Modern Marvels poster

TV series

Modern Marvels

1993TV-PG23 seasons8.1 / 10

HISTORY’s longest-running series moves to H2. Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity, invention and imagination found in the world around us. From commonplace items like ink and coffee to architectural masterpieces and engineering disasters, the hit series goes beyond the basics to provide insight and history into things we wonder about and that impact our lives. This series tells fascinating stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime-schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and manmade wonders. The hit series goes deep to explore the leading edge of human inspiration and ambition.

Streaming, rental and purchase options

Where to watch in United States

Checked Sep 4, 2026

Modern Marvels is available to stream on DirecTV On Demand, Philo, Prime Video, Spectrum On Demand, Hoopla, The Roku Channel, and Tubi in United States. You can also buy it from Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Use the direct links below to open the provider.

Availability and prices can change. Confirm the details on the streaming service before you subscribe, rent or buy.

Synopsis

HISTORY’s longest-running series moves to H2. Modern Marvels celebrates the ingenuity, invention and imagination found in the world around us. From commonplace items like ink and coffee to architectural masterpieces and engineering disasters, the hit series goes beyond the basics to provide insight and history into things we wonder about and that impact our lives. This series tells fascinating stories of the doers, the dreamers and sometime-schemers that create everyday items, technological breakthroughs and manmade wonders. The hit series goes deep to explore the leading edge of human inspiration and ambition.

Season 23 episodes

Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.

← Season 22

Episode 1

Wild Rides

44m

Sit tight and belt in because while there are over 230 million licensed drivers in America; we are going way beyond the driver's seat of your average automobile. It's time to jump behind the wheel of some of the biggest, fastest, most powerful machines on the planet. From battle tanks to blimps, helicopters to harvesters, you'll get the chance to sit in the driver's seat of some the world's most incredible vehicles for some truly Wild Rides.

Where to watch Modern Marvels

Episode 2

Steam Power

44m

Turn up the heat because it's time for Steam Power. From Jay Leno's personal steam cars and 11-ton steam engine to carousels, boats and skyscrapers fueled entirely by steam, Modern Marvels takes a deep dive into one of the oldest means of locomotion. It's high tech - 1800s style - as we travel the country in search of the most incredible vehicles, engines and even robots that run on Steam Power.

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Episode 3

Ultimate Helicopters

44m

Ready to take a ride on the most thrilling helicopters in the sky? From the military's deadliest and most sophisticated choppers to homemade helicopters and million-dollar models customized with everything from bars and entertainment systems - Modern Marvels explores some of the coolest copters to ever take flight.

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Episode 4

Maximum Horsepower

44m

Buckle up as we take a rip-roaring ride through the world of extreme horsepower! From 8000 horsepower dragsters and hydroplanes with top speeds of 200 miles per hour, to a cargo ship propelled by the most powerful diesel engine on earth - a whopping 95,000 horsepower - Modern Marvels muscles through the most impressive engines ever built and how they achieve their incredible performance.

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Episode 5

Dangerous Drives

42m

Better buckle up because one of these dangerous drives could be your last! From Bolivia's "Death Road," to California's fog-smothered Highway 99, to dodging IED's on the road to Baghdad Airport, Modern Marvels puts you in the driver's seat to experience the harrowing journey down some of the world's scariest roads.

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Episode 6

Car Wash Tech

42m

Better roll up your windows and put it in neutral as we join the 2 million people who wash their car every single day! From one of the largest car washes in the U.S. to cleaning radioactive waste off a train to tips on getting tar, glue, egg and sludge off your priceless Porsche, Modern Marvels takes a look at all the awesome technology we use to keep our beloved vehicles sparkling clean.

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Episode 7

Freight Trains Plus

42m

Get ready to ride the rails as we take a trip along the greatest freight transportation system in the world! From the early iron horses to today's sleek steel stallions, Modern Marvels climbs aboard the complex rail network that snakes throughs valleys, over rivers and across prairies to get America's goods from the factory to your front door.

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Episode 8

Locomotives Plus

42m

All aboard! Modern Marvels takes a ride on the fastest and most powerful locomotives from around the globe. From France's 300 MPH speed train to future trains that glide on cushions of air to mining locomotives that traverse tunnels 700 feet underground, we'll catch a ride on the little--and big--engines that can.

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Episode 9

Harvesting Plus

42m

Let's head to the fields as Modern Marvels takes a fascinating journey from farm to table! From the dizzying heights of California's date palm trees to the soggy Wisconsin cranberry marshes to the cavernous labyrinths of Pennsylvania's mushroom farms, we pick through the most unique and timeless forms of harvesting.

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Episode 10

Mad Electricity Plus

42m

Prepare to be shocked and enlightened because it's time to enter the mad world of Nikola Tesla's remarkable inventions! From his 187-foot-high wireless network tower to his lifelong rivalry with Thomas Edison to his disturbing death ray and earthquake machines, Modern Marvels illuminates the genius--and the quirks--behind an electrifying mastermind.

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Episode 11

Tech Treasures

42m

Better be kind and rewind because we're diving into some blasts from technology's past! From unwieldy television sets and vintage record-making to evolving Mustang motors, join Modern Marvels as we rediscover some of the most beloved retro devices that built the tech-driven world we live in today.

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Episode 12

Coin Operated Plus

42m

Time to dig through those sofa cushions as Modern Marvels changes the way you think about coin-operated machines! From parking meters and pinball machines to vending machines and coin counters, we explore the ways people spend their quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies every day.

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Episode 13

Bathroom Tech Plus

42m

Get ready for a royal flush as Modern Marvels looks at the latest and greatest in bathroom technology. From the ultimate computerized shower experience to toilets that clean themselves, getting dirty has never been so much fun. It's everything you ever wanted to know about how the bathroom evolved into one of the most beloved, and expensive, rooms in the house.

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Episode 15

Yard Tech Plus

42mfinale

As Modern Marvels disrupts the $100 billion-a-year yard tech industry, it’s time to start the mower and pull those weeds. We’ll look at high-tech gadgets and gizmos promising to keep your patch of grass beautiful and green, ranging from the newest mowers to a sprinkler system that checks the weather for you.

Where to watch Modern Marvels

Episode information updated Sep 16, 2026

More about Modern Marvels

Cast

Adam RichmanSelf - Host
Lloyd Sherr
Abdul Qadeer KhanSelf (archive footage)
George C. KenneySelf (archive footage)
Justin TalleySelf - Field Specialist, Frey Produce

Credits

Created by
Bruce Nash
Written by
Bruce Nash, Beata Ziel

Production details

Status
Returning Series
Series type
Documentary
Episodes
707
Original language
English

Networks & production

  • HistoryUnited States
  • A&EUnited States
  • H2United States
  • Jupiter EntertainmentUnited States
  • Six West MediaUnited States

Themes

constructiondisasterinventionmachinesciencetechnology