Secrets of the Dead - Season 9

Episodes

Michelangelo Revealed

More than five centuries ago, Michelangelo Buonarroti was the darling of the Catholic Church. The Papacy commissioned him to create many of its most important pieces, including the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel. He spent his life glorifying the Church, etching Catholic ideals into masterpieces that defined religion for the masses. Yet when he died, his body was secretly shepherded off to Florence, and the Church was denied the opportunity to honor him with a grand funeral in Rome. Historians have long wondered about the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death, but now, art historian Antonio Forcellino believes he has pieced together evidence of a deep rift between the Church and the esteemed artist. The cause: Michelangelo’s belief in Protestant ideals, and his involvement with a clandestine fellowship trying to put an end to the decadence and corruption of the Clergy and reform the Church from within.

May 13, 2009

Season 9Episode 260 min

The Airmen and the Headhunters

A tribe in Borneo protects a shot-down U.S. bomber crew from Japanese occupiers during World War II. The local missionaries, who converted the tribe to Christianity, were executed by the Japanese invaders, who had forced out Dutch and British colonialists, while massacring Borneo natives. A surviving missionary from Indonesia, employed by the Japanese military as an area administrator, outwits Japanese forces by hiding the U.S. airmen deep in a jungle canyon. The local Dayak people risk their lives, and force the occupiers to abandon their hunt for the airmen, using blowpipes and machetes against the Japanese army search parties.

Nov 11, 2009

Season 9Episode 360 min

Mumbai Massacre

Watch the full documentary about the indiscriminate terrorist massacres in Mumbai, the home of the Bollywood Industry, by Islamic Extremists in November 2008. The story of the multiple, coordinated attacks that targetted The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, The Trident-Oberoi Hotel, Nariman House, a Jewish community center, and Cama Hospital among others is told completely from the perspective of the victims.

The documentary highlights the important role technology and social media play in modern society's responses to terrorist attacks and how the news media aided the terrorist by giving away the hiding places of the soon to be victims.

"Mumbai Massacre" places viewers inside the maelstrom, where they become witnesses to the critical events and decisions that meant the difference between life and death. Incredible stories include a Muslim architect and his wife who were forced to watch as two different groups of hostages were executed at their feet; a tourist whose husband died in her arms as they were shot trying to escape; an American cameraman whose mother in Texas texted him a map of the hotel; and a married couple who split up during the chaos to increase the likelihood that at least one of them would survive to take care of their children. The film also reveals the remarkable heroism and dedication of the hotel's staff, documenting a restaurant manager who returned to the hotel to take care of his guests and cooks who gave up their own lives to keep the terrorists away from their hidden visitors.

Nov 25, 2009

Season 9Episode 460 min

Japanese SuperSub

Japanese SuperSub recounts Japan's superior submarine technology and reveals how close the Japanese came to using the subs to blow up the Panama Canal, terrorize the U.S. and possibly enact a deadly biological attack. The supersub, obtained by the U.S. at the end of the war, combined the tactical advantages of sea and sky. But why did America sink one of its most prized military captures?

May 6, 2010

Season 9Episode 560 min