Schedule

On November 15, 2004, Sgt. Rafael Peralta died while fighting to secure a key insurgent stronghold in Iraq. Peralta and fellow Marines were ambushed by guerillas who then lobbed a grenade at them.

In the beginning of the 3rd century, Rome is in crisis. Ravaged by civil war and foreign invasions it now faces an even greater challenge, the new religion of Christianity. When barbarian Goths attack the Empire's borders, and traitors rise against Emperor Philip, his trusted general Decius blames Philip's leniency toward the Christians. But Decius soon becomes a traitor, as well, as he faces Philip in battle, taking the crown for himself. As emperor, Decius sets out to win back the pagan gods favor, and his reign's first victims are the Christians. Yet, the wrath of the gods only continues as plague strikes, and the Goths launch full-scale invasions into the Empire. Decius and his son, Herennius, are forced to meet the Gothic king, Cniva, in a deadly clash that will mark the first time a Roman emperor is ever killed by a barbarian in battle. Unfortunately, for the Empire, it will not be the last.

It is 47 AD. The new emperor Claudius is considered by many to be the village idiot. He can only hang onto his throne by waging a spectacular conquest. He chooses Britannia, a legendary land which fascinates and inspires fear in the Romans. Proud and warlike, the Britons use the island's treacherous terrain and dark forests to lure the legions to ruin. Led by magic wielding Druid priests and a charismatic warrior named Caratacus, the Britons resist in the face of the greatest military machine the world has ever known.

The deadliest weapon on the battlefield is neither bullet nor gun; it's the lone sniper. Journey inside the science and psychology behind the greatest shots in military history, through the scope of the world's most extreme marksmen.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

In the beginning of the 3rd century, Rome is in crisis. Ravaged by civil war and foreign invasions it now faces an even greater challenge, the new religion of Christianity. When barbarian Goths attack the Empire's borders, and traitors rise against Emperor Philip, his trusted general Decius blames Philip's leniency toward the Christians. But Decius soon becomes a traitor, as well, as he faces Philip in battle, taking the crown for himself. As emperor, Decius sets out to win back the pagan gods favor, and his reign's first victims are the Christians. Yet, the wrath of the gods only continues as plague strikes, and the Goths launch full-scale invasions into the Empire. Decius and his son, Herennius, are forced to meet the Gothic king, Cniva, in a deadly clash that will mark the first time a Roman emperor is ever killed by a barbarian in battle. Unfortunately, for the Empire, it will not be the last.

It is 47 AD. The new emperor Claudius is considered by many to be the village idiot. He can only hang onto his throne by waging a spectacular conquest. He chooses Britannia, a legendary land which fascinates and inspires fear in the Romans. Proud and warlike, the Britons use the island's treacherous terrain and dark forests to lure the legions to ruin. Led by magic wielding Druid priests and a charismatic warrior named Caratacus, the Britons resist in the face of the greatest military machine the world has ever known.

The deadliest weapon on the battlefield is neither bullet nor gun; it's the lone sniper. Journey inside the science and psychology behind the greatest shots in military history, through the scope of the world's most extreme marksmen.

On November 15, 2004, Sgt. Rafael Peralta died while fighting to secure a key insurgent stronghold in Iraq. Peralta and fellow Marines were ambushed by guerillas who then lobbed a grenade at them.

In the beginning of the 3rd century, Rome is in crisis. Ravaged by civil war and foreign invasions it now faces an even greater challenge, the new religion of Christianity. When barbarian Goths attack the Empire's borders, and traitors rise against Emperor Philip, his trusted general Decius blames Philip's leniency toward the Christians. But Decius soon becomes a traitor, as well, as he faces Philip in battle, taking the crown for himself. As emperor, Decius sets out to win back the pagan gods favor, and his reign's first victims are the Christians. Yet, the wrath of the gods only continues as plague strikes, and the Goths launch full-scale invasions into the Empire. Decius and his son, Herennius, are forced to meet the Gothic king, Cniva, in a deadly clash that will mark the first time a Roman emperor is ever killed by a barbarian in battle. Unfortunately, for the Empire, it will not be the last.

It is 47 AD. The new emperor Claudius is considered by many to be the village idiot. He can only hang onto his throne by waging a spectacular conquest. He chooses Britannia, a legendary land which fascinates and inspires fear in the Romans. Proud and warlike, the Britons use the island's treacherous terrain and dark forests to lure the legions to ruin. Led by magic wielding Druid priests and a charismatic warrior named Caratacus, the Britons resist in the face of the greatest military machine the world has ever known.

The deadliest weapon on the battlefield is neither bullet nor gun; it's the lone sniper. Journey inside the science and psychology behind the greatest shots in military history, through the scope of the world's most extreme marksmen.

Known affectionately as "Uncle Billy" by Union soldiers, but reviled in the South as a brutal war criminal, General William Tecumseh Sherman.

An oral history of the shocking abuse inflicted on U.S. and Filipino P.O.W.s.

This countdown special reveals the weapons, inventions and vehicles that shaped and decided World War II, from the humble Studebaker to the shock and awe of the A-Bomb. With a countdown format and an outstanding cast of experts, we'll provide an explosive and definitive understanding of the greatest conflict of all time seen through the incredible hardware that tipped the balance and changed the world.

In the middle of the 5th century, as the Empire fights a losing battle against its formidable barbarian opponents, one Roman named Orestes finds service in the court of Attila the Hun. Schooled in the strategy of his enemy, Orestes eventually makes his way back to Italy, determined to resurrect Rome. But first, he must face down barbarians in the royal court, and pretenders sent from the East. Naming his young son, emperor, Orestes attempts to purify Rome of her barbarian influences. However, he learns the sad truth that without barbarians, there is no Rome. After hundreds of years of using the foreign invaders as mercenary soldiers, they outnumber the Romans, and the Empire can't afford to dismiss them. Though Orestes fights valiantly, he meets his end at the hands of the leader of the barbarian mercenaries, Odacer--an event that spells the end of Rome in 476 AD. The last emperor, just a boy, is sent into exile, and the Roman Empire is no more.

Despite the Empire's successes, the extensive military campaigns begin to take their toll on Rome's finances. When Dacian tribes ravage Roman lands, the unpopular Emperor Domitian is forced to raise taxes. He has never been on the front lines himself, but one of his generals, a young man named Trajan, soon proves to be a worthy leader while battling Germanic tribes on the Rhine. After Domitian's murder, Trajan is proclaimed emperor and sets out to rebuild the troubled Empire. He solves its financial problems by attacking the Dacian chieftain, Deceblas, uncovering his golden treasures, hidden in a river. In 106 AD, Deceblas flees, but Trajan's men hunt him down, only to find that he has killed himself to avoid the humiliation of defeat. Trajan's victory is immortalized in Trajan's Column in Rome, and under his reign, the Empire reaches its maximum extent of power.