The History Channel

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. TVPG VL | CC

What if I told you that the crystal ball for our future may be found in the work of Leonardo Da Vinci? Experts believe an obscure sketch that was stolen and hidden by a Cardinal in the Catholic Church may be part of Da Vinci's cryptic prophecies. But what exactly was Leonardo predicting, and why was it so dangerous that a Cardinal felt the need to hide it from the world? To comprehend Da Vinci's predictions for our future, the team investigates history's greatest mind, uncovering Da Vinci's controversial political views, his blasphemous obsession with death, and even the mystery shrouding the Mona Lisa's identity. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

If ancient aliens visited Earth, were they responsible for catastrophes, wars and other deadly disasters to control the fate of the human race? The story of the Great Flood sent by deities to destroy civilizations exists in many prehistoric cultures. There are ancient descriptions of extraterrestrial battles that caused wide-scale destruction, and even reports of UFOs lurking in the shadows of recent natural disasters. The Book of Revelations and the Dead Sea Scrolls describe a future apocalyptic battle between good and evil that will destroy our world. Are these ancient texts proof that aliens are hostile and planning a violent return? Or might they be our saviors, ensuring our survival as a species during times of devastation? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

If extraterrestrials influenced human history, can evidence of their existence be found in hidden tunnels and caverns around the world? Could a cave in Ecuador contain metallic books inscribed with secrets of alien technology? Was an ancient underground city in Turkey built with alien help... or as a refuge from an alien attack? Rumors of the U.S. military working alongside aliens in a secret base inside a mesa in New Mexico continue to swirl, Native American legends mention strange inner-Earth beings, and recent archaeological discoveries in the Yucatan may point to an extraterrestrial reality behind. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

At nearly 14,000 years old, the ruins of Puma Punku are the oldest and most baffling on the face of the Earth. No one knows who designed and built this complex of sophisticated inter-locking blocks, and then vanished. Researchers investigate the ruins on-location in Peru and present new computer analyses. Forensic evidence on the ground, together with local myths and legends, suggest this site may have been designed and even once inhabited by a species of extraterrestrials. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Modern Marvels is going big, and counting down. We take the "best of" Modern Marvels and give you the MEGA Top 10 countdown. On this edition: Awe-Inspiring Machines--featuring the top ten mightiest, strangest, and most unique innovations from our archives. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Deep in the Rust Belt the white collar and blue collar divide has shaped our cities and our states. How did this rivalry change the way we all bring home the bacon? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It's a rivalry that tears us apart every four years, but how did our nation divide into red states vs. blue states, and what happens to the states caught in the middle? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Battles over access to lakefront property have made the Great Lakes region the most contested land on the entire map, and even pushed the states to a border war. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

With 85% of Americans affiliated with an organized religion, we're a nation of believers, but have we always practiced what we preached? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Two underdogs of American culture go head to head to prove how hillbillies and rednecks have shaped our states. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Modern Marvels is going big, and counting down. We take the "best of" Modern Marvels and give you the MEGA Top 10 countdown. On this edition: Speed. It's a pure adrenaline rush as we race the top 10 fastest marvels we've featured down to the speediest of all. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Modern Marvels is going big, and counting down. We take the "best of" Modern Marvels and give you the MEGA Top 10 countdown. On this edition: Amazing Weapons. They're every arsenal's best asset and every enemy's worst nightmare and we're counting them down to the most amazing weapon of all. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Remember "brick" cell phones, Pac-Man, Rubik's Cube, Sony Walkman, and the first music CDs? Remember all the new and exciting gadgets of the 1980s? Join us as we investigate the transition from Industrial to Information Age--a digital decade dedicated to ergonomics and entertainment. The microchip ushered in an era that revolutionized the way we work, play, and communicate. And we tour Silicon Valley--birthplace of some of the greatest inventions from an amazing time of change, including the modern personal computer. Steve "Woz" Wozniak tells us about the evolution of Apple computers, and we talk to Sony--makers of the Walkman, Betamax, and the first CD players. A visit to the Computer History Museum shows fun technological "artifacts", primitive by today's standards. At Intel, makers of the first microchips, we learn why technology moves at such a fast pace. We also take a ride in a DeLorean DMC-12 sports car--few things moved faster. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

"Tiny" weapons may not sound impressive...but small can kill, and it can also be easily concealed. From a pocket pistol used by the police...to a submachine gun wielded by a bodyguard...to a carbine in the hands of an Army Ranger, many of today's most effective weapons are smaller than ever. They can fit in your pocket, fly through the air, even break through walls--tiny weapons are an essential part of battle, self-defense, and spreading terror. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Welcome to the world of sizzling hot oil. First, it's a trip to the fair to discover the secrets behind fried classics such as funnel cakes and churros. And how about some deep fried treats such as frogs legs, and Twinkies and Coke? At Mickey's Diner in St. Paul, Minnesota, get schooled in the tricks of the fried food trade from a master short order cook. See what goes into forging the classic cast iron frying pan, supplying deep fryers for American restaurants, and producing billions of pounds of cooking oil. At Kentucky's World Chicken Festival, witness the world's largest stainless steel frying pan fry up to six hundred chicken quarters at a time. Find out what makes international favorites like British fish and chips, Japanese tempura, and Chinese stir-fry so tasty. Cooking oil is now being deployed as a fuel. Marvel at how San Francisco fire trucks are fueling up on the city's used cooking oil. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Battles over access to lakefront property have made the Great Lakes region the most contested land on the entire map, and even pushed the states to a border war. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

They sort of sound like the same phenomenon, but Pulsars and Quasars are very different. Pulsars are tiny--only a few miles across--but they spin as fast as a kitchen blender and sweep the sky with beacons of radiation that make them appear to flash on and off. They have unbelievably strong magnetic fields, are more accurate than atomic clocks...and they can even tell aliens just where to find the Earth! Quasars are at the other end of the spectrum. Quasars are huge cores of galaxies with black holes that are called "monsters" and which spit lobes of radiating gas called "DRAGNs." Quasars are so far away, we see them as they were only in the distant past--meaning they existed only in the early universe, when they may have played a major role in the creation of the galaxies themselves. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It may seem like seem like science fiction, but the cosmos isn't just something way out there. Many times in human history, objects or forces from space have changed the course of life on earth. Many believe an asteroid played a role in the fall of the Roman Empire...and millennia earlier another asteroid might have been the "fire and brimstone" that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

What does the Universe sound like? From the sweep of a pulsar, to the deafening roar of our boiling sun this episode explores the undiscovered soundscapes of the solar system, the galaxy, and the entire cosmos. And, is it true that in space nobody can hear you scream?!? Our scientists reveal that there are places in the Universe that prove this sci-fi statement wrong. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

From the bizarre prophecies of Charles Manson to the desperate paranoia of Jim Jones, cult leaders draw us into worlds of power, paranoia, and death. Through interviews with world-renowned scholars and the survivors of cultic tragedy, we will unmask the mystery of cults. From Jim Jones' pursuit of a socialist paradise to Warren Jeffs' Yearning for Zion ranch, cult leaders have twisted the quest for purity into an obsession with madness and murder. TVPG VL | CC

The biblical Garden of Eden was taken away from man because of his sins. The Bible says Eden was located east of Israel where four rivers meet--The Tigris and Euphrates and the Pison and Gihon. The later two have long been considered mythical; however recent satellite photography suggests these rivers did exist in Iraq. Another theory places Eden's location beneath the Black Sea. Do texts other than the Bible reinforce the idea of Eden? Both the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh and Ancient Greek texts speak of a paradise lost. Sift through the evidence to decode an age-old mystery about how paradise was lost, and where it might be found. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

On November 24, 1963, a stunned America struggled to accept the assassination of President John F. Kennedy two days earlier. As tens of millions stared at their televisions that Sunday morning, they witnessed TV's first live murder--the killing of assassination suspect Lee Harvey Oswald by Dallas strip-club owner Jack Ruby. What was seen for 47 hours as an isolated tragedy became one of the most notable suspected conspiracies in US history. And while the Warren Commission claimed that Oswald and Ruby both acted alone, the House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded in 1979 that JFK's murder most likely resulted from a conspiracy. Now, a new development has shaken both sides of the conspiracy controversy. Recently revealed evidence suggests the CIA may have been tracking Oswald and indicates a possible link among anti-Castro Cubans, Carlos Marcello, Ruby, Oswald, and the CIA. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

It is 113 BC. Rome is a republic, a small empire clinging to the rim of the Mediterranean. Though it is a democracy in name and spirit, a man there still must be rich and from the noble class to hold the highest offices, both political and military. The system has worked well for three centuries. But now a barbarian horde known as the Cimbri smashes through the northern imperial border. One humiliating defeat follows another, with losses of hundreds of thousands of Roman legionaries. Terror grips Rome and drives her into the arms of General Marius. Though a commoner, Marius has a brilliant military mind. To defeat the Cimbri, he will transform the Roman army and shake the Republic's political foundations to the core. It is a turning point for the Republic. Faced with the savage Cimbri, Rome must decide between dictatorship and annihilation. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

King David is the shepherd poet who slays the giant Goliath, according to the Old Testament. He then goes on to become the first king of a united Israel. Some scientists claim that the archaeological evidence appears to call the story into question; others believe they have already found the evidence to prove that it is true. Join host Josh Bernstein as he examines an ancient basalt slab inscribed with David's name, recreates his famous fight with Goliath, and descends through a secret waterway into the heart of Jerusalem. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Utahraptor, Allosaurus, Majungatholus, Albertosaurus and Tyrannosaurus were the elite killers of the prehistoric world. Scientists now know more about these predatory dinosaurs by studying their skeletal designs and using information revealed through CAT scanning technology. Listen as the expert's size up these predators found in numerous worldwide locations and various time periods in their search of the largest killer of all. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Tyrannosaurus rex was the most feared predator on earth--but to one dinosaur, he was prey. A discovery in Montana reveals the broken and fractured bones of a juvenile T-rex, and the teeth of its attacker--Nanotyrannus. As modern crime scene investigative methods are used, paleontologists get an unprecedented look into a 65 million-year-old battle. Modern CAT scanning gives science a never before look into the functions of the brains of Tyrannosaurus and Nanotyrannus. Watch as experts recreate what happened when Nanotyrannus came upon an unguarded juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

In Russian prisons, tattoos tell all. From crimes committed to time served and even ranking within the strict hierarchy, these dark and detailed works of art are a secret language that contains all vital information and can mean the difference between power and subjugation. This episode goes deep inside the world of Russia's infamous prisons, revealing how these illegal images are controlled by the ruthless Thieves in Law, the notorious gang that rules the prisons with an iron fist. We'll decode the mysteries and meanings behind the ink through the accounts of violent ex-cons and career criminals who reveal their terrifying deeds and the brutal conditions inside Russian prisons. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

One of the most frightening horror stories ever written was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Was this story, however, Robert Louis Stevenson's disturbing fantasy or was it based on a series of blood-curdling episodes that took place in the town of Edinburgh? Follow a team of historical detectives who use evidence from recent excavations and historical documents to look under the grand fa ade of Edinburgh. Watch as an underworld of streets and houses with a blood-soaked history of grave robbers, body-snatchers and unspeakable crimes is uncovered. Computer graphics allows the viewer to fly over, enter the streets, walk through the halls and peer into the Edinburgh of long ago. TVPG VL | CC

The Hittites are the forgotten superpower of the Bible. Hattusha, the capital was the heart of their empire. They were a highly advanced military powerhouse who struck fear into the hearts of all their enemies, yet the Hittites disappeared as quickly as they emerged--the greatest vanishing act in history. Follow a team of historical detectives as they use evidence from recent excavations, scientific studies and historical documents to piece together clues to determine what the ancient Hittite empire looked like. Computer graphics allow viewers to fly over, enter the streets, walk through the halls and peer into this lost world. TVPG VL | CC

Known as "the Mind of the Renaissance", this amazing artist, scientist, and inventor envisioned flying machines, submarines, parachutes, armored cars, and multi-barreled guns centuries before their time. His mysterious painting the Mona Lisa still moves us and his fresco The Last Supper remains an icon of faith. His secretly recorded dissection of human bodies that brought accusations of consorting with Satan led to the early understandings of human anatomy. Against a backdrop of 15th-century Italian opulence, intrigue, and corruption, he navigated through the glittering palaces of merchant princes. The bastard son of a notary in the town of Vinci, Leonardo couldn't even take his father's name, but sensed that he must develop a way to overcome the limitations of illegitimacy. And so a code emerged, a pattern of decision-making that evolved throughout his life, enabling him to become the greatest of men in a time of great men--a mind above all others. TVPG VL | CC

Is Atlantis, the story of the fabled continent, a myth or based in fact? One of the most enduring legends of all time, Atlantis was described as a perfect society--peaceful, artistic, and technologically advanced--but it was destroyed in a cataclysm that literally drowned the continent. Could Atlantis still be waiting to be discovered? Join host Josh Bernstein as he heads to the Mediterranean Sea in search of Atlantis. Walk in the footsteps of Plato in Greece, and dive the blue waters of the Mediterranean to discover mysterious sunken artifacts. Equipped with state of the art technology, Josh leads an exclusive boat expedition off the coast of Cyprus in search of the "true" Atlantis. TVPG VL | CC

Join host Matt Bown on one of his favorite trains going from Los Angels to Dallas/Fort Worth. Matt endures the scorching temperatures of the Mojave Desert, gets soaked in New Mexico rainstorms and takes a ride through an earthquake-proof trench that runs the length of downtown LA. Celebrate the work of the men and women who work on the railroads, often doing tough gritty jobs in extreme conditions just to keep America moving. Also covered are the first train robbers in the US. TVPG VL | CC

Toxic traffic is everywhere! An average of 800,000 shipments of hazardous materials hit our highways and railways daily. From Wild West wooden crates filled with explosives to HAZMAT containers of nuclear waste, we shadow dangerous cargo. We ride shotgun on a hazardous material shipment that's tracked by satellites; hunt down the hush-hush "ghost fleet"--trucks carrying classified government materials; and board a Con-Air flight moving another kind of nasty stuff--dangerous felons! TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Everyone is familiar with the amazing force field and energy weapons from sci-fi movies like Star Wars and Star Trek, but are we just a few years away from having that technology at our fingertips? We'll investigate new, top-secret military weaponry and recent inventions like a new airplane mounted laser cannons from Northrop Grumman that can shoot down enemy planes and shoot nuclear missiles out of the sky. TVPG VL | CC

Robots that think, move like humans and fight our wars--Real Terminators--may now be possible. At leading universities and covert government labs, robots are now being developed in man's image; cyborgs with superhuman strength, machines that may eventually be able to make decisions, even kill on their own. But will these very robots designed to protect us ultimately turn on their masters? TVPG VL | CC

On alien planets, they rain from the sky as scalding iron. On distant moons, even at hundreds of degrees below zero, they slosh around in pristine lakes of methane. They can cover entire planets in miles-deep oceans of electrified hydrogen metal. Or erupt on alien worlds through miles-high geysers. They churn in the interiors of dead stars and even our own planet. They're so rare in the universe, they almost don't exist, but these are the magical liquids of our Liquid Universe. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

In 1994, Italian journalist Enza Massa was at the Italian National Library in Rome when she stumbled upon an unusual find. It was a manuscript dating to 1629, titled: Nostradamus Vatinicia Code. Michel de Notredame, the author's name, was on the inside in indelible ink. The book contains cryptic and bizarre images along with over eighty watercolor paintings by the master visionary himself. Follow the investigative trail of how the manuscript was found in the archives and exactly how it got there. New insight is given into the life of Nostradamus and his relationship with Pope Urban VIII, who knew about this manuscript and in whose possession it was for many years. TVPG VL | CC

Could the human race become suddenly extinct? We count down seven ways in which the world as we know it could meet an abrupt and untimely end, from a mammoth asteroid strike to the eruption of a super volcano. What would happen as computers literally become trillions of times smarter than we are--would they program our mass murder? Scientists, experts, and witnesses describe these and other vividly pictured disaster scenarios, from super bugs created in secret labs to black holes that could suck earth into oblivion. Using state-of-the-art computer-generated graphics and interviews with the world's top scientists, we will leave viewers pondering humanity's place in the universe and will reveal the most terrifying truth of all--that our greatest enemy is ourselves. TVPG VL | CC

For years, the team has been tracking an elusive prey only seen at night--ships, shaped like triangles, impossibly huge, and videotaped over cities around the world. But are they ours, or theirs? The team investigates numerous UFO sightings that have recently been reported in Sonora, California, a charming old West town nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range nicknamed Triangle Alley. What makes these sightings so compelling are rare daytime footage of triangles in flight. This footage will be digitally analyzed to determine if these are indeed UFOs and not military jets. The team will also visit Texas to speak to military experts and witnesses to compelling triangle sightings. It's speculated that these triangle craft have been visiting us for centuries. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Could gold be the ultimate link between humans and aliens? A church in southern France is said to hold the key to alchemy--and a gateway to another part of the universe. Locals in Cusco, Peru believe UFO sightings are connected to lost gold at the bottom of Lake Puray. And some believe underneath the Great Sphinx of Giza lies an entire library left behind by extraterrestrials--a library stored on gold. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

One of the most frightening horror stories ever written was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Was this story, however, Robert Louis Stevenson's disturbing fantasy or was it based on a series of blood-curdling episodes that took place in the town of Edinburgh? Follow a team of historical detectives who use evidence from recent excavations and historical documents to look under the grand fa ade of Edinburgh. Watch as an underworld of streets and houses with a blood-soaked history of grave robbers, body-snatchers and unspeakable crimes is uncovered. Computer graphics allows the viewer to fly over, enter the streets, walk through the halls and peer into the Edinburgh of long ago. TVPG VL | CC

From a prehistoric sharpened digging stick to today's $15-million monster machines, our journey for the ultimate shovel begins in California's borax mines, where the P&H 4100 uses advanced electronics, brute strength, and savvy operators to excavate 170-ton chunks in a single scoop. We travel back to 1835, when William Otis set off an American digging frenzy with his patented steam shovel. And at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, we kick the legs of NASA's latest Mars Lander: Phoenix. This stationary probe has a robotic arm with a shovel scoop designed to dig into the soil, locate ice, and analyze its properties. Back on Earth, the Hitachi Corporation's 200-ton hydraulic humanitarian shovel is designed to locate and explode landmines in Third-World countries. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It is the bane of every suburban parent and the joy to every school kid. Born in a swirling storm cloud through a process called nucleation, the characteristics of snow flakes are threatened by pollution trapped in the clouds. We'll travel two miles into the sky, where scientists study the inner workings of clouds while perched high on a mountaintop at the Storm Peak Laboratory. Then we'll head to the finest ski resorts in Colorado to discover how they manage the snow on their slopes and how snowmaking really works. These resorts also reside in one of the most avalanche-prone regions of the world. Despite best efforts of experts, avalanches still occur. Discover the new technology that gives rescuers a critical assist to quickly find skiers buried alive when the beauty of snow quickly turns to terror. We'll also go to Buffalo, New York the "Blizzard Capital of America" to watch how a TV Weatherman forecasts blizzards and warns his viewers to prepare for the onslaught. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Got something strange to deliver? From pizza to packages, we'll show you how it's packed, labeled and shipped. Head down the highway carrying gigantic wind turbine blades. See how UPS got China's invaluable terra cotta warriors to a Los Angeles art museum. Deliver luxury yachts aboard a submersible carrier ship. Ride to the track with prized thoroughbreds on their own special jet. Want dinner and a movie? Sounds like a visit to Netflix headquarters and Papa John's Pizza. Ride radical with bike messengers in New York City, and deliver a donor kidney to a waiting hospital. Take a tour of the UPS Worldport hub in Louisville, Kentucky, a mammoth center with delivery docks for 100 jets, and handles 1.2 million packages a day. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

America is a nation under siege by unexplained phenomena. Whether you're afraid of Bigfoot or alien invasion might depend on what state you call home. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It's America's original rivalry, a divide that was so wide it took a war to close the gap. But have we really reunited, or are we still fighting a culture war? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Before Lincoln finally came to rest in a steel-and-concrete-reinforced underground vault in Springfield, the President's body was repeatedly exhumed and moved, his coffin frequently opened. In 1876, eleven years after Abraham Lincoln's assassination, a band of Chicago counterfeiters plotted to steal Lincoln's body and hold it for ransom. Their plan was to demand $200,000 and the release of the gang's master engraver, who was in prison in Illinois. The Secret Service--recently formed to deal with the country's ballooning counterfeiting problem--infiltrated the gang with an informer. It also set in motion a cringe-inducing chain of events in which a group of well-intentioned, self-appointed guardians took it upon themselves to protect Lincoln's remains by any means necessary. This strange story of Lincoln at un-rest reveals how important this man was to so many, and perhaps our reluctance to let such a beloved and visionary leader go. TVPG VL | CC

From itchy woolen union suits to comfortable briefs and boxers learn how our undergarments have evolved over the last 100 years. A visit to the Jockey factory will show us how men's briefs go from the loom to finished sewn product. Learn how fire retardant underwear can save lives and how some materials actually enhance athletic performance. Did you know that there are socks that can actually banish foot odor? Next, enter the world of the fifteen-billion dollar brassiere industry. Finally see how underwear keeps race car drivers cool in 140 degree temperatures. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Explore collisions that shake our world from the astronomic to the subatomic. Discover breakthroughs that could make the deadly sport of professional auto racing safer and visit a motorcycle crash test facility and examine two-wheeled accidents in detail. Meet a skydiver who survived a crash to earth from 11,000 feet. An asteroid crashing to earth could destroy our planet--watch as NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Tracking team hunt down dangerous asteroids. Finally learn about scientist's who are creating crashes with colliding subatomic particles in the world's largest machine. Will they unlock the secrets of the universe--or accidentally open a black hole? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Join host Matt Bown on one of his favorite trains going from Los Angels to Dallas/Fort Worth. Matt endures the scorching temperatures of the Mojave Desert, gets soaked in New Mexico rainstorms and takes a ride through an earthquake-proof trench that runs the length of downtown LA. Celebrate the work of the men and women who work on the railroads, often doing tough gritty jobs in extreme conditions just to keep America moving. Also covered are the first train robbers in the US. TVPG VL | CC

It is a fireball in the sky, a bubbling, boiling, kinetic sphere of white hot plasma, exploding and erupting. Its size is almost unimaginable--one million Earths would fit within its boundaries. In this violence is born almost all the energy that makes existence on Earth possible, yet, its full mysteries are only now beginning to be understood. From Sun spots to solar eclipses, solar flares to solar storms, the birth of the sun to its potential death, discover the science and history behind this celestial object that makes life on Earth exist. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Ours is a universe of energy, from powerful jets ejected from black holes to the raw nuclear fury of our Sun. But, the total amount of energy in the universe maintains perfect equilibrium--no more can be added or taken away. Because of this, there are enormous amounts of energy being transferred...electric, thermal, kinetic and magnetic energy are just a few that keep our universe balanced--and create awesome cosmic events and stellar displays. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Everyone is familiar with the amazing force field and energy weapons from sci-fi movies like Star Wars and Star Trek, but are we just a few years away from having that technology at our fingertips? We'll investigate new, top-secret military weaponry and recent inventions like a new airplane mounted laser cannons from Northrop Grumman that can shoot down enemy planes and shoot nuclear missiles out of the sky. TVPG VL | CC

Framed by recently released, U.S. Government information and eye witness accounts, this special follows Congressman Leo Ryan's fatal journey into "Jonestown", a community carved out of the jungles of Guyana by the followers of messianic/charismatic pastor, Jim Jones. Using extensive and fact backed dramatic re-enactments, as well as archival footage, and heart-rending interviews, we go beyond "official reality" and deep into the inner workings of this tragic cult and its apocalyptic end. TVPG VL | CC

Best-selling author Brad Meltzer and his team dig into one of the Civil War's most enduring legends: that millions of dollars' worth of missing gold and silver from the Confederate treasury are still buried in secret hiding places across America. According the legend, the only way to find that buried treasure is to decode cryptic signs and symbols left behind by a shadowy Confederate group known as the Knights of the Golden Circle. Brad and the Decoded team join veteran treasure hunter Bob Brewer, whose lifetime effort to understand the KGC's secret code paid off when he uncovered a small fortune in buried Confederate coins. Bob soon shows just how well he understands those codes as he and the team follow KGC clues to the location of another possible treasure trove. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Best-selling author Brad Meltzer and the team jump at the chance to take on one of the FBI's most puzzling unsolved crimes: the 1971 disappearance of airline skyjacker D.B. Cooper, who bailed out of a jetliner at ten thousand feet over Washington state with two parachutes and two hundred thousand dollars in ransom money strapped to his body. Working closely with the former FBI agent who headed up the unsuccessful search for Cooper, Brad and the team examine new evidence that points to a former airline employee named Kenny Christiansen, whose own brother suspects he was actually the skyjacker who called himself D.B. Cooper. This sets up a climactic meeting between the Decoded team and Christensen's possible accomplice, the man who may have helped D.B. Cooper and his two hundred thousand dollar ransom vanish into thin air. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Whatever is in store--a massive cosmic collision, a global environmental disaster, an Armageddon-like religious showdown, or a more subtle transformation--many believe that December 21, 2012 will mark a major shift in the history of our planet. There is no cogent distinction between the sobering facts and hysterical fiction--what, if any, modern scientific proof exists? Is there any other compelling evidence throughout history that 2012 will be a year of unprecedented, deadly upheaval? This special looks for the parallels between the nightmarish daily headlines and the 2012 prophecies from Nostradamus and others. From the mystical realms of the Guatemalan jungles to the Hopi elders and Mayan shaman to respected thinkers of the modern age--Nostradamus' doomsday warning will be cast in a frighteningly modern context. TVPG VL | CC

For years, the team has been tracking an elusive prey only seen at night--ships, shaped like triangles, impossibly huge, and videotaped over cities around the world. But are they ours, or theirs? The team investigates numerous UFO sightings that have recently been reported in Sonora, California, a charming old West town nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range nicknamed Triangle Alley. What makes these sightings so compelling are rare daytime footage of triangles in flight. This footage will be digitally analyzed to determine if these are indeed UFOs and not military jets. The team will also visit Texas to speak to military experts and witnesses to compelling triangle sightings. It's speculated that these triangle craft have been visiting us for centuries. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Tens of millions of them all over the world--soda and snack machines, parking meters and payphones, video games and vending machines... and they all use coins--but for how long? Examine the historic one-armed bandits and the 21st century, cutting edge, computerized slot machines that occupy Vegas casinos and get an exclusive look at their inner workings in a never-before-seen factory in Reno, Nevada. Search out some of the wackiest, strangest vending machines on the planet that sell everything from bottles of wine to dog washes. Get a close-up look at the famous binoculars located at popular tourist sites around the world, as well as a unique company that collects and cleans the coins thrown into fountains for good luck. But it all starts and ends in the historic halls of the U.S. Mint, where coins are made and destroyed. Will coins one day become obsolete? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Where in Washington D.C. is the nation's most incredible treasure chest? It's a library unlike any other in the world--the U.S. Library of Congress. Explode the myth that this 200-year-old institution is simply "where members of Congress borrow books." Viewers are taken beyond the magnificent Jefferson Building Great Hall into the secret vaults where more than 600 miles of shelves hold 130 million items, many of them priceless treasures--from George Washington's hand-written diaries to Galileo's first images of the moon to the original camera film of the movie Frankenstein. See how a staff of 4,000 catalogues protects and preserves these treasures and distributes them globally via a new World Digital Library. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

The dot com decade opened up the information superhighway and for the first time, people could shop, search, and surf online with the click of a mouse. Take a trip back to the end of the 20th century and the beginning of today's trendy technologies and see how the gadgets we can't live without all started in the 90s. Learn about the science of creating an Internet search engine and explore how virtual pet toys were born. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Enter the amazing and ingenious ultra-sturdy shelters, machines, containers, materials and packaging designed to deny the ruination of society. The drive to create the indestructible has inspired some of the most prolific and awe inspiring results: The Cold War spawned personal bomb shelters in the 1950s. They weren't truly safe and secure, but today's 21st century version will last a millennium. And so will the special food you can get, along with all the comforts of home--like running water, plumbing and electricity. Caskets serve as our final resting place, but how long do they really last? Investigate how valuable data from a plane crash survives in a "black box" (that's not really black), to explain what might have caused the accident. And get an intimate look at the new "home" that protects and preserves one of the world's most valuable documents--the case that houses the original Declaration of Independence. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It's the most popular fish in the American diet. From the school lunch box--to the high end sushi bar--to the outdoor barbecue, tuna crosses all demographic lines. We'll go fishing with the men who risk their lives to bring in a haul, stop in at Bumble Bee, the only major tuna cannery still operating in America, and visit the world's largest fish market in Tokyo, where a single tuna can sell for as much as $100,000. We'll also explore worldwide efforts to save the giant bluefin tuna, which has been over-fished to a point of peril. Then we'll head to sea with scientists who track the tunas' inter-oceanic migrations, and travel to South Australia, where entrepreneurs seek to breed the mighty bluefin in captivity. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Sun Tzu was the Nostradamus of warfare, and his book Art of War, written 2,400 years ago, is still the ultimate how-to book for winning. This two-hour special brings his words to life. Shot like a graphic novel, it weaves together several epic stories, including the story of Sun Tzu himself, and a war soon after his death where a city is saved using his tactics as China takes the first step toward unification. We'll also follow other epic battles in history--Roman battles, The Civil War, WWII, and present day--that illustrate more of Sun Tzu's lessons, to detail how the people who understand his strategy are the most dangerous weapons of all. And while his ideals were originally created for battle, his lessons could be used by anyone who wants to win--whether at sports, business, or life. TVPG VL | CC

From itchy woolen union suits to comfortable briefs and boxers learn how our undergarments have evolved over the last 100 years. A visit to the Jockey factory will show us how men's briefs go from the loom to finished sewn product. Learn how fire retardant underwear can save lives and how some materials actually enhance athletic performance. Did you know that there are socks that can actually banish foot odor? Next, enter the world of the fifteen-billion dollar brassiere industry. Finally see how underwear keeps race car drivers cool in 140 degree temperatures. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

On alien planets, they rain from the sky as scalding iron. On distant moons, even at hundreds of degrees below zero, they slosh around in pristine lakes of methane. They can cover entire planets in miles-deep oceans of electrified hydrogen metal. Or erupt on alien worlds through miles-high geysers. They churn in the interiors of dead stars and even our own planet. They're so rare in the universe, they almost don't exist, but these are the magical liquids of our Liquid Universe. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Warp speed, transporters, wormholes and lasers--they are all staples of science fiction books, movies, and TV shows. But the fantastic world of tomorrow is quickly becoming the futuristic world of today. While you may not be "beaming" to your next appointment any time soon, researchers are preparing for the first tests of a present-day "transporter." And while scientists have long mocked Hollywood's visions of warp speed and faster-than-light travel as prohibited by Einstein's laws, a new generation of physicists continues to rewrite the fundamental rules of the universe. Is there a way around the cosmic speed limit? Maybe... as long as you're prepared to survive a journey through the ultra-high energies of one of the most violent places in the cosmos--the heart of a twisting, swirling vortex that leads either to strange, new worlds... or certain death. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It is a fireball in the sky, a bubbling, boiling, kinetic sphere of white hot plasma, exploding and erupting. Its size is almost unimaginable--one million Earths would fit within its boundaries. In this violence is born almost all the energy that makes existence on Earth possible, yet, its full mysteries are only now beginning to be understood. From Sun spots to solar eclipses, solar flares to solar storms, the birth of the sun to its potential death, discover the science and history behind this celestial object that makes life on Earth exist. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Examines the various conspiracy theories espoused on the Internet, in articles and in public forums that attempt to explain the 9/11 attacks. It includes theories that the World Trade Center was brought down by a controlled demolition; that a missile, not a commercial airliner, hit the Pentagon; and that members of the U.S. government orchestrated the attacks in hopes of creating a war in the Middle East. Each conspiracy argument is countered by a variety of experts in the fields of engineering, intelligence and the military. The program also delves into the anatomy of such conspiracies and how they grow on the Internet. TVPG VL | CC

It began like the common cold. Then fever, baseball-sized black swellings on the neck, coughing of blood. Few lived more than two days. The year--1347. It was history's worst biological disaster and almost half of Europe's population died within three years. Visit the plague ships' rat-infested holds, witness the terror that swept through the towns, and walk with the religious flagellants. Follow a princess as she travels into the center of the plague, a doctor who struggles to understand what is happening, and a Jewish merchant caught up in violent attacks. Hear the actual words of the victims, taken from diaries and journals. From the Pope's palace to the humble huts of medieval peasants, watch as people live and die in the unforgiving grip of fear and death, and wonder how we would act if such a terrible event happened today. TVPG VL | CC

Best-selling author Brad Meltzer and his team dig into one of the Civil War's most enduring legends: that millions of dollars' worth of missing gold and silver from the Confederate treasury are still buried in secret hiding places across America. According the legend, the only way to find that buried treasure is to decode cryptic signs and symbols left behind by a shadowy Confederate group known as the Knights of the Golden Circle. Brad and the Decoded team join veteran treasure hunter Bob Brewer, whose lifetime effort to understand the KGC's secret code paid off when he uncovered a small fortune in buried Confederate coins. Bob soon shows just how well he understands those codes as he and the team follow KGC clues to the location of another possible treasure trove. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

If ancient aliens visited Earth, were they responsible for catastrophes, wars and other deadly disasters to control the fate of the human race? The story of the Great Flood sent by deities to destroy civilizations exists in many prehistoric cultures. There are ancient descriptions of extraterrestrial battles that caused wide-scale destruction, and even reports of UFOs lurking in the shadows of recent natural disasters. The Book of Revelations and the Dead Sea Scrolls describe a future apocalyptic battle between good and evil that will destroy our world. Are these ancient texts proof that aliens are hostile and planning a violent return? Or might they be our saviors, ensuring our survival as a species during times of devastation? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

If extraterrestrials influenced human history, can evidence of their existence be found in hidden tunnels and caverns around the world? Could a cave in Ecuador contain metallic books inscribed with secrets of alien technology? Was an ancient underground city in Turkey built with alien help... or as a refuge from an alien attack? Rumors of the U.S. military working alongside aliens in a secret base inside a mesa in New Mexico continue to swirl, Native American legends mention strange inner-Earth beings, and recent archaeological discoveries in the Yucatan may point to an extraterrestrial reality behind. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

At nearly 14,000 years old, the ruins of Puma Punku are the oldest and most baffling on the face of the Earth. No one knows who designed and built this complex of sophisticated inter-locking blocks, and then vanished. Researchers investigate the ruins on-location in Peru and present new computer analyses. Forensic evidence on the ground, together with local myths and legends, suggest this site may have been designed and even once inhabited by a species of extraterrestrials. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Modern Marvels is going big, and counting down. We take the "best of" Modern Marvels and give you the MEGA Top 10 countdown. On this edition: Awe-Inspiring Machines--featuring the top ten mightiest, strangest, and most unique innovations from our archives. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Deep in the Rust Belt the white collar and blue collar divide has shaped our cities and our states. How did this rivalry change the way we all bring home the bacon? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It's a rivalry that tears us apart every four years, but how did our nation divide into red states vs. blue states, and what happens to the states caught in the middle? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Battles over access to lakefront property have made the Great Lakes region the most contested land on the entire map, and even pushed the states to a border war. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

With 85% of Americans affiliated with an organized religion, we're a nation of believers, but have we always practiced what we preached? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Two underdogs of American culture go head to head to prove how hillbillies and rednecks have shaped our states. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Modern Marvels is going big, and counting down. We take the "best of" Modern Marvels and give you the MEGA Top 10 countdown. On this edition: Speed. It's a pure adrenaline rush as we race the top 10 fastest marvels we've featured down to the speediest of all. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Modern Marvels is going big, and counting down. We take the "best of" Modern Marvels and give you the MEGA Top 10 countdown. On this edition: Amazing Weapons. They're every arsenal's best asset and every enemy's worst nightmare and we're counting them down to the most amazing weapon of all. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Remember "brick" cell phones, Pac-Man, Rubik's Cube, Sony Walkman, and the first music CDs? Remember all the new and exciting gadgets of the 1980s? Join us as we investigate the transition from Industrial to Information Age--a digital decade dedicated to ergonomics and entertainment. The microchip ushered in an era that revolutionized the way we work, play, and communicate. And we tour Silicon Valley--birthplace of some of the greatest inventions from an amazing time of change, including the modern personal computer. Steve "Woz" Wozniak tells us about the evolution of Apple computers, and we talk to Sony--makers of the Walkman, Betamax, and the first CD players. A visit to the Computer History Museum shows fun technological "artifacts", primitive by today's standards. At Intel, makers of the first microchips, we learn why technology moves at such a fast pace. We also take a ride in a DeLorean DMC-12 sports car--few things moved faster. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

"Tiny" weapons may not sound impressive...but small can kill, and it can also be easily concealed. From a pocket pistol used by the police...to a submachine gun wielded by a bodyguard...to a carbine in the hands of an Army Ranger, many of today's most effective weapons are smaller than ever. They can fit in your pocket, fly through the air, even break through walls--tiny weapons are an essential part of battle, self-defense, and spreading terror. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Welcome to the world of sizzling hot oil. First, it's a trip to the fair to discover the secrets behind fried classics such as funnel cakes and churros. And how about some deep fried treats such as frogs legs, and Twinkies and Coke? At Mickey's Diner in St. Paul, Minnesota, get schooled in the tricks of the fried food trade from a master short order cook. See what goes into forging the classic cast iron frying pan, supplying deep fryers for American restaurants, and producing billions of pounds of cooking oil. At Kentucky's World Chicken Festival, witness the world's largest stainless steel frying pan fry up to six hundred chicken quarters at a time. Find out what makes international favorites like British fish and chips, Japanese tempura, and Chinese stir-fry so tasty. Cooking oil is now being deployed as a fuel. Marvel at how San Francisco fire trucks are fueling up on the city's used cooking oil. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Battles over access to lakefront property have made the Great Lakes region the most contested land on the entire map, and even pushed the states to a border war. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

They sort of sound like the same phenomenon, but Pulsars and Quasars are very different. Pulsars are tiny--only a few miles across--but they spin as fast as a kitchen blender and sweep the sky with beacons of radiation that make them appear to flash on and off. They have unbelievably strong magnetic fields, are more accurate than atomic clocks...and they can even tell aliens just where to find the Earth! Quasars are at the other end of the spectrum. Quasars are huge cores of galaxies with black holes that are called "monsters" and which spit lobes of radiating gas called "DRAGNs." Quasars are so far away, we see them as they were only in the distant past--meaning they existed only in the early universe, when they may have played a major role in the creation of the galaxies themselves. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It may seem like seem like science fiction, but the cosmos isn't just something way out there. Many times in human history, objects or forces from space have changed the course of life on earth. Many believe an asteroid played a role in the fall of the Roman Empire...and millennia earlier another asteroid might have been the "fire and brimstone" that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

What does the Universe sound like? From the sweep of a pulsar, to the deafening roar of our boiling sun this episode explores the undiscovered soundscapes of the solar system, the galaxy, and the entire cosmos. And, is it true that in space nobody can hear you scream?!? Our scientists reveal that there are places in the Universe that prove this sci-fi statement wrong. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

From the bizarre prophecies of Charles Manson to the desperate paranoia of Jim Jones, cult leaders draw us into worlds of power, paranoia, and death. Through interviews with world-renowned scholars and the survivors of cultic tragedy, we will unmask the mystery of cults. From Jim Jones' pursuit of a socialist paradise to Warren Jeffs' Yearning for Zion ranch, cult leaders have twisted the quest for purity into an obsession with madness and murder. TVPG VL | CC

In America, behind the public facade of nine of our most famed institutions and landmark structures, there is another world that is hidden from view. The special pierces the veil of secrecy which conceals forbidden histories and fascinating insider information from the public. Go behind the walls of the Washington Monument to reveal a series of secret symbols and codes, one which was put there by one of the world's most mysterious societies. Dig deep into the dark past of Governor's Island and unearth another possible motive for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. While in the heart of America, the Book of Secrets will uncover the shadowy past of the architect behind the St. Louis Gateway Arch and show how it relates to a theory that the Arch contains mystical powers which ultimately control the weather. Through exclusive channels of access and deep research, viewers will be taken behind the locked doors of seemingly familiar places, into worlds they weren't intended to see. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

What if I told you there's a place in Alaska that claims more bodies than the Bermuda Triangle? The Alaska Triangle--the region between Anchorage, Juneau and Barrows--has a disappearance rate sixteen times the national average, and scientists are entirely incapable of explaining why. Is it Alaska's extreme geological activity that creates magnetic anomalies causing instruments--and humans--to act crazy? Or is it vortexes--swirling, turbulent flows of energy--that are causing entire ships, planes and people to disappear without a trace? Local tribesmen, Search and Rescue workers, and the families of the missing all have their theories as to what is causing people in Alaska to vanish off the face of the earth. TVPG VL | CC Show Site