Modern Marvels: F/A-22 Raptor

Fire–we have learned to create and control it, but have yet to tame it? It’s alive–it breathes, feeds, and grows. Fire is behind essentially every component of the modern world and has spawned entire industries. We’ll feature great feats in pyrotechnology, or the intentional use and control of fire by humans–from the massive 8-story fire-breathing boilers that create steam heat for downtown Philadelphia, to the nearly 2,000 degree flames that create electricity at a biomass plant. From the massive coal-fired locomotives that powered us across the continent, to the rocket engines that took us to the moon, we’ll cover what fire is, how we have learned to create and harness it, and its behavior with various fuel sources. At a match factory, we see how the seeds of fire are made and explore the significance of this seemingly simple innovation. We also take a look at the important role that fire has played in technological advances as well as warfare.