HISTORY highlights February 2021

STRANGEST THINGS

Mondays from 22 February at 20.30

Why does a battery discovered in Iraq date to 1400 years before their invention? Is the Copper Scroll a treasure map leading to untold riches? How did a moon rock given by NASA to a world leader – the Dutch Prime Minister – find its way into a display at the world-renowned Rijksmuseum? Is the spear that pierced Jesus’ flesh really sitting in a Vienna museum? Our world is filled with mysterious objects – artefacts surrounded by questions and wonder that have captivated us, sometimes for thousands of years. But what if we could unravel their secrets and lay their truths bare?

Each show will feature three riveting objects and their stories. Using the latest scientific research, and with access to declassified files, photographs and expert testimony – combined in a unique visual style – we explore the strangest objects on Earth to reveal the truth of what they really are. (10x60”) Part of Mystery Season.

WORLD’S GREATEST TREASURE MYSTERIES

Tuesdays from 23 February at 21.25

From the producers of The Curse of Oak Island and The UnXplained comes an exciting new documentary series, World’s Greatest Treasure Mysteries. Hosted by real-life treasure hunters Rick and Marty Lagina, this series chronicles the greatest treasure hunts of the past, present and (perhaps) future. World’s Greatest Treasure Mysteries offers a combination of great story telling, compelling interviews with treasure-hunters, historians and experts, as well as on-location treasure hunts in progress, sometimes with the Laginas themselves.

From pirates such as Blackbeard and outlaws like Jesse James, to Aztec gold, priceless historical artifacts from American history and sunken treasure ships, World’s Greatest Treasure Mysteries digs deep into the many treasure quests across the globe, revealing amazing new details and clues from past searches - and in some cases, advancing the hunt. (8x60”) Part of Mystery Season.

ROSWELL: THE FIRST WITNESS

Mondays from 15 February at 21.25

A cryptic journal sparks an unprecedented investigation into whether a UFO crashed at Roswell, NM in 1947. Major Jesse Marcel, the first government official on the scene, believed to his dying day that an extraterrestrial spaceship plummeted to earth and the U.S. government covered it up. Now, the Marcel family has come forward with a journal found among Marcel's possessions. The journal may contain coded-clues to the truth behind Roswell.

Former CIA operative Ben Smith embarks on a new investigation that includes a cryptographic analysis of the journal, a high-tech geological study of the crash site, and interviews with witnesses who have never spoken publicly. What really crashed in Roswell? The US government claimed it was a weather balloon and then changed its story. Others spoke of alien bodies, and extreme government intimidation. (6x60”) Part of Mystery Season.

FORGED IN FIRE (S7)

Wednesdays from 3 February at 20.30

Swords may not be the weapon of choice for many people nowadays, with more advanced weaponry readily available, but that doesn’t stop some from continuing to work as bladesmiths. Forged in Fire tests some of the best in the field as they attempt to re-create some of history’s most iconic edged weapons.

Former Army Ranger Wil Willis hosts the competition series that sees four master bladesmiths challenged in each episode to forge the swords, which are then tested by a panel of judges consisting of J. Neilson, who has been making knives for more than 20 years, hand-to-hand combat specialist Doug Marcaida, and David Baker, an authority on replicating period-accurate weaponry. The contestant who survives the elimination rounds and wins the episode’s contest earns $10,000 and the title of Forged in Fire champion.