Take a front row seat to a period of U.S. history from 1930-1940 when America's heartland was ravaged by a weather phenomenon that became known as a "black blizzard.

In the late 1800s, Chicago was a bustling metropolis. It was large, rich, industrial--and flammable! And on October 8, 1871, after a long, dry summer already plagued by fires, a mischievous cow kicked over a lantern and set the city on fire. But Chicago was well-versed in firefighting and the equipment was state-of-the art--no expense had been spared. We examine the Chicago Fire Department's methods to find out what went wrong on that fateful day when the windy and wooden city went up in flames.

An ordinary day in July 2002. Nine miners arrive to work. After they break into a water-filled abandoned mine due to an incorrect map, they become trapped 230-feet below the surface. As the water relentlessly rose, the miners wondered if rescue workers could reach them before they drowned. We examine this historical moment, when technology affected the outcome, and examine the innovations that led up to that moment, 77 hours later, when all nine miners returned to the surface alive.

Nov 29th, 1945, an oil barge is driven onto a reef in Long Island Sound during one of the most violent storms of the decade. The barge is being pounded by the fierce waves, and if they are not rescued soon, the two men stranded on it face certain death.

When these mountaineers are called to service, they know it could cost them their lives. They must be prepared to overcome deadly heights, terrifying avalanches, and treacherous terrain during high winds and whiteouts, as well as heat and havoc.

New Orleans is famous for Mardi Gras, spicy food, jazz and cemeteries. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina transformed the face of the city forever. 1,500 people died, thousands were left praying for rescue. It was the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Every step of the way, there are powerful reminders of the cost of misjudging the power of nature--a mistake that can surrender entire cities to the Boneyard.

A look at the ordinary men and women who went beyond the call of duty to step in and help those in need in the days after the devastation along the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina.

The floods that destroyed so much of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina showed how fragile levee systems can be. Now, experts believe a devastating flood could also strike Sacramento. the levees that are supposed to protect the area from two rivers could fail and a 250-mile area could become an inland sea. By revisiting the Katrina disaster, we witness what happens when a city floods. A catastrophic failure of the Sacramento levee system would be similar to the New Orleans disaster, but it could be worse. If those levees fail, thousands of lives would be in jeopardy and the devastation could extend beyond the Sacramento delta. A levee break would suck in salt water from the San Francisco Bay, fouling California's water supply and destroying one of the world's most important agricultural areas.

Take a front row seat to a period of U.S. history from 1930-1940 when America's heartland was ravaged by a weather phenomenon that became known as a "black blizzard.

In the late 1800s, Chicago was a bustling metropolis. It was large, rich, industrial--and flammable! And on October 8, 1871, after a long, dry summer already plagued by fires, a mischievous cow kicked over a lantern and set the city on fire. But Chicago was well-versed in firefighting and the equipment was state-of-the art--no expense had been spared. We examine the Chicago Fire Department's methods to find out what went wrong on that fateful day when the windy and wooden city went up in flames.

An ordinary day in July 2002. Nine miners arrive to work. After they break into a water-filled abandoned mine due to an incorrect map, they become trapped 230-feet below the surface. As the water relentlessly rose, the miners wondered if rescue workers could reach them before they drowned. We examine this historical moment, when technology affected the outcome, and examine the innovations that led up to that moment, 77 hours later, when all nine miners returned to the surface alive.

Nov 29th, 1945, an oil barge is driven onto a reef in Long Island Sound during one of the most violent storms of the decade. The barge is being pounded by the fierce waves, and if they are not rescued soon, the two men stranded on it face certain death.

When these mountaineers are called to service, they know it could cost them their lives. They must be prepared to overcome deadly heights, terrifying avalanches, and treacherous terrain during high winds and whiteouts, as well as heat and havoc.

New Orleans is famous for Mardi Gras, spicy food, jazz and cemeteries. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina transformed the face of the city forever. 1,500 people died, thousands were left praying for rescue. It was the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Every step of the way, there are powerful reminders of the cost of misjudging the power of nature--a mistake that can surrender entire cities to the Boneyard.

A look at the ordinary men and women who went beyond the call of duty to step in and help those in need in the days after the devastation along the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina.

The floods that destroyed so much of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina showed how fragile levee systems can be. Now, experts believe a devastating flood could also strike Sacramento. the levees that are supposed to protect the area from two rivers could fail and a 250-mile area could become an inland sea. By revisiting the Katrina disaster, we witness what happens when a city floods. A catastrophic failure of the Sacramento levee system would be similar to the New Orleans disaster, but it could be worse. If those levees fail, thousands of lives would be in jeopardy and the devastation could extend beyond the Sacramento delta. A levee break would suck in salt water from the San Francisco Bay, fouling California's water supply and destroying one of the world's most important agricultural areas.

Take a front row seat to a period of U.S. history from 1930-1940 when America's heartland was ravaged by a weather phenomenon that became known as a "black blizzard.

In the late 1800s, Chicago was a bustling metropolis. It was large, rich, industrial--and flammable! And on October 8, 1871, after a long, dry summer already plagued by fires, a mischievous cow kicked over a lantern and set the city on fire. But Chicago was well-versed in firefighting and the equipment was state-of-the art--no expense had been spared. We examine the Chicago Fire Department's methods to find out what went wrong on that fateful day when the windy and wooden city went up in flames.

An ordinary day in July 2002. Nine miners arrive to work. After they break into a water-filled abandoned mine due to an incorrect map, they become trapped 230-feet below the surface. As the water relentlessly rose, the miners wondered if rescue workers could reach them before they drowned. We examine this historical moment, when technology affected the outcome, and examine the innovations that led up to that moment, 77 hours later, when all nine miners returned to the surface alive.

Nov 29th, 1945, an oil barge is driven onto a reef in Long Island Sound during one of the most violent storms of the decade. The barge is being pounded by the fierce waves, and if they are not rescued soon, the two men stranded on it face certain death.

When these mountaineers are called to service, they know it could cost them their lives. They must be prepared to overcome deadly heights, terrifying avalanches, and treacherous terrain during high winds and whiteouts, as well as heat and havoc.

New Orleans is famous for Mardi Gras, spicy food, jazz and cemeteries. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina transformed the face of the city forever. 1,500 people died, thousands were left praying for rescue. It was the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Every step of the way, there are powerful reminders of the cost of misjudging the power of nature--a mistake that can surrender entire cities to the Boneyard.

A look at the ordinary men and women who went beyond the call of duty to step in and help those in need in the days after the devastation along the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina.

The floods that destroyed so much of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina showed how fragile levee systems can be. Now, experts believe a devastating flood could also strike Sacramento. the levees that are supposed to protect the area from two rivers could fail and a 250-mile area could become an inland sea. By revisiting the Katrina disaster, we witness what happens when a city floods. A catastrophic failure of the Sacramento levee system would be similar to the New Orleans disaster, but it could be worse. If those levees fail, thousands of lives would be in jeopardy and the devastation could extend beyond the Sacramento delta. A levee break would suck in salt water from the San Francisco Bay, fouling California's water supply and destroying one of the world's most important agricultural areas.