Big, Bigger, Biggest

TPTP
George F. Mobley?NGSGeorge F. Mobley NGS
Big, Bigger, Biggest

Synopsis

Look at engineering leaps that have helped different types of structures go from big to bigger to biggest. The race is on to become the world's biggest. Crowned the biggest in their fields, structures like the 600-metre Burj Dubai skyscraper and the 99,000-ton USS Nimitz represent the most cutting-edge advances in architecture and engineering today. But these mind-blowing 21st century constructions would not be possible without the historical breakthroughs that propelled these fields to new heights. Big, Bigger, Biggest examines the various engineering leaps that helped these structures become historical giants. How did bridges evolve in size from simple bamboo walkways to modern marvels such as Japan's Akashi Bridge? And what advances have allowed buildings to grow from a few storeys in size to the modern skyscraper?

Episodes

  • Panama Canal Revealed

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  • Icebreakers: Arctic Giants

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    Arctic Giants: The Timofey Guzhenko is the biggest icebreaking ship in the Arctic Ocean, able to smash through solid ice a metre and a half thick. How does it do it?

  • London Underground Revealed

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  • History's Toughest Prisons

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  • Tallest Towers

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  • World's Fastest Train

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    A look at the mind-blowing engineering breakthroughs that made the TGV possible, including the Japanese bullet train and Stephenson's record-breaking Rocket.