American Genius
TV Show · Documentary · History

From the producers of the multiple-award-winning miniseries "The Men Who Built America," National Geographic Channel chronicles competitions in innovation that pit history's brightest minds in the race to lay claim to the future. For them, the greatest challenge wasn't beating the odds -- it was beating their adversaries. From Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates to William Hurst vs. Joseph Pulitzer, each hourlong episode focuses on a specific rivalry, delving into fierce power struggles, deceit, fluke timing and raw ambition out of which great ideas turned into reality. The conflicts play out through re-enactments that feature interviews with modern-day visionaries like Bill Nye, Steve Wozniak, Jack Welch, Steve Wynn and Michio Kaku.

2015 · 52m
Starring Jeff Wilburn
Director Richard Lopez, Paul Abascal

Season 1

  • EPISODE 1
    Colt vs. Wesson
    American inventors Samuel Colt and Daniel Wesson race to create the perfect revolver, resulting in patents that would revolutionize the firearm industry and change how wars are fought.
    41 min
  • EPISODE 2
    Edison vs. Tesla
    Inventors Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison compete to harness the power of electric current in a war that would determine who would power the world's future.
    41 min
  • EPISODE 3
    Hearst vs. Pulitzer
    The newspaper's rise to prominence was born out of a bitter rivalry between publishers William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, who changed the media world by pushing journalism to the limits, compromising in order to keep their empires afloat.
    41 min
  • EPISODE 4
    Wright Brothers vs. Curtiss
    Insight into the heated rivalry between the Wright brothers and Glenn Curtiss in the race for flight that laid the groundwork for modern aviation.
    40 min
  • EPISODE 5
    Farnsworth vs. Sarnoff
    The gritty competition between American inventors David Sarnoff and Philo Farnsworth, the results of which forever changed the world of media.
    41 min
  • EPISODE 6
    Oppenheimer vs. Heisenberg
    Physicists Werner Heisenberg and Robert Oppenheimer strive to harness the laws of physics in order to create the most powerful weapon the world has ever seen, the atomic bomb.
    42 min

Related

Cast & Crew

  • J‌W
    Jeff Wilburn
    Narrator
  • R‌L
    Richard Lopez
    Director
  • P‌A
    Paul Abascal
    Director
  • Michael Kovnat
    Producer
  • Stephen David
    Producer

About

American Genius

Documentary

From the producers of the multiple-award-winning miniseries "The Men Who Built America," National Geographic Channel chronicles competitions in innovation that pit history's brightest minds in the race to lay claim to the future. For them, the greatest challenge wasn't beating the odds -- it was beating their adversaries. From Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates to William Hurst vs. Joseph Pulitzer, each hourlong episode focuses on a specific rivalry, delving into fierce power struggles, deceit, fluke timing and raw ambition out of which great ideas turned into reality. The conflicts play out through re-enactments that feature interviews with modern-day visionaries like Bill Nye, Steve Wozniak, Jack Welch, Steve Wynn and Michio Kaku.

Information

Studio
National Geographic Channel
Released
2015
© 2015 NGC Networks US, LLC. All rights reserved.

Languages

Original Audio
English (United States)
  • Español (México)
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
  • Deutschland
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Ireland
  • Italia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg (English)
  • Malta
  • Moldova, Republic Of
  • Nederland
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal (Português)
  • Россия
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • España
  • Sverige
  • Schweiz
  • Türkiye (English)
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom

Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina (Español)
  • Bahamas
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia (Español)
  • Brasil
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • Dominica
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala (Español)
  • Honduras (Español)
  • México
  • Nicaragua (Español)
  • Panamá
  • Paraguay (Español)
  • Perú
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Venezuela (Español)

The United States and Canada

  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (Français)
  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)