The History Channel

It's full steam ahead when we drop in at Jay Leno's garage as Jay fires up two of his classic steam cars and takes viewers for a couple of rides. Jay also shows off his 11-ton steam engine built in 1860, back when pigs had to be slaughtered to keep it lubricated. In northern Nevada, fire up a coal burning boiler and get a 100-year-old steam locomotive chugging across the rugged landscape. In New Orleans, board an authentic paddlewheel steamboat. Trek to the Southern California desert where geothermal steam rushes up from the ground and drives electricity producing turbines, powering over 300,000 homes. In New York City, find out why manmade steam surges into some of the world's most famous skyscrapers. Steam clean some very dirty machines, and do a little laundry, too. And ride a steam-driven carousel and play with some strange, steam-powered robots that are part of a movement called--what else--"steampunk."

When ordinary people desire the luxuries of the rich, ingenuity and innovation come together to take history in a new direction. From the obsession with silk to the fall of Constantinople, the discovery of the Americas to the launch of the Industrial Revolution, our desire for luxury has shaped our history and evolution.

About 10,000 years ago we discover farming. But when crops fail, early farming communities face a new threat. War. It's the birth of the arms race.

The world is linked like never before. Modern transport and communications have resulted in a world that is wealthier, healthier, more mobile and better informed than ever before. But throughout history new trade routes have proved to be double-edged swords, opening the way to wealth as well as terrible dangers--among them revolutionary ideas and terrifying pandemics.

Over millions of years mankind has evolved from a puny, vulnerable creature to become a dominant force on the planet. Occasionally the planet bites back--with terrifying consequences that have shaped our evolution.

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.

Tools and machines have allowed us to overcome our physical limitations, and become the most successful species on Earth. But tools are also transforming what it means to be human.

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.

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.

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.

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.

When Scott Wolter began investigating mysterious artifacts, he started to notice one unique symbol appeared on many of them. The symbol, now known as the "Hooked X", baffled researchers who couldn't make sense of it. As Scott's investigation into the origins of the symbol unfolds, he realizes its use is unique to just two notoriously secret groups--the Knights Templar and their modern day brethren, the Freemasons. Used in secret codes, cryptic ciphers and even the alleged tomb of Jesus himself, the symbol could be the key to understanding two of the biggest mysteries of all time--exactly what the Holy Grail is, and where it's hidden today.

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.

Recent warming trends in seawater and air temperature point to a possible mega drought in the next thirty to fifty years. Could we be facing a replay of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s on an even bigger scale? Scientists working with government authorities are highly cognizant of the need to conserve. Is it too late? Jump ahead to a scenario seventy years into the future--a twelve-year drought has left the country unstable and economically depressed. Cities across the west lie abandoned, states fight over limited water supplies and we are now dependant on other nations for food. Society has devolved into a desperate battle for survival as individuals fight over the scarce resource.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

This is the secret story of'the War to End All Wars and what happened when the first weapons of mass destruction reached the battlefield. We uncover the forgotten story of the secret deals, government mistakes, political intolerance, and America's role in the war. We mine formerly guarded vaults and archives worldwide, reviewing once top-secret footage and declassified materials to search for the facts behind the thrilling stories with which we've become familiar.

1300 BC. The mighty Egyptian civilization is in its golden age. Its ruler is Ramses II, a man who intends to be the greatest of the Pharaohs. He will make his mark by building: vast statues; towering obelisks; temples carved from the living rock. Ramses is a giant of a man, dominating his kingdom for 67 years, pushing it on to ever greater glory. The ruins of what he built still stand, and with the aid of new research and cutting edge graphics technology, the true scale of his ambition can now be fully revealed. We reconstruct the grand hypostyle hall at Karnak; explore the technical innovation and engineering skill that produced the temple at Abu Simbel; we rebuild the Ramesseum as he would have seen it, and uncover how the extraordinary tomb that Ramses built for himself would have looked when his body was finally laid there.

Four hundred years ago Emperor Shah Jahan was the most powerful man in the world. The Taj Mahal, in Agra, India was built to honor his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth. The Taj Mahal is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World and considered to be the finest example of Mughal architecture. 20,000 workers toiled to create an astounding feat of engineering, but what we see today is only a fraction of what was originally erected. Join a team of historical detectives as they search for clues to the original Taj Mahal and investigate the myth of a second Taj Mahal, built not in white but in black marble.

In September 1977, something amazing appears in the night sky over the Brazilian island of Colares in the Amazon delta--a luminous object hovering about 15 feet over the water. For nearly two months, strange flying objects visit the island--some big, some small, saucer-shaped, cigar-shaped, some luminous and some not. Witnesses report they felt as if blood had been sucked from them by the strange rays. More than 30 residents suffer puncture wounds or burns after their encounters. Two islanders reportedly die from their injuries. The Brazilian Air Force sends a task force to the island for three months and it returns with 300 night photos and several motion picture reels. Though a 500-page report is compiled, along with a catalogue of the sightings, maps, and interview transcripts, it's kept from the public. Then, in May 2005, a few of the details are released, but many questions go unanswered. In this unique hour, we examine these mysterious happenings in depth.

While the Bermuda Triangle is a well-known area of strange phenomenon in the Atlantic, there is another, more treacherous triangle in the Pacific off the coast of Japan known as the "Dragon's Triangle". This dangerous ocean triangle has reportedly claimed hundreds if not thousands of ships, airplanes, and submarines since the first written reports in the 13th century. Could these lost vessels be the result of bad oceanic conditions or possibly something more mysterious? We'll get to the bottom of this unsolved world mystery. Interviews include Dr. Joann Stock, Caltech; Joseph Nagy, UCLA; Takuji Wasda, University of Tokyo; and Japanese UFO experts Junichiro Nirasawa and Junichi Yaoi.

Welcome to the remote, top-secret military base Kapustin Yar, the Soviet "Area 51"--where the wreckage from no fewer than eight UFO crash incidents and their occupants were transported and studied between 1945 and `91. We expose this never-before-seen installation through interviews, on-camera tours, dramatic reenactments, and extensive recreations. We also explore the many Russian UFO crashes over the decades and show the ways in which Soviet UFO research scientists at Kapustin Yar used and processed the wreckage...and the alien bodies. Join us as we investigate the facts and myths surrounding Kapustin Yar, as well as the many UFO crashes that still circulate in the lore and consciousness of the Russian people.