Modern Marvels | Interstate Highway System

About the Episode

Plans for an interstate highway had been around since the Depression but finally came to fruition under President Eisenhower, who had seen the value of good roads as he led troops through Germany during WWII. This undertaking – the largest engineering project in human history – would also accelerate an exodus to suburbia.

Aired: | Expires: | Runtime: 4m 46s

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Extras

Web Extra: Jan Scruggs' Journey

Jan Scruggs recounts the ways that the monument has helped him heal his war wounds.

3:14
Web Extra: The Story Behind One AIDS Quilt Panel

Mark Ward talks about sewing a panel for his late partner, Dixon Tabla.

2:57
Web Extra: A View from the Top of the Roebling Bridge

Geoffrey goes to the top of the Roebling Bridge to learn about its engineering feats.

3:12
Web Extra: The Current State of the Interstate

The once futuristic Interstate Highway System is now in need of repair.

3:07
Web Extra: A Modern Ride on the Transcontinental Railroad

Amtrak still operates trains over portions of the original Transcontinental Railroad.

3:15
Web Extra: Meet the 54th Regiment Reenactors

Geoffrey Baer learns more about the experience of being a Civil War reenactor.

3:55
Web Extra: Honoring Crazy Horse

The relevance of a larger-than-life monument of Crazy Horse in the Black Hills of SD.

2:45
Web Extra: Inside the AIDS Quilt Warehouse

Inside the warehouse in Tucker, Georgia, where AIDS Memorial Quilt panels are stored.

1:29
Web Extra: Segregation on Streetcars

Richard Campanella, professor at Tulane University, talks about segregation in New Orleans

3:25
Web Extra: Van Buren vs. Horse

Former President Martin Van Buren fell from his horse-drawn carriage on the National Road.

1:16