In Search of History
Season 1996
Marching west on the American frontier, pioneers fought death from disease and epidemics, knife and gun wounds. To survive, you had to find a doctor--or someone who called himself one! Meet the last defense against death in the wilderness.
Where to Watch Season 1996
10 Episodes
- The MayaE2
The MayaMore than 1000 years ago in Mexico, the great temple-city of Palenque thrived as an important center of the Mayan world. Mysteriously abandoned in 835 AD, it has preserved countless secrets ever since. Journey to the Mexican jungle on a quest to unearth the mysteries of one of the great empires of the New World. Scale the height of Palenque's great palace to investigate the Temple of Inscriptions, and find out why the Mayans altered their historical records. Join archaeologist Alberto Ruz, who, in 1952, finally cleared away the rubble from the temple and discovered the bones of six children interred within. Explore the significance of this find with scholars and experts, and decide for yourself whether the rumors of the Mayan's practice of human sacrificeare justified. And find out what is known of the Mayan ruler Pacal, who had the great temple built. Take an extraordinary adventure into the confounding society that once dominated Central America, and whose legacy and history puzzles us to this day. - The Monkey Trial
E3The Monkey TrialIn the summer of 1925, history was made in the small town of Dayton, Tennessee. The issue at hand was the "Butler Law," which forbid the teaching of evolution in public schools. The fledgling American Civil Liberties Union wanted to challenge the law's constitutionality and chose to test it with the trial of John Scopes, a young high-school math and gym teacher who briefly taught Darwinism as a substitute biology teacher. The quiet procedural matter exploded into a media carnival when two great lawyers arrived to argue the case. William Jennings Bryan, the renowned orator, three-time presidential candidate, and self-proclaimed Bible expert, argued for the prosecution, and Clarence Darrow, the nation's most celebrated lawyer and an avowed agnostic, defended Scopes. Reporters from around the world descended on the tiny Bible belt town to chronicle the trial. Despite Darrow's best efforts, the jury convicted Scopes. Later, his conviction was overruled on a technicality by an appeals court, disappointing Darrow, who had hoped for an opportunity to take the case to the Supreme Court, where the constitutionality of the Butler Law could be challenged. Join IN SEARCH OF HISTORY for a look at the case that started this historic battle between Darwinism and creationism that continues today in a nation built around the separation of church and state. - Egypt's Great QueenE5
Egypt's Great QueenOne of the most compelling and misunderstood figures in all of history, Hatshepsut was the first woman to take command of the Kingdom of the Nile over a thousand years before Cleopatra. This in-depth profile of the legendary Pharaoh travels across Egypt in search of clues to her remarkable life and 20-year rule. The search is made harder by the fact that the rulers who came after her did everything in their power to eliminate all traces of her existence. What could she have done to inspire such hatred? Join the world's leading scholars as they sift through the evidence of Hatshepsut's life. Did she take a common man as her lover? How was she able to hold onto the crown for twenty years, while turmoil and controversy swirled around her? From her daring power play to the monumental tomb that commemorates this mysterious figure, this is the ultimate examination of EGYPT'S GREAT QUEEN. - CaptivesE6
CaptivesAs white settlers pushed west, resulting wars with Native Americans claimed more victims than the dead. Portraits of captives taken by both sides include: "White Indian" John Tanner who returned to his roots after 30 years of "civilization", and a woman rescued during a forced exchange who escaped to return to her Native-American husband. - The Mysteries of King TutE7
The Mysteries of King TutOf all of Egypt's pharaohs, Tutankhamun remains the most famous and enigmatic. Despite amazing discoveries made when his tomb was unearthed, little historical information exists on him--and much of that is shrouded in debate. What really killed the boy king? Did the "curse of King Tut" kill three of his tomb's discoverers? - The Civil War Draft RiotsE8
The Civil War Draft RiotsThe year 1863, the President was Abraham Lincoln, a new law calling for more troops on the front lines came to pass and civil discontent was about to erupt in the worst violence our nation had ever seen. Soon there would be blood in the streets - the New York City Draft Riots of 1863. In the wake of the first federal draft in U.S.. history, the city exploded...and for a week it was chaos. With troops away in Pennsylvania, facing Lee’s invasion at Gettysburg, the city had been left virtually defenseless. Armed mobs of maily Immigrant Irish workers fought police and rampaged through the streets of America’s largest city. They burned government offices, sacked homes of wealthy republicans and destroyed newspaper offices. The rioters felt that the civil war had been transformed from a fight to save the Union into a struggle to free the slaves. They feared that thousands of emancipated slaves would head north and take their jobs. It was only the arrival of 30,000 troops fresh from Victory at Gettysburg, that brought the riots to an end. - True Story of Sacco and VanzettiE9
True Story of Sacco and VanzettiThis program is a full account of the spectacular double-murder trial that resulted in the execution of two Italian immigrants, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, despite a jailhouse confession by another man. Arrested in Massachusetts in 1920, Sacco and Vanzetti were thought by some to have been picked up because of their anarchist views. Their trial sparked demonstrations around the world; newspapers went wild. In 1925, another prisoner confessed to the murders-yet Sacco and Vanzetti were executed still in April 1927. The debate continued for decades: Was this a case of false identification or really a political trial? Did Massachusetts put two innocent men to death? - Ancient InventionsE10
Ancient InventionsThe Nazca lines in Peru stretch for miles, forming perfect images of animals visible only from the air. Immense and precise, the pyramids remain among mankind's greatest accomplishments, and experts still debate how they were built. Span the globe in this riveting look at the most incredible accomplishments of the ancient world achievements that rival and even surpass those of today. From the secret formula of Damascus steel which helped drive the Crusaders from the Holy Land to the "computer" from Ancient Greece, probe the origins of these incredible inventions. Take to the skies in a balloon made from a design 1,000 years old, and join scientists, engineers and historians as they probe the mysteries of ancient devices that cannot be replicated today!And examine the extraordinary innovations of Leonardo Da Vinci, whose drawings included designs for a tank, machine, gun, helicopter and parachute!
