Story

Tobacco's ancient discovery and Andes cultivation leads to modern North Carolina farming and Dominican Republic Fuente cigar plantation; explore harvesting techniques, public health concerns with Surgeon General, and nicotine replacement therapies.

How dynamite has been used in the construction of roads, tunnels and dams. Included: the invention of dynamite.

A look at the many uses of acid; the military harnesses acid to make explosives; at a sulfuric acid plant, acid takes the stain out of stainless steel and dissolves precious metals; the Heinz vinegar plant; acid-loving bacteria.

For over a century, the U.S. steel industry is a powerful symbol of the nation's industrial might; steel transforms a country of farmers and merchants into a nation of builders, then U.S. domination of the market meets new challenges in the 1970s.

A visit to a rolling mill where aluminum skins for jets are made; aluminum is used to make reflective mirrors for telescopes at NASA; the process of making aluminum foil; why aluminum baseball bats are better than wood.

A group of Pentecostal Christians in rural Kentucky handles deadly snakes; a Polish mother with a sick child prays for a miracle; a Mexico City woman hopes a shamanic exorcism can chase away her demons.

A tattooed faith healer believes the power of the Holy Spirit can cure the sick; a comatose child recovers after dreaming about a popular Italian saint; a rural Polish witch uses multiple methods to cast out demons.

An apparition of the Virgin Mary seemingly appears in the clouds above Ireland; an Italian relic is thought to provide protection from a volcano; a Polish priest's body remains preserved 350 years after his death.

A man with cancer seeks help from a Mayombe priest; the descendant of an Irish faith healer claims to possess the ability to cure disease; two women on an Italian island allegedly receive prophecies from the Virgin Mary.

A New Orleans woman who believes she is haunted by demons takes part in a voodoo ritual; an ancient temple in India possesses healing waters; a statue of the Virgin Mary in an Argentine hospital cries bloody tears.

A doctor who was pronounced clinically dead claims to have visited heaven; a Brazilian woman believes she can cure disease through a mix of spiritualism, folk remedies and witchcraft; a man claims he can channel the healing powers of a Hindu goddess.

A healer claims that angels help him cure the sick; patients of an exorcist vouch for his ability to dispel demons; a group of men in India walks across fire and ingests burning embers.

A man who was crushed underneath a truck has an out-of-body experience; visitors to an Indian temple claim to have been possessed by a healing spirit; a Communion wafer allegedly bleeds blood.

A group of Pentecostal Christians in rural Kentucky handles deadly snakes; a Polish mother with a sick child prays for a miracle; a Mexico City woman hopes a shamanic exorcism can chase away her demons.

A tattooed faith healer believes the power of the Holy Spirit can cure the sick; a comatose child recovers after dreaming about a popular Italian saint; a rural Polish witch uses multiple methods to cast out demons.

An apparition of the Virgin Mary seemingly appears in the clouds above Ireland; an Italian relic is thought to provide protection from a volcano; a Polish priest's body remains preserved 350 years after his death.

A man with cancer seeks help from a Mayombe priest; the descendant of an Irish faith healer claims to possess the ability to cure disease; two women on an Italian island allegedly receive prophecies from the Virgin Mary.

A New Orleans woman who believes she is haunted by demons takes part in a voodoo ritual; an ancient temple in India possesses healing waters; a statue of the Virgin Mary in an Argentine hospital cries bloody tears.

A doctor who was pronounced clinically dead claims to have visited heaven; a Brazilian woman believes she can cure disease through a mix of spiritualism, folk remedies and witchcraft; a man claims he can channel the healing powers of a Hindu goddess.

A healer claims that angels help him cure the sick; patients of an exorcist vouch for his ability to dispel demons; a group of men in India walks across fire and ingests burning embers.

A man who was crushed underneath a truck has an out-of-body experience; visitors to an Indian temple claim to have been possessed by a healing spirit; a Communion wafer allegedly bleeds blood.

A group of Pentecostal Christians in rural Kentucky handles deadly snakes; a Polish mother with a sick child prays for a miracle; a Mexico City woman hopes a shamanic exorcism can chase away her demons.