The Machines That Built America

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.

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.

In the 1920s, most people find entertainment in books, magazines, or theater. But two daring pioneering see a different future, where people sit in front of screens, dazzled and engaged by what they see.

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.

In the 1870s, when 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.

At the dawn of the 20th century, America is transforming from a primitive agrarian society to a modern Mecca of technology, mass production and automation. A few visionary companies create the power tools that revolutionize how America is built.

In 1893, sending information across America is a time-consuming process. Letters travel slowly by land, and those who can afford it, send telegrams along a limited network of fixed wires. But two rival inventors have the same idea for improving things.

Housework in the late 1800's is back-breaking labor. But with America plugging in to electric power, a flood of innovation is not only changing industry, it's revolutionizing the home.