American Genius (2015)

6.4 (14 votes)

1 Season

June 1, 2015

English

Documentary

Synopsis

Behind every great genius was a great rival - an unstoppable adversary whose incredible vision, determination, and ambition is their match. Out of their struggles came the world's most brilliant inventions, the spoils of the heated battle between competitors.

Network

National Geographic

Episodes

Jobs vs. Gates

Jun 1, 2015

45 min

10.0

In the 1980s, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs break out in a heated battle to bring the personal computer to the masses.

Wright Brothers vs. Curtiss

Jun 1, 2015

45 min

8.0

The Wright Brothers build and fly the world’s first airplane, but they keep it a secret, leaving an opening for motor designer, Glenn Curtiss, to swoop in and compete to be the first to fly in public.

Farnsworth vs. Sarnoff

Jun 8, 2015

45 min

A young Midwestern farm boy creates an innovation that forever changes the future of communication, only to have it stolen away by one of America's greatest media moguls.

Hearst vs. Pulitzer

Jun 8, 2015

45 min

The newspaper redefined the way America tells its stories, but its rise to prominence was born out of a bitter rivalry between a man who built himself up from nothing and the wealthy son of a business tycoon. Follow William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer as they push the limits of journalism in unthinkable ways, forever changing the media landscape.

Space Race

Jun 15, 2015

45 min

America and the Soviet Union, deadlocked in the Cold War, set their sights on the final frontier — space. Go inside the more than decadelong struggle between the two superpowers as they both set out to conquer the moon. German scientist Werner Von Braun leads the charge for the U.S. and Sergei Korolev for the Soviets, but in the race to space, only one side can get there first.

Colt vs. Wesson

Jun 15, 2015

45 min

Samuel Colt and partners Edwin Smith & Daniel Wesson become locked in the first true “arms” race, as they compete to perfect the world’s first revolver.