The History Channel

Two great revolutions entwine. The American Revolution inspires dreams of political and personal liberty. The Industrial Revolution replaces muscle power with machines, freeing Mankind from nature s limits. But our oldest foe, disease, thrives in industrial cities. With the American Civil War, the two revolutions collide. The world s first industrial war, it is a battle to define "freedom."

Bothered by boys looking to date his teenage daughter, a father invents a product that he believes will keep her safe and will also make him millions. Then, Scotty and Reichart head to the Motor City to meet two cousins and vet the invention that cost the inventors' 50-thousand bucks and two years of their lives.

Two brothers believe they have invented an off-road ride that could be the next big thing since the ATV. But if they re going to get a "yes" from Scotty or Reichart, their invention is going to have to survive a test the inventors never expected. Then another inventor says he s created a product that can make clean water out of thin air. Will he get the deal he s looking for or will he be left high and dry.

The crucifixion of Jesus gives birth to global religion, but Christianity may never have happened without the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire's vast network of roads and shipping lanes allows goods and ideas to flow across three continents, allowing Jesus' message to transform Mankind around the world. When Rome is sacked by barbarians, Europe enters a Dark Age. But from the fringes of the old empire, two new forces remake the world. The Arabs, funded by a gold rush, unite under the banner of Islam. The Vikings rejuvenate the cities of Europe, travel to America and become Christian knights. The stage is set for a clash of civilizations--the Crusades.

Genghis Khan--the bloodiest warlord in history--sweeps south from Mongolia into China and creates a mighty empire. He leaves 40 million dead bodies in his wake. But a greater killer stalks Mankind--the Plague. Traveling along Mongol trade routes, the disease wreaks havoc in Asia and Europe--the greatest biological disaster in history. But the Americas are unaffected. Here, civilizations flourish in isolation.

Gold from Africa kickstarts the rebirth of Europe. Money flows into Venice--creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs willing to take risks. In China, a new weapon--the gun--allows a peasant uprising to unify the country. Chinese innovations inspire Europe--leading to the printing press. Millions of books are printed. One of them will inspire a journey to the New World. America beckons.

The Aztecs have built a mighty empire that dominates Central America. But it will be destroyed because of a domino effect. 7,000 miles away in modern-day Turkey, the great trading center of Constantinople is overrun by an Islamic army. Europeans race to find a new route to the spice-rich East. Instead, Christopher Columbus lands in America--and discovers gold. Within 30 years the Aztecs will be conquered. In the Andes, the Spanish open up the largest silver mine in the world--and mint millions of pesos de ocho (pieces of eight). These coins transform the global economy. They fill the treasure chests of pirates. They fuel a stock market boom. They help pay for the Taj Mahal. As trade booms, millions of people come to the New World as slaves. But a handful of Pilgrims come as pioneers--looking for freedom. (2 hours.)

While in Michigan s Upper Peninsula, the guys stumble upon Woody the woodcarvers 80 acre property which features a Finnish sauna, an art gallery outhouse and a 100-year-old barn that s packed to the rafters. And later, the guys get first dibs on an aviation museum s once-in-a-lifetime sale and their guide turns out to be an American hero with an amazing story.

Do time with the Pawn Stars when a Christmas dinner menu from Alcatraz Prison from 1912 comes into the shop. Will Rick sentence this piece to life in the pawn shop, or let it escape? Then, Rick and the Old Man check out a bomber jacket worn by a member of the famous WWII fighter squadron, The Hell Hawks. Can the guys make an offer, or is the asking price sky high? And later, Chumlee is put in charge of the annual Christmas party. Can Christmas be saved?

Gather round the tree with the Pawn Stars as the guys get ready for their annual Christmas Party. With Chumlee in charge of the planning, can he keep it under budget and earn his Christmas bonus? Then, Rick and Corey check out a collection of military promotion documents signed by six different U.S. Presidents. Covering a single soldier s rise through the ranks starting in the Civil War, will this collection have the guys eager to enlist in negotiations? And later, Corey is offered an Italian movie poster for "Bullitt" starring Steve McQueen. Knowing Rick s love of everything McQueen, will Corey race at the chance to buy the poster, or will the deal crash and burn?

Darryl and John struggle to evade predators and retrieve the excavator from deep in the Amazon jungle. The rest of the crew experiences their first taste of "gold fever" and one crewmember falls dangerously ill.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

He was the father of the future...electric lights, power systems, motion pictures, recorded sound--even the tattoo pen. Life as we know it would be inconceivable without the prodigious output of the Wizard of Menlo Park, Thomas Alva Edison. His intense focus on his work came with a hefty personal price, but his reward was a world forever changed by his genius. Years after his death, Edison's effect is seen, heard, and felt everywhere. We follow descendants of his motion-picture camera to the tops of Earth's highest mountains, to the bottoms of its deepest oceans, and even into outer space. We track his innovations in recorded sound to CDs, iPods, sophisticated movie sound, and satellite radio. And we illuminate his world of electric light, powering the world and turning night into day. Along the way, we discover a little Edison in corners of modern life less well-known and even look at his failures. From the Internet to the stock market to pay-per-view; the Wizard is everywhere.

Albert Einstein's revolutionary theory that turned the world upside down might have been dismissed but for a math mistake, a cloudy sky, and the start of World War I. This fascinating two-hour special tells the story of Einstein's little-known, 15-year struggle to prove one of his most radical theories -- a theory that upended Newton and three centuries of scientific thought and called into question the definitions of space and light and gravity -- the game-changing concept known as the Theory of General Relativity. Today, more than a century since the "Miracle Year" in which he published many of his breakthrough papers, Einstein's ideas remain a living, vibrant influence. They continue to push scientists farther, and deeper, into the universe than even he could have imagined.