The History Channel

The end of the Civil War allows Mankind to go into overdrive. This is an age of innovation, transformation and mass production. People believe that "Anything, everything, is possible." Japan goes from feudal society to industrial superpower within 50 years. But progress has its dark side. The demand for rubber devastates Africa. And the desire to build bigger, faster, better leads to a titanic disaster...Mankind takes on godlike powers: to feed billions of people, reshape the landscape, re-engineer the human body. The greatest power of all was unleashed over Hiroshima on August 6th 1945. Since entering the Atomic Age we've been living between eternity and oblivion. But at the same time, we've become more connected as a species. 100,000 years ago there were a few thousand hunter-gatherers on the African savannah. Today there are 7 billion of us in every corner of the globe. It's been an amazing journey. (2 hours.)

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?

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?

It's Christmas at the Pawn Shop--time to find out who's been naughty, who's been nice, who's dressed as Santa and who pays the price. The Pawn Stars look to buy revolutionary war currency that may have been printed by Ben Franklin--will they stop the presses and make the deal? And later a woman brings in a battered battle ax believed to be from the 15 century.

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.

With his wife by his side, a self-confessed Tennessee hoarder is motivated to clear out his jam-packed log cabin home, and the showstopper is a 1947 Harley Knucklehead. When a restoration junkie's gas pumps are off-limits, Mike changes gears and sets his sights on a horse. A robot collector's sci-fi man cave yields a mint-condition astronaut toy but the cost could be other-worldly. Mike and Frank get VIP access to former antique store owner Billy's ten storage buildings, some that haven't been opened in this century.

Tricky Dick's Tennessee yard is littered with treasures, and though he isn't motivated to part with any of it, Mike goes hog-wild for a vintage pig ride that could be worth some serious coin. Once a legendary Mississippi radio station, Mike and Frank visit a sprawling small-town museum steeped in music history. A tough negotiator who doesn't like to sell, Phil's ramshackle building is packed with salvaged gems. But with the roof caving in, the guys hatch a strategy to make sure everyone wins before the building collapses.

Does size matter when you're a state? While the giants like to throw their weight around, there are some scrappy underdogs that have made their mark on the map.

While picking their way through the South, the guys meet up with John, a Mississippi motorcycle collector who has plenty of cool stuff, but his prices are through the roof. Then Mike spots a rare 1969 Kawasaki muscle bike, but can he wrestle it out of the mud? While in Alabama, Mike and Frank visit a prolific car hobbyist whose yard looks like a vintage parking lot. After driving down Poorhouse Road, they scour the bizarre collection at the Alabama Museum of Wonder where everything--including a gigantic head from a Piggly Wiggly mascot--is for sale. And finally, the guys catch a lucky break at a Birmingham vintage scooter shop. (30 minute episode.)

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

From the earliest bunkers of WWI through the ultra-futuristic ones of tomorrow's wars, we trace the story of defensive fortifications. In the constant struggle to hold off ever more potent forms of attack, bunkers function in a variety of forms. Three mammoth block structures comprise a submarine bunker at Lorient, France, able to house 20 subs. We visit Churchill's Cabinet War Room and Hitler's Berlin bunker, as well as backyard Cold War bunkers and those that protect nuclear weapons themselves.

Explore the tantalizing question of whether all the remnants of mankind will eventually disappear from our planet. What would happen to the earth if humans ceased to exist? Would ocean life flourish, the buffalo return to the Great Plains and our skyscrapers yield to the wear and tear of time. Visit the ghostly villages surrounding Chernobyl, which were abandoned by humans after the nuclear disaster in 1986 and then travel to the remote islands off the coast of Maine to search for traces of abandoned towns that have vanished from view in only a few decades. Learn from experts in the fields of engineering, botany, ecology, biology, geology, climatology and archeology as they provide answers for many thought provoking questions.