My Million Dollar Invention

What was Edison's controversial role in the invention of the electric chair? What's the little-known link between the Civil War and the Ouija board, or stockings and roller coasters? And how did an explosive guilt trip lead to the birth of the Nobel Peace Prize? We explore four chilling inventions, and reveal the stories of the inventors whose million-dollar ideas shook the world and created legacies still with us today.

They were four inventors who had extraordinary vision, and their innovations would change the way we looked at the world and the universe beyond it. In this episode, we show how a patent office worker's arthritis led to the photocopier, and a workplace revolution. We follow the pursuit to launch astronomer Lyman Spitzer's invention, the Hubble Space Telescope, into orbit, and the history books. We also meet the rally driver who gave us the speed camera, and tell the little-known story of the inventor of television: a 14-year-old farm boy.

Four inventions connected to the wrong side of the law: two were created to stop thefts, one helped start a terrifying crime wave, and one came from the mind of a prisoner. We reveal the birth of the home burglar alarm, the cash register, the Tommy Gun, and the toothbrush. We show how these brilliant inventors found inspiration in the strangest of places, got assistance from unexpected sources, and made prototypes out of the most unlikely of items, in order to see their million-dollar dreams come to life.

They were four inventors who made lives safer for firefighters and police officers, surgery more comfortable for patients, and dreams of flying a reality for thrill- seekers. But before their revolutionary ideas of lightweight body armor, firefighter masks, modern anesthesia, and the wingsuit could be approved, they needed to be put to a life-and-death field test. Meet the men who set out to get rich or die trying, as we celebrate pioneers whose high-risk, high-reward innovations changed the world, and made millions.

Was a new invention's ability to save a dying president thwarted by a coil-spring mattress? Did one of the greatest medical innovations of the 20th century come from a simple radio enthusiast? Could a seed-planting device really be the inspiration for one of the military's deadliest weapons? And can you believe the futuristic 3D printer is actually 30 years old? We reveal the true stories behind four inventions that made history, made millions for their creators, and impacted humanity for good and bad.