Winding roughly 6,700 kilometers through undulating mountains, grasslands, and desert, its vastness seems beyond the realm of human possibility. A wonder of the ancient world, the Great Wall of China is one of mankind's most massive building achievements. Yet contrary to popular belief, there is no single wall of China, but rather a series of walls built for different reasons at different times. MODERN MARVELS® embarks on a journey of discovery, investigating the mysterious history surrounding this cultural marvel. Historians and modern engineers discuss the planning, construction, and function of various segments while extensive location footage illuminates the stunning majesty of its architecture. Legend claims that the wall is a wellspring of warfare, madness, and death--can this be true?

Jamie is an ER nurse preparing for her upcoming wedding. When her policeman father unexpectedly dies in a hospital room adjacent to the one in which she's caring for a patient, her grief consumes her life, severely affecting her job performance and her relationship with her fiancé. Not until she meets Melissa, who is facing death from cancer with a sunny outlook and an unwavering faith in God, does Jamie begin to cope with her feelings and question her religious beliefs, including her conviction that the afterlife doesn't exist.

HMHS Britannic, the largest–and grandest–of the Olympic Class cruisers, sister ship to the ill-fated Titanic, was launched just six months before the outbreak of WWI and was soon pressed into service as a floating hospital. On November 21, 1916, while steaming through the Kea Channel in the Aegean Sea, an explosion ripped through the Britannic and in less than an hour, the ship sank beneath the waves, taking the lives of 30 men with it. Whether it was a German mine or submarine torpedo that caused the blast, a bigger mystery remains: why and how did this giant ship sink so fast?

Americans conquer a new frontier: the modern city, with Carnegie's empire of steel as its backbone. Skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty are symbols of the American Dream for millions of immigrants. The discovery of oil is a boom to industry; Henry Ford puts America on the road. Urban life introduces a new breed of social ills. Prohibition fuels the growth of organized crime.

From barnstormers to Blue Angels, antique aircraft to supersonic jets, each year there are an astonishing 425 air shows in America alone, entertaining over 18-million spectators, second only to baseball as America's favorite family event. Explore the world of amazing aerobatics and their ever-evolving aircraft and see how aviation technology has affected air shows and how air shows have advanced aviation.

In 1944, 22-year-old Hannah Senesh parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe with a small group of Jewish volunteers from Palestine. Theirs was the only military rescue mission for Jews that occurred in World War II. Narrated by Academy Award® winner Joan Allen, the multi-award-winning BLESSED IS THE MATCH follows the remarkable journey of this young Hungarian poet and diarist, paratrooper and resistance fighter. Told through Hannah’s letters, diaries, and poems, her mother’s memoirs, and the recollections of those who knew and loved her (including two of her fellow parachutists), the film traces her life from her childhood in Budapest to her time in British-controlled Palestine—where she was drawn by the Kibbutz Movement that sought to build an independent Jewish state—to her daring mission to rescue Jews in her native Hungary.

The story of the high school students Mikako Nagamine and Noboru Terao. When the alien Tarsians attack, Mikako volunteers to be a pilot in the space force that will protect mankind. The lovers try to remain in contact using cellular telephone text messages, but as each battle takes Mikako further from the Earth, each message takes longer to arrive. Will their love stand the tests of time and distance?

Remember “brick” cell phones, Pac-Man, Rubik’s Cube, Sony Walkman, and the first music CDs? Remember all the new and exciting gadgets of the 1980s? Join us as we investigate the transition from Industrial to Information Age — a digital decade dedicated to ergonomics and entertainment. The microchip ushered in an era that revolutionized the way we work, play, and communicate. And we tour Silicon Valley — birthplace of some of the greatest inventions from an amazing time of change, including the modern personal computer. Steve “Woz” Wozniak tells us about the evolution of Apple computers, and we talk to Sony — makers of the Walkman, Betamax, and the first CD players.

Everywhere we look, life exists in both the most hospitable of environments and in the most extreme. Yet we have only ever found life on our planet. How did the stuff of stars come together to create life as we know it? What do we really mean by 'life'? And will unlocking this mystery help us find life elsewhere?

What do the symbols and numbers on the dollar bill actually mean? We’ll take a look at the shadier and more intriguing threads of meaning and symbolism at play in the bill’s design. Extraordinary strands of numerology are interwoven into the bill’s structure, which, on analysis, suggest surprising hidden alignments. Why does it look the way it does and how has it changed through the ages? We’ll analyze the significance of changes in the bill’s appearance over time and examine alternative designs.

Robin Hood is the inspiration for more movies, radio and TV programs than any other folk hero, but the man in tights and a feathered cap is a recent addition to the myth. THE REAL ROBIN HOOD probes the fascinating story behind the marauding vigilante of English folklore. In reality, the character is a composite of actual historical figures whose exploits date back to the Crusades, a dark time of tremendous brutality. Coinciding with the Universal release of the film Robin Hood starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, director Ridley Scott also produced this dynamic feature-length television special. THE REAL ROBIN HOOD features highlights from the film, as well as interviews with Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe and renowned historians.

Some time has passed since the race in "Robbie The Reindeer" and the group of reindeers have set up a tourist business offering guided tours. When an accident occurs on one such tour Robbie believes he was saved by a long lost tribe of Vikings - supposed to have been wiped out years ago. No one believes him and they are more concerned with the business losing money. When the evil Blitzen is released from prison 50 years early he promises to help them turn things around but double crosses them with the help of a master of disguise rabbit. Robbie escapes and goes to the Viking tribe to help him and his friends overcome Blitzen.

Documentary that explores a December 1989 mission of two SEAL diving teams charged with blowing up one of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega’s escape routes. The SEALs were tasked to destroy Noriega’s gunboat, the Presidente Poras, which was docked in a heavily guarded harbor. High-risk night games of cat and mouse brought divers Epley and Coughlin dangerously close to a life-threatening freighter. A 90-minute planned dive took four hours.

From Jamestown to Plymouth, early settlers fight for survival. Tobacco sows the seeds of opportunity; the north becomes a powerhouse of trade. Tension, taxation and resistance explode into war as the rebels take on the might of the British Empire. Washington's army is near defeat, but new weapons and battle tactics turn the tide. Forged through revolution, a new nation is born. The colonies declare independence, taking on the might of the British Empire. Washington's army is near defeat, but new weapons and battle tactics turn the tide. Forged through revolution, a new nation is born.

World War II turned the American aviation industry into a huge, high-tech giant. The war spurred the production of more than 300,000 warplanes, among them some of the greatest planes of all time: the C-47 transport (the “Goony Bird”); the rugged B-17 Flying Fortress; the B-24 Liberator, mass-produced by Ford on the world’s longest assembly line; the P-51 Mustang, the greatest prop-driven fighter; and the scrappy Grumman “Iron Works” output – Wildcats and Hellcats that leapt from the decks of U.S. aircraft carriers to maul the Japanese air force. This program includes modern footage of restored aircraft and history footage from factory floor to mile-high dogfights, capturing the urgency and adrenaline of World War II.