History

Mexican writer Paco Ignacio Taibo II reconstructs one of the most remarkable founding myths of the United States of America: the epic battle of the Alamo, a fortified former Spanish mission near San Antonio de Béjar, in which a group of secessionist Texans withstood for thirteen days the merciless assaults of the Mexican army of President General Antonio López de Santa Anna.

Produced with the cooperation of leading Civil War historian Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump, Lee & Grant is a personal look at two iconic leaders of the Civil War. Surprising details reveal the bold choices and almost godlike power Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee summoned on decisive battlefields like Vicksburg and Gettysburg that, within days of each other, turned the tide of the war.

The chronicle of the revolutionary campaign of Che Guevara in Bolivia (1966-67), which has remained placed in his famous diary.

Traces the long and ferocious rivalry between Coke and Pepsi, centered on the “New Coke” debacle of 1985. For almost a hundred years, Coke had been the undisputed leader in the multibillion dollar global soda industry–stodgy, predictable, but indisputably top dog–while Pepsi had been the upstart No. 2, forever poking at its big brother with cutting edge advertising. But in 1985, in a stranger-than-fiction twist, Coca-Cola’s executives took a step so daring that no one in either company could believe it: they changed the formula of the most popular beverage on the planet.

The key individuals of the Iraqi-Nazi connection.

During a bizarre chapter of WWII, Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels decided to make a movie based on the sinking of the Titanic. This epic film was so large in scale that the Nazis were forced to divert men, material and ships from the war effort in order to complete it. Titanic was filmed aboard cruise ship SS Cap Arcona in the Baltic Sea. The movie’s director Herbert Selpin was arrested by the Gestapo over comments he made about the ship’s crew and he was questioned by Goebbels. Selpin was found dead the next day in his cell. The Gestapo’s verdict was suicide. Titanic never received the impressive premiere that Goebbels intended, being first shown in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1943. We reveal this little known but fascinating story by looking at the making of the film, as well as the fate of the German ship Cap Arcona.

At the mention of the word "vampire," images of bloody fangs, dark capes, and a man with a hideous, spooky laugh immediately come to mind. These conventional images, born from countless vampire films over the years, are most commonly associated with Irish writer Bram Stoker and his iconic 1897 novel Dracula. However, despite the popularity and influence of this celebrated nineteenth-century tome, the vampire myth dates back more than 1,000 years, long before Stoker ever put pen to paper. In this fascinating journey through time, HISTORY uncovers the ancient folkloric origins of blood-craving creatures from beyond the grave. Learn how the vampire myth is strongly rooted in Eastern European lore, but how it has also played a prominent role in the ancient cultures of Greece and China. From wooden stakes to garlic apotropes to ancient burial rituals, VAMPIRE SECRETS explores how this long-standing myth has been interpreted by different cultures around the world.

It began much like the common cold. Yet within a day fever took over black swellings the size of baseballs appeared on the neck and finally a highly contagious bloody cough quickly sealed the victim's fate. During the worst biological disaster in the history of mankind the so-called black death released an indiscriminate fury which shook the very foundations of human order. Religious hysteria began to break out and in desperation frenzied masses scrambled to find a scapegoat. When all was said and done nearly one-third of Europe's population had been completely wiped out and devastated survivors were left to contend with a world forever changed both socially and economically. In this feature-length special THE HISTORY CHANNEL-® investigates the origins of this devastating moment in human history and explores the many questions surrounding the terrifying possibility of a modern-day biological threat.

This investigative documentary follows a team of archaeologists searching for the hard evidence behind chilling vampire myths, from the discovery of bodies staked into their coffins on the island of Lesbos to the New England vampires who died from tuberculosis.

MIRACLE RISING: SOUTH AFRICA is the epic legacy of South Africa's political transformation that culminated in the first free and fair elections in April 1994. Recounted through the personal accounts of key figures, both local and international, the documentary examines how South Africa avoided a civil war and moved towards, as Archbishop Desmond Tutu coined the phrase, "a rainbow nation." From the evil legacy of apartheid to the triumphant first democratic elections, Miracle Rising: South Africa moves beyond mere chronology and delves into the hearts and minds of the leaders and people of South Africa, culminating in the thrilling behind-the-scenes events of the elections that resulted in the joyful inauguration of President Nelson Mandela. Told through simple, intimate portraits of key players, it weaves a grand story of a nation into an intimate history of men and women determined to change the country for the best of all who live there.

Through interviews, visits to historical locations and vivid reenactments, this History Channel production details the life of Andrew Jackson. It illuminates his early years as well as his accomplishments as President of the United States. Instead of avoiding the controversy that surrounds him, the show pointedly investigates why this man is a hero to some and a great villain to others.

THE GODFATHER LEGACY goes deep inside Francis Ford Coppola's epic saga about the Corleone crime family and reveals how the Academy Award-winning film and its sequels became one of the most acclaimed franchises in Hollywood history. Featuring iconic scenes from all three films, never before seen home movies and insightful interviews with filmmakers (Francis Ford Coppola, All Ruddy and Peter Bart), actors (Al Pacino, James Caan, Talia Shire, Joe Mantegna, et al.), law enforcement officials and even former Mafia members. This feature length documentary illustrates why The Godfather trilogy continues to entertain and fascinate audiences and how it continues to impact the way society views everything from capitalism to crime.

When the fight against a supposed subversive threat seems not to be enough to ensure national unity, the Argentine military dictatorship rekindles the extinguished fire of an old border dispute with Chile in order to make the nation close ranks around the criminal regime: the chronicle of an internal political conflict that was about to turn into a bloody war.

Adventurer-geologist Dr. Martin Pepper sets out to prove his theory – that the true Atlantis existed on the Greek island of Santorini, and was destroyed in the biggest volcanic eruption in human history. In order to achieve his goal, Pepper will use new scientific evidence gathered using state-of-the-art sonar scans of the sea bed and microscopic analysis of the ancient landscape. He must also match Santorini to a series of key clues embedded in the first ever description of Atlantis by the Greek philosopher Plato – from the lost city’s strange ring-shaped design, to the role Egyptian priests played in recording the legend in the first place. By the end of the program, he reveals the stunning findings which may pinpoint the city and show exactly what it looked like.

There are essentially five cons that are the basis for every swindle since the dawn of man; today's Nigerian email scam is nothing more than a derivation of a Spanish conquistador's bait-and-switch con that started more than 600 years ago. In Scammed, Paul Wilson, dubbed the "World's Greatest Con Man," and his team take a detailed look inside the complicated schemes and micro-cons that have plagued unsuspecting people for hundreds, even thousands of years, showing how many of these scams not only survived but evolved to be brutally effective with the help of modern technology. In each episode, Paul plays out long cons on designated marks so that he can help expose the cons, hustles and schemes that have victimized so many people, while teaching others how to avoid them.

This fascinating documentary unfolds in reverse telling the story of Mandela from the old man to the rural child. With contributions from storytellers from every corner of the globe, we gain a unique insight into why Mandela was so loved and revered. Mandela's unique way of handling the challenges of life range from his relationship with the British Royals and the attempted suicide of a South African rugby hero, to epic political strategies that clinched a World Cup, and single-handedly averted civil war. Beyond the media hype was the political genius who could manipulate the press, inspire awe in celebrities, politicians and superstars alike and managed to shape a country from inside a prison cell. For the first time, his genius as a political strategist is laid bare and we discover the seminal moments that transformed a man into a hero.

The plot centers around the Johnson family (consisting of Chris (Rob Hartz) and Ellen (Kathleen Cameron) Johnson, and their son Casey (Hy Rillero)) of Los Angeles, California, one of a small number of families to survive a global pandemic that, according to the opening of the film, occurs "sometime in the future..." The disease began as a particularly virulent flu strain in Southeast Asia. Efforts made to contain the virus in that portion of the world are ineffective as global transportation networks carry infected individuals all around the world. Hospitals become overloaded, and the public works infrastructure begins to shut down. Eventually, the main characters leave L.A., encountering many hardships along the way. They make it to a friendly small town, where life begins again.

The true story of the undersized Depression-era racehorse whose victories lifted not only the spirits of the team behind it but also those of their nation. Narrated by William H. Macy, featuring interviews and archive footage in both color and black & white of Tobey Maguire, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jesse Owens, Jeff Bridges, Gary Stevens, Chris McCarron, Emily Kilby, Farrell Jones, Tom Smith, Buck Brannaman, Noble Threewitt, and Chris Howard.

For twelve years he stood as America's 32nd President, a man who overcame the ravages of polio to pull America through the Great Depression and WWII. From his legendary Fireside Chats to his sweeping New Deal, Franklin Delano Roosevelt revolutionized the American way of life. FDR: A Presidency Revealed examines one of history's most compelling figures. Inspired by his cousin Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt rose to the nation's highest office during the depths of one of its darkest periods. A man of few words, he brought a nation together through his revolutionary Fireside Chats. He introduced vast reforms like Social Security and work relief for the unemployed. At the same time, his administration hid a dark underbelly teeming with covert maneuvers, spy rings, and powerful enemies.

Year 1939. In the La Plata river, off the coasts of Uruguay and Argentina, the first naval battle of World War II is being fought. Surrounded by British enemy ships, the captain of the German battleship Graf Spee must make a dramatic decision.