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.10/01/2006 07:00 PM Test Lab. Journey into the world of product testing with host Steve Natt. Not only do we see how manufactures test their products, but with the help of Eddie Paul, an engineer and special effects designer, we go one step further with our own extreme tests. Today, Steve looks at various Body Armor. We meet Jeremiah Sullivan, inventor of the Neptunic Shark Suit. Taking his cue from the chain mail armor worn by knights in the past, Jeremiah has constructed a shark suit out of the mail linked material. Next, Steve meets Bob Weber, the principal designer of soft body armor that is used by police forces worldwide. Unlike soft body armor which "catches" a bullet, we'll also test Murray Neal's Dragon Skin hard body armor which actually causes the bullet to explode and repel itself off of the armor. Finally, Steve is off to meet with Gary McAvoy, who shows Steve the way in which fire suits are being designed to withstand blazing heat, helping to give firefighters a better chance for survival. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Violent Earth. Nature's Fury: Storm of the Century. On Labor Day Weekend 1935, the most intense hurricane to ever make landfall on America's shores hit the Florida Keys. The country was just starting to recover from the Great Depression when the ferocious beast with its 200 mile-an-hour winds and violent storm surge overpowered nearly everything in its path. World War I veterans, sent to the remote Keys to make a better life for themselves and their families, became the victims of a destructive force unlike anything they had ever seen in battle. CC [TVPG] 10:00 PM Lost Worlds: The Pagans. In the late Stone Age, the pagan people of the British Isles constructed some of the greatest monuments of the ancient world. Fabulous constructions of wood, earth, and stone arose. In this hour, we enter the world of their builders. We travel from the ancient stone villages of the Orkney Islands, off the north coast of Scotland, to Stonehenge, in Southern England. We reveal a startling new theory about the role this extraordinary structure played in the lives of the pagans. With computer animation, we reconstruct the monument as it appeared to them. We then trace a forgotten ancient pathway to Stonehenge's lost twin -- Woodhenge, explore the secrets of Silbury Hill, the world's largest man-made mound, and visit Maiden Castle, a fortress that witnessed the pagan world's end. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM Iran: The Next Iraq? For over 25 years, "Death to America" has been the rallying cry of the Iranian government, but it's only recently that the threat has become chillingly real and the Islamic Republic of Iran has emerged as perhaps the most clear and present danger to American security. This special will explore the once proud military tradition of Iran, its recent decline in power, and the country's struggle to gain a place among the world's super powers. We will also examine evidence that shows Iran is secretly pursuing a nuclear weapon and just may intend to use on the United States or its allies. CC [TVPG V] 10/02/2006 07:00 PM Modern Marvels: Metal. They constitute 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. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM UFO Files: Texas' Roswell. In April 1897 -- 50 years before the alleged UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico--a mysterious airship crash rocked the small town of Aurora, Texas...or at least, that's how the legend goes! The tale includes the wreckage from the ship, a funeral for the dead "alien" pilot, and thousands of witnesses from across the country. And the Aurora crash allegedly took place five years before the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, so whatever was in the air was not manmade. Eyewitness accounts of the crash, mysterious metal found at the site, and the hunt for the only known alien graveyard are all combined into a story that has even the most adamant debunkers baffled. Is this the case that finally proves that UFOs are real? Join us as we separate fact from fiction. CC [TVPG] 09:00 PM Lost Worlds: Knights Templar. They defended the Holy Land through bloodshed and prayer. Founded in the 12th century, these Christian warrior monks reigned supreme for nearly 200 years before suffering a spectacular fall from grace. Tried for heresy, they were disbanded and their Grand Master burned at the stake. We'll search behind the legend for their lost world. We recreate the city they knew as Tortosa--now hidden among modern homes in the Syrian city of Tartus. We reveal secrets of their headquarters at Temple Mount in Jerusalem, with magnificent underground vaults that could stable 1,000 horses. And we visit the circular church in London built to resemble the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the site of the Templar's mysterious initiation rites. We bring to life the hilltop fortress that Lawrence of Arabia called "the finest castle in the world", and return to the Mediterranean island where the Knights Templars made their last stand against Moslem enemies. CC [TVPG] 10:00 PM Digging for the Truth: Giants of Patagonia. Many explorers throughout the centuries, including the great Ferdinand Magellan, visited the region in South America now known as Patagonia and reported sighting giants. From these accounts we get the name "Patagonia"--Land of the Big Feet. But what exactly did these explorers see? Now, some experts suggest that the giant, upright-walking ground sloth, once widespread throughout Patagonia, could have been the source of these stories. Josh Bernstein accompanies paleontologists, naturalists, and crypto-zoologists on a search to determine whether the ground sloth could have lived into the era of human habitation. He treks across the glaciers of Patagonia, descends deep in the mountain caves, accompanies a band of gauchos on horseback, and joins a modern-day paleontology dig to try to discover evidence that the ground sloth still exists today. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM UFO Files: 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". CC [TVPG] 10/03/2006 07:00 PM Modern Marvels: Water. It's nature's precious elixir--so powerful it can carve our landscape, yet so nurturing it can spawn life and support its intricate matrix. And it's the only substance on Earth that can exist in three separate forms at the same temperature--liquid, solid, and gas. We take it for granted, yet compared to other natural compounds, it's a genuine oddity. We'll paint a vivid portrait of this common entity that's anything but as we explore water's multidimensional character--from its place in the $10-billion bottled water industry to its critical role in a Canadian nuclear reactor. We watch it flow from huge irrigation machines that have revolutionized American agriculture, blast 200 miles into space from a newly discovered geyser on one of Saturn's moons (via computer animation), coaxed from the clouds by chemical injection, captured by innovative "fog-catchers", and cascade with artistic flair from compressed air jets at the Fountains of Bellagio in Las Vegas. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Violent Earth. Unleashed Terror: Dam Breaks. Though American dam builders have refined their skills in their attempts to harness the awesome power, water will always prove hazardous. We examine some of the worst dam breaks and the destruction they caused, including the largest U.S. dam ever to give way. On June 5, 1976, the 305-foot-high Teton Dam gave way and 11 lives were lost. CC [TVPG] 09:00 PM Mega Disasters: Earthquake in the Heartland. Could a killer earthquake strike America's heartland? If history proves true, the answer is yes. The 1811-1812 New Madrid Earthquakes (centered in southeast Missouri) rank as some of North America's most catastrophic natural disasters. Stretching more than 160 miles, a system of earthquake faults lurks beneath the Mississippi River basin, loaded and ready to erupt. And it's happened before. Pioneer residents of New Madrid, Missouri were thrown from their beds in the early hours of December 16, 1811 when an estimated 8-point earthquake hit. But it wasn't just one event. Multiple shocks were experienced over the next three months--the largest caused the Mississippi to flow backwards. No earthquake sequence has lasted so long, produced so many shocks, nor created such astonishing phenomena on land and water. The New Madrid Fault remains a seismically active area and experts expect a repeat. The only question is when... CC [TVPG] 10:00 PM Mega Movers: Tower Crane. Whether it's at the top of a towering skyscraper or at the bottom of the ocean, if it's got to be moved, the Mega Movers are always up to the challenge. In this episode, we look at two very different moves in two extreme environments. In California, the team must disassemble and move a tower crane that soars 36-stories high in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. And in North Carolina they struggle to move a pre Civil War house. See the unique methods and tools that these movers use to get the job done. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM The Big Build: The Fort. Speed is the key word for this down and dirty build--Lewis and Clark, racing Oregon winter chill, built the 50 foot by 50 foot Fort Clatsop, a double-structure shelter with seven rooms, a sentry box, and parade ground, in just 15 days. We'll build a scaled down, 2-cabin, 4-room version, showcasing the tools and technology of the frontier in 1805. We're building our fort in a dense patch of forestland 30 miles outside of Manhattan, Kansas, on land owned by Kris and Al Johnson. Our builder is John McPherson, a specialist in log structures and a master in frontier and wilderness survival. In addition to the fascinating process involved in building a frontier fort with minimal tools under harsh conditions--open fire pits, rawhide windows and doors, sloppy fits chinked and daubed with stones and mud, rough-planked ceilings, dirt floors, very few nails--host Nick Mystrom takes viewers through the most compelling aspects of the incredible Lewis and Clark saga. CC [TVPG] 10/04/2006 07:00 PM Modern Marvels: The Chunnel. The job of joining Britain and France via a tunnel under the English Channel was a challenge. Geologists tracked the only safe route with satellite technology, and French and British teams drilled towards each other using two of the largest Tunnel Boring Machines ever made. We'll explore the greatest underwater land-link of all time. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Death Road. Travel high into the Andes to a road that has more deaths per mile than any other byway in the world. This steep and bumpy road plunges almost 2.5 miles in the four hours it takes to drive it, and those who choose to make the journey will endure an often extremely narrow path that hugs the mountain as it snakes through dramatic, verdant scenery. Twisting between waterfalls and rocky overhangs, the road is unprotected, making near death an almost constant travel companion. A fatal accident every two weeks is not uncommon, and by 1995, the road was commonly referred to as world's most dangerous road. Marsh Mokhtari is our guide, as we explore the people and places along this treacherous path. CC [TVPG V] 09:00 PM Modern Marvels: Paint. From the Impressionist canvas to the Space Shuttle...from customized hotrods to the brilliant orange hue of the Golden Gate Bridge or tiny electronic devices--paint is one of our most ubiquitous products. And paint adds more than just pigmentation. It's a crucial engineering element, protecting ships from water corrosion, stovetops from heat, and the Stealth Bomber from radar detection. In homes and businesses, it provides a balanced spectrum of light and protects surfaces from wear. In this colorful hour, we discover how this marvel of chemistry and engineering is made, and how it is applied. Come see what's beneath the surface as we reveal one of man's most ingenious methods of defeating the elements and adding spice to life! CC [TVPG] 10:00 PM Modern Marvels: Ink. Invented by the Chinese in about 3000BC, it spread the word of God and war. It set us free and spelled out our rights. It tells stories, sells products and solves crimes. It's ink and it's everywhere! From squid to soybeans, from ancient text to awesome tattoos, join us as we dip into the well for the scoop on ink. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM Modern Marvels: Glue. It's Super! It's Krazy! And it can be found in everything from carpet to computers, books to boats, shoes to the Space Shuttle. It's even used in surgery! Without it, our material world would simply fall apart. In this episode, we'll visit the stuck-up, tacky world of glue. Glue's sticky trajectory spans human history and we'll cover it all--from Neolithic cave dwellers who used animal glue to decorate ceremonial skulls to modern everyday glues and their uses, including Elmer's glue, 3M's masking and Scotch tape, and the super glues. Remember the Krazy Glue commercial in which a man held himself suspended from a hard hat that had just been glued to a beam? Well, that 1970s vintage ad understates the power of glue. With the help of a crane, we're going to hoist a 6,000-pound pickup truck off the ground by a steel joint that's been bonded with glue! CC [TVPG] 10/05/2006 07:00 PM Modern Marvels: Levees. From collapsing floodwalls in New Orleans to high-tech mechanical storm surge barriers in Europe, we'll explore the 2,500-year history of keeping rivers and tides at bay by erecting levees. To get a lesson on how levees are built and why they fail, we'll climb atop Sacramento, California's crumbling river levees to see evidence of erosion that portends a New Orleans-level disaster. In stark contrast are the ingeniously engineered levees and dikes holding back tidal waters in the Netherlands. Their success inspired other mechanized flood barriers on both the River Thames outside London and one currently under construction near the sinking city of Venice, Italy. We'll also take a look at the hard lessons learned when levees are breached. In New Orleans, we'll see what the US Army Corps of Engineers is doing to protect the Crescent City from future hurricane seasons. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Where Did It Come From? Ancient Rome: The Mobile Society. Travel to the heart of the Roman Empire to examine it's remarkable civil engineering project that resulted in a 53-thousand mile network of highways. Host Michael Guillen takes us on a chariot ride through ancient Rome and discovers that many of the highway amenities that we imagine as modern developments date back over 2000 years. It's an amazing look at a travel network where so little has changed after so many years. CC [TVPG] 09:00 PM Decoding the Past. The Templar Code: The Quest for Templar Treasure. They were called The Militia of Christ; God's Special Forces. But the medieval Knights Templar were also brilliant capitalists, traders, and bankers--creating a hierarchy still followed by today's multi-national super-powers. Then, in 1307, their leaders were accused of high crimes; arrested; imprisoned; burned. But the order's ships, gold, and records all disappeared. What happened to the surviving Templars and the treasure--both sacred and earthly--they were said to possess? Did they hide gold in Nova Scotia, conceal secrets at Scotland's Rosslyn Chapel, or use their riches to establish the Swiss banking system? This episode reveals why these warriors, dead for seven centuries, and their treasure still populate Hollywood blockbusters like National Treasure and The Da Vinci Code. Ed Herrmann narrates. CC [TVPG V] 10:00 PM Modern Marvels: Snackfood Tech. Extruders, molds, in-line conveyor belts. Are these machines manufacturing adhesives, plastics, or parts for your car? No, they're making treats for your mouth--and you will see them doing their seductively tasty work in this scrumptious episode. First, we visit Utz Quality Foods in Hanover, Pennsylvania, that produces more than one million pounds of chips per week, and Snyder's of Hanover, the leading US pretzel manufacturer. Next, we focus on the world's largest candy manufacturer, Masterfoods USA, which makes Milky Way, Snickers, Mars, and M&Ms, and take a lick at the world's largest lollipop producer, Tootsie Roll Industries. And at Flower Foods' Crossville, Tennessee plant, an army of cupcakes rolls down a conveyer belt. The final stop is Dreyer's Bakersfield, California plant, where 20,000 ice cream bars and 9,600 drumsticks roll off the line in an hour. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM Test Lab: Journey into the world of product testing with host Steve Natt. Not only do we see how manufactures test their products, but with the help of Eddie Paul, an engineer and special effects designer, we go one step further with our own extreme tests. Today, Steve looks at various Body Armor. We meet Jeremiah Sullivan, inventor of the Neptunic Shark Suit. Taking his cue from the chain mail armor worn by knights in the past, Jeremiah has constructed a shark suit out of the mail linked material. Next, Steve meets Bob Weber, the principal designer of soft body armor that is used by police forces worldwide. Unlike soft body armor which "catches" a bullet, we'll also test Murray Neal's Dragon Skin hard body armor which actually causes the bullet to explode and repel itself off of the armor. Finally, Steve is off to meet with Gary McAvoy, who shows Steve the way in which fire suits are being designed to withstand blazing heat, helping to give firefighters a better chance for survival. CC [TVPG] 10/06/2006 07:00 PM Modern Marvels: Failed Inventions. Join us for a salute to the dreamers and schemers who brought the world an odd assortment of flawed ideas--like flying, swimming, and jet-powered automobiles, flying rocket belts, and radium-filled clothes that promised to inflate the owner's sagging love life! And we explore the minds of the off-kilter geniuses who thought up these off-the-mark concepts. Some tinkerers' musings were merely ahead of their time and deemed flops during the inventor's lifetime, but others were just plain bad! CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM High Hitler! Adolf Hitler dreamt of creating a master race, but achieved a Holocaust--the murder of millions of Jews and those deemed physical or mental defects. But the Führer, an appalling hypochondriac, abused laxatives and suffered from stomach cramps and embarrassing flatulence. And that was just the start! When he committed suicide in 1945, the great dictator was frail with tremors and a shuffling walk--a feeble condition concealed from the world. We explore the relationship between Hitler and his personal physician, Dr. Theodore Morell. How did amphetamine abuse, Parkinson's Disease, and tertiary syphilis impact on his state of mind? CC [TVPG] 09:00 PM Night of the Long Knives. One of Adolf Hitler's most brutal and dramatic exterminations came half a decade before the sins of the Holocaust. The SA was Hitler's army of thugs, but the head of the SA, Ernst Roehm, was threatening Hitler's rule. On June 29th 1934, Hitler ordered the SA leadership to appear for a meeting at the Hotel Hanselbauer. Without warning, the SS burst in, beginning 48 hours of bloodshed in which 1000 of the leading SA, including Roehm, were rounded up and slaughtered. This murderous deed became an ominous warning of what was to come. It is the single most significant episode in Hitler's rise to absolute power, and the set the stage for World War and the Holocaust. CC [TVPG] 10:00 PM Hitler's Family. Nazi propaganda portrayed Adolf Hitler as a man minus family or private life. As a matter of fact, he kept in touch with his family--mainly to control them. There was shady half-brother Alois, a Berlin innkeeper who tried to profit from his name, and half-sister Angela, in charge of housekeeping at the Berghof retreat, who had neighbors chased away. His niece Geli, who called her uncle a "jailer", committed suicide. His "favorite nephew" was educated at an elite Nazi school. His sister Paula wanted to marry a surgeon and mass murderer. And his English-born nephew William Patrick, a playboy in Berlin, extorted money by threatening to expose family secrets. We present previously unknown documents and personal records and descendants of the Hitler family talk about living in the shadow of a dictator. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM Mail Call. Mortar/WWII GI's Personal Items/Native-American Arrows: #6. 11:30 PM Mail Call. Ninja Weapons/Flamethrower/Military Dogs: #10. R. Lee Ermey, who portrayed the sergeant in Full Metal Jacket, applies his gruff sense of humor in this half-hour series that answers viewers' mail about what the armed forces were, and really are, like! Shot on location, Ermey reads the questions on air and then sends them out to military experts in the field for answers and brief demonstrations. Ermey learns about the weapons of the Japanese Ninja, used since the 12th century; how flamethrowers work; and what military dogs are trained to do. CC [TVPG L] 10/07/2006 07:00 PM Modern Marvels: Ink. Invented by the Chinese in about 3000BC, it spread the word of God and war. It set us free and spelled out our rights. It tells stories, sells products and solves crimes. It's ink and it's everywhere! From squid to soybeans, from ancient text to awesome tattoos, join us as we dip into the well for the scoop on ink. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Hell: The Devil's Domain. Our in-depth history of Hades begins with the story of a negative near-death experience, in which a man thinks he went to Hell after being declared clinically dead and before resuscitation. Following Lucifer's trail from cave paintings in France circa 6,000 BC to current portrayals in popular culture, our 2-hour exploration shows how Hell and the Devil remain powerful forces--at a church in Texas, where souls are delivered from Satan's grip; in talks with a survivor of the 1980s recovered memory craze, who "recalled" attending Witches' Sabbaths that practiced cannibalism; and at the modern Church of Satan. We review literary landmarks that expanded our ideas of the Underworld, from Dante's Inferno and Milton's Paradise Lost to Mark Twain's anti-hero, and trace development of Christian, Moslem, Jewish, and Buddhist conceptions of the afterlife. CC [TVPG V] 10:00 PM Roman Vice. The flowering of the Roman Empire saw incomparable power and civilization - and at the same time corruption, cruelty and depravity on an unparalleled scale. Emperors from Augustus to Tiberius and Nero built the biggest empire the world had ever seen, while presiding over a way of life riddled with violence, deviancy and excess. This special visits the archaeological sites of ancient Rome, talks to leading historians world-wide and uses stylish reconstructions to describe and explain how good and evil went side by side. CC [TV14 VSLD] 10/08/2006 07:00 PM The Search for Eternal Egypt. Combining interviews with top Egyptologists, specially shot location footage, dramatized reenactments, archive images, and computer graphics, this special tells the dramatic story of the development of Egyptology over the last 200 years. Starting in 1798 with the arrival of Napoleonic scholars, we reveal how their systematic survey of the country became the cornerstone of modern research into ancient Egypt. We also cover development of modern archaeological techniques, featuring the story of the "father of modern archaeology", Flinders Petrie, and Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. After bringing the story up to date, highlighting some of the most fascinating discoveries of the last 20 years, we explore the threat posed to the remains of ancient Egypt by population growth, pollution, and mass tourism. Find out about "Eternal Egypt", an ambitious project to document Egypt's past and make it available to a worldwide audience over the Internet. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Flight 93 (movie). The stirring story of the courageous passengers on hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 who fought back against the terrorists on 9/11, preventing a probable attack on Washington, D.C. This heart-pounding film includes the extraordinary communications that took place between the passengers and their loved ones on the ground, and between US military and government officials as they prepared to shoot the plane down, if necessary. The passengers' actions prevented the plane from becoming a guided missile that could have destroyed the US Capitol or the White House. Stars Jeffrey Nordling, Ty Olsson, Colin Glazer, and Brennan Elliott. (2005) CC [TVPG V] 10:00 PM The Antichrist, Part 1. How would you recognize the most evil person on Earth? According to many historical texts, you should look for a brilliant, enigmatic public figure who transforms the world for good--for a while. Basically, the last person you'd tap as Satan's human emissary. While many believe the Antichrist has come and gone, just as many believe he will soon arrive, if he's not already in our midst. Join us for harrowing look at an evil so obscure that he answers only to Satan. Real? Our group of prophecy believers and historical experts help sort it out. We follow the emergence of the Antichrist from pre-Judaic texts, through the Book of Daniel and Revelation, into Christian writings of the Middle Ages, and other religious traditions as well. Aided by interviewees both religious and secular, comprised of eminent clergy, scholars, historians, psychologists, and culture makers, we'll examine the evil enigma from every conceivable angle. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM The Antichrist: Zero Hour. From popes and presidents to dictators, Antichrists have been identified in all periods of recorded history and in all walks of life. Even nations, movements, and technologies have been thought by some to be the agents of the Antichrist. Throughout history, people have seen their own times as the most morally bankrupt and have recognized signs of the coming of the Apocalypse. If the end is near, what will it be like? What is the Antichrist's agenda? How does he intend to take over the world and wreak destruction? Is this escapist fantasy or inescapable fate? CC [TVPG] 10/09/2006 07:00 PM Rome: Engineering an Empire. Part 1. For more than 500 years, Rome was the most powerful and advanced civilization the world had ever known, ruled by visionaries and tyrants whose accomplishments ranged from awe-inspiring to deplorable. One characteristic linked them all--ambition--and the thirst for power that all Roman emperors shared fueled an unprecedented mastery of engineering and labor. This 2-part special chronicles the spectacular and sordid history of the Roman Empire, detailing the remarkable engineering feats that set Rome apart from the rest of the ancient world. Featuring extensive state-of-the-art CGI animation, and exclusive never-before-seen footage shot on a diving expedition in the water channels underneath the Colosseum. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Rome: Engineering an Empire, Part 2. In the conclusion of our two-part documentary special chronicling the spectacular and sordid history of the Roman Empire, we continue our look at the remarkable engineering feats that set Rome apart from the rest of the ancient world. Features extensive state-of-the-art CGI animation, and exclusive never-before-seen footage shot on a diving expedition in the water channels underneath the Colosseum. CC [TVPG] 09:00 PM Egypt: Engineering an Empire. Twenty-five hundred years before the reign of Julius Caesar, the ancient Egyptians were deftly harnessing the power of engineering on an unprecedented scale. Egyptian temples, fortresses, pyramids and palaces forever redefined the limits of architectural possibility. They also served as a warning to all of Egypt's enemies-that the world's most advanced civilization could accomplish anything. This two-hour special uses cinematic recreations and cutting-edge CGI to profile the greatest engineering achievements of ancient Egypt, and the pharaohs and architects who were behind them. Includes Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Senusret's Nubian Superfortresses, Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple at Dier el-Bahari, Akhenaten's city at Amarna, and the temples of Ramesses the Great at Abu Simbel. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM UFO Files. UFOs: Then and Now? The Innocent Years. In a comprehensive series investigating the UFO experience, we begin with a review of surprising imagery from cave paintings to Medieval frescoes to Renaissance art. But in the late 1940s, the modern era of UFO sightings took off with the mysterious crash of a flying object near Roswell, New Mexico. CC [TVPG] 10/10/2006 07:00 PM Modern Marvels. Horsepower. Buckle up for a rip-roaring ride through the world of extreme horsepower. Experience the fastest accelerating cars on earth. Find out how horsepower was first coined as a marketing tool for the steam engine in the early 1800s and meet the horsepower police--the Society of Automotive Engineers who test today's most powerful car engines. Feel the amazing power of Unlimited Hydroplane racing as 3-ton boat-beasts careen across water at speeds of over 200 miles per hour. Journey to the bowels of an enormous container ship where the world's most powerful diesel engine provides over 100,000 horsepower. At the Hoover Dam, watch as it harnesses the enormous power of water. Explore the 80,000 horsepower pumping units at the Edmonston Pumping Plant that delivers 2-billion gallons of water a day to thirsty Californians. And sit behind the steering wheel of a new generation of hybrid cars that boast 400-horsepower yet get 42 miles per gallon of gas. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Violent Earth. Tsunami 2004: Waves of Death. The 2004 Tsunami, centered in the Indian Ocean, was caused by a 9.3 earthquake--the second strongest quake on record. Join us for a minute-by-minute look at nature's fury at its worst, when the tsunami kills more than 200,000 people in 14 countries. In this special, we examine the tsunami as it moves from coast to coast through the eyes of people who lived through it and scientists now studying its path of devastation. Drawing on the extraordinary volume of amateur video that recorded the disaster, we take viewers inside the world's deadliest tsunami. CC [TVPG] 09:00 PM Mega Disasters. Yellowstone Eruption. The world's largest, most active volcano system exists in the western US. 6,000 years ago, the Yellowstone Volcano erupted. Lava and pyroclastic flows covered 3,000-square miles with ash 3-feet thick. Fossils discovered as far away as Nebraska were found to have died from inhaling the Yellowstone debris. If--or perhaps we should say when--it erupts again, the Yellowstone "Mega-Volcano" will create a global cataclysm beyond human comprehension. Everything within 150 miles--including the cities of Cody, Wyoming and Bozeman, Montana--will be hit by an 800-degree blast of heat and 200 miles-per-hour winds. Thousands will be killed. That's just the local effects. Half the US will be buried beneath a blanket of volcanic ash. Crops in the Midwest--the world's breadbasket--will be destroyed. And it will take years before crops can grow again. Starvation, epidemics, and social chaos won't be long in coming. CC [TVPG] 10:00 PM Mega Movers. Giant Structures. When it comes to moving giant structures, few moves are as impressive as those that take place at sea. These types of moves require unique techniques and tools as well as careful, detailed planning. In Canada, a team of engineers will attempt to move a gigantic 702-ton ship-loading device from the coast of Vancouver to a small mining island 70 miles away. Meanwhile, off the coast of Virginia, our movers will try to save an endangered island house by loading the entire structure onto a barge and sailing five miles to the mainland. But there is little margin for error in this chaotic environment, requiring all of the skill and ingenuity that the movers can muster. Join us for this mobile series in which we follow the relocation of the biggest, heaviest, and least movable of historic structures imaginable. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM Shootout! North Hollywood Shootout. This is the story of the fiercest gun battle in US police history. On February 28, 1997, a high-stakes bank robbery went awry and devolved into an urban firefight that became one of the most violent shootouts in law enforcement history. With TV cameras capturing the action from above, two paramilitary-style gunmen take over a bank using terrorist technology. Donning full body armor and automatic weapons, they charge out of a Bank of America branch in North Hollywood, California, and with brutal and brazen disregard, they fire armor-piercing ammo at police and citizens, turning a congested residential area into a combat zone that ends with deaths and numerous injuries. Police on the scene that day recount their ordeal that very dangerous day. CC [TVPG V] 10/11/2006 07:00 PM Modern Marvels. Extreme Aircraft. Join us for a supersonic look at some of the most cutting-edge aircraft ever developed--from the X-1 that first broke the sound barrier to the X-43 Scramjet that recently flew at Mach 7. These extreme aircraft have made their mark on aeronautical history, and sometimes on political history as well. The U-2 and SR-71 spy planes played a crucial role in the Cold War, and now Lockheed Martin's top-secret "Skunkworks" division is touting the new "air dominance" fighter plane-- the F/A-22 Raptor. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Modern Marvels. Ben Franklin Tech. You may know him as a man of great wit and wisdom, as the oldest and wisest Founding Father. But now you'll get to know Dr. Franklin as the late 18th Century's foremost scientist, and one of the greatest inventors of any era. From the humble Pennsylvania Stove to the spectacular lightning rod--Franklin was concerned with putting scientific principals to practical use. We'll explore his many inventions, including: his unique musical instrument, the glass armonica, for which both Mozart and Beethoven wrote pieces; his crafty anti-counterfeiting techniques, including multi-colored inks, elaborate ornamentation, and the use of "leaf printing"--when a metal engraving plate is made from a plant's leaf, making it impossible to copy; and bifocal glasses. And we'll see how Franklin's inventive genius extended to entire systems, including: the modern volunteer fire department, first fire insurance company, Daylight Savings Time, and America's first lending library. CC [TVPG] 09:00 PM Modern Marvels. '80's Tech. Remember "brick" cell phones, Pac-Man, Rubik's Cube, Sony Walkman, and the first music CDs? Remember all the new and exciting gadgets of the 1980s? Join us as we investigate the transition from Industrial to Information Age--a digital decade dedicated to ergonomics and entertainment. The microchip ushered in an era that revolutionized the way we work, play, and communicate. And we tour Silicon Valley--birthplace of some of the greatest inventions from an amazing time of change, including the modern personal computer. Steve "Woz" Wozniak tells us about the evolution of Apple computers, and we talk to Sony--makers of the Walkman, Betamax, and the first CD players. A visit to the Computer History Museum shows fun technological "artifacts", primitive by today's standards. At Intel, makers of the first microchips, we learn why technology moves at such a fast pace. We also take a ride in a DeLorean DMC-12 sports car--few things moved faster. CC [TVPG] 10:00 PM Modern Marvels. Distilleries 2. It's an art. It's a science. It's a marriage of vapor and water. From the elite to the illegal, the banned, to the celebrated, the distillation of spirits is a 50 billion dollar a year business. We will visit brandy, liqueur, moonshine, and absinthe distilleries to see how this magic is done. A trip to the Christian Brothers Distillery in northern California will reveal the secrets of how brandy is made and in the Deep South we observe a working moonshine still. Then it's off to France, where we visit the Courvoisier Cognac distillery and at the Jade Absinthe Distillery we see how this controversial drink is made. Includes expert commentary and historical perspective given by Bon Appetit's Anthony Dias Blue. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM The ArchiTECHS. Skyscraper Firefighting and Escape. Five geniuses, and a challenge: innovate fire rescue and evacuation equipment and vehicles for use in skyscraper disasters--and do it in 48 hours! A high-tech think tank of engineers, designers, writers and visionaries, strive to tackle the limitations of today's technology--and by using just-over-the-horizon thinking, develop radical new designs for the future. With the unprecedented cooperation New York's regional fire departments, it's a high-tech fire department makeover as the design team reworks skyscraper firefighting. For two high-pressure days on location in the greater New York area, they will immerse themselves in every aspect of firefighting, to assist both occupants and firefighters with innovations not yet imagined, culminating with a dramatic presentation for Former FDNY Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen. He will bring their ideas back to the International Association of Fire Chiefs--but only if they're good enough. CC [TVPG] 10/12/2006 07:00 PM Modern Marvels. Bible Tech. Arguably the most influential book ever written, the Bible provides a glimpse into the origins of ancient technology and its use to withstand the elements, build great structures, wage war, and conserve precious water. We examine the technological plausibility of biblical structures and machines--including the Tower of Babylon, the Temple of Jerusalem, ancient bronze and iron forging, and shipbuilding skills that might have been employed to build Noah's Ark. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Where Did It Come From? Ancient Rome: The Modern Stadium. First, a trip to Wembley, England to examine the world's most technologically advanced football stadium. When completed the new Wembley Stadium will seat 90-thousand people, contain over 3-million cubic feet of concrete, and will be covered by an eleven acre moveable roof. All quite state of the art, but not exactly new technology. The ancient Coliseum had many of the same features nearly two thousand years earlier. So, we're off to Rome to build and test a Roman crane and demonstrate how the ancient Romans managed to erect the 16 story stadium in the middle of a crowded city. We'll also see if the Coliseum could empty its 55-thousand spectators in under 15 minutes, as some historians claim. CC [TVPG] 09:00 PM Decoding the Past. Secrets of the Dollar Bill. What do the symbols and numbers on the dollar bill actually mean? We'll take a look at the shadier and more intriguing threads of meaning and symbolism at play in the bill's design. Extraordinary strands of numerology are interwoven into the bill's structure, which, on analysis, suggest surprising hidden alignments. Why does it look the way it does and how has it changed through the ages? We'll analyze the significance of changes in the bill's appearance over time and examine alternative designs. We'll also look at the historical context of the bill's conception--what the dollar bill set out to represent--the patriotism and idealism of a young republic; and go inside the Treasury's Department of Printing and Engraving for exclusive access to the presses and the people who process the millions upon millions of dollars in circulation. CC [TVPG] 10:00 PM Modern Marvels. More Snackfood Tech. They crunch; they ooze; they crackle; they pop--mmmmm, yeah! Soft drinks, donuts, meat snacks, popcorn, and gum. What's your weakness? From the handmade treats of the earliest civilizations to hi-tech mass production, these snacks are borne of man's need to feed his cravings. Join us for an hour-long tasty treat as we examine the history of snackfoods and check out how they are made today. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM Shootout! Guadalcanal. A small island in the southwestern Pacific, Guadalcanal was the place the US chose to confront the Japanese on the ground for the first time in WWII. Here, beginning in August 1942, Americans and Japanese were brought face-to-face in close-quarter shootouts that became a turning point of the war. From the near-total annihilation of Colonel Frank Goettge's intelligence patrol to the battles of Bloody Ridge, both sides learned what the other was made of. The Japanese were willing to fight to the death, and the Americans were eager to offer them that chance. The victory ultimately belonged to the US, but in the man-on-man struggles that characterized the campaign, winning or losing became personal and the difference between survival and death. Experience the thick of battle from the perspective of soldiers from both sides. CC [TVPG V] 10/13/2006 07:00 PM Modern Marvels. Aswan Dam. In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Arab Republic of Egypt's first prime minister, had a plan to bring his poor country into the 20th century. To pull it off, he needed to harness the flow of the world's longest river--the Nile. The ambitious plan called for construction of a high dam in southern Egypt at Aswan. But the builders of the pyramids and the Suez Canal were no strangers to large undertakings. We'll see how the Aswan High Dam socially, politically, culturally, and agriculturally affected Egypt. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Into the Fire. Firefighters' stories from around the nation tell about the risks taken to keep us safe. Academy and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Bill Couturié breaks down the hero myth and gives us a glimpse at the real people. From big cities and small towns, we meet both volunteer and career firefighters and see them portrayed in recent historical events. With powerful music from Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Dire Straits and others, we'll take an emotional journey into the hearts of first responders, that forever changes the way we think about firefighters and the fire service. CC [TVPG] 09:30 PM Sex in The Bible. From erotic poetry to sinful sex, we'll explore the uncensored Bible. Discover scriptures brimming with lustful tales like King Solomon's 700 concubines, Sodom and Gomorrah, and Jesus and the adulteress. Dr. Ruth Westheimer and other experts discuss a Bible where passion and sexual deviancy live alongside the quest for the Holy. (90-minute version) CC [TVPG S] 11:00 PM Mail Call. Refueling a Fighter Jet/Naval Signal Flags/GI Chow: #7. R. Lee Ermey, who portrayed the sergeant in Full Metal Jacket, applies his gruff sense of humor in this half-hour series that answers viewers' mail about what the armed forces were, and really are, like! Shot on location, Ermey reads the questions on air and then sends them out to military experts in the field for answers and brief demonstrations. Find out how to refuel a fighter jet in midair, how ships send messages using signal flags, and what soldiers eat on the battlefield. CC [TVPG L] 11:30 PM Mail Call. Deuce & A Half/Gun Truck/Household Fat/Silo/C-17 Loadmaster/Kilt/Girls from Hell: #20. What is a WWII "Deuce and a Half"? What's a "Vietnam Gun Truck". Did the US really use household fat to make explosives in WWII? How do missile silos work? What's the latest transport aircraft? Did Scottish soldiers really wear kilts in battle, and who did the Germans call the "Girls from Hell" in WWI? R. Lee Ermey dips into his viewers' mailbag and sends these questions out to military experts in the field for answers and brief demonstrations. CC [TVPG L] 10/14/2006 07:00 PM Modern Marvels. Distilleries 2. It's an art. It's a science. It's a marriage of vapor and water. From the elite to the illegal, the banned, to the celebrated, the distillation of spirits is a 50 billion dollar a year business. We will visit brandy, liqueur, moonshine, and absinthe distilleries to see how this magic is done. A trip to the Christian Brothers Distillery in northern California will reveal the secrets of how brandy is made and in the Deep South we observe a working moonshine still. Then it's off to France, where we visit the Courvoisier Cognac distillery and at the Jade Absinthe Distillery we see how this controversial drink is made. Includes expert commentary and historical perspective given by Bon Appetit's Anthony Dias Blue. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM The Exodus Decoded. The story of the Exodus invokes an epic tale--Pharaohs and Israelites, plagues and miracles, splitting of the sea and drowning of an army, and Moses. It's at the heart of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. After much research--working with archaeologists, Egyptologists, geologists, and theologians--filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici concluded that the Exodus took place hundreds of years earlier than thought. With a new timetable, Jacobovici reexamined artifacts and discovered that the traditional consensus on the date was reached without reference to Judaic texts that record the oral traditions. When Jacobovici consulted these texts, they revealed names of people and places unknown to researchers until recently when extensive excavations in the Nile Delta took place. Teaming up with special effects designers, he created a unique digital experience of the Exodus. Blending archaeological findings with eye-catching effects, Jacobovici creates a virtual museum to showcase his discoveries. CC [TVPG V] 10:00 PM 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. CC [TVPG] 11:00 PM Decoding the Past. Heaven and Hell. From the beginning of recorded history, people from all over the world have believed in an afterlife. In Christianity, the powerful images of heaven and hell--fire and brimstone, harps and halos--have shaped Western thought for thousands of years. What does the Bible tell us about everlasting punishment and eternal life? Join us on a biblical journey as we explore the origins of heaven and hell and the symbols that represent them. CC [TVPG] 10/15/2006 07:00 PM Lost Worlds. Knights Templar. They defended the Holy Land through bloodshed and prayer. Founded in the 12th century, these Christian warrior monks reigned supreme for nearly 200 years before suffering a spectacular fall from grace. Tried for heresy, they were disbanded and their Grand Master burned at the stake. We'll search behind the legend for their lost world. We recreate the city they knew as Tortosa--now hidden among modern homes in the Syrian city of Tartus. We reveal secrets of their headquarters at Temple Mount in Jerusalem, with magnificent underground vaults that could stable 1,000 horses. And we visit the circular church in London built to resemble the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the site of the Templar's mysterious initiation rites. We bring to life the hilltop fortress that Lawrence of Arabia called "the finest castle in the world", and return to the Mediterranean island where the Knights Templars made their last stand against Moslem enemies. CC [TVPG] 08:00 PM Egypt: Engineering an Empire. Twenty-five hundred years before the reign of Julius Caesar, the ancient Egyptians were deftly harnessing the power of engineering on an unprecedented scale. Egyptian temples, fortresses, pyramids and palaces forever redefined the limits of architectural possibility. They also served as a warning to all of Egypt's enemies-that the world's most advanced civilization could accomplish anything. This two-hour special uses cinematic recreations and cutting-edge CGI to profile the greatest engineering achievements of ancient Egypt, and the pharaohs and architects who were behind them. Includes Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Senusret's Nubian Superfortresses, Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple at Dier el-Bahari, Akhenaten's city at Amarna, and the temples of Ramesses the Great at Abu Simbel. CC [TVPG] 10:00 PM Strange Egypt. We all know the Egypt of the pyramids and King Tut's tomb. But there's much, much more. The daily life of ancient Egyptians was filled with magic, mystery, and sex. We'll take a closer look at the beliefs and habits of one of the world's oldest cultures. There was incest in the royal palace, divine cats, and an entire industry devoted to ushering the dead into the next world. Spells, potions, and incantations ruled every aspect of life. Yet even in these unusual customs, we'll find the human face of the ancient people of Egypt. CC [TV14] 11:00 PM Modern Marvels. Mummy Tech. After thousands of years, Egyptian mummies are speaking from the grave. With the use of state-of-the-art computer tomography scanning, known as CT-scanning, we explore inside a 2,000-year-old mummified body of an Egyptian child. With today's technology, mummies are studied without being unwrapped. Researchers travel around inside the mummy's head and body with 3-D imagery. We meet Dr. Robert Brier, a renowned Egyptologist. Dr. Brier reveals secrets of Mummification--it took up to 70 days to preserve the dead. Aided by new technology, we investigate the death of one of the most famous mummies, King Tut. Was he murdered or did he die from an illness? We also uncover the case of the Mummy who lay in obscurity for over a hundred years, until modern science unlocked the secrets of his identity as an Egyptian pharaoh. And we join a team of conservationists as they build a nitrogen-filled glass display case to provide a safe sanctuary to prevent mummies from decay. CC [TVPG] ____________________________________________________ Monday, October 16, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Apollo 11. As mankind's greatest achievement of the 20th century, Apollo 11 stood as the apogee of science, exploration, flight, and technological prowess. In scarcely 10 years, America went from rocketing monkeys to landing a man on the moon. Leaving Earth on July 16, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, and Mike Collins pushed the limits of skill and endurance. See and experience the flight of Apollo 11 through the eyes of the astronauts, mission controllers, engineers, and designers who made it happen. 8-9pm -- UFO Files - Alien Engineering, Part 1. Prepare for an exercise in imagination. Suppose that an alien spacecraft crashed in the desert and we humans recovered it. What could we learn from its engineers? Using data gleaned from years of UFO sightings, we recreate a typical ship using cutting-edge animation, discover why aliens choose the craft shapes they do, learn how they overcome the effects of Earth's atmosphere, defy gravity, cancel inertia, and travel faster than the speed of light! Our experts--reverse engineers--show us what's "under the hood" of alien craft. We explore the technology that makes other-world visitations possible, what distance-shrinking device or wormhole excavator permits ships to travel space's expanse in minutes, and how the semi-transparent spacecraft skin functions. At first inspection, the technology seems crazy, but according to our experts, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility. 9-10pm -- Engineering an Empire - Greece. Western Civilization has been influenced by many cultures, but it was born in Ancient Greece. The Ancient Greeks laid a foundation that has supported nearly 3000 years of European history. Philosophers like Aristotle and Socrates, Olympian gods, the beginnings of democracy and great conquering armies can be attributed to the Ancient Greeks. This strong and charismatic people strategically harnessed the materials and people around them to create the most advanced technological feats the world had ever seen. From The Tunnel of Samos: a mile-long aqueduct dug through a large mountain of solid limestone, to Agamemnon's Tomb, to The Parthenon, we will examine the architecture and infrastructure engineered by the Greek Empire. Peter Weller hosts. 10-11pm -- Lost Worlds - Atlantis. Field investigators using the latest research, expert analysis, and cutting-edge technology take us back to ancient Greece, to a peaceful island that exploded with devastating force. But, at the dawn of the 20th Century, the remains of a palace were discovered on the island of Crete, preserved beneath volcanic ash. Could the ruins be home to the ancient civilization of Atlantis? Our investigators find that a Cretan palace and a town on Santorini are linked by unique engineering of their buildings. Rebuilding towns, temples, and the palace of Atlantis as described by Plato, we reveal the majesty and mystery of this lost world. The builders of the original palace achieved a level of engineering excellence not matched for centuries. With its massive scale, complex water-management systems, and sparkling gypsum walls, the engineering of this extraordinary palace connects it to Plato's descriptions of Atlantis. ____________________________________________________ Tuesday, October 17, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Apollo 13. The Apollo 13 mission was intended to be a "routine" trip to the moon. But when an oxygen tank exploded, the spacecraft was crippled and its 3-man crew placed in mortal danger. The Lunar Module, intended for deployment on the moon's surface, instead became a lifeboat. Scientists and engineers on earth fought a race against time to save the crew. We'll examine the mission, which nearly ended in tragedy, but instead was a resounding success, and in some ways became NASA's finest hour. 8-9pm -- Violent Earth - Asteroids! Asteroids have been colliding with earth since the beginning of time. The effect can be enormous--from killing of the dinosaurs to scarring of the planet's surface. Through computer recreations and interviews with the world's foremost asteroid authorities, we explore the long history of these rocks from space and what future threats they pose. 9-10pm -- Mega Disasters - East Coast Tsunami. Hurricanes. Earthquakes. Floods. Blizzards. Frightening but all too familiar natural disasters. But what about a tsunami wave hitting the east coast of the United States? In this hour, we look at such an event that could be caused by a massive island landslide triggered by a volcano off the coast of Africa. We explore the awesome tsunami recorded by German colonists in New Guinea triggered by a volcanic explosion on Ritter Island in 1888. Leaping forward, we hear from leading scientists about the possibility of a potentially catastrophic collapse of the west-facing façade of a volcano located in the Canary Islands. Potentially 500 times the size of the collapse at Ritter Island, it could trigger a tsunami with initial waves over 900 meters high. A North American city on the eastern seaboard, such as Charleston, South Carolina, would have no more than nine hours to evacuate before waves as high as 40 feet inundated the city, leaving a huge wake of destruction and damage. 10-11pm -- Man, Moment, Machine - Apollo 13: Triumph on the Dark Side. April 1970--the Apollo 13 mission is 178,000 miles from Earth, just two days away from a lunar landing, when an explosion rips the spacecraft apart and puts the crew's lives on the line. Captain Jim Lovell has to work quickly and decisively to save his crew and what's left of his ship. After struggling to stay alive for four days in a freezing cold spacecraft, no one knows if the command module carrying the astronauts can survive a fiery re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Only the leadership of Jim Lovell, the ingenuity of the NASA team in space and on the ground, and the robust systems of the spacecraft offer a chance for survival. ____________________________________________________ Wednesday, October 18, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - ET Tech. In 2003, with Mars closer to Earth than it had been in 60,000 years, scientists launched three life-seeking planetary landers. If the long journeys prove successful, all should be hard at work on the Red Planet's surface by January 2004. NASA's Spirit and Opportunity and the European Space Agency's Beagle 2 represent the pinnacle in the history of the search for extraterrestrial life. Leading scientists, who believe life may exist beyond Earth, explain skepticism about ETs having visited Earth. 8-9pm -- Modern Marvels - The World's Fastest. Perhaps no field has experienced the revolution in velocity more acutely than transportation. We look at five blazingly fast technological marvels that have pushed the speed limits to the very edge, each with its own unique and dramatic history: the world's fastest production car (Sweden's Koenigsegg CCR); the world's fastest train (the Maglev in Shanghai); the world's fastest boat (The Spirit of Australia); the world's fastest roller coaster (the Kingda Ka) and the fastest thing on earth (the Holloman High Speed Test Track), used to test highly sensitive equipment for many branches of the government and commercial clients. 9-10pm -- Modern Marvels - World's Biggest Machines 3. Giant robots on the factory floor and in outer space. A floating fortress that's home to 6,000 military personnel, which is almost as long as the Empire State Building is tall. And a diesel engine with 108,000 horsepower. (You read that right.) These giants must be seen to be believed! In this episode, we travel over land and sea to find these and more of the biggest, baddest, most audacious feats of engineering in the world. 10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - World's Strongest. Strength...A powerful word, but what does it mean? How is it measured? Why are some things simply stronger than others. How strong is a rope, a tractor, a diamond, a tugboat or even plastic. From Spectra fibre to Lexan learn where, how and why strength matters to us every day. ____________________________________________________ Thursday, October 19, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Space Shuttle. Considered by many to be the most astounding machine ever built, this reusable spaceship is the apex of flight technology. This program recounts the challenges and the critical issues that led to NASA's decision to create an "airplane" to navigate space. 8-9pm -- Where Did It Come From? - Ancient China: The Personal Weapon. Today's modern armies employ missiles, machine guns, smart weapons and clever strategies to use on the battlefield. These weapons may seem like cutting edge technology, but the ancient Chinese invented these weapons--in some cases thousands of years ago. Host Michael Guillen will demonstrate how the ancient Chinese repeating crossbow was a clear precursor to the machine gun and we'll see how, more than a thousand years earlier, the Chinese invented a weapon that rivaled the European cannon. Explore how ancient Chinese armies developed battlefield strategies that shape how we go to war today. 9-10pm -- Decoding The Past - Giganto: The Real King Kong. An exploration of the Giganto (King Kong) legend using modern science, technology, and historic eyewitness accounts. Gigantopithecus (the Latin term for "Giant Ape") is believed to have existed 9 to 5-million years ago and supposedly was around 10-feet tall. Some fossil evidence shows that it may have lived in China or India. Scientists of varying fields will attempt to genetically connect Giganto to modern-day creatures from around the world. Could Bigfoot be a relative? Forensic testing, extensive scientific research, 3-D animation, and body reconstruction will help determine the true mystery behind this prehistoric ape. 10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Candy. It pulls, stretches, bubbles, hardens, crunches, and melts! We eat about 7-billion tons of it yearly. We're talking about Candy--loved by kids and savored by adults. Candy-making evolved from a handmade operation to high-tech mass production. Nowhere is that more apparent than at Hershey's. On a tour of their newest production facility, we learn how they process the cocoa bean. At See's Candy, we see how they make their famous boxed chocolates--on a slightly smaller scale than Hershey's. We get a sweet history lesson at Schimpff's Confectionery, where they still use small kettles, natural flavors, and hand-operated equipment. Then, we visit Jelly Belly, purveyors of the original gourmet jellybean. Saltwater-taffy pullers hypnotize us on our sweet-tooth tour; we gaze at extruders making miles of licorice rope; and watch as nostalgia candy bars Abba-Zaba and Big Hunk get packaged. And in this sugary hour, we digest the latest sensations--gourmet chocolates and scorpion on a stick! ____________________________________________________ Friday, October 20, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Satellites. Strong enough to survive their fiery launch into orbit, sophisticated enough to provide life-saving images or relay tens of thousands of phone calls at the same time. By monitoring weapons systems and troop movements, these "eyes in the sky" may be the difference between security and annihilation. From the futuristic visions of a British sci-fi writer to creations of a German rocket designer for the Nazi war machine to the Cold War technological race, we review the satellites that link our world. 8-10pm -- How William Shatner Changed the World - You've got a cell phone at one ear, an iPod at the other. You know that Blackberry is now a verb and Spam is not only canned meat. But just how did we get here? Blame William Shatner--yes, that William Shatner--Captain Kirk. We'll boldly go where few have gone before to reveal how scientists, inspired by the series, would revolutionize medicine and are surpassing the far-out vision of the future foreshadowed in Star Trek in the 1960s. From cell phones to computers to even leading-edge medical advancements, this 2-hour special explores how those sci-fi inventions have now permeated everyday life as we know it. Hosted and narrated by Shatner and based on his book, I'm Working on That, we'll meet the brightest minds of Silicon Valley and the Trek-inspired inventions that have help change the world. 10-11pm -- Pacific: The Lost Evidence - Iwo Jima. On February 19, 1945, men of the US Marine Corps invaded Iwo Jima. Over the next 36 days, the island became the site of a titanic struggle of sheer bloody will and determination. The Marines had to expel over 21,000 tenacious Japanese troops from a labyrinth of fortifications dug into the very bowels of this sulphurous island. Aerial photographs taken of the island during the war have now been layered over a 3-D contour map to create a CGI "model" of the island. But this is no computer game--it's a model of the actual island as the battle raged. The original high-resolution images allow viewers to track the conquest of the island, step by step, from the air. Individual stories of courage and heroism can be placed in the exact spot on the island where they took place. The Marines eventually secured the island, but half of the land combatants were killed or maimed. The battle assumed legendary status and earned its place in the collective consciousness of the American people. ____________________________________________________ Saturday, October 21, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Da Vinci Tech. Nearly 500 years after his death, Leonardo da Vinci still intrigues us. Most people think of him as a great artist, but he was also a remarkable scientist and inventor. His love of mechanics was unparalleled and he filled his notebooks with pages of incredible machines--from weapons of war to "Ships of the Skies", from submarines and scuba suits to robots and an analogue computer...even contact lenses and alarm clocks! How did a 15th-century man envision such modern innovations? If we follow his plans, would any of his designs work? We need wonder no more. With recent technological advances and new materials, we're the first generation able to bring Leonardo's drawings to life--to learn whether his "mechanical dreams" were workable plans. We explore the fascinating intersection of his art, science, and engineering marvels, and use them to offer insight into this "Genius of Geniuses", who remains as elusive as Mona Lisa's smile. 8-10pm -- Nuremberg: Goering's Last Stand - The dramatic and largely untold story of the year-long psychological duel between U.S. Colonel Burton Andrus, Commandant of the Nuremberg Jail and the Rechsmarschall of Nazi Germany and Hitler's heir, Hermann Goering. Goering came to prison a drug-addled man weighing 264-pounds, accompanied by a valet and 16 pieces of matching luggage. Three months later, drug free and 65-pounds thinner, he regained the mental acuity that made him a formidable political foe. Andrus, on the other hand, was a devotee of General George Patton, and a strict disciplinarian. He had been entrusted with a vital task direct from General Eisenhower himself -- to clean up Goering and get him ready for trial. 10-11pm -- Standing Tall at Auschwitz - They were the largest family of dwarfs in recorded history. In the 1930s and 1940s, seven Jewish siblings toured Transylvania and neighboring lands enchanting enthusiastic crowds with their unique musical performances. Imprisoned at Auschwitz, they became endlessly appealing to Dr. Josef Mengele, who tormented them in the name of genetic research. In inescapable irony, the Nazi doctor of death became their protector--and only hope for survival. We follow the Ovitz family from their beginnings in Transylvania and incarceration at Auschwitz, to their liberation from the camp and eventual settling in Israel. This story of survival unfolds through firsthand accounts from residents of Rozavlea in Transylvania (now Romania), where the Ovitz family grew up, and from fellow Auschwitz survivors that remember them from the camp. Highlights include an interview with Perla, the youngest Ovitz, taped before her death in 2001. ____________________________________________________ Sunday, October 22, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Robo-Warriors - The U.S. military has made a major commitment to deploying and developing robots for use on the battlefield--from the highly successful bomb disposal robots, to the unmanned aerial vehicles. We'll preview the latest armed robot, with aim so accurate and deadly that it virtually never misses its target and look at the difficulties of making military vehicles driverless. The use of robots in warfare fits into some of the basic tenets of American fighting: to reduce manpower with material and to kill the enemy either at a distance or with a surrogate soldier. In the future, the Pentagon hopes to have a ratio of 4-6 robots to every human soldier. It will be the human soldiers, not the robots, according to the Department of Defense, who will continue to make decisions of life and death... at least in our lifetime. 8-10pm -- The Flag-Raisers of Iwo Jima - The story of two photos taken during the brutal WWII Battle of Iwo Jima--one, the famous photo of five U.S. Marines and one Navy corpsman raising the flag atop Mt. Suribachi; the other also shows flag-raisers, but is largely forgotten. Battle veterans tell the story through letters, interviews, and poignant recollections, and what they say may surprise viewers. To the men of Iwo Jima, the Mt. Suribachi photo, which stirs feelings of pride in many Americans, has been tainted by decades of distortion. 10-11pm -- Inside the Great Battles - Mixing real-life locations, archival battle footage, and 21st-century animation, we tell the story of history's greatest conflicts. Viewers are taken inside the tunnels of Iwo Jima to tell the story of this pivotal WWII battle from both the US and Japanese soldiers' viewpoint. ____________________________________________________ Monday, October 23, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - The Autobahn. Imagine a superhighway designed for speed...thousands of miles of roadway unhindered by limits of any kind. Buckle up for safety as we take you for the ride of your life when we explore the fascinating history and current reality of the world's fastest freeway. The number-one works project of the Third Reich, the Autobahn was known as Adolf Hitler's Road until Germany's defeat in WWII. Reconstructed and extended to more than four times its original size, it became a symbol of the New Germany. 8-9pm -- UFO Files - Deep Sea UFOs: Red Alert. In this hour, we'll dive deeper into the ongoing mystery of USOs--Underwater Submerged Objects--UFOs that have reportedly been witnessed going into and out of Earth's oceans. The show features a dive into the Santa Catalina Channel near Los Angeles to search for trace evidence of a 1992 USO event--a detailed account of the USS FDR, a magnet for USO and UFOs from the early 1950s until its decommissioning in the 1970s, with at least eight major sightings. Australia's famous Tully Water-Crop Circle Case is explored, as well as many other astounding and recent USO cases from the US and the world. Interviews include USS FDR veterans Chet Gruisinsky and Harry Jordan, USO researcher Dr. Stephen Greer, and Australian UFO expert Bill Chaulker. 9-10pm -- Engineering an Empire - Greece: Age of Alexander. 438 BC. The Parthenon is complete. This masterpiece is the crowning achievement for the Greek people. Without Alexander the Great, it is possible Greece's Golden Era would have been just a footnote in history. Tens of thousands would die during Alexander's relentless attacks on Persia and Egypt, yet, his armies carried Greek life, culture and values far abroad and this empire became known as the "Hellenistic" world. Greece's amazing engineering achievements and ideas are still with us today. 10-11pm -- Lost Worlds - The Real Dracula. In a country torn by bloody civil war, a young man seizes power. In his native tongue, he is called Dracula. This is not the vampire, Count Dracula, but a real historical figure: a Romanian prince. Dracula was a warlord who became known all across Europe for both his breathtaking courage and his terrifying cruelty. But he also left an enduring legacy. Not just in blood, but also in brick, mortar, and stone. He constructed palaces. He founded the city that was to become his country's capital. He also built one of Eastern Europe's most breathtaking mountaintop castles. Now, with state-of-the-art computer animation, we'll bring Dracula's lost world back to life: his birthplace in the fortified town of Sighisoara; the gothic splendor of Transylvania's Bran Castle; the sumptuous palace of Targoviste; and the real castle Dracula, Poenari. ____________________________________________________ Tuesday, October 24, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - World's Biggest Machines 4. From a giant machine press that stamps out an entire car body to a 125-ton chainsaw that cuts through the world's hardest rock; from a huge telescope that glimpses the ends of the known universe to the world's largest rock crusher. Join us for a workout of the world's largest machines, and take a long look through the lens of the world's biggest optical telescope, the Keck Observatory, atop 13,800-foot Mauna Kea in Hawaii. 8-9pm -- Fear Files - Throughout history there have been strange and frightening tales that continue to capture the imagination of cultures throughout the world. But is there truth and fact behind these tales? This special will delve into the unknown world of Zombies. By definition, a "zombie" is a dead person who is brought back to life through a curse (voodoo, necromancy) or a mutation, and has recovered some vital functions like movement. Voodoo, found primarily in Haiti but practiced by over 60 million people worldwide, was established in the 17th century by slaves captured largely from the kingdom of Dahomey, in West Africa. Through interviews with experts, victims, witnesses and researchers, we'll take a critical look at the science and the psychology behind this diabolical mythology. 9-10pm -- Lost Worlds - The world has been captivated by legends of ancient civilizations that flourished only to vanish without a trace. Can Atlantis be found? Did the ferocious Amazon women really exist? What mystery lies behind Stonehenge or the giant heads of Easter Island? Modern science can help us draw back the veils of time and, at last, give us answers to the elusive mysteries of lost worlds. 10-11pm -- Man, Moment, Machine - Patton and the Desperate Tank Attack. The tide has suddenly turned in the war in Europe on December 16, 1944. The hard-hit German Army has secretly assembled a massive force. They slam through woods in Belgium-Luxemburg and hit the Allies with a steel fist. In the middle of one of the coldest winters in history, the front line is buckling. The enormous bulge in Allied lines gives the battle its name. The 101st Airborne Division and elements of Patton's 10th Armored Division are rushed to stop the onslaught. In the town of Bastogne, the Germans surround the Americans and begin to tighten the noose. It looks like no one can relieve them until the Americans send in their most aggressive warrior--George S. Patton--to beat back the enemy assault with the best machine in his arsenal--the M-4 Sherman tank. ____________________________________________________ Wednesday, October 25, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Copper Kings. More than a century ago, two men controlled nearly all of U.S. copper production, transforming Butte, Montana from a washed-up gold-mining camp into a global powerhouse. William Clark, a ruthless banker known for preying on the misfortune of miners, and Marcus Daly, a self-made man with a knack for knowing where to dig, created huge empires and lived like kings, while fighting a ferocious, personal, battle that lasted nearly 25 years. We follow the rivalry between these giants of American industry. 8-9pm -- Mysteries on the High Seas - Mysteries on the High Seas. Unexplained happenings on the water have baffled scientists and historians alike. Why does the Bermuda Triangle have such a frightening reputation for travelers' disappearances? What can account for ships mysteriously meeting their doom on the Great Lakes, and planes vanishing over Alaska's icy waters? What lies behind classic ghost-ship stories like the Flying Dutchman and the Mary Celeste? And what once made New Jersey's shoreline a hunting ground for killer sharks? 9-10pm -- Miracles, Mystics, & Prophecies - Throughout the ages, thousands of prophets have come forward with visions of the future...many warning of death, destruction...even Armageddon. But is it possible that any of the people who've made such predictions actually possessed some uncanny ability to see into the future? From the predictions of Nostradamus and Rasputin to the Secrets of Fatima, we investigate history's most compelling prophecies, miracles and mystics. 10-11pm -- American Eats - Chocolate With approximately 380 known chemicals, scientists are still struggling to learn how chocolate affects our brains. We do know that it mimics the way our brains react to marijuana, amphetamines, and the drug we call "love"! How did this little pod from a little tree become a global obsession? Enjoyed as a drink by the Mayans and Aztecs, it was Europeans who added sugar. But in 1847, chocolate became edible as well as drinkable and Milton S. Hershey made it popular in the US. And during WWII, the chocolate bar became an internationally recognized American symbol. GIs used chocolate bars as barter, and the little candies known as M&Ms became a favorite. Recent studies show health benefits to chocolate, especially dark chocolate that contains some of the same antioxidant potential as red wine. So now you can have your chocolate and eat it, too! ____________________________________________________ Thursday, October 26, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Secret Allied Aircraft of WWII. At WWII's outset, US and UK military aircraft designs were woefully behind Germany's and Japan's technologically superior planes. But the genius and ingenuity of innovators on both sides of the Atlantic closed the gap. For America, it was a handful of visionaries and their teams; for Great Britain, a creative and thoughtful spirit emanated from the top leadership on down. In this hour, we recount the untold stories of their cutting-edge designs and solutions, some of which proved decades ahead of their time. 8-9pm -- Monsters - For centuries, tales of monsters have piqued our curiosity. Legendary beasts from folklore, literature and film have captivated audiences around the world. But some say monsters are not confined to just our imaginations. Stories of the Abominable Snowman, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster have triggered worldwide investigations...and continue to enthrall believers and skeptics alike. 9-10pm -- Decoding The Past - In Search of the Real Frankenstein The fascinating story of Johann Konrad Dipple, a brilliant scientist caught up in the dark world of alchemy and body snatching. This is the true tale of the original mad scientist, born in 1673, in the famous gothic Frankenstein Castle that overlooked Germany's Rhine Valley. His pioneering work would lead to electric shock therapy used in modern medicine. It was at Frankenstein Castle that Dipple would carry out his search to brew a secret elixir of life. He began to dig up fresh corpses from the nearby Nieder-Beerbach cemetery and dragged them to his laboratory in Castle Frankenstein to test out his formulas. Ironically, it was his potions that finally killed him. 10-11pm -- Modern Marvels - Death Devices. The hangman, guillotine, gas chamber, firing squad, and electric chair are just a few of the ways in which societies have rid themselves of those who committed capital crimes. And throughout history, a select few have developed the devices that have carried out the mandate of the people. This is the dark story of those inventors and the macabre history of execution mechanics--from the first "stone" of antiquity, the dungeons of the Inquisition, and Nazi death camps to today's sterile injection chambers--with a peek at the future of death technology. ____________________________________________________ Friday, October 27, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 8-9pm -- The Haunted History of Halloween - On October 31, when pint-sized ghouls and goblins trick or treat, they're upholding an ancient northern European ritual dating back thousands of years. From the Celtic festival of Samhain to the mumming tradition and the Christian feast day All Hallows' Eve, we find out why this night is the scariest of the year! 9-10pm -- Mysteries of the Bible - Bible Mysteries. The Bible has been studied by millions of people over thousands of years-but it continues to mystify us even today. Did Noah's Ark really exist-and is it trapped in the snow and ice on a mountaintop in Turkey? Have archeologists found the remains of the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Was the Shroud of Turin really the burial cloth of Jesus Christ-or just a medieval forgery? And are there secret messages and codes hidden within the text of the Old Testament? 10-11pm -- Pacific: The Lost Evidence - Pearl Harbor. December 7, 1941--"a date which will live in infamy". The unprovoked attack on the US Pacific Fleet moored at Pearl Harbor is one of the key moments in modern history, signaling the US entry into WWII, turning the war into a global conflict, and marking America's emergence as a military superpower. In this hour, we offer an unprecedented viewpoint of the attack. Aerial photographs taken of Pearl Harbor and the Hawaiian Island of Oahu are layered over a 3-D contour map to create a CGI "model". But, this isn't a computer game. Rather, a facsimile of Pearl Harbor as the battle raged. These original high-resolution images allow the viewer to track the attack from the air. Individual stories of courage and heroism are explored in the exact spots where they took place. Using cutting-edge techniques, rare archive film, reenactments, and extraordinary interviews with men who were there, we tell, in a totally new way, the story of WWII's greatest surprise attack. ____________________________________________________ Saturday, October 28, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Engineering Disasters 18. We look at a 1999 tragedy, when three ironworkers plunged 200 feet when the basket in which they were working was struck by debris during construction of Milwaukee's Brewers Baseball Stadium. Next, we travel to a deadly explosion in China's Sunjiwan coal mine--antiquated equipment, minimal safety standards, and a rush to overproduce left the mines susceptible to fires, floods, and explosions. From the 1920s through the `50s, US shoe stores featured the fluoroscope. Based on an early Edison machine, the fluoroscope took x-rays to determine a customer's size--while emitting high doses of radiation. In California, we visit the Salton Sea, an unnatural body of water with no drainage that grows more salty and less hospitable to life daily. In the 1950s Soviet leaders embarked on a massive irrigation project that diverted water from the Aral Sea. Over time, the coastline receded 100 miles, killing off many species of fish and a once thriving fishing industry. 8-10pm -- Skeletons on the Sahara - In 1815, a Connecticut merchant ship is run aground off the west coast of Africa. Captured by Arab nomads, Captain James Riley and his crew are sold into brutal slavery and marched across the Sahara Desert, where skin boils, lips blacken and men shrivel to less than 90 pounds. Along the way the Americans will encounter everything that could possibly test them, but Riley and his men will also discover ancient cities, secret oases and a culture largely unknown to the modern world. We'll take viewers inside the adventure, with realistic recreations shot on location and compelling interviews with descendants of Riley, his crew and the Arabs who held them captive. Includes expert commentary from Dean King, author of the bestselling book of the same name. 10-12am -- Quest for Dragons - A spirited exploration of the history, science, and legend of the world's most notorious beast--the dragon, the best-known creature that never was. Throughout history, dragons influenced wars, science, art, and religion. They appear in almost every culture and many still believe in dragons. How could different cultures, isolated by geology and millennia, all invent the same creature? If the dragon is simply the product of our imagination, how could distant peoples, with no knowledge of each other, all invent the same beast? One of the reasons dragons are a perennial favorite is that even though they are the ultimate predator and antagonist, it's also fun to identify with them. In the end, we want to be the dragon as much as we may want to slay the dragon. ____________________________________________________ Sunday, October 29, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- The Haunted History of Halloween - On October 31, when pint-sized ghouls and goblins trick or treat, they're upholding an ancient northern European ritual dating back thousands of years. From the Celtic festival of Samhain to the mumming tradition and the Christian feast day All Hallows' Eve, we find out why this night is the scariest of the year! 8-10pm -- Vampires Secrets - Since Bram Stoker first published his novel Dracula in 1897, the world's most popular vampire has made his appearance in 44 languages. The vampire myth however, is much older than Count Dracula, popping up from Athens to Beijing almost 1000 years before the Transylvanian legend. Vampire legends have two things in common: drinking blood and returning from the dead. Long before Jesus urged his followers to drink his blood and eat his flesh, prehistoric man held similar rituals. From the Bible and ancient Mesopotamian history to blood drinking societies in New York, we reveal the amazing truth behind one of the most terrifying legends in history. 10-11pm -- Bloodlines: The Dracula Family Tree - When a team of Dracula hunters, notably members of a family linked to the real-life Prince Vlad Dracul, tries to unearth the truth about the tyrant, they are haunted by mystifying events, misfortune, and tragedy 500 years after the 15th-century prince died. ____________________________________________________ Monday, October 30, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- Modern Marvels - Mummy Tech. After thousands of years, Egyptian mummies are speaking from the grave. With the use of state-of-the-art computer tomography scanning, known as CT-scanning, we explore inside a 2,000-year-old mummified body of an Egyptian child. With today's technology, mummies are studied without being unwrapped. Researchers travel around inside the mummy's head and body with 3-D imagery. We meet Dr. Robert Brier, a renowned Egyptologist. Dr. Brier reveals secrets of Mummification--it took up to 70 days to preserve the dead. Aided by new technology, we investigate the death of one of the most famous mummies, King Tut. Was he murdered or did he die from an illness? We also uncover the case of the Mummy who lay in obscurity for over a hundred years, until modern science unlocked the secrets of his identity as an Egyptian pharaoh. And we join a team of conservationists as they build a nitrogen-filled glass display case to provide a safe sanctuary to prevent mummies from decay. 8-9pm -- UFO Files - Alien Engineering, Part 2. If an alien spaceship crash-lands on Earth, the first thing we'll want to do is take it apart and learn how it works. Maybe go for a tour inside and learn what kind of options it has--like an anti-matter reactor, laser weapons, and even a teletransporter. Amazingly, many of these "science fiction" devises are based on real science. And many have human-designed counterparts right here on Earth. Super-powerful laser weapons can be found on our own prototype weapons. We're even researching ways to hide vehicles behind plasma-generated "invisibility cloaks". Cutting-edge animation and live-action recreations help us "imagine" an alien spacecraft and learn how many amazing devices and mechanisms are really possible, and likely to be available in a few years. 9-10pm -- Engineering an Empire - The Aztecs. In less than 200 years the Aztec's transformed themselves from a band of wandering nomads to the greatest civilization the New World had ever known. What records remain of this amazing feat indicate they did it through brilliant military campaigns and by ingeniously applying technology to master the harsh environment they faced. They built their capital city where no city should have been possible: in the middle of a lake. The Aztec also practiced human sacrifice on an unprecedented scale and made many enemies. By the time the Spaniards landed they had no trouble recruiting tribal allies to destroy the Aztecs. Watch with host Peter Weller as we examine the architecture and infrastructure behind the New World's greatest, and last, indigenous society. 10-11pm -- Lost Worlds - Ramses' Egyptian Empire 1300 BC. The mighty Egyptian civilization is in its golden age. Its ruler is Ramses II, a man who intends to be the greatest of the Pharaohs. He will make his mark by building: vast statues; towering obelisks; temples carved from the living rock. Ramses is a giant of a man, dominating his kingdom for 67 years, pushing it on to ever greater glory. The ruins of what he built still stand, and with the aid of new research and cutting edge graphics technology, the true scale of his ambition can now be fully revealed. We reconstruct the grand hypostyle hall at Karnak; explore the technical innovation and engineering skill that produced the temple at Abu Simbel; we rebuild the Ramesseum as he would have seen it, and uncover how the extraordinary tomb that Ramses built for himself would have looked when his body was finally laid there. ____________________________________________________ Tuesday, October 31, 2006 ____________________________________________________ 7-8pm -- The Haunted History of Halloween - On October 31, when pint-sized ghouls and goblins trick or treat, they're upholding an ancient northern European ritual dating back thousands of years. From the Celtic festival of Samhain to the mumming tradition and the Christian feast day All Hallows' Eve, we find out why this night is the scariest of the year! 8-10pm -- Exorcism: Driving Out the Devil - For as long as humans have existed, so too has the belief in evil. Are there malevolent supernatural forces in the world at work against us? Can a demonic force actually overtake a human soul? And, if so, is an exorcism the only way to free someone from the devil's grasp? This two-hour special traces the history of the mysterious ritual of exorcism. It explores how the practice has evolved with the changing times--from a simple rite, to a political tool, to a form of modern-day therapy. Through dramatic recreations we recount several harrowing tales of the demonically possessed and the subsequent struggle by exorcists to save them. We'll also look at the medical and social perspectives. Can episodes of demonic-like behavior be explained by brain disorders or psychological factors? Includes interviews with experts in the fields of theology, history, medicine and the supernatural. 10-11pm -- Man Moment Machine - Alexander the Great and the Devastating Catapult Only Alexander the Great would have the audacity to attempt such a daring siege--the fortified island city of Tyre seems invincible, but his Macedonian troops are inspired and determined, and the young Alexander has a secret weapon--a machine created for the destruction of cities: the catapult. If Tyre falls, it will be a pivotal victory in Alexander's quest for a new empire--a key stop on a march that will cover more than 10,000 miles and span three continents.
Wild West Tech marathon:
Deadwood Tech.
Saturday September 2 10:00 AM
Saloons.
11:00 AM
Freak Shows 2.
12:00 PM
Biggest Machines in the West.
01:00 PM
Execution Tech.
02:00 PM
The Gunslingers.
03:00 PM
Revenge Tech
10:30 PM
Vices.
@ 11pm
Mail Call:
Bren Gun & Carrier/Special Forces Final Exam/Beasts of Burden/Predator/1st RPV: #52
Tuesday September 05 12pm & 6pm
R. Lee Ermey rolls up to HQ toting a WWII light machine gun, the Bren Gun, and rides in a "Tankette", the armored vehicle that carried the Bren and its 2-man team. At the Army's Special Warfare Center and School, he checks out "Operation Robin Sage", the final exam--a 14-day "war" waged in North Carolina. Lee learns that Green Berets are training to handle pack beasts like camels and donkeys, and looks at the leading remote-powered vehicle, the Predator, and the first RPV, WWII's Weary Willy.
MK-19 Grenade Launcher/PPSH-41/WWII Weasel/Vertijet: # 79
Tuesday September 05 12:30 PM & 6:30 PM
R. Lee Ermey, is back at HQ for a new season of shows jam-packed with gear, gun and guts. First, the Gunny is pitching horseshoes and because "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," it's the perfect introduction to Lee's trip to Camp Pendleton where he gets some trigger time with the MK-19 grenade launcher. Next, the focus is on Russian tactics and weapons of WWII. Lee shows us the Russian sub machine gun of choice during the campaign, the PPSH-41. Then, it's time for a test drive when a WWII Weasel shows up at HQ. Finally, it's time to dip into the Gunny's Fabulous Flops file for a segment about the Vertijet, America's first vertical take-off jet aircraft.
M-1 Garand Rifle/First Assault Rifle/Jato/Golden Knights Parachute Team/Barrage Balloons
Saturday September 09 11am & Wednesday September 20 12pm
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!
Revolutionary War Musket/Jousting/Foxholes: #8
Saturday September 16 11am
Find out how fast a Revolutionary War soldier could fire a musket, the ins and outs of jousting, and how to dig a foxhole.
For info 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:
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August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January 2006
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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!You might also check out A&E Prime Time listings for this month
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* 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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