Story

Two entrepreneurs rise from the ashes of Prohibition by staking everything on two liquors -- a bitter, bottom-shelf whisky, and a flavorless foreign moonshine -- and go on to save an industry and create two of the most popular brands in the country.

A century ago, most backyard grilling essentials were not yet invented; Henry Ford, a tinkerer named Kingsford, and a passionate butcher created recognizable summer brands and changed the face of American backyards.

Before juice was everywhere, these innovators used brilliant ingenuity to create the most nostalgic drink products and thirst quenchers of the last century, leading the charge on a new billion dollar beverage industry.

At the turn of the 20th century, Bernard Kroger and another upstart grocer come up with genius innovations that help invent the modern supermarket.

A young upstart named Oscar® Mayer creates one of the most iconic meat brands on the planet; pioneer Jay Hormel invents a meat product sold the world over, which becomes part of a $20 billion food empire.

At a time when dog food is a rarity and cat food is almost nonexistent, it will take visionary innovators to invent the first dog treat, dry food, the first cat food, and many more innovations that will carve out the billion-dollar pet food industry.

At a time when U.S. beer is dominated by the same lager style, one Milwaukee company experiments with something new.

A visit to the United States Mint and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving to see the secretive government facilities where the legal tender is generated; with a storied past as tantalizing as the wealth they create, these mints can spit fortunes.

For centuries, banks enable the creation of wealth; a chronicle of banking, from its early European origins to e-banking; modern technology revolutionizes the way banks do business.

Rising from a stretch of desert with nothing but remoteness to recommend it, Las Vegas became a glittering wonderland for dreamers; a look at the forces that made Las Vegas a place unlike any on earth.

Half a mile below earth's surface, miners extract rough diamonds, pure carbon substances that become precious gems when cut and polished; explore diamond mining history and technology from 4th century BC to modern South Africa.

How the Comstock Lode, discovered near Virginia City, proved to be a scientific laboratory from which vast improvements in mining technology and safety were pioneered, including innovations in drilling, ventilation, drainage, and ore processing.

Around the world and across the eons, gold stands as a symbol of power, wealth, and love; the story of the hunters of the precious metal and their methods for extracting it.

From the first well in Pennsylvania to the gushing Spindletop and modern supertankers, the story of oil is the story of civilization as we know it; a look at the ingenious and outrageous men who risked a lot for "black gold" and unimaginable wealth.

In 1973, a desperate America, starved by an OPEC embargo, began construction on an 800-mile lifeline for its oil hunger; study the technological triumph of the Alaskan oil pipeline built over mountains and tundra, where temperatures drop below zero.

A visit to the United States Mint and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving to see the secretive government facilities where the legal tender is generated; with a storied past as tantalizing as the wealth they create, these mints can spit fortunes.

For centuries, banks enable the creation of wealth; a chronicle of banking, from its early European origins to e-banking; modern technology revolutionizes the way banks do business.

Rising from a stretch of desert with nothing but remoteness to recommend it, Las Vegas became a glittering wonderland for dreamers; a look at the forces that made Las Vegas a place unlike any on earth.

Half a mile below earth's surface, miners extract rough diamonds, pure carbon substances that become precious gems when cut and polished; explore diamond mining history and technology from 4th century BC to modern South Africa.

How the Comstock Lode, discovered near Virginia City, proved to be a scientific laboratory from which vast improvements in mining technology and safety were pioneered, including innovations in drilling, ventilation, drainage, and ore processing.

Around the world and across the eons, gold stands as a symbol of power, wealth, and love; the story of the hunters of the precious metal and their methods for extracting it.

From the first well in Pennsylvania to the gushing Spindletop and modern supertankers, the story of oil is the story of civilization as we know it; a look at the ingenious and outrageous men who risked a lot for "black gold" and unimaginable wealth.

In 1973, a desperate America, starved by an OPEC embargo, began construction on an 800-mile lifeline for its oil hunger; study the technological triumph of the Alaskan oil pipeline built over mountains and tundra, where temperatures drop below zero.

A visit to the United States Mint and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving to see the secretive government facilities where the legal tender is generated; with a storied past as tantalizing as the wealth they create, these mints can spit fortunes.