The History Channel

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.

Centuries ago the prophet Nostradamus had visions of the end of our modern world. Now, scholars decipher his mysterious predictions and learn of terrible tragedies and catastrophic events that threaten to annihilate global populations. Nostradamus has successfully predicted the rise of Hitler, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the detonation of the atomic bomb, and countless other events. Many fear that the remaining unfulfilled prophecies of Nostradamus will manifest before our very eyes. At Radius Engineering in Texas, Walton McCarthy shows state of the art underground shelters to a concerned family and in South Florida, Billy Carson of Fort Terra Nova meets with a prospective client interested in joining an underground shelter community large enough to house over 350 people.

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.

What really happened in Roswell, New Mexico in the summer of 1947? Did a flying saucer crash in the vast desert scrubland? The initial Army Air Force press release claimed they had recovered a flying disk. But a day later, the story dramatically changed--now they called it a weather balloon! In 1987, secret documents surfaced indicating the existence of the "Majestic 12"--an elite group of scientists and military and intelligence officials, allegedly brought together by President Harry Truman. Did the MJ-12 truly exist? If so, did these men forever trivialize the most talked-about UFO event in history, as well as all UFO sightings thereafter?

In print worldwide for over a century, The War of the Worlds is H.G. Wells at his best. Beginning with its literary origins, we trace the path of this amazing story from riveting magazine serial through the panic broadcast of 1938, and then to major motion pictures. We uncover the long-forgotten 1968 broadcast that again drove thousands into the streets of Buffalo, New York; and gain exclusive access to a new animated feature film. Loaded with state-of-the-art special effects and stunning reenactments, we revisit not only the famous but the obscure, including the radio broadcast in Ecuador that cost 20 people their lives. Filled with vintage film clips and previously unseen interpretations of the Martians, this is one you won't want to miss!

Prepare for an exercise in imagination. Suppose that an alien spacecraft crashed in the desert and we humans recovered it. What could we learn from its engineers? Using data gleaned from years of UFO sightings, we recreate a typical ship using cutting-edge animation, discover why aliens choose the craft shapes they do, learn how they overcome the effects of Earth's atmosphere, defy gravity, cancel inertia, and travel faster than the speed of light! Our experts--reverse engineers--show us what's "under the hood" of alien craft. We explore the technology that makes other-world visitations possible, what distance-shrinking device or wormhole excavator permits ships to travel space's expanse in minutes, and how the semi-transparent spacecraft skin functions. At first inspection, the technology seems crazy, but according to our experts, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility.

If an alien spaceship crash-lands on Earth, the first thing we'll want to do is take it apart and learn how it works. Maybe go for a tour inside and learn what kind of options it has--like an anti-matter reactor, laser weapons, and even a teletransporter. Amazingly, many of these "science fiction" devises are based on real science. And many have human-designed counterparts right here on Earth. Super-powerful laser weapons can be found on our own prototype weapons. We're even researching ways to hide vehicles behind plasma-generated "invisibility cloaks". Cutting-edge animation and live-action recreations help us "imagine" an alien spacecraft and learn how many amazing devices and mechanisms are really possible, and likely to be available in a few years.

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.

What if I told you that the Mafia and organized crime have taken on a brand new look that most people would never recognize? Today's mob has evolved into something more powerful, sophisticated and deadly than ever. Starting with Al Capone's notorious Chicago Outfit, Decoded traces the progression of the mob from Whitey Bulger's fearsome Irish Mafia, to today's Mexican cartels who are bringing their violent operations onto American soil, and the Cyber Mafia--online gangsters who can steal your money and identity without leaving their home. So what exactly does the new Mafia look like today, and what can we do to protect ourselves?

History's most acclaimed prophet, Nostradamus, saw the arrival of three antichrists that would plague mankind. But who are they? When will they come and what disasters will they cause? Can we decode the visions of Nostradamus in time to ward off a coming apocalypse? Some say at least two of the prophesied antichrists have already appeared. Clues hidden in Nostradamus's writings point to Napoleon Bonaparte, one of history's most bloodthirsty tyrants and the Emperor of France, as the first. Shockingly precise quatrains also seem to point to Adolph Hitler as the next, and even more terrifying second antichrist. Now, believers search the writings of Nostradamus for evidence that the third antichrist is already here. Will he learn from Napoleon and Hitler? Will be he even stronger and more bloodthirsty? And will his reign signal the start of the end times for mankind?

They defended the Holy Land through bloodshed and prayer. Founded in the 12th century, these Christian warrior monks reigned supreme for nearly 200 years before suffering a spectacular fall from grace. Tried for heresy, they were disbanded and their Grand Master burned at the stake. We'll search behind the legend for their lost world. We recreate the city they knew as Tortosa--now hidden among modern homes in the Syrian city of Tartus. We reveal secrets of their headquarters at Temple Mount in Jerusalem, with magnificent underground vaults that could stable 1,000 horses. And we visit the circular church in London built to resemble the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the site of the Templar's mysterious initiation rites. We bring to life the hilltop fortress that Lawrence of Arabia called "the finest castle in the world", and return to the Mediterranean island where the Knights Templar made their last stand against Moslem enemies.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Is the historical portrayal of the attack on Pearl Harbor as seen in movies accurate? Dr. Donald Goldstein, co-author of the best-seller At Dawn We Slept, leads a team of producers on a site survey of Pearl Harbor to revisit the attack and the lucky shot that sunk the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941. Weaving together interviews with survivors who share their stories from that fateful day and computer animation, the Pearl Harbor attack is re-created, as one of the most significant and traumatic events in American history is revealed as it's never been seen before.

What really happened in Roswell, New Mexico in the summer of 1947? Did a flying saucer crash in the vast desert scrubland? The initial Army Air Force press release claimed they had recovered a flying disk. But a day later, the story dramatically changed--now they called it a weather balloon! In 1987, secret documents surfaced indicating the existence of the "Majestic 12"--an elite group of scientists and military and intelligence officials, allegedly brought together by President Harry Truman. Did the MJ-12 truly exist? If so, did these men forever trivialize the most talked-about UFO event in history, as well as all UFO sightings thereafter?

In print worldwide for over a century, The War of the Worlds is H.G. Wells at his best. Beginning with its literary origins, we trace the path of this amazing story from riveting magazine serial through the panic broadcast of 1938, and then to major motion pictures. We uncover the long-forgotten 1968 broadcast that again drove thousands into the streets of Buffalo, New York; and gain exclusive access to a new animated feature film. Loaded with state-of-the-art special effects and stunning reenactments, we revisit not only the famous but the obscure, including the radio broadcast in Ecuador that cost 20 people their lives. Filled with vintage film clips and previously unseen interpretations of the Martians, this is one you won't want to miss!

Prepare for an exercise in imagination. Suppose that an alien spacecraft crashed in the desert and we humans recovered it. What could we learn from its engineers? Using data gleaned from years of UFO sightings, we recreate a typical ship using cutting-edge animation, discover why aliens choose the craft shapes they do, learn how they overcome the effects of Earth's atmosphere, defy gravity, cancel inertia, and travel faster than the speed of light! Our experts--reverse engineers--show us what's "under the hood" of alien craft. We explore the technology that makes other-world visitations possible, what distance-shrinking device or wormhole excavator permits ships to travel space's expanse in minutes, and how the semi-transparent spacecraft skin functions. At first inspection, the technology seems crazy, but according to our experts, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility.

If an alien spaceship crash-lands on Earth, the first thing we'll want to do is take it apart and learn how it works. Maybe go for a tour inside and learn what kind of options it has--like an anti-matter reactor, laser weapons, and even a teletransporter. Amazingly, many of these "science fiction" devises are based on real science. And many have human-designed counterparts right here on Earth. Super-powerful laser weapons can be found on our own prototype weapons. We're even researching ways to hide vehicles behind plasma-generated "invisibility cloaks". Cutting-edge animation and live-action recreations help us "imagine" an alien spacecraft and learn how many amazing devices and mechanisms are really possible, and likely to be available in a few years.