The History Channel

Explore with us the wonders and mysteries of the Black Holes in our universe. Is it possible that areas on earth might, in fact, show black hole like tendencies? We take a hard scientific look at an area known as the Bermuda Triangle to see if there are indeed any similarities between the supposed forces in the triangle and the destructive force of a black hole. From a research boat trip through the triangle to interviews with scientists at the US Geological Survey, Harvard University, and the UK's Cardiff University, we go far beyond the event horizon to explore the dangers in this area and what relation they might indeed have with its counterpoint in space. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

The Marianas Trench is the deepest place on earth, deeper than Mt. Everest is high. The trench is where the ocean floor disappears into the center of the earth. The pressures at this depth are 17 times greater than what it takes to crush a nuclear submarine. Only two men have ever been down the Trench, fewer than have set foot on the moon. Follow the daring missions into the abyss and explore the extraordinary geology that has created this deep scar along the ocean floor. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Marvels of the modern age, today's aircraft are awe inspiring. However, once their flying days are over, the boneyard beckons. Dismantling large aircraft is complex and challenging. Some planes will be destroyed while others are restored to their former glory. No matter which fate awaits, the process always takes place in the boneyard. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Best-selling author Brad Meltzer and his Decoded team examine claims that John Wilkes Booth actually escaped to freedom after murdering President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. The "official" version of events says federal agents cornered Booth and killed him just days after the assassination. But Brad and the team uncover glaring inconsistencies in that 150-year-old account: Why did the authorities hide Booth's body from public view? Why was Booth autopsy's conducted in complete secrecy in the cramped confines of an ironclad gunboat? Searching for answers to these and other troubling questions, the team finds startling evidence that strongly suggests Booth may indeed have lived into old age without ever facing punishment for his crime. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

An era of seeming bliss turns into a period of total political disenfranchisement. Plain-spoken Harry Truman becomes president after FDR dies in office and presides during the last days of WWII. He also ushers the US into the Atomic Age and the beginning of the Cold War. Truman is followed by the hero of D-Day, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike's grandfatherly image and "hidden hand" politics are replaced by youth and charisma when John F. Kennedy is elected. Assassination thrusts Lyndon B. Johnson into office and Vietnam drives him out. After Richard Nixon resigns in disgrace, Gerald Ford tries to heal a wounded nation. Defining moments include the dropping of the first atom bombs, containment of communism, the Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis, man on the Moon, JFK's assassination, Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the first presidential resignation. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Myths and legends have long been regarded as fantastic stories that describe powerful gods, mutant giants and fearsome monsters. But why do so many different cultures, separated by vast distances, tell the same stories? Is it possible that myths and legends were really eyewitness accounts of ancient astronauts descending to Earth? Ancient texts are filled with stories of gods interacting with humans, offering wisdom, technology, and even impregnating women. Could the demigods of mythology have been the offspring of alien and human unions? If so, could aliens have supplied the Missing Link that accelerated human evolution, advancing our civilization and making us who we are today? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

First see a demolition team preparing to sink a barge to create an artificial reef--they stay onboard while detonating and are sent flying! Next a small plane carrying a grandfather and grandson is on fire on the runway and then the oxygen tanks explode. Watch as the Iranian embassy in London, being held by terrorists, is stormed by the SAS. Then parents in Atlanta witness the absolute horror of their children's nursery school explode a target of the infamous bomber Eric Rudolf. Finally a motorcycle race through the streets on the Isle of Man ends in a spectacular crash--see footage from three angles, including two pov cams. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

There really are ice worlds like Hoth from Star Wars. In this episode, we explore icy planets and moons, discover the role of cold in the Universe, and learn about the importance of ice to the development of habitable worlds. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

The mysterious death of King Tut continues to puzzle archaeologists and scholars alike. From the moment the "Boy King's" mummy was discovered in the Valley of the Kings, rumors of foul play emerged. Recent x-ray's of King Tut's mummy show signs of a possible attack, but new evidence may point to another cause of death. In his quest for the truth, host Josh Bernstein climbs into King Tut's tomb, fires the weapons King Tut took to his grave, and uses modern science to dig deeper into the rumors of King Tut's murder. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Mother Nature unleashes a swarm of tornados on a group of storm chasers. A delivery driver in Japan gets swallowed by the deadliest tsunami in Japan's history. And finally, a massive avalanche barrels into a small town in Norway. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

The engineering marvel Machu Picchu sits perched on a ridge in the Peruvian Andes. Originally built by the Incas, this magnificent structure remains a mystery. Was it an observatory? Pleasure retreat? Fortress? This program presents the most current theories. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

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

America's most iconic rivalry was more than just a feud between families. The fight between the Hatfields and McCoys nearly launched a war between two states. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

They can crawl up walls, swim underwater and investigate bomb threats. Robots are making the coffee in your kitchen and keeping your office parking lot secure at night. Join host Daniel H. Wilson as he reveals artificial intelligence which can create smart houses that anticipate our desires and automate the functions of our-day to-day life. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Marvels of the modern age, today's aircraft are awe inspiring. However, once their flying days are over, the boneyard beckons. Dismantling large aircraft is complex and challenging. Some planes will be destroyed while others are restored to their former glory. No matter which fate awaits, the process always takes place in the boneyard. TVPG VL | CC

Did Titanic have a fatal design flaw? In August of 2005 John Chatterton and Richie Kohler (of "Deep Sea Detectives") led an expedition to Titanic, where they discovered two huge intact sections of the ship's bottom, the red paint still on. Naval architect Roger Long, along with a panel of experts concluded that Titanic broke apart earlier in its sinking than has been believed, due to a previously unknown design flaw. Chatterton and Kohler return to the wreck in 2006 searching for evidence to support this theory, but when their research vessel is recalled by the Russian government they head to Greece to dive Titanic's lost sister ship Britannic. Was Britannic quietly modified to correct the problem? TVPG VL | CC

An era of seeming bliss turns into a period of total political disenfranchisement. Plain-spoken Harry Truman becomes president after FDR dies in office and presides during the last days of WWII. He also ushers the US into the Atomic Age and the beginning of the Cold War. Truman is followed by the hero of D-Day, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ike's grandfatherly image and "hidden hand" politics are replaced by youth and charisma when John F. Kennedy is elected. Assassination thrusts Lyndon B. Johnson into office and Vietnam drives him out. After Richard Nixon resigns in disgrace, Gerald Ford tries to heal a wounded nation. Defining moments include the dropping of the first atom bombs, containment of communism, the Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis, man on the Moon, JFK's assassination, Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the first presidential resignation. TVPG VL | CC

Travel back to 1969 and uncover fascinating trends, people and events that forever changed the way Americans think about and have sex. Viewers will travel from the Playboy Penthouse in Los Angeles to San Francisco's Hippie crash pads, the boardwalk in Atlantic City, a court room in Miami, and other spots across America to meet some of the women and men who found themselves caught between old values and new desires in 1969, and decided to do something about it. Some of them, like Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner, actor Jim Brown, and Ray Manzarek of The Doors, will be famous. Others will be average Americans whose lives were transformed by the sexual tides coursing through the nation as the Sixties came to a close. But they will all have one thing in common--they will all have fascinating stories to tell. TVPG VL | CC

First see a demolition team preparing to sink a barge to create an artificial reef--they stay onboard while detonating and are sent flying! Next a small plane carrying a grandfather and grandson is on fire on the runway and then the oxygen tanks explode. Watch as the Iranian embassy in London, being held by terrorists, is stormed by the SAS. Then parents in Atlanta witness the absolute horror of their children's nursery school explode a target of the infamous bomber Eric Rudolf. Finally a motorcycle race through the streets on the Isle of Man ends in a spectacular crash--see footage from three angles, including two pov cams. TVPG VL | CC

Meteors, comets, and asteroids cross the solar system to offer clues about our planet and universe. Can they destroy civilizations? Did they wipe out the dinosaurs? Have they brought life to our planet? And when will the next one hit? Aided by elaborate animation and live-action footage, we learn what these mysterious space rocks really are and imagine what likely happened 65-million years ago, when an object plowed into the Yucatan Peninsula. We see how certain spectacular meteor falls advanced our understanding of what they are and the danger that they pose. We talk to leading experts--astronomers and geologists including David Levy and Carolyn Shoemaker, co-discoverers of the Shoemaker-Levy comet that fell into Jupiter in 1994. And we talk to NASA scientists about recent missions to asteroids and comets and speculate on ways to move Earth-threatening asteroids and comets out of our way. Because it isn't a question of if but when the next deadly impact will take place. TVPG VL | CC

The mysterious death of King Tut continues to puzzle archaeologists and scholars alike. From the moment the "Boy King's" mummy was discovered in the Valley of the Kings, rumors of foul play emerged. Recent x-ray's of King Tut's mummy show signs of a possible attack, but new evidence may point to another cause of death. In his quest for the truth, host Josh Bernstein climbs into King Tut's tomb, fires the weapons King Tut took to his grave, and uses modern science to dig deeper into the rumors of King Tut's murder. TVPG VL | CC

Constructed as tombs for the ancient pharaohs, over 100 pyramids remain in Egypt. Built during a span of well over 1,000 years, they stand as cultural and engineering marvels of staggering proportions. But many things about these monuments, including the exact methods used to construct them, remain tantalizingly obscure. Travel back in time as we investigate their evolution--from the earlier mastaba to the Step Pyramid, Bent Pyramid, and of course, the magnificent necropolis at Giza. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It's 1000 BC and the Israelites are battling the Philistines. After wresting control of the throne of Israel in a bloody civil war, David moves quickly to destroy those who challenge his right to the throne, and then turns his sword on his political enemies. Finally, David sets his sites on a new target--the beautiful Bathsheba, but she is already married. For someone like David this is a minor impediment. He sends her husband to his death in battle, a battle that eventually propels Israel into becoming an empire. TVPG VL | CC

The engineering marvel Machu Picchu sits perched on a ridge in the Peruvian Andes. Originally built by the Incas, this magnificent structure remains a mystery. Was it an observatory? Pleasure retreat? Fortress? This program presents the most current theories. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

In 1911, Hiram Bingham, famed American explorer, stumbled across a remote Inca city atop a high peak in the Andes. The site was called Machu Picchu--perhaps the most famous ruin in the world. Was it, like Bingham believed, a military fortress or did this glorious ruin have a secret purpose? From the mountains of Peru, host Josh Bernstein will follow in the footsteps of Hiram Bingham. He builds a log bridge across a raging river, examines the stonework at the site, and reviews ancient manuscripts to discover the "true" purpose of Machu Picchu. TVPG VL | CC

For nearly a century archaeologists place the height of the Maya civilization during the First Millennium AD. However, revolutionary discoveries in Guatemala are now challenging those views. When did the Maya Civilization truly reach its peak? Join host Josh Bernstein as he tracks the origins of the Maya throughout Mexico and the Central American rainforest. He climbs the tallest Maya pyramid, shovels muck from a jungle swamp, and reveals the known oldest mural in the Maya world. TVPG VL | CC

They can crawl up walls, swim underwater and investigate bomb threats. Robots are making the coffee in your kitchen and keeping your office parking lot secure at night. Join host Daniel H. Wilson as he reveals artificial intelligence which can create smart houses that anticipate our desires and automate the functions of our-day to-day life. TVPG VL | CC

Ride along as we relate the racy history of the cars that were run for bragging rights on Sunday afternoons...and the men who trusted those same cars with their lives come Sunday night. It's a story about searching for any edge...boring a block, milling a head, boosting the springs--anything to gain an advantage over the hated federal revenuers. We'll learn tricks of the trade--such as the "bootlegger turn"--and see how model after model of Detroit's finest were made better by back-road innovation. We'll see how moving "shine" created a whole new breed of automobile that ushered in stockcar racing and led to the birth of today's NASCAR. TVPG VL | CC

They are the cars that appeal to a certain kind of "businessman"--the kind that has a lot of enemies. Smooth, sleek, and glamorous, they've helped make outlaws like John Dillinger, Al Capone, and John Gotti look like gentlemen instead of killers. Some did zero to 60 faster than any police car could and others were bulletproof. Today, science enables these cars to withstand a bomb blast or the punch from a 9-millimeter automatic. Ride along as we explore Gangster Cars--built to keep their owners from getting clipped! TVPG VL | CC

In days of old, if your army had to take on a huge stone castles there was only one option: bunker busting siege weapons like the giant crossbow known as the Ballista and the fearsome Trebuchet! These weapons hurled rocks and flaming kegs to cause mayhem and smash through walls. Today the siege tradition continues, with our military using high-explosives to blow the bad guys out of their foxholes. First, Gunny let's loose massive boulders from an ancient trebuchet catapult against an enemy castle. Then he gets his hands on some old-style gunpowder and recreates the big bangs that were used to bring down enemy bunkers, all the time instructed by committed experts who revel in the history of these amazing weapons. Gunny also visits today's bunker busters--military engineers who bust under, over, and into enemy strongholds. TVPG VL | CC

Take a history lesson filled with surprising facts, figures and stories from five American states. In California, see how the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill, in 1848 started the largest migration in US history, and then learn how scientists are currently trying to predict the next big earthquake. Next it's off to North Carolina's tobacco fields and the mystery of Roanoke--the lost colony. Wichita, Kansas is the "Aviation Capital of America" and Wyatt Earp put Dodge City on the map. New Hampshire is the state where the first act of open rebellion in America's Revolutionary War took place and the first presidential primary each election season is held. Finally, learn about The Battle of Blair Mountain, West Virginia, where in 1921, over 10,000 unionizing coal miners faced off with state and federal troops in what was one of the largest armed uprisings in America since the Civil War. TVPG VL | CC

Another history lesson filled with surprising facts, figures and stories from five American states. Texas hit the jackpot in 1901 with the discovery of oil at Spindletop Well in Beaumont. Puritans came to Massachusetts to escape religious persecution, but their own zeal to convert Native Americans led to one of the bloodiest wars in US history. Arkansas, 1957--nine African American high school students attempted to enroll at Little Rock's Central High School and made Civil Rights history. During the Iowa Caucuses farmers rub elbows with would-be presidents. Finally, Delaware patriot Caesar Rodney rode into history in 1776 when he raced 80 miles on horseback to break the deadlocked vote for American independence. TVPG VL | CC

On August 27th, 1883 a series of blasts on the island of Krakatoa culminated in a colossal explosion that blew the island apart in one of the largest eruptions in recorded history. We explore the underground forces that led to this extraordinary explosion that killed over 36,000 people and the devastation that it caused. But this is not just history because Anak Krakatoa (the Son of Krakatoa) is growing bigger and bigger and will blow again. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It is one of the most man-made spaces on the planet, but everything in New York from the height of the skyscrapers to the way the subway was constructed to the position of the harbor is governed by the extraordinary forces that ultimately shaped this city. You can tell the geology of Manhattan at a glance by looking at the skyline. The skyscrapers of Midtown and Downtown are built on hard granite; the low-rise buildings in between are built on a soft, gravelly soil left over from the Ice Age. Learn how New Jersey and North Africa were neighbors 250 million years ago, how the rocks New York are built on are the remains of mountains that 450 million years ago were as tall as the Himalayas, and how Long Island is covered in rubble that remained as ice sheets retreated 10,000 years ago. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Easter Island, the Mayan ruins, and the abandoned pueblos of Chaco Canyon all stand as haunting monuments to extinct civilizations. Each of these societies collapsed because of man-made ecological disasters. Each confronted choices chillingly similar to the ones we face today. Are we living in the last century of our civilization? Many of the world's top scientists say yes, unless we quickly learn the lessons of the past. This two-hour special examines the current path of our modern world. Top U.S. Army, intelligence, and policymakers who have modeled a scenario of the next century say that if we continue on this trajectory, over the next hundred years the "perfect storm" of population growth, resource depletion, climate change, terrorism and disease will converge in an unstable world with catastrophic results. What lessons of the past must we heed to survive? TVPG VL | CC

NASA has been exploring space for decades, and there are persistent reports that the agency has uncovered surprising information about UFOs. The team speaks with former astronauts, employees and engineers, and delves into NASA videos to see if the space agency knows more than it is letting on. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

On October 26, 1994, the U.S. government made their first official acknowledgement of Area 51. Six months later, nearly 4,000 acres of previously public land surrounding the base were closed. Now, over a decade later, satellite photos reveal new buildings, towers and runways finishing construction. Secret flights with blacked-out windows bring passengers from Las Vegas. And security surrounding the perimeter of the base is tighter than ever. The team heads to the epicenter of UFO and military conspiracy theories to visit new vantage points, speak with former base employees, and search the skies above America's most top-secret facility. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Ever since the military started using sophisticated airplanes, they have sought ways to build an aircraft that can fly undetected, maneuver like a helicopter and fly like a jet. The Nazis were the first to pursue the idea of building a disc-shaped aircraft. After the war, the Americans, Canadians and Russians all were able to build aircraft similar to the German prototype, perhaps based on the concepts smuggled out by German engineers. This episode looks at top secret flying saucer designs of the Air Force, with specific dates, times and locales of flights that may point to the real explanation behind the many UFO sightings beginning in 1947, and why the saucer design was abandoned for stealth technology. TVPG VL | CC

At 7:15AM on June 30, 1908, a giant fireball, as bright the Sun, explodes in the Siberian sky with a force a thousand times greater than the Hiroshima bomb. It decimates 1,000 square miles of forest--over half the size of Rhode Island, and was the biggest cosmic disaster in the history of civilization. What caused the apocalyptic fire in the sky? Over a hundred theories surround what is called the Tunguska event, varying from asteroids and comets to black holes and alien spaceships. Most scientists agree the Tunguska event will happen again, and next time, the human toll could be unimaginable. Now, NASA and other organizations race against time to stop the next planet killer before it ignites Armageddon. TVPG VL | CC

For thousands of years, mankind has found comfort in its presence. It's been a lantern for nighttime travelers, a timekeeper for farmers, and a location finder for sailors at sea. For some cultures, it's even been a god. It's the only cosmic body ever visited by human beings. From afar, the Moon's luminance has captivated us since the beginning of time. And a closer look at the beacon in the dark sky reveals an ever-present source of myth, intrigue, controversy and unsolved mysteries. The field of science may cast an empirical light on some things about the Universe, but lunar experts are the first to admit they don't have all the answers when it comes to our Moon. This episode explores the theories behind Lunar Transient Phenomena that have left scientists stumped for centuries; takes to the Canadian waters to see how the Moon effects our planet through tides; and dusts off some age-old myths and weighs arguments that without our Moon, humanity may not even exist. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

In a galaxy filled with a billion stars, in a universe filled with a hundred billion galaxies--are we alone? SETI--the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence--is a privately funded project using radio telescopes and optical telescopes to scan the stars for signals. NASA is planning missions to Mars, Jupiter's sixth moon, Europa, and Saturn's largest moon, Titan, to look for primitive, microbial life in ice concentrations. Whether we discover primitive or intelligent life, how will that knowledge impact humankind's view of itself? Cutting-edge computer graphics are used to bring the universe down to earth to show what life would be like on other planets, and to imagine what kind of life forms might evolve in alien atmospheres. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Union Pacific's refrigeration train is the coolest train in the world. On its cross-country trip from Wallula, Washington, to Schenectady, New York, it employs the most high-tech mobile refrigeration technology in the world to keep its produce intact and fresh. Even the railcars themselves are stored inside a cooled facility so as not to break the cold chain for this delicate cargo. Also in this episode: how trains and trucks battled for business in the 1950s. TVPG VL | CC

Traveling between 135 and 190 miles per hour with an astonishingly high safety record, bullet trains can be found throughout Europe, Japan, and on the US eastern seaboard. How high-speed trains are propelled is rooted in fundamentals that haven't changed since the first electric trolleys appeared in the 19th century. We see how scientists are looking at new alternatives to electricity, including magnetic levitation that can move passenger trains 345 miles per hour and beyond! TVPG VL | CC Show Site

A versatile yet toxic metal, lead has served mankind for 6,000 years. Explore the vast mines where heavy machinery extracts and refines lead. Visit a car battery factory that makes a superior battery from pure lead. See how a team of experts safely remove harmful lead products from homes and businesses. How can a metal as dark as lead make lead crystal not only sparkle, but manage to stay transparent? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Extruders, molds, in-line conveyor belts. Are these machines manufacturing adhesives, plastics, or parts for your car? No, they're making treats for your mouth--and you will see them doing their seductively tasty work in this scrumptious episode. First, we visit Utz Quality Foods in Hanover, Pennsylvania, that produces more than one million pounds of chips per week, and Snyder's of Hanover, the leading US pretzel manufacturer. Next, we focus on the world's largest candy manufacturer, Masterfoods USA, which makes Milky Way, Snickers, Mars, and M&Ms, and take a lick at the world's largest lollipop producer, Tootsie Roll Industries. And at Flower Foods' Crossville, Tennessee plant, an army of cupcakes rolls down a conveyer belt. The final stop is Dreyer's Bakersfield, California plant, where 20,000 ice cream bars and 9,600 drumsticks roll off the line in an hour. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Candy is America's sweetest guilty pleasure--so appealing that we spend $25 billion annually to experience it. Our cameras venture from Chicago to Santa Cruz, California to show you that behind every delicious bite is a fascinating story of imagination and innovation. Fourth-generation candy makers Nick and Gino Marini reveal how they're redefining the limits of confectioneering with their latest sensation...chocolate-covered bacon. The crew that makes the iconic red and white Starlight Mints demonstrates how they give each piece its trademark color pattern. As your mouth waters throughout the hour, you'll also discover they key ingredient that gives Lemonheads their sour punch...and the surprising substance that puts the polish on Mike and Ikes. And you'll be shocked to learn how little sugar is in cotton candy. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

This two-hour special offers an in-depth look at the critical 24-hour period after news of Japan's attack on U.S. soil in 1941 reached the President. Drawing on exhaustive research and new information provided by the FDR Library, the special gives a rare and surprising glimpse at the man behind the Presidency and how he confronted the enormous challenge of transitioning the nation from peace to war. There was no direct phone line between Pearl Harbor and the White House. As information slowly trickled in and word of the bombing got out, panic gripped the White House. FDR's unique style of leadership enabled him to galvanize the American people in the wake of a grave and potentially demoralizing attack. The special features acclaimed historian Steven M. Gillon, author of the recently released Pearl Harbor: FDR Leads the Nation Into War. TVPG VL | CC

New York City is one of the greatest cities in the world. What if we could strip away the buildings and re-create the Manhattan of 1609? Take a journey back in time and discover the forces that shaped the landscape from a sweltering tropical region to fertile Indian hunting grounds, to today's modern metropolis. Dive beneath New York Harbor, climb to the tops of the highest skyscrapers and delve 600 feet down to the deepest tunnels to see how New York became "New York" and what the future may hold for the city. TVPG VL | CC

In 2009, 46 years after he was shot, JFK will be gone for as long as he was alive. While the moments and hours after his tragic assassination were some of the most formative and important for our country, that story has rarely, and only partially, been told. For the first time, using never-before-seen transcripts only recently made public, this film pieces together the 24-hour period after the shots were fired. The timeline reveals startling new information about the death of the president and the traumatic transfer of power to his successor, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. From new details about when JFK really died, to the truth behind LBJ's Oath of Office photo on Air Force One, this special uncovers an unfamiliar story born out of one of the most crucial days in American history. TVPG VL | CC

For years, people have claimed to have had direct, personal contact with an alien. In this episode of our series, the team tracks down several people who claim to have had such contact. They'll also work along side medical and scientific professionals to try and discover what, if anything, really happed to these people. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

NASA has been exploring space for decades, and there are persistent reports that the agency has uncovered surprising information about UFOs. The team speaks with former astronauts, employees and engineers, and delves into NASA videos to see if the space agency knows more than it is letting on. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It has been fifty years since man first ventured into space, but the greatest secrets are yet to be revealed. Mars is the planet in our solar system most similar to Earth despite otherworldly features such as the largest volcano in the Solar System. Rumors of life on Mars may be substantiated as NASA orbiters and rovers discover new evidence of frozen water just beneath the rusty soil. Did alien life exist there? As Earth reels with the effects of global warming, Mars becomes the most likely candidate for eventual human habitation. Cutting-edge computer graphics are used to show what life would be like on Mars, and to imagine what kind of life forms might evolve in alien atmospheres. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Many argue that flying saucers and other extra-terrestrial space ships continuously visit the earth. If that were true, what kinds of technologies would such alien spacecraft require? And do eyewitness reports of UFO sightings jibe with modern theories of how interstellar travel might be possible? Authors, astronomers and theoretical physicists weigh in with the blueprints for inertia-canceling devices, nuclear-powered craft, antimatter propulsion systems and even warp drives. Based on Einstein's theories and countless scientific studies, we'll find out how these visitors might bridge the vast distances between the stars. And if they could survive such hazardous journeys, are they flesh and blood or intelligent machines? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Delve into the myths, misconceptions, truths and amazing mysteries of our unique universe. Could life exist on Mars? Is time travel possible and does Einstein's theory of relativity support it? Is there a companion dark star to our sun and could it pose a threat to earth? Learn about the spark that lit the big bang. Take a journey from science fiction that predicted all these things, to the scientific reality of what they mean to us in the ever-changing universe. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Perhaps no field has experienced the revolution in velocity more acutely than transportation. We look at five blazingly fast technological marvels that have pushed the speed limits to the very edge, each with its own unique and dramatic history: the world's fastest production car (Sweden's Koenigsegg CCR); the world's fastest train (the Maglev in Shanghai); the world's fastest boat (The Spirit of Australia); the world's fastest roller coaster (the Kingda Ka) and the fastest thing on earth (the Holloman High Speed Test Track), used to test highly sensitive equipment for many branches of the government and commercial clients. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

In this episode, a flaming tornado terrorizes a team of firefighters. A Hawaiian volcano wipes an island paradise off the map. And an avalanche of rocks and debris obliterate a village in Honduras. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

A wildfire threatens to swallow a group of Russian firefighters. A hurricane takes dead aim at a Florida weatherman. And in Korea, a massive landslide wipes out traffic on a busy road. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

They are the cars that appeal to a certain kind of "businessman"--the kind that has a lot of enemies. Smooth, sleek, and glamorous, they've helped make outlaws like John Dillinger, Al Capone, and John Gotti look like gentlemen instead of killers. Some did zero to 60 faster than any police car could and others were bulletproof. Today, science enables these cars to withstand a bomb blast or the punch from a 9-millimeter automatic. Ride along as we explore Gangster Cars--built to keep their owners from getting clipped! TVPG VL | CC

Explore the hottest trends in gadgets, how they've evolved and where they're going. See how the latest miniaturized, mobile gadgetry can fit all the technology that once filled an entire office into a single briefcase. Visit Brookstone, the ultimate gadget store. We'll meet a gadget collector who's turned his home into a gadget museum. And we'll visit basement inventors who have developed everything from an iron you slip over your hand to smart appliances that talk back. Revisit some of the original gadgets like the corkscrew and zipper and see how some gadgets evolve into new forms. Discover which gadget inventors may hold tomorrow's hottest new trends and learn why some gadgets succeed while others crash and burn. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

A versatile yet toxic metal, lead has served mankind for 6,000 years. Explore the vast mines where heavy machinery extracts and refines lead. Visit a car battery factory that makes a superior battery from pure lead. See how a team of experts safely remove harmful lead products from homes and businesses. How can a metal as dark as lead make lead crystal not only sparkle, but manage to stay transparent? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Another history lesson filled with surprising facts, figures and stories from five American states. Texas hit the jackpot in 1901 with the discovery of oil at Spindletop Well in Beaumont. Puritans came to Massachusetts to escape religious persecution, but their own zeal to convert Native Americans led to one of the bloodiest wars in US history. Arkansas, 1957--nine African American high school students attempted to enroll at Little Rock's Central High School and made Civil Rights history. During the Iowa Caucuses farmers rub elbows with would-be presidents. Finally, Delaware patriot Caesar Rodney rode into history in 1776 when he raced 80 miles on horseback to break the deadlocked vote for American independence. TVPG VL | CC

Gathered from archives and attics and now seen for the first time, these extremely-rare home movies tell the story of the children of Joseph and Rose Kennedy, as they grew up in the 1930s and 40s through November 1963, and include scenes of the last weekend Jack and Jackie Kennedy spent with Caroline and John, Jr., just two weeks before Dallas. The movies provide behind-the-scenes footage of the family at their Hyannis Port and Palm Beach homes, and on trips to Europe and Asia. Also featured are never-before-seen home movies filmed by Robert and Ethel Kennedy in the early 1950s. This footage, shot by the Kennedys and their closest friends, allows viewers to experience the forces and personalities that shaped their lives as never before. Interviews with family members of Kennedy friends provide fresh anecdotes and colorful stories, and distinguished historians contribute new insights into this larger-than-life American family. TVPG VL | CC

It is one of the most man-made spaces on the planet, but everything in New York from the height of the skyscrapers to the way the subway was constructed to the position of the harbor is governed by the extraordinary forces that ultimately shaped this city. You can tell the geology of Manhattan at a glance by looking at the skyline. The skyscrapers of Midtown and Downtown are built on hard granite; the low-rise buildings in between are built on a soft, gravelly soil left over from the Ice Age. Learn how New Jersey and North Africa were neighbors 250 million years ago, how the rocks New York are built on are the remains of mountains that 450 million years ago were as tall as the Himalayas, and how Long Island is covered in rubble that remained as ice sheets retreated 10,000 years ago. 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

The Great Lakes of North America are the largest expanse of fresh water on the planet. Searching for clues of their formation, our geologists delve deep into an underground salt mine, investigate a fossilized coral reef, climb an Alpine glacier, and dive to the bottom of Lake Superior. They find evidence of an ancient tropical sea, a mighty rift that almost tore the continent in half, and a mile high ice sheet that repeatedly carved its way across North America. And as the lakes settle to their current levels, cascading over Niagara Falls, we find that their evolution is far from over. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

J. Edgar Hoover ran the FBI for almost 40 years and was America's most respected, and feared, lawman. Author and historian David Eisenbach digs into Hoover's buried secrets to reveal that Hoover was also a neighborhood peeping tom, a sexual blackmailer, and created the world's first Gay Spy Ring. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Pablo Escobar was Colombia's king of cocaine, a man his own government was afraid to touch. But he also violated the dead, set fire to millions in cash to keep warm and actually helped the US hunt down Osama Bin Laden. Outspoken historian David Eisenbach probes the world of narcotrafficking and uncovers things you didn't know about Escobar. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Mormons built a politically powerful religion based on family, faith and clean living. But they also built Las Vegas, they owned brothels, and they copied some of their rituals from the Freemasons. These are just some of the secrets author and Historian David Eisenbach uncovers. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were Washington's first couple with a New Deal. But historian and author David Eisenbach reveals that the Roosevelts' marriage was a political arrangement of epic proportions. FDR had a long-running affair with his wife's secretary, and Eleanor was a closet lesbian in love with a female news reporter. 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

Ever since the military started using sophisticated airplanes, they have sought ways to build an aircraft that can fly undetected, maneuver like a helicopter and fly like a jet. The Nazis were the first to pursue the idea of building a disc-shaped aircraft. After the war, the Americans, Canadians and Russians all were able to build aircraft similar to the German prototype, perhaps based on the concepts smuggled out by German engineers. This episode looks at top secret flying saucer designs of the Air Force, with specific dates, times and locales of flights that may point to the real explanation behind the many UFO sightings beginning in 1947, and why the saucer design was abandoned for stealth technology. TVPG VL | CC

If ancient aliens visited Earth, what was their mission, and is there evidence that points to when they will return? Ancient Sumerian tablets describe an alien race, known as the Anunnaki, who came to Earth to mine for gold. Egyptian hieroglyphs depict hybrid creatures that were part man, part animal. Mysterious crop circles and unexplainable crystal skulls are thought to contain messages that man has yet to decipher. Strange evidence may exist in multiple cultures throughout history suggesting that aliens came here to explore, excavate raw materials, experiment on human beings, and even for pure conquest. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

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. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Gravity is the most powerful and exacting force in the universe. It is pervasive and penetrating. Gravity binds us together, its reach hangs stars in the sky and its grip crushes light. Gravity holds planets together, and leashes them to their suns. Without gravity, stars, comets, moons, nebulae, and even the Earth itself would not exist. Explore how science and humanity discovered, overcame and utilized gravity. Learn what it takes to propel objects into the heavens, to ride a wave or to ski down a slope. Take a front row seat as an astronaut subjects himself to the weightless wonders of the specially modified aircraft used to train astronauts known as the "Vomit Comet." TVPG VL | CC Show Site

In this episode, our cast uses awesome analogies to bring the biggest objects, farthest distances and fastest speeds down to earth. To truly understand the scale of the cosmos, we jump behind the wheel of monster trucks, scale the Golden Gate bridge, and race across the desert in a rocket-powered car. 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

A massive landslide chases a group of construction workers. A tornado tears through an airport; and an earthquake threatens a 700-year-old church. Mother Nature continues her killing spree. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Mother Nature unleashes a tornado across a busy Texas interstate, battering drivers in its path. A violent earthquake rips through a city in Turkey and puts thousands of lives on the line. And a Chinese river sends a surge of water over its banks, sweeping onlookers to certain death. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Candy is America's sweetest guilty pleasure--so appealing that we spend $25 billion annually to experience it. Our cameras venture from Chicago to Santa Cruz, California to show you that behind every delicious bite is a fascinating story of imagination and innovation. Fourth-generation candy makers Nick and Gino Marini reveal how they're redefining the limits of confectioneering with their latest sensation...chocolate-covered bacon. The crew that makes the iconic red and white Starlight Mints demonstrates how they give each piece its trademark color pattern. As your mouth waters throughout the hour, you'll also discover they key ingredient that gives Lemonheads their sour punch...and the surprising substance that puts the polish on Mike and Ikes. And you'll be shocked to learn how little sugar is in cotton candy. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It's the only rock we eat, and we need it to live. History has shown that those who have salt rule the world--and today, this versatile substance has 14,000 known uses. Travel to a salt mine 1,800 feet below Lake Erie where workers blast salt from a massive deposit spanning four states, to an evaporation facility near San Francisco where machines harvest salt from the briny ocean. Visit a Florida restaurant that offers 40 different varieties of salt...and journey to New York to explore salt's surprising number one application: de-icing snowy winter roads. See how a high-tech desalination plant removes salt from ocean water, producing 25 million gallons of drinkable water every day. And if it's speed you're after, look no further than a natural drag strip in Utah made of pure salt. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It is among the most versatile, nutritious, and varied foodstuffs in the world. The Potato is the ultimate comfort food. We'll travel from the Potato's mysterious origins in the South American Andes to the ethnic enclaves of New York's lower Eastside, for some tasty Potato Knishes. In Northern Maine we'll discover a farmer of exotic potatoes: blue, green, pink, and dark purple varieties. We'll reveal how large-scale potato producers in Idaho and Pennsylvania slice, dice, freeze, and dehydrate millions of pounds of spuds annually. We'll learn how to mass produce Tater tots and Kettle Potato Chips. Potato Vodka now scores near perfection in international tasting competitions--and we'll visit a Maine distillery at the top of their game. Finally, we'll pay tribute to the iconic Mr. Potato Head, now celebrating its 50th Anniversary, then round out the show with an explosive visit to the makers of some of the world's most sophisticated Spud Guns. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

By the time Jesse James was killed in 1882, he'd stolen over a million and a half dollars according to some estimates--gold, coins and cash that could be worth over $50 million today. History often paints James as a clever outlaw who stole money to finance a lavish criminal lifestyle, a man whose sixteen year long crime spree came to a dramatic halt in 1882 when a fellow gang member betrayed him and shot him dead in the back of the head. But now, a treasure hunt may reveal a totally new story. Was Jesse really stealing for himself, or was he actually secreting away large sums of wealth, in order to finance one of the most clandestine secret societies in American history? Follow a team of treasure hunters searching for where he stashed his riches... and a new truth about Jesse James. Their discoveries may not only re-write the history of why Jesse stole, it could also raise new questions about his death. TVPG VL | CC

The Marianas Trench is the deepest place on earth, deeper than Mt. Everest is high. The trench is where the ocean floor disappears into the center of the earth. The pressures at this depth are 17 times greater than what it takes to crush a nuclear submarine. Only two men have ever been down the Trench, fewer than have set foot on the moon. Follow the daring missions into the abyss and explore the extraordinary geology that has created this deep scar along the ocean floor. 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

The Great Lakes of North America are the largest expanse of fresh water on the planet. Searching for clues of their formation, our geologists delve deep into an underground salt mine, investigate a fossilized coral reef, climb an Alpine glacier, and dive to the bottom of Lake Superior. They find evidence of an ancient tropical sea, a mighty rift that almost tore the continent in half, and a mile high ice sheet that repeatedly carved its way across North America. And as the lakes settle to their current levels, cascading over Niagara Falls, we find that their evolution is far from over. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Best-selling author Brad Meltzer and his Decoded team examine claims that John Wilkes Booth actually escaped to freedom after murdering President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. The "official" version of events says federal agents cornered Booth and killed him just days after the assassination. But Brad and the team uncover glaring inconsistencies in that 150-year-old account: Why did the authorities hide Booth's body from public view? Why was Booth autopsy's conducted in complete secrecy in the cramped confines of an ironclad gunboat? Searching for answers to these and other troubling questions, the team finds startling evidence that strongly suggests Booth may indeed have lived into old age without ever facing punishment for his crime. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

J. Edgar Hoover ran the FBI for almost 40 years and was America's most respected, and feared, lawman. Author and historian David Eisenbach digs into Hoover's buried secrets to reveal that Hoover was also a neighborhood peeping tom, a sexual blackmailer, and created the world's first Gay Spy Ring. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Pablo Escobar was Colombia's king of cocaine, a man his own government was afraid to touch. But he also violated the dead, set fire to millions in cash to keep warm and actually helped the US hunt down Osama Bin Laden. Outspoken historian David Eisenbach probes the world of narcotrafficking and uncovers things you didn't know about Escobar. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Mormons built a politically powerful religion based on family, faith and clean living. But they also built Las Vegas, they owned brothels, and they copied some of their rituals from the Freemasons. These are just some of the secrets author and Historian David Eisenbach uncovers. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were Washington's first couple with a New Deal. But historian and author David Eisenbach reveals that the Roosevelts' marriage was a political arrangement of epic proportions. FDR had a long-running affair with his wife's secretary, and Eleanor was a closet lesbian in love with a female news reporter. 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

Myths and legends have long been regarded as fantastic stories that describe powerful gods, mutant giants and fearsome monsters. But why do so many different cultures, separated by vast distances, tell the same stories? Is it possible that myths and legends were really eyewitness accounts of ancient astronauts descending to Earth? Ancient texts are filled with stories of gods interacting with humans, offering wisdom, technology, and even impregnating women. Could the demigods of mythology have been the offspring of alien and human unions? If so, could aliens have supplied the Missing Link that accelerated human evolution, advancing our civilization and making us who we are today? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

If ancient aliens visited Earth, what was their mission, and is there evidence that points to when they will return? Ancient Sumerian tablets describe an alien race, known as the Anunnaki, who came to Earth to mine for gold. Egyptian hieroglyphs depict hybrid creatures that were part man, part animal. Mysterious crop circles and unexplainable crystal skulls are thought to contain messages that man has yet to decipher. Strange evidence may exist in multiple cultures throughout history suggesting that aliens came here to explore, excavate raw materials, experiment on human beings, and even for pure conquest. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

There really are ice worlds like Hoth from Star Wars. In this episode, we explore icy planets and moons, discover the role of cold in the Universe, and learn about the importance of ice to the development of habitable worlds. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Gravity is the most powerful and exacting force in the universe. It is pervasive and penetrating. Gravity binds us together, its reach hangs stars in the sky and its grip crushes light. Gravity holds planets together, and leashes them to their suns. Without gravity, stars, comets, moons, nebulae, and even the Earth itself would not exist. Explore how science and humanity discovered, overcame and utilized gravity. Learn what it takes to propel objects into the heavens, to ride a wave or to ski down a slope. Take a front row seat as an astronaut subjects himself to the weightless wonders of the specially modified aircraft used to train astronauts known as the "Vomit Comet." TVPG VL | CC Show Site

In this episode, our cast uses awesome analogies to bring the biggest objects, farthest distances and fastest speeds down to earth. To truly understand the scale of the cosmos, we jump behind the wheel of monster trucks, scale the Golden Gate bridge, and race across the desert in a rocket-powered car. 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

Mother Nature unleashes a swarm of tornados on a group of storm chasers. A delivery driver in Japan gets swallowed by the deadliest tsunami in Japan's history. And finally, a massive avalanche barrels into a small town in Norway. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Mother Nature unleashes a tornado across a busy Texas interstate, battering drivers in its path. A violent earthquake rips through a city in Turkey and puts thousands of lives on the line. And a Chinese river sends a surge of water over its banks, sweeping onlookers to certain death. 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

America's most iconic rivalry was more than just a feud between families. The fight between the Hatfields and McCoys nearly launched a war between two states. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It's the only rock we eat, and we need it to live. History has shown that those who have salt rule the world--and today, this versatile substance has 14,000 known uses. Travel to a salt mine 1,800 feet below Lake Erie where workers blast salt from a massive deposit spanning four states, to an evaporation facility near San Francisco where machines harvest salt from the briny ocean. Visit a Florida restaurant that offers 40 different varieties of salt...and journey to New York to explore salt's surprising number one application: de-icing snowy winter roads. See how a high-tech desalination plant removes salt from ocean water, producing 25 million gallons of drinkable water every day. And if it's speed you're after, look no further than a natural drag strip in Utah made of pure salt. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It is among the most versatile, nutritious, and varied foodstuffs in the world. The Potato is the ultimate comfort food. We'll travel from the Potato's mysterious origins in the South American Andes to the ethnic enclaves of New York's lower Eastside, for some tasty Potato Knishes. In Northern Maine we'll discover a farmer of exotic potatoes: blue, green, pink, and dark purple varieties. We'll reveal how large-scale potato producers in Idaho and Pennsylvania slice, dice, freeze, and dehydrate millions of pounds of spuds annually. We'll learn how to mass produce Tater tots and Kettle Potato Chips. Potato Vodka now scores near perfection in international tasting competitions--and we'll visit a Maine distillery at the top of their game. Finally, we'll pay tribute to the iconic Mr. Potato Head, now celebrating its 50th Anniversary, then round out the show with an explosive visit to the makers of some of the world's most sophisticated Spud Guns. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

By the time Jesse James was killed in 1882, he'd stolen over a million and a half dollars according to some estimates--gold, coins and cash that could be worth over $50 million today. History often paints James as a clever outlaw who stole money to finance a lavish criminal lifestyle, a man whose sixteen year long crime spree came to a dramatic halt in 1882 when a fellow gang member betrayed him and shot him dead in the back of the head. But now, a treasure hunt may reveal a totally new story. Was Jesse really stealing for himself, or was he actually secreting away large sums of wealth, in order to finance one of the most clandestine secret societies in American history? Follow a team of treasure hunters searching for where he stashed his riches... and a new truth about Jesse James. Their discoveries may not only re-write the history of why Jesse stole, it could also raise new questions about his death. TVPG VL | CC