Listings For This Month (schedules available after the 1st)
NOTE: We are listing both EST/Pacific Time and individual television ratings. All rated [G] or [PG] unless noted. [NR] = Not Rated, news-related program.
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Thursday, January 1, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Survival Technology
In an historic survey of man's adaptation to
killer environmental conditions, we travel to the
desert, the Arctic, the sea, jungle, and space,
charting the body's physiological responses to
extreme circumstances such as frostbite,
heatstroke, and hypothermia. We talk with
military survival experts and learn about the
latest cutting-edge survival gear, as well as the
equipment aboard the space station, and look to
the future, when nano-technology will create a
new type of technology.
8-9pm -- Time Machine - The Bible's Greatest
Secrets
In the Holy Land, specialized archaeologists sift
through the living sands of time to uncover
vanished civilizations. We trace biblical
archaeology's history and profile some of its
prominent figures like the eccentric professor
who had his head preserved for posterity, and a
husband and wife team who have spent their lives
digging the sands of Israel. We also explore the
future of biblical archaeology and examine the
high-tech tools that will someday make digging
with pick and shovel obsolete.
9-10pm -- Time Machine - Apocalypse
A look at the prophesies and symbolism in the
Book of Revelation, the last book of the New
Testament, which contains the futuristic final
showdown between God and Satan. Filled with fiery
visions, cryptic numbers, and strange beasts,
it's perhaps the Scripture's most puzzling book.
With the ancient city of Megiddo as a
backdrop--thought to be the site of the Battle of
Armageddon--the program explores the 7 Seals, the
4 Horsemen, and asks why only 144,000 souls will
reach the Kingdom of God.
10-11pm -- Love and Sex in the Hebrew Bible
On the sixth day of Creation, God pronounced the
sexual union between husband and wife "very
good." The Hebrew Bible is rich in tales of love
and marriage, as well as rape, prostitution,
adultery, and polygamy. Sometimes the Bible reads
more like a tabloid than a holy book. What are
the messages in these stories? Are there lessons
to be learned from Solomon's excesses and David's
adultery? We turn back the pages of time to see
if these lusty yarns of the ancients are relevant
to today's society.
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Friday, January 2, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - The Maginot Line
The Maginot Line, a defensive string of forts
with enfilading firepower, was built by France
between WWI and WWII. Conceived by Minister of
War Andre Maginot, it was meant to forestall
another German invasion until troops could
arrive. But the French began to think of the line
as a substitute for manpower. When Belgium
declared neutrality and exposed France's flank,
Germany was able to sidestep the line. We'll
visit the "impregnable" line's forts, observation
turrets, and underground railroads.
8-9pm -- Greatest Raids - The Dambusters
On May 15, 1943, 19 Lancaster bombers set off for
Germany's industrial heartland, piloted by the
brave young men of 617th Squadron, led by Guy
Gibson. Using an ultra-secret weapon--the
bouncing bomb--this daring raid was intended to
breach the 3 Ruhr dams and thereby destroy the
Nazi war industry. We detail the astonishing
concept behind the bouncing bomb, and recreate
the raids on each dam, using archive footage to
relive the incredible feats of flying and
marksmanship of the Dambusters.
9-10pm -- B26 Marauder!
Bombing from altitudes of over 10,000 feet, the
Marauder had the lowest loss rate of any Allied
bomber during WWII--less than one-half of one
percent. By the end of the war, it had flown over
100,000 missions and dropped over 150,000 tons of
bombs. Meet the designers, technicians, and
soldiers who played integral roles in the
Marauder's development.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Ball Turret Gunners
In war, certain missions demand the most and
constitute much of the legends of bravery.
Journey back to the Second World War when
fearless airmen manned the B-17's belly
guns--glass bubbles that at any moment could
become their coffin. The ball turret gunners
called their work "flying the ball", others
called it crazy!
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Saturday, January 3, 2004
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7-7:30pm -- Terry Jones' Medieval Lives - The
Knight
Former Monty Python member Terry Jones possesses
a passion for the Middle Ages, and
tackles--occasionally tumbling--iconic characters
from medieval England. First, Jones looks at the
role of the Knight and asks--Was he a noble hero
in shining armor, or a murdering, looting,
underpaid mercenary rapist? Discover some
unsavory truths--and the dark side of chivalry.
Shot on the great battlefields of Italy and at
the Warkworth Castle in Northumberland, England.
(Half-hour version)
7:30-8pm -- Terry Jones' Medieval Lives - The
Monk
From France, Terry Jones investigates the Monk. A
peaceful life of prayer in service to God? Not
for many medieval monks, who devoted their lives
to making lots and lots of money. Religion was
big business in those days and the merchandising
opportunities were endless. Filmed on location at
Citeaux, France, headquarters of the Cistercian
Order, Terry discovers that monks were also
pioneers in architecture, technology, and
business. (Half-hour version)
8-10pm -- Time Machine - Mountain Men
Join us as we trek across America's vast
wilderness with the fur trappers who helped open
up the unknown and savage land, and risked
everything for a life of adventure, money, and
wanderlust. Although their era (1807-1840) lasted
little more than a generation, their impact was
enormous as they blazed across the west.
Highlights of this 2-hour special include an
interview with author Robert Utley and narration
by Pernell Roberts.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - The Winchester
Winchester...the name still evokes images of the
Wild West and the taming of the frontier--it was
the first reliable repeating rifle and settlers
brought it along as they moved west. Prized by
Civil War soldiers, the lever-action rifle was
preferred by lawmen and outlaws alike. A classic
Winchester can command upwards of $100,000 from
collectors trying to buy a piece of the Old West.
We see how a shirt manufacturer named Oliver
Winchester became the most famous gun maker of
the American West.
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Sunday, January 4, 2004
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7-8pm -- Dead Reckoning - Fingering the Killer
For 26 years, the Penny Serra Case was one of
Connecticut's most famous unsolved murders. In
1973, the 21-year-old dental assistant was
stabbed to death in broad daylight in a New Haven
parking garage. But the mystery wouldn't be
solved until 1997 after the development of a
computerized fingerprint database. And in the
Case of the Murdered Newspaper Girl, renowned
forensic expert Dr. Henry Lee reconstructs the
1998 murder of 11-year-old Angelica Padilla using
evidence from the crime scene.
8-9pm -- The SS - Death's Head
Regarded as SS elite and perpetrators of its most
diabolic crimes, Death's Head battalions were
deployed whenever particular cruelty and absolute
devotion to duty were required and were
responsible for the implementation of mass
genocide in Nazi extermination camps. We show how
willing henchmen were schooled to place
themselves body and soul, in the service of
unimaginable barbarity--and how, or if, these
atrocities weighed upon their consciences.
Features an interview with Simon Wiesenthal.
9-10pm -- The SS - Waffen-SS
Opinions still differ on the military arm of the
SS. Was the Waffen-SS the criminal terror
instrument of Nazi genocide, or were they
"soldiers like any others" as SS General Paul
Hausser claimed after the war's end? The
Waffen-SS found its true vocation in 1941 with
Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet
Union. There, Himmler's "racial warriors" were
the vanguard, determined to implement the
"extermination of the Jewish-Bolshevik subhuman
hordes" as decreed by Hitler.
10-11pm -- The SS - Odessa
It was the Nazi's most clandestine group--the
organization of former SS members known as
Odessa. By late summer 1944, even fanatical
Death's Head Nazis realized the war was lost and
SS leaders needed to disappear from the Reich.
Odessa financed a new life abroad, found jobs in
German companies, and paid for the legal defense
of SS members with "appropriated" Jewish money.
Who supported Odessa? Who escaped via Vatican
"rat lines"? What did the Pope know? Was Odessa
still active as late as 1996?
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Monday, January 5, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Battlefield Medicine
"He who would become a surgeon should join the
army and follow it," Hippocrates counseled nearly
2,500 years ago. In this history of medicine
under fire, we see how a small army of medics,
nurses, surgeons, stretcher-bearers, and
ambulance drivers, races to keep pace with the
deadly advances of war.
8-8:30pm -- Mail Call - Cobra Attack
Helicopter/Sidewinder Missile/C-54
Skymaster/MPs/Flintlock Pistol: #39
What puts the "super" in the Marines' attack
helicopter, the AH-1W Super Cobra? As long as
we're talking snakes, why are there so many AIM
(Air Intercept Missile) Sidewinders? Why do many
consider the C-54 Skymaster transport plane the
true hero of the Berlin Airlift and the first Air
Force One plane? What kind of training and gear
are supplied to our military police? How accurate
were the old Flintlock Pistols? Shot on location,
R. Lee Ermey answers viewers' questions on
military technology.
8:30-9pm -- Mail Call - Unmanned
Aircraft/Bogey/1st Combat Helicopter/Forward
Observer/Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Knife: #26
If unmanned aircraft are so good, why do we need
pilots? Travel with R. Lee Ermey to Edwards AFB
for a look at the latest in experimental planes.
See how Scottish kids, afraid of the Bogey Man,
gave rise to the pilot term for unidentified
aircraft. Watch the first combat helicopter, the
U.S. YR-4B, flown in WWII by Lt. Carter Harman in
Burma. See how forward observers direct artillery
fire, and join Ermey as he demonstrates the
Fairbairn-Sykes commando knife on his favorite
target--a watermelon!
9-10:30pm -- Titanic: High Tech at Low Depth
In its day, the Titanic was a technological
wonder. People were so enthralled with the
largest moving man-made object in the world that
they truly believed it unsinkable--until it
slipped out of sight on April 15, 1912. In a
90-minute special filled with spectacular footage
of both recent and archival expeditions, we
explore the history of the ship and the
technology that finally found it and enabled
exploration and salvaging dives.
10:30-12am -- The Hunt for the Lost Squadron
A team of U.S. adventurers hunts for a lost
treasure on an Arctic glacier--a squadron of WWII
fighter planes that disappeared after
crash-landing in Greenland in 1942. Their quest
to solve this historic mystery spans 20 years and
demands heroic vision and innovative new
technology, but also puts the team's lives in
constant danger, destroys friendships, ends
marriages, and causes individual financial ruin.
It's a story of obsession, commitment, and the
high cost of accomplishing the extraordinary.
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Tuesday, January 6, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Quarries
Dynamite explodes hills to bits, drills divide
sheer stone walls, 400,000-pound blocks are
pulled from pits by giant cranes, and men work
around the clock to wrest rock out of the earth.
Not diamonds or gold...rock, the raw material of
civilization! Without rock, modern society
wouldn't exist. Roads, sewers, dams, bridges,
buildings, paint, glue, make-up, antacids, and
even chewing gum need crushed stone. From ancient
days to the present, we explore the evolution of
quarrying techniques.
8-9pm -- Deep Sea Detectives - Death on Lake
Huron
In the winter of 1913, The Regina was sunk during
1 of the worst storms ever recorded on Lake
Huron. Originally thought to have collided with
another ship, she was found 73 years later and
the mystery of her demise was solved. Teams of
deep-water detectives use today's cutting-edge
technology to make the wreck "tell its story."
Told through fascinating underwater footage,
expert interviews, archival materials, and
dramatic reenactments, veteran divers John
Chatterton and Richie Kohler host.
9-10pm -- Tactical to Practical -
Submarines/Miracle Materials/Radar: #3
Today's naval submarine is the world's deadliest
weapon. Join former Navy fighter pilot and series
host Hunter Ellis as he explores the technology
that led from the submarine to handheld sonar
devices that help tourists catch that "big" fish.
We also look at miracle materials, such as
carbon-fiber technology, and radar--now being
used to help locate people trapped in the rubble
of collapsed buildings.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Smart Bombs
Precision-guided munitions, smart bombs were the
media buzz of the first Gulf War and a major
military and political driving force of the
second. But their apparent sudden celebrity is
deceptive. The history of smart bombs goes back
to World War I and includes an ingenious, if
eccentric, group of inventions and a cast of
characters that boasts a Kennedy and a president
of General Motors. Join us for the underground
history of smart bombs, and a glimpse into the
future of precision weapons.
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Wednesday, January 7, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - The Great Bridge: 8
Miles of Steel
San Francisco's Oakland Bay Bridge stands as an
incredible feat of engineering against the nearly
impossible. Once chosen as one of the 7
engineering wonders of the modern world, it
features an unique double suspension structure in
its west end. Join us as we cross this triumph of
construction, while we visit its past and look to
its future.
8-9pm -- Modern Marvels - Winter Warriors
Armies engaged in cold-weather combat have
suffered insurmountable casualties from freezing
as well as enemy fire. Stories from Napoleon's
attack on Moscow, the Battle of the Bulge, and
Korea's Chosin Reservoir detail how Mother Nature
can be the most formidable adversary. We'll see
how contemporary armies train by incorporating
lessons learned from past tragedies and Alaska's
indigenous population.
9-10pm -- Modern Marvels - Ice Road Truckers
During the harsh winter of Canada's Northwest
Territory, remote villages and work camps are cut
off from the world. To keep them supplied, a
tenacious group of long-haul truckers drive their
rigs over hundreds of miles on ice roads cut
across the surface of frozen lakes. Sometimes the
ice cannot support the heavy rig, and driver and
cargo plunge through the ice and sink to the
bottom. Hitch a risky ride along with the Ice
Road Truckers as they drive headlong into
bone-chilling danger.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Icebreakers
They are the toughest ships in the water, plowing
headlong into 1 of nature's hardest obstacles.
Modern icebreakers can smash through 10-foot
thick ice sheets without stopping, allowing
scientists and commercial shipping access to some
of earth's most inhospitable spots. Join our
bone-chilling journey as we patrol the Great
Lakes on the USCG Cutter Makinaw and traverse the
infamous Northwest Passage on the maiden voyage
of the USCG Healy, the newest Polar Class
Icebreaker in the U.S. Fleet.
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Thursday, January 8, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Commercial Jets
Fasten your seatbelts as we take off on a flight
through the history of commercial aviation--from
the first jet passenger plane, the de Havilland
Comet, to today's wide-body jets and supersonic
Concorde. It's a story of high-tech worldwide
competition among a field of high-stakes players.
Billion-dollar deals ride on cutting-edge
designs. Pilots train for hours in ground-based
simulators, while computers fly the planes. We
also catch a glimpse of the double-decker flying
hotels of the future.
8-10pm -- Time Machine - Stealing the
Superfortress
A 2-hour investigation that answers 1 of WWII's
most intriguing questions: How did the Soviet
Union copy the U.S. B-29 Superfortress, the war's
most advanced aircraft? With the aid of Russian
and American historians who gained access to
previously unavailable Soviet archives, the
complete story can finally be told. Highlights
include interviews with Boeing representatives,
B-29 crewmen who were interned in the Soviet
Union, Soviet TU-4 aviation designers and pilots.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - MiG 15
The MiG 15 was 1 of the 20th century's most
feared high-performance weapons. When it first
appeared in 1950, its high speed, lightning
maneuverability, and intense firepower outclassed
everything in the sky. During the Korean War,
when Soviet MiGs engaged with America's F 86
Sabre jets, they finally met their match and a
new era in air warfare had begun. Features
exclusive interviews with MiG fighter pilots who
flew against U.S. pilots and the nephew of the
founder of the MiG Design Bureau.
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Friday, January 9, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Prisons
"All hope abandon, ye who enter here!" This
sentiment has permeated the masonry and clanging
bars of prisons built throughout the ages. We'll
see how the philosophy and architecture of
today's American prisons emerged from the sewer
cells and castles and dungeons of ancient Rome,
medieval Europe, and 18th-century England.
8-9pm -- Dead Men's Secrets - America and the
Mob: Wartime Friends
At the beginning of WWII, America wasn't yet
fighting, but her support for the Allies was
clear. The 1941 Lend-Lease Act enabled FDR to
ship weapons and essential materials to England.
But were U.S. harbors being watched? In 1942,
fire broke out on The Normandie, a luxury liner
turned troop carrier. Was it Nazi sabotage?
Decades later, Lucky Luciano claimed the Mafia
had burnt The Normandie, and in the aftermath
struck a protection deal with the government to
prevent further "Nazi sabotage".
9-10pm -- F117 Nighthawk Stealth
Designed in 1977 by Lockheed's covert development
arm, The F117 Nighthawk was America's most secret
armament program. Dogged by controversy and
shrouded in secrecy, F117s have become the
world's first truly stealth aircraft. First
bloodied in Panama in 1989, F117s have been
involved in all major conflicts of the past 20
years, providing the U.S. an unbeatable advantage
in combat. Using archive film and color
reenactments, we reveal the top-secret "black"
world of stealth--the F117 Nighthawk.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - The F-14
October 7, 2001: Missiles from lethal U.S. jets
rain down onto Afghanistan less than a month after Sepember 11th. One powerful and
deadly plane led the majority of the
assaults--the F-14 Tomcat, the world's most
complete military fighter. No other fighter jet
carries the F-14's unique combination of weapons.
Its state-of-the-art system can spot an oncoming
enemy plane at almost 200 miles. Its radar can
detect targets as low as 50 feet and as high as
80,000 feet and does so 3 times faster than the
radar of any other fighter jet.
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Saturday, January 10, 2004
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7-7:30pm -- Terry Jones' Medieval Lives - The
King
Meet the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly--three King
Richards of England, or so history books say. The
Good (Richard the Lionheart) spent most of his
life crusading and only six months of a 10-year
reign at home. Richard II was murdered to squash
a popular uprising against those who deposed him.
As for "child murderer" Richard III, his
disfigurements were probably Tudor propaganda.
Terry Jones also uncovers evidence of a King
Louis--who seems to have been airbrushed from
history. (Half-hour version)
7:30-8pm -- Terry Jones' Medieval Lives - The
"Damsel"
Passive, shy, helpless, in distress and in need
of rescue? It may have been centuries before
Women's Liberation, but that doesn't mean
medieval damsels had little control over their
lives. Some medieval women ran businesses and
others led armies. Not only were many women
strong, powerful, and sexually confident, it
wasn't unknown for a damsel to abduct a knight!
One famous example produced the Scottish hero
Robert the Bruce. (Half-hour version)
8-9pm -- Nazi Spies in America
The attacks on September 11, 2001 did not mark
the first time foreign nationals were secreted
onto American soil. At the height of WWII, 8
German saboteurs crossed the Atlantic in a pair
of U-boats, surfacing on the eastern shore with
plans to attack, destroy, and terrorize. When
captured, 6 of the 8 were executed, while the
ringleader languished in prison. Recently
declassified FBI documents paint a new portrait
of the doomed mission and offer a surprising
account from the spies' point of view.
9-11pm -- Time Machine - Nazi America: A Secret
History
In a 2-hour survey of Nazism in the U.S., we
trace the history from the fairly benign
organization that gave structure to newly-arrived
German immigrants to today's neo-Nazis, who
breach the borderline of free speech by using
radical action to force their agenda of Aryan
purity. It's also a history of the imperfection
of American freedom.
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Sunday, January 11, 2004
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7-7:30pm -- Mail Call - Cobra Attack
Helicopter/Sidewinder Missile/C-54
Skymaster/MPs/Flintlock Pistol: #39
What puts the "super" in the Marines' attack
helicopter, the AH-1W Super Cobra? As long as
we're talking snakes, why are there so many AIM
(Air Intercept Missile) Sidewinders? Why do many
consider the C-54 Skymaster transport plane the
true hero of the Berlin Airlift and the first Air
Force One plane? What kind of training and gear
are supplied to our military police? How accurate
were the old Flintlock Pistols? Shot on location,
R. Lee Ermey answers viewers' questions on
military technology.
7:30-8pm -- Mail Call - Avenger/Stinger & Red Eye
Missiles/Military Firefighter & Smokejumper/Kiowa
Helicopter/Kilroy: #38
R. Lee Ermey checks out the Marine Corps' Avenger
Air Defense System; explains the difference in
the Stinger and Red Eye missile that replaced it;
finds out how military firefighters train
differently than their civilian counterparts;
learns about the first military smokejumpers--an
all African-American unit known as the 555th Test
Platoon or Triple Nickels; discovers the function
of the Kiowa Scout Helicopter on the battlefield;
and unravels the mystery behind the WWII drawings
"Kilroy was here."
8-9pm -- Secret Luftwaffe Aircraft of WWII
German military aircraft designs were decades
ahead of their Allied counterparts. To insure
Luftwaffe superiority, their designers tested
advanced concepts including swept-wing and
vertical take-off aircraft and stealth bombers.
Using computer-generated images and archival
footage, we trace development of Hitler's
airborne arsenal.
9-10pm -- Secret Japanese Aircraft of WWII
In the 1930s, Japanese designers created a range
of warplanes, culminating in the legendary Ki-43
"Oscar" and the A6M "Zero". As the war turned
against Japan, designers created the
rocket-powered "Shusui", the "Kikka" jet fighter,
and the experimental R2Y "Keiun". We also
disclose frantic preparations to assemble a
secret airforce of jet and rocket planes to
counter an anticipated U.S. invasion in1945, and
chronicle post-war aviation and the birth of the
Japanese rocket program in the 1950s and '60s.
10-10:30pm -- Mail Call - Golden Knights/Flying
Tigers/AC-130U "Spooky": #40
Join R. Lee Ermey as he prepares to jump with the
Air Force's Golden Knights--and find out if he's
too chicken! Then, Lee focuses on the Flying
Tiger volunteers who risked their lives in China
before America entered WWII. And, he profiles the
modern gunship AC-130U. Terrifying to the enemy,
it flies at night, hence its nickname "Spooky".
10:30-11:30pm -- Tactical to Practical - #12
Former Navy fighter pilot and series host Hunter
Ellis explores technology, inventions,
techniques, and products born in the military
that went on to find useful and exciting
applications in civilian life. In a high-action,
high-tech, high-adventure approach to military
and historical storytelling, Hunter goes on
location to illustrate how these products came
out of military conflict, their development, and
their evolution into usage in everyday life.
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Monday, January 12, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - U-Boats
They came within days of single-handedly winning
both world wars. Now, men who served in--and
fought against--Germany's famed submarine corps
remember the days of the dreaded Wolf Pack.
8-9pm -- UFOs: What You Didn't Know - UFOs in the
Bible
Journey back through time into the mysterious
world of UFOs as revealed through ancient
biblical texts. Through intensive
reinterpretation of early religious documents,
researchers believe that they have found evidence
of ancient UFO activity. From Elijah's flying
"chariots of fire" to Ezekiel's "wheels within
wheels in the sky", and even the enigmatic aerial
phenomenon leading Moses during the Exodus, we
put a modern perspective on the writings of the
Bible in the context of UFOs.
9-10pm -- UFOs: What You Didn't Know - UFO Hot
Spots
For those who study the UFO phenomenon, "UFO Hot
Spots" are places around the globe known for a
long history of UFO sightings and reports. From
Brazil to Mexico, from Washington State to
Florida, multiple witnesses, including air
traffic controllers and even the military,
confirm that something unexplained is repeatedly
happening in the night sky. Tales of alien
abductions, bizarre and chilling photographs of
UFOs, and hours of videotape all abound as we
search for UFO Hot Spots.
10-11pm -- UFOs: What You Didn't Know - When UFOs
Arrive
It's all hush-hush as we track a secretive global
paper trail, delving into government plans on how
to deal with other-planet visitors. Searching
historical records, we find that protocols are in
place--from the U.S. military's JANAP-146
reporting requirements to France's Cometa files,
from Chapter 13 of the FEMA Fire Officer's Guide
to Disaster Control titled "Enemy Attack and UFO
Potential", to a now-repealed federal law titled
"Extraterrestrial Exposure".
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Tuesday, January 13, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Egyptian Pyramids
Constructed as tombs for the ancient pharaohs,
over 100 pyramids remain in Egypt. Built during a
span of well over 1,000 years, they stand as
cultural and engineering marvels of staggering
proportions. But many things about these
monuments, including the exact methods used to
construct them, remain tantalizingly obscure.
Travel back in time as we investigate their
evolution--from the earlier mastaba to the Step
Pyramid, Bent Pyramid, and of course, the
magnificent necropolis at Giza.
8-9pm -- Deep Sea Detectives - Lost Treasure Ship
Found!
No tale inspires shipwreck hunters more than
rumor of priceless treasure lying on the bottom
of the sea. Such ships have been found, but few
as unique as the 1999 discovery of the Vrouw
Maria. Caught in a storm in October 1771, the
2-masted merchant vessel, en route to St.
Petersburg from Amsterdam, struck a rock and sank
along with her cargo of fine Dutch art for
Russian aristocrats. For nearly 230 years the
vessel lay undisturbed on the seabed with little
decay due to the Baltic's brackish nature.
9-10pm -- Tactical to Practical - Attack
Planes/Animals at War/Inflatables: #4
Hunter Ellis shows off the best in 21st-century
fighter jets, including the F-22 Raptor--the
stealthiest aircraft ever--and sees how business
and personal jets offer some of the same avionic
and design features. After demonstrating
prop-driven war machines of the past, Hunter hops
into an F-18 for some Top Gun fun with his Blue
Angel buddies. He also sees how animals are used
in combat and by civilian authorities, and how
surplus WWII air-filled pontoons developed into
white water-rafting boats.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Non-Lethal Weapons
They stun, debilitate, immobilize--providing
police and peacekeepers with options other than
shouting or shooting. From the ancient caltrop--a
multi-pointed contraption hurled by foot soldiers
into a horseman's path--to sting ball grenades,
electrical shock devices, and sound, light, and
energy weapons, we examine non-lethal weapons
that disperse crowds and take down criminals. And
in a nod to the future, we see why the government
thinks stink bombs might prove useful in the war
against terror.
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Wednesday, January 14, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Booby Traps
All it takes to set off a booby trap is an
unsuspecting victim lifting, moving, or
disturbing a harmless-looking object. Booby traps
continue to worry law enforcement; made from
easily acquired items, information detailing
their construction and needed materials are
accessible through the mail--anonymously! And
unlike a land mine, they can be anywhere. We
detail the history of booby traps--from the
ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Greek, and Romans to
the Middle Eastern crisis and the War on
Terrorism.
8-9pm -- Modern Marvels - Inviting Disaster: #1
They make our lives more comfortable, more
rewarding, and more secure. They are the magical
machines that have brought us to the edge of the
new frontier of limitless possibilities. But it
is a hinterland filled with dangers and demons of
our own creation. Based on the popular book
"Inviting Disaster" by James Chiles, in this
episode we explore the nuclear nightmares of
Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.
9-10pm -- Modern Marvels - Inviting Disaster: #2
The amazing machines of human invention most
often do our bidding with uncomplaining
proficiency. But when they go wrong, they exact a
terrible wage. In August 2000, the Russian
submarine Kursk glided through the depths of the
Arctic Sea. But the demands of the Cold War had
planted the seeds of disaster in this great
ship--118 men would pay with their lives. Their
deaths would bring about an enormous step forward
in Russia's evolving democracy. Based on James
Chiles's book "Inviting Disaster".
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Inviting Disaster: #3
No program better symbolizes human mastery of
machines than does the space shuttle. But the
breakups of Challenger and Columbia revealed the
program is tragically flawed. Based on the James
Chiles's book "Inviting Disaster", we look at the
1930 crash of the R-101, a dirigible which, much
like Challenger, was rushed into flight and met
with disaster, and the Hindenburg, whose 1937
explosion ended dreams of commercial flights for
an entire industry. Will the shuttle program go
the way of the dirigible?
Rumor has it that President Bush will soon announce
the end of the shuttle program as of the year 2010.
____________________________________________________
Thursday, January 15, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Statue of Liberty
It started as an idea at a French dinner party
and became the symbol of the free world. The
story of France's gift to the U.S. reveals a
20-year struggle to design and build the world's
largest monument--using paper-thin copper sheets.
8-9pm -- Lady by the Sea: The Statue of Liberty
Stay tuned for details about this documentary
from and narrated by Martin Scorcese on the
Statue of Liberty.
8:55-9:55pm -- Ellis Island
An examination of the history of Ellis Island,
called the "Isle of Hope, the "Isle of Tears".
Dozens of immigrants recall their adventures and
heartaches at the threshold of America's Golden
Door. Using archive footage and family stills, we
meet members of nearly every ethnic group that
made the journey and learn what drove them here,
while firsthand accounts highlight the diversity
of experiences faced by the tide of humanity that
swept through Ellis Island and made America what
it is today.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Empire State Building
The amazing story of how the New York City
skyscraper was constructed during the depths of
the Depression. Requiring 10-million bricks and
60,000 tons of steel beams, and using a
revolutionary technique to hold the steel girders
in place--hot rivets--the landmark building was
completed four months ahead of schedule.
____________________________________________________
Friday, January 16, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Machu Picchu
Perched on a ridge in the Peruvian Andes is the
engineering marvel Machu Picchu. Originally built
by the Incas, this magnificent structure remains
a mystery. Was it an observatory? Pleasure
retreat? Fortress? This program presents the most
current theory. A previous topic on Leonard Nimoy's In Search Of
8-9pm -- Dead Men's Secrets - Stalin's Spy Ring
A steady drip of crucial information made its way
out of Germany and over to Russia during the
course of WWII. It came from the Red Orchestra--a
group of people from nations worldwide, united by
their faith in Communism. The information the spy
ring provided was so startlingly accurate that
today many people believe there must have been a
Communist spy in the highest echelons of Nazi
government. We follow the stories of Red
Orchestra members and attempt to track their
superspy.
9-10pm -- Modern Marvels - Guns of the Russian
Military
Forged in Europe's shadow, Russian small arms
were once dismissed as crude copies. Often
lacking the finish of Western counterparts,
Russian guns have been battle-proven worldwide,
with their emphasis on robustness and simplicity
of design. Review the long history of Russian
small arms--from Peter the Great to the Cold War.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Bunkers
From the earliest bunkers of WWI through the
ultra-futuristic ones of tomorrow's wars, we
trace the story of defensive fortifications. In
the constant struggle to hold off ever more
potent forms of attack, bunkers function in a
variety of forms. Three mammoth block structures
comprise a submarine bunker at Lorient, France,
able to house 20 subs. We visit Churchill's
Cabinet War Room and Hitler's Berlin bunker, as
well as backyard Cold War bunkers and those that
protect nuclear weapons themselves.
____________________________________________________
Saturday, January 17, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-7:30pm -- Terry Jones' Medieval Lives - The
Alchemist
Since the age of science and reason, the Middle
Ages has been dismissed as a period shrouded in
ignorance and superstition. But the reputation of
medieval scientists, known then as philosophers,
has been unfairly blackened. Not only did they
understand more than we accredit, but they had a
more ethical approach that we could learn from
today. (Half-hour version)
7:30-8pm -- Terry Jones' Medieval Lives - The
Minstrel
Supposedly wandering gaily from town to town,
medieval minstrels were written off as an effete
and ineffectual footnote to history. But,
according to Terry Jones, this is unfair.
Medieval showbiz could prove a risky career
choice, with minstrels often caught up in wars
and political wranglings. (Half-hour version)
8-10pm -- Time Machine - The Little Big Horn: The
Untold Story
We'll look with fresh eyes at the infamous
battle, using over 2 decades of research by Dr.
Herman J. Viola, Curator Emeritus at the
Smithsonian Institution, whose close friendship
with Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow, grandson of one of
Custer's 6 Crow scouts, afforded him unique
access to the Native-American community's
insights.
10-11pm -- Wild West Tech - Outlaw Tech
We think of outlaws as a primitive bunch, but
these badmen were ahead of their time and took
advantage of developing technology. See how the
invention of dynamite and the telegraph assisted
these criminals, and how photography stole their
anonymity. As the 20th century approached, the
technology that had helped them outrun
authorities caught up with them in the form of a
new invention--the automobile. Butch Cassidy,
Jesse James, Henry Starr, Black Jack Ketchum, and
a few others make appearances.
____________________________________________________
Sunday, January 18, 2004
____________________________________________________
6-8pm -- Movies in Time - Attila, Pt. 1
Movie. Shot in Lithuania, this 2-part movie
portrays the life of one history's most feared
men--Attila, King of the Huns in the 5th
century--and the Western World's fate,
represented by a rapidly diminishing Roman
Empire. Part 1 follows young Attila, who survives
the murder of his chieftain father and the
slaughter of his village, and goes on to become a
great warrior whose exploits draw the attention
of Roman General Flavius Aetius. Starring Gerard
Butler, Powers Boothe, and Alice Krige. (2001)
8-10pm -- Movies in Time - Attila, Pt. 2
Movie. After defeating his brother, Attila
becomes king and marries N'Kara--who tragically
dies in childbirth. Attila grows in power, and
after a series of triumphs over Roman
fortifications in Gaul, finally meets Aetius on
the battlefield. The fate of each man is
intertwined in a tangled web of revenge,
deception, and betrayal--and the outcome of the
Battle of Chalons will decide the fate of Western
civilization. Starring Gerard Butler, Powers
Boothe, Tim Curry, and Simmone Jade MacKinnon.
(2001)
10-10:30pm -- Mail Call - Blimp/Military
Shotguns/Navy Graveyard/Poop Deck: #41
R. Lee Ermey flies in a new hi-tech blimp the
military is testing as an anti-terror
surveillance platform that can hover over areas
for hours, and he examines the first aerial recon
balloon from the Civil War. Then, he loads up and
takes aim with military shotguns. Next, Lee goes
where ships go to die in Washington State--water
storage for many WWII and Vietnam-era ships. And
finally, Lee finds out why the Navy has so many
terms involving the word "Poop"--which dates back
to Ancient Rome.
10:30-11:30pm -- Tactical to Practical -
Submarines/Miracle Materials/Radar: #3
Today's naval submarine is the world's deadliest
weapon. Join former Navy fighter pilot and series
host Hunter Ellis as he explores the technology
that led from the submarine to handheld sonar
devices that help tourists catch that "big" fish.
We also look at miracle materials, such as
carbon-fiber technology, and radar--now being
used to help locate people trapped in the rubble
of collapsed buildings.
____________________________________________________
Monday, January 19, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- The Horrors of Hussein
Everyone knows Saddam Hussein was a tyrant, but
the invasion of Iraq by coalition forces in 2003
revealed the full extent of the terror apparatus
Saddam used to maintain power. In this gripping
hour, we examine the roots of this
dictator-madman--how he used violence beginning
in his teens to achieve his ends--and talk to
victims of his terror. We also see how his
ministry of terror became a family affair: his 2
sons, Ouday and Qusay, intended to establish a
reign of terror that would last generations.
8-9pm -- The Hunt for Osama and Saddam: Tracking
Down the Killers
For the 8 months it took to track down Saddam
Hussein, he was the subject of one of the two
most intense manhunts in history--the other one,
of course, is Osama bin Laden. In trying to track
them down, the U.S. used everything in its
arsenal--the world's most sophisticated spy
satellite network, Special Operations task
forces, and the biggest cash rewards in
history--$25-million per man. We review the
successful tactics used to bird dog Saddam and
see if they may apply in flushing out Osama. S.O.B. must pay
9-11pm -- Barbarians - Vikings/Goths
From the 9th Century BC through the 14th Century
AD, barbarian hordes on horseback thundered
across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Shot in film on
location, we examine their conquests and also
their cultures, leaders, and roles in shaping
history. In a 2-hour special, we shatter myths
about the Vikings, and see how they became agents
of social and political change, and the Goths,
who sacked Rome itself, and ironically,
maintained Roman art and culture in their Goth
kingdoms as the Empire faded away.
____________________________________________________
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Barbarians - Vikings
Nordic peoples from the coasts of Scandinavia,
these raiders and warriors were also explorers
and merchants, whose slender ships carried them
from Arabia to the New World--hundreds of years
before Columbus set sail. After savage infighting
among their own clans spurred development of the
longship, the Vikings struck out across the seas,
seeking plunder, slaves, and new lands. But in
the end, they assimilated into European cultures
and became agents of social and political change.
8-9pm -- Barbarians - Goths
Terrorized by the Huns savage raids, the Goths
made a desperate bid for safety in the Roman
Empire, but were forced into squalid
concentration camps along the imperial borders,
starved and degraded, their children sold as
slaves. But Rome made a big mistake--the Goths
kept their weapons and exploded in rioting and
looting. After centuries of broken treaties, King
Aleric sacked Rome. Ironically, the Goths
maintained Roman art and culture in their new
Goth kingdoms as the Empire faded away.
9-11pm -- Barbarians - Mongols/Huns
In this 2-hour special, shot in film on location,
we examine the barbarian hordes that swept across
Europe, Asia, and Africa, from the 9th Century BC
through the 14th Century AD. First, we look at
"The Mongol Catastrophe"--the invasion by nomadic
warriors that swarmed out of the east
overwhelming the Ottoman Empire. Then, we examine
the mysterious Huns, who fell upon the European
continent like the vengeance of God. Some say the
Chinese built the Great Wall to keep them out.
____________________________________________________
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Drive-Thru
Join us for a ride through the history of
car-culture commerce from the first gas station
to the drive-thru funeral parlors and wedding
chapels of today. We chronicle the birth of the
first drive-in restaurants that paved the way for
a billion-dollar fast food dynasty, and feature
many lesser-known drive-thru venues, such as dry
cleaners, flu-shot clinics, liquor stands, and
drug stores. And we'll take a journey to the
future to see what products might be passing
through the drive-thru of tomorrow.
8-9pm -- Hitler and Stalin: Roots of Evil
An examination of the minds of two of the 20th
century's most brutal dictators and mass
murderers--Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Based
on recent psychological and medical studies, the
program explores the personalities of these
ruthless leaders, who were directly responsible
for millions of deaths--their paranoia,
suspiciousness, cold-bloodedness, sadism, and
lack of human feeling. Includes interviews with
Martin Bormann's son and Hitler's butler.
9-10pm -- The Horrors of Hussein - see description Monday
10-11pm -- Reign of Terror
The bloody life and times of the Saudi terrorist
who has been linked to a number of deadly attacks
against U.S. troops and citizens and who has
called on Muslims to kill Americans everywhere in
the world. Follow Osama bin Laden's trail from
his privileged childhood as the son of a wealthy
oil businessman to his battle against the Soviet
Union in Afghanistan and his involvement in the
infamous 2001 World Trade Center bombing.
____________________________________________________
Thursday, January 22, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - The Submarines
Deadly steel sharks that stalk their prey below
the surface, submarines reign supreme in the
undersea world. With a pedigree dating back to
1787, U-boats came of age in the 20th century and
completely revolutionized water warfare.
8-9pm -- The Real Attila the Hun
No ruler in history represents the unbridled rage
and brutality of the barbarian as much as Attila
the Hun. In the 5th century, Attila swept through
Europe, effectively extinguishing the classical
Roman Empire. And for a time, he held the destiny
of all of Western Europe firmly in his grasp. But
in the end, it was Attila who unwittingly secured
the future of the civilized world and Christian
Europe. After his death, the Hun Empire began to
break up, and the marauding Huns "scattered to
the winds."
9-10pm -- Ivan the Terrible: Might and Madness
The life of the bloodthirsty first Tsar of
Russia. Ivan killed his own son and had several
of his wives murdered.
10-11pm -- Caligula: Reign of Madness
Caligula ruled the Roman Empire fewer than four
years, and was only 28 when assassinated by
officers of his guard in 41 AD. His reign was a
legendary frenzy of lunacy, murder, and lust.
Between executions, he staged spectacular orgies,
made love to his sister, and declared himself a
living god. Join us for a look at this devoted
son, murderer, pervert, and loving father whose
anguished life was far more bizarre than the myth
that surrounds him.
____________________________________________________
Friday, January 23, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - The Luftwaffe
Hermann Goering's well-trained flyers filled the
skies of Europe with dread and rained terror upon
its great capitals. So how did the poorly
equipped British Royal Air Force finally defeat
them? Veterans and historians reveal the secrets.
8-10pm -- Hitler: Tyrant of Terror
In a 2-hour profile, we see how various aspects
of Adolf Hitler's personality were reflected in
German policy and the conduct of the war. As
Hitler consolidated power, he created a climate
of fear while anesthetizing the masses with the
cult of the "Fuehrer". We also examine his
macabre philosophy, from birth of his
anti-Semitism to state-sanctioned mass murder.
Rare extracts from speeches, eyewitness accounts,
and startling film footage create a shocking
psychological portrait.
10-11pm -- Japanese War Crimes & Trials
Though most people have heard of the Nuremberg
War Crimes Trials, few know that Japanese
officers were also tried for crimes against
humanity. This program deals with the horrific
stories of those held captive, and the trials of
those held responsible for the greatest crimes
during WWII.
____________________________________________________
Saturday, January 24, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-7:30pm -- Terry Jones' Medieval Lives - The
Outlaw
Unlike the altruistic Robin Hood of legend,
outlaws were often members of the gentry who
robbed the poor to give to the rich. Remarkably,
these outlaws gained a place of respect in
society. (Half-hour version.)
7:30-8pm -- Terry Jones' Medieval Lives - The
Peasant
Terry Jones, who possesses a passion for the
Middle Ages, looks at the life of the peasant,
and finds that contrary to the accepted
version--miserable, dirty, poor, and
ignorant--peasants had more holidays than we do!
Very often their houses were bigger, they
frequently ate better, and arguably had more
influence in the corridors of power. The
politicized working class depicted in "Monty
Python and The Holy Grail" was not so far from
the truth after all! (Half-hour version)
8-10pm -- Barbarians - Vikings/Goths
From the 9th Century BC through the 14th Century
AD, barbarian hordes on horseback thundered
across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Shot in film on
location, we examine their conquests and also
their cultures, leaders, and roles in shaping
history. In a 2-hour special, we shatter myths
about the Vikings, and see how they became agents
of social and political change, and the Goths,
who sacked Rome itself, and ironically,
maintained Roman art and culture in their Goth
kingdoms as the Empire faded away.
10-12am -- Barbarians - Mongols/Huns
In this 2-hour special, shot in film on location,
we examine the barbarian hordes that swept across
Europe, Asia, and Africa, from the 9th Century BC
through the 14th Century AD. First, we look at
"The Mongol Catastrophe"--the invasion by nomadic
warriors that swarmed out of the east
overwhelming the Ottoman Empire. Then, we examine
the mysterious Huns, who fell upon the European
continent like the vengeance of God. Some say the
Chinese built the Great Wall to keep them out.
____________________________________________________
Sunday, January 25, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- The Hunt for Osama and Saddam: Tracking
Down the Killers -
For the 8 months it took to track down Saddam
Hussein, he was the subject of one of the two
most intense manhunts in history--the other one,
of course, is Osama bin Laden. In trying to track
them down, the U.S. used everything in its
arsenal--the world's most sophisticated spy
satellite network, Special Operations task
forces, and the biggest cash rewards in
history--$25-million per man. We review the
successful tactics used to bird dog Saddam and
see if they may apply in flushing out Osama.
S.O.B. must pay
8-9pm -- Targeted - Engineer of Death
An action series about global manhunts for the
world's foremost criminals, terrorists, drug
lords, and kingpins. Featuring author Mark Bowden
as the central storyteller, each episode offers
high-adrenaline covert operations and special
forces missions that explode in a climax of
capture or kill. First, we look at the 3-year
Israeli manhunt for Yehiya Ayyash, aka The
Engineer, a Palestinian bomb maker who became a
legend among his people, and who engineered the
horrifying tactic of suicide bombings.
9-10pm -- Targeted - The Evil Genius
In this episode of an action series about global
manhunts for the world's foremost criminals,
terrorists, drug lords, and kingpins, author Mark
Bowden tracks the worldwide hunt for Ramzi
Yousef, the terrorist prodigy responsible for the
World Trade Center bombing of 1993. His terrorist
plot destroyed the belief that the U.S. was a
safe haven from the brutal world of terrorism.
This is the story of the unrelenting pursuit to
bring Yousef to justice and to stop his next
terrifying plan...
10-10:30pm -- Mail Call - Guided Missile
Destroyer/WWI Aircraft & Aces/Marine Corps FAST
Teams: #42
R. Lee Ermey travels to San Diego and boards one
of the Navy's newest destroyers, the USS Preble.
Then, he examines the most effective aircraft
from WWI and finds out who the best pilots were,
such as American Ace Eddie Rickenbacker. Finally,
he takes a look at the Fleet Anti-Terrorism Team.
These elite Marines protect important military
assets against terrorist attack worldwide and
guard the nuclear material on docked nuclear
subs.
10:30-11pm -- Mail Call - Episode 27
At Camp Pendleton, R. Lee Ermey checks out the
Marines' 13,000 horsepower CH-53 Super Stallion
heavy-lift helicopter, and a Korean War
helicopter, the Piasecki H-21B Workhorse--aka the
Flying Banana. He gives us the scoop on the
Navy's "Crossing the Equator" ritual--a ceremony
of creative hazing for "polliwogs"--and how the
Seabees built runways in the middle of the
Pacific in WWII. Lee explains the military phrase
"the G-2" and troops at Fort Knox demonstrate the
Abrams battle tank's firepower.
____________________________________________________
Monday, January 26, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Security Systems
Since civilization's earliest days, man has
sought protection from those who would rob him of
riches, knowledge, and even life. This is the
story of the evolving systems designed to
safeguard our most precious possessions, and of
the enduring psychological war between protectors
and thieves, each intent on outfoxing the other.
8-8:30pm -- Mail Call - Golden Knights/WWII Army
Air Force or Air Corps?/Flying Tigers/AC-130U
"Spooky": #40
Join R. Lee Ermey as he prepares to jump with the
Air Force's Golden Knights--and find out if he's
too chicken! Since people get confused about what
to call the Air Force during WWII, when it was a
part of the Army, he digs into the history. Then,
Lee focuses on the Flying Tiger volunteers who
risked their lives in China before America
entered WWII. And, he profiles the modern gunship
AC-130U. Terrifying to the enemy, it flies at
night, hence its nickname "Spooky".
8:30-9pm -- Mail Call - M-1 Garand Rifle/First
Assault Rifle/JATO/Golden Knights Parachute
Team/Barrage Balloons: #28
R. Lee Ermey answers viewer questions about the
M-1 Garand, the rifle General Patton called "the
greatest battle implement ever devised", and
demonstrates the world's first assault rifle, the
German MP-44. He takes to the sky to explain jet
assisted take-off (JATO); offers an eye-popping
look at the stunts performed by the Golden
Knights, the Army's precision freefall parachute
team; explains how barrage balloons protected
London during the Blitz; and goes through the
alphabet--military style!
9-10pm -- Targeted - Pineapple Face
General Manuel Antonio Noriega was on the CIA's
payroll long before becoming Panama's strongman.
The U.S. funded his army under Nixon, Ford,
Carter, and Reagan; meanwhile, the dictator used
torture, witchcraft, and Santeria to keep
detractors at bay and citizens in line. But the
U.S. wasn't about to let him control the Panama
Canal and indicted him for drug trafficking. In
1989, after a U.S. Marine was killed at a
roadblock, Bush launched the largest military
invasion in history to target a single man.
10-11pm -- Targeted - Arkan: Baby-Faced Psycho
One of the world's most heinous war criminals,
Zeljko Raznatovic--aka "Arkan"--cut his teeth on
the Yugoslavian underworld of organized crime. A
flamboyant and ruthless killer, Arkan purportedly
operated at the bidding of Slobodan Milosevic,
enforcing his policy of ethnic cleansing.
Indicted by The Hague for war crimes, he was
targeted by Delta Force, British SAS, and French
Commandos. Finally the manhunt ended in Belgrade,
when a masked gunmen put a bullet in Arkan's
head. Author Mark Bowden hosts.
____________________________________________________
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Gold Rush Money
The dramatic story of how finding gold in
California spawned a rogue economy that played
out through scenes of chaos, murder, bank runs,
and debauchery. Miners, merchants, and bankers
schemed against one another to reap the riches of
a lawless land. Charlton Heston traces the
riveting tale of how this dangerous "wild west
economy" was finally tamed.
8-9pm -- Deep Sea Detectives - Gold Rush
Disaster: The Frolic
Just off the coast of Northern California, our
Deep Sea Detectives dive into a cove near
Mendocino--a rocky inlet called "the Washing
Machine" for its turbulent currents. There they
find the wreckage of The Frolic, a clipper that
smuggled opium into China during the 1840s. Who
built and owned it? How did remnants of its
cargo--Chinese ceramics--turn up in 1984 in a
Native-American village in the Redwood Forest?
How could there be no historical record of a
shipwreck just off the California coastline?
9-10pm -- Tactical to Practical - Navy SEALs Dive
Gear/Food Tech/Robots: #5
Navy SEALs take Hunter Ellis aboard the latest
SDV (SEAL Delivery Vehicle), and he learns that
much of their equipment is now available to
civilian divers, including the latest in dive
computers, dry suits, rebreathers, and underwater
cameras. Hunter explores a shipwreck using the
scuba phone--first developed by the Navy. Next,
he sees how military food innovations changed the
way we eat and live. Then, he tracks the
crossover of robots from military to civilian
use.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Engines
Story of the development of engines and motors,
with particular emphasis on the ones that have
profoundly changed society. Beginning with the
steam engine, we see how it was developed, how it
works, and how it led to the Industrial
Revolution. We review the electric motor,
internal combustion engine, jet engine, and
rocket engine, and conclude with a look at
futuristic engine technologies, including
hydrogen-powered cars and microtechnology engines
so small that they fit on the tip of a finger.
____________________________________________________
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Police Guns
Police represent a thin blue line protecting
ordinary citizens from hardened criminals. We'll
look at the vast array of weapons that police
officers across America have wielded for over a
150 years in their endless fight to maintain law
and order.
8-9pm -- Modern Marvels - War Planes of World War
II
Flight was born in America at the turn of the
20th century. But WWII saw more planes built in a
single year--300,000--than had been built in the
previous 40. Footage of restored aircraft,
historic film ranging from factory floors to
dogfights, and interviews with pilots and
designers recapture the aviation industry's
finest hour.
9-10pm -- Modern Marvels - Jet Engines
Strap on a parachute and soar through the saga of
jet propulsion, which radically transformed our
world since inception in WWII--from the Nazi's
first jet-powered aircraft to the U.S. F-22 jet
fighter, from the Concorde to tomorrow's
scram-jet, a hypersonic transport plane that
switches to rocket power outside earth's
atmosphere!
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Runways
What do you think about when you gaze out the
window as your plane takes off? Probably not
about the least heralded part of our
infrastructure--airport runways. But runways play
a vital role as the backbone of aviation. They're
where rubber meets road and land gives way to
sky. Did you know that airports like JFK train
falcons to keep little birds from becoming a
hazard to the big, shiny birds? Join us for an
engrossing look at the brawny concrete and
asphalt runways that make aviation possible.
____________________________________________________
Thursday, January 29, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Metal
Metal constitutes the very essence of the modern
world; the cadence of our progress sounds in the
measured ring of the blacksmith's hammer. From
soaring skyscrapers and sturdy bridges to jet
planes and rockets, metals play a key role. Our
journey begins before the Bronze Age and takes us
into the shiny future when new metal
structures--engineered at a molecular level to be
stronger, lighter, and cheaper--shape human
progress, as they have since man first thrust
copper into a fire and forged a tool.
8-10pm -- Engineering Disasters - Engineering
Disasters
Throughout history, the builders and engineers
who paved our way out of the caves and into the
modern world have also caused some of our worst
disasters. What happens when their calculations
prove wrong and it all comes tumbling down? From
Hammurabi's days, when the first building laws
were instituted, to today's potential nuclear or
chemical disasters that can spell death for
thousands, we'll take a harrowing 2-hour tour
through some of history's greatest engineering
mistakes.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Disaster Technology
An examination of the historical development of
technological tools that help science mitigate
nature's fury. It's a survival story that begins
with comprehending the force of disaster. As
environmental calamities unfold, viewers witness
the urgency for change that each crisis compelled
and innovations designed to lower death tolls.
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Friday, January 30, 2004
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8-9am -- History's Mysteries: Nazi Ghost Train
In 1944 in Brussels, the Gestapo loaded 1,500 prisoners on a train bound for Germany and almost certain death. Among them were Allied invaders and Resistance workers. But the Resistance foiled Nazi plans and prevented the train's departure. We talk to survivors and former Resistance members at a 1999 Comet Line Reunion in Brussels.
9-10am -- History's Mysteries - Ghost Plane of the Desert: "Lady Be Good"
April 4, 1943 -- 25 B-24 Liberators take off from their base in Libya on a bombing mission to Italy, but only 24 return. In 1959, a British survey team discovers a plane, deep in the desert. Using the diary of 2 crewmembers, along with the crew's remains, we learn of their struggle to cross 100 miles of desert, without food or water.
10-12pm -- Time Machine: Ghosts of Gettysburg
In July 1863, the Union and Confederacy clashed in a bloody conflict at the sleepy Pennsylvania crossroads town of Gettysburg. The resulting battle left 50,000 dead and wounded in its wake, and fertile ground for an incredible amount of paranormal activity. Based on Mark Nesbitt's bestsellers, our 2-hour special dramatizes some of the most fascinating, famous, and frightening Gettysburg ghost stories, many told by the people who experienced them.
12-1pm -- History's Mysteries: Ghost Ships
Ships sailing without a crew? Phantom destroyers? Boats that disappear, then reappear? The Flying Dutchman, The Mary Celeste, The Dash, The Teazer, and the more recent Joyita. Crews of these vessels vanished without a clue to their fates. We travel the 7 seas seeking answers and hear from witnesses to the bizarre events.
1-2pm -- Modern Marvels: Cemeteries
More than 2-million people die in the U.S. each year. That works out to about 5,500 burials a day, with roughly 80 percent taking the long goodbye in a casket, and the remaining 20 percent electing to be cremated or finding some alternative method of crossing eternity's threshold. We take a look at dealing with the dead throughout the centuries, and at today's $20-billion funeral industry. Any way you look at it, it's a healthy business, with new generations of customers year after year!
2-3pm -- History's Mysteries: Nazi Ghost Train (repeated)
3-4pm -- History's Mysteries - Ghost Plane of the Desert: "Lady Be Good"
4-6pm -- Time Machine: Ghosts of Gettysburg
6-7pm -- History's Mysteries: Ghost Ships
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels: Cemeteries
8-9pm -- Dead Men's Secrets: Secrets of the Desert War
In 1940, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini declared war on Britain and her allies and opened a new front in North Africa--if he could push the British out of Egypt, he could control the Suez Canal. And when Germany's Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Corps joined the fray, the stakes soared. The British could only spare a small force and used deception, camouflage, and sheer brilliance to win in North Africa, aided by virtuoso magician Jasper Maskelyne. Find out how he made the Suez Canal "disappear"
9-10pm -- Tiger Attack!
Developed from a desperate need to turn the tide of war in his favor, Adolf Hitler was personally involved in the Tiger Tank, one of history's finest armored fighting vehicles. It was big and bad, and fit the Nazi ideal of a weapon. With detailed color reenactments and interviews, we enter the Tiger's world and meet its crews that fought on every major battlefront in the European Theater. Told from the German point of view, the program is produced in association with the Imperial War Museum, London (repeated 12am)
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels: Bombs
Bombs...the most feared and powerful weapon in any nation's arsenal. What began as incendiary devices in the 7th century has evolved into weapons that can literally blow the human race off the face of the earth! From the use of diseased carcasses flung over castle walls to Greek Fire to today's smart bombs, we review the evolution of bombs (repeated 2am)
11-12am -- The Most Ancient Taboo: Cannibalism
From the ancient Greeks to the American Anasazi, evidence shows that nearly every culture has had its taste for cannibalism. Or have these tales been fabricated as propaganda? What is it about cannibalism that both repulses and fascinates us? Join historians as they dig into the past, and meet modern cannibals, such as Jeffrey Dahmer (repeated 3am)
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Saturday, January 31, 2004
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7-8am -- 20th Century with Mike Wallace: Pioneers in Space
reviews the early days of America's space program and the race to space with the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. It focuses on NASA's Mercury Project and the first 7 astronauts who were part of it.
8-9am -- Automobiles: Jeep
9-10am -- Tales of the Gun: The Gunslingers
Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse James, Wyatt Earp. See why the weapons they carried stamped these gunmen's existence.
10-12pm -- Greatest Movie Gadgets
Cars that fly and drive themselves. Spiffy spy tools that see under doors and through walls. Water "Harleys" that fly above and below the surface. Only in the movies, right? Hollywood may have dreamt these things up, but regular guys are making them for real as we see in a 2-hour special combining clips of recent blockbusters and hilarious old movie serials, along with a look at real-life creations, including intelligence-gathering "insects" and undersea robots. Gadgets lovers beware your bank accounts!
12-1pm -- Blackbird Stealth!
Designed in the late 1950s by aeronautical genius Kelly Johnson at the mysterious Skunkworks, the SR-71 Blackbird was the world's first stealthy aircraft, designed to over-fly enemy territory with impunity while photographing 100,000 square miles in an hour. While serving 6 presidents, it saw action on hot and cold war fronts alike. Interviews with crews and commanders combined with unbelievable footage puts viewers in the cockpit of this amazing spy plane, flying at speeds of 2,000 miles an hour.
1-2pm -- Modern Marvels: The Junkyard
Uncover how junkyard operators create order out of seemingly random piles of junk.
2-3pm -- Deep Sea Detectives - Gold Rush Disaster: The Frolic
Just off the coast of Northern California, our Deep Sea Detectives dive into a cove near Mendocino--a rocky inlet called "the Washing Machine" for its turbulent currents. There they find the wreckage of The Frolic, a clipper that smuggled opium into China during the 1840s. Who built and owned it? How did remnants of its cargo--Chinese ceramics--turn up in 1984 in a Native-American village in the Redwood Forest? How could there be no historical record of a shipwreck just off the California coastline?
3-4pm -- Modern Marvels - Space Shuttle Columbia
Combination rocket, spacecraft, and airplane, the space shuttle is the most complex vehicle ever built. Long before it ever flew, the shuttle was nearly scuttled due to political pressures, technological challenges, and cost overruns. The program not only overcame these challenges, but opened space to an international community of scientists, explorers, and dreamers. This is the story of the Columbia, the first shuttle to fly outer space, from inception to tragic demise in January 2003.
4-5pm -- Tactical to Practical - Navy SEALs Dive Gear/Food Tech/Robots: #5
5-5:30pm -- Hands on History: Tires
5:30-6pm -- Hands on History: Highways
Host Ron Hazelton can't wait to get on the road again as he visits America's most famous highway--Route 66--to explore the history and evolution of road building. He does it all from clearing out a roadbed with a bulldozer to laying down asphalt with a state-of-the-art lay-down machine.
6-6:30pm -- Guts & Bolts: Inside the Arena: #4
Nothing revs up a crowd like a mechanical bull, except a real bull at a rodeo! Tim Beggy takes on both beasts for the ride of his life. In New York, he learns that Madison Square Garden is 1 giant flash bulb--snap your shutter and the arena lights up for 1/250th of a second. He helps a crew transform Philadelphia's First Union Center from basketball court to hockey rink overnight.
6:30-7pm -- Shifting Gears #4
At Becker Automotive Design, host Josh Hancock assists in turning a Ford Excursion into a mobile, armored, stealthy boardroom on wheels--with satellite uplinks for TV and Internet. Josh travels to Santa Monica to a place where they sell some of the most powerful gas in the country--100 octane. Who buys this stuff? Then, he demonstrates the Lincoln Aviator's "reverse beep" technology, and meets the unsung heroes of the auto world--Crash Test Dummies.
7-8pm -- Days That Shook the World: Fermi's Chain Reaction/Chernobyl
Atomic power was to be the energy of the future...no one had considered the possibility of an accidental nuclear disaster. Two days, more than any other, reflect the positive benefits and terrifying possibilities of harnessing the colossal power of the atom. December 2, 1942, Enrico Fermi and a team of physicists at the University of Chicago trigger the first controlled nuclear chain reaction; April 26, 1968, a routine test at Chernobyl power station turns into the world's worst nuclear disaster.
8-9pm -- Days That Shook the World: Hiroshima
August 6, 1945. A B-29 Bomber took off from a South Pacific Island on a clandestine mission to drop a bomb unlike any other--one that forever changed the world. Archival footage and dramatic reconstruction of events leading up to the first atomic bombing provide insight, along with testimony from Japanese living in Hiroshima in 1945 and Paul Tibbets, who piloted the mission. The physical blast killed 100,000 and flattened 47,000 buildings...but the long-term impact will be felt forever (repeated 12am).
9-10pm -- Days That Shook the World: Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand/Last Day in Hitler's Bunker
Two great global conflicts defined the 20th century. The First World War began with a single bullet, fired by a young Serbian nationalist, killing Archduke Ferdinand; the bullet that Adolf Hitler fired into his head finally brought World War Two to a close. Just two bullets, fired less than 31 years apart, gave birth to the modern world--for better or worse. Dramatic reconstruction and archival film help explore the complex sequence of events
10-11pm -- Presidents on Super Sunday
On the last Sunday in January, American eyes turn to the battlefield called the Super Bowl. And included among the millions of fans immersed in the game is the President of the United States, who unlike the average fan, must remain focused on matters of national and international significance. Join us for a pugnacious look at presidential moments during Super Bowl Sunday, featuring interviews with former presidents and key administration officials--from the first Super Bowl in 1967 to today (repeated 2am & Sunday 5pm).
11-11:30pm -- Vanishings! The Disappearance of Michael Rockefeller
On November 18, 1961, 23-year-old Michael Rockefeller set out from a missionary outpost to visit remote villages deep in the interior of Papua, New Guinea. He never made it back to shore. When his native catamaran was swamped in rough seas, Michael decided to swim for help--he was never seen again. Nelson Rockefeller, Michael's father and New York's Governor, coordinated an extensive search, but no remains were found. Did Michael drown or meet a gruesome fate at the hands of headhunters? (repeated 3am)
11:30-12am -- Vanishings! Alfred Loewenstein: The Missing Millionaire
On July 4, 1928, a private aircraft took off from Croydon, England's biggest commercial airport, headed for Brussels. Onboard was Belgian financier Alfred Loewenstein--one of the world's richest men. But by the time the plane landed, the financial wizard was no longer onboard. Somewhere over the English Channel, at an altitude of 4,000 feet, Loewenstein had vanished without a trace. Had he fallen out of his plane? Was he murdered? Even today, the cause of his disappearance remains a mystery (repeated 3:30am).
For more on UFOs, check out the interview on MonsterVision's Mars Attacks page
Watch Mail Call every week if you know what's good for you, scumbag, hosted by R. Lee Ermey of Full Metal Jacket (movie available on video and DVD)
Previous History Channel primetime listings: December 2003
Official HistoryChannel.com Homepage
From the invention of the electric battery in 1800 to the murdered remains of missing Washington intern Chandra Levy being discovered in a Washington D.C. park*, find out what happened when with our exclusive History of the World Timeline!
GO TO: HistoryChannel.com/worldtimeline
* Congressman Gary Condit (D), who reportedly told police he'd had an affair with Levy, is no longer considered to be a suspect in the case. Condit lost his bid for re-election in the Democratic Primary of 2002.
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NOTE: We are listing both EST/Pacific Time and individual television ratings. All rated [G] or [PG] unless noted. [NR] = Not Rated, news-related program.
Watch Mail Call every week if you know what's good for you, scumbag,
Previous History Channel primetime listings:
