Modern Marvels - ET tech

In January of 2004, the Earth will invade Mars with three high-tech probes designed to examine the red planet for signs of life, present or past. These extraordinarily sophisticated machines were all launched in the summer of 2003 when Mars was as close to earth as it has come in 60,000 years. They mark the latest chapter in mankind's long fascination with extra-terrestrial life.

In ET TECH, MODERN MARVELS surveys the history of this epic quest, from the heretical 17th century observations of Galileo to the birth of SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) in the 1960s. Examine the work of pioneers like Frank Drake, and find out how we sweep the skies for signs of life. Visit the massive antenna at Arecibo, Puerto Rico that anchors the SETI program, and see how probes like the triumvirate on their way to Mars bring the search to the surface of other worlds.

Modern Marvels is a documentary television series on The History Channel that answers the question of how many things in the modern world are possible, and where they came from.

Premiering in 1994, Modern Marvels has produced over 400 episodes of scientific, technological, and mechanical topics varying from gasoline, Berlin Wall, aircraft carrier, Alaska/Alcan Highway to commercial fishing. Part of the appeal of Modern Marvels and what has probably kept the show on the air for this long is the fact that it covers a wide range of subjects. Unlike other science and technology shows, Modern Marvels focuses a significant portion of the episode on the history of the subject.

Occasionally, a special sub-series of the show airs called "Engineering Disasters". These periodic episodes describe the circumstances of situations in which technology doesn't work correctly, resulting in magnificent blunders (and sometimes the loss of life).

Modern Marvels is distinctive not only for the content of its installments, but for its introduction: the sounds and visuals of a bolt being turned by a wrench, followed by a computer-generated sequence involving construction workers building and hanging the title.

The host whose voice has become synonymous with the program is narrator Max Raphael, whose style is factual and straightforward. His voice also has a slight tone of "urgency", that tends to pull the viewer in. Raphael has also narrated other History Channel series such as Command Decisions.

Comments (1)

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written by Devonte on December 15, 2009

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