Why was the guillotine considered a humane and efficient killing machine? What did medieval sufferers of the Black Death experience? How did the legendary mobster Al Capone die? Medical investigator Shiya Ribowsky, who spent 15 years deciphering some of New York City’s most cryptic cases, explores these mysteries and more in this original HISTORY web series.
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Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptian civilization endured for more than 5,000 years, and at its peak was one of the richest and most powerful in the world.
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Titanic
The luxury passenger liner Titanic sank in 1912 during its maiden voyage, killing 1,500 passengers and crew members.
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American Civil War
The American Civil War, fueled by the debate over slavery and states' rights, pitted North against South in the costliest conflict fought on U.S. soil.
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Black Death
The Black Death killed almost one-third of Europe's population in the late 1340s and early 1350s.
Cleopatra
Legend has it that Cleopatra took her own life by succumbing willingly to the bite of a cobra. If this story is true, was suicide by snake venom an easy way to go, or did the last Egyptian pharaoh die in excruciating pain?
Watch the video.
Aztec Sacrifice
When Aztec priests made human sacrifices to their gods, they would tear out the victim’s heart and hold it in the air. Would the heart really still be beating?
Watch the video.
Titanic
When the “unsinkable” ocean liner Titanic was lost after hitting an iceberg on April 15, 1912, lifeboats saved only 700 of her passengers. What did the 1,500 people who went down with the ship experience in the icy waters of the North Atlantic?
Watch the video.
Stonewall Jackson
The Confederate general Stonewall Jackson was accidentally shot by his own men during a major Civil War battle, but it wasn’t his wounds that killed him eight days later. How exactly did the commander die?
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Seppuku
Seppuku was a ritual form of suicide used by samurai warriors to avoid surrender or atone for a shameful act. What were their painful final moments really like?
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Guillotine
The guillotine, the notorious killing machine of the French Revolution, was used to behead thousands, including King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. Why was it a humane form of execution for its time, and did victims’ brains continue functioning after decapitation?
Watch the video.
Julius Caesar
The Roman leader Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times by a mob of mutinous senators in 44 B.C. Could he possibly have survived long enough to utter his famous last words?
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Hanging
One of the oldest forms of capital punishment, hanging kills—but not the way most people think. What makes the dreaded hangman’s noose so lethal?
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Al Capone
Al Capone survived assassination attempts, brutal gang wars and an attack by a fellow inmate at Alcatraz. How did unprotected sex finally take down one of history’s most notorious gangsters?
Watch the video.
Plague
In the 14th century, a devastating plague known as the Black Death claimed an estimated 75 million lives. How did the people who contracted it know their luck had run out?
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Pompeii
The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. obliterated the Roman city of Pompeii, burying it under tons of volcanic ash. While many of its resident fled to safety, what happened to those who dared to stay behind?
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King Tut
According to one theory, an accident caused the untimely death of teenage pharaoh King Tut. How might a broken leg have sent him to his tomb?
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Atomic Bomb
In August 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What happened to people on the fringes of the blasts?
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