Original subtitles

>> male narrator: modern marvels

Is going big and counting down.

No series has celebrated

Technology over the years

Like we have,

And now it's time to go gaga

Over gizmos as we count down

America's top ten

Greatest gadgets.

From the indispensable

To the insane,

From golden oldies

To newfangled novelties,

Our finalists and their creators

Showcase the wonder

Of human ingenuity.

>> I reek with imagination.

I just reek with it.

>> narrator: be there for

The big moment when we unveil

The clever contraption

That tops them all.

Now america's greatest gadgets

On this edition of

Modern marvels'

Mega marvels countdown.

[dramatic music]

*

The world's multitude of gadgets

Epitomizes just how much

We adore and depend on

Technology.

Our stellar countdown features

Gizmos from time-tested icons

To cutting-edge wizardry.

But first things first.

What exactly is a "Gadget"?

According to the merriam-webster

Dictionary, it's a small

Mechanical or electronic device

With a practical use but often

Thought of as a novelty.

Our choice at number ten does

More than embrace

That definition;

It lampoons it in the most

Audacious fashion imaginable:

The wild and wacky

Rube goldberg machine.

Imagine a monstrosity designed

To make a simple task needlessly

Complicated for comic effect.

That's what the rock band ok go

Crafted for a music video shot

In l.A., inspired by the popular

Invention cartoon series

By artist rube goldberg.

>> if you want the smaller one,

We've got smaller.

>> no, this is perfect.

>> yeah.

>> start rolling!

>> narrator: when completed,

This mega gadget will execute

A bizarre chain reaction

Sequence in 50 separate steps.

>> does it always jump in--

>> it seems to be jumping on

This area, not up here.

>> a rube goldberg invention is

Something that's important

Because it's not important.

It's a device that takes

Something that is really simple,

Really easy to do in your

Everyday life, and make it

Really complex.

>> narrator: case in point:

This goldberg machine,

Built especially for us,

To power up a tv.

The rat trap knocks the wheel

Forward, sending the co2 rocket

Into the pendulum, which swings

Down and closes the pyramid,

Forcing stonehenge to rise,

Which pushes the mallet to fall

On the spatula, which pulls

A string that activates

The gumball machine.

It kicks the tire that rolls

To the cannon, shooting the

Shot put, which funnels down

The catcher rig,

Depressing the hand,

Completing the task of turning

On the tv.

>> what if this quick release

Were on a pole here

Or something so that...

>> narrator: each step of the

Band's goldberg machine must

Coincide with music cues

Throughout the four-minute song.

No wonder this ridiculously

Complex gadget made

Our countdown.

>> the line that is sung in

There is not gonna happen until

Tink, tink, tink, tink is done

No matter what.

>> narrator: the band's

Performance will be woven

Throughout the machine's

Operation.

And all of it must be captured

On camera in one continuous

Shot.

Rube goldberg himself would

Applaud a gadget this precise

And ludicrous.

>> oh!

>> narrator: the cartoonist who

Inspired our number ten gadget

Earned an engineering degree in

1904, but answered

A different calling.

He penned comics for

The san francisco chronicle,

Sending up the changing times

Of early 20th-century life.

In 1914, rube debuted his

Satirical inventions series,

Greatly influenced by his

Engineering background.

He described his inventions as

"Symbols of man's capacity for

Exerting maximum effort to

Accomplish minimum results."

A typical invention consisted

Of several household items,

Including animals,

Linked together to accomplish

A mundane goal, like cutting

Hair or using a napkin.

>> his cartoons were

Particularly popular during

The machine era, where lots of

People were going out and trying

To invent machines to solve

Any problem they possibly could.

So rube goldberg was really

Making fun of the fact that,

"Okay, we can design all this

Technology, but does it really

Make our lives simpler?"

That's left up to the reader.

>> narrator: inventing

A rube goldberg machine

On paper is one thing...

>> I'm hoping we can get past

The first 15 seconds

Of the song.

>> two, one, action!

>> narrator: making one of these

Gadgets work for real

Is another.

[rock music playing]

>> cut!

>> ball still got caught.

>> all right, again!

>> narrator: it took 65 people

Three months to design and build

Our number ten gadget,

But take after take, it has

Refused to cooperate

For the camera.

The tiniest imprecision

Brings the machine

To a screeching halt.

[marbles clattering]

>> playback.

>> narrator: filming one

Flawless four-minute continuous

Shot seems impossible,

But as the production crew

Prepares for their 85th take,

They believe they've worked out

Every bug in

The bizarre machine.

>> roll camera.

[people speaking indistinctly]

>> three, two, one, action!

>> narrator: a tap of the domino

Ignites the chain reaction...

[dominos clinking]

Cueing the music along the way.

[rock music playing]

Our number ten gadget is really

Rolling, but for how long?

*

>> * keep lettin' it

* get you down

>> narrator: each band member

Appears at four separate

Locations throughout the

Single-take video.

>> * you can't stop

* these kids from...

[tape winding quickly]

* when the morning comes

*

>> narrator: the sequence

Unfolds over two levels

Of the building.

*

[tape winding quickly]

*

[tape winding quickly]

>> * morning comes

>> narrator: and in the final

Seconds of the song, a barrage

Of effects rips across

The studio.

*

Then the grand finale:

A firing range of paint cannons.

[cannonfire]

[people cheer]

While this beast of a gadget

Rocks because there's genius

In its complexity,

The next entry in our countdown

Has endured for centuries

Because there's brilliance

In its simplicity.

Let's toast our gadget

At number nine, the humble

And handy corkscrew.

We take this simple mechanical

Device for granted, but there's

More to this icon among gadgets

Than meets the eye.

>> corkscrews have

A fascinating history.

They actually were inspired

By guns.

The guns in the middle ages came

With a worm attached for

Extracting a bullet

From the muzzle, and that was

The inspiration behind

The original corkscrews.

>> narrator: these screwy

Gadgets aren't created equal.

There are two types:

The auger and helix.

The helix consists of a metal

Spiral, usually comprised

Of at least five rings.

When turned, the point of

The helix worms its way into

The cork, displacing as little

Of the cork material as

Possible.

An auger is a screw with

A solid shaft that, when turned,

Drills into the cork.

This motion can tear

The cork tissue and possibly

Release debris into the wine.

>> well, a good corkscrew,

Simple as it is, needs to be

A well-designed gadget or,

Frankly, you just shred the cork

To smithereens.

>> narrator: the culinary

Institute of america

In saint helena, california,

Is home to one of the most

Famous corkscrew collections

In the world, with over

1,800 devices.

The structure was once

The christian brothers' winery

Where, beginning in 1949,

Its legendary cellar master

Brother timothy gathered

Corkscrews dating back as far

As the 18th century.

>> brother timothy was really

Interested in the evolution

Of this gadget.

He wanted to know the most

Efficient way of opening

A bottle of wine.

A lot of these corkscrews come

In a whole variety of shapes

And sizes, and many of these

Are novelty corkscrews.

As you can see, we have a monk

Looking very pious and

Sanctimonious here, but you

Remove his head and he's got

A corkscrew under there.

These are examples

Of pocket corkscrews.

What we have here are

Folding bows.

They are single-pull corkscrews

As well as double-finger-pulling

Corkscrews.

We also have a little

Left-handed corkscrew that

The helix goes in the opposite

Direction than it would

For a right-handed person.

>> narrator: in addition

To wine, corkscrews have opened

Everything from medicine

To cosmetic bottles.

>> you'd hardly imagine that

There will be a bottle of wine

For this corkscrew, but this

Is actually used to remove corks

From perfume bottles.

>> narrator: but this iconic

Gadget's days may be numbered,

Thanks to new bottle openers

Like the air-pressured cork

Lifter.

>> you want to be very careful

Here, because there's a lot

Of air pressure going in with

Each pump.

Pop!

>> corkscrews have

A precarious future.

More and more wines are bottled

Under screw cap that don't

Require a corkscrew.

Here is a gadget that may,

In 100 years from now,

Disappear, and that would be

Sad indeed.

>> narrator: we second that

Emotion, but we're glad to say

We're celebrating the innovative

World of gizmos, doohickeys,

And thingamajigs, counting down

The top ten greatest gadgets our

Series has ever featured.

And we won't be through

Tinkering until we unveil

Our greatest gadget of all

At number one.

The zany rube goldberg machine

Set our countdown in motion

At number ten,

Followed by the handy dandy

Corkscrew that pulled out

All the stops at number nine.

Our number eight gadget is

An electronic wonder that can

Virtually see through walls:

The tialinx sensor.

Imagine a futuristic gadget

That promises to revolutionize

Battle strategies

And law enforcement tactics,

Enabling soldiers and the police

To detect concealed bad guys

Lurking nearby.

This sensor, invented by

The tialinx corporation,

Is answering that challenge.

It's a wonder gadget that uses

A highly refined form of radar

A lot like superman uses his

X-ray vision.

>> this device is specifically

Designed for detection of

The objects behind a wall.

This is a very sensitive device

For any slightest movement.

We not only use that for

The detection of the people

Behind a wall, but you can

Detect even the breathing of

A person who has been hidden

Behind a wall.

>> narrator: the tialinx sensor

Can work its magic through walls

Made of wood, concrete,

Even steel.

It can be applied directly

To a wall, worn by police

Or military personnel,

Or moved into position by this

Intrepid robot when the danger

Behind the wall is so great that

No human dare approach.

>> when the sensor is placed

On the wall, it transmits very

Low-power signals.

And this low-power signal

Travels in the medium where

There is wall or air.

When it hits the next object,

Which is a person or an object,

Then it reflects some of that

Back.

>> narrator: the data the

Sensors gather are conveyed to

Standard computer monitors

Or miniature head-mounted

Devices.

This impressive gadget produces

Just 1/10 the power of

A cell phone, but the tech

It harnesses is so effective

That virtually anyone lurking

On the other side of a wall can

Be located.

>> go!

>> all right, I'm in the house

Now.

>> narrator: in this experiment,

A test subject enters

The building as tialinx sensors

Emit their signals

On the exterior wall.

>> I'm about 30 feet from

The radar.

>> narrator: a technician stands

Ready to analyze the data.

>> and I'm going to

The first room.

>> narrator: the sensors detect

Any motion and can calculate

The distance between the wall

And the subject that's moving.

>> still moving backwards

And coming to what's the end

Of the house.

I'm now about 60 feet.

Good.

So three interior walls

And one exterior wall,

And I'll go back.

>> narrator: a graphic display

Of a person's movements can also

Be computed.

It's easy to see how a gadget

With such jaw-dropping

Technology won its place

On our countdown.

Its makers believe its ability

To monitor unseen threats

Through walls will save

Innumerable lives.

>> it will save lives,

And the army definitely needs

These kind of technologies.

>> narrator: while the tialinx

Sensor poses a threat to hidden

Bad guys,

The gadget in our number seven

Spot was once considered

A threat to national security.

Say hello to that fondly

Remembered fad of the '90s,

Furby.

This critter made our cut

Because it foreshadowed today's

Reliance on miniaturized

Electronics, epitomizing

The american genius for packing

A wealth of high tech into

The smallest of packages.

[furby chattering]

>> no discussion of the 1990s

Would be complete without

Talking about furby.

Introduced in 1998, it was

The world's first autonomous

Robotic pet.

So as a robot, it's able to move

Things like its ears and its

Mouth and its eyes.

It also speaks, and it speaks

A language called furbish.

>> please doo-moh.

>> narrator: the more you played

With your furry furby friend,

It would speak less furbish and

Seem to learn english.

>> kah hungry wah.

[furbies chattering]

>> narrator: what it really did

Was gradually reveal up to

100 preprogrammed english words.

>> tickle.

[furby chittering]

>> narrator: because of this,

There was a common misconception

That furbies repeated the words

Said around them, and some

Government officials thought

The gadget could threaten

National security.

In fact, the national security

Agency in maryland banned

Its employees from bringing our

Number seven entry into its

Buildings in january 1999.

>> people didn't really know

What was going on here.

They didn't know how much power

Was inside this thing,

So it scared some people.

>> me scared.

>> narrator: despite furby's

Treasonous reputation, more than

15 million were sold by the end

Of the '90s.

[furby cooing]

>> the furby cost about $35

In 1998, which is pretty

Expensive for a toy, but when

You take apart a furby and look

Inside, you realize why

It costs so much.

It really was a miracle

Of modern technology.

>> narrator: the furby came

Fully equipped with touch

Sensors on the front and back,

A microphone to pick up sound,

A sensor to detect light,

An infrared port to communicate

With other furbies, and even

A sensor that could detect

Upside down movements.

>> cock-a-doodle-do.

>> one of the things that let

Them keep the cost down was

A design feature that used

Just one electric motor

That drove a cam system.

So this single motor with the

Cams can drive the ears,

The eyelids, the mouth,

And the ability of the furby to

Tip up and kind of move forward.

The microprocessor has about

Four times the power of

The apollo moon lander.

It's an amazing amount of

Processing power to fit into

Such a small and inexpensive

Package.

>> narrator: furby isn't the

Only gadget on our countdown

That was once all the rage and

Is now just a nostalgic memory.

Before we resume our countdown,

Let's salute one mesmerizing

Gadget that's familiar to

Everyone but just missed

Our cut...

That psychedelic icon that

Captures the spirit of the 1960s

In a bottle, the lava lamp.

Part of its intrigue is that

The company that makes it won't

Divulge precisely what's inside

That makes it work.

Employees at the lava lamp

Factory take an oath of secrecy

To ensure that the mysterious

Ingredients stay a mystery.

>> we don't really know what's

Inside here because it's

A closely guarded trade secret.

But what we do know is that

The two substances are very

Close in density, and one of

Them is a waxy substance and

The other is a liquid.

If we pop the top, we can

Actually separate them and see

The differences.

Here comes the wax.

The wax is already starting

To harden.

You can see it's just like

Candle wax that's been melted.

>> narrator: the key to

The motion of the blobs within

The lamp is the lightbulb

In the base.

It keeps the wax from hardening

And sinking to the bottom.

>> the heat melts the wax and

Then expands it just a little

Bit so that it's less dense

Than the liquid around it

And it can rise.

As it gets up to the top,

It cools,

Contracts just a little bit,

Gets more dense, and is able

To fall back down to the bottom.

And that heating and cooling,

Expanding-contracting process

Is what gives this its amazing,

Mesmerizing look.

>> narrator: while the lava lamp

Is a gadget designed to please

The eye, we resume our countdown

With a gadget that's a melodic

Treat for the ear.

Chiming in at number six,

It's benjamin franklin's

Forgotten musical wonder,

The glass armonica.

The idea for ben's brainchild

Hit him at a concert in england

In 1757, where a musician played

Tunes on the rims

Of wineglasses.

Franklin loved the sound of

The vibrating glass, but

Wondered if there was a better

Way to produce it.

>> so he thought, "First of all,

The water tuning's got to go.

Way too much trouble."

So if you make the glasses

The correct size in the first

Place, then you can dispense

With that, and you'll end up

With a set ranging from

A relative large glass for your

Bass end to small glasses

For the high end.

>> narrator: this would allow a

Musician to play complex chords

In addition to single-note

Melodies.

Instead of the musician rotating

His fingers, 37 glasses of

Varying diameter and thickness

Would rotate, turned by a

Foot-powered spindle.

Franklin unveiled his glass

Armonica in 1761.

[tchaikovsky's dance of

The sugarplum fairy playing]

*

His gadget's ethereal sound

Created a sensation in europe.

*

Marie antoinette played

The armonica.

The renowned german physician

Franz mesmer used its heavenly

Tones to mesmerize his patients.

*

Our number six gadget also

Mesmerized a renowned composer.

>> mozart's first exposure was

Actually at mesmer's house.

The mesmers and the mozarts

Were friends.

>> narrator: mozart wrote

Two pieces for the glass

Armonica, including this one.

[mozart's adagio and rondo 617]

*

Beethoven and haydn also

Composed for franklin's gadget.

>> franklin himself

Excelled at it.

He took one with him often when

He traveled.

He brought it back to

Philadelphia.

There's a story that his wife,

Deborah, woke up one night,

And she heard the music

Of the armonica.

It was ben practicing,

And she assumed she had died

And gone to heaven.

>> narrator: despite the wild

Enthusiasm, the instrument's

Life was surprisingly brief.

>> they eventually sort of lost

Out to the piano, which had come

On strong by the late 18th,

Early 19th century.

Much louder, much more adaptable

Instrument to the larger and

Larger orchestras that were

Being used.

The armonica was always very

Much kind of a very quiet,

Chamber-like instrument.

>> narrator: there were also

Rumors that the gadget's tones,

Or perhaps the lead used in

The glass, caused insanity.

>> personally, I think they have

That backwards.

I think you start a little crazy

And then you want to play this.

>> narrator: armonica virtuoso

William zeitler has made it his

Mission to resurrect our number

Six gadget.

He performs around the world and

Composes original pieces for it.

>> I'd really like to get this

Instrument off of the endangered

Musical instrument list.

>> narrator: there aren't many

Places to find precision-tuned

Glass bowls these days,

So zeitler turned to cal-glass

In costa mesa, california,

Which normally makes glass

Scientific instruments.

After being shaped on a lathe,

Each glass bowl is sanded until

It reaches the perfect pitch.

>> 28.4.

It's pretty close too.

>> narrator: a mesmerizing

Sound, an intriguing backstory,

And a legendary creator--

A harmonious combination

That earns the glass armonica

Its place of honor

On our countdown.

>> [playing sousa's stars and

Stripes forever]

*

[chuckles]

In a world teeming with

Mechanical and electronic

Wizardry, it's not easy

Selecting our top ten picks for

The greatest gadgets

We've ever presented.

Hopefully our choices so far

Come close to your own, from

The rube goldberg machine at

Number ten to ben franklin's

Armonica at number six.

And maybe you remember this rude

Awakening of a gizmo that didn't

Make our cut, but merits a

Mention before we press forward:

The flying alarm clock.

>> you set it for a pre-wake

Time, and what happens is,

A horrible blaring noise emits

From it.

And this rotor lifts off

The base like a helicopter,

Flies around the room,

And the noise will keep blaring

At you until you find this piece

And put it back onto the base.

>> narrator: the flying alarm

Clock has become a popular

Choice among gizmo-loving

Early risers...

But not every gadget on our

Countdown earned its place

Because it's a best seller.

The contraptions coming in at

Number five never got any

Further than the inventor's

Workshop: the wacky, wonderful,

Unsold gadgets of our favorite

Tinkerer, brent farley.

Brent's gadgets are created in

His cluttered basement in

Baltimore, and even though they

Haven't sold, they made our

Countdown because they say so

Much about the energy and

Optimism of the inventive mind.

>> over the years, I've probably

Came up with about 200 gadgets

That I consider to be valid.

>> narrator: this veteran

Stagehand's uphill battle to

Sell his unique creations hasn't

Dampened his inventive urge.

The ideas just keep coming.

>> somewhere on the shelf,

There's room for a new gadget,

And this is where I'm coming

Into the picture.

I don't want to sound like I'm

A cocky inventor, but I reek

With imagination.

I just reek with it.

>> narrator: wherever brent sees

A need, he creates a gadget.

>> I've had trouble with my

Windshield wipers through time

Not actually working as they

Should have.

They either go this way

Or they flip flop and didn't

Clean the windshield.

I came up with a zigzag

Windshield wiper.

This is designed never to flip

Flop and/or malfunction.

This gadget here I call

The wing walker.

It's meant to give you the most

Radical ride you'll ever, ever

Get riding on a skateboard.

This here I call

The ironing mitt.

Simple put your hand in.

Pick it up.

There you go.

You're rubbing your clothes.

You can get around collars,

Get to small places,

Call it the ironing mitt.

Here's my trashcan design.

It's meant to carry the most

Amount of trash that you could

Possibly carry in the most

Efficient way.

This is a mini-prototype,

Easy steering, easy mobility.

This really utilizes your space.

A very, very small person can

Carry a lot, a lot of weight

With my trash cart.

>> narrator: some of brent's

Gadgets find use in his home.

>> this is my shower gadget.

Here's the mirror.

The mirror goes up and down to

Your desired heighth.

I got the lights on the right

And the left side of the face.

You get a really good close

Shave.

I have my razor that comes in

And out of my housing here that

Goes up and down.

It's out of the way.

My washrag comes up and down

And goes out of the way.

Here's my toothpaste and here is

My toothbrush

All within a unit, and I'd hate

To take a shower without it.

When I start to get an idea,

It's because I have seen

Something that I know I can do

A little better.

>> narrator: while brent dreams

Of inventing a gadget

That will someday make it

Onto store shelves,

The gadget in our number four

Spot has scored more

Than 100 million sales

Over the past half-century.

It's the timeless, two-knobbed

Teledoodler, the etch a sketch.

Its origins date back to

The 1950s, when inventor

Andre cassagnes devised a gizmo

In his paris garage he called

L'ecran magique--

The magic screen.

>> etch a sketch, the toy

You'll never tire of!

>> narrator: in 1960,

The ohio art company brought it

To america, renamed it,

And made it a gotta-have gadget.

>> it was very, very popular

In the '60s because the whole

Nation was tv crazy.

Everyone was crazy about

The television, and here was

A toy that had--you know, was on

The market that basically looked

Like a tv.

Kids could draw on it.

Also, etch a sketch was one of

The first toys to actually have

A commercial on television.

>> narrator: one reason this

Icon made our countdown is that

It's remained relatively

Unchanged since its debut.

>> if you've ever wondered

What's inside, we have the

Taken-apart etch a sketch here,

And it's really simple.

You've got a stylus, which is

What pushes the powder off the

Glass to make it draw;

We have a pair of rails and,

Really, what we have is

The essence of

A computer plotter here;

And then we have the magic

Ingredient that allows you to

Erase: a combination

Of aluminum beads

And aluminum powder.

You might be wondering,

"Why would this aluminum powder

Stick to the glass?"

And it's because this aluminum

Powder sticks to everything.

It's really clingy stuff.

>> narrator: the left and right

Knobs enable you to draw

Horizontal and vertical lines.

Most of us have mastered stairs,

Maybe a house.

But etch a sketch artists like

Christoph can transform our

Number four gadget into much

More than an addictive toy.

The artistry you see here

Requires one basic but important

Technique.

>> basically, the secret is,

You have to use both knobs

At the same time.

If you use the knobs inward like

This, you create

A diagonal line.

Now, if I were to use the knobs

Side to side in motion, you're

Creating another diagonal line.

And then if you use the force...

[laughs]

You can create a circle.

>> narrator: the etch a sketch

Is one marvel of a gadget that

Refuses to fade away, making it

A worthy pick for

Our number four spot.

We're saluting our favorite

Contraptions, counting down

The top ten most innovative,

Iconic, or mind-blowing gizmos

Our series has ever featured.

[phone beeping]

And the parade of wizardry won't

End until we reveal our greatest

Gadget of all at number one.

Brent farley's unsold inventions

Kept us hopping at number five,

And the etch a sketch drew

The line at number four.

Now let's fire up our choice at

Number three, the stylish and

Reliable zippo lighter.

It's the zippo lighter's famous

Windproof flame that made it

Such a successful gadget

And an american icon.

It's produced

At zippo's headquarters

In bradford, pennsylvania.

>> virtually all of our pocket

Lighters are manufactured

In america.

Since 1932, we've made

Over 450 million lighters

In this factory.

>> narrator: inside a zippo

Case, a wick runs from the top

Of the chimney into

The fuel tank.

The wick acts as a pump,

Pulling a pre-determined amount

Of specially blended fuel up

From the tank.

To light a zippo, the striker

Wheel rotates against the flint.

Its ridged edge chips off

Microscopic metal fragments,

Creating sparks.

These sparks light the fuel

Along the wick,

Producing a flame.

The lighter's chimney protects

The wick from wind but also

Allows just enough air in

Through its strategically sized

Holes so the flame stays lit,

Even in windy conditions.

Workers fit each striking

Mechanism into its case by hand,

One at a time, confirming that

Each lighter opens and closes

Properly.

Then each lighter must pass

The zippo click test.

[zippo lighter clicking]

>> we check the signature click,

And there it is.

If you don't hear it,

It don't go.

See, this one's kind of

Dragging.

It's not doing its thing.

You go in there

And you spread that,

And then you get the click.

>> the click that the lighter

Makes when the top is opened.

That's probably one of the most

Recognizable sounds that you can

Have in your head

Or even to think about.

Even when it's dark,

You can hear the zippo click

And you immediately know

That's a zippo.

>> well, this is more like it.

That man has a zippo!

>> narrator: our number three

Gadget first became a pop

Culture icon during world war ii

When a zippo lighter was in

Every g.I.'s pocket, courtesy

Of the u.S. Government.

Its trusty windproof flame

Could light a cigarette

Anywhere, and soldiers found

Countless other uses for it on

The battlefield, from lighting

Signal fires to tapping out

Secret codes.

Tried and tested by soldiers on

The warfront, the zippo became

A legend at home and now

Occupies a revered place in

America's popular landscape.

>> works every time.

>> narrator: the gadget

Occupying the number two spot in

Our countdown is so much a part

Of our lives that we forget

It's there--that low-tech,

Indispensable wonder,

The zipper.

No other gizmo that made our cut

Is as handy or underappreciated.

Prior to the zipper, fabric

Closure devices ranged

From the button to lacing.

Then in 1851, elias howe,

Inventor of the sewing machine,

Created an ingenious

Alternative.

He called it "The automatic

Continuous clothing closure."

It closed fabric with a series

Of small clasps that joined when

A string was pulled, but design

Flaws derailed its popularity.

In 1914, swedish engineer

Gideon sundback patented a more

Functional version by more than

Doubling the number of teeth per

Inch, creating what he called

The separable fastener.

The zipper as we know it

Had finally arrived.

A zipper is composed of two

Opposing rows of teeth, each

With a hook and an indentation.

These tracks mesh when

The latching mechanism known as

The slide pulls the two strips

Of teeth together.

This forces each hook into the

Offset indentation on the

Opposite track, securely

Interlocking the teeth.

Our number two gadget was first

Applied to items like tobacco

Pouches and overshoes.

It finally got its familiar name

In the 1920s when

The bf goodrich company created

The term "Zipper" to promote

A new brand of galoshes.

Those zippered boots also gave

The '20s one of its signature

Slang terms.

>> the flapper has become a term

Associated with young girls in

The 1920s, and these

Were modern girls.

They were starting to really

Enter the workplace and take

Public transportations and they

Were wearing these overshoes,

And they did not always zip up

Their galoshes completely.

And therefore, they would flap

Around, and they became known

As flappers.

>> narrator: in the 1930s,

The original patent

For the zipper expired,

Unzipping the floodgates

For the garment industry.

Zippers evolved from simple

Clothing closures to fashion

Statements, and they're now

Found on everything from

Wetsuits to handbags.

But manufacturing a gadget

So small and precise requires

Machinery with little tolerance

For error.

>> precision is very critical.

Some of the die sets are down to

Almost hundredths of an inch.

If we're off a little bit,

It can cause the zipper

To open up or it can cause

The zipper be too tight

And not functional.

>> narrator: but the zippers

Emerging from the world's

Factories are generally

Finely-tuned models of

Efficiency.

And for all the zipping and

Unzipping we do, you can see why

This humble gadget earned

Its number two spot

On our countdown.

Ready to zip up this countdown?

The only gadget yet to be

Unveiled is our number one pick.

These are some of its most

Primitive ancestors.

Any guesses what it is?

We've been digging through our

Treasure chest of gizmos

And doodads, counting down

Our top ten favorites.

And we're finally ready to

Uncover the ultimate gadget

That tops them all.

But first, let's take inventory

Of the finalists that made

Our cut.

Number ten:

The rube goldberg machine.

>> action!

>> narrator: number nine:

The corkscrew.

Pop!

Number eight: the tialinx

Sensor.

>> you can detect even

The breathing of a person who

Has been hidden behind a wall.

>> narrator: number seven:

Furby.

>> kah hungry wah!

>> narrator: number six:

Ben franklin's glass armonica.

>> I'd really like to get this

Instrument off of the endangered

Musical instrument list.

>> narrator: number five:

Brent farley's unsold gadgets.

>> I reek with imagination.

I just reek with it.

>> narrator: number four:

The etch a sketch.

>> etch a sketch, the toy you'll

Never tire of!

>> narrator: number three:

The zippo lighter.

>> works every time.

>> narrator: number two:

The zipper.

And now the gadget that

Inspired ralph waldo emerson to

Muse that, "If you build

A better one, the world will

Beat a path to your door"--

The ever-evolving device that

Helps define man's ingenuity,

The mousetrap.

Over the centuries, our crowning

Gadget has come in countless

Forms and has killed millions

Of mice every year.

But it's not the mousetrap's

Body count that makes it our

Number one pick.

It caps off our countdown

Because it epitomizes better

Than any other gadget our

Inborn urge to solve problems

Using technology and innovation.

The version we know best is

Called the snap trap.

A snap trap's anatomy typically

Includes a pine board for the

Base, a metal killer bar, or

Striker, driven by a 15-gauge

Coil spring, a thin metal

Trigger rod, and a bait pedal.

When the kill bar is pulled

Back, tension is applied

To the spring.

The trigger rod holds the kill

Bar in place until a mouse steps

On the bait pedal and releases

The latch.

More advanced versions of our

Number one gadget include kness

Manufacturing's ketch-all,

Which adds a new twist by

Capturing mice alive.

>> when you take a trap and you

Wind it up, what you're doing is

Putting torque on that spring.

>> narrator: the ketch-all uses

No bait, relying instead on

Expert placement.

To protect itself, a mouse

Instinctively moves along walls,

Looking for nooks to hide in.

When it enters the ketch-all,

It steps on the trigger.

The trigger activates

The spring-loaded, three-sided

Paddle to rotate around

The crossbar.

The paddle scoops up the mouse

And flips it into the holding

Compartment.

Then the trap's ready to catch

Another mouse.

>> and another mouse,

Another mouse and another mouse

And another mouse--

Up to 15 to 20 mice, depending

On how it's wound up.

>> narrator: another non-baited

Kness mousetrap, the pro-ketch,

Uses a double entry

Teeter-totter trigger to let

The mice in and keep them in.

When a mouse enters the

Pro-ketch, it scurries onto a

Platform hinged at the center.

As the mouse passes the pivot

Point, its weight causes the

Platform to tilt on its hinge,

Which reveals an opening into

The trap's holding compartment.

When the mouse steps off the

Platform, the platform falls

Back into its set position and

The exit is blocked.

>> it is a live, humane trap,

But you have to service

The trap.

If you want to keep him alive,

You put a little water or

A little apple, giving him

Something for nourishment.

>> narrator: this 18th-century

Mousetrap is much less concerned

With a mouse's welfare.

>> this is a deadfall trap.

It has three blocks of wood

Which are held up

By a burlap string,

And when the mouse or rat chew

Through the burlap string,

The block of wood will come down

And crush him.

>> narrator: vintage or modern,

The mousetrap exemplifies

Everything we love about

Gadgets.

It not only gets the job done,

But does it in a way that

Reminds us just how clever

We can be.

It and all the finalists on our

Countdown are proof positive of

The boundlessness

Of human ingenuity.

>> cock-a-doodle-do.