In Search of History

An in-depth look at significant moments in world history.

Navajo Code Talkers

S5 E2

Young men of Navajo descent create a military code.

Frontier Doctors

S5 E8

At each step in the march westward on the American frontier, pioneers fight a cunning, ubiquitous enemy -- death from disease and epidemics, as well as death from knife and gun wounds.

The True Story of the Molly Maguires

S5 E20

The story of the secret Irish society.

Asteroids

S5 E23

Scientists investigate asteroids.

Lost Colony of Roanoke

S4 E2

Examining the history of the first colony in the "New World."

Secret Brotherhood of Freemasons

S4 E3

The Freemasons are one of the world's most secret societies.

Joan of Arc: Soul on Fire

S4 E5

The story of a young peasant girl who commanded an army.

Madame President

S4 E6

After a stroke leaves President Woodrow Wilson in a weakened position, First Lady Edith Wilson takes a leading role in the White House to complete the final months of her husband's term.

Ancient Drugs

S4 E15

Historians examine ancient rituals that involve altered consciousness.

England's Great Wall

S3 E1

Stretching roughly 80 miles across northern England, Hadrian's Wall split the country in two, serving as a barrier against Pict marauders.

D-Day: The Best Kept Secret

S3 E2

The unmitigated success of the Allies' Operation Overlord depended on an elaborate plan to fool the Germans as to when and where the assault would hit.

The Sphinx Of Egypt

S3 E7

The brooding figure of the Great Sphinx stands guard over the pyramids of Giza; with the head of a man and body of a lion, this 240-foot ruin may depict Pharaoh Khafre, son of Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid.

World Series Fix!: The Black Sox Scandal

S3 E9

Members of the Chicago White Sox are accused of intentionally losing the 1919 World Series.

Roman Roads: Paths To Empire

S3 E12

Romans engineer a stone-paved highway system.

Project Underworld: The Military and the Mafia

S3 E13

During World War II, the U.S. military builds a relationship with the mafia.

Rome's Eternal Wonders

S3 E15

Exploring the monuments of Rome.

Seven Wonders of the World

S3 E16

The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Temple of Artemis, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Pharos of Alexandria; of the seven wonders, only the Great Pyramid remains.

The Mormon Rebellion

S3 E17

An armed conflict arises when President James Buchanan picks a non-Mormon to govern the Territory of Utah in 1857.

The Monkey Trial

S2 E1

A legal battle between church and state unfolds when John Scopes stirs up controversy for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution to his class.

Scourge of the Black Death

S2 E3

In 1348, a mysterious and deadly disease ravaged Europe, killing millions of people while spreading irrational fear in its wake.

Five Points Gang

S2 E10

The history of the area in New York known as the Five Points, which was the breeding ground for such criminals as Al Capone and Lucky Luciano.

China's Boxer Rebellion

S2 E14

In 1997, Britain ceded control of Hong Kong to China, completing the Boxer Rebellion's goal to oust outsiders; this movement led to the massacre of thousands of foreigners and international intervention in 1900.

Mexico's Great Pyramids

S2 E16

The Teotihuacanos leave no evidence of their culture after building one of the largest settlements in the ancient world.

The Celts

S2 E18

In ancient times, the tattooed Celts, who often fought naked while covered in blue paint, were Europe's most feared warriors.

The Odessa File

S2 E19

After WWII, a handful of Nazis were tried for war crimes at Nuremberg, but many seemingly disappeared; studying the Odessa organization, rumored to have links to the SS and to have ferried high-ranking Nazis out of Germany.

The Roman Legions

S2 E20

Their legions were legend as the Roman army marched across the known world, trampling its enemies and securing one of history's largest empires.

Witchcraft

S2 E27

A witch once held the exalted position of a healing woman who harnessed nature's secrets for humanity's good; investigating what happened in the Middle Ages to transform the witch into a Christian symbol of evil.

The First Olympics

S1 E1

In 776 B.C., in Olympia, Greek city-states compete in peaceful games to honor Zeus.

Lost City of the Incas

S1 E3

Hiram Bingham encounters the abandoned ruin of Machu Picchu in 1911.

Venice: Queen of the Adriatic

S1 E4

Venice relied on her 200-square- mile lagoon for protection until surrendering to Napoleon in 1797, yet her origins have sunk into the miasma of myth.

The Hidden Glory of Petra

S1 E5

A look at the story of the Nabataeans, a desert people who carved the city of Petra out of the Jordanian mountains some 2,000 years ago.

Secrets of the Kama Sutra

S1 E6

Visiting the fabled temples of India that celebrate the Kama Sutra, comprising ancient Hindu texts that deal with all facets of sexual experience including exotic lovemaking and formulas for aphrodisiacs.

The Greek Gods

S1 E9

Greek deities involve themselves in wars, jealousies and mortal intrigue; monuments and temples reflect the advancement of the Greeks.

Hawaii's Vengeful Goddess

S1 E13

Volcanic eruptions are attributed to Pele, queen of the fiery domain, and rituals are used to calm her anger.

The Borgias

S1 E17

Chronicling the Borgias, a Spanish crime family that migrated to Italy and became embroiled in political plots and murder during the Renaissance.