History

Archaeologists have uncovered a mystery in the heart of London. Unearthed during the excavations of Europe’s biggest building project, the new Crossrail train network, are dozens of skulls from the days of Roman London, found in clusters under the city’s surface. Show More

In the heart of the French region of Burgundy lies a hidden city that’s been dormant for 2,000 years. It’s called Bibracte. Thanks to topographic maps using LIDAR technology as well as spectacular computer-generated imagery, you’re about to discover the evidence of galloping Romanization, notably through a sophisticated hydraulic system, a forum, and a basilica. […]

The Founding Fathers yearned for a nation of individual liberty. However, the origins of America were overflowing with a deep-seated paradox. It’s ironic how America’s Founding Fathers established a nation of individual liberty while many owned slaves. Show More

The 31st president, Herbert Hoover, was an Iowa native who had the misfortune to be in the White House when the stock market crashed in 1929. He presided over the Great Depression’s early years before losing his reelection bid to FDR in 1932. An engineer by profession, Hoover directed WWI-era humanitarian aid to Europe and […]

The bonds between the crew members of Arizona have lasted far beyond the ship’s loss on 7 December. Since 1982, the U.S. Navy has allowed survivors of USS Arizona to be interred in the ship’s wreckage upon their deaths. In this moving tribute using archival footage, aerial drones and contemporary interviews, we follow the family […]

Tanks were first used during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 to break the deadlock of trench warfare on the Western Front. While Britain and France built thousands of tanks, Germany only developed and brought 20 vehicles of a single design into service. During the Cold War, they would continue to be produced in […]

This film shares some of the countless stories of tragedy, devastation and heroism from The Halifax Explosion which occurred in December, 1917. It recounts the dramatic events of individuals who lost their sight, those who were there to lend aid and support to the injured, and then those individuals and groups who made significant contributions […]

A combination of hurricane-force winds and electric poles start the Honda Canyon Fire on Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. In the course of events following the morning of December 20, 1977, a conflict of cultures emerged. Military commanders, fearful of the Base’s cold war secrets being compromised, attempted to control the protocols and procedures of […]

The hidden story of one of the worst criminal cover-ups in American history. The victims – hundreds of children whose lives were destroyed. Along with contributors from the D.A.’s office, the film hears from Catholic clergy, legal experts, a Grand Jury forewoman, journalists, politicians, victims of child sexual abuse and their families. Show More

In the heart of Burgundy, the small town of Cluny holds a secret. The abbey standing tall in the city center is a mere fragment of what the 11th-century Maior Ecclesia once was, the biggest church ever conceived at the time, a feat that was accomplished in less than 70 years. Thanks to incredibly realistic […]

Chartres Cathedral is over over 800 years old, but today’s experts are only starting to unveil its secrets. It’s a medieval superstructure, one of the first Gothic cathedrals in history, wider and taller than Notre-Dame de Paris. Ultra-realistic computer-generated imagery and interviews with architectural specialists reveal all the secrets of Chartres. Show More

A building lost in the midst of a 5,000-hectare (12,000-acre) park, Chambord is the castle of all superlatives. There are 156 meters (500 feet) of façade, over 400 rooms, and 77 stairways. For more than five centuries, its design has aroused curiosity. All the plans and archives relative to the building were mysteriously destroyed in […]

One voice loudly warned of the impending danger of Islamic fundamentalism: Commander Massoud. He was killed. Show More

Writer and historian Dr. Helen Castor explores the life and death of Joan of Arc. Joan was an extraordinary figure, a female warrior born in an age that believed women couldn’t fight, let alone lead an army. But Joan was driven by faith, and today more than ever, we are acutely aware of the power […]

At the height of Maoism, China was as closed off as present-day North Korea. But even at that time, some Western foreigners lived in the country and, in the summer of 1966, they witnessed firsthand the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution. In this time, young leftist activists In Western Europe idolized Mao as a harbinger […]