In order to ready itself for the U.S. Christmas holiday, toy factories in China ramp up their production in July. Watch a factory at work as they assemble dolls.
Taking a cue from Japanese manufacturers, American automobile plants adopt a "just in time" production schedule. Watch one Virgina plant as they manufacture automobile seats.
Japanese automobile manufacturing methods are adopted by American competitors. Watch the concept of poka-yoke, meaning "correct" and chaku-chaku, meaning "one worker, several tasks" in the manufacture of rear view mirrors.
As early as 1868 there was a major public interest in a mechanical substitute for the horse, one of the reasons America fell in love with the car so easily and quickly
The CRT, short for Cathode Ray Tube, was invented in 1879 and is used to produce images on TVs and computer monitors. In this minisode of How It's Made, find out how cathode ray tubes are created.
Fire hydrants have been in use for over 200 years. In the old days, they were used for fire fighting and as a public water supply. In this minisode of How It's Made, find out how today's fire hydrants are made from steel and iron.
Glass blocks became a cornerstone of Art Deco architecture in the 1920s, and they're still popular today. In this minisode of How It's Made, find out how glass blocks are made from just four basic ingredients.
Glass beakers, test tubes, pipettes, petri dishes, and vials are the workhorses of science labs. In this minisode of How It's Made, find out how precision laboratory glassware is created.
Stainless steel was invented in the early 20th century. The key ingredient, chrome, forms a protective oxide film on the surface. In this minisode of How It's Made, find out how shiny stainless steel material is made.
Figurines are made from many materials, from porcelain to plaster to synthetic resin. In this minisode of How It's Made, find out how synthetic resin figurines are created.
Historians believe the ancestors of North American native peoples brought snowshoes with them when they migrated from Asia 4,000 years ago. In this minisode of How It's Made, find out how traditional snow shoes are made today.
Change machines were invented in the 1950s in response to the vending machine boom. Early machines were simple mechanical change makers. In this minisode of How It's Made, find out how today's high-tech change machines are created.
Down is the belly feathers of waterfowl, mainly ducks and geese. These lightweight, highly insulating fibers are perfect for use in cozy duvets and comforters. In this minisode of How It's Made, find out how down duvets are made.
Faucets were actually invented by the ancient Romans, but it took many centuries for running water to make a comeback after the fall of the Roman empire. In this minisode of How It's Made, find out how modern faucets are created.
Seating in cars has come a long way since cars were invented in the 19th century. Early seats had no padding, springs, or belts. In this minisode of How It's Made, find out how the automotive seats are made.
On this episode of TLC's Understanding The Odds in Life, Bayes Theorem of probability and chance is used to explain the odds of winning a game show once presented with new information.