Modern Marvels is a documentary television series on The History Channel that answers the question of how many things in the modern world are possible and where they came from.

Premiering on January 1, 1995, Modern Marvels has produced over 400 episodes of scientific, technological, and mechanical topics varying from bullet trains to demolitions to The St. Lawrence Seaway to coffee to Apollo 11. Part of the appeal of Modern Marvels and what has probably kept the show on the air for this long is the fact that it covers a wide range of subjects. Unlike other science and technology shows, Modern Marvels focuses a significant portion of the episode on the history of the subject.

Occasionally, a special sub-series of the show airs called "Engineering Disasters." These periodic episodes describe the circumstances of situations in which technology doesn't work correctly, resulting in magnificent blunders (and sometimes the loss of life).

Modern Marvels is distinctive not only for the content of its installments but for its introduction: the sounds and visuals of a bolt being turned by a wrench, followed by a computer-generated sequence involving construction workers building and hanging the title.

The host whose voice has become synonymous with the program is narrator Max Raphael, whose style is factual and straightforward. His voice also has a slight tone of "urgency" that tends to pull the viewer in. Raphael has also narrated other History Channel series such as Command Decisions.

The History Channel has repackaged some shows that originally aired in other series or as stand-alone productions into episodes of Modern Marvels. One example is Ice Road Truckers, which originally was aired in 2000 as part of the former Suicide Missions series. These episodes often are not narrated by Raphael.

The series was created by Bruce Nash of Nash Entertainment. Don Cambou has executive produced over 350 episodes for Actuality Productions.

Over 300 episodes of Modern Marvels have been produced. Fast-paced, fun and informative, Modern Marvels is The History Channel's signature series focusing on historical technology. The series has focused (among other things) on wonders of construction (Erie Canal, the Pentagon, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the Big Dig), the machinery of war (nuclear submarines, tanks) as well as technology linked to the everyday (power tools, home tech, garbage). Written by Anonymous