10 That Changed America

Amtrak still operates passenger trains over portions of the original Transcontinental Railroad route. Even today, navigating that treacherous path can present challenges for engineers.

A whirlwind tour of 10 engineering feats that made our civilization possible: from the Erie Canal and Eads Bridge, to the Holland Tunnel and Hoover Dam. Find out which 10 modern marvels made the list.

Tour boat operator Jerry Gertz explains the crucial and often forgotten role played by the mules that pulled barges and boats along the Erie Canal in its early days.

The Eads Bridge proved that steel could be used for large-scale building projects. The unconventional idea that steel could support such a massive structure came from an unconventional character: an amateur engineer named James B. Eads.

Though considered futuristic when first constructed, much of the Interstate Highway System today is in need of repair.

A whirlwind tour of 10 engineering feats that made our civilization possible: from the Erie Canal and Eads Bridge, to the Holland Tunnel and Hoover Dam. Find out which 10 modern marvels made the list!

Geoffrey takes viewers to the top of the Roebling Bridge to learn about the engineering feats that made it possible.

A whirlwind tour of 10 engineering feats that made our civilization possible: from the Erie Canal and Eads Bridge, to the Holland Tunnel and Hoover Dam. Find out which 10 modern marvels made the list.

The AIDS Quilt redefined what a monument could look like. It’s not made of stone or steel, it’s not made by a single artist, and it’s not even located in a single place.

Benny White of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry talks with Geoffrey Baer about the experience of being a Civil War reenactor in the 54th Regiment. “You feel the history of what our ancestors did,” he says.

A whirlwind tour of 10 monuments that mark key moments in American history: from the Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore, to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial and the AIDS Quilt. Find out which 10 monuments made the list.

AIDS Memorial Quilt volunteer Mark Ward talks about sewing a panel for his late partner, Dixon Tabla, who died in 1994, and how the NAMES project has evolved over the years.