mankind's worst disasters. Often a huge calamity is traced back to a tiny cause, insignificant in itself, but triggering a domino effect. We'll revisit notable disasters and search for probable causes.
Episode 47: Casino Technology
Place your bets and join us for an exciting spin through the history of the casino. We’ll go behind the neon lights, free drinks, and 24-hour gambling to see how the gaming industry has evolved from a simple house of cards to a high-tech multi-billion dollar industry.
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Episode 48: Lost Marvels
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Episode 43: Motorcycles
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Episode 42: Emergency Room
Emergency room medicine has only been a recognized specialty since 1989, and it took close to two millennia to get to this point. We’ll examine advances that led to the modern emergency room–from the Byzantine’s establishment of the first hospitals around 1050 A.D. to today’s telemedicine. The prognosis for its future looks good.
Episode 41: Forts
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Episode 40: More Earthmovers.
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Episode 39: The Tool Bench: Hand Tools
Well over two million years before the evolution of modern man, his primitive ancestors were making tools. The use of tools is thought to be one of the keys to human evolution itself and it permeates nearly every aspect of history. We even measure history according to our ability to craft tools; the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age.
Episode 38: The Tool Bench: Power Tools
The history of civilization could easily be measured in terms of our ability to make, use, and improve tools–an activity that is at least 4 million years old! At the tip of our toolmaking timeline are power tools. We’ll examine today’s power tool industry, which is booming thanks to more powerful, lighter, and quieter cordless tools.
Episode 37: Simulators
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Episode 36: Fireworks
Since the invention of gunpowder, fireworks have thrilled audiences around the world. We’ll view highlights of fireworks exhibitions throughout history, and go behind the scenes to explore how science and art mingle in this unique, ancient craft. The world’s preeminent fireworks families explain how they create their spectacles.