Timeline World History Docs

A cup, a chalice, or is it the most powerful bloodline on Earth that has been in power for millennia before recorded history? The Grail has become a corner stone of Royal power and holds a secret so powerful that it could bring down a religion followed by over a billion people. Is it a gift from ancient aliens or even a relic of Atlantis? The real truth is much more interesting, and much more powerful.

"Fighters" tells the story of those women who have experienced battle at first hand. Dressed as women - and often as men - they have fought in the wars that have shaped our world, from the English and American Civil Wars and the Napoleonic Wars to the Two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East.

The Imperial War Museum is the UK's largest military museum and contains thousands of priceless artefacts from Britain's armed forces. Join the staff that maintain these objects and discover the incredible history behind them.

Minor Cooper Keith was an American Industrialist who helped revolutionize the economies of central America by building railroads throughout the region and shaping these country's exports of produce such as the banana. However, he's long been a controversial figure accused of exploitative practices and establishing monopolies that would outlive him by many decades. What is the truth behind this polarizing figure?

Nearly 1,000 years ago, the Vikings left Scandinavia and settled across Europe - giving their name to Normandy along the way - before their Norman descendants seized the English throne at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. But what do we really know about them? By combining expert analysis with compelling drama, 'The Last Journey of the Vikings' tells a new and often surprising story about this complex people.

What "acceptable" roles have women taken in war that have still put them in the thick of the action? The ultimately tragic spy Mata Hari was the archetypal "femme fatale", the nun-like Florence Nightingale the selfless field nurse. Or were they? In Spies and Angels we look at the contribution of both women.

The Imperial War Museum is the UK's largest military museum and contains thousands of priceless artefacts from Britain's armed forces. Join the staff that maintain these objects and discover the incredible history behind them.

This is a powerful account of the German bombing raids on the central towns and airfields of England, including the terrible blitz on Coventry and the smaller raids on the airfields of Lincolnshire and East Anglia.

The Battle of Shanghai has been described as both the last battle of World War I and the first of World War II. This revealing film recounts the events that led to the fighting that began in Shanghai in 1937, which would become part of a larger, global conflict. The programme reflects the latest historical perspectives, with rare footage and vivid recollections of people who experienced the events as children living in Shanghai.

This is the story of a band of six geniuses whose names carry meaning to this day. The research and scientific achievements of John von Neumann, Edward Teller, Eugene Paul Wigner, and Leo Szilard were vital in the invention of the atomic bomb and modern warfare as we know it. Robert Capa became the world’s most famous war photographer. And Michael Curtiz’s film “Casablanca” is considered to be one of the most iconic propaganda films of all time.

Submarines are cramped and uncomfortable at the best of times. Now imagine trying to reach the North Pole in a Submarine built in 1916 without heating or insulation. That was the fate of the crew of the Nautilus in this daring and ill-fated expedition to reach the pole in a submarine.

Was there a more devastating and violent rivalry in the ancient world than that between Rome and Carthage? Discover how the Punic Wars shaped the ancient world and how they brought one superpower close to death and left another broken and lost to history.

An Irish doctor survived the atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki and was given a Samurai sword for the lives he saved. 70 years later his family searches for the origin of their father's sword.

This is the story of a band of six geniuses whose names carry meaning to this day. The research and scientific achievements of John von Neumann, Edward Teller, Eugene Paul Wigner, and Leo Szilard were vital in the invention of the atomic bomb and modern warfare as we know it. Robert Capa became the world’s most famous war photographer. And Michael Curtiz’s film “Casablanca” is considered to be one of the most iconic propaganda films of all time.

Thousands of Chicago factory workers boarded the SS Eastland in the summer of 1915, heading to a company picnic, but the steamship had a dark secret that the passengers never knew until it was too late. Discover the horrifying truth behind this often-forgotten disaster.

Singapore on Film explores the earliest footage of Singapore, dating back to 1900. The films include 'Coolie Boys' and 'Ananas', filmed more than 100 years ago by the Pathe Brothers. Much of this remarkable archive has never been seen before, and has been specially restored and digitised by the British Film Institute.

From Hadrian's Wall to the Pyramids of Giza and beyond, the ancient world contains countless treasures. Discover the history behind some of these iconic monuments in this collection of episodes from 'Lost Treasures of the Ancient World'.

Although there were no great Blitz campaigns such as those seen in London and Coventry, the Luftwaffe made many determined bombing attacks on the North of England. This documentary looks at life in the wartime North, including the V1 rocket raids on the towns on the North Eastern coastline and the work of anti-aircraft Barrage Balloon squadrons.

More than a hundred WW2 aircraft rest on the bottom of Lake Michigan, just off the Chicago shoreline. This is the story of how they got there. During the Second World War, the US Navy trained over 15,000 carrier pilots on two makeshift 'flattops', both former coal-fired, side-wheel passenger steamers. Not every pilot landed successfully on the pitching decks of the USS Wolverine and USS Sable, and many aircraft went to the bottom of Lake Michigan.

Secrets of Nazi U-Boat Bases offers a new look at the Battle of the Atlantic; the most important military campaign of World War II. While occupying France, Hitler built along the French Atlantic Coast what he thought was the secret to securing victory—five huge underwater bases that protected and rearmed his returning U-Boat fleet after attacking British supply ships.

China's 20th century has long been shrouded in mystery for the West, limited to a few major events. Go beyond these monolithic events to discover what real life was in China with this tireless compiled footage of what normal citizens experienced daily.

The Fall of Singapore on February 15, 1942 was described by Churchill as the "worst disaster" in British military history, but little is known of the Singaporean servicemen who fought for the Allies in WWII. This film tells the incredible untold stories of four courageous Singaporeans fighting across continents, forgotten from history, until now.

The Battle of Rorke's Drift was one of the main engagements in Britain's controversial war against the Zulu. Here 150 soldiers managed to fend off 4,000 Zulu warriors, allowing Britain to distract its citizens from disastrous encounters such as the Battle of Isandlwana. Discover how this small force managed to hold out against a far more numerous enemy.

The series’ narrative thread is an examination of the power struggle over who will win the peace. The fight takes place between the big three wartime allies: The Soviet Union, Britain and America. Each country and leader is embedded in each programme as central characters; we become familiar with their approach and their particular cocktail of double-dealing.

The Secret Routes To Escape Nazi-Occupied Europe During World War 2 | The Last Passage

In this exclusive documentary, Juan Carlos de Bourbon, for decades one of the most popular and powerful monarchs of Europe, reflects on his life. Born to a royal family in exile, following the proclamation of the second Spanish Republic, his childhood was shrouded in uncertainty. In 1981, he played a pivotal role in ending a coup and is seen as one of the founders of Spanish democracy.

The tale of the fall of Carthage is perhaps one of the most horrifying from the ancient world. But what happened after that? Discover the world of Roman Carthage and how this new city was built off the bones of the old one.

The Special Interrogation Unit were a unique force within the British Army. They all shared one common trait, they could all speak German and many were the children of German Jews whose families had been victims of the holocaust. This made their mission of disrupting the German forces and integrating them that much more personal.

This episode of Eternal Egypt introduces us to the Egyptians who live on the banks of the Nile from Rosetta where it flows into the Mediterranean to Abu Simbel where it leaves Egyptian territory to begin its Sudanese journey.

A fierce WW2 battle at sea, unreported for more than 60 years, is revealed at the bottom of the Gulf of Thailand. There lies the US submarine Lagarto and the remains of her 86 crewmen, entombed 8,000 miles from the tiny Wisconsin town where the sub was built. This is the powerful story of the last battle of Lagarto and her crew, the families left behind with no graves to mourn, bodies to bury, and the mystery of why no one escaped from the sinking sub.

Jerusalem is one of the most hotly contested cities in all of human history. From the Romans to the crusades, to the modern day, the city has rarely not been a geo-political hot point. Discover the ancient history of the city and what makes it so special.

A celebrated postwar fashion designer and style icon, Hardy Amies was one of the most unlikely spymasters of World War II. Discover how this man was not only a talent in designing clothing but also in orchestrating complex secret operations.

From mummification to the cult of Osiris discover the ancestral rites still present today that linked the Egyptians to death and eternal life.

In 1941 Nazi Germany set out to conquer Russia and they nearly succeeded. How did Germany nearly steamroller their way to Moscow and what ultimately prevented Hitler's ultimate aim of true domination of Europe.

Ancient Greece is a period in Greek history that lasted for around nine hundred years. It is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the foundation of Western Civilization. Ancient Athens was at one point the envy of the ancient world. With gifted scientists and philosophers, a formidable military and a new and innovative mode of government. But what was ordinary life like for the populace?

The Mob played a pivotal role in the outcome of World War 2, particularly in the Allies' invasion of Italy. Follow the infamous gangster Charles 'Lucky' Luciano' as he manages to bargain his way out of prison and into a vital role in the war effort.

From architecture to necropolises or shipbuilding discover the Egyptian symbols that have survived through the ages and what they mean today.

Stalingrad is to many the most pivotal battle of World War 2. It represents a turning point where to some Germany's defeat became inevitable. But how did it reach this point? Learn about the buildup and eventual outcome of one of history's most brutal and devastating battles.

China is one of the oldest and most powerful countries in the world and yet many of us know little of its ancient origins. We delve into the accomplishments of great Chinese architects, including the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Terracotta Army of the First Emperor.

As the leader of the Los Alamos Laboratory, Oppenheimer played a significant role in the development of the atomic bomb. This documentary examines Oppenheimer's private and professional life, from his early years to his involvement with nuclear physics and his later advocacy for nuclear weapons controls.

The last episode of the series ventures into the desert that the Egyptians of the Nile have never really managed to control. To this day it remains a place of danger and rebellion.

The Battle of Kursk was Hitler's last attempt to salvage Germany's eastern front. Discover the colossal amount of resources pumped into this crucial battle of the war.

From the Pyramids to the temple at Karnak, perhaps what makes Ancient Egypt so compelling is that so much of it is still around for us to see. Discover the incredible legacy of Ancient Egypt and what made this incredible culture so unique in world history.

What if the Nazis had a nuclear bomb? The Allies were terrified by the prospect of the Germans creating a nuclear weapon during the Second World War. This paranoia launched several covert operations, all aiming to prevent this terrifying hypothetical coming to pass.

How did a poor boy from a tiny flat in St Petersburg become one of the world's most powerful leaders? Admired by Trump and feared by his rivals, on the eve of his almost certain re-election as president of Russia, this film reveals the story of Vladimir Putin's extraordinary rise to power - from a lowly KGB colonel to Boris Yeltsin's right-hand man and ultimately his successor.

Based on the most extensive compilation of archive material today, with almost half of it previously unpublished sources, Hitler's life is shown in detail against the social backdrop of the first half of the 20th century in a contemporary interpretation.