History Channel Documentaries

ENOLA GAY: RAIN OF RUIN puts you inside the cockpit of the historic B-29 Superfortress bomber whose devastating payload helped bring about the end of WWII. From the development of the atomic bomb to the horrific aftermath, highlights include dramatic footage taken by the crewmembers themselves.

Most historians and archaeologists maintain that civilization as we know it began about 5,000 years ago with the emergence of the earliest Egyptian dynasty. But, a small yet persuasive number of scientists believes that a highly advanced civilization, nearly twice as old, flourished during the last Ice Age. Solid evidence of this 10,000-year-old civilization is difficult to produce, but some feel a recent discovery off the coast of a tiny Japanese island, Yonaguni, may be the proof they seek.

In 1859 the United States is a nation torn apart over the issue of slavery. The USS Constellation is at sea off the coast of Africa, her mission is to interdict ships smuggling slaves. The job falls to the US Navy and a small fleet of ships called the African Squadron. Constellation is the flagship. The officers and sailors give first person accounts of life on the war ship. Woven into the story is the plight of a young hunter captured from his village. We follow his journey from the Congo interior to his imprisonment with 700 other Africans on the slave ship Cora. Filmed on location in the UK, we realistically recreate the horror of the slave trade and Constellation's heroic effort to stop slave smugglers.

Today's world has troubles unique to its time in history, from the global financial crisis to technological meltdowns to full-scale, computerized global war. HISTORY profiles three men "modern prophets" from different disciplines and with different theories who all believe America is on the decline, and will ultimately meet its end.

When the Mummy Investigation Team is called out to look at the body of a South American mummy on display in a mansion museum, they believe they are onto their easiest case yet. The mummy has a number of visible wounds and, alarmingly, a large hole in its skull. But the team must set aside their preconceptions that this man was the victim of a foul crime, and allow forensic science to take its course. In their most active investigation yet, it’s field archaeology and old fashioned detective work which ultimately provide the keys to cracking this case.

Scientists offer insight into how and where a 10.0 MEGAQUAKE could strike. This two-hour History special explores one of the most deadly and perplexing mysteries that surrounds planet earth: huge megaquakes. The largest quake ever recorded was a 9.5 earthquake off of Chile in 1960, but new research shows how even larger quakes close to 10.0 just might be possible. Through interviews with top earthquake experts and cutting edge scientific experiments, the special reveals that over 3 billion people on earth are in immediate danger from the next big one and how a real 10.0 might actually happen on US soil – in places you might not expect.

The biblical saga of the Earth-cleansing deluge is one of the most well-known and symbolic stories in Western tradition. Could this legend be based on real events? Did real disasters inspire the story of Earth's 40-day submersion, the ultimate "do-over?" Recent core sample discoveries point to a series of events that could have lead to climactic conditions that washed out entire land masses, even destroying complete civilizations.

A team of top scientists come together with one goal: to create the definitive guide to Bigfoot. Does the creature exist? And if it does where is it? And how can it survive without being detected? Using a new interactive map the team has plotted more than 10,000 Bigfoot type sightings from around the world. These sightings are of an unidentified creature which walks on two legs and is covered in a thick layer of hair. Many of theses sightings date back over 100 years. With their expert knowledge of the natural world they are able to dismiss nearly 90% of the sightings, but what emerges is a series of global hotspots that cannot be explained which indicate that something is out there. The team examines these global hotspots and searches for explanations including new theories that suggest we may have been looking for the wrong creature all along?

A team of top scientists come together with one goal to create the definitive guide to Bigfoot. Does the creature exist? And if it does where is it? And how can it survive without being detected? Using a new interactive map the team has plotted more than 10,000 Bigfoot type sightings from around the world. These sightings are of an unidentified creature which walks on two legs and is covered in a thick layer of hair. Many of theses sightings date back over 100 years. With their expert knowledge of the natural world they are able to dismiss nearly 90% of the sightings, but what emerges is a series of global hotspots that cannot be explained which indicate that something is out there. The team examines these global hotspots and searches for explanations including new theories that suggest we may have been looking for the wrong creature all along?

As we approach what would have been President Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday in 2011, some say the totality of the man is still eclipsed by the myth. Some call him a hero, and others an empty suit, one thing is for certain - President Reagan made history. But what made him?

Charles Darwin is the author of the theory of evolution, an idea that shook the world in the 19th century and reverberates to this day. In his great work, “The Origin of Species”, he proposed that we are all descended from a common ancestor. It is the basis of modern biology and our understanding of Nature. Many of the observations which brought Darwin to this conclusion were made during his long voyage onboard the Beagle, a British ship which took him around the world in a voyage which lasted from 1831 to 1836. Darwin embarked on this voyage as a Christian. The great variety and complexity of the natural world which he encountered on the voyage caused him to question the validity of the established order which he had been taught.

Americans like to think we know our President. We followed him during the campaign, invited him into our living rooms during countless televised appearances and even learned about his cholesterol count after each annual physical. But the truth is, we know very little about what it's like to be the President. Only five men in the world can answer the questions you’ve always wondered about but never been able to ask, such as, can the President order a Dominos pizza? Is the President ever alone? Does the President ever get to drive a car? Can the President’s daughters have a sleepover? IT'S GOOD TO BE PRESIDENT trades the typical slate of domestic and foreign policy questions asked of and about Presidents for something surprising -- an entertaining conversation about the perks and perils of being the most powerful man in the world.

The predators of the Underwater Universe have evolved to become our planet's most efficient killing machines. This episode explores the top five deadliest animals that no thinking human wants to tangle with, each more deadly than the next. But there is an unexpected twist, the #1 predator might soon be replaced by another, far more menacing killer as ocean conditions change and traditional apex predators die out.

For 1,900 years the secret of Rome’s missing Ninth legion has been shrouded in mystery, its ultimate fate argued over by generations of historians. We reveal how the loss of the Ninth legion was a truly catastrophic event: the devastating news was suppressed by Hadrian to safeguard his reign in a classic conspiracy cover up. It was the first in a chain reaction of disasters which forced Rome to halt expansion and to create the only two massive frontier walls ever built in the Roman Empire.

Humans have mapped every corner of the globe – from jungles and deserts to the depths of space. Yet we’ve gone only seven miles below the Earth’s surface – just one five hundredth of the way to the Core. The two-hour documentary JOURNEY TO THE EARTH’S CORE goes deeper: 4,000 miles down to the heart of our planet. Along the way, scientists, engineers, explorers and adventurers encounter an underground world where: strange life forms inhabit deadly environments over a mile down; trees force their way through 400 feet of rock to find water; 1500-foot tall skyscrapers are built on sand; mines are the size of cities; and prospectors give the Earth electric shocks to help find oil. It also a place where people run marathons, make parachute jumps and scuba divers edge their way to the base of the world’s deepest caves.

Secret Access: The Vatican provides a revealing look at the inner workings of the Vatican, from the secret archives to the Swiss guards, as well as some of the treasures locked inside. See what is housed under the 110-acre site as an ongoing excavation of an ancient cemetery that the Vatican was built upon uncovers priceless artifacts, including the bones of St. Peter himself. Go inside the Vatican Secret Archives - a collection of rooms and libraries containing some of history's priceless documents. And get to know Vatican security: the top-of-the-line procedures and practices utilized by a combination of Swiss Guards (elite guards to the Pope), Vatican police, and Italian police that keep the Pope and Vatican safe.

Weird Warfare reveals the most absurd, ridiculous and bizarre examples of warfare from the last century: From pigeon-guided missiles to an aircraft carrier made of ice, trained mosquitoes laced with poison, to incendiary bats. Within the records of strange-but-true warfare, there was even a plan to try to turn Hitler into a woman! While some have proved to be useless, the most surprising thing history reveals is that some of these bizarre plans proved devastatingly effective.

According to the Bible, Jesus Christ spent 40 days on Earth after his Resurrection on that first Easter Sunday before ascending to Heaven. Astonishingly, the New Testament is practically silent on what happened during this period. Why are only a few scattered paragraphs devoted to perhaps the central, most defining and miraculous event in Christianity? And most importantly, what did Jesus do and say during those incredible 40 days?

A two-hour portrait of the evolution of the Holocaust--from the early days of persecution in Nazi Germany to the final days of wanton annihilation. This special travels through the archives of Eastern Europe, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D. C., and the restoration labs of Yad Vashem in Israel tell the story of persecution, theft and murder through artifacts, rarely seen photographs and motion picture footage. Experts from across the globe illuminate what it took to systematcially implement the destruction of millions of people.

An examination of the Battle of Gettysberg on both the personal and strategic level.

Produced with the cooperation of leading Civil War historian Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump, LEE & GRANT is a personal look at two iconic leaders of the Civil War. Surprising details reveal the bold choices and almost godlike power Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee summoned on decisive battlefields like Vicksburg and Gettysburg that, within days of each other, turned the tide of the war. This special features a unique perspective, exploring how these men changed the course of American history.

What is the most influential gadget in ever invented? Did you know that the transistor radio created rock and roll, or that the audiocassette overthrew the shah of Iran? From duct tape to the Swiss Army Knife, gadgets have transformed the way we live and have even changed history. In partnership with History, the editors of Popular Mechanics magazine have assembled a panel of the world's most renowned tech gurus to create a definitive list of 101 Gadgets that Have Changed the World. Explore the historically game-changing stories behind the gadgets we now take for granted--the combination lock, the zippo lighter, the gun silencer, the bra, and more--as we countdown to the single most influential gadget ever invented.

The most iconic battle in American History is looked at from the point of view of a man who may actually have survived the Battle of Little Big Horn. George Armstrong Custer and over 200 of his soldiers were wiped out by Plains Indians on June 25, 1876, but is it possible that one man, alone, lived to tell the tale? How did he survive? Why did he never come forward? And most important of all, is it true? The amazing tale of Frank Finkel is an epic story of struggle, perseverance, and survival and will shed new light on this historic moment.

The idea that history is written by the victors is perhaps nowhere more true than in the aftermath of the American Civil War. The Union's defeat of the Confederacy brought the southern states back into the American fold, but in many ways, the two regions would remain divided, the North inheriting the credit for its impact on history. From the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, the South has shaped American culture and history. You Don't Know Dixie explores the pioneering spirit, self-reliance and grit that sets the South apart from the rest of the country. How did the South get its twang? Is the Southern accent really the nearest surviving relative of the American colonial accent? And what, exactly, are grits? HISTORY uncovers the South from the inside out, revealing fun facts and unique Southern flavor, with commentary from some of today's best known Southerners including Trace Adkins, Al Bell, Bobby Bowden, James Carville, Jeff Foxworthy, Ty Pennington, Ricky Skaggs, Herschel Walker, and Michael Waltrip.

From the prehistoric drawings through the Roswell incident reports of strange and unexplainable sightings in the skies have become part of an unofficial historic record. With the proliferation of video and photo technology in the modern era, reports of these events–along with visual evidence–have only increased. 95% of UFO sightings are false, resulting either from misidentification or deliberate hoaxes. But the other 5% cannot be dismissed. Based on the newly published book “UFO’s: Generals, Pilots and Government Officials Go On the Record,” this two-hour special explores sightings that are supported by numerous creditable sources, from Air Force and commercial pilots, FAA officials, investigators military Generals and NASA officials as well as hard data: photos, film, radar and audio recordings. This evidence presents a startling look at the very real possibility of alien visitation.

This two-hour special goes inside the history of the second most used illicit drug in America. The human appetite for this narcotic goes all the way back to 3000 B.C., when South Americans chewed coca leaves, thinking they were a gift from God. But it wasn't until 1855, when cocaine was first extracted from the coca leaf and used in powder form that its use spiked. Initially it was utilized as an anesthesia. Soon, famed psychologist Sigmund Freud touted it as an effective cure for depression and impotence. In 1886, John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, added it to his new soft drink: Coca Cola or Coke for short. In 1914, the drug was outlawed, but the damaged had been done. The 70's ushered in another boost in the drug's use, fueled in part by new drug cartels in South America. To combat cocaine's rise, the Reagan Administration started the War on Drugs in the 80's.

HISTORY's global television event tells the inside story of the operation to hunt and kill Osama bin Laden. From decision-making in the White House to the attack on the compound in Abbottabad, How We Got Bin Laden brings the most compelling story in recent history to life for the first time.

HISTORY chronicles the days, weeks and decade after the worst terrorist attack in our history. Rarely seen and unexpected archival material from around the world is combined with natural sound to capture the themes and threads that continue to define life after 9/11.

There are essentially five cons that are the basis for every swindle since the dawn of man; today's Nigerian email scam is nothing more than a derivation of a Spanish conquistador's bait-and-switch con that started more than 600 years ago. In Scammed, Paul Wilson, dubbed the "World's Greatest Con Man," and his team take a detailed look inside the complicated schemes and micro-cons that have plagued unsuspecting people for hundreds, even thousands of years, showing how many of these scams not only survived but evolved to be brutally effective with the help of modern technology. In each episode, Paul plays out long cons on designated marks so that he can help expose the cons, hustles and schemes that have victimized so many people, while teaching others how to avoid them. Though the tricks may be the same, the stakes are higher; nowadays more than money is on the line. Social security numbers, bank account information, and loads of private information are there for the taking... but only if you let a con man in.

From the early cave dwellers who first stumbled upon psychedelic mushrooms to the over 6000-year-old tradition of opium cultivation in the East to a modern pharmaceutical industry with over 24,000 drugs on the market, drugs hav played a role in our lives since well before recorded human history. Explore the reasons we've used drugs through the ages, while considering the devastating consequences that accompany the choice to use certain drugs. This fascinating, fresh, and insightful documentary will ask the question: overall, have drugs done more to help us or hurt us? Host Dean Norris (Hank from Breaking Bad) will journey through the millennia and look in on the greatest civilizations in human history to discover if drugs helped these societies flourish or fail and whether drug use was holy or hedonistic, a savior or a curse?

History of the World in 2 Hours gives viewers a rapid-fire history of our world, from the beginning of time as we know it to present day. History of the World in 2 Hours delves into the key turning points: the formation of earth, emergence of life, spread of man and the growth of civilization – and reveals their surprising connections to our world today.

Sniper: Bulletproof deconstructs and analyzes the little known sniper events that have occurred when no other course of action was possible. The people who planned the takedowns, or pulled the trigger, share their techniques and bring to light the many factors that had to be considered in each mission: terrain, wind speed, temperature, elevation changes... all are critical to taking out targets considered bulletproof. A sniper has one chance, one breath, to rise to the occasion and save the day... if they miss, there may never be another opportunity. As these never told before stories unfold, the viewer also learns about the high tech gear each sniper carries on their classified missions.

This astounding documentary delves into the mysteries of the Tunguska event – one of the largest cosmic disasters in the history of civilization. At 7.15 am, on 30th June 1908, a giant fireball, as bright the sun, exploded in the sky over Tunguska in central Siberia. Its force was equivalent to twenty million tonnes of TNT, and a thousand times greater than that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. An estimated sixty million trees were felled over an area of over two thousand square kilometers - an area over half the size of Rhode Island. If the explosion had occurred over London or Paris, hundreds of thousands of people would have been killed. For almost one hundred years, the catastrophic cosmic impact of the century has remained a terrifying and hotly debated mystery. The first expedition to reach the site was led by Russian scientist L.A. Kullik in 1938. His team uncovered a colossal degree of devastation, but could find no obvious crater. Historians and scientists continue to speculate about what caused the apocalyptic fire in the sky, and why the elusive object failed to leave a crater. A huge number of theories and conspiracies surround the event. The suggested culprits vary from asteroids and comets to ball lightning, black holes and alien spaceships. Most scientists agree that such an event is likely to occur again. Next time, the human toll could be unimaginable. We reveal that NASA and other organisations are currently engaged in a desperate race against time to stop the next potential planet killer.

Most people believe zombies are a recent phenomenon that grew out of comic books, movies and TV The truth is very different. This two-hour special explores the real story of zombies beginning at the dawn of civilization and continuing right through to today. The first written reference to zombies can be found in the Epic of Gilgamesh, mankind’s oldest work of literature. A look at both the old and new testaments of The Bible reveal numerous stories of the undead. We’ll detail how Europe’s Black Plague became one of the most prolific periods for myths and legends about zombies. Find out why Viking legends believed zombies were nearly indestructible except by decapitation or immolation. Examine other zombie legends from around the world, including secret stories of China’s Terra Cotta Warriors and the voodoo rituals of Haiti. See how modern science added a whole new twist on zombies beginning with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

The hero of the Russian Revolution was revered like a saint, for years. For him, the October Revolution and the Civil War were merely steps on the way to his true purpose: the world revolution.

Common daily activities and things are explored, including brushing teeth; riding an elevator; or riding a bus.

Pearl Harbor: 24 Hours After examines the pivotal events that occurred after President Roosevelt received the call that Pearl Harbor had been attacked on 7 December 1941. Author Steve Gillon (The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After) has unearthed new evidence from the FDR Library that reveals the true panic that gripped the White House and shook the nation. This special features new, rarely-seen footage, including film the Japanese had taken of the attack. Pearl Harbor: 24 Hours After reveals the untold story behind the United States’ reaction to the date which will live in infamy.

Around the world, archaeologists are uncovering artifacts that suggest the existence of previously unknown ancient civilizations, much like the mythical city of Atlantis. There is a growing belief among certain scientists and archaeologists that tens of thousands of years ago, before the rise of today's man, sophisticated human societies populated large cities that possibly featured mechanized transportation, electricity, and advanced weapons systems. Proponents of this theory believe that these civilizations were wiped off the planet and that the evidence now lies buried miles beneath the Earth's surface. This two-hour special will investigate these beliefs and uncover the truth about people who lived before the beginning of recorded time.

For centuries, science and faith have been polarized on some of the most fundamental questions in the universe, sometimes with deadly consequences. But as mankind seeks to answer the ultimate question – whether God exists – religion and science have joined in an unlikely alliance. Can new scientific discoveries and digital age technology reveal tangible proof of God? From the far reaches of the cosmos to the inner working of the human mind, scientists and believers around the world are using science to open new frontiers in this ultimate quest.

With diamonds the German colonized town Coleman’s Hill in Namibia became the richest town of Africa in the beginning of the 20th century. The pioneers and diamond hunters are long gone today and the former boomtown has become a ghost town. Slowly the desert returns with its fascinating flora and fauna of the succulent Karoo, the most species-rich desert of the world. The picturesque houses disappear in the sand, nature slowly erases the traces of civilization and attracts new adventurers: Photographers, tourists and resourceful tour operators.