The Machines That Built America

S1 · E1 · 2021年7月18日

Tractor Revolution 第1話

In the 1870s, harvesting crops is grueling, back-breaking work. Farmers must walk miles behind horse drawn plows to get food on American tables. But a group of dreamers--all of them rivals--has a vision that will change farming forever and create one of the world's most iconic machines: the tractor. Their quest to corner the market--worth 75 billion today--produces some of the greatest innovations and most iconic brands of all time: Caterpillar, John Deere, and Ford.

S1 · E2 · 2021年7月18日

Plane Pioneers 第2話

In 1910, airplanes are a novelty, fragile wooden concoctions that float in the air--and crash. But that doesn't stop two young dreamers with a passion for this newfangled machine from imagining a very different future: one in which planes carry millions of passengers across the country, even across the seas. To realize that vision and create a lucrative new market, William Boeing and Donald Douglas take on automobile titan Henry Ford, infamous Dutch aviation giant Anthony Fokker--and each other.

S1 · E3 · 2021年7月25日

Titans of Television 第3話

A ruthless mogul takes on a little-known inventor in a high stakes battle that will change the world forever, asking the question of whether a farm-boy can beat a titan with endless resources.

S1 · E4 · 2021年8月1日

Motorcycle Kings 第4話

At the end of the 19th century, private travel means taking a walk or riding a horse. But scrappy upstarts William Harley and Arthur Davidson have a bold vision for a new form of transportation--connecting a motor to a bicycle. They'll take on George Hendee's Indian Motorcycle in a classic David Vs. Goliath battle, fighting to dominate a market valued at more than 7 billion dollars today, the rivals will push their machines to the limit and tap into the lure of the open road.

S1 · E5 · 2021年8月8日

Telephone Wars 第5話

In the 1870s communicating with distant family requires sending a letter, and waiting days or weeks for a reply. The telegraph is faster, but too expensive for most people. When communication giant Western Union offers a colossal cash prize to anyone who can improve its network, two daring inventors go head-to-head in a fight that will forever change the way humans connect. Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray will stop at nothing to lay claim to the new technology and dominate the market.

S1 · E6 · 2021年8月15日

Power Tool Showdown 第6話

S1 · E7 · 2021年8月22日

Tesla vs. Marconi 第7話

Two rival inventors have the same idea for improving things: wireless communication.

S1 · E8 · 2021年8月29日

Home Tech Revolution 第8話

With America plugging in to electric power, a flood of innovation is not only changing industry, it's revolutionizing the home; the new technology makes housework easier and gives women opportunities to work outside the home.