The Mega-Brands That Built America

3 seasons available

The innovations, failures and incredible achievements of some of the most successful businesses in history, from megastores like Costco and Walmart to shipping giants like FedEx and UPS, that forever changed the way Americans live.
The World in Your Palm
S3 E1

The biggest names in computers go head-to-head in a race to create the first portable computers; through failures, alliances and the return of an American icon, they'll usher in their first ever handheld device.

The Retail Reckoning
S3 E2

Three American retail icons are born within months of each other in 1962, sparking a rivalry for the ages.

Rise of the Internet Empires
S3 E3

An ambitious upstart leaves Wall Street to start an internet store that becomes a global empire; a young computer programmer revolutionizes the way we buy and sell online, creating rival multibillion-dollar brands that become household names.

Hardware Warfare
S3 E4

Family-owned hardware stores become behemoth brands who battle it out taking big risks, ushering in new innovations and betting it all in a race to become the number one hardware store chain in America.

Rise of the Office Machines
S3 E5

To simplify tedious office tasks in the mid-20th century, one unknown company introduces the world's first photocopier; it becomes a household name, which kicks off a rivalry between two brands.

Photo Bombs
S3 E6

An underdog breaks the mold by creating instant photography, revolutionizing how we take photos; and it kicks off a war of innovation between two iconic companies battling to be the number one camera brand in the country.

Fight for the Fast Lane
S3 E7

American cars get a makeover when an engineer creates the first sports car.

Pants on Fire
S3 E8

Levi Strauss partners with a tailor who makes a groundbreaking discovery during the Gold Rush; sparking a blue jean boom and rivalry between two companies that spans generations and builds a billion-dollar industry.

Wipe Out the Competition
S3 E9

Before toilet paper, Americans used just about anything, until the Scott brothers turn a mistake into an opportunity and invent the toilet paper roll.

Reinventing the Wheel
S3 E10

Harvey Firestone races to innovation against a crosstown rival as they both bet big on bringing car tires to the nation; as sworn enemies, they'll create two of the most famous brand names in America, introduce new technology and more.

End of the Landlines
S2 E1

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.

Internet Killed the Video Store
S2 E2

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.

Easy Money
S2 E3

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.

Suite Dreams: Birth of the Modern Hotel
S2 E4

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.

Music on the Move
S2 E5

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.

Clash of the Computer Titans
S2 E6

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.

Rentals to Riches
S2 E7

A down-on-his-luck car salesman has the visionary idea to start the first rental car company in America, and when he joins forces with cab company owner John Hertz, they spread their revolutionary business across the country.

Sneaker Head-to-Head
S2 E8

Two sneaker companies become industry titans through a decades long battle for global dominance, as they unleash iconic footwear that will bring sneakers mainstream and make them part of the fabric of American culture.

Battle of the Superstores
S1 E1

Founding fathers of the biggest retail stores in the world battle to be the first to innovate, build, and revolutionize the industry; one of the top businessmen of the 20th century, Sam Walton, will construct the world's largest retail empire.

The World Delivered
S1 E2

A century ago, shipping packages was slow and shipping overnight was impossible, until two Seattle brothers risk everything to reinvent shipping packages for all; a tenacious Yale graduate creates a world-famous express delivery service.

A Whole New Ballgame
S1 E3

The evolution of America's most beloved sports of baseball, basketball and football are made possible by the innovations of sporting goods pioneers named Spalding, Wilson, and the Rawlings brothers.

Dirty Work
S1 E4

James Gamble and Harley Procter invent a revolutionary new soap that revolutionizes America and opens up a market to entrepreneurs in the late 1800s, when Americans rarely bathed and deadly diseases were commonplace.