The History Channel

Americans have been racing to tame the West since they first set foot on the continent, but now that the West has been won, what's next? Is the West still the best.

In the battle between city and country, it looks like the city is coming out ahead in population, but is there something about the country that all the city slickers are missing? And how has the move from rural to urban changed the shapes of our states and cities?

The post-apocalyptic fate of our cars, planes and roads. Oil refineries turn into time bombs. In the Motor City, harsh northern winters dismantles auto headquarters. While in Texas, the Alamo succumbs to a new invader. Also, animals adapt: armadillos spread, some dogs rekindle their hunting instincts, and long-horn cattle flourish once again.

The fate of mankind's machinery of war: a sunken nuclear missile explodes, Pearl Harbor comes under renewed attacks, snow causes urban avalanches, and dairy cows are threatened. Featuring Denver, Hawaii, and a mysterious abandoned island near New York City.

We're the United States, but sometimes, it's every state for itself. Nearly every state has pulled a power play that gamed the system and changed the map. How much can you get away with when it's state vs. state?

A massive force of water threatens everything man leaves behind. American cities faces a deluge from failed levees, famous paintings meet a tragic fate, and a unique feature of the Sydney Opera House's famous rooftop leads to its collapse.

The fate of the treasures left entombed, like the mysterious Doomsday Vault, the Mona Lisa, and the Declaration of Independence. Also, Philadelphia's Liberty Bell cracks for good and San Francisco's cable cars and bridges snap.

In the post-apocalyptic world, man's mysterious relics meet very different fates, including those in a site in the U.S. called the "Crypt of Civilization". Other crypts, safes, and time capsules are exposed to new threats. An abandoned Mental Hospital in Connecticut offers clues regarding man's ability to preserve records. Can the military training given to Marine Corps dogs help them succeed in the wild?

An horde of toxins and chemicals are unleashed in a world without people. Deadly gases turn lakes and rivers into acid. An abandoned town in America's heartland provides a glimpse into this dim future. Without man's help, Niagara Falls has a surprising fate.

In a life after people, invasive animals and vines spread: pythons battle alligators, plants strip oxygen from lakes, and sandstorms invade Phoenix. Also, Shanghai sinks and Miami is submerged.

The post-apocalyptic fate of our cars, planes and roads. Oil refineries turn into time bombs. In the Motor City, harsh northern winters dismantles auto headquarters. While in Texas, the Alamo succumbs to a new invader. Also, animals adapt: armadillos spread, some dogs rekindle their hunting instincts, and long-horn cattle flourish once again.

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.

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.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Scientists at the University of Kansas believe gamma ray bursts were responsible for a great mass extinction on Earth 450 million years ago. The gamma rays strip away the ozone layer and generate chemical smog, producing a widespread chill that grips the Earth. It would cause food chains to collapse resulting in a prolonged worldwide famine. Also, an expected electromagnetic pulse will zap all of our electronics. Scientists predict the Earth will be able to support only 5 to 10 percent of its current population; that means close to 6 billion people will die--most by starvation. How will our modern cities hold up in the face of a previous global catastrophe?

In 79 AD Mt. Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii and killed 5,000 people. The volcano is quiet at the moment, but the only consistency in Vesuvius' eruptive history is a lack of consistency. The danger zone that surrounds the volcano includes the city of Naples and its one million residents; another two million people reside nearby. Scientists know that when Vesuvius erupts again they won't have much warning and another major metropolis will be destroyed.

The locust is one of the most destructive and dreaded life forms on Earth. American pioneers faced the largest swarm of locusts ever recorded. The 1,800 mile long and 110 mile wide cloud of insects ate their way through the heartland and blocked the sun for five days. Famine ensued, and thousands faced starvation. According to recent studies, the possibility of such a swarm returning to the United States is very likely. The destruction would be unimaginable.

65 million years ago a massive asteroid crashed into Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. 75% of all life on earth vanished; but could a single asteroid have been the lone killer? Theories about what happened after the impact have been speculated on by the entire scientific community. Ranging from global warming to lethal worldwide firestorms, ideas have been put forth--but none have been proven. Then in 1995 a new theory claimed that a powerful mega storm known as a Hypercane caused the extinction. The Hypercane allegedly reaches 20 miles into the stratosphere and has wind speeds of up to 700 miles per hour. 3-D computer animations will reveal how this storm could have brought down nearly all life on the planet.

Could the biblical story of Noah be true? 8,000 years ago, rising sea levels had global oceans surging. With the power of all the world's oceans at its back, the Mediterranean Sea burst through the Bosporus Strait in modern-day Turkey with cataclysmic force. When the flood was over the sea had claimed a landmass twice the size of Ireland. This prehistoric mega storm may have been the greatest natural disaster in the history of humankind. 3-D computer animation will recreate what this lethal flood may have looked like.

Haven, graveyard, legend and lore. History was made and lies buried on Pirate Island -- the coral ringed Isle Saint Marie off the coast of Madagascar that sheltered the world's most ruthless 18th century pirates. This real "Treasure Island" was home for pirates like Captain Kidd, who continue to capture our modern day imagination, and sailed from this very real place in history. This two-hour special voyages with underwater explorer Barry Clifford as he dives for treasure on sunken pirate ships and reveals secrets on land of hidden pirate tunnels, forbidden graveyards and mysterious symbols. Interlaced with reenactments of the pirates' lives and exploits in the busy shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean, Pirate Island offers a wealth of modern-day adventure.