National Geographic Documentaries
Season 2013
TV-PG
Go behind the scenes of life on our planet with National Geographic videos. Share the wonder of the natural world with educational animal videos for kids. Let National Geographic be your all-access pass with documentary videos about the U.S. State Department, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, or 9/11. Experience the past coming to life with culture and history videos, and engage more deeply with the present with science and nature.
Where to Watch Season 2013
39 Episodes
- Costa Concordia Disaster: One Year On
E1Costa Concordia Disaster: One Year OnGet an extensive look at the series of events leading up to the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise liner, and details plans to re-float the ship in one of the most expensive and challenging salvage operations ever attempted. The Costa Concordia was one of the world’s largest and most luxurious cruise ships ever built. So what happened? Why did the ship collide with a rock? Why wasn’t there an immediate call to abandon ship? Exactly what went wrong and who was at fault will be up to the courts. This special takes a look at the reports, audio recordings, and personal accounts gathered thus far to help tell the story of that fateful night. - Inside: 21st Century Warship
E2Inside: 21st Century WarshipThe USS Freedom and USS Independence are the pioneering warships changing the face of battle on the sea with cutting edge design. Go inside the rigid testing that these ships must face to become part of the Navy. From a simulated high-speed attack to test the ships' guns and cannons to helicopter launches and technical failures, watch these ships attempt to achieve their mission objectives to ultimately be integrated into the U.S. Navy's Surface fleet. - Killing Lincoln
E4Killing LincolnApril 14, 1865. One gunshot. One assassin hell-bent on killing a tyrant, as he charged the 16th President of the United States. And in one moment, our nation was forever changed. This is the most dramatic and resonant crime in American history: the true story of the killing of Abraham Lincoln. From Executive Producers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, and narrated by Tom Hanks, National Geographic Channel's first ever docudrama, Killing Lincoln, based on the New York Times bestseller, combines re-creations with historical insight in a thrilling chronicle of the final days of President Lincoln and his assassin, John Wilkes Booth. - Mammoth - Back from the Dead
E7Mammoth - Back from the DeadTen thousand years ago, humans shared the planet with mammoths. They roamed through the heart of Siberia numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Today, that same area is a massive mammoth graveyard, with thousands of skeletons preserved in the frozen tundra and a team of scientists want to bring the mammoth back to life. Follow this team on a quest to achieve one of the most audacious undertakings ever: to excavate frozen mammoth tissue in order to clone it. - Bones of the BuddhaE9
Bones of the BuddhaDo the jewels, bones and ashes found in an Indian tomb in 1898 mark the final resting place of the Buddha himself, or was it all an elaborate hoax? When Colonial estate manager, William Peppe, set his workers digging at a mysterious hill in Northern India in 1898, he had no idea what they’d find. Over twenty feet down, they made an amazing discovery: a huge stone coffer, containing some reliquary urns, over 1000 separate jewels and some ash and bone. One of the jars had an inscription that seemed to say that these were the remains of the Buddha himself. This seemed to be a most extraordinary find in Indian archaeology. But doubt and scandal have hung over this amazing find for over 100 years. For some, the whole thing is an elaborate hoax. For others, it is no less than the final resting place of the messiah of one of the world’s great religions. For the doubters, suspicion focuses on a key figure from the time, disgraced German archaeologist Dr. Anton Fuhrer. Renowned historian of India, Charles Allen, sets out to solve this extraordinary mystery once and for all. - King of Coke: Living the High Life
E10King of Coke: Living the High LifeThis is the true-crime story of the multimillion-dollar yuppie drug ring run by a then, twenty-six year old Larry Lavin and two of his classmates. In the high-flying 1980's, Larry Lavin was a clean-cut, Ivy-League-educated dentist living the good life in suburban Philadelphia. But, what his upper crust neighbours didn't know was that Lavin led a double life - one that would finally be exposed by a shocking narcotics investigation. Awash in sex, drugs and money, Lavin oversaw a cocaine conglomerate, buying and selling enough white powder to anesthetize thirteen Eastern seaboard states … until the FBI cracked the ring. How was he able to create such a well-oiled network? And what brought about his untimely downfall? - The World in Two CitiesE11
The World in Two CitiesThe World in Two Cities follows Andrew Evans, National Geographic’s Digital Explorer, travelling through South Africa, a country with over 50 million people, nine provinces and eleven official languages. The documentary explores the coastal cities of Durban and Cape Town, discovering the new South Africa and it’s modern day cities, who are proud to keep ancient traditions alive whilst creating new ones by blending the different cultures that live together, forging a powerful multicultural movement. - Extreme NeighborsE12
Extreme NeighborsNational Geographic Extreme Neighbors: Most Americans think the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is a thing of the past, but for residents of Harmony, N.C., they're the neighbors. When KKK members Chris and Tanya plan a rally in Harmony, residents set out to stop them. Led by Barbara and Terry, citizens of Harmony do everything in their power to make the Klan feel as unwelcome as possible. However, Barbara and Terry decide to attend the rally themselves to see if they can understand why their extreme neighbor do what they do. - Card SharkE13
Card SharkBritish magician and card shark to the world’s elite, Drummond Money-Coutts, embarks on an international journey, going from London to Paris with a final destination of Bangkok. In this one-off special, DMC explores the thrilling and high stakes world of card tricks. Through breath-taking stunts and street demonstrations, Drummond reveals the secrets behind advanced card play, card cheating and the dark art of card magic. This show ends with his most dangerous trick to date! - Blow Your MindE15
Blow Your MindBlow Your Mind is the owner’s manual to the most complex machine ever developed. Your Brain. You might think you’re aware of what your brain’s up to, but the truth is we’re all just passengers along for the ride. In this fascinating and hilarious show, Robert Llewellyn and neuroscience expert, Bruce Hood, use mind-melting real-life experiments, hidden camera stunts, try- at-home tests and top notch animations to uncover the storm of unconscious processes that make up the human mind. On Blow Your Mind the whole world’s a lab and you, the unsuspecting members of the public, are the perfect test subjects. - 20 Animals That Will Kill YouE18
20 Animals That Will Kill YouWild animals kill thousands of people every day - and the most dangerous creatures may not be what you think. From Bengal tigers to elephants to mosquitos, animals can kill in a multitude of ways. Predators are obvious killers, but others defend their territory, attack in self-defense, or kill by sheer accident. Wildlife experts break down some of the most revealing attacks caught on tape to expose what animals kill the most people, how they kill, and why. - Man Vs. YoutubeE19
Man Vs. YoutubeThis video was a You Tube sensation: A guy on a subway train grabs a fire extinguisher off a wall and uses it to fly back and forth while on the train. But how'd he do it? In Man vs. You Tube, engineer Tim Shaw and stuntman extraordinaire Johnny Riche join forces to determine the secrets behind some of the wildest clips to hit the Internet. Are they hoaxes or are they real? - Top Ten Natural DisastersE20
Top Ten Natural DisastersTen world experts formulate a list of the most important natural disasters of all time. Using eye witness video, historical archive and cutting edge CGI, they not only reveal the key moments that turned a natural phenomenon into a human catastrophe, but explain why the disaster they’ve selected is a genuine game-changer, worthy of its place as a one of the ‘Top Ten Natural Disasters’. - Skeletons of the SaharaE22
Skeletons of the SaharaExplorer and scientist Paul Sereno made an extraordinary discovery in the middle of the Sahara desert: While prospecting for dinosaur bones, he stumbled across an ancient human cemetery more than 5,000 years older than the Egyptian pyramids. Who were these people and what were they doing in the middle of the desert? How did they live and die? What can this mystery tell us about our planet? And why are there two distinct groups of people here, existing thousands of years apart? National Geographic goes back into the desert with Sereno and his team as they excavate new burials and unearth amazing new discoveries. - How Sherlock Changed the WorldE23
How Sherlock Changed the WorldIn How Sherlock Changed The World forensic scientists, crime historians and Sherlockian experts reveal the surprising impact Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional character had on the development of real-life crime investigations and forensic science. - Ultimate Mars ChallengeE24
Ultimate Mars ChallengeThis past August, a NASA rover named Curiosity touched down inside Mars’ Gale crater, carrying 10 new instruments to advance the quest for signs that Mars might once have been suitable for life. With inside access to the massive team of scientists and engineers responsible for Curiosity’s on-the-ground experiments, NOVA was there for the exhilarating moments after the rover’s landing—and for the spectacular discoveries to come. As NOVA reveals the dynamic new picture of Mars that these explorers are painting, we will consider the deep questions raised by 40 years of roving Mars: How do we define life? How does life begin, and what does it need to survive? Are we alone in the universe? - JFK: The Final HoursE25
JFK: The Final HoursThis is history in the remaking, an epic look at an iconic event, and a world transformed. Take a bird’s eye view into a historical nexus point -- a forensic examination of the 24 hours leading to Dealey Plaza and the journey to catastrophe. We all know what happens there – but -- what happened before an era imploded? The day long period prior to the assassination of JFK is like a single pristine core sample boring into both the man behind the legend and the country behind the man. The view of Jack and Jackie’s tour of Texas affords intimacy and grandeur, providing an unforgettable document of all that was lost when those shots rang out. Visually, that lost world springs to life, as footage of the First Couple’s 24 hours in Texas is presented and selectively woven into haunting “then and now” of the same locations today. From a narrative standpoint, first person testimony features a riveting collage of personalities providing “who knew” and “I can’t believe” insights. One notable example is the show’s narrator, Bill Paxton, who, as an 8-year-old watched one of JFK’s last speeches, given by the President only hours before his death. - Killing KennedyE27
Killing KennedyBased on Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's best seller comes this shocking thriller starring Rob Lowe and Ginnifer Goodwin. As John F. Kennedy (Lowe) rises to become U.S. president, a former Marine grows disillusioned with America. When their paths ultimately cross, the course of history is changed forever as seen in this mesmerizing film about the assassination of JFK -- and its chilling aftermath. - Bigfoot: The New EvidenceE28
Bigfoot: The New EvidenceNew DNA research collected by Professor Bryan Sykes, a leading British geneticist, reveals a unique genetic link the may answer the centuries-old mystery what is Bigfoot? The results are featured in a new two-hour special. Sykes sets off on a global quest to unlock the real story of Bigfoot. Sykes, professor of human genetics at the University of Oxford, collected and tested Yeti hair samples in the western Himalayas to find out what species they came from. - JFK: Seven Days That Made a PresidentE29
JFK: Seven Days That Made a PresidentThis feature-length documentary tells the story of seven critical moments that shaped the man who became a twentieth century icon. America’s most popular modern president was a man of great vision who inspires to this day. But behind the conviction and the charisma, JFK was a man of contradictions. A wise and cautious leader who behind the scenes, lived his personal life on the edge. A vision of health and vigor hiding a private struggle with his health from the world. There are seven key days that will change the way you see him - moments of crisis, times when he had to stand up and decide his own future and the future of the nation. The day he rescued the stricken crew of his Navy patrol boat in World War Two and became an American War hero; the television debate with Nixon that helped win him the election and marked the dawn of the TV age; Marilyn Monroe’s birthday serenade that risked his political career; the Cuban Missile Crisis when he prevented the world from plunging into nuclear war; the day he threw his weight behind the civil rights cause, and of course the fateful day of his assassination. In the year that marks the fiftieth anniversary of his death, the film includes interviews with friends and colleagues of JFK, as well as leading historians, rare archive material and dramatic reconstruction to give the audience front-row seats to these world-changing events. - Red AlaskaE31
Red AlaskaIn the small town of Nikolaevsk, meet a religious sect struggling to maintain their centuries-old traditions while surviving as commercial fishermen on Alaska's rough seas. The Old Believers once fled persecution from the mid-17th century Russian Orthodox church, eventually settling in places from China to Brazil to Alaska. Now, see how this unique community prepares for Lent while juggling the start of salmon fishing season, and plans to build a new church. - Woman Raised By MonkeysE33
Woman Raised By MonkeysThis is the incredible true story of a little girl’s kidnap, her five year survival alone in the jungle…and the monkeys who saved her. A unique journey from feral child to modern day Grandma now living happily in Bradford, England. Marina Chapman doesn’t know her real name or her biological family. She claims that as a child in Colombia she was abducted and abandoned in the jungle, and that she survived by living alone with monkeys for five years. Now, fifty years later, Marina is returning to Colombia with her daughter to try and uncover the truth. Scientists will analyse her bones, test her subconscious responses, examine the inner workings of her mind and a leading primatologist will try and pick holes in her knowledge of monkeys and their behaviour. Who were her real family? Why was she kidnapped? Could a five year old girl really survive in the jungle so long in the company of monkeys? Is Marina Chapman a fantasist? Or was she truly raised by monkeys? What the journey uncovers is incredible. But do the experts give her the answers she’s been searching for? Or will they shoot her story down in flames? - The Lost Diary of Dr Livingstone
E34The Lost Diary of Dr LivingstoneDavid Livingstone is the British missionary whose exploration into the 'dark heart' of Central Africa turned him into a legend. His meeting with American journalist Henry Morton Stanley has been immortalised by the iconic phrase, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume”. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Livingstone’s birth in March 1813, The Lost Diary of Dr. Livingstone follows a pioneering American team’s ground breaking attempts to decipher his last field diary. Faded and illegible, no one has been able to read these words since Livingstone's death 140 years ago. Now, state-of-the-art multi spectral imaging technology begins an incredible journey inside the mind of this 19th century adventurer. - Quest For The Holy Foreskin
E35Quest For The Holy ForeskinFor centuries, the relic of the Holy Foreskin was considered by believers to be the only piece of Jesus’ flesh to remain on earth after he ascended to heaven, and thus was among the most sacred relics in Christendom. Then, on New Year’s Day 1983, in a tiny village in the Italian countryside, Father Don Dario announced to his expectant flock that their beloved relic had been stolen. New York Times writer David Farley goes on a quest to unravel the story of this mysterious crime. - Superstorm 2012E38
Superstorm 2012National Geographic goes inside the eye of “superstorm” Hurricane Sandy, to explore why it happened and how it could happen again. Weaving together stories and film from those who rode out the catastrophic storm, first responders, weather experts, and storm chasers, we explore the mammoth and merciless force of nature that caused fatalities and paralyzed life for millions. - Inside the Afghanistan WarE39
Inside the Afghanistan WarThe longest war in America's history was sparked by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Less than a month later U.S. forces entered Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban. Chronicling a conflict that has spanned more than a decade and bridged generations, Inside the Afghanistan War shares the comprehensive 11-year-trajectory from its swift and relentless beginnings to the eve of the U.S. pullout in 2014. - Top Secret: Plant 42E40
Top Secret: Plant 42Go inside Americas black world of off-the-record projects developed in secret. Host Jake Ward, editor of Popular Science, explores the little-known projects still being built in America that are so confidential, some are said not to exist. His mission: to shine a light on the covert technology hidden all around us. From futuristic aircraft flying faster than the speed of sound, to stealth weapons and propulsion systems, Ward explores as deep inside each secret site as possible.
