America: Facts vs. Fiction

Examining the past from a fresh perspective.

Bonus Round: Cowboys vs. Hollywood

S5 E1

Examining the past from a fresh perspective.

No Liars Allowed

S5 E2

True stories behind America's most infamous bad guys.

Bonus Round: Vices and Vacations

S5 E4

Examining the past from a fresh perspective.

Bonus Round: Monumental Realities

S5 E5

The myths behind some of history's most defining moments are uncovered; revealing facts behind America's space explorations.

Bonus Round: Science or Sci-Fi?

S5 E6

Explores the myths that infect America's medical history and the facts behind America's nuclear age.

World War 2

S4 E1

The war waged by America's greatest generation is obscured by myth. Few remember that an American admiral played a pivotal role in showing Japan how to attack Pearl Harbor or that the German army was not the mechanized wonder it's reputed to be.

The Real West

S4 E2

Much of what we know about the old west is myth, not fact, drawn from movies and TV. Gunfights never started with a quick draw, cowboys weren't all white, and Native Americans feared enemies more menacing than settlers and soldiers.

Smoking, Drinking and Gambling

S4 E3

Myths obscure the real facts about our favorite vices: smoking, drinking and gambling. Discover which nation had the first anti-smoking campaign, what those three X's on a jug of moonshine mean, or where our first slot machines appeared.

Liberty, Leprechauns and Lounging

S4 E4

Myths taint our knowledge of the 4th of July, St. Patrick's Day, and our favorite mini-holiday, the weekend. We should celebrate Independence Day on July 2nd, St. Patrick wasn't Irish, and the idea of a fun weekend is a recent creation.

Moments That Changed History

S4 E5

Myths and misconceptions surrounding four pivotal historic moments: the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962; the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C.E.; the Boston Tea Party in 1773 and the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Space: The Final Frontier

S4 E6

Myths eclipse the real facts about NASA's dramatic rescue of three astronauts aboard the crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft; Hollywood movies have a hit-and-miss track record of depicting the realties of interstellar exploration.

Secret Societies

S4 E7

Revealing the truth about America's infamous secret societies; the Freemasons have no evil agenda; the Mafia took root not in New York, but the South; Harvard's Skull and Bones does not control a sinister shadow government.

American Villains

S4 E8

Al Capone was a philanthropist as well as a hood; Benedict Arnold was a hero as well as a traitor, Jesse James was no wild west Robin Hood; Billy the Kid's nickname was wrong.

The Atomic Age

S4 E9

The real facts of the nuclear age are clouded by myth. Manhattan played a major role in the Manhattan Project; there were closer calls to World War III than the Cuban Missile Crisis; America's nuclear security hinges on a football and a biscuit.

Famous Feuds

S4 E10

Myths distort the stories of two of America's most renowned rivalries. Before their fateful duel, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were law partners; and the conflict between the Hatfields and McCoys didn't end in the backwoods, but a courtroom.

Bad Medicine

S4 E12

America's medical history is infected with myths. George Washington's doctors may have inadvertently killed him; Abraham Lincoln used a toxic remedy that warped his mind; and heroin was once a best-selling cough suppressant.

Bonus Round: Fire In The Sky

S4 E101

Explore the myths behind extraterrestrial spacecraft and learn the truth of two pioneering flights.

Bonus Round: America Celebrates

S4 E102

The spotlight is on amusement parks and world's fairs to separate fiction from truth; explore the myths of two of our favorite holidays, Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Ike and MacArthur

S3 E1

Dwight Eisenhower uses an alias to hide a secret; Gen. Douglas MacArthur's actions in the Philippines during World War II remain a subject of controversy.

Worlds of Amusement

S3 E2

Walt Disney considers St. Louis as a location for his second theme park; world's fairs feature nudity.

Welcome to the Big Apple

S3 E3

Exploring the tall tales and truths surrounding New York City's Empire State Building and Grand Central Terminal.

The Princess and the Pathfinders

S3 E4

Pocahontas allegedly saved the life of Englishman John Smith, but did not marry him; recalling the exploits of explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

Top Secret Vaults

S3 E6

Investigating the myths surrounding the United States Bullion Depository in Fort Knox and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Not So Close Encounters

S3 E7

Numerous conspiracy theories involving a flying saucer and a government cover-up arise following a strange incident near Roswell, N.M., in 1947.

Roads to Freedom

S3 E8

Black leaders dominated the secret network known as the Underground Railroad; the women's suffrage movement was more violent than most people remember.

D.C. Decoding

S3 E9

The remains of the original White House are buried beneath what is now a baseball field in Virginia; thousands of people get the opportunity to jump over the top of the Washington Monument.

Final Voyages

S3 E10

The RMS Titanic avoids an obstacle days before its fateful collision with an iceberg; a technical flaw distorts the radio broadcast of the Hindenburg's destruction.

The Rock and the Bridge

S3 E11

Exploring myths and facts about San Francisco landmarks Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Unwrapping the Holidays

S3 E12

Three New Yorkers help create the version of Santa Claus people best know today; the annual Times Square Ball drop is linked to a former system of standardizing time.

Fool's Gold

S2 E1

Little-known but true facts are revealed about the California Gold Rush and the Stock Market Crash of 1929.

Last Man Standing

S2 E2

The truth behind Davy Crockett's death at the Alamo in 1836; Army officer George Armstrong Custer faces a dilemma he cannot win at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876.

Lost at Sea

S2 E3

The truth about what pirates really did with their treasure; strange disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle are explained.

Booze and Bullets

S2 E4

Surprising truths about Prohibition and infamous figures of the Roaring Twenties and 1930s, including gangster John Dillinger and outlaw duo Bonnie and Clyde.

Patton and Grant

S2 E5

The truth about America's greatest generals is obscured by myth. Learn that George Patton's nickname 'Blood and Guts' doesn't mean what you might think and that Ulysses S. Grant's reputation as a drunk and a butcher is undeserved.

Red, White and True?

S2 E6

Myths and misconceptions surround our most revered patriotic symbols. Learn how the Statue of Liberty was originally intended to stand in Egypt, how the American Flag wasn't designed by Betsy Ross, and that Mount Rushmore is actually uncompleted.

Wartime Rosies

S2 E7

The truth about women during World War II goes way beyond Rosie in the Riveter. In this episode, our stories range from the woman who broke Japan's secret code to the Hollywood sex goddess who invented a remote-controlled torpedo.