Find out why the Olympics Games were hosted by the world's worst regime. Hear how track and field star Jesse Owens won multiple gold medals, destroying the Nazi theories of racial superiority and humiliating Adolf Hitler in the process.

Starting in 1848, hundreds of thousands of people made the treacherous journey to California seeking easy riches. Hear how the Gold Rush not only created the state of California, but also changed the U.S. in unforeseen ways and even contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.

In 1519 Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes landed in what is now Mexico with less than 600 men and conquered an empire with millions of people in two years. Hear about the Aztec's sophisticated city of Tenochtitlan, their religion based upon human sacrifice, and explore the fate of their civilization and Emperor Montezuma. 

This episode explores the arguments for and against the use of the atomic bombs on Japan. Part 1 explains why and how the atomic bomb was created as well as how it was utilized on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

This episode explains why and how the atomic bomb was created as well as how it was utilized on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Part 2 explores the arguments for and against the use of the atomic bombs on Japan. 

Learn about the true story that inspired the legends. Find out what caused the people of Salem to accuse their neighbors of witchcraft in 1692 and how many died as a result of so-called spectral evidence.

Often overshadowed by the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl was the worst man-made ecological disaster of the 20th century. Poor farming practices led to this catastrophe, which caused thousands of deaths and ravaged millions of lives. Discover how FDR's New Deal helped save the southern plains region.

You probably know that Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner, but why did he write it? What do the lyrics mean? Learn about the Battle for Fort McHenry, the War of 1812, and what became of the famous flag that inspired the American national anthem.

In the 1840s a blight hit Ireland, destroying the staple crop of the Irish peasants: the potato. As a result, Ireland lost approximately one third of its population to starvation and emigration. Essentially a British colony at the time, the natural disaster in Ireland was compounded by British incompetence and indifference. 

The epic first battle between ironclad ships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack), revolutionized naval warfare forever. Learn about the genius of John Ericsson, who invented the revolving turret for cannons and the screw propeller, and how his innovations helped save the Union in the U.S. Civil War.