The rise of Napoleon • 2015 • episode "S1E1" • Napoleon

45:03

Commodus defeats his sister's coup but withdraws from governing, allowing others to amass power while he engages in an affair and banishes his wife.

S1E4 • Roman Empire • 2016 • History

54:08

This in-depth documentary examines the life of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded the Republic of Turkey from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire. One of the most fascinating personalities of his time: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. November 10 2018 marks the 80th anniversary of his death. His revolution, which quickly and radically transformed the declining Ottoman Empire into today's Turkey and profoundly changed culture and society, is rooted in European thinking. But Ataturk's unconditional determination also shows dictatorial traits. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk - Monuments to the father of modern Turkey can be found in every city, the anniversary of his death is commemorated every year, derogatory words about him are punishable by law. Rarely has a politician changed a society so radically in such a short time as Ataturk did in Turkey, which was born out of the declining Ottoman Empire. He acted with unconditional determination when it came to catapulting a deeply backward country into modernity. His reforms still have an impact today. Ataturk's revolution is rooted in European thinking, in the French Enlightenment, in the process of secularization in western states. In many ways it is a turning to the West. It is also based on the idea of equality between men and women - unique in the Islamic world at the time. With his cultural revolution, however, he also overwhelms many traditionally oriented Turks. It still has an effect today. How did a young Ottoman officer become the hero of Gallipoli in World War I? How did this hero become the charismatic founder of today's Turkey through the war of independence? How does he push his reforms through in just fifteen years: abolition of polygamy, introduction of Swiss civil law, dress reform, hat reform, language and writing reform? The docu-drama tells the story of Mustafa Kemal Pasha - from his birth in multicultural Salonika to his death on November 10, 1938. Along with interviews with historians, a rich trove of archival footage and photographs enhance the documentary. These are further illuminated by reenactments depicting the intellectual evolution of Ataturk the man, as well as his revolution and political philosophy. Inner monologues drawn from the wide range of the nation's founder's writings and diaries, notes and letters lend authenticity and credibility to the film.

2018 • History

30:34

Interested in becoming a tyrant? There are rules, and the playbook for a rise to dictatorship starts with one of history's most brutal: Adolf Hitler.

S1E1 • How to Become a Tyrant • 2021 • History

52:47

66 million years ago a seven-mile-wide asteroid collided with Earth, triggering a chain of events suspected of ending the dinosaurs' reign. But experts have long debated exactly what happened when the asteroid struck and how the giant beasts met their end. Now, scientists have uncovered compelling new clues about the catastrophe - from New Jersey to the wilds of Patagonia, and an international expedition of scientists has drilled into the impact crater off the coast of Mexico, recovering crucial direct evidence of the searing energy and giant tsunami unleashed by the asteroid. Join NOVA as scientists piece together a chillingly precise unfolding of the Earth's biggest cataclysm, moment by moment. And discover how our early mammalian ancestors managed to survive and repopulate the Earth.

NOVA PBS • 2017 • History

45:05

Hendrik Poinar is a bit of a mystery man – as in, he likes to solve them. And he’s part time traveller – as in, he likes to dig up the past. Think Doctor Who meets Indiana Jones. Poinar is an evolutionary biologist - which means he studies the nature of how we humans got here and where we’re going. He happily admits his childhood dream was to travel the world and travel back in time. “No-one imagines that there’s actually something still hidden within a bone that’s been buried for a few thousand years or 100,000 years, let alone the possibility of resurrecting it or bringing it back to life,” says Poinar. “I mean, that’s sort of completely bizarre. It’s like a time machine, yeah, it’s a kid’s dream.” Secrets in the Bones follows Poinar on an epic journey to Italy, Germany, Britain, and across the Unites States. His mission: solve one of the greatest mysteries of science, a mystery that has eluded researchers for more than six centuries: unlock the secrets of the fourteenth century killer disease that caused the Black Death and wiped out more than 50 million people.

S53E12 • The Nature of Things • 2014 • History

51:27

Today it is easy to see D-Day as inevitable - a straightforward victory against a German army that was already all but defeated. This film explodes that myth. It charts the careful planning of the campaign, the development of specialised equipment needed for the amphibious landing. It reveals the deception plan that wrong footed Hitler. It shows how the Americans were very nearly driven off Omaha beach. If that had happened, the whole operation might have failed. The film ends with the Liberation of Paris, as the Free French forces led by Charles de Gaulle matched down the streets of the capital.

9/13 • World War II In HD Colour • 2009 • History