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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Monday, March 1, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Panzers
German tanks revolutionized military doctrine.
Their speed and tactical usage, backed up by the
Luftwaffe, helped create the blitzkrieg, or
lightning war, that stormed over Europe and
dominated battlefields.
8-8:30pm -- Mail Call - Medieval Madness: #44
At ease, Private! R. Lee Ermey is your commanding
officer in this weekly series that answers
viewers' questions about military methods and
technology with practical demonstrations by
military experts. In this episode, Lee finds out
from a medieval expert why the longbow was such a
feared weapon and how it helped England become
the dominant power in Europe during much of the
Middle Ages.
8:30-9pm -- Mail Call - Armored Scout
Car/Water-Cooled Machine Gun/Fart
Sack/Shuteye/Nazi U-Boats/Stealth Ship: #33
How effective were armored scout cars in WW2?
What does it mean when the term "water-cooled" is
used with a machine gun? What's a fart sack? How
do modern troops grab some shuteye on the
battlefield? Why were the German U-boats of WWII
so effective? Does the Navy really have a ship
that's invisible to radar? R. Lee Ermey answers
these viewer questions while on location with
practical demonstrations by military experts in
the field.
9-11pm -- 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!
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Tuesday, March 2, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Secrets of the
Acropolis
With a thrilling combination of dramatic
reconstructions and 3-D animation, we step back
in time to the Golden Age of Greece and the birth
of democracy, to an era of unparalleled human
creativity that produced the magnificent
architecture on the Acropolis. Powerfully evoking
the pagan rituals that made the Acropolis the
heart of Athenian life, we explore all four key
buildings: the Propylaia, the Erectheion, Athena
Nike, and the Parthenon--the most influential
buildings in Western civilization.
8-9pm -- Deep Sea Detectives - Japanese Sub at
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a move of
unprecedented aggression that shook the U.S. out
of its peaceful slumber and into WWII. But for 60
years, veterans of the destroyer USS Ward claimed
they sank an enemy submarine outside the harbor
more than an hour before the aerial attack began.
The wreck was never found, and the story was
dismissed. In August 2002, a dive team crossed
its path and their find made headlines worldwide.
We travel to Pearl Harbor to investigate the
midget sub mystery.
9-10pm -- Tactical to Practical - Boys' Toys: #10
The military has developed some of the world's
most sophisticated technology. In a special
episode, host Hunter Ellis counts down his top-10
favorite "toys" from the season. Then, on the
civilian side, Hunter examines the Dragon-flyer
remote controlled gyro-stabilized helicopter,
custom choppers, jet skis, and hang gliders. On
the tactical end, he checks out high-tech
military wearable communications gear and armored
clothing. On the practical side, he shows how
special gear makes extreme sports safer.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Concrete
Invented by the ancient Romans, concrete is a
relatively simple formula that changed the world.
Concrete has been used to divide an entire
country, as in the Berlin Wall, and to unite
nations, as in the Chunnel. We'll review the
history of this building block of civilization
and look at modern applications.
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Wednesday, March 3, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Gunslingers
During America's western expansion, a new breed
of man arose--the gunslinger. Sometimes he wore a
badge, sometimes he was an outlaw. But he always
had a gun at his side, and the urge to step to
the edge and pull the trigger. Wild Bill Hickok,
Jesse James, Wyatt Earp. See why the weapons they
carried stamped these gunmen's existence.
8-9pm -- Modern Marvels - Plumbing: The Arteries
of Civilization
Each day, billions of gallons of water flow
through cities into homes and back out again in a
confusing mess of pipes, pumps, and fixtures. The
history of plumbing is a tale crucial to our
survival--supplying ourselves with fresh water
and disposing of human waste. From ancient
solutions to the future, we'll plumb plumbing's
depths.
9-10pm -- Modern Marvels - High Voltage
Look closely at those tall metal towers that span
the country and you might see tiny specks
climbing up the soaring steel like spiders on an
enormous web. Meet the courageous linemen who
erect, string, and repair 250-foot high
electrical transmission towers, working with
energized power lines that can carry up to
765,000 volts!
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Oil Fire Fighting
When a burning gusher shoots flames into the air,
only a handful of men know how to snuff out the
monster. Fighting fire with fire, they place
explosives around the flames to blow it out, or
douse it with tons of water. The modern world
depends on these risk takers, but their industry
began less than 100 years ago. Join us for a
scorching hour as we review the rich history of
this "breed apart", and look at modern
heat-resistant clothing, new technology, and
regulations that protect oil firefighters.
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Thursday, March 4, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Pleasure Boats
As we power-up and unfurl the sails on a magical
cruise through time, viewers meet the people
who've devoted their lives to pleasure boating.
Traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe, we
delve into a world of luxury, adventure, and
sport on spectacular vessels ranging from classic
yachts to sports boats to the ultimate floating
palaces. In this timeless pastime, technological
wonders continue to evolve and enthrall.
8-9pm -- Time Machine - The True Story of Hidalgo
Was he the greatest horse endurance rider in U.S.
history or a fraud? Frank T. Hopkins won over 400
long distance races and the 3000-mile Arabian
Desert endurance race on his Paint Mustang
Hidalgo. According to his writings, he knew
Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Billy the Kid, and
Geronimo, and rode in Buffalo Bill's Wild West
Show. But in 2003, The Long Riders Guild
investigated Hopkins' life and found no proof to
back his claims. Does the truth lie buried in the
dust of Old West storytelling?
9-10pm -- History Alive - U.S. Marshals: The Old
West
In the frontier days, marshals achieved their
greatest fame as they pursued notorious outlaws
and became the stuff of legend. But the myth has
often obscured the true men. Meet the real Wild
Bill Hickok and Wyatt Earp, known to walk on both
sides of the law, and revisit the Lincoln County
War, where lawmen faced off against lawmen.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Logging Tech
When Paul Bunyan cried "Timber!", he never
foresaw today's cutting-edge, controversial
industry that feeds a ravenous, lumber-crazy
world--a world striving to protect nature while
devouring it. Come into the woods to see how
he-men and hi-tech combine forces to topple
4-billion trees annually; journey to 19th-century
America, when lumberjacks cut a legend as large
as the timber they felled; and travel with a tree
from stump to sawmill and learn its non-wood
uses--from aspirin to film to toothpaste!
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Friday, March 5, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Guns of Infamy
In a dramatic review of guns that changed the
course of history, we examine the firearms used
to assassinate Presidents Kennedy, McKinley,
Garfield, and Lincoln, and the gun used to kill
Archduke Ferdinand--a key event that triggered
the outbreak of WWI. We'll also look at
candidates for the gun that may have been used to
fire the "shot heard 'round the world" in the
American Revolution, as well as guns of notorious
Wild West outlaws. Who owns these highly
sought-after guns today?
8-9pm -- Dead Men's Secrets - Secrets of the Sea
Wolves
WWII's longest, most crucial battle was waged at
sea where German U-boat packs roamed the Atlantic
hunting their prey. In a campaign to cut off
vital supplies from the U.S. to Great Britain,
they came close to starving England into
surrender. If they succeeded, the Allies would
almost certainly lose the war. Using archival
footage of U-boats at work, we see that the
Germans were at the forefront of technology, and
how the Allies fought back to force the U-boat
menace into submission.
9-10pm -- M1 Abrams: Supertank!
Join us as we penetrate the history of the
world's most sophisticated tank--the M1 Abrams
Main Battle Tank. In the most radical departure
in U.S. tank design since WWII, the Supertank
combines speed, heavy protective armor, and a
fearsome 120mm main gun. In 1991, the new and
unproven Abrams tank was deployed in Operation
Desert Storm. Using night vision and laser
targeting, the M1 Abrams tank destroyed Saddam
Hussein's armored Republican Guard, and is again
doing desert duty in the War in Iraq.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Loading Docks
Each day ships, trains, trucks, and planes haul
supplies that keep store shelves full and
factories moving. At every stop there's a loading
dock--an interface where shipping and storage
hook up. You may not think much about a loading
dock, but to the transportation industry it's the
very heart of their business. From ancient times
to tomorrow's lights-out facility, where
computers and machines will store, sort,
retrieve, and load stock without human
interaction, we deliver the goods on loading
docks.
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Saturday, March 6, 2004
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7-8pm -- Making History with Roger Mudd - A
Conversation with John Updike
Celebrated as a fair and thorough interviewer,
Roger Mudd talks with one of America's great
novelists, John Updike, who also excels in
literary criticism and poetry. Updike's
best-known work, the 4-part "Rabbit" novels,
chronicles the life and death of a character and
a critical period in American history. Two of the
four books in the series won the Pulitzer Prize.
Though Updike has called interviews "a form to be
loathed; a half-form like maggots," Mudd adeptly
draws out the author's strong opinions.
8-9pm -- Time Machine - The Battleships: Clash of
the Dreadnoughts
The outbreak of hostilities between Germany and
Britain in August 1914 saw the battleship at
almost the peak of its superiority among fighting
ships. In firepower, nothing could equal that of
the dreadnought--now the ultimate class of
battleship in navies worldwide. On windswept
waters of the North Sea, the world's two greatest
navies put their fleets to the test of fire. We
see how, despite losing more ships and more men
than Germany, Britain's Grand Fleet remained
master of the North Sea in WWI.
9-10pm -- Time Machine - The Battleships: The
Darkness of the Future
With the signing of the Treaty of Versailles
ending WWI, the entire German High Seas Fleet was
scuttled. But soon a new arms race began between
Britain, the U.S., and Japan. Radical new
battleships, larger and with even more firepower,
were planned. By the mid-1930s, Italy, Russia,
and a re-emerging National Socialist Germany
began building up their fleets. As political
conditions deteriorated in Europe, it was clear
that the battleship would play a major strategic
part in future armed conflicts.
10-11pm -- History Alive - The Battleships:
Terror from Above
Although the early months of WWII saw some of the
most dramatic surface naval battles of all time,
the rise of the aircraft carrier spelled the
demise of the battleship. From the sinking of the
British Hood and German Bismarck through the
destruction of the Japanese Fleet by U.S. Air and
Surface Forces, through Korea, Vietnam, and the
Gulf War, where the modernized battleship played
a support role, we witness its passing. Today,
not one battleship remains in commission in any
navy.
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Sunday, March 7, 2004
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7-8pm -- History Alive - D-Day, Omaha Beach:
Eight Hours of Defeat
The Normandy invasion was an Allied victory, but
at the Omaha sector a human tragedy developed on
June 6, 1944. The shocking losses, failures, and
chaos in the Omaha landings have been obscured.
Mortar fire pounded men wading ashore from boats
grounded on sandbars; machine guns ripped apart
those who made the beach, and the water quickly
took on a crimson color. We trace the landings on
this deadly section of Normandy, and see how,
Omaha Beach became Hell's Battlefield.
8-9pm -- History Alive - Kursk
In the summer of 1943, one of the greatest
clashes of WWII took place on the Eastern
Front--the Battle of Kursk. Vast in scale and
terrible in intensity, German and Russian armies,
millions strong on each side, engaged in a fierce
attack and counterattack that went on for 50
days. The battle proved to be one of the most
decisive of WWII, irreparably damaging the German
Army. We see how the combined battles of
Gettysburg, Verdun, Normandy, and the Bulge
cannot equal the violence at Kursk.
9-10pm -- History Alive - Battle of the Bulge:
The First 15 Days
In December 1944, Hitler prepared a strike force
to split the Allies, hoping to destroy all Allied
forces north of the Antwerp-Brussels-Bastogne
line. With 22 new divisions, reequipped with
tanks and Luftwaffe units to support his ground
attack, Hitler was ready to surprise Allied
commanders in a plan that he called "Operation
Grief". See how the largest pitched battle in the
history of U.S. warfare became the scene of some
of WWII's fiercest fighting, making the Bulge one
of Hell's Battlefields.
10-10:30pm -- Mail Call - #46
At ease, Private! R. Lee Ermey is your commanding
officer in this weekly series that answers
viewers' questions about military methods and
technology with practical demonstrations by
military experts. Viewers go on the frontlines,
to foreign lands, and into basic training as Lee
demonstrates the hows and whys behind weaponry,
military hardware, vehicles, and jargon. It's a
glimpse of military life and history that
civilians rarely see.
10:30-11:30pm -- Tactical to Practical - Light
Off-Road Vehicles/Battlefield ER/Drones: #6
When the Navy SEALs needed a better way to travel
the desert, they asked Chenowth Racing to build a
car that could stand up to the desert. Host
Hunter Ellis shows off their DPV (Desert Patrol
Vehicle) at the Baja 1000. Next, he sees how
battlefield medicine provided lifesaving changes
in emergency medicine--from cutting-edge triage
to "smart" bandages, and how UAVs (Unmanned Air
Vehicles) have moved from military to myriad
uses, including law enforcement, Hollywood, and
even archaeological digs!
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Monday, March 8, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Big Rigs of Combat:
Jeeps
Looks at the American soldier's best friend in
WWII--the Jeep. A "Blitz Buggy" could serve as a
combat car, a snowplow, or ambulance! Its name
derived from the designation "General Purpose",
and the original design served as late as 1983 in
Grenada before being replaced by the High
Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicle (HUMVEE).
8-10pm -- Punishment
The definition and exercise of criminal
punishment has changed dramatically during the
course of history. From execution by wild animals
during ancient Greek and Roman times, to
religious torture during the Inquisition using
the most perverse instruments ever devised, to
the cruel and unusual punishments meted out by
many nations to this day, we trace the often
ironic history of man's perverted and creative
attempts to bring about a more "humane" society.
10-11pm -- We Can Make You Talk
Ever since images of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay
were first broadcast, the methods used to
interrogate suspects in the War on Terror have
come into the spotlight. This history of modern
interrogation methods uses a groundbreaking
combination of reality TV and historical
documentary. We pit a group of volunteers who
think they can keep a secret against a team of
military interrogators; and reveal stories of the
20th century's most influential interrogators and
those they tried to break. (1-hour version)
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Tuesday, March 9, 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.
8-9pm -- Judas: Traitor or Friend?
He was one of the 12 apostles, one of the elect.
Yet for 30 silver coins, Judas Iscariot turned on
his teacher and closest friend. Historians,
psychologists, theologians, and religious
scholars investigate Judas's childhood,
relationship with Jesus, and monumental decision
that would characterize him for all time. Did
Judas believe his betrayal would force Jesus to
display his divine power and thereby prove he was
the Messiah? Or was he acting on directives given
by Jesus to fulfill a prophecy?
9-10pm -- Tactical to Practical - Specialty
Planes/Military Police/War Games: #11
Hunter Ellis examines brilliant--and often wild
and wacky--innovations in military plane
construction, and profiles civilian use of
seaplanes in Alaska--including Vertical Take-Off
Landing Craft (VTOL). He reviews the history of
Military Police and learns how Crime Scene
Investigation benefited from their work. Then,
Hunter sees how military pilots train in
cutting-edge simulators, war planners practice
using video games, and both the military and
civilian adventurers play paintball war games.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Dangerous Cargo
Toxic traffic is everywhere! An average of
800,000 shipments of hazardous materials hit our
highways and railways daily. From Wild West
wooden crates filled with explosives to HAZMAT
containers of nuclear waste, we shadow dangerous
cargo. We ride shotgun on a hazardous material
shipment that's tracked by satellites; hunt down
the hush-hush "ghost fleet"--trucks carrying
classified government materials; and board a
Con-Air flight moving another kind of nasty
stuff--dangerous felons!
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Wednesday, March 10, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Limos
Limousines have been stretched to greater and
greater lengths--as has the notion of what can be
done inside them! You can have a rolling disco in
a stretched SUV, go for a rumble off-road in a
monster truck limousine, or take a direct hit in
an armored limo and still make your meeting. So,
sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride of your life
as we review the history of chauffeured
limousines--from weddings, proms, and funerals to
the ultimate adult playpen and the president's
"Cadillac One".
8-9pm -- Modern Marvels - Trucks
Icons of the open road, trucks form the backbone
of the construction and transportation
industries. The facility to handle nearly any
load and the ability to deliver goods almost
anywhere make trucks integral to modern life.
From 18th-century steam-powered carriages to
tomorrow's computerized trucks, it's a long haul
you'll enjoy!
9-10pm -- Modern Marvels - Pickup Trucks
It's an icon that represents freedom and
individuality--the venerable pickup truck. For
almost a century, it has been part of the
American automotive culture. Once a lowly farm
vehicle, the pickup has moved from the back roads
to main streets. We trace the evolution of the
truck from 1918 to the 21st century, and visit
truck shows, design studios, and body shops. From
the wood-spoked wheels of early models to bad-boy
concept trucks of tomorrow, you're in for a wild
ride!
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Extreme Trucks
Hop into the cab for the ride of your life as we
examine extreme trucks, including: a jet truck
that can travel 300 mph; the Baltimore Technical
Assistance Response Unit's mobile command truck;
a garbage truck with an articulated arm; a
concrete pumper truck with telescoping boom and
pumping mechanism; and a 4-wheel-drive truck that
can convert from mower to street sweeper to
backhoe to snow blower in mere minutes. Learn how
SWAT, bomb squad, HAZMAT, and crime scene
specialty trucks are built.
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Thursday, March 11, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Private Planes
The plane's on the runway and revving up for our
flight of power and whimsy. The panorama reveals
some amazing machines--from vintage aircraft to
homemade winged wonders to posh private jets.
It's a tale that merges technological progress
and the fantasies of an unique type of person,
who refuses to be grounded by earth's surly
bonds.
8-9pm -- Time Machine - Ancient Discoveries:
Ancient Computer?
Journey back in time for an eye-opening look at
the amazing ancient roots of technologies we like
to think of as modern. New research suggests that
many of the inventions of the last 200 years may,
in fact, have already been known to the ancients.
In Part 1, we explore the Antikythera mechanism,
an ancient machine that was discovered deep in
the Aegean Sea. Could it perhaps have been an
ancient computer? Could Archimedes have had a
hand in its creation?
9-10pm -- Time Machine - Ancient Discoveries:
Galen, Doctor to the Gladiators
In this fascinating series, we examine ancient
inventions once believed to have been created in
modern times, and test the wits of ancient
inventors against some of the world's great
modern inventors. Part 2 uncovers the
revolutionary work of Galen, the great Roman
doctor to the gladiators, who was performing
brain surgery 2,000 years ahead of his time. We
also explore the sophistication of Roman medicine
and compare it to modern techniques.
10-11pm -- Time Machine - Ancient Discoveries:
Heron of Alexandria
In Part 3, we travel to Alexandria, Egypt--the
home of inventors and philosophers in ancient
times. One of the greatest inventors was Heron of
Alexandria, a Greek mathematician, geometer, and
worker in mechanics, who taught at the famous
Museum. His strange inventions, such as automaton
theaters--puppet theaters worked by strings,
drums, and weights--automatic doors, and
coin-operated machines, were famous throughout
the ancient world.
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Friday, March 12, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Bullet Trains
Traveling between 135 and 190 miles per hour with
an astonishingly high safety record, bullet
trains can be found throughout Europe, Japan, and
on the U.S. eastern seaboard. How high-speed
trains are propelled is rooted in fundamentals
that haven't changed since the first electric
trolleys appeared in the 19th century. We see how
scientists are looking at new alternatives to
electricity, including magnetic levitation that
can move passenger trains 345 miles per hour and
beyond!
8-9pm -- Dead Men's Secrets - Whatever Happened
to Raoul Wallenberg?
Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg worked in
Budapest at the height of Hitler's "Final
Solution", and saw Jews being loaded onto trains
destined for Nazi concentration camps. But
Wallenberg, unlike many others, refused to sit by
idly, but rather, saved many earmarked for death
by issuing Swedish immunity passes. Before
disappearing in 1945, he's thought to have
rescued 100,000 people. We follow the trail
uncovered by his family and researchers in their
hunt for the truth as to his fate.
9-10pm -- Hitler's Vengeance Weapons
From a remote German island in the Baltic Sea,
the first successful launch of a rocket into the
stratosphere took place in October 1942. This is
the story of the Nazi's last desperate bid to
turn the tide of WWII by unleashing an arsenal of
sinister weapons. Known as V-1, a prototype
cruise missile, and V-2, the first ballistic
missile, the weapons caused immense civilian
casualties. Enter the world of rocket scientists,
secret weapons, and the race to destroy two of
Hitler's most elusive weapons.
10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - The Manhattan Project
At 5:30 a.m., July 16, 1945, scientists and
dignitaries awaited the detonation of the first
atomic bomb in a desolate area of the New Mexico
desert aptly known as Jornada del Muerto--Journey
of Death. Dubbed the Manhattan Project, the
top-secret undertaking was tackled with
unprecedented speed and expense--almost
$30-billion in today's money. Los Alamos
scientists and engineers relate their trials,
triumphs, and dark doubts about building the
ultimate weapon of war in the interest of peace.
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Saturday, March 13, 2004
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6-8pm -- Punishment - Punishment
see Monday, March 8
8-10:30pm -- Escape from
Alcatraz (movie) The story of Frank Morris, the only man
ever to escape from Alcatraz, the notorious
Federal maximum-security prison built on an
island off San Francisco's coast and surrounded
by shark-infested waters. Clint Eastwood plays
Morris, who plots his escape with incredible
patience and ingenuity under the watchful eyes of
the haughty warden, played by Patrick McGoohan.
Fred Ward and Jack Thibeau co-star as two of
Clint's best pals in the slammer. (1979)
10:30-11:30pm -- Time Machine - Escape: Breakout
from Alcatraz!
The maximum-security federal penitentiary
Alcatraz sits on 12 acres in the middle of San
Francisco Bay and was conceived by J. Edgar
Hoover to house America's most dangerous
criminals. It was built to be escape-proof and
was until June 1962 when three men--Frank Morris
and brothers John and Clarence Anglin--did the
unimaginable. How did they manage this
extraordinary feat in a top-security environment?
Did they survive or drown? Find out in this
truth-is-stranger-than-fiction program.
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Sunday, March 14, 2004
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7-8pm -- 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.
8-9pm -- Saddam Hussein: Butcher of Baghdad
Profile of the Iraqi leader, despised in the West
but a hero to many in the Middle East. Focuses on
his bloody rise to power and includes an
interview with the man who "doubled" for Saddam's
brutal son and defected. Includes a look at the
2003 Iraqi War and the hunt for and ultimate
capture of Saddam.
9-10pm -- The Iraq War: One Year Later - Invasion
Continuous TV coverage of the 2003 Iraq War was
like blind men describing an elephant--it lacked
an overall sense of what was happening
countrywide. From 9/11/01 and the start of the
War on Terrorism, President Bush's labeling Iraq
as part of an "axis of evil" to U.N.
negotiations, invasion, and the end of combat
ops, our 5-hour series puts viewers in command
and control. See what decisions were made and
why, options available, the war plan, technology
used, and how each service performed.
10-11pm -- The Iraq War: One Year Later - Tough
Going
The air war against Iraq got underway on what the
Air Force called A-Day--March 21, 2003--and
progressed as planned until March 23, when Ronald
Young and David Williams (interviewed here) lost
control of their Apache Longbow helicopter and
were taken prisoner. And, as coalition ground
forces headed toward Baghdad, U.S. combatants
were taken captive, including Private Jessica
Lynch, and Americans at home began to worry that
the war effort wasn't going as planned.
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Monday, March 15, 2004
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7-7:30pm -- Mail Call - Medieval Weapons/Lewis
Gun/Carrier Pigeons/Gliders in Combat/Anti-Tank
Missile/Ejection Seats: #21
What were some of the wickedest medieval weapons?
What is a WWI Lewis gun? How were carrier pigeons
used during WWI and WWII? Were people really
crazy enough to use gliders in combat? How does
the TOW (tube-launched, optically tracked,
wire-guided missile system) anti-tank missile
work? How do ejection seats work? Shot on
location, R. Lee Ermey sends these questions out
to military experts in the field for answers and
brief demonstrations.
7:30-8pm -- Hard Target - #1
Military historian Geoffrey Wawro digs into the
strategy behind some of history's most important
battles and talks with leading political and
military figures to uncover how and why they were
fought, and how future conflicts may be settled,
in a half-hour, fast-paced series. Wawro gets the
scoop on the Iraq War from Commander Tommy
Franks, goes one-on-one with Pat Buchanan about
FDR's possible prior knowledge of Pearl Harbor,
and learns how Special Ops really works--with
weapons demonstrations.
8-8:30pm -- Mail Call - Claymore Mine/1st U.S.
Nuclear Sub/Resupply at Sea/Patriot Air Defense
Missile/Jody Songs: #34
R. Lee Ermey demonstrates the claymore
anti-personnel mine--a favorite weapon for
perimeter defense in Vietnam that's still in
use--and checks out the medieval claymore--a
16th-century sword used by Scottish warriors.
Other viewer questions Lee addresses include:
America's first nuclear-powered submarine; how
naval vessels resupply at sea; if the Patriot
Missile performs better now than in the first
Gulf War; the origin of the name for the rhythmic
cadence songs used while drilling or running.
8:30-9pm -- Mail Call - WWII Half Track/Arctic
Vehicles/Weird Weapons/Navy Hydrofoil/Combat
Controller/Gunnery Sarge: #35
Shot on location, R. Lee Ermey answers viewer
questions about the military with practical
demonstrations in the field. Lee tears around in
a WWII M2A2 half track, with a combination of
tracks and wheels; demonstrates Army vehicles
designed for extreme arctic conditions, including
the world's longest truck--the 572-foot Snow
Train; strange weapons used by the Allies in
WWII; and Navy hydrofoils. And he explains the
function of Air Force combat controllers and
Marine Corps gunnery sergeants.
9-10pm -- The Iraq War: One Year Later - At
Baghdad's Doorstep
On the move, the Third Infantry takes the
critical Karbala Gap, then moves to and captures
the Baghdad airport. Kurds and Special Forces
move toward the critical cities of Mosul and
Kirkuk, and Allied planes fly 2,000 sorties a day
in support of ground forces. Then, the Third ID
makes its first foray into Baghdad.
10-11pm -- The Iraq War: One Year Later - Fall of
Saddam
Army and Marine forays into Baghdad increase, and
Marines help pull down a statue of Saddam as
Iraqi Army units melt away. In the north, Kurds
and Coalition Special Forces capture Kirkuk and
Mosul, and on the road to Tikrit--Saddam's
hometown--an informant in the town of Samarra
leads Task Force Tripoli to U.S. POWs being held
there. After evacuating five POWs from the 507th
Mechanized and two Apache pilots shot down during
the first days of war, they take Tikrit--more
easily than expected.
____________________________________________________
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Terror Tech: Civilian
Witness the construction of a terrorist-proof
safe room. Discover how your windows might
someday act as biological weapons detectors.
Learn how scientists are protecting the food you
eat and water you drink. In the biggest
technological push since the space race,
inventors are creating cutting-edge devices,
gadgets, and gizmos to keep you and your
family--and even your pets--safe. Find out what
technology can do to protect you, and how you can
use technology to protect yourself.
8-9pm -- 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".
9-10pm -- THE IRAQ WAR: ONE YEAR LATER -
Aftermath
In April, Coalition Forces thought the worst was
behind them--they'd soon learn this was far from
the truth. The lack of infrastructure caused
chaos--mass looting ensued. Soldiers taught to
fight were now trained "on the job" as an
occupying force. In May 2003, President Bush
declared an end to major combat ops, yet more
soldiers would die in post-war ops than during
the war. As Americans decide who rules, Iraqis
become impatient. Come along as the new phase of
Operation Iraqi Freedom begins...
10-11pm -- Eyewitness in Iraq
If a picture paints a thousand words, what will
photographs from the Second Gulf War show us?
This special focuses on the embedded
photographers who traveled with fighting units on
the cutting edge of the armored spear slicing
into Iraq. The war was there to be captured in
all its raw truth by any photographer with the
guts to step out and shoot the picture. In
collaboration with the Associated Press, we view
never-before-seen photos that portray the horror,
struggle, and endurance of mankind.
____________________________________________________
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
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7-8pm -- The History of Saint Patrick's Day
In Ireland, March 17th is a feast day honoring
the bishop who Christianized the island; but in
America it's a boisterous celebration of Irish
heritage. We'll march up New York City's Fifth
Avenue with over 150,000 celebrants at the
largest and oldest parade on the day all
Americans are Irish. With Andrew Greeley and
Frank McCourt.
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 -- The Hunt for Osama and Saddam: Tracking
Down the Killers
For the eight months it took to ferret out 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.
10-11pm -- THE IRAQ WAR: ONE YEAR LATER - Command
Central
"Centcom" in Doha, Qatar represents everything a
modern military command post can be with the most
sophisticated military information systems--from
video-conferencing to real-time frontline
satellite communication. From this forward
command in the heart of the Middle East, the U.S.
ran the Iraq War. But command posts have not
always been so technologically advanced as we see
when we delve into the history of military
communication--from tattooed messenger to
satellite technology.
____________________________________________________
Thursday, March 18, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Oil
From the first well in Pennsylvania to the
gushing Spindletop and modern supertankers, the
story of oil is the story of civilization as we
know it. We'll take a look at the ingenious and
outrageous men who risked everything for "black
gold" and unimaginable wealth.
8-9pm -- UFOs: Then and
Now?: Cause for Alarm
Studies some of the most disturbing UFO
sightings, including: a 4-day extravaganza in
1952, when UFOs cruised the skies over the White
House; sightings in 1967 near a secret
U.S./Canadian submarine detection base;
controversial events at the U.K./U.S. air base at
Bentwaters, England; and the military's Test Area
51 in Nevada.
9-10pm -- 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.
10-11pm -- Sons of Saddam
In a chilling hour, we go inside the sadistic
world inhabited by Saddam Hussein's sons and hear
firsthand accounts of how each man inherited a
different, deadly side of his father. Ouday, the
megalomaniac whose only official job was head of
the Iraq Olympic Committee, had athletes who
performed poorly tortured. Qusay, the quiet
schemer, rose to second in command behind his
father by being slavishly loyal and completely
brutal in overseeing the murder of opponents to
the regime.
____________________________________________________
Friday, March 19, 2004
____________________________________________________
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 -- History Undercover - Roswell: Final
Declassification
In 1947, a strange object fell from the sky near
Roswell, New Mexico, and controversy brewed over
what it really was. In November 2001, we convened
a team of experts at the National Archives for an
exclusive first look at the top-secret government
files of the UFO incident. We unveil the
remaining classified files--11 boxes with 17
notebooks of declassified files, photos,
transcripts and audiotapes of dozens of
witnesses, and 22 films and videos--in a
definitive statement on the 50-year-old mystery.
9-10pm -- Saddam's Secret Tunnels
The search for Saddam's secret subterranean world
began with Iraqi Freedom's end. We offer glimpses
inside facilities unearthed beneath Baghdad,
including: secret passageways; a highway; a
military post stocked with communications and
medical equipment, chemical suits and gas masks;
prisons below the Ministry of Intelligence;
Saddam's command and control bunker and
underground residence. Military experts explain
how they were built, kept covert, and how
Coalition forces locate and destroy them.
10-11pm -- THE IRAQ WAR: ONE YEAR LATER -
Frontline Reporting
In March 2003, embedded civilian correspondents
rolled along with the U.S. military convoy as it
invaded Iraq. Equipped with satellite and video
phones, digital cameras, and lightweight
satellite uplinks, frontline reporters dispatched
the news of war as it happened. Reports of war
are as old as war itself; once the exclusive
province of soldier-scribes like Julius Caesar,
the accounts were usually written after the fact.
Join us as we review the history and preview the
future of frontline reporting.
____________________________________________________
Saturday, March 20, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- THE IRAQ WAR: ONE YEAR LATER - Invasion
Continuous TV coverage of the 2003 Iraq War was
like blind men describing an elephant--it lacked
an overall sense of what was happening
countrywide. From 9/11/01 and the start of the
War on Terrorism, President Bush's labeling Iraq
as part of an "axis of evil" to U.N.
negotiations, invasion, and the end of combat
ops, our 5-hour series puts viewers in command
and control. See what decisions were made and
why, options available, the war plan, technology
used, and how each service performed.
8-9pm -- THE IRAQ WAR: ONE YEAR LATER - Tough
Going
The air war against Iraq got underway on what the
Air Force called A-Day--March 21, 2003--and
progressed as planned until March 23, when Ronald
Young and David Williams (interviewed here) lost
control of their Apache Longbow helicopter and
were taken prisoner. And, as coalition ground
forces headed toward Baghdad, U.S. combatants
were taken captive, including Private Jessica
Lynch, and Americans at home began to worry that
the war effort wasn't going as planned.
9-10pm -- THE IRAQ WAR: ONE YEAR LATER - At
Baghdad's Doorstep
On the move, the Third Infantry takes the
critical Karbala Gap, then moves to and captures
the Baghdad airport. Kurds and Special Forces
move toward the critical cities of Mosul and
Kirkuk, and Allied planes fly 2,000 sorties a day
in support of ground forces. Then, the Third ID
makes its first foray into Baghdad.
10-11pm -- THE IRAQ WAR: ONE YEAR LATER - Fall of
Saddam
Army and Marine forays into Baghdad increase, and
Marines help pull down a statue of Saddam as
Iraqi Army units melt away. In the north, Kurds
and Coalition Special Forces capture Kirkuk and
Mosul, and on the road to Tikrit--Saddam's
hometown--an informant in the town of Samarra
leads Task Force Tripoli to U.S. POWs being held
there. After evacuating five POWs from the 507th
Mechanized and two Apache pilots shot down during
the first days of war, they take Tikrit--more
easily than expected.
____________________________________________________
Sunday, March 21, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Dead Reckoning - Crime Scene Alibis
In an investigation of crime scene alibis, we see
how forensic science assists in sorting
misleading evidence from potentially fabricated
stories. In the murder case of Kathy Higdon,
investigators find evidence pointing to a
handyman who recently worked in her home. Then,
when DNA evidence in a rape/murder points to two
suspects--identical twins--detectives must work
in reverse and use witness testimony to prove
which brother did it!
8-9pm -- 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".
9-10pm -- Extreme Gadgets
Join us for an exploration of the technological
innovations that have made extreme sports a
reality. The world's best extreme athletes,
designers, manufacturers, and engineers explain
and demonstrate why the gadgets, gear, and
technology of these sports have captured the
public's imagination and revolutionized the
sporting industry. Sports covered include
surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, in-line
skating, street luge, wakeboarding, sport
climbing, BMX biking, and sky surfing.
10-11pm -- History of Prostitution
Once upon a time, being a prostitute carried no
stigma--in ancient Sumeria and Babylon, that is.
And in certain cities in ancient Greece, harlots
were associated with sacred activities at
temples. Even in the American Wild West, there
was a degree of tolerance. So what happened
through the years? We'll investigate innumerable
stories about the changing social position of the
"ladies of the night" throughout history, and
find out why prostitution is called the oldest
profession!
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Monday, March 22, 2004
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7-7:30pm -- Tales of the Gun - The Magnum
It's known as the most powerful handgun in the
world, made famous by Clint Eastwood in the
"Dirty Harry" movies. But its origins stretch
back more than a century to the Indian Wars of
the American West and African safaris, where
hunters stalked big game. Join us for a review of
the history of the biggest, baddest gun available
today--unlimited firepower at the pull of a
trigger!
7:30-8pm -- "Band of Brothers" Preview
It's a story of courage and
comradeship--endurance and sacrifice. Executive
producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg recreate
the story of "Easy Company", an elite WWII
parachute infantry regiment, in their epic
miniseries "Band of Brothers", based on Stephen
Ambrose's best-selling book. History Channel
historians talk to the "real" soldiers of Easy
Company, and intercut their stories with scenes
from the series. (Half-hour version)
8-8:30pm -- Mail Call - Heavy Support
Vehicles/Dragon Wagon/Roping & Rappelling/Alice
Gear/WWII Merchant Ships/Deep 6: #45
At ease, Private! R. Lee Ermey is your commanding
officer as we answer viewer questions about
military methods and technology with practical
demonstrations. Topics covered: Army Heavy
Support Vehicles, including the M88 Heavy
Recovery Vehicle and the M1070 Heavy Equipment
Transporter; the Dragon Wagon, a WWII-era
recovery vehicle; Ranger training in fast-roping
and rappelling; All-Purpose Light Weight
Individual Carrying Equipment; WWII Liberty and
Victory Ships; and the term "Deep Six".
8:30-9pm -- Mail Call - Army Air Ambulance/1st
Special Service Force/Johnson Rifle/MiG-15 vs.
F-86/P-59: #46
At Fort Irwin, R. Lee Ermey checks out the Army's
state-of-the-art air ambulance--the Blackhawk
helicopter; then, he learns why the helicopter
became so important to Korean War MASH units that
it was dubbed "The Angel of Mercy". Then, he
reviews the history of America's First Special
Service Force, created in WWII and nicknamed "The
Devil's Brigade" by the German Army; sees which
Cold War superjet is tougher--the MiG-15 or F-86
Sabre; and checks out the first U.S. operational
jet--the P-59.
9-10pm -- Reliving History: Fantasy Camps
Centuries of art and literature have depicted
fantasy, but today people live their dreams
thanks to fantasy camps. Space camp, rock'n'roll
camp, and urban ops camp are just a few of the
more conventional dream deliverers. But anything
goes, including bondage and kidnap experiences.
We showcase people who want to play soldier, be
abducted, beaten by a dominatrix, fly into zero
gravity, shoot at the bad guys, or play with
Roger Daltrey! All it takes is a lot of dough and
a dream...
10-11pm -- Guy Food
Okay, we all know that "boys will be boys" and
when men cook, women cringe. But perhaps these
gridiron gastronomic giants and budding baseball
busboys can really cook up a full-court
hoop-licious feast and are merely hiding their
talents behind well-served volleys. Well, we'll
certainly sample their "tempting" treats in this
tasty tour of home-cooked guy fast food.
____________________________________________________
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - The Trans-Siberian
Railroad
It's the longest, most expensive and complicated
railroad ever built. Ordered by the Tsar in an
effort to save his empire and unify his country
at the twilight of the 19th century, the
Trans-Siberian Railroad nearly tore Russia apart.
Intended in part for defense, the railroad
provoked a war, crossed great lengths over
treacherous terrain, and encountered logistical
and economic failures. Ironically, "enemies of
the state" built the railroad--men sentenced to
hard labor in Siberian prisons.
8-9pm -- Outlaw Bikers
A nostalgic look at the days when leather-clad
hoodlums turned the motorcycle into a symbol of
violence and a Harley meant mayhem. Profiles
"Wino" Willie Forkner, who founded an outlaw
biker gang called the Boozefighters, and the
notorious Hell's Angels, who terrorized towns
across America. (1-hour version)
9-11pm -- Motorcycles
Set the sedan's safety brake and hop on your
"hog" for a 2-hour high-speed history of the
motorcycle--from the 1868 "steam velocipede" to
the early 20th century, when they were a low-cost
alternative to automobiles; from Harley-Davidsons
preferred by Hell's Angels and police to
motocross riders who take bikes into the air and
onto the dirt. We also look to the motorcycle's
future, featuring Jay Leno's jet-propelled Y2K
sportbike and Erik Buell's
bike-without-a-gas-tank creation.
____________________________________________________
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
____________________________________________________
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 - Convertibles
Topless, unobstructed--the convertible completely
transforms the driving experience and unlike any
other car, sets the driver free. During this
face-paced hour, experts highlight the history of
the world's most dynamic car design and the
essential quality that makes it so unique. From
the very first convertible design in 1915 to
modern-day marvels of retractable hardtops, we
peer under the hoods to see why the convertible
remains the car that everybody wants, but only a
few are bold enough to own.
9-11pm -- Car Tech of the Future
Engage the satellite navigation, fire-up the fuel
cell, and activate the radar-guided cruise
control! You're in for the joyride of your life
as we investigate what drives and will drive our
vehicular destiny. In this 2-hour special, we
talk to auto industry engineers, designers,
historians and futurists, and meet carmakers
standing at the threshold of a brave new
automotive world and on the verge of technical
innovations that might prove as far-reaching as
the switch from horses to horsepower.
____________________________________________________
Thursday, March 25, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Las Vegas Hotels
Out of the bleakness of a vast desert arose a
city built on wish fulfillment and indulgence.
Unencumbered by tradition or notions of good
taste, for 50 years Las Vegas has taken tourists
to the height of their imaginations while
reaching into their pockets. Visit 11 of the
world's largest hotels in the country's biggest
playground.
8-9pm -- Modern Marvels - Casino Technology
Place your bets and join us for an exciting spin
through the history of the casino. We'll go
behind the neon lights, free drinks, and 24-hour
gambling to see how the gaming industry has
evolved from a simple house of cards to a
high-tech multi-billion dollar industry.
9-11pm -- High Rollers: A History of Gambling
You can bet on an exciting 2 hours as we expose
the history of gambling in America. Since the
first racehorses arrived in colonial Virginia in
1607, to 1998, when 48 states allowed some form
of legalized gambling, moralists and risk-lovers
have waged a continuous war. Hear both sides as
we explore our national need to roll the dice.
____________________________________________________
Friday, March 26, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Farming Technology
The U.S. agricultural process, from seed to
shelf, is so efficient that most people don't
think much about it. But food growing and
processing is ever more sophisticated, employing
computer-guided, ground-shaking machinery, and
sometimes controversial techniques. It's an
industry of declining family farms, diminishing
returns, yet higher yields. We review the
evolution of the tools used to produce food, show
the steps in the cycle that bring food to the
table, and look at the future of farming.
8-9pm -- Dead Men's Secrets - The Mysterious
Death of Admiral Yamamoto
On April 18, 1943, the aircraft carrying Admiral
Isoroku Yamamoto was shot down by U.S. fighters.
Yamamoto--chief architect of the attack on Pearl
Harbor--was visiting the forward Japanese bases
at Bougainville, some 650 miles from the nearest
U.S. base. His clash with U.S. fighters so far
from their territory was more than simple bad
luck--the pilots must have known where and when
to find their target. We talk to the U.S. pilots
and find out why the mission had to remain secret
until war's end.
9-10:30pm -- Time Machine - Battles That Doomed
Japan
The Allies began their strategic offensive
against Japan with the Solomon Islands landings,
and Admiral Halsey's Battle of the Bismarck Sea
helped neutralize the Japanese offensive. We
review the great battles that doomed Japan, and
salute the men whose triumphs in cockpits,
foxholes, and gun turrets won Allied victory in
WWII.
10:30-12am -- Time Machine - Battles That Doomed
Hitler
From the Nazi Blitzkrieg in 1939 to the Pearl
Harbor attack in 1941, the Axis tide rolled
unchecked. But Axis luck was about to turn in a
series of bloody showdowns. Review the battles
that spelled doom for Hitler and his allies and
led to V.E. Day...a day that came too late for
millions of civilians as well as soldiers who
gave their lives.
____________________________________________________
Saturday, March 27, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- Mothers of Invention
Hang gliders, brown paper bags, windshield
wipers, Barbie dolls, and liquid paper. What do
they have in common? They were all conceived of
by women. From the early 1800s when women weren't
allowed to hold patents to today, we review the
extraordinary stories of unrecognized women and
their well-known inventions that we just can't
live without. Explore the discoveries,
accomplishments, and struggles of these
innovative trailblazers who happen to hail from
the distaff side of life.
8-9pm -- The SS - The SS: Power Struggle
The incarnation of terror and executor of mass
genocide, the SS, like no other Nazi
organization, embodied the murderous mania of the
"master race". In a 6-part story of unbridled
madness and inconceivable crimes, we watch the
Schutzstaffel (Defense Squadron), an
insignificant guard corps, transform into an
omnipotent evil empire. It began with a night of
murder--June 30, 1934, Night of the Long Knives,
when SS commandos, on Hitler's orders, executed
leaders of the Nazi Storm Troopers, the SA.
9-10pm -- The SS - The SS: Himmler's Mania
Presented in meticulous detail, our 6-part
investigation of the SS reveals film footage long
believed lost and eyewitnesses only now prepared
to discuss Hitler's sinister reign of terror.
Focusing on the head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler,
we see how his penchant for the occult determined
his barbaric politics, and how he mixed
anti-Semitism with blood-and-soil mysticism. A
chicken farmer with an agriculture diploma, he
instigated "breeding" a new race and administered
mass genocide like a tax official.
10-11pm -- The SS - The SS: Heydrich--The Hangman
Hitler called him "the man with the iron heart"
and as head of the Security Police and SD
(Security Service), Reinhard Heydrich commanded
killing squads in Poland and the Soviet Union
that shot hundreds of thousands of the "racially
and nationally undesirable". Architect of the
Holocaust, he authorized Adolf Eichmann to work
out a large-scale deportation program for
Europe's Jews that would end in extermination
centers. Features footage of Heydrich's personal
life from private archives.
____________________________________________________
Sunday, March 28, 2004
____________________________________________________
7-8pm -- 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.
8-10pm -- Nostradamus: 500 Years Later
The life story of Nostradamus unfolds in medieval
Europe at the time of the Great Plague and The
Inquisition. He lived in an age of superstition
and magic and believed that he could foretell the
future. For this he was labeled both a prophet
and a heretic, and his cryptic journals continue
to inspire controversy just as they did in the
16th century. In this 2-hour examination of his
life, we visit his birthplace in France and trace
his career as doctor, astrologer, father, and
seer.
10-10:30pm -- Mail Call - Fastest Army
Vehicle/Uncle Sam/Tank Destroyers/Anti-Tank
Rifle/Dive Bomber/Sea Dart: #47
R. Lee Ermey pits his trusty Jeep against the
Army's nitro-burning dragster "Sarge" at an
Arizona speedway; finds out if a real guy posed
for the original Uncle Sam recruitment poster;
reviews the evolution of Tank Destroyers;
demonstrates a Boys .55 Caliber anti-tank
"elephant gun" using a Spam tower as his target;
finds out what caused the screaming noise when
dive bombers attacked; and digs into his Fabulous
Flops File to examine the Sea Dart--America's
attempt to put a jet fighter on water skies.
10:30-11:30pm -- Tactical to Practical - Hot
Choppers/Lasers/Firefighting: #8
Former Navy fighter pilot and series host Hunter
Ellis explores technology, inventions,
techniques, and products born in the military
that went on to find 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 evolution into usage in everyday
life. In this episode, we examine helicopters,
lasers, and firefighting vehicles.
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Monday, March 29, 2004
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7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Cattle Ranches
From the 19th century's legendary cattle drives
to the million-acre ranch kingdoms that sprang to
life with the end of the Open Range to
21st-century techniques that include artificial
insemination, embryo transplants, and genetic
engineering, we review the history of cattle
ranching. We'll ride herd with modern cowboys as
they twirl ropes and brand calves, and look to
the cattle ranch of the future, where cloning
will produce the ideal meat-producing steer with
a consistently juicy, low-fat carcass.
8-8:30pm -- Mail Call - Military Pilot
Training/Flak/Doolittle Raid/One-Man
Submarine/Military Radios: #36
How do we train our military pilots? What is flak
and what is the origin of the word? How did the
U.S. pull off the daring Doolittle Raid against
the Japanese during WWII? Did the OSS really use
a 1-man submarine named Sleeping Beauty? What
kind of radios are used in the field by today's
military? Does a foxhole radio really work? Shot
on location, R. Lee Ermey answers viewers'
questions about military methods and technology
with practical demonstrations by military experts
in the field.
8:30-9pm -- Mail Call - F-15 Eagle/Flying
Platform/Atomic Annie/Army Missiles/Tommy Gun v.
Burp Gun/Measuring Bullets: #37
R. Lee Ermey rides in an F-15 Eagle, courtesy of
the Oregon Air National Guard--and proudly
returns all 3 of his airsickness bags empty! Find
out about a wacky single-man vertical flight
machine tested in the 1950s--the Hiller Flying
Platform; Atomic Annie, a howitzer that fired
both conventional and nuclear warheads; why the
Army controlled missile programs in the 1940s and
'50s; which WWII submachine gun was better, the
U.S. Tommy Gun or German Burp Gun; and the terms
used to measure bullets.
9-11pm -- Boone & Crockett: The Hunter Heroes
Of the many pioneers who crossed the Allegheny
Mountains to begin a new life in the wilderness,
we look at two who were singled out for
immortality: Daniel Boone and David Crockett
(born two generations after Boone). Boone brought
civilization and Jeffersonian values to the
rugged frontier and Crockett fought for the poor
and dispossessed and against the forced removal
of the Southeastern Indians. We see how these
famed hunters, fighters, and American heroes came
to represent the common man.
Sorry, no listings received yet for rest of month
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)
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.
See if your favorite person, TV series or motion picture is available on video:
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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,
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