Engineering the Impossible (Widescreen)

PRODUCT SUMMARY

This episode of National Geographic reveals the stories behind three of the world's greatest engineering marvels. Viewers visit the Colosseum, which was once a venue for gladiators. Today, it is regarded as one of the grandest and most spectacular megastructures in the world. Its history dates back 2,000 years, when it was created with concrete, bricks and drainage systems by using production lines. It held more than 50,000 people and allowed them to exit in just 30 minutes.
At 4,500 years old, the Great Pyramid of Giza remains a lasting monument in Egypt. Thousands created this structure with enough stone to build the Empire State Building. Researchers reveal the mathematics and engineering behind the construction of the Great Pyramid. Then, travel to the Chartres Cathedral in France to view its gothic architecture. Its builders pushed technology to the edge, including the use of the "flying buttress" in a new way, influencing design and construction techniques. However, the magnificence of the cathedral's architecture also tells a story of fire, violence and political double-dealing. Viewers learn how today's equivalent of $1 billion was raised to finance an ambitious bishop's creative vision and how what may have been the first labor union set the standard of church building for centuries. For sale in U.S. only.