The Machines That Built The World

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 and create one of the world's most iconic machines: the tractor. Their quest to corner the market--worth 75 billion today--produces some of the greatest innovations and most iconic brands of all time: Caterpillar, John Deere, and Ford.

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: one in which planes carry millions of passengers across the country, even across the seas. To realize that vision and create a lucrative new market, William Boeing and Donald Douglas take on automobile titan Henry Ford, infamous Dutch aviation giant Anthony Fokker--and each other. It's a high stakes battle involving courage, risk taking, bold innovation, even industrial espionage... and not every business will last. But for the surprising survivors, the prize is worth it: the joy of flight and astonishing profit.

In the 1920s, the idea of beaming moving images through the air is pure science fiction. 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. To dominate the burgeoning market, a ruthless mogul takes on a little-known inventor in a high stakes battle that will change the world forever. Can a rugged farm-boy topple a big-city titan with endless resources? With millions at stake, it's a bitter feud, as both men jockey to claim the title: "The Father of Television."

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.