THE MEGA-BRANDS THAT BUILT AMERICA is the newest series in History’s “That Built” franchise, telling the origin stories of some of the most successful businesses in history.
EPISODE 1
End of the Landlines
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.
EPISODE 2
Internet Killed the Video Store
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.
EPISODE 3
Easy Money
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.
EPISODE 4
Suite Dreams: Birth of the Modern Hotel
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.
EPISODE 5
Music on the Move
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.
EPISODE 6
Clash of the Computer Titans
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.
Kim Woodard
Greg Henry
Isaac Holub
George Kralovansky
Shari Ortner
Brian Burstein
Harry Courniotes
Jim Pasquarella
Brandy Crawford-Uriu
