Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.Take a modern-day look at 16th century Japan's elite assassins and uncover the secrets of the most feared and least understood warriors ever. Legend tells of the extraordinary powers of the ninja – invisibility, clairvoyance and even the ability to defy gravity. But were these seemingly mythical super powers real, or merely the product of sophisticated weapons technology, coupled with superbly conceived training and practice?Join present-day ninja Stephen Hayes and a team of historians and espionage experts as they put the ninja's fantastic abilities to the test and measure how this elite killer might perform in today's world of high-tech espionage. Learn how the ninja were able to pull off tricks like scaling a sheer rock wall, how they designed their homes to trick their enemies into thinking they were invisible and even who would win in a fight between a ninja and a Japanese samurai. Then, meet the 21st century's equivalent to the ninja – the Navy SEAL – and watch as each combatant is pitted against one another in a specially designed stealth exercise to see just how applicable the ninja's techniques are today.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archaeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.Join the Unsolved History team as they investigate their most brutal and shocking case yet. Five hundred years ago, the Aztec people comprised the most powerful civilization in the Americas – a power exemplified by Templo Mayor, a 12-story pyramid where dutiful Aztecs worshipped their gods. It's also where the world's largest mass sacrifice reportedly took place. In a temple dedication in 1487, records tell of 20,000 people sacrificed over a 4-day period. But, could such a large-scale human sacrifice have been logistically possible? Travel to Mexico City where Unsolved History's experts aim to learn the truth. First, a team of computer modelers rebuilds Templo Mayor in staggering detail. Using state of the art computer graphics, animators bring the glory of the Aztecs back to life brick-by-brick and provide the virtual setting for a modern-day recreation of the sacrifice. Then, Australia's Anatomical Surrogate Technologies builds a collection of artificial human torsos to exact specifications to simulate the sacrifice. The simple arithmetic behind sacrificing 20,000 humans over just 4 days is nothing less than astonishing – literally hundreds of sacrifices had to be performed at each altar daily. Learn about the character and social position of the victims and discover what kind of person it took to man the sacrificial altars for hours on end. Expert testimony from surgeon Brendon Coventry wraps things up as he walks through the various intricacies of Aztec ritual and explains how long it took to perform a typical sacrifice.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, artifact examination, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.On November 22, 1963, an obscure businessman – Abraham Zapruder – took his 8mm camera to a local park and shot a 26-second home movie. That film, capturing the assassination of President Kennedy, is arguably the most important film of the 20th Century. But did you know there were a dozen other photographers who trained their cameras on the Presidential motorcade?Join the Unsolved History team as they piece together those stills and flickering images to form a complete picture of the tragic events that unfolded in Dallas. Hear from many of the original photographers as they describe their unique viewing angle of the motorcade and the assassination. Follow them as they visit Dealey Plaza, some of them for the first time since that fateful day. Watch as the investigation team recreates some of the original photography to ascertain how modern methods might be better able to eliminate many of the conspiracy theories.Finally, observe as the investigative team uses all available film from that historic moment to assemble a seamless, celluloid timeline documenting the Presidential motorcade – from the jubilant entry into Dealey Plaza, to the tragic, final moments that forever changed the fabric of America's culture.This title is part of Season 1.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.Join the investigators of Unsolved History for a final, definitive look at the assassination of President Kennedy in this special, extended episode. After 40 years of heated debates and accusations, the physical evidence that remains from that day in Dallas is all that can be objectively examined.Watch as experts scrutinize film footage and authentic photos taken the day of the assassination for uncovered clues. The alleged assassin's timeline is broken down to the nearest minute to show where he was at the time of the shooting – and whether or not the "accepted" version of Oswald's plot holds true. Listen in on an obscure audio recording that may shed light on the identity of the true triggerman and examine Exhibit #399 – the so-called "magic bullet," the most controversial piece of evidence. It's an in-depth examination of the unanswered questions, conspiracy theories and physical evidence behind the shots that changed history.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archaeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.Prepare for a startling forensic examination of the assassination of President Kennedy. From the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository to the sewers beneath Dealey Plaza, it all goes under the microscope. Join world-class sharpshooter Michael Yardley in Dallas for a dramatic demonstration of Lee Harvey Oswald's version of events. After visiting the site of the assassination to take measurements, Unsolved History's investigative team recreates the Oswald shots at a local firing range...complete with a 1962 Lincoln convertible for a moving target. Secret Service agent Winston Lawson retraces that day's presidential motorcade route, pointing out key locations and "hotspots"- demonstrating the lengths the Secret Service went to protect JFK. Then, turning Dealey Plaza into a laboratory, the team goes underground to examine the outlandish theory that other gunmen fired at the president from storm drains in the Plaza. Finally, join Oswald on the run as experts re-enact his every move in the frantic moments after the shooting.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.They are our founding fathers and our nation's most powerful players. Their lives and legacies have become the subject of countless textbooks – but how much do we really know about their deaths? Join an elite team of Secret Service officers, historians and forensic scientists as they unravel the mysteries behind some of the most high-profile deaths and assassination attempts in the White House.Examine the assassination of James Garfield and see how the father of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, tried to save his life with a revolutionary new invention – the metal detector. Witness the exhumation of the twelfth president, Zachary Taylor – thought to have died from gastroenteritis after consuming ice-chilled cherries and milk on a sweltering July afternoon. Could he have instead been poisoned? And, uncover the little-known assassination attempt on Franklin D. Roosevelt and learn how it helped shape the function of today's Secret Service. Follow the trail of presidential clues – from ballistics reports to period photographs – and solve some of the biggest mysteries of the Oval Office.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archaeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.When a strange epidemic swept through the Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, doctors were dumbstruck. Symptoms like repeated convulsions and the constant uttering of strange, alien phrases seemed to point to only one answer – witchcraft. What followed was one of the most notorious and darkest years in early American history. More than 100 people were imprisoned and 37 were killed because of their purported involvement with witchcraft.Investigators examine the 17th century groundswell of anti-witch sentiment from a scientific viewpoint, testing some of the theories that have been proposed over the years. Researchers test whether mass psychosis triggered by moldy bread could have been responsible for the hysteria, or whether an outbreak of encephalitis – an inflammation of the brain that often causes fever and delusions – could have been the culprit. Historians point to severe stress among the populace caused by the repressive Puritan way of life, while others suggest a more mundane cause: The witch trials may have been an attempt to seize land from the wealthy accused. Finally, experts examine some of the "tests" and "interrogation methods" used to extract confessions from the accused, revealing the ineffectiveness of these methods and – more importantly – what their savagery says about the ability of the human body to withstand undue stress.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered. In early 1945, Adolf Hitler retreated to an underground bunker and never saw the light of day again. In this sunken lair, he ate, slept, held military briefings and even married Eva Braun. And, yes, he also killed himself there.From 1961 to 1989, the site was screened from Western eyes by the Berlin Wall. In the 70s, the GDR, concerned about would-be fugitives tunneling under the Wall, performed a classified underground survey of the area that almost surely involved inspecting and perhaps further sealing off Hitler's bunker. Even after the Wall came down, reunited Berlin had little appetite for recognizing the site. In 1990, workers clearing the former Hitler Chancellery area stumbled upon a previously unknown part of the bunker complex. It turned out to be the 1,500-square-foot underground facility manned by the Chancellery's elite SS drivers. Yet shortly after this portion's accidental discovery – despite protests from the chief municipal archaeologist – it was sealed up by the city. Still buried beneath German soil today, the bunker lingers as a ghostly reminder of the country's violent past and a tantalizing archaeological window into a world few have ever seen.Watch as the Unsolved History team resurrects the past – digitally reconstructing the entire bunker as it existed more than 50 years ago using authentic period photographs, samples of paint, state-of-the-art mapping techniques and the original plans. Then, venture back in time to the end of the last Great War as the final hours of Hitler's subterranean life are pieced together and reenacted.This title is part of Season 1.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, artifact examination, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.When Germany's mightiest luxury liner – the Wilhelm Gustloff – went down in the bitterly cold waters of the Baltic Sea in early-1945, her hull blasted by a Soviet torpedo, the sinking marked the worst maritime disaster in history. As many as six times the Titanic's number were lost that night – all in under an hour.See a detailed representation of the ship from existing blueprints and learn how a 19,350 metric ton vessel could disappear into the frigid deep in such a brief amount of time. Experts reconstruct the anatomy of the disaster and demonstrate how modern ship engineers have learned to mitigate evacuation delays to prevent a reprise of staggering losses. And for the first time, learn the truth behind Soviet divers' mysterious search of the wreckage in the 1950s – and what the Reich's largest cruise ship may have held inside.This title is part of Season 1.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archaeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.Before John Wilkes Booth fired that fatal shot in the balcony of Ford's Theater on the night of April 14, 1865, President Lincoln was the target of at least five other assassination conspiracies. Join the experts from Unsolved History as they use the latest forensic analysis techniques and stage dramatic recreations of historic events to shed light on each of these little-known plots.Learn about a secret plan to ambush the President-elect's coach as he traveled to Washington to deliver his inaugural address. Discover evidence of a Confederate scheme to kidnap Lincoln and use him as a bargaining chip at the post-Civil War negotiation table. Plus, historians reveal a crude plan to kill Lincoln with Yellow Fever, details of a land mine that was nearly buried beneath the White House and more.Finally, take a closer look at the one successful assassination attempt. Ballistics experts examine the available forensic evidence to determine just which firearm Booth used to shoot Lincoln, while historic documents expose the killer's connections to the shadowy Confederate Secret Service.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archaeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.Designed and built to hold the worst of the worst – men like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and Creepy Karpis – Alcatraz was a veritable fortress. During its three decades of operation, the prison saw 14 breakouts and 14 failures. But, were they all truly failures?Venture behind the walls of America's most famous penitentiary as guards and prison historians offer an insider's look at the most bizarre and brutal escape attempts. Former inmates lead you through the catacomb-like halls, explaining how their daring plans came together – and were ultimately foiled by poor weather, lack of preparation or just bad luck. Learn how ex-Bonnie & Clyde henchman Floyd Hamilton made it to one of the island's nearby caves . . . only to sheepishly return to the prison after two days of starvation and cold. Visit the actual cellblock where prisoners and guards alike were cut down by grenade fire during the bloody Battle of Alcatraz. And hear the fascinating story of Frank Lee Morris, a prison genius who masterminded the last great escape from Alcatraz. His body and makeshift raft were never recovered from the icy waters of San Francisco Bay, lending credence to the belief that his was the only successful escape attempt from the prison widely considered escape-proof.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.Join host Daniel Martinez and his team of experts as they set out to uncover evidence of a sinister "Fourth Reich" that the Nazis may have built in South America in the years after World War II. Nearly 30,000 Nazi war criminals – including the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele – are known to have fled Europe for sympathetic countries like Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. How close were they to restoring Nazi power?Watch as famed archaeologist Clyde Snow re-enacts his landmark discovery of Mengele's intentionally mis-marked grave and the DNA authentication process he used to conclusively verify the Angel of Death's remains. Follow investigators as they retrace Mengele's steps back through time – from his last days in Argentina to his years in Auschwitz – and learn how so many Nazi war criminals were able to slip past the Allied forces…and how many still remain unaccounted for today.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.In late October, 1983 in Beirut, Lebanon, a truck loaded with explosives and driven by a suicidal member of the Hezbollah terrorist organization crashed through the security perimeter of the U.S. Marine barracks and slammed into the compound. In the ensuing explosion, 241 Americans were killed. This was the harbinger of many suicide bombings to come – including the shocking terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.Join experts as they re-open the file on the Beirut disaster to analyze the methods and the motives of the typical suicide bomber. Investigators demonstrate how the Beirut bombing has become a microcosm of the current worldwide epidemic of bombings and suicidal terrorists. Military security personnel discuss the unique challenges involved in combating suicide attackers and newly developed techniques that can prevent similar bombings in the future.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.September 1, 1983 – a Korean Airlines 747, carrying 269 people, is shot down while flying through Soviet airspace. Everyone on board is killed, including 61 Americans. Twenty-three casualties were children under the age of twelve. The Soviets claim the plane was on a spy mission and that their actions were justified. The United States insists that Russia fired without provocation.Join the Unsolved History team as they launch a new investigation into this tragedy, using technology and forensic science not available 20 years ago. Through careful re-examination of existing photographic, oceanographic and electronic records, experts set out to determine whether the KAL-007 disaster was simply a case of mistaken identity on the part of the Russian anti-aircraft – and whether flaws in the jet's navigational gear caused it to veer into unauthorized airspace. Plus, investigators look into the most puzzling aspect of all: Why was so little of the wreckage, including the remains of the passengers, never found?

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, artifact examination, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.Take your seat among the unwashed masses and witness an average day in the mighty Roman Colosseum brought to life – not the way Hollywood shows it – but the way it really was! See a troupe of modern-day gladiators engage in brutal battle for survival – with man and beast alike. Marvel at an expertly crafted virtual reality simulation of the Colosseum and join scientists as they try to tackle the biggest mystery of all: Was this giant arena ever flooded – as legend has it – for the sake of a mock naval battle? The "Naumachia? supposedly saw opposing sides fight to the death – with thousands of lives lost – for the sheer entertainment of the emperor. But, how was this even possible? Join historians and engineers as they try to separate fact from fiction and determine what really went on at the ancient world's ultimate venue for the display of blood sport.This title is part of Season 1.

Unsolved History is history the way it was! Through detailed examination of archaeological and forensic evidence, existing photographs, authentic artifacts, and carefully selected interviews from eyewitnesses and experts – events are reconstructed and historical questions are finally answered.He may be the most famous serial killer of all time, a brutal and deranged murderer who preyed on the poor and the prostitutes of London's Whitechapel slum in the late 1880s. Yet, despite the tremendous attention the case has received, it still remains unsolved more than a century later. The list of Jack the Ripper suspects spans hundreds of names even to this day.Join investigators as they examine the leading theories into the Ripper's identity. Criminal justice experts interview key law enforcement figures still involved with the case, while historians delve into recently released documents from London's Scotland Yard that could potentially blow the case wide open. The very latest investigative and forensic techniques are used to try to answer the one question that has haunted detectives for decades: Who was Jack the Ripper?