The History Channel

The Pawn Stars hope to remain civil when a man brings Robert E. Lee's silver spoon and Ulysses S. Grant's meerschaum pipe. Can Rick scoop up these pieces of American history or will the seller just be blowing smoke? Then, Corey and the Old Man place their bets when a shoe from the legendary Triple Crown racehorse Secretariat gallops in. Will this horseshoe prove to be their lucky charm or will the race to the finish line come up short? And later, a seller hopes he has found hidden treasure when he strolls in with a vintage metal detector. Do the guys detect a deal or is the seller's excitement a false alarm?

The Pawn Stars are up in arms when a late 1700's flintlock four-barrel handgun takes aim at the shop. Will Rick bite the bullet for this 4-piped pistol, or does he let it shoot by? Then, Rick and the Old Man are presented with a book of misprinted Eisenhower postage stamps. Are these first class mistakes or will they be returned to sender? And later, when Rick finds broken merchandise in the warehouse, he uses the shop's security camera to try and track down the guilty party.

Keep it surreal with the Pawn Stars when Chumlee and Olivia are offered a sculpture by Salvador Dali. Without any proof of authenticity, will they take a night shift risk? Then, the guys are spinning over an atlas from 1862. Showing the world as it stood during the Civil War, can they map out a deal? And later a 1930's pinball machine rolls into the shop. Will Chumlee's expertise on pinball machines help the Old Man score a good price, or will it just put him on tilt?

Court is in session for the Pawn Stars when the guys check out a collection of sketches from the 1954 Sam Sheppard trial. The man who inspired "The Fugitive," is Rick willing to deliver a verdict on these rare drawings? Then, a baseball signed by the entire 1962 American League All Star team slides into the shop. With signatures from Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle, do the guys play hardball, or strike out looking? And later, when Chumlee calls in sick, the guys are on the case to see if he's faking it. Will his story check out?

Exactly as they do today, ancient commandos fought deep behind enemy lines in some of the harshest terrains know to man. Battle through storms and five foot snowdrifts to reveal the tech and truth behind the world earliest known ski commandos. Journey to the deserts of Egypt and reveal how a tiny army beat off a major invasion force using deception and a bunch of farm animals. The famous Bayeux tapestry that tells the story of the last invasion of England in 1066 hides a secret clue to the triumph of an elite fighting force. We reveal how the simple stirrup changed the entire course of history. Then, uncover the secrets of the Naftun--one of the ancient worlds most feared and successful commando units.

Many of the modern military innovations we take for granted all stem from ancient China. It was the Chinese who invented gunpowder, and in the tenth century the Chinese created a substance that allegedly powered flame throwers and ancient rockets. From automated crossbows to siege machines able to fire over 3,000 yards, we uncover the secrets of China's most awe-inspiring weaponry. Amongst many fascinating stories, we uncover insights into the legendary rotating crossbow and the Cloud Bridge Siege Engine that was used to transport hundreds of troops to the battlefield. We will recreate some of China's legendary battlefield creations to see how the designs would have fared in combat.

Discover the ancient Roman navy SEAL technique of capturing enemy ships from underwater and replicate the feat with a champion free-diver who will work with ancient tools underwater on one breath for six minutes. We attempt to solve one of History's greatest mysteries, the tactics of ancient Roman war dog units; we meet a historically savage breed of dog--the Mastiff--that may have been used on the battlefields of antiquity. Learn the secrets of the samurai sword--how it was made and how it became the most legendary blade in History. Finally, we build and test an ancient Horro--a Japanese device that could protect a galloping cavalryman from arrow fire, yet was only made from a billowing layer of thin silk.

Investigate the systems by which ancient intelligence services transmitted messages over thousands of miles--the fire beacon, the horse and the pigeon. This episode sets up a great race between these three systems to see which communicates the swiftest. Learn how ancient spies sent secret messages using invisible ink made of human sperm and how they wrote on the inside of a raw egg. Discover how Japan's covert assassins, the ninja, used more than darts and poisons--they were pretty good with explosives as well. Find out how a Roman James Bond used a suit made of cork to support him in full armor during a covert operation across a river.

Travel to the farthest corners of the ancient East to uncover weapons never before seen by the world at large. In India, we encounter martial artists wielding terrifying six foot long flexible steel swords, a steel projectile that can sever the limbs of any enemies, and an ancient Indian booby trap which impales its victims as they sleep. In Egypt, the ways in which a camel was turned into a weapon of war are explored and tested. Traveling further east to China, experts investigate how armor that could stop arrows were made of nothing more than paper. Finally, through painstaking research, we construct the world's first unmanned weapon that went onto the battlefield over 2000 years ago.

Get your kicks with the Pawn Stars as Rick and Chumlee check out a massive collection of Nike shoes. With an asking price of $1 million, is this deal a slam dunk or an air ball? Then, an Arnold & Son longitude watch finds its way into the shop. Used for navigation on ships since the 1700's, will Rick offer a boatload for this rare timepiece? And later, Corey and Chumlee eye a vintage handcuff collection. Featuring some of the most painful, and illegal, restraint devices ever made, do the guys try to lock this deal up, or does something rub them the wrong way.

Press play with the Pawn Stars as Chumlee checks out a gold video game cartridge from the 1990 Nintendo World Championships. Considered the "holy grail" of video game collectibles, will Chumlee drop enough coins to win it for the shop? Then, Rick and the Old Man eye a set of keys to Al Capone's jail cell. From Capone's stretch at Cook County Jail, can the guys nab this artifact, or will it evade capture? And later, the guys discover that the Old Man is a bit of a hoarder, but it's what he's hoarding that raises eyebrows.

Freestyling in Los Angeles, Mike and Frank tail a vintage steam car to an auto shop where they uncover an acre of unbelievable junk. Packed with oddball artifacts, the guys stumble upon a salvage yard turned prop shop. Later, the guys meet Cecil, a man who has built himself a rustic little Western town and filled it with amazing stuff.

Lock and load with the Pawn Stars as Corey and Chumlee check out an 1838 Colt Paterson. Formerly owned by a Civil War colonel, will the guys take a shot at this rare firearm? Then, a letter written by Franklin D. Roosevelt gets hand-delivered to the shop. Written shortly after FDR's bout with polio, can Rick endure a tough negotiation for this piece of presidential history? And later, when Rick's lunch keeps disappearing, he's on a mission to find the culprit. Will evidence point to the usual suspect?

Put the pedal to the metal with the Pawn Stars as the guys check out a completely customized 1932 Ford Roaster. With less than 500 miles on it, will a high asking price put a red light on negotiations? Then, Corey and Chum lee face off against a guy trying to sell a Marilyn Manson Clayton doll. Used in the making of "Celebrity Death match," will they make an offer or is this deal DOA? And later, Rick eyes a diploma from the 1912 Olympics. Awarded for a 2nd place finish in swimming, can Rick turn it into pawn shop gold?

In Ohio, Truck Hunters Shawn and Vince must track down and deliver a big rig filled with highly classified cargo but mid-route they pick up a mysterious tail. In Texas, a trailer filled with prized cattle is stranded on a track, and Marshall and Korchenko is the trucker's last hope to avert a disastrous collision. In New Jersey, brothers-in-law John and Gene are on the hunt for a hijacked truck full of a million dollars worth of laptops. And in Denver, Animal and Steve discover the perils of trying to deliver a hot load on a tight deadline, as the President's visit locks down the city's traffic grid.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

The little-known and often incredible stories of the men and women who became espionage agents for both North and South.

The story of a century-and-a-half of tireless research that led humans to discover their ape-like origins. In this 2-hour special, we review several stories of discovery, each a crucial turning point in the understanding of our pre-historical past. Our heroes are the men and women who uncovered the clues, often after backbreaking and obsessive labor in some of Earth's most hostile environments. Their stories are told with dramatic reconstructions and tantalizing glimpses of the lives of ancestral humans they uncovered, together with newspaper headlines, news reports and archive footage and expert interviews. In the course of this enthralling journey, we uncover stunning facts, wild theories, and compelling conclusions unearthed by pioneering investigators of human origins. This is the story of how 150 years of sweat and toil brought our extraordinary origins into the light.