Civilizations seek their destinies through prophetic visions.
Evidence supporting the belief that a highly advanced civilization flourished during the last Ice Age.
Could early civilizations and ancient people really have seen flying saucers? This documentary reveals how documents and drawings from thousands of years ago might shed some light on possible visits from other beings.
Archaeologists find what may be the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, then try to determine what happened to them.
For nearly 50 years, what goes on inside these buildings has been known to only a select few. But now, for only the second time, the National Security Agency is opening doors that have been sealed tight.
For nearly a century, archeologists have hunted for the royal burial chamber of King Antiochus. So far, coming up empty-handed. The quest has taken it's toll on the explorers and archeologists who hope to discover the find of the century.
An ancient city: a Mediterranean paradise until it was flooded. Archeologists must work quickly to uncover it's secrets before it is flooded again.
For decades, the CIA has worked virtually nonstop to perfect means of controlling the human mind. But while many have suspected the existence of these projects, the details have long been preserved - until now!
Examines the legends and real life occurrences of so-called "ghost ships" found abandoned on the high seas with no crew on board and purported sightings of supernatural specters. Includes the Flying Dutchman, the privateers Dash and Young Teazer, brig Mary Celeste, commercial schooner Carroll A. Deering, and MV Joyita.
Some Roman gladiators become the sports stars of their day.
The Roman catacombs are a labyrinth of burial chambers and vaults.
New York's downtown slums; organized crime.
Yeti may be Bigfoot's Eastern cousin.
Sea monsters may be figments of the imagination or living relics of prehistoric times.
Sir Francis Drake sails around the world, but accounts of his feat are covered up.
Exploring the Salem Witch Trials, which took place in 17th-century Massachusetts. The hour looks at recorded accounts of accusation, imprisonment, trial and execution.
The rumors have persisted for over fifty years. They have all the trappings of fiction, yet there are those who persist on believing that the U.S. Navy actually rendered a warship invisible and teleported it to and from the Philadelphia Naval Yards in a top-secret project. The True Story of the Philadelphia Experiment chronicles the origins and spread of this tallest of all sailor’s tall tales, revealing how research into anti-submarine technology likely provided the catalyst for the accounts and documenting stages in the story’s development in the pages of pulp fiction.
Tracing the ancient roots of the Freemasons, including the murderous legend that inspired their rituals.
Neanderthals may have coexisted with our predecessors.
HL Hunley, a Confederate States warship, was the first combat submarine to sink a warship, which also resulted in her own sinking, on February 17, 1864. Hunley was raised in a salvage operation in 2000.
More than 30,000 Jews were murdered near Kiev over a two-day period during the Holocaust. Why Ukrainians, Russians, and Germans are only now coming to terms with this black chapter in their histories?
Werewolf legends date back to ancient Greece and Rome.
We'll go inside the Tower of London, actually 20 towers, and see how this microcosm of nine centuries of history struck fear into the hearts Englishmen. Built by William the Conqueror in 1067 to subdue the turbulent citizenry of London, the Tower claimed the lives of many until the mid-18th century.
Psychological and social causes of the European and Salem witch trials.
The destruction of Pompeii in 79 A.D. when Mount Vesuvius erupted is recalled.
The Haunting. November 13, 1974. The idyllic Long Island town of Amityville sleeps peacefully. At about 3:15 a.m., using a high-powered hunting rifle, 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo Jr., systematically murders his entire family in their beds. Troubling questions surrounding the murders remain. 13 months later, the house's new owners claim to be terrorized and driven out by evil spirits. What is the story behind the real incident that inspired one of the most popular horror books and films of our time?
Voodoo priest; man who says he has discovered a zombie poison.
The Chachapoya of Peru place mummified corpses in impressive tombs.
Diverse cultures have legends of an advanced civilization which disappeared under the sea.
In 1590 the governor of Roanoke returns from England to find the colony devoid of people.
A British magician fools Hitler's generals and pilots.
The 1972 incident that sparked suspicion about Alaska when a plane carrying two U.S. congressmen vanished between Anchorage and Juneau.
Join leading scholars for a fascinating examination of the massive timber castles which were the pre-eminent fortification of their day, yet are now largely forgotten.
Unraveling the Arthurian legend; chivalry.
Hadrian's Wall stretches 80 miles across northern England.
Asteroids have been colliding with earth since time began.
The mermaid, Abominable Snowman, giant squid, and dragons are all parts of myths and mysteries. But are some real? The Komodo Dragon was merely the stuff of local legend--until the dinosaur-like, very real giant reptile with an orange tongue and a fierce disposition was tracked down. Giant squids, measuring as long as 100 feet, have been found to really exist. We'll explore every possible explanation for these and other legendary creatures and find out if some might really exist.
Many serial killers were more brutal. Others slaughtered more often. But Jack the Ripper remains the world's most infamous murderer. In 1888, he slashed his way across London and into the annals of crime when he murdered and mutilated even women. His ghastly rampage remains one of history's great mysteries. Who was this butcher that baffled Scotland Yard's best minds? Today's foremost Ripper experts offer insights into the madman's mind and theories of who he really was.
Herodotus wrote of a tribe of men-hating women warriors who cut off their right breast to better aim with bow and arrow. Amazon comes from Greek, meaning "without breast". Tales of fierce female fighters dot history. Are they myth from male-dominated societies on the evil of female rule, or truth, as recent archaeological finds suggest.
The mystery of crop circles, which were called "witch" or "pixie" circles during the Middle Ages.
For 60 years, a newspaper photo of a prehistoric creature served as evidence of a 'monster' lurking in Scotland's Loch Ness. Yet even after the photo was revealed to be a hoax, the legend of 'Nessie' would not go away, so strong is the worldwide faith in its existence! This captivating program introduces the fascinating characters who have contributed to the lore of the Loch Ness Monster: men like British naval officer Russell Flint, who collided with a huge animal in the middle of the loch, and Tim Dinsdale, whose 16mm film of the monster spurred three decades of investigation. Examine the findings of several underwater explorations of the loch, and contemplate the possible explanations of how a massive animal might escape detection by scientific means, yet still be seen by hundreds of eyewitnesses.
Secret organizations, including the Skull & Bones, the Bilderbergs and the Tri-Lateral Commission.
Belief in evil spirits spans time and crosses centuries, and just as old and universal is the cure for possession. In Catholicism, exorcism dates back to Christ's expulsions of the devil. The "Roman Ritual" dating from 1614 remained unchanged until 1999. Witness actual exorcisms, and learn why they are now increasing.
The manner in which a society deals with the dead reveals a great deal about how it views life.
In February of 1944, a German spy sent a coded message to the Nazi high command: There was no troop build up on the southern coast of England. This secret is actually a lie; part of a complex web of tricks and deception spun by the allies to keep the Germans guessing. And guessing wrong.
Carlos the Jackal's name is synonymous with political terrorism in the 1970s.
The heads of Ancient Rome lead lives of increasing depravity.
The history of Echelon, the global surveillance system.
Some believe the Bible contains a prophetic code that can only be deciphered using computers.
The Resistance prevents Nazis from sending a train full of prisoners to Germany.
In 1212, thousands of children left Germany and France for the Holy Land, hoping to capture Jerusalem bloodlessly through their innocence and the help of God.
This program is part of the popular series from the History Channel that investigates some of civilization's unsolved mysteries and controversies. This episode investigates the black chapter in world religious history known as the Inquisition. In search of truth, it told lies; preaching redemption, it brought torture and death. Recently opened archives of the Catholic Church are used to present new evidence about the church hierarchy's abuse of power. The documentary introduces the viewer to some of the Inquisition's most notorious characters, including Grand InquisitorTomas Torquemad, who was responsible for the death of thousands of people branded as heretics and witches. Galileo and the Knights Templar were among their number. Art work, journals, reenactments, and scholarly commentary tell the true story of the Inquisition.
The warrior class of ancient Japan exhibits self-sacrifice.
Immortalized by Sir Walter Scott, the romantic figure of Rob Roy MacGregor looms large in Scottish history. but who was the real Rob Roy? Regarded by many as a hero, others say he was little more than a cattle rustler, blackmailer and coward! The third son of a clan chieftain, he embarked on a outlaw's life after the Duke of Montrose seized his lands in 1712. We examine his daring escapes, belief in his clan's code of honor, and questions surrounding the true loyalties of Scotland's most famous rogue.
Legend surrounds Atlantis, the Amazons, Stonehenge and Easter Island.
Legends based on sea travel.
Scott Bakula hosts this episode in which the History Channel investigates evidence for the existence of The Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot and Dracula.
The predictions of history's most compelling prophets.
Trace prominent paranormal events in America from the 1800s to the present day, from Nancy Reagan's dependence on astrology, to Thomas Edison's experiments to prove there is an afterlife, from psychic CIA warfare experiments, to ESP tests conducted by an Apollo astronaut.
Humans indulge in many frightening and often toxic substances.
The cyclops, Amazon warriors, and the ferocious griffin may have a place in the fossil record.
Investigators argue that the story of Frankenstein is based in reality.
Ancient prophecy and occult ritual fascinate Nazi Germany.
French King Louis XIV orders a prisoner shut away for 34 years, until his death.
Voodoo spreads from Africa to the West.
Established in 1655, Port Royal, Jamaica, becomes a haven for pirates.
Explorers find the ruins of a vanished civilization in the American southwest.
Marco Polo is not mentioned in Kublai Khan's meticulous records.
A fascinating examination of ancient evidence of UFO visits to Earth. Includes a look at monuments of antiquity that point toward stars in the sky, and ancient texts that contain references to flying objects.
Military units mix technology and trickery to outfox opponents who possess superior armies and weapons.
Scholars attempt to uncover the historical truth of the birth of Jesus.
Chronicling the research and development that produced the drug LSD, and the psychedelic culture that it inspired in the 1960s. Included: experiments with the drug; the drug's historical roots in ancient Greece.
