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The Machines That Built America

The stories behind innovations such as TV, radio, phones, airplanes, motorcycles and power tools as well as the inventors including Nikola Tesla, William Harley, Alexander Graham Bell, Duncan Black and Alonzo Decker.

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N/A

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Genre

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Six West Media

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https://www.history.com/shows/the-machines-that-built-america

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‐ [Narrator] But while
Harley‐Davidson may - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] But while Harley‐Davidson may

‐ [Narrator] In California,
Benjamin Holt sees opportunity. - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] In California, Benjamin Holt sees opportunity....

(ominous music) - The Machines That Built America

(ominous music)

With sales of his giant
steam tractor slowing down, - The Machines That Built America

With sales of his giant steam tractor slowing down,

Thanks to their
signature tracks, - The Machines That Built America

Thanks to their signature tracks,

‐ The Model T came out in 1908, - The Machines That Built America

‐ The Model T came out in 1908,

‐ All right, boys, - The Machines That Built America

‐ All right, boys,

(dramatic music) - The Machines That Built America

(dramatic music)

‐ [Narrator] As the
assembly line ramps up, - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] As the assembly line ramps up,

It's now about the same cost
as a top of the line motorcycle - The Machines That Built America

It's now about the same cost as a top of the line motor...

(workers cheer) - The Machines That Built America

(workers cheer)

They arrive to view the marvels - The Machines That Built America

They arrive to view the marvels

‐ [Narrator] On
April 30th, 1939, - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] On April 30th, 1939,

But Harley‐Davidson has a plan - The Machines That Built America

But Harley‐Davidson has a plan

They quickly realized that
these track type tractors - The Machines That Built America

They quickly realized that these track type tractors

With another world
war brewing in Europe, - The Machines That Built America

With another world war brewing in Europe,

For Holt, it was a
boom for business. - The Machines That Built America

For Holt, it was a boom for business.

‐ Harley Davidson
created a product line - The Machines That Built America

‐ Harley Davidson created a product line

‐ [Narrator] It's not long
before Holt's machines, - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] It's not long before Holt's machines,...

It's chance for every country
and large corporations - The Machines That Built America

It's chance for every country and large corporations

‐ The countries
that went to war, - The Machines That Built America

‐ The countries that went to war,

‐ This was this type
of man rides a car, - The Machines That Built America

‐ This was this type of man rides a car,

‐ [Narrator] The theme of
the six month exposition - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] The theme of the six month exposition

Among the futuristic
inventions unveiled, - The Machines That Built America

Among the futuristic inventions unveiled,

So the man that drove the car - The Machines That Built America

So the man that drove the car

‐ [Narrator] These
custom Caterpillars known - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] These custom Caterpillars known

‐ [Narrator] And thanks in part
to its vast dealer network, - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] And thanks in part to its vast dealer network,...

RCA builds a 9,000
square foot pavilion - The Machines That Built America

RCA builds a 9,000 square foot pavilion

‐ During World War I, - The Machines That Built America

‐ During World War I,

‐ People love a vibe
and they love an image - The Machines That Built America

‐ People love a vibe and they love an image

Instead of being made of
wood, it's made of lucite, - The Machines That Built America

Instead of being made of wood, it's made of lucite,

Creating a whole
subculture around it, - The Machines That Built America

Creating a whole subculture around it,

"Let's make a tank." - The Machines That Built America

"Let's make a tank."

‐ [Narrator] Cameras are there - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] Cameras are there

Harley‐Davidson did
that way back in the day - The Machines That Built America

Harley‐Davidson did that way back in the day

‐ It's really hard to
recapture what it was like - The Machines That Built America

‐ It's really hard to recapture what it was like

‐ The motorcycle
becomes a kind of symbol - The Machines That Built America

‐ The motorcycle becomes a kind of symbol

You know, "Wave." - The Machines That Built America

You know, "Wave."

And people who saw it, - The Machines That Built America

And people who saw it,

‐ [Narrator] By 1913, while
Harley‐Davidson is tapping - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] By 1913, while Harley‐Davidson is tapping

‐ [Narrator] Sarnoff himself
dedicates the exhibit - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] Sarnoff himself dedicates the exhibit

‐ We have arranged
this demonstration - The Machines That Built America

‐ We have arranged this demonstration

They enter a team - The Machines That Built America

They enter a team

‐ These people are like
going 116 miles an hour - The Machines That Built America

‐ These people are like going 116 miles an hour

‐ [Narrator] What no one knows - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] What no one knows

A fact Sarnoff is
brazenly ignoring. - The Machines That Built America

A fact Sarnoff is brazenly ignoring.

(dramatic music) - The Machines That Built America

(dramatic music)

‐ Sarnoff just
made this decision, - The Machines That Built America

‐ Sarnoff just made this decision,

‐ [Narrator] As the popularity
of the sport continues - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] As the popularity of the sport continues

He who stands on
the mountain top - The Machines That Built America

He who stands on the mountain top

(dramatic music) - The Machines That Built America

(dramatic music)

‐ If your dad could afford
an Indian, holy cow, - The Machines That Built America

‐ If your dad could afford an Indian, holy cow,

‐ The birth of
television happened - The Machines That Built America

‐ The birth of television happened

But in 1915, - The Machines That Built America

Sarnoff knew he was on the hook
and had a lot of liability, - The Machines That Built America

Sarnoff knew he was on the hook and had a lot of liability,

‐ Get me the "Nebraska
State Journal." - The Machines That Built America

‐ Get me the "Nebraska State Journal."

(ominous music) - The Machines That Built America

(ominous music)

‐ [Narrator] Indians cache
catches the attention - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] Indians cache catches the attention

‐ [Narrator] By
pure coincidence, - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] By pure coincidence,

Because it replaces six horses - The Machines That Built America

Because it replaces six horses

‐ You know, they just realize - The Machines That Built America

‐ You know, they just realize

(indistinct) - The Machines That Built America

‐ So that you might
judge for yourself - The Machines That Built America

‐ So that you might judge for yourself

So they finally gave it up
and put a team together. - The Machines That Built America

So they finally gave it up and put a team together.

(dramatic music) - The Machines That Built America

(dramatic music)

‐ [Narrator] Thanks
to their stellar group - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] Thanks to their stellar group

‐ Sarnoff is broadcasting
the birth of television - The Machines That Built America

‐ Sarnoff is broadcasting the birth of television

When Harley racer, - The Machines That Built America

When Harley racer,

‐ The long years of
patient experimenting - The Machines That Built America

‐ The long years of patient experimenting

‐ So, it's that iconic moment; - The Machines That Built America

‐ So, it's that iconic moment;

I think this situation
definitely fits the bill. - The Machines That Built America

I think this situation definitely fits the bill.

‐ That's possibly when
people started to think - The Machines That Built America

‐ That's possibly when people started to think

Radio enabled man to send
a whisper around the Earth - The Machines That Built America

Radio enabled man to send a whisper around the Earth

‐ Promotion is critically
important for any innovator. - The Machines That Built America

‐ Promotion is critically important for any innovator.

If he or she does not have
the passion themselves - The Machines That Built America

If he or she does not have the passion themselves

‐ And that was the official
birth of television - The Machines That Built America

‐ And that was the official birth of television

‐ [Narrator] By 1913,
Indian and Harley‐Davidson - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] By 1913, Indian and Harley‐Davidson

(dramatic music) - The Machines That Built America

(dramatic music)

‐ Inventors and entrepreneurs
too share something - The Machines That Built America

‐ Inventors and entrepreneurs too share something

Harley‐Davidson releases
its own V‐twin engine - The Machines That Built America

Harley‐Davidson releases its own V‐twin engine

Unable to regularly import food, - The Machines That Built America

Unable to regularly import food,

Farnsworth sees his destiny - The Machines That Built America

Farnsworth sees his destiny

‐ The British are suffering
from manpower shortages, - The Machines That Built America

‐ The British are suffering from manpower shortages,

Desperate to put some distance - The Machines That Built America

Desperate to put some distance

‐ At one point, - The Machines That Built America

‐ At one point,

So they began to look for ways - The Machines That Built America

So they began to look for ways

Later, the guy who
built his whole career - The Machines That Built America

Later, the guy who built his whole career

‐ [Narrator] They turned to Ford - The Machines That Built America

‐ [Narrator] They turned to Ford

Honestly, I don't know if that
is technically possible yet. - The Machines That Built America

Honestly, I don't know if that is technically possible ...

‐ Now, mind you, Henry
Ford has one tractor - The Machines That Built America

‐ Now, mind you, Henry Ford has one tractor

The Machines That Built America poster

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The stories behind innovations such as TV, radio, phones, airplanes, motorcycles and power tools as well as the inventors including Nikola Tesla, William Harley, Alexander Graham Bell, Duncan Black and Alonzo Decker.

User Rating: 0.0 (0 ratings)

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Production: Six West Media

Genre: documentary

Year: 2021

MetaScore: N/A/100

ImdbRating: 7.6

BoxOffice:

Released: 18 Jul 2021

Awards: N/A

Homepage: https://www.history.com/shows/the-machines-that-built-america