Secrets of the Dead

Witches Curse

(Disease & Disaster) “The Witches Curse” poses a shocking new idea about the violent convulsions, delirium, and

Murder at Stonehenge

A mysterious skeleton buried in a shallow grave beneath a famous ancient monument. Who was he? How long had he been ther

Death at Jamestown

The settlers at Jamestown, the first British colony in the New World, were looking for wealth and adventure. But within

Day of the Zulu

During the Anglo-Zulu wars in South Africa, the success of small British regiments against huge numbers of native warrio

Tomb of Christ

For centuries, visitors to the Church of the Holy Seplulchre in Jerusalem believed that they stood within what was merel

The Syphilis Enigma

In 1492, Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic in search of gold. But what his men carried back with them to Europe

Search for the First Human

Explore the scientific mystery of human genesis through a close investigation of 13 fossils found in October 2000. The b

Mystery of the Black Death

In 1665, a British tailor opened a flea-infested shipment of fabric from London. In a matter of days, the tailor and muc

Titanic's Ghosts

In the aftermath of the Titanic, Canadian rescue ships recovered 328 bodies and buried dozens in unmarked graves. Today,

The Great Fire of Rome

In 64 AD, Rome was the most magnificent city in the world. Then, in the early hours of July 19, fire broke out in the co

Tragedy at the Pole

In March of 1912, a team of seasoned Antarctic explorers perished on their way back from the South Pole. Was it possible

Bombing Nazi Dams

In the spring of 1943, Allied forces to begin preparations for a top secret Allied raid. Each aircraft carried a top-sec

Blood Red Roses

The Battle of Towton in North Yorkshire, fought during the Wars of the Roses, was reputedly the bloodiest battle ever se

Bridge on the River Kwai

(Modern Mysteries) While remnants of the abandoned structure exist today, jungles have consumed much of what remains. Co

Killer Flu

(Disease & Disaster) In 1918, a flu pandemic ripped through the global population with such speed and virulence that

Shroud of Christ?

In the summer of 2002, a team of textile restorers was invited to Turin to undertake an unprecedented renovation of the

D-Day

In the three years leading up to D-Day, the Allies had assembled an array of weapons and transport vessels specially des

Amazon Warrior Women

(Archaeology) The myth of the Amazons, a tribe of bloodthirsty blond women thundering across arid battlefields to the h

The Hunt for Nazi Scientists

Days after D-Day, Allied forces joined together for a different kind of mission. Through rare footage, eyewitness testim

Gangland Graveyard

On October 6, 2004, FBI agents began digging up a Queens swamp in the hopes of finding the remains of the man who killed

Voyage of the Courtesans

In 1789, over two hundred female convicts were pulled out of London's prisons and shipped off to Australia for a life of

The Sinking of the Andrea Doria

On the last night of an Atlantic voyage, the Andrea Doria luxury liner was broadsided by the 13,000-ton Stockholm in an

Umbrella Assassin

On September 11, 1978, Bulgarian emigre, writer and broadcast journalist Georgi Markov died. Three days before, while wa

Dogfight Over Guadalcanal

A pivotal moment in World War II, one of the most legendary and best documented dogfights in Air Force history is recons

Battle for the Bible

The story behind the creation of the King James Bible from mysterious and inaccessible Latin texts to a book for the com

Herculaneum Uncovered

On August 24th, A.D. 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the city of Herculaneum. This program documents the archaeologi

Headless Romans

This documentary attempts to explain the mystery behind an unusual ancient burial site unearthed in England, and it's co

Irish Escape

A plea is smuggled to a New York reporter from within Western Australia's Fremantle Prison. This letter launched an Amer

Aztec Massacre

A recent archaeological discovery of more than 550 bodies near Mexico City suggests that the Aztecs were much more resis

Escape from Auschwitz

The story of Rudolph Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, two young Slovak Jews who escaped the Auschwitz death camp. They immediate

Doping for Gold

In the 1970s, female East German athletes came from nowhere to dominate international sport. But behind their success la

Sinking Atlantis

Five thousand years ago the Minoans, Europe’s first great civilization, flourished on the island of Crete. Yet in thei

Executed in Error

In 1910, an American doctor named Hawley Crippen was convicted in England of poisoning and dismembering his wife. The vi

Blackbeard's Lost Ship

Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard, was the most notorious pirate of his day. At the height of his rein, he commanded a flee

Michelangelo Revealed

More than five centuries ago, Michelangelo Buonarroti was the darling of the Catholic Church. The Papacy commissioned hi

Airmen and the Headhunters

A tribe in Borneo protects a shot-down U.S. bomber crew from Japanese occupiers during World War II. The local missionar

Mumbai Massacre

Accounts of the survivors of the indiscriminate terrorist massacres in Mumbai by Islamic Extremests in November 2008 and

Japanese SuperSub

During World War 2, Japan developed a super-submarine capable of launching bomber aircraft as a strategic weapon to carr

Churchill's Deadly Decision

Find out why Churchill chose to sink the French fleet.

Deadliest Battle

The Battle of Stalingrad, the deadliest single battle ever seen, has been lauded as a shining example of Stalin's milita

The Silver Pharaoh

Tanis, Egypt, circa 1939. On the brink of World War II, an excavation team led by French archaeologist Pierre Montet une

Slave Ship Mutiny

Three disparate Capetowners reveal a long-forgotten, dramatic slave ship revolt en route from Madagascar to South Africa

Lost Ships of Rome

In 2009, archaeologists discovered an underwater graveyard of five Roman shipwrecks off the coast of Ventotene, a small

Lost In The Amazon

On April 20, 1925, Colonel Percy Fawcett, his elder son Jack Fawcett and Jack’s lifelong friend, Raleigh Rimmell, depa

China's Terracotta Warriors

The life-sized terracotta warriors of China are known throughout the world. This clay army of 8,000 including infantry,

The World’s Biggest Bomb

Beginning in the 1950s, American and Soviet scientists embarked on a perilous race to see who could build and detonate t

The Man Who Saved the World

An officer aboard a Soviet submarine refuses to fire a nuclear torpedo during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Bugging Hitler's Soldiers

German POWs reveal inner thoughts about the Third Reich, including military secrets that helped the Allies win World War

Death on the Railroad

Forensic and scientific analysis help determine how 57 Irish immigrants died less than two months after arriving in Penn

Cavemen Cold Case

Scientists say some of the 49,000 year-old Neanderthal bones discovered in El Sidrón, Spain, bear signs of cannibalism.

Ultimate Tut

New scientific research provides insights into how King Tutankhamen was buried, why his tomb remained intact and how he

Bones of the Buddha

Bones of the Buddha is a 2013 television documentary produced by Icon Films and commissioned by WNET/THIRTEEN and ARTE F

JFK: One PM Central Standard Time

Fifty years after the tragic shooting of President John F. Kennedy, Secrets of the Dead chronicles minute-by-minute the

The Lost Diary of Dr. Livingstone

New forensic technology helps researchers study Dr. David Livingstone's lost diary, which reveals he witnessed the massa

Carthage's Lost Warriors

146 B.C.: Carthage, the proud capital of the vast Carthaginian Empire, is ablaze. Marauding Romans are mercilessly slaug

The Lost Gardens of Babylon

The search for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World despite a lack o

The Mona Lisa Mystery

Discover a portrait of a younger and more beautiful Mona Lisa that predated the famous Louvre masterpiece. In September

Dick Cavett's Watergate

Dick Cavett's Watergate offers a unique opportunity to mark the 40th anniversary of a defining moment in American histor

Resurrecting Richard III

Scientists test the bones of England's fierce King Richard III.

Ben Franklin’s Bones

In November 1997, when the skeletal remains of at least 28 bodies were unearthed in the basement of an elegant townhouse

JFK & LBJ: A Time For Greatness

For many, President Lyndon B. Johnson is chiefly remembered for escalating the United States military involvement in Vie

The Real Trojan Horse

The Trojan Horse… It was the ultimate sneak attack, bringing a city that would withstood nine years of battle to its kn

Vampire Legend

Information gathered about aberrant, unorthodox burial practices from medieval times shed some light on how today's myth

Jamestown's Dark Winter

Forensic anthropologists excavate an early American colony of Jamestown, Virginia.

The Alcatraz Escape

Scientists investigate the 1962 Alcatraz Escape by bank robbers, Frank Morris and Clarence and John Anglin. Three men wh

Cleopatra's Lost Tomb

Dr. Kathleen Martinez searches for the lost tomb of Cleopatra. Following her excavations of a 35-meter deep underground

Teotihuacan's Lost Kings

International scientists study and document the ancient royal tombs beneath the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacán

After Stonehenge

Researchers working in secret inside a quarry study the charred remains of an English settlement that dates back 3,000 y

Graveyard of the Giant Beasts

A mining operation in Cerrejon, Northern Colombia reveals a large cache of fossils dating to ten millions years after th

Van Gogh's Ear

What did Vincent Van Goh really do on the night of December 23, 1888?

Nero's Sunken City

Follow Archaeologists who map underwater ruins of ancient Rome's version of Las Vegas

Leonardo: The Man Who Saved Science

An investigation to discover if Leonardo da Vinci came up with all of his credited ideas and inventions, or were they bo

Scanning the Pyramids

The only one of the seven wonders of the world still standing, the Great Pyramid of Khufu has fascinated people for cent

Hannibal in the Alps

Follow a team of experts as they solve the enduring mystery of exactly where Hannibal and his troops crossed the Alps to

The Woman in the Iron Coffin

On October 4, 2011, construction workers were shocked to uncover human remains in an abandoned lot in the Elmhurst neigh

The Nero Files

Take a look at the life of Nero and find out what history may have gotten wrong about him

King Arthur's Lost Kingdom

Uncover new archaeological evidence rewriting our understanding of the Dark Ages in 5th– and 6th-century Britain that

Egypt's Darkest Hour

The discovery of a rare mass grave with the bones of nearly 60 people outside Luxor sends archaeologists on a quest to f

World War Speed

Follow historian James Holland on his quest to understand how the use of amphetamines affected the course of World War I

Galileo's Moon

When it was published in 1610, Galileo’s Sidereus Nuncius (Starry Messenger) set in motion a scientific revolution. Us

Bombing Auschwitz

On December 3, 1944, The Washington Post published an editorial on the atrocities in Auschwitz with the headline “Geno

Building Notre Dame

Follow an investigation into the centuries-long construction of Notre Dame de Paris, uncovering the vast architectural,

Viking Warrior Queen

Join a team of archaeologists as they examine one of the most significant Viking graves ever found and test the DNA of t

Abandoning The Titanic

Join a team of investigators as they search for the identity of the captain of a “mystery ship” that turned away fro

Gangster's Gold

Join three groups of treasure hunters, armed with modern technology and newly uncovered clues, as they set out to find t

Magellan’s Crossing

500 years ago, Ferdinand Magellan and his crew set sail to gain control of the global spice trade. What resulted was the

Lady Sapiens

Incredible scientific investigations from across the globe are helping piece together the untold story of prehistoric wo

The First Circle of Stonehenge

A decade-long archaeological quest reveals that the oldest stones of Stonehenge originally belonged to a much earlier sa

Hindenburg’s Fatal Flaws

A fresh look at the science and conditions surrounding the Hindenburg explosion reveals ten particular flaws that direct

A Samurai in the Vatican

In 1613, feudal lord Date Masamune sent a Japanese diplomatic mission to Europe to negotiate with the Pope and the King

The Caravaggio Heist

Father Marius Zerafa, director of museums in Malta, risks his life to recover a Caravaggio masterpiece stolen from a cat

Archaeology at Althorp

Charles, Ninth Earl Spencer — best-selling author and brother to Diana, Princess of Wales — may be sitting on the gr

Last Days of Pompeii

An ornate ceremonial chariot was recently discovered in the ruins of Pompeii, offering insights into the lives of wealth

The End of The Romans

What if climate change and pandemics were the real causes of the decline of the Roman Empire? Scientists from a range of

Decoding Hieroglyphics

The first modern translation of Egyptian hieroglyphics happened 200 years ago. How was the ancient code cracked? Today,

Hidden In The Amazon

Recent discoveries, including funerary urns with highly decorative patterns, and technological advances like the remote

The Sunken Basilica

Uncover the sunken remains of a 4th-century basilica in Turkey. Submerged beneath the waters of Lake Iznik for hundreds

Jurassic Fortunes

Discover the world of dinosaur collecting, a controversial hobby with a booming market. Hear perspectives on the fossil

Eiffel's Race to the Top

Find out about the race to build Paris’ most famous landmark when two men vied to be the first to build a monument 1,0

Death in Britannia

Uncover what happens when archaeologists study a skeleton found with an iron nail through its heel bone, suggesting the

The Princes in the Tower

Find out if one of history’s greatest cold cases—the imprisonment of two princes in the Tower of London—can finall

Returning to Babylon

A moving story of a people reclaiming their cultural heritage after an occupying force tried to erase it. Priceless arti

Mozart's Sister

Maria Anna Mozart was a musical prodigy just like her younger brother Wolfgang. Although the children toured Europe toge

The Herculaneum Scrolls

Making headlines around the world, Brent Seales and his team of computer scientists set out on a mission to read the 2,0

The Civil War's Lost Massacre

Originally a supply depot for Union forces in Kentucky, Camp Nelson became the site where 10,000 Black soldiers trained

Field of Vampires

In 2022, a terrifying discovery: a female skeleton dating from 1650, buried with a sickle across her neck and giant padl

Lost Treasures of Angkor – The Discovery

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer empire, which controlled much of the region between the 9th and 15th centuries. The

Lost Treasures of Angkor – King's Gold

The discovery of gold and silver artifacts in Laos, dating to the early days of the Khmer Empire, leads scientists to in

Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part One)

Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part Two)

The Rise & Fall of the Colosseum

The Colosseum: the jewel of Ancient Rome. It wowed vast crowds with extraordinary battles. It pushed the boundaries of t

Cleopatra's Last Temple

Just below the Mediterranean’s surface, in Alexandria’s harbor, lie the ruins of a mysterious ancient monument. For

Cracking the Queen's Code

In early 2023, three amateur codebreakers announced they had successfully decoded the secret correspondence of one of th

Chasing the Plague

Follow scientists as they track down the earliest known bubonic plague victims in hopes of preventing future outbreaks,

Picturing Shakespeare

There are only two accepted representations of William Shakespeare that are considered “official” – but could a po

Queens of Combat

What if women were hidden among the ranks of Ancient Rome’s fearsome gladiators? A group of experts searches for evide

The Quest for Camelot

Can the stories about King Arthur be proven true? Was the legendary court of Camelot a real place? Join Prof. Mark Horto

China's Bronze Kingdom

A mysterious ancient city lies hidden in the mountains of Sichuan—remnants of a kingdom consigned to oblivion for thou