HowStuffWorks
HowStuffWorks: Season 1
Season 2

Air Date

November 13, 2008

Episodes

12 episodes

HowStuffWorks

Season 1

Episodes

1. Corn

November 13, 2008
60 min

Let’s get right to the point: Corn is much more than a backyard barbecue side dish. In fact, there are more than 3,500 different uses for corn products: Chewing gum, peanut butter, vitamins, paint, antibiotics and ethanol fuel are just few examples.

2. Turkey

November 20, 2008
60 min

According to the University of Illinois Extension, 97 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving, and 87 percent of people in the U.K. eat turkey at Christmas. Roasting up a big bird is a treat -- it's probably fair to say that many of these noshers look forward to their meaty meals long before the holidays.

3. Timber

December 4, 2008
60 min

Log cabins may be a historical footnote and fossil fuels may reign supreme, but forests remain critical natural resources. What does the future hold for Paul Bunyan's favorite industry?

4. Water

December 11, 2008
60 min

You could call water a liquid paradox.

5. Beer

December 18, 2008
60 min

Barley, water, hops and yeast might not sound like a recipe for success, but to the beer connoisseur, the fine balance of those four ingredients is the stuff of legend.

6. Aluminum

January 8, 2009
60 min

If you need a handy metal, you can't get much better than aluminum.

7. Wheat

January 15, 2009
60 min

Nutritional and versatile, wheat isn't just for food anymore. Explore its surprising uses in everything from brewing beverages to building houses.

8. Coffee

January 22, 2009
60 min

From Columbia to coffeehouses we talk to farmers, baristas, and everyone in between about the incredible beverage that fuels the World.

9. Salt

January 29, 2009
60 min

We delve into the science of salt, the prehistoric, life-sustaining mineral that has 14,000 known uses from seasoning food to so much more.

10. Lead

February 19, 2009
60 min

Durable, flexible, waterproof, and of course, bouncy, rubber is versatile enough for things as different as basketballs and Hollywood special effects.

11. Rubber

February 12, 2009
60 min

Lead has gone from a dangerous to indispensable product that is evolving past its former stigma to become an integral part of our daily lives.

12. Iron

March 21, 2009
60 min
No cast information available