History's Mysteries

History's Mysteries
Format	Documentary
Created by	Patrick T. Gattis
Presented by	Arthur Kent
Narrated by	David Ackroyd
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	~12
No. of episodes	~154
Production
Running time	1 hour
Broadcast
Original channel	The History Channel
Original run	1994? – 2006?
External links
Website

History's Mysteries is an American documentary television series on the History Channel.

Overview

The 154 episodes of the series were produced from 1994-2006^{[citation needed]}. Each season consisted of 12 to 14 one-hour episodes that focused on historical events or subjects considered to be mysterious by the general public. Episodes typically begin with Kent giving a broad overview of the subject followed by what is accepted as a common explanation. During the main segments, experts on both sides of the issue present their evidence and opinions. Before commercial breaks, Kent would give the audience bits of trivia relating to the subject; episodes also included a timeline which would give important events occurring around the time of the events discussed in the show.

Subjects covered on the show ranged from the beginning of human history to modern subjects such as Carlos the Jackal, The Amityville Horror, and Area 51, as well as political conspiracies and conspiracy theories such as MK ULTRA and the JFK Assassination. Common aspects of history covered on the show include religion, crime, the supernatural, archaeology, mythology, and folklore.

Some episodes of the show were repackaged as part of a series called Incredible But True?, which aired episodes of History's Mysteries as well as other shows (including In Search of History and UFO Files, also narrated by Ackroyd). The show's last episodes were an anthology of clips from previous episodes (such as Mysteries of the High Seas).

Although new episodes are no longer being produced, re-runs of History's Mysteries are regularly shown on the History Channel. Additionally, they are available on DVD.

Episode list

Notes: (alternate name); some of these names are exactly the same as Decoding the Past episodes.

Season 1

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

1. "The Death of Marilyn Monroe" (topic)
2. "Project Underworld: The Military and the Mafia" (topic)
3. "Navajo Code Talkers" (topic)
4. "The Wright Brothers Controversy" (topic)
5. 01-01-01 "Prophecies": Civilizations seek their destinies through prophetic visions. (topic)
6. "Hell's Angels" (topic)
7. "Japan's Mysterious Pyramids" (topic)
8. "Ancient Aliens" (topic)
9. "Sodom and Gomorrah" (topic)

Season 2

1. "Ghost Ships" ("The Mary Celeste"): Some of the Maritime's deep rooted mysteries are of ships that disappear only to reappear as ghostly apparitions upon the waves. Discusses famous "ghost ships" such as the Flying Dutchman, as well as derelict vessels like the Mary Celeste and Carroll A. Deering.
2. "Doomed Sisters of the Titanic": discusses the fate of the less famous sisters of the Titanic: HMS Britannic and RMS Olympic.
3. "Chain Gangs" (topic)
4. "The True Story of Gladiators" (topic)
5. "Cain and Abel: A Murder Mystery" (topic)
6. "Shark Attack 1916" (topic)
7. "America's Stonehenge" (topic)
8. "The Holy Grail" (topic)
9. "The Civil War Draft Riots"
10. "The Five Points Gang" (topic)

Season 3

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

2. 06-13-01 "Fatima Secrets Unveiled": The Virgin Mary reveals three prophecies to children in 1917 Portugal. (topic)

3. "The Essex: The True Story of Moby Dick" (topic)

8. "Buried Treasure" (topic)

Season 4

2. "The Shroud of Turin" (topic)

5. "The True Story of the Fighting Sullivans" (topic)

6. "The Search for Noah's Ark" (topic)

7. "Drake's Secret Voyage" (topic)

8. "The True Story of Mutiny on the Bounty" (topic)

Season 5

7. "Secret Plunder: G.I. Looters" (topic)

8. "Raise the Hunley" (topic)

Season 6

3. "The Bloody Tower of London" (topic)

4. "Ghost Plane of the Desert: Lady Be Good" (topic)

10. "Amityville: Horror or Hoax?": examines investigations, both credulous and skeptical, of the Amityville haunting (topic)

Season 7

1. "Amityville: The Haunting" (topic)

5. "Hitler's Perfect Children" (topic)

9. "Natural Mummies" (topic)

Season 8

1. "Body Snatchers (topic)
2. "The Onion Field With Joseph Wambaugh" (topic)
3. "FBI's Ten Most Wanted" (topic)
4. "Lost City of Atlantis" (topic)
5. "Dr. Guillotin and His Execution Machine" (topic)

Season 9

6. "Vanished!": discusses the mysterious disappearances of individuals during the 20th Century, including Judge Crater and D. B. Cooper.

8. "Alaska's Bermuda Triangle" - Alaska natives say that shape-shifting spirits kidnap lost travelers.

Season 10

1. "Mysteries of Easter Island"

Season 11

7. "The Spanish Armada"

Season 12

1. "The True Story of Braveheart"

2. "The Hunt for Jack the Ripper"

3. "Amazon Women"

7. "Secret Societies"

8. "Exorcising the Devil"

10. "Crypts, Coffins and Corpses"

Season 13

1. "Superstitions"

4. "Carlos the Jackal"

10. "Devil's Island: Hell on Earth"

Season 14

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

3. "The Strange Case of Lizzie Borden"

4. 12-04-00 "Circus Freaks and Sideshows": Circus and sideshow performers share their memories of the magical midway.

5. "The True Story of Rasputin"

7. "The Real Dr. Crippen"

8. "The Bible Code: Predicting Armageddon"

9. 11-14-00 "Nazi Ghost Train": The Resistance prevents Nazis from sending a train full of prisoners to Germany.

10. "Cults"

Season 15

2. "Silent Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Murder"

3. "Vikings, Fury from the North"

4. "Smallpox: Deadly Again?"

5. "The Children's Crusade"

6. "The Inquisition"

8. "The True Story of Rob Roy"

Season 16

2. "Monsters of the Sea": Huge and mysteries sea animals breaking the surface have always been part of sailors' folklore.

Season unknown

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

• "The True Story of The Untouchables"
• "Quantrill's Raiders"
• "Judas: Traitor or Friend?" (topic)
• "Failed Assassinations": focuses on failed assassination attempts against US Presidents, including Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan.
• "The Mysterious Howard Hughes"
• "The Abominable Snowman"
• "U.S. Invaded!"
• "Killer Submarine"
• "Alamo Scouts"
• "The Mysteries of King Tut"
• "Salem Witch Trials"
• "The True Story of the Philadelphia Experiment"
• "Secret Brotherhood of Freemasons"
• "Ancient City: Found and Lost"
• "The FBI Celebrity Files"
• "The Cavemen"
• "Werewolves": The werewolf myth holds a prominent place in history.
• "Roman Roads: Paths to Empire"
• "The End of the World"
• "Where is Jimmy Hoffa?"
• "Jack Ruby on Trial": discusses Jack Ruby and explores the possibility of a conspiracy to kill John F. Kennedy.
• "Vigilantes"
• "Area 51: Beyond Top Secret"
• "The Occult and the Third Reich"
• "Witchcraft"
• "Zombies"
• "The Real Dracula"
• "The Boy Who Gave Away the Bomb"
• "The Hitler Youth"
• "The Real Robinson Crusoe"
• "Tales of the FBI: Operation Solo"
• "Cliff Mummies of the Andes: Unwrapped
• "Secrets of the Dinosaur Hunters"
• "The Mafia at War": discusses the US government's efforts to enlist the Mafia for assistance in fighting World War II.
• "San Quentin"
• "King Herod's Lost City"
• "Lost Colony of Roanoke"
• "Secret UFO Files": examines the modern era of UFO sightings, and the US governments reaction to and knowledge of the subject.
• "Ship of Gold"
• "The Legacy of Al Capone"
• "Infamous Murders: Horror on the Highways"
• "Infamous Murders: Mass Murders"
• "A Question of Conspiracy: The RFK Murder"
• "Infamous Murders: Trapped by Forensics"
• "Infamous Murders: Intent on Murder"
• "Infamous Murders: Streets of Fear"
• "Infamous Murders: The Cannibals"
• "Outlaws: The Ten Most Wanted"
• "Infamous Murders: Stalking the Innocent"
• "Organized Crime: A World History: Sicily"
• "Alcatraz"
• "Sex in the Real West"
• 06-19-01 "The War Illusionist": A British magician fools Hitler's generals and pilots.
• "Infamous Murders: Killing for Thrills"
• "The Enduring Mystery of Stonehenge": It stands on a wide plain in southern England, a circular formation of over 160 massive stones, creating an endless mystery for historians.
• "The Mysteries of Devil's Triangles": discusses unexplained disappearances of ships and planes in the Bermuda Triangle and the Great Lakes. Focuses particularly on Flight 19 and the Edmund Fitzgerald.
• 01-17-03 "England's Lost Castles": Timber castles dot England during the Middle Ages.
• "The Knights of Camelot"
• "England's Great Wall"
• "Scotland Yard's Greatest Investigations"
• "Asteroids"
• "The Greensboro Massacre"
• "Bigfoot and Other Monsters": examines popular subjects of cryptozoology, including Bigfoot, Mokele mbembe, the chupacabra, and others.
• "Crop Circle Controversy"
• "Infamous Murders: The Poisoners"
• "The Loch Ness Monster"
• "The Odessa File"
• "Bounty Hunters: Relentless Pursuers"
• "The Most Ancient Taboo: Cannibalism"
• "The Great Train Robbery"
• "Born Killers: Leopold and Loeb"
• "Roswell: Final Declassification"
• "Alien Hunters"
• "The Search for Life on Mars"
• "The Manson Family Murders"
• 10-25-00 "The Roman Emperors": The heads of Ancient Rome lead lives of increasing depravity.
• "Infamous Murders: Women Who Kill"
• "Samurai Warrior"
• "A Secret Story"
• "American-Italian Internment: A Secret Story"
• "Lost Worlds"
• "Mysteries on the High Seas"
• "Monsters"
• "Miracles, Mystics, and Prophecies"
• "Mysteries of the Bible"
• "Buried Secrets: Digging For DNA"
• "The Catacombs of Rome"
• "Contaminated: The Karen Silkwood Story"
• "Getting High: A History of LSD"
• "Hidden Tomb of Antiochus"
• "History of Prostitution: Sex in the City"
• "Human Bondage"
• "Mind Control: America's Secret War": discusses MK ULTRA and other Cold War projects to create mind-controlling substances.
• "Roswell: Secrets Unveiled"
• "Spies of the Revolutionary War"
• "Ancient Drugs": Humans indulge in many frightening and often toxic substances; altered states of consciousness, shamanism, trance dancing, mind-altering substances, visions, soma, wine, beer, opium, Demeter cult (Mysteries of Elysis), alcohol, chocolate, tobacco, coca, San Pedro cactus rites (mescalin), cocaine, heroine, ayahuasca; features interviews with Douglas Sharon (Director of San Diego Museum of Man), Huston Smith, Andrew Weil, professor Carole Fontaine (Andover Newton Theological School), Wade Davis, artist Pablo Amaringo
• 08-09-03 "UFOs: Then and Now?: Nightmare": Alien abductions.
• 10-29-04 "Ancient Monster Hunters": The cyclops, Amazon warriors, and the ferocious griffin may have a place in the fossil record.

By Year Aired: 2009

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

By Year Aired: 2008

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

By Year Aired: 2007

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

By Year Aired: 2006

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

By Year Aired: 2005

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

By Year Aired: 2004

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

1. 10-29-04 "Ancient Monster Hunters": The cyclops, Amazon warriors, and the ferocious griffin may have a place in the fossil record.

By Year Aired: 2003

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

1. 01-17-03 "England's Lost Castles": Timber castles dot England during the Middle Ages.
2. 08-09-03 "UFOs: Then and Now?: Nightmare": Alien abductions.

By Year Aired: 2002

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

By Year Aired: 2001

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

1. 01-01-01 "Prophecies": Civilizations seek their destinies through prophetic visions.
2. 06-13-01 "Fatima Secrets Unveiled": The Virgin Mary reveals three prophecies to children in 1917 Portugal.
3. 06-19-01 "The War Illusionist": A British magician fools Hitler's generals and pilots.

By Year Aired: 2000

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

1. 11-14-00 "Nazi Ghost Train": The Resistance prevents Nazis from sending a train full of prisoners to Germany.
2. 10-25-00 "The Roman Emperors": The heads of Ancient Rome lead lives of increasing depravity.
3. 12-04-00 "Circus Freaks and Sideshows": Circus and sideshow performers share their memories of the magical midway.

By Year Aired: 1999

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

By Year Aired: 1998

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

By Year Aired: 1997

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

1. 12-20-97 "Hitler: The Final Chapter": Adolf Hitler's final days.
2. 12-06-97 "Roswell: An Alien Obsession": The debate over a possible UFO crash in 1947 Roswell, N.M.
3. 11-29-97 "The Private War of Ike and Monty": Gen. Eisenhower and Field Marshal Montgomery have a strained relationship in World War II.
4. 11-29-97 "Evidence of Vikings": The Viking's navigational system.
5. 11-22-97 "Kovno Ghetto: The Hidden History": The Jewish community in Kovno is portrayed through photos and survivor testimony.
6. 11-15-97 "Human Torpedoes: The Kamikaze": With the kamikaze, Japan turns suicide into military strategy.
7. 11-01-97 "The Myth of the Spanish Inquisition": New information arises about the Spanish Inquisition.
8. 10-25-97 "The Last Mass Execution": On Aug. 25, 1945, Truman approves the execution of seven German POWs.
9. 10-11-97 "The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping: The Crime That Won't Go Away": Bruno Hauptmann's trial for the Lindbergh kidnapping causes a media frenzy.
10. 09-27-97 "Piercing the Reich: American Spies Inside Nazi Germany": The U.S. Secret Service infiltrates Germany to capture Hitler.
11. 09-20-97 "Spying for Love": In the 1970s, East Germany's secret service penetrates West Germany's government.
12. 09-06-97 "Hess: An Edge of Conspiracy": A profile of Rudolf Hess.
13. 08-23-97 "Uncle Ho and Uncle Sam": In 1945 the United States is on friendly terms with Ho Chi Minh.
14. 07-26-97 "The Secret Letters of Churchill and Mussolini": New evidence hints at secret correspondence between Churchill and Mussolini.
15. 07-19-97 "The Real Rasputin": The opening of Russian archives lets Westerners investigate Grigori Rasputin, "the mad monk."
16. 07-19-97 "Seven Minutes That Stunned the Navy": In 1980, 290 Iranians die when the U.S. Navy shoots down an airliner.
17. 07-12-97 "Japanese War Crimes & Trials: Murder Under the Sun": Japanese military officers are tried for crimes against humanity.
18. 06-28-97 "Spies in the Sky": Britain and the United States use aircraft to spy on the Soviet Union.
19. 06-21-97 "Piercing the Reich: American Spies Inside Nazi Germany": A mission attempts to capture Adolf Hitler during World War II.
20. 06-14-97 "The Johnson Tapes": LBJ struggles with desegregation, security and the Vietnam War.
21. 06-07-97 "The Hidden Treasures of the Templars": Treasure buried beneath Rennes-le-Chateau in southern France.

By Year Aired: 1996

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

1. 07-17-96 "Secrets of the Sphinx": Mystery of the Sphinx at Giza.

By Year Aired: 1995

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

1. (unknown)

By Year Aired: 1994

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

1. 10-15-94 "The Holy Grail": Legends of the fate of the Holy Grail proliferate.
2. 04-11-94 "The Dead Sea Scrolls": Scholars clash over the meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
3. 04-04-94 "Ark of the Covenant": A journalist traces the ark of the covenant to Ethiopia.
4. 03-28-94 "The Shroud of Turin": Tracing the Shroud of Turin, linked to Christ.

By Year Aired: Unknown

Episode # - Original Air Date - Title

1. Unknown "Pathways to the Gods": Biblical story of Noah's Ark; Mount Ararat.
2. Unknown "Secrets of the Pyramids": Egyptian pyramids at Giza; Pyramid Texts.

External links

• History's Mysteries at tv.msn.com
• History's Mysteries at the Internet Movie Database
• TV Guide - History's Mysteries
• History's Mysteries at TV.com