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The Machines That Built America

The Machines That Built America

The stories behind innovations such as television, radio, phones, airplanes, motorcycles and power tools, as well as the inventors, including Nikola Tesla, William Harley, Alexander Graham Bell, Duncan Black and Alonzo Decker.
1 seasonDocumentary, HistoryTV-PG
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Season 17 of 8 Episodes

  • In 1910, airplanes are a novelty, fragile wooden concoctions that float in the air--and crash.

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

  • William Harley and Arthur Davidson have a bold vision for a new form of transportation.

  • 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.

  • With a growing need for speed and efficiency, a few visionary companies, Black and Decker, Milwaukee and DeWalt, create the power tools that revolutionize how America is built.

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

  • 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.
The Machines That Built America

More about The Machines That Built America

The stories behind innovations such as television, radio, phones, airplanes, motorcycles and power tools, as well as the inventors, including Nikola Tesla, William Harley, Alexander Graham Bell, Duncan Black and Alonzo Decker.

Starring

Campbell Scott

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