The History Channel

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.

Sir Isaac Newton is one of the greatest geniuses in history, but few know that he also predicted a shocking new date of the Apocalypse. Though famous for discovering gravity, calculus, and the basic laws of universal motion, Newton possessed a very dark and mysterious side. Thousands of his private papers, only recently made available, reveal a man secretly obsessed with alchemy and Biblical prophecy.

The world is coming to an end on December 21, 2012! The ancient Maya made this stunning prediction more than 2,000 years ago. We'll peel back the layers of mystery and examine in detail how the Maya calculated the exact date of doomsday. Journey back to the ancient city of Chichen Itza, the hub of Maya civilization deep in the heart of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, to uncover the truth about this prophecy. The Maya were legendary astronomers and timekeepers--their calendar is more accurate than our own. By tracking the stars and planets they assigned great meaning to astronomical phenomena and made extraordinary predictions based on them--many of which have come true. Could their doomsday prophecy be one of them? In insightful interviews archaeologists, astrologers, and historians speculate on the meaning of the 2012 prophecy. Their answers are as intriguing as the questions.

Belize was the nerve center of the ancient Mayan civilization. Hundreds of ruins dot the landscape and reveal clues to bloody rituals, advanced architecture and a belief in an unforgiving underworld of Mayan gods. Host Don Wildman ducks beneath the jungles of Belize to uncover burial tombs, sacrificial altars, ritualistic caves and the literal entrances to the Mayan underworld.

Lying at the crossroads of the East and West, Turkey has a history marked by conquest and conflict. Empires clashed over this land and its trade routes, leaving behind a rich mythology of gods and men, and tales of epic battles that soaked Turkey's soil in blood. Host Don Wildman uncovers the truth behind the mysterious legends of the Trojan War, and reveals how a maniacal king plotted to overturn consecrated ground in order to build one of the Ancient World's Seven Wonders. It's the vengeance of the gods versus the might of mortal armies--and the remains are buried underground.

Boston and Philadelphia are renowned for their part in America's revolutionary saga, but these cities harbor an unseen connection...the Freemasons. From the whispers of hidden tunnels and tombs beneath Boston's North End, to the incredible waterworld still intact under Philadelphia, the legendary secret society has left behind the blueprints to America's rise. And their enigmatic influence stretches from the Revolutionary Battles of Fort Mifflin to the secret struggles of the Underground Railroad. Host Don Wildman receives exclusive access to newly discovered sites and clues, and delves into a part of America's past that can only be revealed in the underworld.

Prague is a city cloaked in mystery, with an underground to match. Medieval castles line the streets and hide dark dungeons deep below them. From quarries where Hitler may have stored his most powerful secret weapon to mines that doubled as Communist slave camps, Prague has surprising stories to tell. Join host Don Wildman as he reveals the technological marvels that allowed the construction of one city upon another--literally.

Dublin, Ireland is much more than a city full of pubs and pints. Pagan burial tombs, subterranean defense tunnels, and mysterious burial crypts line the underground below the rolling hills. Even an underground river runs through the heart of the city where you'd least expect to find it.

The urban sprawl of Cairo, Egypt belies its history as one of the world's oldest civilizations, where the Pharaohs' ancient secrets lay hidden deep below the vast deserts of the Nile. Don Wildman embarks on an underground quest to explore the massive engineering might of the oldest structures in the world, and learn how they survived a long history of invasions by the Mediterranean's greatest civilizations: the Greeks, Romans and Turks. The Step Pyramid, constructed a century before the great structures at Giza, reveals hidden insights into how the Pharaohs died; an eerily detailed roadmap to the afterlife known as "The Book of the Dead" is examined; and a lost tomb filled with 2,000 year-old mummies is serendipitously discovered. Cairo is a city of the living and the dead, with its darkest secrets hidden in the tunnels of the ancient underworld.

Size does matter. We'll size up the biggest of machines, and their smallest counterparts. First we go to France to find out what goes into assembling the world's largest jetliner, the Airbus A380. Then, fly with microjet pilots in the world's smallest jets. Witness a race between a huge Boss Hoss 425 horsepower motorcycle and an 18 inch tall pocket bike. Take the world's smallest production car for a ride and see just how many choir members we can fit into a super-sized limousine. See a mammoth Caterpillar front loader in action, in an open pit coal mine, and dig up the backyard with a loader that's no bigger than a lawnmower. Finally, walk inside an enormous diesel engine powering an 80,000 ton container ship and eyeball a tiny one driving a five pound model airplane.

Don't look now--but there's a lot more to your walls than you'd ever imagine. Take a penetrating look inside something we consider utterly mundane, and uncover a surprising and sometimes shocking world. A computer-managed home in Colorado showcases the high tech gadgetry destined to inhabit every wall in the future. At the headquarters of Orkin in Atlanta, a network of walls with cutouts and Plexiglas windows reveal how pests and creepy crawlies of all kinds can congregate in huge numbers inside our homes. In Washington, scientists at Underwriters Labs play with fire in the name of research, investigating how our walls can keep us safe--or expose us to a fiery death. And in Los Angeles, a security company demonstrates innovative new technology that can "see" through walls--detecting motion, heat, breathing, even heartbeats.

With the ironic motto "Peace is our Profession", the Strategic Air Command was in charge of US nuclear forces from 1946 to 1992. SAC was the ultimate Cold War military machine, at its height controlling thousands of nuclear weapons, planes, and missiles, and boasting over a quarter-million personnel. We travel to the Strategic Air and Space Museum, located 20 miles from SAC's old headquarters in Nebraska, and walk through the cavernous bomb bay of SAC's workhorse, the B-52 Bomber.

This is the true story behind one of the most notorious names from the Golden Age of the Wild West. Who was "Billy the Kid"? A cold-blooded killer who murdered 21 men? Or an orphaned teenager driven to revenge the death of the only man who offered him a place to belong? Welcome to gang warfare--Wild West style.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Two cattle partners set off to blaze a trail to reach new markets. Only one returns. The epic adventure of Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving defines the spirit of the American cowboy and the brutal reality of the West in the wake of the Civil War.

Lying at the crossroads of the East and West, Turkey has a history marked by conquest and conflict. Empires clashed over this land and its trade routes, leaving behind a rich mythology of gods and men, and tales of epic battles that soaked Turkey's soil in blood. Host Don Wildman uncovers the truth behind the mysterious legends of the Trojan War, and reveals how a maniacal king plotted to overturn consecrated ground in order to build one of the Ancient World's Seven Wonders. It's the vengeance of the gods versus the might of mortal armies--and the remains are buried underground.

Boston and Philadelphia are renowned for their part in America's revolutionary saga, but these cities harbor an unseen connection...the Freemasons. From the whispers of hidden tunnels and tombs beneath Boston's North End, to the incredible waterworld still intact under Philadelphia, the legendary secret society has left behind the blueprints to America's rise. And their enigmatic influence stretches from the Revolutionary Battles of Fort Mifflin to the secret struggles of the Underground Railroad. Host Don Wildman receives exclusive access to newly discovered sites and clues, and delves into a part of America's past that can only be revealed in the underworld.

Prague is a city cloaked in mystery, with an underground to match. Medieval castles line the streets and hide dark dungeons deep below them. From quarries where Hitler may have stored his most powerful secret weapon to mines that doubled as Communist slave camps, Prague has surprising stories to tell. Join host Don Wildman as he reveals the technological marvels that allowed the construction of one city upon another--literally.

Dublin, Ireland is much more than a city full of pubs and pints. Pagan burial tombs, subterranean defense tunnels, and mysterious burial crypts line the underground below the rolling hills. Even an underground river runs through the heart of the city where you'd least expect to find it.