Latest Episodes
Filmmaker Statement
Recreating the History and Legacy of Great Zimbabwe
How do you go about telling the story of a vast medieval city-state that barely anyone knows about, and for which little written record exists?
Ancient Rome: Mysteries & Discoveries
Hannibal in the Alps
Where did Hannibal and his army cross the Alps to launch a surprise attack on Rome?
The Herculaneum Scrolls
Scientists attempt to read ancient scrolls carbonized by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
Queens of Combat
Experts search for evidence that female gladiators once existed in Ancient Rome.
The Rise & Fall of the Colosseum
The spectacular arena showcasing Ancient Rome’s power also contributed to its downfall.
Death in Britannia
Uncover the only evidence of crucifixion in Roman-occupied Britain.
Nero’s Sunken City
What made Baiae such a special place?
Queens of Combat
A Roman Satirist Mocked Female Fighters. Was He Describing Real Gladiators?
Did Juvenal’s mockery prove female gladiators existed?
Queens of Combat
This Roman Law May Be Proof of Female Gladiators
The ban hints at moral panic, and possibly the clearest proof that female gladiators truly existed.
Queens of Combat
The Only Relief of Named Female Gladiators Ever Found
This rare depiction may be the greatest surviving monument to women in the Roman arena.
Queens of Combat
An Everyday Roman Object Suggests Female Gladiators
A Roman oil lamp shows two female gladiators fighting like men—strong visual proof women fought.
Queens of Combat
New Analysis Changes the Identity of a Roman Statue
Once thought an athlete, this Roman statuette may depict a female gladiator in combat pose.
Queens of Combat
A Roman Poet’s Clue to Women Gladiators in the Arena
Martial described gladiatorial combat and hinted women fought—but can hand-copied texts be trusted?
The Rise & Fall of the Colosseum
The Ultimate Warrior Sports Drink
Gladiator bones reveal a mysterious strength-boosting drink used before combat.
The Rise & Fall of the Colosseum
What the First Gladiator Bones Can Tell Us About How They Lived
The first gladiator bones ever found reveal a small but unmistakable detail about how they lived.
The Rise & Fall of the Colosseum
The Gladiator Match Rome Couldn’t Get Enough Of
Ancient Rome’s retiarius vs secutor: inside the colosseum’s most popular fight.
The Herculaneum Scrolls
How Technology Revived Seneca the Elder
Researcher Valeria Piano discovers long-lost history of Rome written by Seneca the Elder.
The Herculaneum Scrolls
Decoding the Herculaneum Scrolls: AI Meets Ancient Texts
Artificial intelligence is used to find out what some carbonized Herculaneum scrolls say.
Last Days of Pompeii
Ancient Pompeii's Modern Solution to Traffic Jams
Professor Eric Poehler examines the ancient streets of Pompeii.
Hannibal in the Alps
Training Hannibal's Military Horses
Uncover the mystery of how Hannibal crossed the near-impregnable Alps to attack Rome.
Hannibal in the Alps
An Attack in the Gorge
Uncover the mystery of how Hannibal crossed the near-impregnable Alps to attack Rome.
Hannibal in the Alps
How Hannibal's Elephants Crossed the Alps
How did Hannibal's war elephants cross the Alps?
The Nero Files
Did Nero Poison Britannicus for the Throne?
Science may disprove the story of how Nero poisoned his stepbrother for the throne.
The Nero Files
Did Nero Try To Murder His Own Mother?
Records of Nero's reign portray him as a monster who orchestrated his own mother's death.
Nero's Sunken City
What Happened at Baiae, Stayed at Baiae
Baiae was a resort where the Roman elites could let their hair down.
Nero's Sunken City
Nero's Banquets in Baiae
Nero spent a fortune on indulgent banquets in Baiae.
Nero's Sunken City
Baian Seafood Casserole and Oyster Farming in Baiae
Shellfish farming was an industry as far back as the Roman times.
WWII Secrets Revealed
World War Speed
Follow historian James Holland as he unearths the truth about amphetamine use in World War
Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief
Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the life of Bruno Lohse and his role in the Nazi...
Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part Two)
How Americans Profited Off Looted Art
With the explosion of American museums in the 1950s, provenance took a backseat.
Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part One)
The ERR and the Nazi Party’s Systematic Looting of Europe
During WWII, the ERR operationalized Nazi art looting on an industrial scale.
Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part Two)
The Gutmann Family’s Tragic Loss
Simon Goodman recounts the story of his grandparents’ tragic deception by Nazi forces.
Bombing Auschwitz
Pehle and The Post
The Washington Post publishes a story on Auschwitz with "genocide" in the headline.
Bombing Auschwitz
The Great Moral Dilemma of the 20th Century
The Auschwitz Protocol reaches U.S. officials with a demand to bomb the camp.
Bombing Auschwitz
The "Dark Heart" of Auschwitz-Birkenau
Two Auschwitz escapees give testimonies that expose the truth of Nazi concentration camps.
Escape from Auschwitz
Vrba and Wetzler’s Escape Path
Follow the route used by Vrba and Wetzler in their "great feat of escapology" when...
Escape from Auschwitz
The Vrba-Wetzler Report
This appalling massacre was one of Germany's most heavily-guarded secrets, carefully concealed from the outside...
Escape from Auschwitz
One Generation to Another: Reflections from the Child of Holocaust Survivors
Learn the stories of two survivors of the Nazi death camps that fell in love...
World War Speed
Blitzkrieg on Speed
Historian James Holland and his team attempt to walk 22 miles wearing full WWII regalia.
World War Speed
Speed, Submarines, and Espionage
The German navy used speed in the form of chewing gum to stay awake for more than 48 hours
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Hidden Stories of American History
The Civil War’s Lost Massacre
A search for the remains of Black Union soldiers murdered toward the end of the Civil War.
The Woman in the Iron Coffin
Uncover the story of early America’s free Black communities via 150-year-old human remains
Ben Franklin’s Bones
Could Benjamin Franklin have been responsible in some way for the bones in the basement?
Secrets of Spanish Florida
Uncovers one story of America’s past that never made it into textbooks.
Jamestown’s Dark Winter
Uncover the truth about the first permanent English colony in the New World
Gangster's Gold
Meet the Last Living Member of Dutch Schultz’s Gang
Former gangster Stanley Grauso shares a vital piece of mob history.
The Alcatraz Escape
8 Daring Prison Breaks in History
On June 12, 1962, inmates Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin are discovered missing...
Jamestown's Dark Winter
The struggles of Jamestown in the early 1600s
In the summer of 1609, a fleet of English ships sails across the Atlantic for Jamestown.
Jamestown's Dark Winter
Dark rumors surrounding Jamestown
Could the marks of the bones be evidence of cannibalism?
The Woman in the Iron Coffin
Forensic Reconstruction Reveals a Face from History
Forensic imaging specialist uses facial reconstruction software to see a face from history
The Woman in the Iron Coffin
A History of St. Marks AME Church in Queens
The history of St. Marks AME Church in Queens, NY reveals some 160-year old insight.
The Woman in the Iron Coffin
This Virtual Autopsy Reveals a Surprising Discovery
Diagnostic imaging experts conduct a virtual autopsy and are stunned by the results.
Ben Franklin's Bones
Ben Franklin’s Scientific Achievements
Franklin was curious about the world and he operated in it as a gentlemanly scientist.
Secrets of Spanish Florida
Spanish and French Battle for Florida Fortress
French Settlers Attempt Revenge over Spanish Fort Takeover
Secrets of Spanish Florida
The True Story Behind the Guale Uprising
Guale natives revolt against Christian missionaries.
Secrets of Spanish Florida
Andrew Turnbull: The Most Reviled Man in Colonial Florida
Indentured servants escape from an infamous Florida plantation owner.
Secrets of Spanish Florida
Why Slaves Escaped to Florida for Asylum
Watch a team of experts reveal colonial America’s Spanish roots.
Uncovering NYC: New York City’s First Free Black Communities
Ancient Egypt: Secrets of the Pharaohs
Cleopatra’s Last Temple
An unprecedented discovery could reveal new information about Cleopatra’s reign.
Egypt’s Darkest Hour
Follow archaeologists examining a rare mass grave from the collapse of ancient Egypt.
Cleopatra's Last Temple
This Cleopatra Coin Has Been Lost Underwater For 2,000 years
Beneath the harbor of Alexandria, archaeologists have uncovered coins bearing Cleopatra's image.
Decoding Hieroglyphics
Understanding Ancient Artists through 'Handwriting' Analysis
Analyzing the style and shape of hieroglyphs can shed light on the ancient artists' lives.
Egypt's Darkest Hour
Sacred Crocodile Mummies Reveal the Climate of Ancient Egypt
Salima Ikram travels to Kom Ombo temple where ancient Egyptians worshipped crocodile gods.
Cleopatra's Lost Tomb
Q&A with Kathleen Martinez
Q & A with Kathleen Martinez
Cleopatra's Lost Tomb
Who Was the Real Cleopatra?
What people know about Cleopatra is what we have seen in the movies.
Cleopatra's Lost Tomb
Kathleen Martinez's Quest to Find Cleopatra’s Tomb in Egypt
Could Taposiris Magna be the site of Cleopatra’s lost tomb?
She Digs: Women in Archaeology
Masterpieces & Monuments
Raising Lady Liberty
See how the unique partnership between two countries made the iconic monument possible.
Picturing Shakespeare
Could the discovery of a third portrait of William Shakespeare be a genuine article?
Mozart’s Sister
Learn the untold story of Maria Anna Mozart, Wolfgang’s older sister and collaborator.
Raising Lady Liberty
How Lady Liberty's Giant Torch Was Built
Rare photographs reveal how the Statue of Liberty was constructed piece by piece.
Picturing Shakespeare
Family Discovers Possible Shakespeare Portrait Hanging in Their Living Room
The portrait hung above the family TV for 50 years before they realized it might be Shakespeare.
Picturing Shakespeare
X-Rays Reveal Hidden Clues: Is This the Only Portrait of Shakespeare from Life?
X-ray scans of the Wadlow Shakespeare portrait reveal details beneath several areas of overpaint.
Picturing Shakespeare
Facial Recognition Finds 91% Match to Shakespeare
Facial recognition software suggests the portrait may depict William Shakespeare.
Picturing Shakespeare
Experts Used Tree Rings to Date This Portrait to Shakespeare’s Lifetime
Dendrochronology reveals surprising results about Steven’s portrait of Shakespeare.
Mozart's Sister
Clues in Maria Anna Mozart's Childhood Notebook
Is there evidence Maria Anna Mozart composed music recorded in her childhood notebook?
Mozart's Sister
Another Composer in the Mozart Family?
Letters between siblings Wolfgang and Maria Anna Mozart suggest she, too, composed music.
Eiffel's Race to the Top
A Revolutionary Use of Iron
Eiffel’s use of iron to build his tower represented a radical architectural shift.
Eiffel's Race to the Top
Gustave Eiffel’s Credentials
Gustave Eiffel had a lengthy résumé before he built his namesake tower.
The Caravaggio Heist
Plotting to Recover a Stolen Caravaggio
Fr. Zerafa and Maltese law enforcement work together to recover a Caravaggio painting.
Building Notre Dame
Why Notre Dame's Gargoyles Are More Than Art
While most people assume they are merely decorative works of art...
Leonardo, The Man Who Saved Science
Six Things You May Not Know About Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, written in a secretive reverse script, went unpublished for more than...
Leonardo, The Man Who Saved Science
The Vitruvian Man
The “Vitruvian Man,” which Leonardo drew in about 1490, seems to summarize all of his work
Leonardo, The Man Who Saved Science
Leonardo's Anatomical Drawings
Leonardo’s first dissections were in search of the soul.
Leonardo, The Man Who Saved Science
Did Leonardo Really Invent the Parachute?
The parachute is one of many inventions attributed to Leonardo but he did not invent it.
Van Gogh's Ear
The Yellow House
Vincent began to paint obsessively at the Yellow House.
Van Gogh's Ear
The Sunflowers and Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin took up residence at the Yellow House.
Van Gogh's Ear
Who was Vincent van Gogh?
Who was Vincent van Gogh? How did his career as an artist start?
Van Gogh's Ear
Why did Vincent van Gogh cut his ear?
Did he cut off his whole ear?
The Mona Lisa Mystery
What Is the Isleworth Mona Lisa?
Could the Isleworth Mona Lisa be a forgery or an unfinished da Vinci masterpiece?
The Mona Lisa Mystery
Theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre
In the summer of 1911, the Mona Lisa portrait was stolen from The Louvre Museum.