Before toilet paper, Americans used just about anything, until the Scott brothers turn a mistake into an opportunity and invent the toilet paper roll.
Times shown in UTC. Change timezone.
A pair of garage tinkerers, a copier company's secret lab, and a college-dropout programmer spark a decades-long battle for the future of computing - shrinking the computer from a room-sized machine to the device billions carry every day.
P.H. Hanes sparks a revolution in American underwear, but rivals answer with breakthrough designs, bold branding, and a wartime windfall, transforming an unmentionable necessity into a $100 billion global industry.
A down-on-his-luck mechanic transforms outlaw moonshine racing into a major American spectator sport, overcoming rivals, setbacks, and financial crises to build a billion-dollar sports empire.
A husband's homemade bandage, a college dropout's breakthrough adhesive, and a factory worker's wartime fix transform simple strips of tape into indispensable American icons, creating a $90 billion industry, one sticky invention at a time.
Mark Goodson and Merv Griffin wage a three-decade battle to reinvent the television game show, creating franchises with spinning wheels, buzzers, and catchphrases that become ingrained in American culture as billion-dollar global brands.
During WWII, a struggling automaker and Detroit's industry titan race to build a revolutionary all-purpose military vehicle, then spend decades battling to reinvent their wartime creation into America's most popular type of car: the SUV.
Harvey Firestone races to innovation against a crosstown rival as they both bet big on bringing car tires to the nation; as sworn enemies, they'll create two of the most famous brand names in America, introduce new technology and more.
Before toilet paper, Americans used just about anything, until the Scott brothers turn a mistake into an opportunity and invent the toilet paper roll.
Levi Strauss partners with a tailor who makes a groundbreaking discovery during the Gold Rush; sparking a blue jean boom and rivalry between two companies that spans generations and builds a billion-dollar industry.
American cars get a makeover when an engineer creates the first sports car.
An underdog breaks the mold by creating instant photography, revolutionizing how we take photos; and it kicks off a war of innovation between two iconic companies battling to be the number one camera brand in the country.
To simplify tedious office tasks in the mid-20th century, one unknown company introduces the world's first photocopier; it becomes a household name, which kicks off a rivalry between two brands.
Family-owned hardware stores become behemoth brands who battle it out taking big risks, ushering in new innovations and betting it all in a race to become the number one hardware store chain in America.
An ambitious upstart leaves Wall Street to start an internet store that becomes a global empire; a young computer programmer revolutionizes the way we buy and sell online, creating rival multibillion-dollar brands that become household names.
Three American retail icons are born within months of each other in 1962, sparking a rivalry for the ages.
The biggest names in computers go head-to-head in a race to create the first portable computers; through failures, alliances and the return of an American icon, they'll usher in their first ever handheld device.
Two sneaker companies become industry titans through a decades long battle for global dominance, as they unleash iconic footwear that will bring sneakers mainstream and make them part of the fabric of American culture.
A down-on-his-luck car salesman has the visionary idea to start the first rental car company in America, and when he joins forces with cab company owner John Hertz, they spread their revolutionary business across the country.
Steve Jobs starts a personal computer company in his parents' garage on his way to bringing computers mainstream; when he commissions the help of a software design company run by Bill Gates, it's the beginning of one of the biggest rivalries.
In the 1950s, rival electronics companies aim to make music portable for the first time ever; what follows is a decades-long rivalry that prompts the creation of products like the Pocket Radio, Cassette Tape, Walkman and the CD.
Two visionaries breathe new life into the hotel industry in America and the world by setting the modern standard for hospitality; despite setbacks, economic downturns and international conflict, these rivals will stop at nothing to be number one.
A small piece of plastic revolutionizes the world of commerce in the middle of the 20th century; Diners' Club, Bank of America and American Express race to change how people pay for everything, kicking off the $6 trillion dollar credit card industry.
A database software engineer is inspired to create a bigger, family-friendly video store, Blockbuster; an opening appears for two software executives in California to take on the media giant with their online subscription service, Netflix.
The technology battle among international telecommunications companies to produce the most popular cell phone, from flip phones to ringtones to text messaging; Blackberry combines the features of a computer with a cell phone to make a smartphone.
James Gamble and Harley Procter invent a revolutionary new soap that revolutionizes America and opens up a market to entrepreneurs in the late 1800s, when Americans rarely bathed and deadly diseases were commonplace.
The evolution of America's most beloved sports of baseball, basketball and football are made possible by the innovations of sporting goods pioneers named Spalding, Wilson, and the Rawlings brothers.
A century ago, shipping packages was slow and shipping overnight was impossible, until two Seattle brothers risk everything to reinvent shipping packages for all; a tenacious Yale graduate creates a world-famous express delivery service.
Founding fathers of the biggest retail stores in the world battle to be the first to innovate, build, and revolutionize the industry; one of the top businessmen of the 20th century, Sam Walton, will construct the world's largest retail empire.
The evolution of America's most beloved sports of baseball, basketball and football are made possible by the innovations of sporting goods pioneers named Spalding, Wilson, and the Rawlings brothers.
Founding fathers of the biggest retail stores in the world battle to be the first to innovate, build, and revolutionize the industry; one of the top businessmen of the 20th century, Sam Walton, will construct the world's largest retail empire.
James Gamble and Harley Procter invent a revolutionary new soap that revolutionizes America and opens up a market to entrepreneurs in the late 1800s, when Americans rarely bathed and deadly diseases were commonplace.
American cars get a makeover when an engineer creates the first sports car. And Detroit's Big 3 begin transforming their functional, practical cars into American sports cars, hot rods and muscle cars in an arms race to make the fastest, most powerful cars the country has ever seen.
Before toilet paper, Americans used just about anything, until the Scott brothers turn a mistake into an opportunity and invent the toilet paper roll.
Steve Jobs starts a personal computer company in his parents' garage on his way to bringing computers mainstream; when he commissions the help of a software design company run by Bill Gates, it's the beginning of one of the biggest rivalries.
A database software engineer is inspired to create a bigger, family-friendly video store, Blockbuster; an opening appears for two software executives in California to take on the media giant with their online subscription service, Netflix.
Harvey Firestone races to innovation against a crosstown rival as they both bet big on bringing car tires to the nation; as sworn enemies, they'll create two of the most famous brand names in America, introduce new technology and more.
To simplify tedious office tasks in the mid-20th century, one unknown company introduces the world's first photocopier; it becomes a household name, which kicks off a rivalry between two brands.
During WWII, a struggling automaker and Detroit's industry titan race to build a revolutionary all-purpose military vehicle, then spend decades battling to reinvent their wartime creation into America's most popular type of car: the SUV.
Levi Strauss partners with a tailor who makes a groundbreaking discovery during the Gold Rush; sparking a blue jean boom and rivalry between two companies that spans generations and builds a billion-dollar industry.
A down-on-his-luck car salesman has the visionary idea to start the first rental car company in America, and when he joins forces with cab company owner John Hertz, they spread their revolutionary business across the country.
An ambitious upstart leaves Wall Street to start an internet store that becomes a global empire; a young computer programmer revolutionizes the way we buy and sell online, creating rival multibillion-dollar brands that become household names.
A century ago, shipping packages was slow and shipping overnight was impossible, until two Seattle brothers risk everything to reinvent shipping packages for all; a tenacious Yale graduate creates a world-famous express delivery service.
An underdog breaks the mold by creating instant photography, revolutionizing how we take photos; and it kicks off a war of innovation between two iconic companies battling to be the number one camera brand in the country.
A showman named Mark Goodson and a former nightclub singer named Merv Griffin wage a three-decades battle to reinvent the television game show, creating franchises with spinning wheels, buzzers, and catchphrases that become ingrained in American culture as billion-dollar global brands.
A small piece of plastic revolutionizes the world of commerce in the middle of the 20th century; Diners' Club, Bank of America and American Express race to change how people pay for everything, kicking off the $6 trillion dollar credit card industry.
Two sneaker companies become industry titans through a decades long battle for global dominance, as they unleash iconic footwear that will bring sneakers mainstream and make them part of the fabric of American culture.
Family-owned hardware stores become behemoth brands who battle it out taking big risks, ushering in new innovations and betting it all in a race to become the number one hardware store chain in America.
Two visionaries breathe new life into the hotel industry in America and the world by setting the modern standard for hospitality; despite setbacks, economic downturns and international conflict, these rivals will stop at nothing to be number one.
Three American retail icons are born within months of each other in 1962, sparking a rivalry for the ages.
The biggest names in computers go head-to-head in a race to create the first portable computers; through failures, alliances and the return of an American icon, they'll usher in their first ever handheld device.
A husband's homemade bandage, a college dropout's breakthrough adhesive and a factory worker's wartime fix transform simple strips of tape into indispensable American icons, creating a $90 billion industry, one sticky invention at a time.
The technology battle among international telecommunications companies to produce the most popular cell phone, from flip phones to ringtones to text messaging; Blackberry combines the features of a computer with a cell phone to make a smartphone.
In the 1950s, rival electronics companies aim to make music portable for the first time ever; what follows is a decades-long rivalry that prompts the creation of products like the Pocket Radio, Cassette Tape, Walkman and the CD.
A down-on-his-luck mechanic transforms outlaw moonshine racing into a major American spectator sport, overcoming rivals, setbacks, and financial crises to build a billion-dollar sports empire.
P.H. Hanes sparks a revolution in American underwear, but rivals answer with breakthrough designs, bold branding, and a wartime windfall, transforming an unmentionable necessity into a $100 billion global industry.
A pair of garage tinkerers, a copier company's secret lab, and a college-dropout programmer spark a decades-long battle for the future of computing - shrinking the computer from a room-sized machine to the device billions carry every day.
