HISTORY Vault
Documentary
Years

Popular Documentary TV Shows

Vikings
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Vikings
Vikings is a 2012 BBC television documentary series written and presented by Neil Oliver charting the rise of the Vikings from prehistoric times to the empire of Canute.
Vikings 2012
Ancient Impossible
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Ancient Impossible
Ancient Impossible, the new H2 series, picks up where HISTORY’s long running Ancient Discoveries left off. In this next generation of storytelling, Ancient Impossible reveals how many of today’s technological achievements were actually developed centuries ago. Colossal monuments, impossible feats of engineering and technologies so precise they defy reinvention–the ancient world was far more advanced than we ever imagined. We’ll travel through history to reveal a radically different picture of the past, with innovations so far ahead of their time, they’re still in use today. New science uncovers a lost world more like our own than we ever suspected, and reveals how modern technology has its blueprint in the ancient world.
Ancient Impossible 2015
Theodore Roosevelt
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Theodore Roosevelt
The two-part premium miniseries event on Theodore Roosevelt, the first modern President of the United States, will provide a rich, panoramic biography weaving Roosevelt's captivating personal story while revealing little-known truths behind his expansive curiosity, restless spirit and the profound, lasting impact he has had on the country.
Theodore Roosevelt 2022
History’s Greatest of All Time with Peyton Manning
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History’s Greatest of All Time with Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning asks 100 experts in various categories to rank each greatest-of-all-time contender using statistics, innovation and legacy as criteria.
History’s Greatest of All Time with Peyton Manning 2023
Dark Marvels
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Dark Marvels
Since the dawn of civilization through modern times, humankind’s capacity for cruelty and darkness has known no bounds. Dark Marvels is a documentary series that explores the history and engineering behind the world’s most diabolical inventions. From devious torture and death devices, to terrifying weapons of war, sinister spy tools, and games that kill, these are the fascinating origin stories of the innovations that emerged from the darkest recesses of the most wicked minds. Compelling expert interviews, evocative recreations, archival footage, and premium 3D graphics unpack the twisted tales behind these nefarious technologies, their creators, and the historical figures who succumbed to their lethality. It’s a heart-pounding probe into evil ingenuity, that shows the darkest marvel of all is the human imagination.
Dark Marvels 2023
Navy SEALs: America's Secret Warriors
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Navy SEALs: America's Secret Warriors
An in-depth look at the elite fighting force, including the physical, psychological and spiritual process of becoming a SEAL, the training required to become a member of SEAL Team 6 and a history of spectacular SEAL missions.
Navy SEALs: America's Secret Warriors 2017
JFK Declassified: Tracking Oswald
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JFK Declassified: Tracking Oswald
Follows former CIA agent, Bob Baer and former LAPD police lieutenant, Adam Bercovici, on their independent global investigation into Lee Harvey Oswald, and the murder of JFK, asking the questions: did he have accomplices, and if so, who helped him assassinate the President?
JFK Declassified: Tracking Oswald 2017
Haunted History
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Haunted History
America is often haunted by its past, which explains why ghost stories have always been an integral part of this nation’s oral history. Viewers will visit some of the darkest, scariest corners of the country—from the battlefields of Gettysburg to the exact spot of the Salem Witch Trials. Each episode will flash back to horrific events that transpired at these locations, while speaking with local historians and authorities on present day paranormal activity. Find out for sure if these tales are truly fact, fiction or something else entirely.
Haunted History 2013
Brad Meltzer's Lost History
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Brad Meltzer's Lost History
What does the Ground Zero flag from 9/11 have in common with the original Wright Brothers flying machine patent? Both are historically important items for the United States… and both are missing. Best-selling author Brad Meltzer enlists America’s help to find these and other missing treasures.
Brad Meltzer's Lost History 2014
The Engineering That Built the World
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The Engineering That Built the World
The stories behind the iconic structures and engineering feats that have shaped and defined our nation and our world.
The Engineering That Built the World 2021
Kingpin
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Kingpin
The journeys of some of the most well-known names in the world of crime, and a look at how they began as unknown thugs and transformed into globally notorious kings of crime.
Kingpin 2018
Engineering Disasters
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Engineering Disasters
The worst engineering designs in history are recalled.
Engineering Disasters 2015
Christmas Through the Decades
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Christmas Through the Decades
Take a trip back in time to see what Christmas and the holiday season were like in America not too long ago as we reveal how many of today’s popular holiday celebrations and traditions had their start in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s. With experts and cultural icons offering their own insight and personal memories, we reveal how your favorite holiday films, fads, television specials, songs and toys are still part of your holiday celebrations today.
Christmas Through the Decades 2015
America's Secret Slang
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America's Secret Slang
Host Zach Selwyn hits the streets to ask everyday people what they know about the origins and meaning of American slang, and then he reveals the true etymology and hidden history of common phrases and words that are unique to the United States. In each 30-minute episode, Selwyn focuses on a specific period in American history, revealing words that originated during that era or had significance for the geographic region.
America's Secret Slang 2013
America's War on Drugs
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America's War on Drugs
The origins of the drug war in the United States, which spans five decades, and its unexpected effects on American culture, institutions and politics.
America's War on Drugs 2017
Mankind Decoded
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Mankind Decoded
Mankind Decoded is the intriguing story of how 12 timeless forces have shaped human history in extraordinary ways. Find out how the implacable forces of nature have compelled us to adapt or die; how new technologies have transformed our existence; how our need for food brought forth civilization; and the desire for luxuries changed our world.
Mankind Decoded 2013
How Sex Changed the World
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How Sex Changed the World
How Sex Changed the World is a documentary series exploring how sex has changed history: from Ghengis Khan using it to expand the Mongol Empire to the survival of harems for thousands of years and even how Hoover used it to blackmail top level politicians.
How Sex Changed the World 2013
Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire
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Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire
The Germanic, Britannic and other barbarian tribal wars with Rome ultimately led to the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. This series is centered on the campaigns and battles with the barbarian tribes and extensive examinations of the reigns of little known Roman emperors and generals.
Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire 2008
History's Crazy Rich Ancients
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History's Crazy Rich Ancients
Each episode introduces mysterious icons from the past who shared one obsession–from exotic animals to billion-dollar parties to nine-figure palaces. Episodes take viewers on an immersive ride through this jaw-dropping decadence– to discover who these icons were, and ultimately, who among them spent the most.
History's Crazy Rich Ancients 2022
Museum Men
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Museum Men
Whether it's the famous steps of the Titanic or the legendary lunar landing of Apollo 13, there is no museum exhibit that the expert builders at Creative Arts Unlimited, Inc. can't re-create. Viewers will follow these highly skilled craftsmen as they use their expertise to meticulously rebuild history in museums across the nation. Led by Roger Barganier (co-founder, president and creative director), the team at Creative Arts Unlimited, approach each build with a determination to tell a story. Every exhibit that is produced by the Museum Men is engaging, informative, and historically accurate. No detail is overlooked, because for Creative Arts authenticity is everything. In addition to building for museums, Creative Arts also re-creates items for private collections. But whoever the recipient may be, every build poses unique challenges, including hard-to-find research, demanding schedules, and obsolete methods of construction.
Museum Men 2014
Outlaw Chronicles: Hells Angels
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Outlaw Chronicles: Hells Angels
The Hells Angels are the single most notorious motorcycle club in history. They’re also one of the most secretive organizations on the planet. Members are known to take revenge on each other for talking. Now, for the first time ever, a Hells Angels member will bare all the club’s secrets. A former angel will come clean. He’ll tell the world about everything from initiation rites to murder for hire.
Outlaw Chronicles: Hells Angels 2015
Countdown to Apocalypse
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Countdown to Apocalypse
Countdown to Apocalypse 2012
Food Tech
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Food Tech
Food Tech was a television series on the History Channel, about the making of foods, from the farming to the processing of the food. It was hosted by Bobby Bognar. Each episode focused on the various parts of different types or styles of meals, such as Mexican food, breakfast and hotel buffets.
Food Tech 2010
Mysteries of the Bible
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Mysteries of the Bible
Mysteries of the Bible is an hour-long television series that was originally broadcast by A&E from March 25, 1994 until June 13, 1998 and aired reruns until 2002. The series was about biblical mysteries and was produced by FilmRoos. The Discovery Channel and BBC also released a series of the same name in 2003. National Geographic produced a series with this title in 2006.
Mysteries of the Bible 1994
MysteryQuest
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MysteryQuest
MysteryQuest is an American Paranormal television series that premiered on September 16, 2009 on the History channel. Produced by KPI Productions, the program is a spin-off of MonsterQuest. The tagline of the show is: "What if everything you believe is wrong?"
MysteryQuest 2009
Battles BC
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Battles BC
Battles BC is a 2009 documentary series looking at key battles in ancient history. The show was known for its very gritty nature, visual effects similar to the movie 300 and its highly choreographed fight scenes with various weapons.
Battles BC 2009
Found
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Found
A group of experts fan out across the nation to investigate unexplained objects found by ordinary people in their own backyards across America. They study the objects, test them, date them, and deliver real answers about the object's origins.
Found 2017
The Revolution
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The Revolution
The American Revolution is a 2006 miniseries from The History Channel composed of thirteen episodes which track the American Revolution from the Boston Massacre through the Treaty of Paris, which declared America's independence from Great Britain. The series is narrated by Edward Herrmann.
The Revolution 2007
Boneyard
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Boneyard
Boneyard is a television program on The History Channel that documents places called boneyards, where old and retired vehicles, ships, aircraft, and other miscellaneous items are taken apart, and rebuilt to do other tasks or scrapped. It airs on Thursdays at 9:00 PM.
Boneyard 2007
Tech Effect
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Tech Effect
The technology and people behind important historical events are spotlighted.
Tech Effect 2004
Battlefield Detectives
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Battlefield Detectives
Battlefield Detectives is a forensic documentary television series that aired on the History Channel from 2003 to 2006. The series explores famous battles focusing on the battlefield itself, and tell its story based on recent scientific research. It uses modern science to examine how the battles were won or lost. According to History Television, "This series approaches the perennially interesting topic of famous battles in a fresh and exhilarating way. Focusing on the battlefield itself, each programme takes an important battle telling its story and posing a puzzling central question about the battle that recent scientific research is helping to illuminate - a contemporary journey of discovery and a compelling story from the past."
Battlefield Detectives 2003
Cowboys and Outlaws
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Cowboys and Outlaws
Cowboys and Outlaws is a documentary series on The History Channel that details key figures and events in the history of the American West in the latter half of the 19th century. It uses dramatic reenactments, historian interviews and forensic evidence to highlight famous figures such as Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp and Tom Horn. It also covers historical events such as the first drive along the Goodnight-Loving Trail and the transformation of Abilene, Kansas from a small settlement into a major cattle town. As of February, 2010, only six episodes have aired. A DVD collection was released on January 26, 2010.
Cowboys and Outlaws 2009
Warriors
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Warriors
Warriors is a documentary series that airs on The History Channel in the United States. The show was hosted by Terry Schappert, a sergeant in the United States Army Special Forces. The show focused on historical warrior cultures, major battles, and military leaders.
Warriors 2009