TV Guide: History's Mysteries

Video: Natural Mummies - Bog Bodies

History — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:13:08 -0400

Peat bogs in Europe are notorious for preserving bodies. The most famous is profiled here.

Video: Andes Mummies - Chachapoya History

History — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:13:07 -0400

A brief history of the Chachapoya people. It covers their origin in the Andes, their domination by the Incas, and their eventual slavery & obliteration by the Spanish. A lovely story all around.

Video: Andes Mummies - Chachapoya Tombs

History — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:13:06 -0400

A quick rundown of the mountainside tombs built by the Chachapoyas to hold their mummies.

Video: Natural Mummies - Servicemen in Desert

History — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:13:05 -0400

After a WWII bomber goes down in the desert, the crew cannot be found. Years later, their remains turn up in near perfect condition miles away from the crash site.

Video: Assassinations - FDR Attempt

History — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:13:04 -0400

A crazy loner takes 5 shots at Franklin Delano Roosevelt during a rally, but instead hits 5 people not named FDR. He talks his way straight to Death Row.

Video: Natural Mummies - Ice Man

History — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:13:03 -0400

The frozen remains of a man are found on a mountaintop, along with some of his tools and clothes. His body is reconstructed by scientists and put on display.

Video: Natural Mummies - Inca Girl

History — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:13:02 -0400

Two men taking pictures from a mountaintop stumble on a bundle that turns out to be the mummified remains on a young girl. Many scans are run to find out exactly what condition she is in.

Video: Natural Mummies - Lemon Grove Mummy

History — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:13:00 -0400

Two kids take a stroll to some nearby caves to find mummies. Sure enough, they find one and bring it home. After stashing it in the garage of a friend, they forget about it until the homeowner finds it 14 years later.

Video: Andes Mummies - Mummy Looters

History — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:12:59 -0400

Chachapoyans mountain tombs are raided by locals, but archaeologists still hunt for those that are yet to be found.

Video: Assassinations - Truman Attempt

History — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:12:58 -0400

2 Puerto Rican nationals (does that make sense?) try to kill President Truman to get some attention for their cause of Puerto Rican independence. They are both gunned down by Secret Service before getting to Truman. He then calls them amateurs.

Video: Caddy

History — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:02:06 -0400

A brief look at the Caddy, a possible sea monster from California.

Video: The True Story of Rob Roy

Amazon Video on Demand — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 01:54:25 -0400

Immortalized by Sir Walter Scott, the romantic figure of Rob Roy MacGregor looms large in Scottish history. But who was the real Rob Roy? Regarded by many as a hero, others say he was little more than a cattle rustler, blackmailer, and coward. The third son of a clan chieftain, he embarked on an outlaw's life after the Duke of Montrose seized his lands in 1712. We examine his daring escapes, belief in his clan's code of honor, and questions surrounding the true loyalties of Scotland's most famous rogue.

Video: Discharged Without Honor - The Brownsville Raid

Amazon Video on Demand — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 01:01:58 -0400

Just before midnight on August 13, 1906, unknown men stormed through the streets of Brownsville, Texas, blasting bullets into saloons and homes, killing one man and injuring another. It was a reprehensible act of pure violence, but what happened next stirs controversy to this day. The citizens of Brownsville blamed the attack on soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 25th Infantry, who had just arrived at a nearby Army base. Reacting immediately to this charge, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the entire battalion--167 men, all of whom were black -- Discharged Without Honor. But was there any basis for the accusations against them, or were the soldiers victims of racism? Here, every aspect of the century-old case is examined, including the crusade of a white senator who sacrificed his political career to defend the soldiers. Find out how the raid pitted two of the 20th century's greatest African-American leaders against one another, and examine new information that may hold the key to what really happened o

Video: Sodom and Gomorrah

Amazon Video on Demand — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:35:10 -0400

They were cities of sin destroyed by God's wrath. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah had long been viewed as a cautionary tale of the evils of sin or a version of the apocalypse story. But is it possible that it was based on an actual event? Venture to the sites where archeologists have recently discovered the remains of two ancient cities: Bab-edh-dhra and Numeira. Their location, plus evidence of fire and collapse, has given birth to speculation: could they be the actual Sodom and Gomorrah? This speculation was given new life when a sanctuary was found in a nearby mountain, built beside an ancient cave. An inscription revealed that it was a shrine to Lot (who took refuge in a cave after he made his escape from the doomed city). Join leading scholars and the archeologists working on the site as they explore the implications of this new discovery and speculate on the origins of the biblical tale. Though the mystery of Sodom and Gomorrah may never be conclusively answered, a stunning new chapter of this ancient t

Video: Nazi Ghost Train

Amazon Video on Demand — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:56:53 -0400

In 1944 in Brussels, the Gestapo loaded 1,500 prisoners on a train bound for Germany and almost certain death. Among them were Allied invaders and Resistance workers. But the Resistance foiled Nazi plans and prevented the train's departure. We talk to survivors and former Resistance members at a 1999 Comet Line Reunion in Brussels.

Video: History's Mysteries: The True Story of the Fighting Sullivans

Amazon Video on Demand — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:17:12 -0400

On Friday, November 13, 1942, all five Sullivan brothers from Iowa were serving aboard the U.S.S. Juneau when a Japanese torpedo hit. 400 died instantly; 150 or so bobbed helplessly in shark-infested water. When rescue forces finally arrived, only 10 survived--none named Sullivan. Could their deaths have been avoided?

Video: The Children's Crusade

Amazon Video on Demand — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:48:22 -0400

In Christianity's medieval battle to retake the Holy Land from Islam, the failure of wealthy Crusaders left a growing number of disgruntled Europeans. And so, in 1212, two 12-year-old boys began their own Crusade and thousands of children tagged along. We reveal how these innocents paid the ultimate price in this spiritual warfare.

Video: History Undercover U.S.S. Eagle 56: Accident Or Target?

Amazon Video on Demand — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:41:35 -0400

In April 1945, a subchaser Eagle boat, a WWI remnant, was towing targets off New England's coast, when suddenly it exploded, killing 50 of her 63 men. Survivors reported a U-boat surfacing afterwards, but a Navy Court of Inquiry concluded the PE-56 was victim of a boiler blast. In 2001, the Navy Secretary ruled that a German U-boat had sunk the ship, and in 2002, awarded the men Purple Hearts. This is the story of the ship and crew, as well as their families who pursued the truth for 56 years.

Video: Roswell: Secrets Unveiled

Amazon Video on Demand — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:38:34 -0400

In 1947, a strange object fell from the sky near Roswell, New Mexico, and the lives of many civilians and military personnel would never be the same again. Hear the Air Force's key players' version--600-foot long balloon trains with classified acoustic devices--and learn why Roswell locals and alien conspiratorialists don't believe them!

Video: Failed Assassinations

Amazon Video on Demand — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:22:47 -0400

Presidential assassinations alter the course of history-but not all would-be killers get the job done. Several Presidents barely escaped a tragic end, such as Teddy Roosevelt when he gave a speech despite the bullet lodged in his chest. Other targets examined include Andrew Jackson, FDR, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan.