Secrets of the Dead - Season 3

First aired: 5/8/2001 6 episodes

Episodes

1. Search for the First Human

Aired: 5/8/2001

Explore the scientific mystery of human genesis through a close investigation of 13 fossils found in October 2000. The bones are the oldest hominid remains ever discovered — so old that they come from the time when the divergence of man and ape is thought to have occurred — and could be the blueprint for the first generation of the species that ultimately evolved into modern humans

2. Mystery of the Black Death

Aired: 10/30/2002

In 1665, a British tailor opened a flea-infested shipment of fabric from London. In a matter of days, the tailor and much of the village were suffering the telltale signs of bubonic plague, the disease that wiped out a third of the European population. 350 years later, an American geneticist is delving into the reasons why some managed to survive the Black Death while others were not so lucky.

3. Titanic's Ghosts

Aired: 11/20/2002

In the aftermath of the Titanic, Canadian rescue ships recovered 328 bodies and buried dozens in unmarked graves. Today, scientific breakthroughs may help 3 families of missing passengers learn the true fate of their relatives.

4. The Great Fire of Rome

Aired: 11/27/2002

In 64 AD, Rome was the most magnificent city in the world. Then, in the early hours of July 19, fire broke out in the cook shops and cafés lining the Circus Maximus. Centuries later, questions linger. Was the fire an accident, or was it arson? Is Tacitus a reliable witness? Nero blamed the catastrophe on the Christians — is there any truth to his accusation?

5. Tragedy at the Pole

Aired: 1/15/2003

In March of 1912, a team of seasoned Antarctic explorers perished on their way back from the South Pole. Was it possible the explorers were blind-sided by conditions they could never have anticipated?

6. Bombing Nazi Dams

Aired: 2/12/2003

In the spring of 1943, Allied forces to begin preparations for a top secret Allied raid. Each aircraft carried a top-secret weapon -- a newly-invented bouncing bomb -- designed to shatter Germany's major dams.