''Secrets of the Dead'', produced by

WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as "Thirteen" (stylized as "THIRTEEN"), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the ...

13 New York, is an ongoing

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

television series which began in 2000. The show generally follows an investigator or team of investigators exploring what modern science can tell us about some of the great mysteries of history. Most programs incorporate primary source material, first-hand accounts, dramatic reenactments, and

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...

(CGI) to tell the story. The series originated in a series of the same name in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

first shown by

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

in 1999. The first two seasons for each country were broadly similar, but thereafter diverged. The US series includes some programs shown in other Channel 4 series (e.g. '' Secret History''). In the case of original British episodes, PBS re-edited, re-branded and finally re-narrated them with various American voice artists. PBS description: "Scientists seek to uncover celebrated mysteries of the past in this occasional

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

series." Episode topics have included the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unit ...

'',

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

, the

Shroud of Turin The Shroud of Turin ( it, Sindone di Torino), also known as the Holy Shroud ( it, Sacra Sindone, links=no or ), is a length of linen cloth bearing the negative image of a man. Some describe the image as depicting Jesus of Nazareth and bel ...

, the

Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, 19 of whom w ...

Blackbeard Edward Teach (alternatively spelled Edward Thatch, – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known abou ...

's lost ship, and the first English translations of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

. The PBS series premiered on May 15, 2000, airing four programs in three days (the first episode, concerning the

Extreme weather events of 535–536 The volcanic winter of 536 was the most severe and protracted episode of climatic cooling in the Northern Hemisphere in the last 2,000 years. The volcanic winter was caused by an eruption, with several possible locations proposed in various contin ...

, was a two-parter). Despite an irregular schedule, new episodes continue to air.

Episodes — UK series

Season 1 (1999)

*Ep. 1: "Blood Red Roses" (1999-06-29 — US S4#1) *Ep. 2: "What Happened to the Hindenburg?" (1999-07-06 — US S1#4) *Ep. 3: "The Lost Vikings" (1999-07-13 — US S1#3) *Ep. 4: "Cannibals of the Canyon" (1999-07-20 — US S1#5 "Cannibalism in the Canyon") *Ep. 5: "Catastrophe – The Day the Sun Went Out" (1999-07-27 — US S1#1) *Ep. 6: "Catastrophe – How the World Changed" (1999-08-03 — US S1#2)

Season 2 (2000)

*Ep. 1: "Murder at Stonehenge" (2000-07-17 — US S2#2) *Ep. 2: "The Syphilis Enigma" (2000-07-24 — US S2#6) *Ep. 3: "Murder in Jamestown" (2000-07-31 — US S2#3 "Death at Jamestown") *Ep. 4: "Bewitched" (2000-08-07 — US S2#1 "Witches Curse") *Ep. 5: "Blood on the Altar" (2000-08-14) *Ep. 6: "What Sank the Mary Rose?" (2000-08-21)

Season 3 (2001)

*Ep. 1: "The Riddle of Pompeii" (2001-02-01) *Ep. 2: "The Hidden Scrolls of Herculaneum" (2001-02-08) *Ep. 3: "Gladiator Girl" (2001-05-14) *Ep. 4: "Sounds from the Stone Age" (2001-11-12) *Ep. 5: "The First Human?" (2001-11-19 — US S3#1 "Search for the First Human") *Ep. 6: "Mystery of Zulu Dawn" (2001-12-03 — US S2#4 "Day of the Zulu") *Ep. 7: "Who Burnt Rome?" (2001-12-10 — US S3#4 "The Great Fire of Rome") *Ep. 8: "King Midas's Feast" (2001-12-30)

Season 4 (2002)

*Ep. 1: "Riddle of the Plague Survivors" (2002-02-24) *Ep. 2: "The Birth of the Smart Bomber" (2002-03-03) *Ep. 3: "Quest for Noah's Flood" (2002-03-16)

Season 5 (2003–04)

*Ep. 1: "Titanic's Ghost" (2003-03-13 — US S3#3) *Ep. 2: "The Coldest March" (2003-03-20 — US S3#5 "Tragedy at the Pole") *Ep. 3: "Plague on the Western Front" (2003-03-27) *Ep. 4: "Shroud of Christ?" (2004-03-29 — US S4#4)

Episodes — US series

Season 1 (2000)

*Ep. 1: "Catastrophe! – The Day the Sun Went Out” Part 1 of 2 (2000-05-15 — UK S1#5) — narrated by

Roy Scheider Roy Richard Scheider (; November 10, 1932 – February 10, 2008) was an American actor and amateur boxer. Described by AllMovie as "one of the most unique and distinguished of all Hollywood actors", he gained fame for his leading and supporting ...

*Ep. 2: "Catastrophe! – How the World Changed” Part 2 of 2 (2000-05-16 — UK S1#6) — narrated by

*Ep. 3: "The Lost Vikings" (2000-05-16 — UK S1#3) *Ep. 4: "What Happened to the Hindenburg?" (2000-05-17 — UK S1#2) *Ep. 5: "Cannibalism in the Canyon" (2000-05-17 — UK S1#4 "Cannibals of the Canyon") This season was released on VHS on August 1, 2000.

Season 2 (2001)

*Ep. 1: "Witches Curse" (2001-06-26 — UK S2#4 "Bewitched") *Ep. 2: "Murder at Stonehenge" (2001-07-03 — UK S2#1) *Ep. 3: "Death at Jamestown" (2001-07-10 — UK S2#3 "Murder in Jamestown") *Ep. 4: "Day of the Zulu" (2001-07-17 — UK S3#6 "Mystery of Zulu Dawn") *Ep. 5: "Tomb of Christ" (2001-07-24) *Ep. 6: "The Syphilis Enigma" (2001-07-31 — UK S2#2) This season was released on VHS on July 31, 2001.

Season 3 (2002–03)

*Ep. 1: "Search for the First Human" (2002-05-08 — UK S3#5 "The First Human?") *Ep. 2: "Mystery of the Black Death" (2002-10-30) *Ep. 3: "Titanic's Ghosts" (2002-11-20 — UK S5#1) *Ep. 4: "The Great Fire of Rome" (2002-11-27 — UK S3#7 "Who Burnt Rome?") *Ep. 5: "Tragedy at the Pole" (2003-01-15 — UK S5#2) *Ep. 6: "Bombing Nazi Dams" (2003-02-12) This season was released on VHS on December 3, 2002 and February 25, 2003.

Season 4 (2003–04)

*Ep. 1: "Blood Red Roses" (2003-11-01 — UK S1#1) *Ep. 2: "Bridge on the River Kwai" (2003-11-12) 003-11-18 VHS*Ep. 3: "Killer Flu" (2004-03-03 — UK '' Secret History'' S6#5) 004-03-02 VHS*Ep. 4: "Shroud of Christ?" (2004-04-07 — UK S5#4) 004-04-06 VHS*Ep. 5: "D-Day" (2004-05-19) 004-10-26 VHS*Ep. 6: "Amazon Warrior Women" (2004-08-04) 004-08-24 VHS

Season 5 (2005–06)

*Ep. 1: "The Hunt for Nazi Scientists" (2005-10-19) 005-10-18 DVD/VHS*Ep. 2: "Gangland Graveyard" (2005-11-16) 006-01-03 DVD/VHS*Ep. 3: "Voyage of the Courtesans" (2005-11-23) 005-11-22 VHS; 2006-01-03 DVD*Ep. 4: "The Sinking of the Andrea Doria" (2006-07-26) 006-09-19 DVD/Video*Ep. 5: "Umbrella Assassin" (2006-10-04) 006-11-14 DVD

Season 6 (2006–07)

*Ep. 1: "Dogfight Over Guadalcanal" (2006-11-08) *Ep. 2: "Battle for the Bible" (2007-04-25, #602) *Ep. 3: "Herculaneum Uncovered" (2007-05-02, #603) *Ep. 4: "Headless Romans" (2007-05-09, #604) *Ep. 5: "Irish Escape" (2007-05-16, #605)

Season 7 (2008)

*Ep. 1: "

Aztec Massacre ''Secrets of the Dead'', produced by WNET 13 New York, is an ongoing PBS television series which began in 2000. The show generally follows an investigator or team of investigators exploring what modern science can tell us about some of the great ...

" (2008-04-23, #701) *Ep. 2: "Escape from Auschwitz" (2008-04-30, #702)

Season 8 (2008–09)

*Ep. 1: "Doping for Gold" (2008-05-07, #801) *Ep. 2: "Sinking Atlantis" (2008-05-14, #802) *Ep. 3: "Executed in Error" (2008-10-01, #803) *Ep. 4: "Blackbeard's Lost Ship" (2009-04-22, #804)

Season 9 (2009–2010)

*Ep. 1: "Michelangelo Revealed" (2009-05-13, #901) *Ep. 2: "The Airmen and the Headhunters" (2009-11-11, #902) *Ep. 3: "Mumbai Massacre" (2009-11-25, #903) *Ep. 4: "Japanese SuperSub" (2010-05-05, #904)

Season 10 (2010)

*Ep. 1: "Churchill's Deadly Decision" (2010-05-12, #1001) *Ep. 2: "Deadliest Battle" (2010-05-19, #1002) *Ep. 3: "The Silver Pharaoh" (2010-11-03, #1003) *Ep. 4: "Slave Ship Mutiny" (2010-11-10, #1004)

Season 11 (2010–11)

*Ep. 1: "Lost Ships of Rome" (2010-11-17, #1101) *Ep. 2: "Lost in the Amazon" (2011-04-20, #1102) *Ep. 3: "China's Terracotta Warriors" (2011-05-04, #1103) *Ep. 4: "The World's Biggest Bomb" (2011-05-18, #1104)

Season 12 (2012–13)

*Ep. 1: "The Man Who Saved the World" (2012-10-24, #1201) Soviet Navy officer

Vasily Arkhipov Vasily Aleksandrovich Arkhipov ( rus, Василий Александрович Архипов, p=vɐˈsʲilʲɪj ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ arˈxʲipəf, 30 January 1926 – 19 August 1998) was a Soviet Naval officer credited with preventing a ...

's actions during the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

. *Ep. 2: "Bugging Hitler's Soldiers" (2013-05-01, #1202) *Ep. 3: "Death on the Railroad" (2013-05-08, #1203) *Ep. 4: "Caveman Cold Case" (2013-05-15, #1204) — narrated by

Jay O. Sanders Jay Olcutt Sanders (born April 16, 1953) is an American film, theatre and television actor and playwright. He frequently appears in plays off-Broadway at The Public Theatre. Early life and education Sanders was born on April 16, 1953 in Austin, ...

*Ep. 5: "Ultimate Tut" (2013-07-10, #1205) — 2-hour episode narrated by

*Ep. 6: "

Bones of the Buddha ''Secrets of the Dead'', produced by WNET 13 New York, is an ongoing Public Broadcasting Service, PBS television series which began in 2000. The show generally follows an investigator or team of investigators exploring what modern science can tell ...

" (2013-07-23, #1206) — host explorer Charles Allen, narrated by

(

Charles Dance Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters and villains. His most notable film roles include Sardo Numspa in '' The Golden Child'' (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in '' ...

in the UK version)

Season 13 (2013–14)

*Ep. 1: "JFK: One PM Central Standard Time" (2013-11-13, #1301) — narrated by

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...

*Ep. 2: "The Lost Diary of Dr. Livingstone" (2014-03-26, #1302) *Ep. 3: "Carthage's Lost Warriors" (2014-04-02, #1303) *Ep. 4: "The Lost Gardens of Babylon" (2014-05-06, #1304) *Ep. 5: "The Mona Lisa Mystery" (2014-07-09, #1305) — written and directed by

Klaus T. Steindl Klaus Thomas Steindl (born 20 June 1966 in Graz, Austria) is an author, scriptwriter & director, film producer - Closing Credits and owner of the company KREATIVkraft e.U. His primary focus is on nature and investigative documentaries that deal wi ...

Experts examine the controversy over whether the ''

Isleworth Mona Lisa The ''Isleworth Mona Lisa'' is an early sixteenth-century oil on canvas painting depicting the same subject as Leonardo da Vinci's ''Mona Lisa'', though with the subject ( Lisa del Giocondo) depicted as being a younger age. The painting is thou ...

'' was painted by

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

*Ep. 6: "Dick Cavett's Watergate" (2014-08-08) *Ep. 7: "Resurrecting Richard III" (2014-09-24, #1306)

Season 14 (2015)

*Ep. 1: "Ben Franklin's Bones" (2015-01-28, #1401) *Ep. 2: "JFK & LBJ: A Time for Greatness" (2015-08-04) — narrated by

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

*Ep. 3: "The Real Trojan Horse" (2015-10-13, #1402)

Season 15 (2015–16)

*Ep. 1: "Vampire Legend" (2015-10-27, #1501) *Ep. 2: "Jamestown's Dark Winter" (2015-11-24, #1403) *Ep. 3: "The Alcatraz Escape" (2016-03-29, #1503) *Ep. 4: "Cleopatra's Lost Tomb" (2016-05-17, #1502) *Ep. 5: "Teotihuacán's Lost Kings" (2016-05-24, #1504)

Season 16 (2016–17)

*Ep. 1: "After Stonehenge" (2016-10-26, #1601) *Ep. 2: "Graveyard of the Giant Beasts" (2016-11-02, #1505) *Ep. 3: "Van Gogh's Ear" (2016-12-14, #1602) *EP. 4: "Nero's Sunken City" (2017-03-29)Archaeologists map the underwater ruins of Baiae, ancient Rome's version of Las Vegas *Ep. 5: "Leonardo, the Man Who Saved Science" (2017-04-05, #1604)

Season 17 (2017–19)

*Special: "Secrets of Spanish Florida" (2017-12-26, #AMFC) — 2 hours *Ep. 1: "Scanning the Pyramids" (2018-01-24, #1701) *Ep. 2: "Hannibal in the Alps" (2018-04-10, #1702)A team of experts determines which of 4 possible routes was used by

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

*Ep. 3: "The Woman in the Iron Coffin" (2018-10-03)Forensic experts investigate the preserved remains of a young 19th century New York African American woman and reveal details of early America's free black communities. *Ep. 4: "The Nero Files" (2019-02-20, #1606)The life and legend of

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...

are examined by a forensic profiler. *Ep. 5: "King Arthur's Lost Kingdom" (2019-03-27, #1703)New archaeological evidence that rewrites our understanding of 5th and 6th century Britain might also explain the legend of

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

. *Ep. 6: "Egypt's Darkest Hour" (2019-04-03, #1704)The discovery of a rare mass grave with the bones of nearly 60 people outside

Luxor Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''. Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-a ...

sends archaeologists on a quest to find out who the remains belong to, why they were buried the way they were and what was happening in ancient Egypt that would have led to a mass burial. *Ep. 7: "World War Speed" (2019-06-25, #1705)Historian James Holland, on his quest to understand how the use of amphetamines affected the course of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and unleashed “the world's first pharmacological arms race.” Shown in the UK on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

as a standalone, Aug 29, 2019.

Season 18 (2019–2020)

*Ep. 1: "Galileo's Moon" (2019-07-02, #1801)When it was published in 1610, Galileo's ''

Sidereus Nuncius ''Sidereus Nuncius'' (usually ''Sidereal Messenger'', also ''Starry Messenger'' or ''Sidereal Message'') is a short Astronomy, astronomical treatise (or ''pamphlet'') published in New Latin by Galileo Galilei on March 13, 1610. It was the first ...

'' (Starry Messenger) set in motion a scientific revolution. *Ep. 2: "Bombing Auschwitz" (2020-01-21, #1802)On December 3, 1944, The Washington Post published an editorial on the atrocities in Auschwitz with the headline “Genocide,” marking the first time the word appeared in a national newspaper. *Ep. 3: "Building Notre Dame" (2020-04-28, #1803)An in-depth investigation is made into the centuries-long construction of

Notre Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

. *Ep. 4: "Viking Warrior Queen" (2020-07-07)An examination of Birka's grave Bj 581 reveals that the remains of the warrior buried inside are female. *Ep. 5: "Abandoning the ''Titanic''" (2020-11-04)Weighs the evidence concerning the "mystery" ship seen from the deck of the sinking ''

'' *Ep. 6: "Gangster's Gold" (2020-11-18)In

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

treasure hunter Treasure hunter is the physical search for treasure. For example, treasure hunters try to find sunken shipwrecks and retrieve artifacts with market value. This industry is generally fueled by the market for antiquities. The practice of treasure ...

s look for the trunk of money and diamonds buried by

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

Dutch Schultz Dutch Schultz (born Arthur Simon Flegenheimer; August 6, 1901October 24, 1935) was an American mobster. Based in New York City in the 1920s and 1930s, he made his fortune in organized crime-related activities, including bootlegging and the n ...

in 1935.

Season 19 (2021)

*Ep. 1: "Magellan's Crossing" (2021-10-20, #1901) *Ep. 2: "Lady Sapiens" (2021-10-27, #1902) *Ep. 3: "The First Circle of Stonehenge" (2021-11-03, #1903) *Ep. 4: "Hindenburg's Fatal Flaws" (2021-11-10, #1904) *Ep. 5: "A Samurai in the Vatican" (2021-11-17, #1905) *Ep. 6: "The Caravaggio Heist" (2021-11-24, #1906)

Season 20 (2022)

*Ep. 1: "Archaeology at Althorp" (2022-10-09) *Ep. 2: "Last Days of Pompeii" (2022-10-19) *Ep. 3: "The End of the Romans" (2022-10-26) *Ep. 4: "Decoding Hieroglyphics" (2022-11-02) *Ep. 5: "Hidden in the Amazon" (2022-11-09)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Secrets Of The Dead Historical television series PBS original programming Television series by WNET 2000 American television series debuts 2000s American documentary television series 2010s American documentary television series 2020s American documentary television series