In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to Antarctica but soon after arrival, Shackleton's ship--The Endurance--was destroyed by shifting glaciers, and he was tasked with leading his 27 men across the tundra, on an epic struggle for survival. Shackleton's battle against the odds and his unfailing commitment to bring all his men out alive turned him into a legend. The ship's final resting ground remains one of the greatest polar mysteries. Led by maritime archeologist and shipwreck expert, Mensun Bound, follow a new ground-breaking expedition heading back into the frozen seas to hunt down Shackleton's lost ship.
He was the actor whose most famous role was assassinating a president. But was John Wilkes Booth also an escape artist? Did Booth evade justice and live for decades after killing Abraham Lincoln? For the first time, Booth family members share family lore, and what they believe is evidence of the assassin's escape, passed down through generations.
A cryptic journal sparks an unprecedented investigation into whether a UFO crashed at Roswell, NM in 1947. Major Jesse Marcel, the first government official on the scene, believed to his dying day that an extraterrestrial spaceship plummeted to earth and the U.S. government covered it up. Now, the Marcel family has come forward with a journal found among Marcel's possessions. The journal may contain coded-clues to the truth behind Roswell. Former CIA operative Ben Smith embarks on a new investigation that includes a cryptographic analysis of the journal, a high tech geological study of the crash site, and interviews with witnesses who have never spoken publicly. What really crashed in Roswell? The US government claimed it was a weather balloon and then changed its story. Others spoke of alien bodies, and extreme government intimidation.
A former CIA operative's investigation into the Roswell crash arrives at a critical moment when the mysterious journal found among the possessions of Major Jesse Marcel undergoes a crucial test. As a US Army intelligence officer, Marcel was the first government official at the crash site. Investigator Ben Smith is taken to a secret location believed to be the real resting place of the airborne object, as a local archeologist finds evidence that a military cleanup may have taken place. A leading code-breaker continues his attempt to decipher the journal which may be written in a home-brewed code and contain hidden information about what happened at Roswell. And witnesses describe a series of bizarre events surrounding the now legendary crash, while an incredible new technology attempts to read words on a 70 year old photograph that may hold clues to the mystery: Did an extraterrestrial spaceship crash at Roswell?
Investigator Ben Smith travels to Jesse Marcel's hometown on Louisiana's Gulf Coast to speak with family members who reveal information that supports Marcel's story of a government coverup. Smith speaks with Leslie Kean, the investigative journalist who broke The New York Times story about a clandestine U.S. government program to investigate UFOs. Smith also digs deeper into the mystery of the journal as he studies writing samples to determine if the journal might have been written by one of Marcel's fellow officers who later claimed he was ordered to oversee the military's coverup. Back in Marcel's hometown, Smith meets with a man who swears Marcel confided in him about alien bodies-- something Marcel had never mentioned to the press or family. As the results come back from soil, metal and forensic handwriting analysis, Smith shares his findings with the Marcel grandchildren.
On December 5, 1945, five American WW2 torpedo bombers took off from Florida with all men and planes disappearing without a trace. Hours later, the search plane dispatched to find them, also vanished, believed to be lost to the infamous Bermuda Triangle. The number of men tragically lost that day totaled 27 and 75 years later, it remains an unsolved mystery. No ship in history has searched the extreme depths of the Bermuda Triangle, thought to have claimed over 1,000 ships and planes, until now. The late Paul Allen's ship, R/V Petrel, the most advanced search vessel of its kind, will deploy a wide array of cutting edge technology including deep-diving submersibles to investigate three miles down, in an effort, to find the lost squadron and solve the mystery that began the legend of the Bermuda Triangle.
An investigation into the unshakable claims of Roger Miklos, one of America's most eccentric, controversial, and accomplished treasure hunters. Decades before his death in 2018, Roger believed he discovered a modified Nazi U-boat loaded with a fortune in artwork, antiquities, and gold off the coast of Turks and Caicos. Before he passed, Roger gave an exclusive interview that revealed clues about the possible position of the U-boat and left behind a trove of documents, maps, and photographs. Now, armed with this evidence, celebrated diver Mike Fletcher and his team will take to the high seas in search of the special U-boat.
On 20th July 1973, martial arts superstar Bruce Lee died under mysterious circumstances in Hong Kong. Bruce's brother, Robert Lee, was never satisfied with the official cause of death--a fatal reaction to aspirin. Now in the twilight of his life, Robert Lee has enlisted former Hong Kong police detective Philip Chan to comb through previously unseen documents, interview experts and talk to people close to the legendary superstar, in an attempt to revisit what or who killed the Bruce Lee. From legendary rooftop fights to feuds with alleged Triad members and producers, Chan's journey uncovers the surprising life of a complex superstar.
Harry Houdini left behind a diary that had been kept from the public, held under lock and key by a wealthy New York City Family. Now, magician and Houdini expert Bill Kalush has finally secured access to these pages. A team of experts will begin to unveil the diary, using new information gleaned from these personal accounts to form new insights into this enigmatic man's life. But Houdini's humble rise to fame eventually turns into a dark web of mysteries shrouding the truth behind this legend's end. From vindictive competitors to a man driven to failure by his own ambitions, the cause of Houdini's sudden death has remained unsolved, until now.
One of World War II's greatest unsolved mysteries: an incomparable work of art worth half a billion dollars, lost without a trace. Perhaps the single most valuable object the Nazis ever stole, the quest for this treasure has lasted over 75 years. Where is the famed Amber Room? And will a brand-new search finally reveal its true location?
As the Cold War ramps up, a well-dressed man is found dead within miles of a nuclear testing site on a tranquil Australian beach. There are no clues to his identity, or what could have happened. It's a case that's obsessed an army of sleuths for over 70 years: Who is the Somerton Beach man, and how did he die?
After a series of dark and ominous events, an unassuming family home on Long Island becomes the most notorious house in America. 50 years later, it's spawned a title wave of books, documentaries, and films; but do haunted houses really exist? Who--or what--is really responsible for the Amityville horror?
A cold case that ignites every parent's worst fears: on Christmas morning, 1945, five siblings vanish from their family home in West Virginia during a raging fire. The devastated Sodder family spends the rest of their lives trying to find out what happened. Despite the work of dozens of investigators and thousands of amateur sleuths, the mystery remains: what happened to the Sodder children?
It might be the world's most mysterious book: a medieval manuscript filled with unidentifiable drawings, written in a secret language so complex that even the world's best code breakers can't crack it. It's obsessed everyone from scholars to conspiracy theorists. What is the Voynich Manuscript? And who wrote it?
In 1587, a group of settlers land off the coast of North Carolina on Roanoke Island to establish the first English Colony in America. But only a few years later, the 115 men, women and children seemingly vanish without a trace, leaving only cryptic clues. The search to find out their fate has endured for over 400 years. Can new technology finally tell us what happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke?
In 1930, a New York Supreme Court justice with close ties to Tammany Hall, and future president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, steps out of a steakhouse and disappears. For decades, the politically charged case dominates mainstream media and remains unsolved nearly 100 years later. But could a deathbed confession finally tell us what really happened to the notorious Judge Joseph Crater?
An ancient mechanical device found on a 2,000-year-old shipwreck has become known as the world's first computer. The machine is centuries more advanced than historians thought possible, but its origin and true purpose are shrouded in secrecy. Can modern technology finally unveil what the mysterious Antikythera Mechanism actually is?
Awe-inspiring and mysterious, the pyramids of Egypt are among the most significant wonders of the ancient world. More than 4,000 years old, they are among the most celebrated architectural marvels in the world. But no one fully understands how they were built, or why. Can we ever decipher the true purpose of Egypt’s astonishing pyramids?
They've been called the world's greatest archaeological enigma. 2,000-year-old geoglyphs made in the Peruvian desert that span over 50 miles. The drawings are so massive, they can only be seen from the air. Can new research finally unravel their secrets? What is the true purpose of the incredible Nazca Lines?
She was the last pharaoh of Egypt and one of the most famous queens of all time, but her death in 31 B.C. has been shrouded in mystery. Cleopatra's body and final resting place have been lost without a trace for over 2,000 years, leaving the world's top archaeologists baffled. Can new evidence finally uncover Cleopatra's missing tomb?
On February 24, 1942, less than three months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, military radar picks up what appears to be enemy aircraft over Los Angeles. Air raid sirens send citizens scrambling, as troops fire more than 1400 rounds of anti-aircraft artillery at the illusive targets. When the smoke clears, the incident is veiled in secrecy and lies. What exactly triggered the so-called Battle of Los Angeles?
For decades, experts believed they knew what caused the Hindenburg disaster: that leaking hydrogen ignited--causing the airship to burst into flames. But there may be more to this story. Whatever triggered the explosion, it didn't just spell doom for the Hindenburg but for the entire rigid airship industry. What caused the Hindenburg Disaster?
The story of the most celebrated warrior king in history still stirs fascination more than 2,000 years after his death. But the location of his body is the subject of much debate. When his remains suddenly disappear without a trace, a search across the ancient world ensues. What happened to the mummy of Alexander the Great?
The search for the most famous gold mine in the Old West has led many to perish in the pursuit of its elusive riches. Legend suggests the gold, and the land it's hidden on, are somehow cursed--yet treasure hunters still come to the Superstition Mountains looking for the hidden hoard. But where exactly is the Lost Dutchman's mine?
It's one of America's most mythic UFO incidents--a 200-yard swath of debris that landed near Roswell, New Mexico. Some believe it was an alien craft, others that it was a secret government experiment. The deeper researchers dig, the more perplexing the story gets. It's a mystery that's endured for nearly 80 years. So what really crashed in Roswell in 1947?
The search for the illusive Northwest Passage leads to a historic expedition that sets sail into a labyrinth of ice and is never heard from again. That disappearance sparks a search for clues spanning nearly two centuries... and leading to unthinkable ends. What really killed the men of the Franklin Expedition?
On February 14th, 1929, one of the most shocking murders in mob history goes down in Chicago--and becomes known as the Valentine's Day Massacre. The 20s and 30s are full of gangland murders, but the Valentine's Day Massacre is considered the most brutal -- and the toughest to solve. So who carried out the Valentine's Day Massacre? And why?
Sightings of the Yeti, a creature of myth and legend, has been recorded for thousands of years throughout the Himalayas and surrounding regions; a seven-foot-tall creature, covered in shaggy gray hair is hiding in plain sight.
Amelia Earhart, the world's most famous female pilot, takes off on the final leg of a record-breaking flight; but Earhart never arrives at her next stop: an island in the Pacific Ocean; the search for this flier has revealed conflicting stories.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier once held four bodies, now there are only three. Discover the remarkable story of Michael Joseph Blassie who was buried in the tomb for decades before being identified.
On July 30th 1945 the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Over 800 sailors were stranded on the open sea, facing devastating conditions and hungry sharks. Only 316 sailors were rescued. The final resting place of the ship was a mystery until 70 years later.
In 1845 the Franklin Expedition set sail on a quest to chart the Arctic and vanished without a trace. 250 years later, a shocking revelation leads to the ships being discovered underneath the ice and the gruesome fate of the explorers is finally revealed.
In 1974 two journalists brought down President Richard Nixon by uncovering the Watergate Scandal. Crucial to their story was a secret whistleblower called "Deep Throat". Over 30 years later his identity was finally revealed.
Following the execution of the Russian Tsar and his family in 1918 , persistent rumors circulated of his youngest daughter Anastasia's possible escape. Over 100 years later, cutting edge technology finally provides a definitive answer to Her fate.
When famed aviator Charles Lindbergh's baby was kidnapped and murdered in 1932, the press was quick to dub the tragic incident "the crime of the century." For more than 2 years the search for the culprit transfixed the nation.
Following recent news of the history-making discovery of Shackleton's ship the Endurance, this 90-minute special will serve as a definitive look at Sir Ernest Shackleton's historic and ill-fated 1914 Antarctic expedition resulting in the loss of his highly revered ship, as well as maritime archaeologists' relentless mission to find this holy grail of shipwrecks.