The History Channel

Who are the beings with big heads and giant eyes that seem to have been visiting our planet for millennia? Known by researchers as the "greys," these mysterious beings have been depicted in rock-art and carved stone figures throughout the ages and all over the world. Who are they, what planet do they come from, and what do they want? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Across the globe, archaeologists have uncovered ancient tombs filled with strange items and writings. Remarkable similarities have been found at each of the sites. How is it possible that the burial chambers of distant cultures were so similar in design? Ancient Astronaut theorists believe that some of these complicated and technically advanced tombs were designed with the help of extraterrestrials. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Throughout the world, ancient rites and rituals are believed to connect humans to another dimension. But just who--or what--are we communicating with? Could today's rituals, such as festivals, coronations and funerals, be based on early man's attempts to emulate ancient alien visitors? If so, what other ancient rituals might find their roots in a kingdom--not of this world? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It starts with a spark, but some ideas catch fire and in the process change the world. Necessity is the mother of invention--from darkness, man found light (the candle) and from even the farthest distances we can still find each other (the telephone). But some inventions have transformed our lives far beyond our homes (the steam engine), our planet (the telescope), and our wildest dreams (the Internet). This countdown highlights how human ingenuity comes in all shapes and sizes. Some were born from the humblest means (the hammer) while others push the limits of what was ever believed possible (the airplane). But regardless of the ratio of inspiration to perspiration, each invention to make the cut was destined to change our lives forever. TVPG VL | CC

For the first time on American television, we uncover the surprising connections between the United States and the Vatican, from America in its infancy to the Cold War and beyond. This is also the first time that American audiences get an intimate and revealing look on how Pope Benedict XVI lives, works and functions in his papal role. With specially granted permission, viewers experience a world rarely seen as we reveal Secret Access: The Vatican. TVPG VL | CC

In 1975, Travis Walton claims to have been abducted and taken aboard a space ship inhabited by extraterrestrial beings. Several people witnessed his encounter and nearly 40 years later Walton's story of alien abduction, missing time and mind-telepathy manipulation has not wavered. But researchers say that abductions are not a modern phenomenon. The Hebrew Bible is filled with stories of abductions by otherworldly beings. Jonah, Moses, Ezekiel and Enoch all depict what can best be described as physically being taken to other dimensions and then returned. Is it possible that extraterrestrial beings have been abducting humans for thousands of years and if so, might there be an alien agenda behind the phenomena? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Heading to Tucson, Arizona with his son Grant, Wolter is eager to investigate a mysterious cache of crosses, swords and other relics pulled from the desert in the 1920s. One sword has a date--800 AD--written in Latin, which would suggest a group of Europeans was in the American Southwest hundreds of years before Columbus made it to America. Wolter's investigation is particularly important for one man--the grandson of the man who helped discover the items. The investigation could determine whether the artifacts are part of an elaborate hoax or part of a find that could change history. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

After his famous expedition to map the American West with William Clark, Meriwether Lewis recorded details of the adventure in a journal and intended to publish it. Before he could, he was shot and killed in an inn on the Natchez Trace. His death has been classified as a suicide, but as forensic geologist Scott Wolter discovers, there's reason to think he may not have killed himself. As Wolter investigates the death of America's most famous explorer he uncovers details that suggest President Jefferson himself may have had ulterior motives for the Lewis and Clark expedition that have never made it into the history books and may have led to his violent death. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

15,000 years ago man and the wolf form a partnership that shapes the future of Mankind. With the help of man's new best friend we domesticate more animals, sowing the first seeds of farming and civilization. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Communication is the vital ingredient in the building of civilization. The ability to share complicated ideas allowed early man to hunt, farm and build communities. And the creation of things like a 22-letter alphabet and the printing press allow Mankind to further expand, leading to the proliferation of new ideas and revolution. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Could there be a monstrous, undiscovered star orbiting our own Sun? Could it be scattering killer comets throughout our Solar System like clockwork every 26 million years? New scientific surveys are probing the edges of our Solar System--a realm populated by giant worlds and mysterious planetoid--hunting for Nemesis, the Sun's purported evil twin. We may be on the verge of discovering this ultimate death star, suspected of causing every mass extinction in Earth's history. We employ everyday experiences to explain what Nemesis is and why it's been so hard to find. Experts start a wildfire on a dry California hillside, race a NASCAR around an oval track, and juggle fire, all in the effort to present how Nemesis works, and why life on Earth may depend on its discovery. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

This special examines the roots of Nazi ideology, and how the Third Reich used twisted versions of history and religion to bolster its power and help drive Germany towards war and genocide. The Nazi belief in the Aryan Master Race characterized World War II as a war between the Aryan Germans and the "lesser races"-- the Russian Slavs and especially the Jews--a belief which reached its most terrible consequence in the Holocaust. TVPG VL | CC

In our lifelong battle to fight friction, Grease--in all its forms--is the unsung hero. Journey deep into places few people ever get to see, to discover the "hidden" uses of one of our most slippery products inside giant machines. We'll also investigate how it's made in a factory in New York, as well as what new advances some are working towards for grease of the future. But in the meantime, we'll witness how it is currently used inside a US Navy aircraft carrier, San Francisco's famous cable cars, elevators and escalators, assembly lines, huge excavators, amusement park rides, and even the Panama Canal. From pig fat to nano-particles... amazing Grease keeps everything rolling along--smooth and fast. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Enter the amazing and ingenious ultra-sturdy shelters, machines, containers, materials and packaging designed to deny the ruination of society. The drive to create the indestructible has inspired some of the most prolific and awe inspiring results: The Cold War spawned personal bomb shelters in the 1950s. They weren't truly safe and secure, but today's 21st century version will last a millennium. And so will the special food you can get, along with all the comforts of home--like running water, plumbing and electricity. Caskets serve as our final resting place, but how long do they really last? Investigate how valuable data from a plane crash survives in a "black box" (that's not really black), to explain what might have caused the accident. And get an intimate look at the new "home" that protects and preserves one of the world's most valuable documents--the case that houses the original Declaration of Independence. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Discover that the deadliest snakes, sports and weather events are closer and more treacherous than you think. Travel to the slopes of Mt. Rainier, America's most dangerous volcano, and find out why 100,000 people could be in serious trouble. Watch where you step, because the most dangerous snake in the U.S. slithers in great numbers and has a short temper. Learn where the most dangerous weather phenomenon, the tornado, can cause the most damage. We'll look for protection for the most dangerous hits football can muster. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Set against the backdrop of the 1901 World's Fair and the dawning of the new century, the assassination of President William McKinley ushered in a new Progressive Era under the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

The sensational courtroom battle between William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow over the teaching of evolution in a small Tennessee town underscored a deep schism within the American psyche -- religion versus science, church versus state, elitism versus populism. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Albert Einstein's letter to FDR urged the development of an unthinkably powerful new weapon. The result, known as the Manhattan Project, brought government and science together to build a bomb that would change the world forever. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

It's early morning in Saqqara and Zahi is getting ready to open two sealed tombs for the first time in thousands of years, but Zoe is late again and his patience is wearing thin. At the "Festival of the Sacrifice," Derek and Allan begin to learn about the customs and traditions of their host country, while Zahi meets the press and reveals a completed renovation of one of the oldest operating monasteries in the world. If only the fellows hadn't made that unexpected stop to the Robber's Tomb, maybe things would have been different... TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Now that two fellows are gone, it seems that Alice, the marine archaeologist from Alexandria, wants to ask Zahi for a spot in the fellowship program. Zahi sets her to task--her first assignment--ride with him on horseback through the vast open desert to the Falcon Galleries. Zahi wants to see if the long-forgotten Falcon Galleries can be restored as a new tourist destination. Inside, not only are there thousands of mummified birds, but deadly snakes and scorpions, too! TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

The world's largest, most active volcano system exists in the western US. 6,000 years ago, the Yellowstone Volcano erupted. Lava and pyroclastic flows covered 3,000-square miles with ash 3-feet thick. Fossils discovered as far away as Nebraska were found to have died from inhaling the Yellowstone debris. If--or perhaps we should say when--it erupts again, the Yellowstone "Mega-Volcano" will create a global cataclysm beyond human comprehension. Everything within 150 miles--including the cities of Cody, Wyoming and Bozeman, Montana--will be hit by an 800-degree blast of heat and 200 miles-per-hour winds. Thousands will be killed. That's just the local effects. Half the US will be buried beneath a blanket of volcanic ash. Crops in the Midwest--the world's breadbasket--will be destroyed. And it will take years before crops can grow again. Starvation, epidemics, and social chaos won't be long in coming. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Informational programming. TVPG VL | CC

Hawaii, 1868. The volcano, Mauna Loa, in its most spectacular eruption, spewed out enough lava to cover 40 percent of the Big Island. A similar eruption occurred in 1950. Now that the island has become developed, the potential for damage and loss from a major eruption is astronomical. Small villages have been replaced by large tourist resorts and luxury homes. Using state-of-the-art computer animation, take a look at how an event similar to 1868 would impact Hawaii. Watch buildings crumble during large earthquakes, see homes and resorts destroyed by speeding lava, and what's left of the island drown under tsunamis and mudflows. Thousands of people could be dead and the economy of this island paradise would be destroyed for years to come. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Running from Washington, DC to Boston, the Acela is a high-tech wonder that runs on lines dating to the Great Depression. It is the fastest train in the country and is powered by high-voltage overhead electrical wires. Join hosts Matt Bown as he meets the workers who are just inches from possible electrocution on a daily basis. Filming here was so dangerous that the production crew had to take and pass a special course before they were allowed to begin. Also, take a look at historic Penn Station and discover why it had to be demolished. TVPG VL | CC

Go on a sweeping adventure into the mystery of the history of oil. Where does it come from? When will it run out? Where is it driving us? This amazing fluid that powers our lives has made a 160 million year journey to reach our gas tanks and plastic bags. Learn about Earth's extraordinary Carbon Cycle, and the role of oil in current concerns regarding the environment. The Oil Age we now take for granted began less than a century and a half ago, and it could be over in our lifetime. TVPG VL | CC

How did one awesome battleship spark the 20th century's first arms race? Journey back to the start of the 20th century in England for a look at the HMS Dreadnought and one admiral's devastating vision. TVPG VL | CC

Throughout railroad history, disasters lay at the heart of progress, since expansion and profit proved the main goals of management. In 1875 alone, an average of 22 train accidents happened daily; in 1890, over 6,000 people were killed. We'll examine how safety, once a secondary consideration, became a primary goal. TVPG VL | CC

Until the diesel age, trains were powered by steam, and we'll trace the steam train's 160-year history. We travel to Steamtown National Park to see these 19th-century technological wonders in action; and, visit Union Pacific's Steam Operations Division to profile #3985, the largest operating steam locomotive in the world. TVPG VL | CC

Discover a prehistoric watering hole where multiple dinosaur species fought to the death under the intense heat of a Jurassic drought. Watch as more than 15,000 bones are uncovered at the scene of one of the bloodiest battles in Paleohistory. Scientists are able to identify Allosaurus and its rival Ceratosaurus as the predators. Evidence collected at the site, detailed animal behaviors, and the results of hi-tech CAT scanning are used to recreate what happened on this dry lakebed in Utah 150 million years ago. TVPG VL | CC

Amazingly some of the world records that still stand today were set in the ancient world. The most valuable thing in the ancient world is still the most valuable thing today--2000 dollars per gram! And incredibly it is made from nothing more than rotting shellfish. What was the fastest thing in the ancient world and is it still the fastest man-made machine today? Ancient Discoveries builds a replica of a 2000 year old jet engine. A weapons team finally reveal the only weapon in history that can shoot around corners--and solve a 500 year old debate. Explosives experts reveal that the world's first gun was made of fruit. And on a windswept beach in Britain, can a team of historians and engineers beat the ancient world land speed record? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

In 2004 the American School of Classical Studies in Greece made a surprising discovery of two limestone coffins which dated back 3000 years. Archaeologist Guy Sanders was not only surprised by the quality of the sarcophagi but shocked by their size and weight. The coffins weighed 3 tons, and he concluded that the people of the Geometric Period must have used massive machines to move them. From the Pharos of Alexandria to the Parthenon on the Acropolis we will delve into the world of the ancient heavy engineers, and discover how their machines were used to build and transport some of the most amazing structures in Antiquity. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Traces the rise and fall of one of the world's greatest empires and weaves together the glittering and tempestuous stories of the Imperial rulers with the life of the Russian people to explore historic trends and turning points that shaped the nation's destiny. Part 1 begins with the founding of ancient "Rus" by Viking warlords, Russia's subjugation by Mongol hordes, the rise of Ivan the Terrible, and transformation from isolated borderland to powerful European state under Peter the Great. TVPG VL | CC

He would become an emperor more powerful than Napoleon, capture more territory than Alexander the Great and create the largest army the world has ever seen. In 240 B.C. Chin Shi Huang Di, ruler of the Qin Kingdom, rose to power, defeated six states and created an empire that would lay the groundwork for modern day China. Learn about the life and times of this unique leader and see what still remains of the Qin Dynasty today--from the Great Wall of China to the army of 8,000 life-sized terracotta warriors and horses that guard his empire in the afterlife. TVPG VL | CC

Howard Hughes was a celebrity persona known around the world and an aeronautical genius, but he was a man with personal demons that drew the public to watch his every step. From producing movies to building aircraft for the government, Hughes was a dynamic figure. In 1948 Howard Hughes set out to prove many of his critics wrong by flying a machine that was termed "the Spruce Goose"--the H-4 Hercules, to date the largest plane ever built, was a flying boat designed to hold as many as 750 soldiers. In a moment only Howard Hughes could pull off, he would make history and prove that a 400,000-pound bird can fly. TVPG VL | CC

From building cutting-edge competition venues to the latest sports science training, winter sports use more technology than ever. This episode takes you behind the scenes of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter games. Olympic organizers race against the clock to build venues, expand transportation and security, and add futuristic touches to the ultimate Olympic icon--the Olympic torch. Meanwhile, US Olympic hopefuls use high-tech training tools to gain a competitive edge. Take in breathtaking views from the world's highest unsupported gondola and rocket down a bobsled track at 80 miles per hour, as we show you winter sports like you've never seen them before. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Witness some mind-blowing feats of strength starting with the world's most powerful elevators--one lifts fighter jets, the other lifts a giant stage filled with acrobats. Discover the world's strongest tire and the monster mine machine it rolls with. Take a 35-foot drop on the world's strongest mountain bike. See the world's strongest land transport vehicle that carries the Space Shuttle. Finally mix some drinks or chop a telephone into dust with the biggest and strongest home blender you've ever seen. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

In March 2002, in Vilnius, Lithuania, construction workers uncovered a mass grave filled with close to 2,000 skeletons. Scientists determined that the remains belonged to the last remnants of Napoleon's Grand Army retreating from Moscow in 1812. The find offers new insight into Napoleon's invasion of Russia, the largest military disaster ever recorded. Follow scientists as they seek to learn who these people were and how they died. Was it a massacre, an epidemic, or the result of brutal cold? TVPG VL | CC

From a once seething, hellish mass of molten rock to the world that inhabits life today, take a rollercoaster ride through the entire history of Planet Earth. Its 4.5 billion year epic, a story of unimaginable timescales, earth-shattering forces, incredible life forms, radical climates and mass extinctions. Discover how the continents were formed, canyons were carved, and why the world's animals live where they do. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Every aspect of our lives involves pressure. It's what puts the bubbles in soft drinks, propels shaving cream from its can, cools the contents of your refrigerator, and causes volcanoes to erupt. But when pressure suddenly changes, you better look out! Rapid pressure changes can be as violent as explosions. And variable atmospheric pressure? We call that the weather. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Join train conductor and host Matt Bown as he joins the coal train hauling of a priceless cargo of coal through Pennsylvania from mine to power plant. Matt pitches in with the crew as they load up the train and also learns how the Nazis tried to blow the tracks during World War II. Discover the huge part that trains have played in shaping American history and how trains are vital to American life today. TVPG VL | CC

Running from Washington, DC to Boston, the Acela is a high-tech wonder that runs on lines dating to the Great Depression. It is the fastest train in the country and is powered by high-voltage overhead electrical wires. Join hosts Matt Bown as he meets the workers who are just inches from possible electrocution on a daily basis. Filming here was so dangerous that the production crew had to take and pass a special course before they were allowed to begin. Also, take a look at historic Penn Station and discover why it had to be demolished. TVPG VL | CC

From popes and presidents to dictators, Antichrists have been identified in all periods of recorded history and in all walks of life. Even nations, movements, and technologies have been thought by some to be the agents of the Antichrist. Throughout history, people have seen their own times as the most morally bankrupt and have recognized signs of the coming of the Apocalypse. If the end is near, what will it be like? What is the Antichrist's agenda? How does he intend to take over the world and wreak destruction? Is this escapist fantasy or inescapable fate? TVPG VL | CC

Sail the high seas on a swift, agile, and deadly pirate ship as it strikes fear in the hearts of swabbies everywhere! We'll go onboard these highly maneuverable ships with their skull and crossbones ensign, and find out why no one really ever walked the gangplank. TVPG VL | CC

How did one awesome battleship spark the 20th century's first arms race? Journey back to the start of the 20th century in England for a look at the HMS Dreadnought and one admiral's devastating vision. TVPG VL | CC

Why are humans so different from every other species on Earth? Did we evolve from ape--or is our intelligence the result of contact with an otherworldly source? Could unexplained advances in human evolution be the work of interstellar beings? 10,000-year-old petroglyphs link our ancient ancestors with star beings. Might evidence of alien contact help unlock the mystery of the Creation of Man? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Tyrannosaurus rex was the most feared predator on earth--but to one dinosaur, he was prey. A discovery in Montana reveals the broken and fractured bones of a juvenile T-rex, and the teeth of its attacker--Nanotyrannus. As modern crime scene investigative methods are used, paleontologists get an unprecedented look into a 65 million-year-old battle. Modern CAT scanning gives science a never before look into the functions of the brains of Tyrannosaurus and Nanotyrannus. Watch as experts recreate what happened when Nanotyrannus came upon an unguarded juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex. TVPG VL | CC

Discover a prehistoric watering hole where multiple dinosaur species fought to the death under the intense heat of a Jurassic drought. Watch as more than 15,000 bones are uncovered at the scene of one of the bloodiest battles in Paleohistory. Scientists are able to identify Allosaurus and its rival Ceratosaurus as the predators. Evidence collected at the site, detailed animal behaviors, and the results of hi-tech CAT scanning are used to recreate what happened on this dry lakebed in Utah 150 million years ago. TVPG VL | CC

The Roman Emperor Nero, renowned for playing the fiddle whilst Rome burned, was infamous for cruelty, incest and murder. TVPG VL | CC

A marauding barbarian with a reputation as one of history's monsters, even today Attila's name is a synonym for savagery. TVPG VL | CC

As a child, Hannibal from Carthage, modern-day Tunisia, was forced by his father to make a blood to destroy the Romans. His reputation as one of history's cruelest generals was earned as he ruthlessly slaughtered women and children along with tens of thousands of his own and enemy soldiers in the pursuit of defeating Rome. While he won several major battles, he curiously gave up before marching into Rome. TVPG VL | CC

Today, New York is the biggest city in the country... but it's got some dark secrets in its past. It was founded by covert groups, overrun with gangs and mob bosses, and ruled by secret societies. This is the true foundation of the city that never sleeps, and host Don Wildman is headed deep beneath the skyscrapers, taxicabs and street vendors into a New York that few have ever seen before. From a hidden Freemason tunnel and secret world of the Sandhogs, to mobster hideaways and gang escape routes, we're uncovering the secret societies that built New York--from the underground up. TVPG VL | CC

Chicago was once a playground for mobsters and corrupt politicians. It wouldn't be the third largest city in the U.S. today if it weren't for the shady dealings that went on just beneath its streets. From vice dens and top-secret railroad lines to sunken shipwrecks and the spark that created the A-Bomb, host Don Wildman unearths the true history of the Windy City. TVPG VL | CC

Follow the soybean from field to refinery with CHS, Inc. as they convert billions of soybeans into vegetable oils, flour, and soy meal. These products, in turn, end up in salad dressings and margarines, baked goods, animal feed and even bio-fuel and plastics. Pay a visit to the Kelley Bean Company which cleans 80,000 pounds of dry beans per day. B & M Baked Beans stirs up some New England tradition by baking beans in steel kettles and brick ovens. Then, Italian chef and bean lover Cesare Casella whips up a few bean dishes using rare heirloom beans, some of which cost $35 per pound. For dessert, Japanese pastry makers prepare traditional bean-based confections with the azuki bean. Fry up some falafel and puree some beans into a paste called hummus with the most widely consumed legume in the world...the chickpea. Last but not least, the makers of Beano explain how it works to prevent that unfortunate bean byproduct: gas. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

In the pre-dawn darkness of December 14, 1986, a peculiar aircraft lumbers down an immense runway in the California high desert. With a wingspan larger than a 727, it weighs scarcely 2000 pounds when empty. Maverick aircraft designer Burt Rutan has designed this plane to fly nonstop around the globe. With his brother, decorated fighter pilot Dick Rutan at the controls, this is the moment of truth--the culmination of six years of work. The bizarre craft, Voyager, is like no flying machine ever built. When Voyager does get airborne, there are nine more days of perilous near-death experiences as it attempts to set the last great aviation record. TVPG VL | CC

Howard Hughes was a celebrity persona known around the world and an aeronautical genius, but he was a man with personal demons that drew the public to watch his every step. From producing movies to building aircraft for the government, Hughes was a dynamic figure. In 1948 Howard Hughes set out to prove many of his critics wrong by flying a machine that was termed "the Spruce Goose"--the H-4 Hercules, to date the largest plane ever built, was a flying boat designed to hold as many as 750 soldiers. In a moment only Howard Hughes could pull off, he would make history and prove that a 400,000-pound bird can fly. TVPG VL | CC

Best-selling author Brad Meltzer and his team try to penetrate Bohemian Grove, one of America's most tightly guarded gatherings of the rich and powerful. The Decoded team converges on the group's hideaway in a northern California redwood forest to pursue rumors of ritual sacrifice and secret agreements that control the lives of everyday Americans. Brad soon finds out just how difficult it is to uncover Bohemian Grove's secrets. He knew sending the team into the Grove would be risky, but he never expected they'd be calling him for bail money. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

As head of the powerful 15th-century Florentine family, Lorenzo de' Medici was the ultimate Renaissance man. The leadership of Lorenzo and his family created an atmosphere of culture, sophistication, and wisdom that enabled Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli to flourish artistically. Just as skilled at politics, the wealthy Medici ruled Florence for centuries without holding an office. Their power to bestow and withhold favors made them feared and revered, loved and hated. On April 26, 1478, a gang of men repeatedly attacked Lorenzo and his brother Giuliano with knives in the Duomo cathedral during high Mass. Giuliano died, but a wounded Lorenzo survived. For centuries, historians believed the Pazzi family, Medici banking rivals, were at the center of the complex plot. Now, Dr. Marcello Simonetta, a historian at Wesleyan University, offers a shocking twist. Did the Pazzi Conspiracy include a much broader range of perpetrators, reaching all the way to the Vatican? TVPG VL | CC

In March 2002, in Vilnius, Lithuania, construction workers uncovered a mass grave filled with close to 2,000 skeletons. Scientists determined that the remains belonged to the last remnants of Napoleon's Grand Army retreating from Moscow in 1812. The find offers new insight into Napoleon's invasion of Russia, the largest military disaster ever recorded. Follow scientists as they seek to learn who these people were and how they died. Was it a massacre, an epidemic, or the result of brutal cold? TVPG VL | CC

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. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Every aspect of our lives involves pressure. It's what puts the bubbles in soft drinks, propels shaving cream from its can, cools the contents of your refrigerator, and causes volcanoes to erupt. But when pressure suddenly changes, you better look out! Rapid pressure changes can be as violent as explosions. And variable atmospheric pressure? We call that the weather. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Until the diesel age, trains were powered by steam, and we'll trace the steam train's 160-year history. We travel to Steamtown National Park to see these 19th-century technological wonders in action; and, visit Union Pacific's Steam Operations Division to profile #3985, the largest operating steam locomotive in the world. TVPG VL | CC

How would you recognize the most evil person on Earth? According to many historical texts, you should look for a brilliant, enigmatic public figure who transforms the world for good--for a while. Basically, the last person you'd tap as Satan's human emissary. While many believe the Antichrist has come and gone, just as many believe he will soon arrive, if he's not already in our midst. Join us for harrowing look at an evil so obscure that he answers only to Satan. Real? Our group of prophecy believers and historical experts help sort it out. We follow the emergence of the Antichrist from pre-Judaic texts, through the Book of Daniel and Revelation, into Christian writings of the Middle Ages, and other religious traditions as well. Aided by interviewees both religious and secular, comprised of eminent clergy, scholars, historians, psychologists, and culture makers, we'll examine the evil enigma from every conceivable angle. TVPG VL | CC

From popes and presidents to dictators, Antichrists have been identified in all periods of recorded history and in all walks of life. Even nations, movements, and technologies have been thought by some to be the agents of the Antichrist. Throughout history, people have seen their own times as the most morally bankrupt and have recognized signs of the coming of the Apocalypse. If the end is near, what will it be like? What is the Antichrist's agenda? How does he intend to take over the world and wreak destruction? Is this escapist fantasy or inescapable fate? TVPG VL | CC

In 2004 the American School of Classical Studies in Greece made a surprising discovery of two limestone coffins which dated back 3000 years. Archaeologist Guy Sanders was not only surprised by the quality of the sarcophagi but shocked by their size and weight. The coffins weighed 3 tons, and he concluded that the people of the Geometric Period must have used massive machines to move them. From the Pharos of Alexandria to the Parthenon on the Acropolis we will delve into the world of the ancient heavy engineers, and discover how their machines were used to build and transport some of the most amazing structures in Antiquity. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

For thousands of years, there have been places around the world considered dangerous to humans. Might these locations hold the key to an otherworldly connection? At Australia's Black Mountains, local myths speak of ancient serpent gods and hikers disappearing. Every year hundreds are drawn to a dark forest at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan--to commit suicide. What causes these places to be evil? Could there be evidence that past extraterrestrial activity lead to the negative energy in Earth's evil places? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Why are humans so different from every other species on Earth? Did we evolve from ape--or is our intelligence the result of contact with an otherworldly source? Could unexplained advances in human evolution be the work of interstellar beings? 10,000-year-old petroglyphs link our ancient ancestors with star beings. Might evidence of alien contact help unlock the mystery of the Creation of Man? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Featuring exclusive interviews with President Barack Obama and other senior aides, this two-hour special event will take viewers inside the dedicated effort to hunt and kill Osama Bin Laden. We'll also examine the historical ramifications for President Obama's administration, as well as look at the role of the men and women who worked for many years over several administrations to make this possible. Rigorously researched, Targeting Bin Laden uses historical footage, photographs and dramatic re-enactments to illustrate one of the most important missions in our nation's history. In addition to President Obama, interviewees include National Security Advisor, Tom Donilon; White House Chief Counter-Terrorism Advisor, John O. Brennan; Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications; former CIA Director, Gen. Michael Vincent Hayden; former CIA Deputy Director of Counter-Terrorism, Philip Mudd; members of Congress; policy experts and others. TVPG VL | CC

Join host Don Wildman as he travels to Sicily to trace the mafia's roots back to when they were a vigilante secret society in an underground network. The original mafia was created to hold trials against corrupt city officials and execute the accused. Follow Don as he tracks the escape route of a most-wanted mob boss through ancient subterranean waterways. There he'll discover a bone-crypt that holds the key to Sicily's violent past. Finally, Don will reveal how the mafia entrenched themselves forever into Sicilian society by teaming up with the Allies during WWll and undermining the Axis' bunkers deep within the Sicilian hillsides. TVPG VL | CC

Few people realize that the Baath party was actually formed upon the principles and organizational structure of the Nazi party. Iraq, because of its oil and hatred of Jews, was an important battleground between the Axis and Allied powers in World War II. Nazi propaganda was broadcast throughout Baghdad, and Iraqis often went on rampages against Jews throughout the war. One of the most ardent Nazi supporters during WWII was named Khairallah Talfah. Talfah was Saddam's uncle. After the war, many of the key Iraqi Nazi supporters, all of whom evaded prosecution, wound up involved in Saddam's rise to power. This special examines the key individuals of the Iraqi-Nazi connection, the little-known battle for Iraq in WWII, and the strange link to Saddam Hussein. TVPG VL | CC

Witness some mind-blowing feats of strength starting with the world's most powerful elevators--one lifts fighter jets, the other lifts a giant stage filled with acrobats. Discover the world's strongest tire and the monster mine machine it rolls with. Take a 35-foot drop on the world's strongest mountain bike. See the world's strongest land transport vehicle that carries the Space Shuttle. Finally mix some drinks or chop a telephone into dust with the biggest and strongest home blender you've ever seen. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

The colossal cornerstones of commerce. Oversized outfitters. Merchandise Moguls. Mega Stores are giant facilities engineered to keep up with America's supersized habits. They are the largest, busiest places in the country. Their greatest challenge: keeping up with demand on a massive scale, and to do it, they have everything from scuba divers to sandblasters. It's not what's on the shelves--it's what happens behind the scenes. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Follow the soybean from field to refinery with CHS, Inc. as they convert billions of soybeans into vegetable oils, flour, and soy meal. These products, in turn, end up in salad dressings and margarines, baked goods, animal feed and even bio-fuel and plastics. Pay a visit to the Kelley Bean Company which cleans 80,000 pounds of dry beans per day. B & M Baked Beans stirs up some New England tradition by baking beans in steel kettles and brick ovens. Then, Italian chef and bean lover Cesare Casella whips up a few bean dishes using rare heirloom beans, some of which cost $35 per pound. For dessert, Japanese pastry makers prepare traditional bean-based confections with the azuki bean. Fry up some falafel and puree some beans into a paste called hummus with the most widely consumed legume in the world...the chickpea. Last but not least, the makers of Beano explain how it works to prevent that unfortunate bean byproduct: gas. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

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? TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Best-selling author Brad Meltzer and his team try to penetrate Bohemian Grove, one of America's most tightly guarded gatherings of the rich and powerful. The Decoded team converges on the group's hideaway in a northern California redwood forest to pursue rumors of ritual sacrifice and secret agreements that control the lives of everyday Americans. Brad soon finds out just how difficult it is to uncover Bohemian Grove's secrets. He knew sending the team into the Grove would be risky, but he never expected they'd be calling him for bail money. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Man uses plants to feed, heal and clothe himself, to build his world and even to alter how he feels. The use of plants like corn, tobacco and cotton become such an important part of our lives that they play a central role in our evolution, and lead to everything from War to Prohibition. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

It starts with a spark, but some ideas catch fire and in the process change the world. Necessity is the mother of invention--from darkness, man found light (the candle) and from even the farthest distances we can still find each other (the telephone). But some inventions have transformed our lives far beyond our homes (the steam engine), our planet (the telescope), and our wildest dreams (the Internet). This countdown highlights how human ingenuity comes in all shapes and sizes. Some were born from the humblest means (the hammer) while others push the limits of what was ever believed possible (the airplane). But regardless of the ratio of inspiration to perspiration, each invention to make the cut was destined to change our lives forever. TVPG VL | CC

No matter what you might think of him, in all corners of the globe, Jesse James is respected for his incredible skills, vision and dogged determination. Jesse is known as the Master Fabricator, he is a world-class welder, operates the violent power hammer with grace and agility and he even became a coppersmith to make one of his bikes out of copper. There is only one discipline left for him to tackle before mastering all aspects of metal working--blacksmithing. It's been years since we last saw Jesse do what we love to watch him do the most, build an amazing one-of-a-kind creation and then take us along for a ride. For the first time ever, Jesse will build his first engine--but not just any engine, he takes on the near impossible mission of tracking down a rare 1930's race car engine and rebuilds it to go into a new bike. With no blueprints, no instructions, he goes on a hunt to find a rare breed of craftsmen and builders who might know something about how to help him achieve his goal. TVPG VL | CC

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. TVPG VL | CC

15,000 years ago man and the wolf form a partnership that shapes the future of Mankind. With the help of man's new best friend we domesticate more animals, sowing the first seeds of farming and civilization. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Communication is the vital ingredient in the building of civilization. The ability to share complicated ideas allowed early man to hunt, farm and build communities. And the creation of things like a 22-letter alphabet and the printing press allow Mankind to further expand, leading to the proliferation of new ideas and revolution. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Could there be a monstrous, undiscovered star orbiting our own Sun? Could it be scattering killer comets throughout our Solar System like clockwork every 26 million years? New scientific surveys are probing the edges of our Solar System--a realm populated by giant worlds and mysterious planetoid--hunting for Nemesis, the Sun's purported evil twin. We may be on the verge of discovering this ultimate death star, suspected of causing every mass extinction in Earth's history. We employ everyday experiences to explain what Nemesis is and why it's been so hard to find. Experts start a wildfire on a dry California hillside, race a NASCAR around an oval track, and juggle fire, all in the effort to present how Nemesis works, and why life on Earth may depend on its discovery. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Mankind embarks on a new age of exploration, and tames the wilderness. In North America, Siberia and Australia, ancient traditions are swept away in the name of commerce and science. Within a hundred years, the irrational fear that produced a witch trial in Salem gives way to a very rational cry for freedom. American revolutionaries confront a mighty empire. The battle for the modern world begins. Two great revolutions entwine. The American Revolution inspires dreams of political and personal liberty. The Industrial Revolution replaces muscle power with machines, freeing Mankind from nature's limits. But our oldest foe--disease--thrives in industrial cities. With the American Civil War, the two revolutions collide. The world's first industrial war, it is a battle to define "freedom." (2 hours.) TVPG VL | CC Show Site

To the Nazis of WWII, film was a weapon used to justify murder and even genocide. Joseph Goebbels, the head of the Nazi propaganda machine, personally commissioned The Titanic; he saw it as a potent weapon in demonizing the English. In his pursuit of creating what was to be the Third Reich's cinematic masterpiece he was ruthless. He had the first director murdered and poured in unrivalled resources even bringing troops back from the front to use as extras. The film was intended to show German valor and Allied weakness, but when it was finished it portrayed an entirely different message. It had become an allegory for Nazism itself. There was an all too apparent parallel of a country heading towards its own iceberg and sinking. The story of the Nazi Titanic had an unpleasant sting in its tail. The boat used to play the Titanic in the film, the Cap Arcona, was sunk by allied bombers with an even greater loss of life than the original ship. TVPG VL | CC

Five thousand years ago man first throws a handful of rocks into a campfire and stumbles upon a discovery that changes the world: Metal. Copper, Tin and Bronze empower the ancient world and allow empires to expand, armed with sharp, hard-wearing weapons. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Early man rubbed two sticks together and created fire. We learn to cook our food, saving vital energy. As a result, our brains expand--making us the most intelligent species on the planet. Armed with fire, we experiment by heating minerals to make stronger tools allowing us to fight wars and build civilizations. But burning wood destroys our landscape, so Mankind exploits a new energy--oil. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

15,000 years ago man and the wolf form a partnership that shapes the future of Mankind. With the help of man's new best friend we domesticate more animals, sowing the first seeds of farming and civilization. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Communication is the vital ingredient in the building of civilization. The ability to share complicated ideas allowed early man to hunt, farm and build communities. And the creation of things like a 22-letter alphabet and the printing press allow Mankind to further expand, leading to the proliferation of new ideas and revolution. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

There are 800 very old, very mysterious, man-made stone sites in the Northeastern part of the United States. Forensic geologist Scott Wolter heads to rural Pennsylvania to investigate one of them--a meticulously crafted stone chamber buried underground in the woods. When he realizes it may have been a ritual bath chamber for a secret society, he embarks on a quest for answers as to who built, when and why. TVPG VL | CC Show Site

Man uses plants to feed, heal and clothe himself, to build his world and even to alter how he feels. The use of plants like corn, tobacco and cotton become such an important part of our lives that they play a central role in our evolution, and lead to everything from War to Prohibition. TVPG VL | CC Show Site