History Channel Documentaries

The Da Vinci Code has raised questions about religion art and faith across the globe. Now take a 2000 year journey through time to examine the surprising truths and controversial ideas set forth in Dan Brown's worldwide bestseller.

We've watched them streak across the sky for centuries, but what - beyond their sometimes extraordinary and fleeting beauty - do we really know about comets? Follow a breakthrough mission to demystify and - for the very first time - capture the contents of a comet. Premiering Sunday, January 22 2005 at 7 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT on Discovery Channel, Catching the Comet follows the exploration of a comet by devising an innovative way to bring one home.

Troy is the site of history's most legendary war and the Western world's oldest adventure story. According to myth it began with a rigged beauty contest and ended with a giant wooden horse unleashing utter destruction. From “the face that launched a thousand ships” to the most famous military ruse in history, the epic showdown between the Greeks and Trojans serves as one of the fundamental narratives of Western culture. Yet, nearly everything we know of it comes from an oral tradition recorded hundreds of years after the fact. Now archaeologists, literary detectives and military analysts are uncovering evidence suggesting the war was really waged. From archaeological trenches at ancient Troy and the citadel fortress of King Agamemnon from Homer to Hollywood we search for the true story of Troy.

This documentary tells the story of an out-of-work tire salesman, Samuel Byck, who, in 1974, attempted to hijack a jet and crash it into the White House. The feature film "The Assassination of Richard Nixon," which stars Sean Penn, is based on Byck's tale.

Discover the complete story of a legendary vessel, told with the help of the men who served aboard her. The submarine USS Bowfin made nine patrol runs during WWII, all packed with hair-raising adventures. In the course of sinking some 175,000 tons of Japanese shipping, the Bowfin faced an increasingly sophisticated Japanese anti-submarine campaign, and endured vicious depth bomb and surface attacks.

From a seemingly disastrous decision to declare war to the glory of the stars and stripes, THE HISTORY CHANNEL® PRESENTS: THE WAR OF 1812 chronicles of one of america's most defining moments. Only 30 years after gaining independence, the upstart United States found itself once again battling Great Britain. At stake were the future of emocracy and America's Manifest Destiny. Pitted against the world's most powerful nation, victory seemed unlikely. But then Andrew Jackson's brilliant leadership, a lone sniper, and one of the most lopsided victories in military history turned the tide of the war.

Joseph, the Silent Saint explores one of the greatest biblical mysteries: who, exactly, was the earthly spouse of Mary and father of Jesus? A humble tradesman, he was descended from royalty. He was counseled by angels, chased into a strange land by murderers and adored by a son who would grow up to be called the King of Kings. And yet not one word of his is recorded in the bible.

Join us for an engrossing hour as we unravel one of the greatest biblical mysteries: who, exactly, was the earthly spouse of Mary and father of Jesus? According to the Bible, though a humble tradesman, he was descended from royalty. He was counseled by angels, chased into a strange land by murderers, and adored by a son who would grow up to be called the King of Kings. And yet not one word of Joseph's is recorded in the Bible. Through interviews with leading theologians and priests, examination of the Gospels, and aided by dramatic recreations, we paint the clearest picture yet of the man who spoke with his actions and helped shape the very foundations of Christianity.

On July 14, 1789, a mob of angry Parisians stormed the Bastille and seized the King's military stores. A decade of idealism, war, murder, and carnage followed, bringing about the end of feudalism and the rise of equality and a new world order. The French Revolution is a definitive feature-length documentary that encapsulates this heady (and often headless) period in Western civilization. With dramatic reenactments, illustrations, and paintings from the era, plus revealing accounts from journals and expert commentary from historians, The French Revolution vividly unfurls in a maelstrom of violence, discontent, and fundamental change. King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Maximilien Robespierre, and Napoleon Bonaparte lead a cast of thousands in this essential program from THE HISTORY CHANNEL

This episode displays the ancient techniques and technology used by both the criminals and law enforcement of the times;

This documentary examines how the native American Comanche tribe learned how to tame mustangs and used their skills to build a ragtag army that consistently struck at settlers who attempted to move west into the United States.

Paranormal investigators, forensic biologists, physicists and fire experts try to explain why a body would suddenly burst into flames. Looks into reports of people who have suddenly burst into flames for no apparent reason. How could a fire be so intense that a victim's torso is destroyed while the legs remain? Interviews relatives of alleged victims and firemen who saw the bodies.

A cult of magic spells, diabolical curses, satanic worship, human sacrifice, zombies, and dolls stuck with pins? Experts explain how, over the past few centuries, the ancient religion of Voodoo has been systematically maligned, persecuted, and nearly wiped out. To uncover the truth behind Voodoo, we travel to where it began at least 5,000 years ago on the central west coast of Africa. In the tiny nation of Benin, Voodoo is practiced today as it has been for thousands of years. Our cameras captured a rarely-seen event--an African Voodoo ceremony with animal sacrifice. We also investigate grisly events blamed on Voodoo, such as: the sinking of a ferry in Haiti that killed 200 people and was blamed on a Voodoo curse; death of Robert Tallant, author of the 1947 bestseller Voodoo in New Orleans; and how Marie Laveau, the "Queen of Voodoo" in New Orleans, saved two men from the gallows in 1850. Could these tales be true?

An investigation of Jack Ruby and his involvement with the Kennedy Assignation.

Before Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code, there was Holy Blood, Holy Grail, written by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, that is known for its revelation of the possibility of a sacred bloodline continued by Jesus and Mary Magdalene. It was their research on which Brown based much of his novel. Now, 30-some years since they wrote their last follow-ups, Henry Lincoln continues to investigate the source of the story. In this special, the man who launched the whole story breaks his silence, allowing viewers to unlock his secrets and addressing critics who say the whole thing is a hoax. We also explore the connection to the Knights Templar.

The ocean becomes a battlefield. Around 1.6 million people, counting allies and japanese, perished fighting during more than 4 years in isles, some of them as small as Central Park.

Conquest. Lust. Murder. Revenge. These are the foundational cornerstones of the Roman Empire. For more than 500 years Rome was the most powerful and advanced civilization the world had ever known ruled by visionaries and tyrants whose accomplishments ranged from awe-inspiring to deplorable. Despite their seemingly civilized attitude toward life there was a decidedly uncivilized end to the Roman Empire. In this feature-length special recent archeological evidence provides an unprecedented look into this tumultuous period in Rome's history--from Roman funeral practices based on sacrifice and superstition to secret societies and mysterious cults to the grand palaces of Nero and Tiberius the center of Rome's excess wealth and decadence. Featuring fascinating on-location footage and interviews with leading scholars from Princeton and Cambridge universities ROMAN VICE brings the final days of the Roman Empire vividly to life.

HI-TECH HITLER explores the manifold engineering and scientific accomplishments of the Nazis, many of which helped to radically transform the way we live today. From jet power to the electron microscope, HISTORYtm presents a distinctive look at the role of science and technology in Hitler's Germany.

It began like the common cold. Then came fever, baseball-sized black swellings on the neck, and coughing up blood. Few infected lived more than two days. In the three years since it first struck in 1437, almost half of Europe's population died within three years. THE PLAGUE visits the rat-infested holds of the ships that brought death and disease, witness the terror that swept through towns, and walks with religious flagellants. Follow a princess as she travels into the center of the plague, a doctor who struggles to understand what is happening, and a Jewish merchant caught up in violent attacks. Hear the actual words of the victims, taken from diaries and journals. From the Pope's palace to the humble huts of medieval peasants, watch as people live and die in the unforgiving grip of fear and death, and wonder how we would act if such a terrible event happened today.

Learn about the magical childhood of Eric Weiss, a young boy from Hungary who became the famous magician Harry Houdini. This Houdini video is courtesy of the History Channel.

Not so long ago, civilization learned that it was no match for just a few degrees drop in temperature. Scientists call it the Little Ice Age--but its impact was anything but small. From 1300 to 1850, a period of cataclysmic cold caused havoc. It froze Viking colonists in Greenland, accelerated the Black Death in Europe, decimated the Spanish Armada, and helped trigger the French Revolution. The Little Ice Age reshaped the world in ways that now seem the stuff of fantasy--New York Harbor froze and people walked from Manhattan to Staten Island, Eskimos sailed kayaks as far south as Scotland, and two feet of snow fell on New England in June and July during "the Year Without a Summer". Could another catastrophic cold snap strike in the 21st century? Leading climatologists offer the latest theories, and scholars and historians recreate the history that could be a glimpse of things to come

The Iraq War coalition forces' counterinsurgency efforts are examined.

Authors Gore Vidal, Jan Morris, Harold Holzer and Andrew Solomon help uncover the facts about the 16th president of the United States.