History

On July 14, 1789, a mob of angry Parisians stormed the Bastille and seized the King's military stores. A decade of idealism, war, murder, and carnage followed, bringing about the end of feudalism and the rise of equality and a new world order. The French Revolution is a definitive feature-length documentary that encapsulates this heady (and often headless) period in Western civilization. With dramatic reenactments, illustrations, and paintings from the era, plus revealing accounts from journals and expert commentary from historians, The French Revolution vividly unfurls in a maelstrom of violence, discontent, and fundamental change. King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Maximilien Robespierre, and Napoleon Bonaparte lead a cast of thousands in this essential program from THE HISTORY CHANNEL®. Narrated by Edward Herrmann (The Aviator, Gilmore Girls), The French Revolution explores the legacy that--now more than ever--stands as both a warning and a guidepost to a new millennium

Did you know that 1% of the white noise you see on old televisions is background radiation from The Big Bang? That the gold on a wedding ring comes from a star that exploded 5 billion years ago? And, that we're connected to the salt water of the first oceans through the water in our bodies? Our human story is actually 14 billion years old and the clues are all around us. This CGI-driven special will tell the history of our world in two hours, an ambitious story that will give surprising connections to our daily lives. From the formation of the earth and the emergence of life, to the advance of man and the growth of civilization, it’s a rapid-fire view of our unforgettable story.

Documentary - tember 11th... Pearl Harbor... the assassination of JFK. Days that forever changed America. But the Kennedy assassination is different: 50 years after it happened, most Americans think we don't know who did it. Now History has conducted the largest nationwide survey ever attempted on the topic to learn exactly what the country believes. Who do Americans suspect was really responsible for JFK's death? - Jonathan Adams, Vincent Bugliosi, Z. Dieterich

WWII from Space delivers World War II in a way you've never experienced it before. This HISTORY special uses an all-seeing CGI eye that offers a satellite view of the conflict, allowing you to experience it in a way that puts key events and tipping points in a global perspective. By re-creating groundbreaking moments that could never have been captured on camera, and by illustrating the importance of simultaneity and the hidden effects of crucial incidents, HISTORY presents the war's monumental moments in a never-before-seen context. And with new information brought to the forefront, you'll better understand how a nation ranked 19th in the world's militaries in 1939 emerged six years later as the planet's only atomic superpower.

In this special documentary that inspired a two-season television series, scientists and other experts speculate about what the Earth, animal life, and plant life might be like if, suddenly, humanity no longer existed, as well as the effect humanity's disappearance might have on the artificial aspects of civilization.

THE GODFATHER LEGACY goes deep inside Francis Ford Coppola's epic saga about the Corleone crime family and reveals how the Academy Award-winning film and its sequels became one of the most acclaimed franchises in Hollywood history. Featuring iconic scenes from all three films, never before seen home movies and insightful interviews with filmmakers (Francis Ford Coppola, All Ruddy and Peter Bart), actors (Al Pacino, James Caan, Talia Shire, Joe Mantegna, et al.), law enforcement officials and even former Mafia members. This feature length documentary illustrates why The Godfather trilogy continues to entertain and fascinate audiences and how it continues to impact the way society views everything from capitalism to crime.

They started out as average, unexceptional men of their time. Fishermen, farmers, local magistrates. But their dedication to a prophetic Jewish preacher in the backwaters of the Roman Empire transformed them into revolutionaries and, in the process, changed the world itself in ways that would reverberate across time for two thousand years. Now, discover the extraordinary, untold stories of the men chosen by Jesus to bring God’s plan to the world. Among them: Peter, the rock upon which Christ would build His new religion; James and John, the fiery-tempered “sons of thunder”; Matthew, the tax collector later murdered by cannibals; Simon the Zealot, the anti-Roman fanatic eventually “cut to pieces” preaching in Spain; and Judas Iscariot, whose betrayal would be paid for with silver and suicide.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki: 75 Years Later is told entirely from the first-person perspective of leaders, physicists, soldiers and survivors.

Global warming in context. What the climate of the past tells us about the climate of the future.

The riveting story of the first all-Black tank battalion to fight in US military history. Under General George Patten's command, the 761st fought heroically throughout WWII and were the furthest east of all US troops in the European theater of war.

On Friday, the 13th of October, 1972, a charter plane carrying 45 passengers, including a college rugby team, vanished over the desolate, snow-covered Andes Mountains. For 72 days, the world thought they were dead.

Made famous by the 1957 Hollywood movie, the bridges of the River Kwai emblematize one of the most misunderstood events in history. Contrary to the romanticized film version, the structures represent a period of terror, desperation, and death for over 16,000 POWs and 100,00 local slaves. The Thailand - Burma Railway was the vision of the Japanese Imperial Army: a 250-mile track cut through dense jungle that would connect Bangkok and Rangoon. To accomplish this nearly impossible feat, the fanatical and ruthless Japanese engineers used POWs and local slaves as manpower. Candid interviews with men who lived through the atrocity - including Dutch, Australian, British, and American POWs - illuminate the violence and horror of their three-and-a-half-year internment. From Britain's surrender of Singapore the enduring force of friendship, The True Story Of The Bridge On The River Kwai narrates a moving and unforgettable account of a period in history that must be remembered.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day, this special presents the key events of the Allied invasion of Nazi-held Europe and the subsequent battles that captured the control of the Normandy coast. Some of the last surviving veterans recall in detail the terror, patriotism and drama from the frontlines of war. This special also honors the diverse backgrounds of all who served.

MIRACLE RISING: SOUTH AFRICA is the epic legacy of South Africa's political transformation that culminated in the first free and fair elections in April 1994. Recounted through the personal accounts of key figures, both local and international, the documentary examines how South Africa avoided a civil war and moved towards, as Archbishop Desmond Tutu coined the phrase, "a rainbow nation." From the evil legacy of apartheid to the triumphant first democratic elections, Miracle Rising: South Africa moves beyond mere chronology and delves into the hearts and minds of the leaders and people of South Africa, culminating in the thrilling behind-the-scenes events of the elections that resulted in the joyful inauguration of President Nelson Mandela. Told through simple, intimate portraits of key players, it weaves a grand story of a nation into an intimate history of men and women determined to change the country for the best of all who live there.

Follows the 1936 Berlin Olympics when Black athlete Jesse Owens won 4 golds against the backdrop of Hitler's racist Nazi regime in Germany.

10,000 B.C. was a time of cataclysmic change on Earth. Extreme climactic fluctuations hurled the planet into a minor ice age; megafauna like the saber-toothed tiger and woolly mammoth were suddenly becoming extinct; and early humans began to inhabit North America. Cold and hungry, their fragile communities undertook perilous hunting expeditions. The slaughter of a single mammoth, weighing nearly ten tons, could be the difference between survival and death. Journey to 10,000 BC. brings this unique and thrilling period to life, and investigates the geologic and climate changes that scientists are just beginning to understand. In a major forensic investigation, History visits early human archaeological sites to uncover fossilized bones, ancient dwellings, and stone weapons, and uses state-of-the-art CGI to recreate the treacherous mammoth hunts and the devastating impact of a comet colliding with Earth.

Is building our own starship Enterprise possible? Will we ever travel between the stars as easily as they do in Star Trek? JJ Abrams' new feature, Star Trek Into Darkness, hits the screen in a golden age of scientific discoveries. HISTORY is there, giving viewers a deep look behind the scenes, on the set, and into the science–amazing new exoplanets, the physics of Warp drive, and the ideas behind how we might one day live in a Star Trek Universe.

Uan Muhuggiag is a place in the central Sahara located in Libya, and the name of the mummy of a small boy found there in 1958 by Professor Fabrizio Mori. The mummy displays a highly sophisticated mummification technique, and at around 5,500 years old is older than any comparable Ancient Egyptian mummy.

The very name conjures up images of the good life black tie affairs and high society balls. Yet their long saga proves that money is no guarantee of happiness or stability. John Jacob Astor built an empire by parlaying a job in the fur business into a real estate empire so vast he became the richest man in the world. Follow the fortunes of five generations of Astors in this special BIOGRAPHY. From John's son William, who doubled the family fortune and earned the nickname "the landlord of New York," to the astounding charitable contributions of the Astor Foundation, the incredible story of the famed family comes to life through interviews with family members, archival footage and period accounts. Trace the feud and reconciliation that led to the creation of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, and find out how the Titanic disaster forever transformed the Astors and their reputation.

Examining theories about the discovery of America long before Christopher Columbus' 1492 voyage by explorers from such places as China, Japan, Wales and Ireland.