History, Hobby, and Bio

In this episode, we learn how and why America and later Russia fell out of the race, and the British-designed Concorde emerged victorious. Despite being the most luxurious airliner in the world, the supersonic dream ultimately died.

Relying on newly discovered archival footage, memoirs from the fallen, and expert commentary from world-renowned scholars, this program tells the story of World War I: its ace pilots, mine-laying sailors, heroic doughboys, Harlem Hellfighters, and courageous nurses. As the story of trench, chemical, and open warfare unfolds, we come to understand how the first global war transformed American society, leading to the Veterans’ Administration, while...

Getting the chance to stay in his hometown, Jesus Trejo meets the multi-talented Sierra Katow. As a fourth-generation Chinese Japanese American, Sierra began her comedic journey at 16. Together, they venture to the Chinese American Museum and the ‘Go for Broke Foundation’, where they explore Sierra's family history. The comics weave culture, history and humor against the vibrant tapestry of L.A.

This program presents a fascinating archaeological and scientific investigation into the origins of the founding text of Christianity. When was the New Testament written? Who wrote it? Under what circumstances and with what objective? At first sight, the question should not be debated since it has been affirmed for more than 2000 years that it is the Evangelists and the Apostles who would have written the founding texts of this new religion, in order...

Monuments, stadiums, roads, water systems, harbors. The builders of Rome invented the modern city. What technical inventions and what genius of construction did they use to achieve this? This program follows a team of archaeologists as they use technology to recreate this largest city in antiquity. It researches their construction techniques and measuring instruments and shows how they addressed such challenges as housing, water supply, transportation,...

Devoted husband, trusted doctor, respected member of the community, and serial killer- Harold Shipman, a mild-mannered physician, secretly killed over 250 people over a 30-year period. Featuring exclusive interviews with the only psychiatrist to ever assess him and relatives of his victims, this series traces Shipman's story from his early childhood to the eventual unravelling of decades of deceit that led to his conviction. Using dramatic reconstructions...

Darius Arya uses 3D scans to reveal the historical secrets of Cairo and Ancient Egypt, from the Great Pyramid of Giza to the first pyramid ever built. And explore a hidden Roman fortress and a well far below the Arabic citadel of Saladin.

Who was the real Mata Hari? 100 years ago Mata Hari faced the firing squad as a convicted German spy. Newly discovered documents cast doubt on her guilt and reveal startling truths about her life. Mata Hari was a self-made woman whose boldness and sexuality threatened the male establishment. Mata Hari struggled as an abused wife and mother before escaping her husband and finding a way to survive on her own. Bucking the conservative conventions of...

Inspired by Timothy Egan’s best-selling book, “The Big Burn” is the dramatic story of an unimaginable wildfire that swept across the Northern Rockies in the summer of 1910. The fire devoured more than three million acres in 36 hours, confronting the fledgling U.S. Forest Service with a catastrophe that would define the agency and the nation’s fire policy for the rest of the 20th century and beyond. As America tries to manage its fire-prone...

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps musician Dionne Warwick and actor Danielle Brooks break down the barriers imposed by slavery to learn the names and stories of their ancestors who endured bondage. Facing one of the greatest genealogical challenges, Gates uses his detective skills to piece together the lives of women and men who survived unimaginable ordeals--but emerged to forge families that thrived.