Channel PBS – DocumentaryList.NET

Secrets Of The Dead Bewitched

The trouble in Salem began during the cold, dark Massachusetts winter, in January of 1692. Eight young girls began to take ill, begining with 9 year old Elizabeth Parris. The girls suffered from delirium, violent convulsions, incomprehensible speech, trance like states, and odd skin sensations. The worried villagers searched desperately for an explanation. Their conclusion, the girls were under a spell, bewitched, and, worse yet, by members of their own pious community. And then the finger pointing began. In the centuries since, scholars and historians have struggled as well to explain the madness that overtook Salem. Was it sexual repression, dietary deficiency, mass hysteria? Or, could a simple fungus have been to blame? This episode is titled Bewitched or Witches Curse.

Japan Memoirs of a Secret Empire Episode 1 The Way of the Samurai

Japan blossomed into its Renaissance at approximately the same time as Europe. Unlike the West, it flourished not through conquest and exploration, but by fierce and defiant isolation. And the man at the heart of this empire was Tokugawa Ieyasu, a warlord who ruled with absolute control. This period is explored through myriad voices the Shogun, the Samurai, the Geisha, the poet, the peasant and the Westerner who glimpsed into this secret world. Episode 1 The Way of the Samurai – Tokugawa Ieyasu unifies Japan and establishes a dynasty that will rule Japan for over 250 years.

The Medici Godfathers of the Renaissance Episode 1 The Birth of a Dynasty

From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. They would also ignite the most important cultural and artistic revolution in Western history the European Renaissance. But the forces of change the Medici helped unleash would one day topple their ordered world. The Birth of a Dynasty – Europe, 1400 A continent torn apart by war and plague is dominated by the authority of the Catholic Church. In the towns and cities live merchants and entrepreneurs who sense that their world is changing. With increasing trade and wealth an appetite for enlightenment develops. No longer neglected in the shadows of the Church, classical philosophy, poetry, art and sculpture begin to reach a new audience. This is especially true in cosmopolitan cities like Florence, home of Cosimo de’Medici.

Napoleon Episode 3 The Summit of Greatness

Napoleon tells the story of the emperor who was also soldier lover and statesman a towering historical figure riddled with contradictions. The mini series is framed by the grand sweep of history woven from intimate accounts of and by the man himself a story of ambition pride conquest and eventually exile and loss. Episode 3 The Summit of Ambition – witnesses Napoleon conquer most of Europe in a series of brilliant triumphs including his legendary victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. To sustain his rule he must keep fighting. But when he invades Spain he has begun to reach too far.

Secrets of Stonehenge

Dated to the late Stone Age, Stonehenge may be the best-known and most mysterious relic of prehistory. Every year, a million visitors are drawn to England to gaze upon the famous circle of stones, but the monument’s meaning has continued to elude us. Now investigations inside and around Stonehenge have kicked off a dramatic new era of discovery and debate over who built Stonehenge and for what purpose. How did prehistoric people quarry, transport, sculpt, and erect these giant stones? Granted exclusive access to the dig site at Bluestonehenge, a prehistoric stone-circle monument recently discovered about a mile from Stonehenge, NOVA cameras join a new generation of researchers finding important clues to this enduring mystery.

Secrets Of The Dead Lost Ships of Rome

In 2009, a team of marine archaeologists carrying out a sonar survey of the seabed around the Italian island of Ventotene made an astonishing discovery. The wrecks of five ancient Roman ships were found in pristine condition. Remarkably, much of the cargo remained exactly as the ancient Roman crews had loaded it. What happened to these ancient ships? What were they carrying and why had they traveled to this remote, rocky island in the first place? Lost Ships of Rome follows the team as they explore the sites in detail, salvage artifacts and piece together the history of the ships and why they were lost at Ventotene two thousand years ago.

Japan Memoirs of a Secret Empire Episode 2 The Will of the Shogun

Japan blossomed into its Renaissance at approximately the same time as Europe. Unlike the West, it flourished not through conquest and exploration, but by fierce and defiant isolation. And the man at the heart of this empire was Tokugawa Ieyasu, a warlord who ruled with absolute control. This period is explored through myriad voices the Shogun, the Samurai, the Geisha, the poet, the peasant and the Westerner who glimpsed into this secret world. Episode 2 The Will of the Shogun – The grandson of Ieyasu, Tokugawa Iemitsu, tightens control over Japan’s warlords and expels all foreigners.

The Medici Godfathers of the Renaissance Episode 2 The Magnificent Medici

From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. They would also ignite the most important cultural and artistic revolution in Western history the European Renaissance. But the forces of change the Medici helped unleash would one day topple their ordered world. The Magnificient Medici – Florence, August 1466 Lorenzo de’Medici, the 17 year old heir to the dynasty, foils a murderous plot against his father and saves his family from a coup d’etat. The Medici still dominate Florence, but now take extra precautions, picking a useful bride for Lorenzo. Clarice Orsini, a baron’s daughter and cardinal’s niece, brings connections, class, and military muscle to the Medici dynasty. In the workshops of Florence, business has never been better. Under Medici patronage, artists like Sandro Botticelli go on to redefine the Renaisssance itself. For now, Botticelli’s Adoration of the Magi confirms his position at the heart of Medici power.

Napoleon Episode 4 The End

Napoleon tells the story of the emperor who was also soldier lover and statesman a towering historical figure riddled with contradictions. The mini series is framed by the grand sweep of history woven from intimate accounts of and by the man himself a story of ambition pride conquest and eventually exile and loss. Episode 4 The End – describes Napoleons downfall including the invasion and subsequent retreat from Russia and his final battles in which all of Europe is arrayed against him. Exiled to Elba he returns to France after just ten months only to be defeated for the last time at Waterloo. Napoleon spends his final days exiled on an island far out in the Atlantic where he writes his memoirs and reinvents his legend.

Secrets Of The Mind

Can the misfortune of brain injury shed light on the workings of the normal brain, perhaps even help solve some of the eternal riddles of human nature? Understanding the human brain is one of the ultimate challenges in science. Dr. Vilanyur Ramachandran is revolutionizing our understanding of how the brain works. His efforts to solve some of the most baffling neurological mysteries take him from the hospital bed to the outer limits of brain science.

500 Nations Episode 6 Removal

In September 2004, on the last remaining site on the Mall in Washington D.C., the Smithsonian Institution opened the National Museum of the American Indian, inaugurating a new era in the education of all people about Native America. In conjunction with this event, and in response to popular demand 500 nations was broadcast on the Discovery Channel. Episode 6 Removal – Follow the Trail of Tears as Native Americans are displaced even as they adopt American ways. Shawnee leader Tecumseh sparks a return to traditional ways but The Indian Removal Act becomes law in 1830. Many stoically accept, others resist.

Secrets of the Dead The Great Fire of Rome

Though the infamous emperor Nero ruled Rome for less than two decades, his reign witnessed tremendous changes to the empire’s capital city. Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, more often known as Nero, was a great-grandson of Caesar Augustus. Nero became the emperor of Rome at age 16. Several years later, Nero had his power hungry mother moved to a separate residence, shortly thereafter, he allegedly had her killed. There was no end to Nero’s ambition. One of his grandest plans was to tear down a third of Rome so that he could build an elaborate series of palaces that would be known as Neropolis. The senate, however, objected ardently to this proposal. Exactly what happened next has remained a mystery for nearly 2,000 years.

Japan Memoirs of a Secret Empire Episode 3 The Return of the Barbarians

Japan blossomed into its Renaissance at approximately the same time as Europe. Unlike the West, it flourished not through conquest and exploration, but by fierce and defiant isolation. And the man at the heart of this empire was Tokugawa Ieyasu, a warlord who ruled with absolute control. This period is explored through myriad voices the Shogun, the Samurai, the Geisha, the poet, the peasant and the Westerner who glimpsed into this secret world. Episode 3 The Return of the Barbarians – Isolated from the West, 18th century Edo flourishes culturally and economically, becoming one of the liveliest cities in the world. But foreign forces are coming.

The Medici Godfathers of the Renaissance Episode 3 The Medici Popes

Nature American Eagle

Back from the brink of extinction, the bald eagle is one of America’s triumphant comeback stories. It is the the continent’s most recognizable aerial predator yet most people know little about the bald eagle beyond its distinctive appearance. This riveting program takes an unprecedented look at this remarkable bird and its struggle to survive in the wild. With a shocking white head, electric yellow beak, and penetrating eyes. In the 1960s, this symbol of the United States became an emblem of environmental degradation as the pesticide DDT and other human pressures brought it to the brink of extinction. But following their protection as an endangered species, bald eagles have come roaring back. This first-ever documentary on bald eagles is an intimate portrait of these majestic raptors’ lives in the wild.

The Four-Winged Dinosaur

Long ago in the age of dinosaurs, a volcano in eastern China erupted and buried a host of strange creatures in ash, creating exquisite fossils that preserved a big surprise many dinosaurs were covered in feathers. In this documentary investigate the most bizarre of these feathered dinosaurs, which has rekindled a fierce, decades long debate over the origin of bird flight. Dubbed Microraptor, the crow sized fossil is one of the smallest dinosaurs ever found and one of the most controversial, challenging conventional theories and assumptions about the evolution of flight. This documentary commissions a “flight ready” wind tunnel model of Microraptor complete with feathers and articulating joints. Tantalizingly, Microraptor is the unexpected missing link that has reignited the debate and, with the help of this documentary’s model and wind tunnel tests, just might settle the issue, or at the very least deepen our understanding of the long ago era when the ancestors of birds first took to the air.

500 Nations Episode 8 Attack on Culture

In September 2004, on the last remaining site on the Mall in Washington D.C., the Smithsonian Institution opened the National Museum of the American Indian, inaugurating a new era in the education of all people about Native America. In conjunction with this event, and in response to popular demand 500 nations was broadcast on the Discovery Channel. Episode 8 Attack On Culture – The final episode of this mini series explores the legislative attack on native ways, including the disbanding of communal land. Today, the renewal of native cultures reminds us of the glory of America’s original people and the hardships they endured.

Secrets Of The Dead The Mystery of the Black Death

The Mystery of the Black Death begins in September of 1665, when a tailor in the secluded English village of Eyam opened a flea infested shipment of fabric from London. In a matter of days, the tailor and much of the village were suffering the telltale signs of bubonic plague, the disease that, in the first five years since its arrival, had wiped out a third of the European population. To prevent the outbreak from spreading throughout the region, the whole town was quarantined, no one was allowed in or out. Outsiders assumed that the bacteria would simply wipe out the entire village. But they were wrong. Three hundred and fifty years later, Dr. Stephen O’Brien, a geneticist from the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., is delving into the reasons why some individuals managed to survive the excruciating Black Death while others were dying all around them. Following O’Brien as he takes DNA samples and investigates historical records and family archives, the film sheds light on the resistance to the plague, and reveals a stunning legacy that the plague survivors passed on to their descendents, a similar resistance to the modern day scourge of AIDS.

Kingdom of David The Saga of the Israelites Episode 1 By the Rivers of Babylon

Kingdom of David The Saga of the Israelites tells the epic story of the Jews and the creation of the world’s first and most profoundly influential monotheistic religion. The stories of the patriarch Abraham, the liberator Moses, the poet-king David and his son Solomon all come to life in the dramatic tale of loss and triumph that shaped humanity’s basic moral struggle for more than three millennia Episode 1 By the Rivers of Babylon – In 586 B.C., the Babylonians lead almost all that remains of the tribe of Judah – the Israelites – to exile in Babylon. Only a few generations earlier, the northern tribes of the Israelites were taken into exile and vanished forever. Now the Judeans, too, seem destined to disappear. They fight back, however, by writing a book. Using Judean stories from the past to explain present disastrous situations, the book becomes the earliest edition of the most influential work in history the Bible. This episode introduces the early and profoundly influential figures of Judaism Abraham, who is the first to recognize the concept of one God, Moses, who receives the Ten Commandments from God, and David, whose sins teach the Israelites that no one is above the law of God.

The Medici Godfathers of the Renaissance Episode 4 Power versus Truth

Queen Victoria's Empire Episode 1 Engines of Change

At the time of Queen Victoria’s birth in 1819, England was an agrarian society. Within a few short decades it would be transformed into an industrial superpower, with an empire spanning the globe. Queen Victoria’s Empire is both the story of this remarkable time, and an engaging portrait of a Queen who ruled over a one-fifth of the world’s population. Personal accounts, lush reenactments, and evocative cinematography from former outposts of the Empire recount the dramatic clash of personalities and cultures that would drive Victoria’s remarkable 64 year reign. Episode 1 Engines of Change – Explores the changes brought to Britain by the industrial revolution. By the 1840s, urban migration has created overcrowding and extremes in pollution and poverty. However, British subjects remain loyal to their Queen. Prince Albert, Victoria’s husband, becomes a guiding force in the monarchy. Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone, political stars with starkly contrasting visions of empire, turn the nation’s attention abroad.

American Experience Dinosaur Wars

In the late 19th century, paleontologists Edward Cope and O.C. Marsh uncovered the remains of hundreds of prehistoric animals in the American West, including dozens of previously undiscovered dinosaur species. In the summer of 1868, paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh boarded a Union Pacific train for a sight-seeing excursion through the heart of the newly-opened American West. While most passengers simply saw magnificent landscapes, Marsh soon realized he was traveling through the greatest dinosaur burial ground of all time. Ruthless, jealous and insanely competitive, Marsh would wrestle over the discovery with the other leading paleontologist of his generation, Edward Drinker Cope. Over time, the two rivals would uncover the remains of dozens of prehistoric animals, including over 130 dinosaur species, collect thousands of specimens, provide ample evidence to prove Charles Darwin’s hotly disputed theory of evolution and put American science on the world stage. But their professional rivalry eventually spiraled out of control. What began with denigrating comments in scientific publications led to espionage, the destruction of fossils and political maneuvering that ultimately left both men alone and almost penniless.

Secrets Of The Dead Catastrophe Episode 1 The Day The Sun Went Out

The idea that an event of cataclysmic proportions shrouded the Earth’s atmosphere, darkening the sky and plunging its inhabitants into a massive crisis, is familiar to anyone who’s read about the dinosaurs. But what if a similar event happened to humans? And what if recorded history around the world indicates a precise time when this disaster struck? This fascinating documentary tackles the premise that scribes in civilizations as far apart as Ireland and China all recorded a darkening of the sky and a drop in temperatures about the year A.D. 535. Episode 1 The Day The Sun Went Out – Looks at geological, meteorological, and other forces that may have significantly impacted the Earth’s weather during the Dark Ages. Some scientists believe that either a volcano erupted or a meteor hit the earth, causing an unusually cold period to develop. Others are more attracted to Mike Baillie’s theories involving tree rings.

Kingdom of David The Saga of the Israelites Episode 2 The Book & the Sword

Kingdom of David The Saga of the Israelites tells the epic story of the Jews and the creation of the world’s first and most profoundly influential monotheistic religion. The stories of the patriarch Abraham, the liberator Moses, the poet-king David and his son Solomon all come to life in the dramatic tale of loss and triumph that shaped humanity’s basic moral struggle for more than three millennia Episode 2 The Book & the Sword – In 458 B.C., a scribe named Ezra arrives in Jerusalem from Babylon. He gathers the mostly illiterate Judeans together in a square and reads the Bible to them. In the years that follow, the study of the Bible not only becomes an essential part of Jewish life, it prepares the Jews to face a mortal threat to their survival. In 330 B.C., Alexander the Great sweeps into the Middle East. In his wake comes Greek culture, the allure of which convinces many to abandon their ancestral ways. But when the Greek king Antiochus the Madman forbids the practice of Judaism, Judah the Maccabee leads the Jews in an epic fight to defend their religious freedom. In 160 B.C, the Maccabees succeed in driving out the Greeks and establish what would prove to be the last independent Jewish kingdom.

The Roman Empire in the First Century Episode 1 Order from Chaos

Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the world was ruled by Rome. Using the experiences, memories and writings of the people who lived through this remarkable age, The Roman Empire in the First Century A.D. brings to life the greatest empire the world has ever known. The program uses diaries, poems, private letters and public records to tell the stories of emperors and slaves, poets and plebeians who built the most sophisticated society the world had ever seen. Episode 1 Order from Chaos – Born to an unremarkable family, Augustus got a lucky break when his great uncle, Julius Caesar, adopted him. When Caesar was murdered shortly afterwards, Augustus threw himself into the murderous mix of Roman politics.