Man, Moment, Machine

April 1970, the Apollo 13 mission is 178,000 miles from Earth, just two days away from a lunar landing, when an explosion rips the spacecraft apart and puts the crew's lives on the line. Only the leadership of Jim Lovell, the ingenuity of the NASA team in space and on the ground, and the robust systems of the spacecraft offer a chance for survival.

George S. Patton realizes his dream of leading an army in a desperate battle when he confronts the German army at Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge.

An episode dealing with the famous military leader, Alexander the Great and his long siege against the city of Tyre in 332 BC. With the help of his Persian allies, Alexander should be able to smash Tyre, but he is thwarted multiple times. The Man is Alexander. The Moment is his decision to use a new version of a military device to defeat the Tyrians. The Machine is a massive and mobile siege catapult with multiple launchers that enables Alexander to win the battle.

Passage of the 18th Amendment suddenly provides a lucrative business for gangsters. High profits lead to fierce competition which the ruthless operators escalate into violence. The Thompson sub-machine gun, designed for but rejected by the military, is easily portable, extremely powerful and legal. This weapon in the hands of the gangsters escalates the violence to new heights. Inevitably, a few audacious, bloody murders, such as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, garner nation-wide attention to the gangsters, particularly Al Capone.

General Norman Schwarzkopf uses the F-117 Nighthawk "stealth fighter" to liberate the Kuwaitis during the Persian Gulf War.

Abraham Lincoln, a self taught President, uses new technology to help win the Civil War. He uses the hot air balloon, high above the battle fields, to relay information back to the troops on the ground. Giving the Union the advantage and shaping the outcome of the Civil War.

In one of those historical moments when a revolutionary invention dovetailed perfectly with the period that ensconced it, Alexander Graham Bell's March 1876 invention of the telephone functioned as the ideal accessory to America's then-burgeoning (and then-nascent) industrial age. In the process, this invention permanently displaced the telegraph as the chief method of interpersonal communication across lengthy distances. The History Channel documentary Man, Moment, Machine: Alexander Graham Bell and the Astonishing Telephone ventures back to the 1870s for a biographical portrait of Bell and a detailed account of how the telephone came about. The program touches on such subtopics as Bell's discovery of the invention amid his ambitious attempt to cure deafness, and his rivalry with fellow inventor Elisha Gray - a competition that almost caused Bell to be written out of history forever.

An episode dealing with the MAN, famed artist and inventor Leonardo DaVinci, whose constant mechanical sketches for fantastic inventions leads to the weapons milestone of the enclosed "Wheel lock" pistol. The MOMENT is his inspiration to design an completely enclosed firing device, which was much easier to load and fire than the existing "Match lock" firearms. The MACHINE is the eventual development of this weapon and the influence it had in the creation of following generations of firearms.

It is the April 1917, known to the British as Bloody April, when their pilot losses were large. German Air Ace Baron Manfred Von Richthofen, aka the Red Baron is the top pilot of World War One, however the British are introducing new planes with new technology to combat the Baron and his Albatross plane. Enter the advent of the Sopwith Triplane, which then led to the introduction of the Sopwith Camel.

An episode dealing with Saddam's use of chemical WMDs against his enemies, most specifically against the Kurds in the years just prior to the first Gulf War.

In the 17th Century it was believed you could find God in the stars. One man looked and found something quite different, and his discovery brought him to the brink of excommunication.

Startup race car manufacturer Ferrari, run by Enzo Ferrari, overcomes great odds and a history of defeats to beat dominant Alfa Romeo team and World Champion Juan Manuel Fangio for the first time, David defeats Goliath.

The role and effectiveness of the RF-8 Crusader reconnaissance units in the Cuban Missile Crisis and the difficult decision to deploy them are explained.