First Aired: January 7th, 1994
Status: Continuing
Genre: Documentary
Network: History
Summary: The History Channel is a satellite and cable TV channel, devoted mainly to historical events and persons. Programming covers a wide array of periods and topics, while similar topics are often organized into themed weeks or daily marathons. Subjects include military history, medieval history, the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, modern engineering, and historical biographies.
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Season 2010
Episode 3: After Armageddon
Air Date: March 2nd, 2010
Summary: What have past acts of destruction taught us about what will happen to mankind after the apocalypse? Is it inevitable that disaster will someday strike America on an unprecedented level? How has history prepared us? History's most dramatic events--Hiroshima, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and others--are examined and analyzed with hard data gathered from their massive aftereffects. The disappearance of water and food supplies, the effects of deteriorated sanitation and health care on the remaining population, and the increased use of violence as a means of survival--all illustrate how societies have responded and survived.
Episode 7: The Exodus Decoded
Air Date: March 1st, 2010
Summary: Using 3-D computer graphics and on-location photography, scholars argue the validity of the biblical exodus. The story of the Exodus invokes an epic tale--Pharaohs and Israelites, plagues and miracles, splitting of the sea and drowning of an army, and Moses. It's at the heart of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. After much research--working with archaeologists, Egyptologists, geologists, and theologians--filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici concluded that the Exodus took place hundreds of years earlier than thought. With a new timetable, Jacobovici reexamined artifacts and discovered that the traditional consensus on the date was reached without reference to Judaic texts that record the oral traditions. When Jacobovici consulted these texts, they revealed names of people and places unknown to researchers until recently when extensive excavations in the Nile Delta took place. Teaming up with special effects designers, he created a unique digital experience of the Exodus. Blending archaeological findings with eye-catching effects, Jacobovici creates a virtual museum to showcase his discoveries.
Episode 8: The Kings - From Babylon to Baghdad
Air Date: March 2nd, 2010
Summary: The region now known as Iraq has always been, in many ways, world history’s ground zero. From this rich territory sprang the earliest cities and empires, earliest armies, and earliest tyrants.
The Kings - From Babylon To Baghdad tells the story of Iraq through the history of its rulers, from Sargon the Great to Saddam Hussein. This feature-length documentary explores the connections and relevance between ancient and modern Iraq and between Iraq and the rest of the planet.
Using dialogue drawn directly from primary sources – original texts of ancient records – it depicts events in dramatic, living reenactments. Lush cinematography filmed on location frames the dramatizations and contemporary reportage. And interviews with the world’s leading experts on the historical and current relevance of Iraq complete this authoritative portrait of the men who brought this fabled land glory and despair.
Today, as it has been many times in the past, understanding Iraq is central to the world’s well-being. This documentary offers a thorough, thought-provoking view into the politics, personalities, government, geography, culture and religion of this all-important region.
Episode 9: The Unholy Battle for Rome
Air Date: March 20th, 2010
Summary: In September 1943, the German army marched into Rome, beginning a 9-month battle for control of the “Eternal City”. It was the Allied aim to preserve the Holy City’s sacred institutions and treasures. So the staggering human cost before the city’s military conquest is nearly incomprehensible.
Episode 10: How the States Got Their Shapes
Air Date: April 6th, 2010
Summary: We are so familiar with the map of United
States, but do we know why our states look the way they do? Every shape on the map tells a great story about our past. Why is California bent? To cling on to gold. Why does Oklahoma have a panhandle? Because of shifting borders for slavery. Why does Missouri have a boot? Because of a massive earthquake. This special examines how every state is a puzzle piece ultimately revealing the unique geography, political and social history of America
Episode 11: The Real Robin Hood
Air Date: May 11st, 2010
Summary: The marauding mercenary of English folklore is one of history's best-known tales, and the legend of Robin Hood is the inspiration for more movies, radio and TV programs than any other folk hero. But the image of a hero in tights and a feathered cap is a somewhat recent addition to the myth. In reality, Robin Hood is a composite of several historical figures whose exploits date back to the age of the Crusades. In the film Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe, director Ridley Scott's production is based on the most solid and recent historical research into the character and promises a startlingly fresh interpretation of Robin Hood for a new generation.
This special will distinguish between historical evidence and Hollywood fiction, and seek to create a realistic portrait of the mythical hero. Includes clips from the film as well as interviews with director Scott, principal Robin Hood cast members and renowned historians.
Episode 12: Who Really Discovered America?
Air Date: June 22nd, 2010
Summary: Who Really Discovered America? explores the possibility a number of explorers discovered the New World long before Christopher Columbus staked his claim in 1492.
No less than a dozen cultures have tales of these adventurers woven into their histories, but they are noticeably absent in American history books.
This documentary explores the possibility the Chinese, Japanese, Polynesians, Norse, Welsh, Irish, Ancient Hebrews and the Solutreans all made it to the Americas earlier than Columbus.
We rebuild the ships, trace the routes, test the artifacts and analyze blood evidence to finally learn the answer to one of the greatest mysteries of all time - who really discovered America.
Episode 13: 10 Ways to Kill Bin Laden
Air Date: June 29th, 2010
Summary: 10 WAYS TO KILL BIN LADEN recaps the 10 boldest, most ingenious missions employed thus far to capture or kill the Al Qaeda leader. The first such operation dates back to 1998 and the Clinton administration, before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks made bin Laden the most notorious and most hunted man in the world. The special also dissects why these missions were ultimately and often frustratingly unsuccessful.
Episode 15: Afraid of the Dark
Air Date: July 6th, 2010
Summary: Go back to a time before the invention of artificial light and experience a world petrified in the pitch of darkness. . . when fear ruled the night. Throughout the ages, real and imagined terror existed in the absence of light, and nighttime was anything but relaxing. Our predecessors cowered in caves to keep from being eaten alive. During the Middle Ages, brutal bandits went on the prowl and roadside ditches became death traps. Also in years past, the devil, werewolves and vampires were staunchly believed to stalk the night. With no artificial light, the black night sky of Galileo's gaze could illuminate every star without a telescope. This chilling special explores all the reasons why the dark was so feared throughout the eras. It takes you around the globe to places where real night still exits, and examines our modern-day
fear factor when the lights go out during blackouts
Episode 18: 911 State of Emergency
Air Date: September 10th, 2010
Summary: 9/11 STATE OF EMERGENCY is a ground-breaking documentary that tells the story of 9/11 in the words of key political and military leaders, and ordinary men and women who suddenly found themselves on the frontlines of a new kind of war. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dick Myers, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and a host of other top officials take viewers deep inside the corridors of power during the most dramatic day of the century, offering fresh insights into the unprecedented state of emergency that was 9/11.
Episode 20: Gates of Hell
Air Date: August 17th, 2010
Summary: There are six places on Earth believed to be actual entrances into Hell.
They include a volcano in Iceland, a cave in the jungles of Central America, and a lake of fire in Africa.
According to ancient myth and Christian legend, each is a passage to a terrifying underworld for the damned. Even today, some believe they are still portals. Eerily, they share striking similarities. Visit these six locations, and discover how the concept of Hell emerged in history and why it still evokes fear today.
Episode 22: Sniper - Deadliest Missions
Air Date: September 14th, 2010
Summary: He's the deadliest weapon on the battlefield, but his next shot could be his last. Outnumbered... Outgunned... Behind enemy lines... What happens when the tables are turned and the hunter becomes the hunted? This is SNIPER - DEADLIEST MISSIONS. From the treacherous jungles of Vietnam and the bloody war zones of Iraq, to danger high in the skies of the Alaskan wilderness, this two-hour special puts you behind the scope with the men who pulled the trigger on some of the deadliest missions in military and law enforcement history. Gripping firsthand accounts, 3-D graphics and jaw-dropping shooting demonstrations take you inside the shadowy world of top snipers and the missions that made them living legends. Outmanned and outgunned - will the next shot be their last?
Episode 27: Marijuana - A Chronic History
Air Date: November 4th, 2010
Summary: The fight against drug use in America has been going on since the turn of the last century
but the term "War on Drugs" only became part of our national dialogue in 1970 when it was first used by President Richard Nixon. The President later formed the DEA and started a push to outlaw drugs of all
kinds. Among the most discussed drugs in this war is Marijuana. This special will look at the storied
and strange history of Marijuana in America.
Episode 28: The Real Story of Christmas
Air Date: December 1st, 2010
Summary: Did you know that the quaint custom of Christmas caroling actually began with drunk and rowdy revelers threatening people door to door looking for food and liquor? Early versions of the heartwarming legend of Santa Claus described him as a horrible devil named Krampus who beat and kidnapped naughty children. In America during the 17th and 18th Centuries, celebrating Christmas was against the law! There's a lot to tell about the history of Christmas, and a lot you may not know. Along the way, meet Ebenezer Scrooge and George Bailey, The Grinch and Rudolph, and learn the true origins of our Christmas traditions. So grab some eggnog and a slice of fruitcake as HISTORY unwraps THE REAL STORY OF CHRISTMAS.
Episode 29: The President's Book of Secrets
Air Date: December 1st, 2010
Summary: Moments after the President of the United States is sworn into office he gains access to "The Nuclear Football," a briefcase that contains the most volatile top-secret information in the world--America's nuclear launch codes. The Football is a high profile national secret, but it's only one of many pieces in the classified arsenal at the President's disposal once he assumes the role of Commander in Chief. Journey inside White House history to unveil staggering information about secrets known only to the President, from top-secret intelligence and classified events to covert codes and future technologies. Features exclusive interviews with Washington insiders, including former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former Director of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, former Vice President Dan Quayle, former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino and Presidential daughter Susan Ford who reveal what it is like to live and work in the White House.
Presidential secrets investigated in The President's Book of Secrets include - What secrets does an outgoing President share with the President-elect during their first private meeting? When does the incoming President gain access to vital national secrets and receive the codes to the nuclear arsenal? Is there a “Keeper of the Secrets” who tells the President everything? What information is so highly classified that even the President’s security clearance is not enough to gain access?
The President's Book of Secrets features exclusive interviews with Washington insiders, including former CIA Director Michael Hayden, former Director of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, former Vice President Dan Quayle, former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino and Presidential daughter Susan Ford who reveal what it is like to live and work in the White House. Additionally, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, journalists Dan Rather and Jonathan Alter and other experts share what they know about the secret world of the Presidenc
Episode 30: Third Reich - The Rise
Air Date: December 14th, 2010
Summary: For the second half of the twentieth century, the Third Reich has been deliberated and dissected. Now, as the “Greatest Generation” fades into history, the image of 40,000 uniformed Nazis goose-stepping in perfect synchronization represents all most Americans know about history’s most dangerously successful totalitarian government. Dig deep beneath the surface of our collective understanding of the Third Reich as HISTORY unearths what we don’t know about the individuals who comprised one of the most fascinating and complex regimes of recent history. THIRD REICH - THE RISE AND FALL uncovers familiar anecdotes and fascinating details about the people who comprised the Nazi Party, and raids the treasure trove of archives the Nazis left behind, including rarely seen German newsreel recordings along with other unique footage carried home by Russian troops.
Episode 35: Time Machine - Hotel Ground Zero
Air Date: September 11st, 2010
Summary: There is an untold story from 9/11 - the incredible tale of the 940 tourists, visitors and staff in the Marriott WTC Hotel, located beneath and between the Twin Towers, who found themselves at the epicenter of a terrifying disaster. Despite jet engines and burning debris raining down on the building, somehow almost all of the hotel guests escaped. Of those who were still trapped inside, 14 miraculously survived the towers' devastating collapse.
HOTEL GROUND ZERO tells the remarkable story of their escape, and the courage and heroism of the victims and their rescuers.
Episode 36: Jefferson
Air Date: August 24th, 2010
Summary: Thomas Jefferson is the most researched, most written about, most referenced, and most quoted of our Founding Fathers. And yet, somehow, he remains the most stubbornly inscrutable. His life is a seemingly impenetrable thicket of contradictions - he enshrined the words “All Men are Created Equal,” and yet was a lifelong slave-owner; he was simultaneously a “man of the people” and the personification of the Virginia aristocrat; he was a die-hard American revolutionary who was also a dedicated lover of European culture and art; he advocated ruthless fiscal responsibility as president, yet his own finances were mired in debt.
Episode 37: I Am Alive - Surviving the Andes Plane Crash
Air Date: October 20th, 2010
Summary: Recounting the tragedy of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 from the perspective of survivor Nando Parrado.Features reenactments of the 1972 crash and the 72-day struggle for survival that followed, including details of the 37-mile trek out of the mountains by Parrado and fellow survivor Roberto Canessa.
Episode 39: Maya - Rivals In The Jungle
Air Date: November 5th, 2010
Summary: From the 1860s to the 1880s two explorers - the German Teobert Maler and the American Edward Thompson - competed in a bitter rivalry to find and photograph lost Mayan cities, deep in the Mexican and Guatemalan jungles. Maler was the superior scientist and photographer, but Thompson had a flair for adventure and self-promotion - and a way of keeping his discoveries out of government hands. Between them, they rediscovered a wonderful lost civilization, whose language and architecture still challenges today's hi-tech archaeologists. Teobert Maler died embittered and almost forgotten; but his photographs are still treasured as the first and best records of Mayan cities before they were overrun by tourists from the developed world.
Episode 43: The Real Face Of Jesus
Air Date: May 3rd, 2010
Summary: The Real Face of Jesus? follows a team of graphic experts as they use 3D technology to bring a holy relic known as the Shroud of Turin to life. Here, computer graphics artist Ray Downing consults with John Jackson of Colorado's Turin Shroud Center.
Episode 44: The Real Story of Thanksgiving
Air Date: November 22nd, 2010
Summary: The story of Thanksgiving, with its costumed Pilgrims, turkeys and pumpkin pie, zigzags through American history with some surprising twists. At the iconic Thanksgiving feast of 1621– no pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce was served, and that event was wiped from the history books for 200 years! In the 19th Century, some southern states thought Thanksgiving was an abolitionist plot and refused to celebrate it. Thanksgiving didn’t become an annual national holiday until World War II! What started as a somber Puritan day of prayer is now about football and food. How did we get there?
Episode 45: Cutty Sark - Out of the Ashes
Air Date: July 17th, 2015
Summary: On the 140th anniversary of the Cutty Sark’s maiden voyage, and for the first time on television, Ben Fogle presents the full story of this world-famous ship and the dramatic bid to save her. Many believed the infamous fire of May 2007 spelled doom for the Cutty Sark, but using exclusive access, this programme explains the true context and consequence of that disaster.
The History Channel tells the dramatic story of her working life - a tale that includes record-breaking voyages to the far side of the world, mutinies, suicide, and murder.
Episode 46: The Real Story of Halloween
Air Date: October 26th, 2010
Summary: Evolving from the ancient Celtic holiday of Samhain, modern Halloween has become less about literal ghosts and ghouls and more about costumes and candy. The Celts used the day to mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and also believed that this transition between the seasons was a bridge to the world of the dead. Over the millennia the holiday transitioned from a somber pagan ritual to a day of merriment, costumes, parades and sweet treats for children and adults.
Episode 49: The Roar of the Kittyhawk
Air Date: September 1st, 2010
Summary: To commemorate ‘The Battle for Australia Day’, The History Channel will broadcast the world premiere of The Roar of the Kittyhawk.
Produced by historian, writer and filmmaker Will Davies, The Roar of the Kittyhawk takes an in-depth look at the brave Australian pilots that flew the Kittyhawks of the 75 and 76 squadron RAAF, successfully defending the shores of Kokoda in 1942.
The gripping one-hour documentary is told through the life of one of the pilots, squadron leader B.A. ‘Mick’ Grace. Grace was also the son and heir to the Grace Bros fortune, an international rugby player who played for the Wallabies in 1934 and a recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross award.
In mid 1942, the situation in the Pacific was getting desperate for the Australians – Singapore had fallen and a whole Australian Division had gone into captivity. Britain was on its knees and little help could be expected from the Mother country. The Japanese had landed on the northern coast of New Guinea and were pushing south to Kokoda.
But it was here that the tide turned. The young Australian pilots in their Kittyhawks decimated the Japanese landing barges and their supply dumps and the ground troop fought off determined Japanese charges.
Featuring extensive interviews with WWII pilots, many who have since passed away since the making of the film, The Roar of the Kittyhawkpays homage to the efforts of the Kittyhawk heroes – and the crucial role they played in breaking the Japanese army.
The Battle for Australia Day was proclaimed a National Day by the Federal Government in 2008 and commemorates the service and sacrifice of all those who served in defence of Australia in 1942 and 1943, when Australia faced the gravest threats following the Fall of Singapore.
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