History Specials

They are the subject of controversy and curiosity, clandestine organizations with members that include incredibly powerful individuals, political leaders and the super-rich. Delve into the tightly guarded world of secret societies as HISTORY attempts to lift the veil of mystery surrounding groups like the Skull & Bones, Bilderbergs, Tri-Lateral Commission and Council on Foreign Relations. Who belongs to these groups? What are their goals? Why are they so secretive? And do they, as a growing number of people believe, really exert an influence over our lives through a process that is largely invisible? Historians examine a number of these groups, both past and present, and help document what is known about their origins and aims. Hear from conspiracy theorists who believe these secret societies are scheming to take over the world and others who contend that they already have, and heed the warnings from some who believe the fears about these organizations may be justified.

A profile of one of the 20th century's most important minds and recognizable faces--his very name a synonym for genius. Born in Germany in 1879, Albert Einstein was a surprisingly poor student, and failed his first entrance exam to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. We look at the long road to recognition, his brilliant theories, including relativity, his Nobel Prize in Physics, and his lifelong work for and devotion to international peace and world government.

It began like the common cold. Then fever, baseball-sized black swellings on the neck, coughing of blood. Few lived more than two days. The year--1347. It was history's worst biological disaster and almost half of Europe's population died within three years. Visit the plague ships' rat-infested holds, witness the terror that swept through the towns, and walk with the religious flagellants. Follow a princess as she travels into the center of the plague, a doctor who struggles to understand what is happening, and a Jewish merchant caught up in violent attacks. Hear the actual words of the victims, taken from diaries and journals. From the Pope's palace to the humble huts of medieval peasants, watch as people live and die in the unforgiving grip of fear and death, and wonder how we would act if such a terrible event happened today.

In 1099 the Crusaders took Jerusalem in the bloodiest of battles, wrenching it back from the Muslims for the first time in 400 years. But, over the decades that followed, the Islamic world dreamed of fighting back. In 1144 the Muslims seized the city of Edessa from the Christians. The news reverberated back to Europe, and the Pope called for a Second Crusade. But this Crusade was a disaster. It failed to expand the Christian empire, and strengthened the resolve of the Muslims. Under their great leader, Saladin, the Muslim swept through the Christian Kingdom taking town after town. In 1187 he took Jerusalem. This shocked the west into responding, with a Third Crusade. Led by Richard the Lionheart they defeated Saladin and marched on Jerusalem. Richard failed to take the city and the Third Crusade failed.

The Roman Empire, rotten to the core by the fifth century, lay open to barbarian warriors. Europe was beset by famine, plague, persecutions, and a state of war that was so persistent it was only rarely interrupted by peace. These centuries are remembered today as the Dark Ages. Beneath this cloak of darkness were people like Charlemagne, St. Benedict and the Empress Theodora who helped to bridge the gap of civilization between Rome and the Renaissance. Ultimately, these points of light would illuminate the darkness, and Western Europe would rise from the Dark Ages to a level of cultural and political power unseen for a thousand years.

Andrew Jackson was the first "common-man" President. Orphaned at 14, he became a lawyer with no formal education, an Army General with no military experience and President without being rich. Jackson survived the nation's first Presidential assassination attempt, defeated the British in the battle of New Orleans and passed the controversial Indian Removal Act which resulted in the death of nearly 10,000 Native Americans. His portrait on the $20 bill conveys an image of passion, strength and confidence, but most historians will admit that he was often a "cruel" man.