Investigate the fascinating truths behind Dan Brown's (The Da Vinci Code) first novel. From centuries-old secret societies to real-world cryptography, from the high-stakes intrigue surrounding the installation of a new Pope to the sometimes uneasy relationship between the Vatican and leading scientists, this special will thrill and inform viewers about this monumental time in world history. The clues Brown's hero Robert Langdon follows in frantic pursuit of the Illuminati will inspire further investigation--into religious conspiracies and the Freemasons, secret "codes" hidden in Roman architecture and artwork--as well as controversial theories about religious iconography. Features scenes from the new movie as well as interviews with renowned symbologists, art historians, religious scholars, scientists and other experts will help unravel the mysteries and expose the diabolical plot to destroy the Church.

The sensational courtroom battle between William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow over the teaching of evolution in a small Tennessee town underscored a deep schism within the American psyche -- religion versus science, church versus state, elitism versus populism.

The state of the art in high-rise living, New York City's Time Warner Center features all the amenities: a health club, restaurants, dry cleaners, top notch security, and citywide views. But high-rise, high-density living isn't new. Romans were living in high-rise apartments 2,000 years ago. Host Michael Guillen travels to Rome and its ancient seaport of Ostia where a number of them still exist. He illustrates many similarities we share with the ancient Romans including health clubs and dry cleaners. Food of all kinds was available at restaurants called thermopelia. As for the apartment complexes, some were as high as seven stories but building with un-reinforced concrete limited their height. We travel to Bath, England for an appreciation of the brilliantly designed Roman baths. Michael shows how ancient dry cleaners, known as fullers, cleaned garments with human waste. And the Los Angeles Fire Department helps demonstrate the Roman fire pump.

Travel to the heart of the Roman Empire to examine it's remarkable civil engineering project that resulted in a 53-thousand mile network of highways. Host Michael Guillen takes us on a chariot ride through ancient Rome and discovers that many of the highway amenities that we imagine as modern developments date back over 2000 years. It's an amazing look at a travel network where so little has changed after so many years.

Travel to Egypt and join a team of archaeologists who have uncovered what evidence reveals is the lost fourth pyramid of Giza. Radjedef, son of the great Khufu, would stamp his supremacy by erecting the highest pyramid ever built, towering some 60 feet above Khufu's Great Pyramid of Giza. However, Radjedef's pyramid was forgotten and almost buried beneath the encroaching desert sands and its significance to the three great pyramids was lost. State-of-the-art CGI demonstrates how all four pyramids were connected. Interwoven through the exciting finds of this new excavation is the story of the most powerful, prolific, and arguably, the most cruel and debauched of all Egypt's dynasties.

Suspected throughout their long history of plotting to overtake the world, accused of fomenting revolution, and reviled as devil worshippers that stole King Solomon's treasure, the Freemasons claim they're merely a civic-minded fraternity, bound together by harmless rituals. Our high-energy cocktail of dramatic reenactment, expert interviews, and on-location footage entertains historians Akram Elias, Stephen Bullock, and Brent Morris to retell the Freemasons' central myth concerning Hiram Abiff, mythical builder of Jerusalem's Temple of Solomon. During construction, he was killed by three workers who believed his "secret" would impart magical powers--representing the three evils against which Freemasons believe they're still struggling: ignorance, fanaticism, and tyranny. Today, the world's 2.5 million Freemasons meet to reenact the ritual of Hiram's murder as the initiation ceremony for the main rank of Master Mason.

A deadly, slithering menace is taking over Florida and may be heading north. For more than 100 years, giant pythons have been discovered in parts of the Sunshine State, but since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, their territory has rapidly spread. Now, MonsterQuest searches for incursions in the outskirts of Miami, a population hotspot that is just moments from schools and homes. The team investigates whether pythons could hybridize and adapt, enabling them to threaten every state in the US.

There is evidence that suggests we experienced 20th century alien contact. In 1942, the Battle of Los Angeles involved the US military and Air Defense allegedly fighting a UFO. WWII Allied Air Force planes were buzzed by balls of light that some think could have been extraterrestrial. And the alleged crash of a flying saucer in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 propelled the world into the age of UFOs. For decades, some people have been searching for the sounds of extraterrestrial intelligence, while others have been sending messages out into deep space. What would happen if aliens answered... or came calling? What protocols exist to determine who would speak on behalf of mankind, and how might we communicate? What happens if they return? Some believe they already have.

In the marshy swamp land of Texarkana a legendary beast has hunted the residents of a small Arkansas town. Their story was immortalized in a well known movie, The Legend of Boggy Creek. The real events were a series of violent nocturnal attacks that left behind not only fear and panic, but also remarkable tracks. But the evidence is not just confined to history. Scientific clues continue to this day, and point to a malevolent monster that stalks the Deep South, with physical encounters by trained trackers and discoveries of tracks and scat. The strongest evidence will be examined using the latest scientific testing and two MonsterQuest teams isolate the search area using both kayaks and horse-back, penetrating deep into territory that may be the home of the swamp stalker.

For centuries, tales of monsters have piqued our curiosity. Legendary beasts from folklore, literature and film have captivated audiences around the world. But some say monsters are not confined to just our imaginations. Stories of the Abominable Snowman, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster have triggered worldwide investigations...and continue to enthrall believers and skeptics alike.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Within each battle lies an innate mystery: Is your enemy's every move part of an obvious strategy or ingenious trickery? Throughout history, nations have used a multitude of weapons to defeat the enemy. But all the while, one weapon has stayed at the forefront of battle. More than a weapon, it has become an art--the art of deception. From horses and swords to stealth aircraft and smart bombs, we explore some of the most successful double-dealings in history and their extraordinary consequences.

As head of the powerful 15th-century Florentine family, Lorenzo de' Medici was the ultimate Renaissance man. The leadership of Lorenzo and his family created an atmosphere of culture, sophistication, and wisdom that enabled Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli to flourish artistically. Just as skilled at politics, the wealthy Medici ruled Florence for centuries without holding an office. Their power to bestow and withhold favors made them feared and revered, loved and hated. On April 26, 1478, a gang of men repeatedly attacked Lorenzo and his brother Giuliano with knives in the Duomo cathedral during high Mass. Giuliano died, but a wounded Lorenzo survived. For centuries, historians believed the Pazzi family, Medici banking rivals, were at the center of the complex plot. Now, Dr. Marcello Simonetta, a historian at Wesleyan University, offers a shocking twist. Did the Pazzi Conspiracy include a much broader range of perpetrators, reaching all the way to the Vatican?

Today's modern armies employ missiles, machine guns, smart weapons and clever strategies to use on the battlefield. These weapons may seem like cutting edge technology, but the ancient Chinese invented these weapons--in some cases thousands of years ago. Host Michael Guillen will demonstrate how the ancient Chinese repeating crossbow was a clear precursor to the machine gun and we'll see how, more than a thousand years earlier, the Chinese invented a weapon that rivaled the European cannon. Explore how ancient Chinese armies developed battlefield strategies that shape how we go to war today.

In 1944, General Eisenhower's order was short and to the point: destroy the German army. If successful, Allied forces would win the war in Europe. To American GIs that meant defeating a foe bent on defending his homeland at all cost. This episode recounts and reenacts the experiences of US soldiers who participated in one of WWII's greatest military campaigns Through interviews, archival footage, and recreations, vets share graphic memories of penetrating the Siegfried Line, the formidable German border-defense system; fighting in the Hurtgen Forest, a dark, dense wooded area that rendered tanks and air power useless; and sewing up the industrial region known as the Ruhr Pocket. Veterans put viewers right in harm's way with their deeply personal stories of what it was like to conquer Germany one pillbox, one troop shelter, one hilltop, and one town at a time. They shed tears over lost comrades and reveal the effects of combat, including psychological stress that still haunts them.