The History Channel

A dynamic duo of inventors serve up an invention that they say will forever change the way we eat ribs, wings and other finger foods. Now, it's up to Scotty and Reichart to decide if the two deserve a shot at a deal that could lead the inventors to millions. Then, Scotty goes crash test dummy and Reichart breaks out the big guns when the guys test an invention called the RES-Q Pod. Is it a revolutionary lifesaver or a floating bone crusher?

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.

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?

An antique horse drawn sleigh arrives at the shop needing a complete transformation for the holidays. Rick gets a "knock out" of a gift at Rick Harrison's Christmas party and it gets him in the spirit. Later, Big Mike comes by with a 1930's Dixie Cup dispenser that's missing a key part.

For the first time on American television, we uncover the surprising connections between the United States and the Vatican, from America in its infancy to the Cold War and beyond. This is also the first time that American audiences get an intimate and revealing look on how Pope Benedict XVI lives, works and functions in his papal role. With specially granted permission, viewers experience a world rarely seen as we reveal Secret Access: The Vatican.

In a 2-hour special, we scrutinize ancient writings that didn't "make the cut" in the battle to create a Christian Bible in the new religion's first few centuries. Biblical archaeologists and scholars examine why they were left out and if others might yet be found. Beginning with the little-known Life of Adam and Eve, we also peruse the Book of Jubilees, the Book of Enoch, the Gospel of Thomas, the Protevangelium of James, the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Nicodemus, and the Apocalypse of Peter.

Take another look at ancient texts that were edited out of the Bible. Are they the missing links to Christ's true teachings, or heretical attempts to rewrite history? Explore the kabalistic stories of angels and demons disavowed by orthodox leaders, and the apocalyptic visions and the sexual imagery that were barred from the Old Testament. Why was Peter's account of a "Lord of The Rings"-style battle of wits and magic repressed by Rome? With discoveries being made all across the world--in caves, ruined temples, ancient libraries and monasteries--these tantalizing fragments continue to be found and debated. Are they heresy or hidden truth?

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?

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.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

In 1898, a Minnesota farmer clearing trees from his field uproots a large stone covered with mysterious runes. Now known as the Kensington Rune Stone, it details a journey of land acquisition and murder--in the year 1362. Thought by some to be a hoax, new evidence suggests it could be real, and a clue that the Knights Templar discovered America 100 years before Columbus, perhaps bringing with them history's greatest treasure...The Holy Grail. See how symbols on the Rune Stone match Templar ruins all over Europe. History tells us the Templar were massacred on Friday the 13th, but that a Templar fleet allegedly containing treasure was last seen off Scotland in the late 1300s. Stones with similar markings as the Rune stone have been found on islands across the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Is it possible the Templar were leaving clues to an incredible journey to the New World?

Is it the greatest story ever told--or the greatest story ever sold? A best-selling novel sparks a debate that could change Christianity forever. Were Jesus and Mary Magdalene married and co-leaders of their movement? Was Mary Magdalene, herself, the Holy Grail--the vessel said to hold Jesus's blood--and mother of his descendants? Did the early Church know this "truth" and deliberately mislead followers? Is there a secret, ancient society, the Priory of Sion, which still protects this bloodline? Have some of the most illustrious names in art and science been members? These are some of the questions that Dan Brown's best-selling novel  EM The Da Vinci Code /EM raises. We examine both sides of the story--the conventional view of Christianity and the "alternate history" proposed by Brown--so that viewers can decide.