The History Channel

The planets of our solar system have experienced epic catastrophes throughout their long history, both raining down from outside and bubbling up from within. We'll voyage back in time to investigate the violent events that profoundly shaped the planets, including earth itself. We'll witness stunning revelations about what transformed Mars into a barren, hostile desert...The disaster that changed Venus from temperate to hellish...The impact that blew away Mercury's mantle, turning it into a planetary core...A colossal disturbance that rearranged the orbits of the gas giants...Titanic impacts on Jupiter...And how a lost moon may finally explain Saturn's rings.

99% of all animal and sea creatures who ever lived have become extinct. Watch as some of the most bizarre and strangest creatures are brought back to life. Meet the nothronychus (a strange amalgam of bird and sloth), the anomalocarus (a 7-foot shrimp), as well as saber-toothed cats, mastodons and wooly rhinoceros. Advanced computer graphics, location shooting and expert interviews, will reveal detailed illustrations of what these ancient monsters looked like, where and how they lived, and how they died.

Chimpanzees are known to us as amusing circus attractions and are even popular as pets, but when they attack the results are frightening and horrific. Just as disturbing, across the U.S., witness reports suggest that chimpanzees may be on the loose. In the 1920s and 30s, chimps were common in Florida as part of road side carnivals and zoos, but in some cases these animals were let loose or escaped. Today, not only are attacks from pet chimps on the rise, but witnesses in Florida describe encounters with what may be wild chimpanzees. Now, MonsterQuest trackers and primatologists investigate how vicious chimps can actually get, and whether the environment could sustain these primates by searching the swamps and wilderness for a population of wild chimps in America.

The epic tragedy of Medusa, the most infamous female fiend in Greek mythology, whose look turned every living thing to stone. But what is the true story behind the myth? Find out this evil Gorgon's real world connection to human corpses, and learn what clues the night sky holds about the origins of the tale of Medusa.

The sin of anger is the sin that kills. The prophet Moses was prone to fits of rage. The mythic warriors of Sparta meditated in order to banish the sin of anger before a battle. Italian writer Dante placed those that committed the sin of anger in the "Fourth Circle of Hell," tearing each other limb from limb for eternity. Those who study demonology claim the sin of anger is really the possession of the body by the demon Ammon. Today, neuroscientists believe they've found the emotion of anger in the "amygdala." So, is the sin of anger demonic or chemical?

The towering 80-ton statues on Easter Island and the 800-ton trilithon stones of the Roman God of Thunder's Temple are examples of ancient engineering miracles that would appear to be too heavy to move. Scientists and engineers search for clues and set out to solve the mysteries of how primitive man pushed the limits of ingenuity and pulled off the impossible.

Go back to a time before the invention of artificial light and experience a world petrified in the pitch of darkness...when fear ruled the night. Throughout the ages, real and imagined terror existed in the absence of light, and nighttime was anything but relaxing. Our predecessors cowered in caves to keep from being eaten alive. During the Middle Ages, brutal bandits went on the prowl and roadside ditches became death traps. Also in years past, the devil, werewolves and vampires were staunchly believed to stalk the night. With no artificial light, the black night sky of Galileo's gaze could illuminate every star without a telescope. This chilling special explores all the reasons why the dark was so feared throughout the eras. It takes you around the globe to places where real night still exits, and examines our modern-day fear factor when the lights go out during blackouts.

Our in-depth history of Hades begins with the story of a negative near-death experience, in which a man thinks he went to Hell after being declared clinically dead and before resuscitation. Following Lucifer's trail from cave paintings in France circa 6,000 BC to current portrayals in popular culture, our 2-hour exploration shows how Hell and the Devil remain powerful forces--at a church in Texas, where souls are delivered from Satan's grip; in talks with a survivor of the 1980s recovered memory craze, who "recalled" attending Witches' Sabbaths that practiced cannibalism; and at the modern Church of Satan. We review literary landmarks that expanded our ideas of the Underworld, from Dante's Inferno and Milton's Paradise Lost to Mark Twain's anti-hero, and trace development of Christian, Moslem, Jewish, and Buddhist conceptions of the afterlife.

Join an expedition into the wilderness of South America on the hunt for a monster-sized predatory spider. In the forests of Venezuela there are reports of spiders big enough to hunt and eat a small dog, and villagers build their huts in such a way as to keep giant spiders out. In 2006 an American soldier in Iraq was photographed with what appeared to be a three foot long arachnid. Watch as experts investigate the validity of these and other strange sightings, and examine man's fear of spiders.

A vampire scare in New England in the 1700s lasted more than a century and turned families and communities upside down. The dead bodies of those suspected of vampirism were exhumed and ancient curse-breaking rituals were performed on them. Watch as the latest technology is used to analyze historic evidence of the New England vampires and discover if there was any basis for the panic. Medical science is also used to examine those who believe themselves to be modern day vampires. Is there a common element between the suspected vampires of America's past and present?

From the late 1800s to the mid-20th century, a stream of immigrants crowded into New York's downtown slums. Though today, the area once known as the Five Points houses a federal court, this cradle of crime gave birth to the American gang and nurtured Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, and Meyer Lansky.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

The jagged backbone of Europe, spanning seven countries and providing essential water to millions, the Alps is Europe's most important geographic landmark. But how did marine fossils get here, seven thousand feet above sea level? Investigators as far back as Leonardo da Vinci have attempted to fathom out how the Alps evolved, a story that takes us to the bottom of the sea, up the slopes of the infamous Eiger and Matterhorn and deep into the heart of a glacier. But these iconic peaks won't be here for long. The mountains are tumbling down, glaciers are melting and the Alps are being washed away.

We join the Vandals as they infiltrate the Roman borders in northern Gaul, and sweep into Spain, burning and pillaging everything in their path. This ragged, homeless tribe launches the largest ever sea-borne movement of the barbarian peoples making their name synonymous with lawless destruction, looting and terror. As their great leader, Gaiseric, and his blood-thirsty son, Huneric ravage North Africa, and eventually Rome, itself, we see them face the crushing military of the Roman Empire, the devious trickery of Roman General Aetius, and the devout beliefs of the Holy Roman Church.

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.

In 2006, The New York Times revealed a sinister plan by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin to create monsters by crossing humans with apes. Travel to Russia to find out if this was true and if so how far did he get? Take a look at the many efforts, both by man and Mother Nature, to combine the strength of apes with the intelligence of man. This real Frankenstein story involves everything from head transplants in the U.S. to cases of ape on human attacks. One-part history, one-part science and one part monster, discover the truth behind legendary monsters.