History Detectives

HDSI: Who Killed Jimmy Hoffa
S11 Ep4 | 31s

History Detectives Special Investigations: Who Killed Jimmy Hoffa?

Preview: July 17th
S10 Ep1 | 30s

Premieres Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

Preview: Bob Dylan's Fender Stratocaster
S10 Ep1 | 1m 30s

History Detectives dive into the provenance of what could be a legendary electric guitar.

Beatles Autographs
S10 Ep1 | 13m 51s

Tukufu Zuberi tracks down the authenticity of some treasured Beatles autographs.

Bob Dylan's Fender Stratocaster
S10 Ep1 | 22m 40s

Was this the revolutionary guitar Bob Dylan plugged in at the 65’ Newport Folk Festival?

Frank Zappa’s Lost Collage
S10 Ep1 | 13m 45s

A thrift store find reveals the little-known artistic side of musician Frank Zappa.

Preview: Civil War pistols, K.K.K records
S10 Ep2 | 30s

Airs Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

A Piece of Hollywood
S10 Ep2 | 11m 34s

A 6-foot metal bar tells the story behind the original iconic Hollywood Sign.

Bettie Page And The Forbidden Pinup
S10 Ep2 | 13m 7s

Did we find a slide of Bettie Page that somehow escaped the censorship of the 1950s?

Civil War Derringers
S10 Ep2 | 19m 11s

Wes goes in search of the original owner of two civil war pistols.

Clint Black’s Book of Rogues
S10 Ep2 | 13m 20s

Country star Clint Black is floored by what he learns about his book of wanted posters.

Empire State Crash
S10 Ep2 | 13m 48s

Eduardo links a chunk of molten metal to the B-25 Bomber that crashed into the Empire Stat

KKK Record and The Bright Fiery Cross
S10 Ep2 | 16m 53s

Tukufu explores the mystery behind a vintage record linked to the KKK.

The Motown Bottom Line
S10 Ep2 | 15m 18s

Did this amp boom the bass line of the Motown sound?

Preview: Clint Black's book of posters
S10 Ep3 | 30s

Airs Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

Preview: Native American clothing, a Lincoln signature
S10 Ep4 | 30s

Premieres Tuesday, July 31, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

Lincoln Oath
S10 Ep4 | 9m 46s

A presidential signature reveals a key Civil War practice history textbooks often overlook

Marshall House Flag
S10 Ep4 | 12m 16s

Can Gwen connect a swatch of red fabric to a pivotal moment in U.S. Civil War history?

War Spoils of a Peace Chief
S10 Ep4 | 14m 35s

Did this neckpiece and these leggings once belong to Peace Chief Black Kettle?

World War II Patch: Bird of War
S10 Ep4 | 14m 43s

Did these two patches with an evocative bird symbol belong to a World War II unit?

Preview: disputed picture frame, German toy soldiers
S10 Ep5 | 30s

Premieres Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

Titanic Picture Frame
S10 Ep5 | 18m 36s

Was this picture frame crafted from wood from the Titanic, the Lusitania, or neither?

Woolworth Signs
S10 Ep5 | 16m 42s

Tukufu wonders if these Woolworth signs were at the 1960 Winston-Salem lunch-counter sit-i

Toy Soldiers Reveal a Mysterious Past
S10 Ep5 | 15m 35s

The owner of these toy soldiers asks: was his childhood friend's father a Nazi spy?

Preview: Vietnamese soldier’s diary, bootlegger’s notebook
S10 Ep6 | 30s

Premieres Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

A Vietnam Diary’s Homecoming
S10 Ep6 | 25m 9s

Wes searches for the family of a fallen North Vietnamese soldier.

Bootlegger’s Notebook
S10 Ep6 | 13m 24s

A journal of liquor recipes makes a man wonder if his uncle was a prohibition bootlegger.

Preview: WW1 poster, map of Valley Forge, a transistor radio
S10 Ep7 | 30s

Premieres Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

Early Transistor Radio
S10 Ep7 | 12m 34s

A Tucson man wonders if he has one of the first transistor radios ever made.

Our Colored Heroes
S10 Ep7 | 14m 44s

Tukufu and fellow host Elyse Luray track down the true story behind a WWI poster.

Valley Forge Map
S10 Ep7 | 13m 4s

Did George Washington hold this map during the critical winter at Valley Forge?

Mysteries from the Wild West - Preview
S10 Ep8 | 30s

Premieres Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

Kit Carson Family Secrets
S10 Ep8 | 13m 28s

Did this antique biography once belong to Kit Carson’s family?

Tumbling Tumbleweeds - The Luck and the Loss
S10 Ep8 | 11m 45s

We investigate the tragic story behind the most famous cowboy song ever.

Preview: American bill of sale, a powder horn, 1775 almanac
S10 Ep9 | 30s

Premieres Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

Bill of Sale
S10 Ep9 | 14m 33s

Eduardo investigates the life story behind a Bill of Sale for a 17-year old “negro girl.”

Cobb Powder Horn
S10 Ep9 | 11m 52s

What is the story behind an engraved horn found in a Minnesota field?

Star Spangled Banner Manuscript
S10 Ep9 | 14m 6s

Was this handwritten sheet of music central to deciding our national anthem?

The Saddle That Invented the Stuntman
S9 Ep1 | 14m 17s

Wes Cowan connects a rodeo saddle to a star that changed Hollywood movie-making.

Yak Canutt: Devil Horse Clip
S9 Ep1 | 2m 27s

In this clip from Devil Horse, stuntman Yak Canutt can be seen riding a horse.

First Cannon Fire of Civil War Secession
S9 Ep1 | 18m 3s

Elyse Luray tries to match metal shavings to the right Civil War cannon.

Moon Museum Update: Searching for John F.
S9 Ep1 | 1m 29s

An update on our Moon Museum story asking viewers to help us solve the mystery of John F.

The Hero of Ni'ihau, Hawaii
S9 Ep1 | 18m 18s

Mysterious airplane engine parts lead Eduardo Pagan to a forbidden Hawaiian island.

A Father's Forgotten Tribute in a Spanish Civil War Eulogy
S9 Ep2 | 19m 21s

A touching eulogy unites descendants of two Americans who fought in the Spanish Civil War.

How to Research Your Geneology
S9 Ep2 | 1m 30s

Tukufu Zuberi shares tips on investigating your family history.

Paper Bombs: WWII Propaganda Over Japan
S9 Ep2 | 17m 5s

Wes Cowan decodes the message and strategy behind a U.S. World War II propaganda leaflet.

Tiffany Window: The Women Behind Louis Comfort Tiffany
S9 Ep2 | 14m 13s

What can this watercolor reveal about the unexpected world of a great American artist?

The Suit That Launched Ronald McDonald
S9 Ep3 | 15m 43s

Elyse Luray examines a complete Ronald McDonald costume. Was this costume the first?

McDonald's Commercials
S9 Ep3 | 2m 1s

Watch some McDonald's commercials from the 1960s (no audio)

On the Road: A Tour of the Kennedy Farmhouse
S9 Ep3 | 2m 7s

Wes Cowan goes on a tour of the Kennedy Farmhouse.

On the Road: Eduardo goes sledding
S9 Ep3 | 29s

History Detective Eduardo Pagan goes sledding. It's all part of the job.

The Bullet That Fought America's Secret Siberian War
S9 Ep3 | 17m 42s

The words on this bullet put US troops in Siberia during WW I. Eduardo Pagan asks why.

The Spear That Stoked the Civil War
S9 Ep3 | 18m 44s

Did abolitionist rebels use this weapon in John Brown's notorious raid on Harpers Ferry?

Race, Romance and the Comic Book
S9 Ep4 | 14m 15s

Did black artists create the 1950's comic book, Negro Romance?

Aviation Autographs Reveal a Mystery Aircraft
S9 Ep4 | 17m 54s

Signatures on a piece of fabric connect Charles Lindbergh to another first in flight.

Civil War Letters: Dear Brother
S9 Ep4 | 16m 54s

Why did the Civil War soldier who wrote this letter ask to lead an African American unit?

Face Jug Investigation Update
S9 Ep4 | 1m 29s

Learn what contributor April Hines learned about her face jug after the HD investigation.

To Glove or Not To Glove?
S9 Ep4 | 1m 30s

Find out how, when and why the History Detectives use gloves in their investigations.

Teddy Roosevelt's War Club
S9 Ep5 | 16m 2s

Was this wood club, found in an abandoned attic, once a gift to President Teddy Roosevelt?

The First Assault Drone?
S9 Ep5 | 15m 31s

Could this World War II-era propeller be from the first unmanned assault planes?

The Spyglass That Saw Revolution
S9 Ep6 | 17m 12s

Who owned this unusual telescope and did it play a part in the American Revolution?

Hidden Secrets in a Japanese Cane
S9 Ep6 | 17m 23s

Can the characters on this cane unlock a family secret from the WWII internment camps?

History Detective's Most Common Artifacts
S9 Ep6 | 1m 29s

Find out why the most common History Detectives objects come from WWII.

Florida Map: Europe's Colonial Blueprint
S9 Ep8 | 17m 22s

With labels in three languages, what can this map tell about how Europe colonized Florida?

The Civil War Secrets of a Drug Smuggling Doll
S9 Ep8 | 18m 13s

A family legend says a child and this doll smuggled drugs behind the Northern blockade.

The Woman Who Photographed the President
S9 Ep8 | 16m 34s

Wes Cowan traces the steps of the first woman photographer assigned to the White House.

Fitness, Flappers and Phonograph Records
S9 Ep9 | 18m 3s

Who was the man behind these 1920s exercise records? Did he pioneer media fitness?

1775 Almanac: Diary of the Revolution
S9 Ep9 | 16m 24s

The notes in the margins of this 1775 Almanac tell a family's story of the Revolution.

Suffrage Pennant
S9 Ep10 | 16m 36s

Elyse Luray tracks this pennant to a pivotal place and time for women's voting rights.

Order of Leopold: A Medal of High Honor from Belgium
S9 Ep10 | 17m 13s

How did John Goularte, Sr. earn this prestigious medal from the Belgian government?

Club Continental: Underworld Calling Card
S9 Ep11 | 18m 58s

What job did Fred Nicholls do for Club Continental, a hub of LA underworld night life?

Ince's Hollywood Indian Payroll
S9 Ep12 | 15m 56s

What will this ledger tell us about how Hollywood treated Indian actors?

Fighting for Harlem Land Rights
S9 Ep12 | 15m 13s

What stake does this 1892 stock certificate give the Harlem Heirs in Harlem real estate?

Wearing the Confederate Uniform: Slave or Soldier?
S9 Ep12 | 19m 57s

In this rare photo of a black man in a Confederate uniform, was he soldier or slave?

Galvez Papers
15m 42s

What do these pages reveal about a revolutionary war hero's role in a love affair?

WB Cartoons
16m 57s

What can this artwork tell us about the beginnings of some of our cartoon characters?

Exclusive Interview: Alan Bean
S8 Ep1 | 2m 40s

Watch Gwen's exclusive interview about Alan Bean's journey from astronaut to artist.

Moon Museum
S8 Ep1 | 17m 26s

Did the Apollo 12 space mission smuggle Andy Warhol's artwork to the moon?

Satelloon
S8 Ep1 | 18m 14s

Could this square of metallic material be part of America's first satellite program?

Space Boot
S8 Ep1 | 15m 59s

What does this odd-looking boot have to do with America's first steps in space?

Web Extra: A Theremin Performance
S8 Ep2 | 2m 36s

Rob Schwimmer plays Waltz for Clara on his theremin.

Theremin
S8 Ep2 | 16m 48s

Is an instrument owned by a New Mexico man one of the few built by Leon Theremin himself?

Copperhead Cane
S8 Ep2 | 17m 57s

How did this cane inspire a fiery political movement that threatened Lincoln's presidency?

Iwo Jima Map
S8 Ep2 | 17m 24s

What role did this map play in one of World War II's fiercest battles?

Baker's Gold
S8 Ep3 | 16m 44s

What role did these drawings play in one of the largest migrations in American history?

Transatlantic Cable
S8 Ep3 | 16m 25s

How did this twisted fragment of metal spark a communications revolution?

Andrew Jackson's Mouth
S8 Ep4 | 16m 3s

How is this fragment connected a political protest in the 19th century?

Clara Barton Letter
S8 Ep4 | 17m 31s

What does this letter reveal about America's early efforts to honor its war dead?

Lauste Film Clip
S8 Ep4 | 17m 22s

How is this odd strip of film connected to the invention of talking movies?

Spybook
S8 Ep4 | 18m 34s

What does this little black book reveal about spying on the home front during World War I?

Bartlett's Sketchbook
S8 Ep5 | 17m 40s

How did these pencil sketches help define the shape of America?

Cromwell Dixon Plane Fragment
S8 Ep5 | 15m 51s

What could this fabric tell us about the first pilot to conquer the Continental Divide?

Diana
S8 Ep6 | 17m 52s

How did this alleged lesbian autobiography escape censorship in the 1930's?

Korean War Letter
S8 Ep6 | 18m 14s

What does this letter reveal about a forgotten act of heroism during the Korean War?

Lookout Mountain Painting
S8 Ep6 | 14m 27s

What can this painting tell us about a turning point in the Civil War?

Face Jug
S8 Ep8 | 14m 48s

What does this ceramic face reveal about a captive people's search for identity?

Hot Town Poster
S8 Ep8 | 17m 37s

What role did this striking poster play in the explosive events of 1960s America?

Lost City of Gold
S8 Ep8 | 18m 15s

What can these carved letters reveal about the first explorers to visit the Southwest?

Jackie Robinson Scorecard
S8 Ep9 | 16m 26s

What does this scorecard reveal about the desegregation of our national pastime?

Modoc Basket
S8 Ep9 | 17m 6s

What tales does this basket weave of the heroism of an American-Indian woman?

Special Agent Five
S8 Ep9 | 15m 38s

How did this tale of robbery and murder help FBI director Hoover consolidate his power?

Chicago Clock
S8 Ep11 | 15m 24s

What role did this clock play in keeping 19th century America running on time?

Universal Friends
S8 Ep11 | 17m 41s

What can this document reveal about a controversial religious group?

Web Extra: Bosko the Talk Ink Kid
S8 Ep12 | 7m 51s

Watch the original animation of Bosko "the Talk Ink Kid", the first Looney Tune in 1930.

Web Extra: Civil War Bridge
16m 6s

Did a South Carolina man discover evidence that could redraw Civil War maps?

Civil War Bridge
16m 55s

Has a new discovery rewritten Civil War history?

Scottsboro Boys Stamp
17m 48s

Did a penny stamp help save the Scottsboro Boys from the electric chair?

Pancho Villa Watch Fob
S7 Ep1 | 17m 25s

Did the owner of this watch fob witness the horrifying raid on Pancho Villa?

War Dog Letter
S7 Ep1 | 18m 20s

The military put great effort into a War Dogs program during WWII. What went wrong?

Seadrome
S7 Ep1 | 16m 30s

Did floating airports dot the Atlantic before modern air travel?

Stalag 17 Portrait
S7 Ep1 | 16m 37s

What happened to the artist of this portrait made in a German POW camp?

Cemetery Alarm
S7 Ep2 | 16m 11s

Was this explosive device used to stop a morbid black market trade?

Galleon Shipwreck
S7 Ep2 | 15m 54s

Is this a piece of treasure from a Spanish galleon washed up on an Oregon beach?

Manhattan Project Patent
S7 Ep2 | 18m 28s

Could this drawing have been part of America's secret plans to fuel the atomic bomb?

Booth Letter
S7 Ep3 | 17m 33s

Did the father of John Wilkes Booth threaten to assasinate the President?

Duke Ellington Plates
S7 Ep3 | 17m 13s

Are these plates the first edition of Duke Ellington's "Take the A Train"?

St Valentine's Day Massacre
S7 Ep3 | 17m 53s

Was this weapon fired in one of the nation's most infamous crimes?

John Adams Book
S7 Ep4 | 16m 43s

Do these pages open the book on a President who built a nation as his son fell into ruin?

Lubin Photos
S7 Ep4 | 16m 7s

What do these photo albums reveal about the birth of the silver screen?

Navajo Rug
S7 Ep4 | 18m 56s

Why would a weaver depart from tradition to make this rug?

Sideshow Babies
S7 Ep4 | 16m 49s

Was the owner of this cup once a four-pound sideshow exhibit?

Crazy Horse Photo
S7 Ep5 | 16m 59s

Could this be a photograph of the Lakota warrior Crazy Horse?

Tokyo Rose
S7 Ep5 | 17m 20s

Did this 1940s recording help convict the woman alleged to be a Japanese spy?

Amelia Earhart Plane
S7 Ep6 | 17m 30s

Was this piece of metal ripped from one of the most famous missing planes in history?

Boxcar Home
S7 Ep6 | 15m 19s

Why is a boxcar buried beneath this suburban kitchen?

Fillmore Pardon
S7 Ep6 | 17m 39s

Did President Fillmore pardon a Native American convicted of murder?

Liberia Letter
S7 Ep8 | 18m 10s

Does this letter help to trace one freed man's dream to return to Africa?

N.E.A.R Device
S7 Ep8 | 16m 47s

Was this device invented to help Americans believe they could survive a nuclear attack?

Mussolini's Dagger
S7 Ep8 | 16m 53s

Did a World War II GI return home with Mussolini's dagger?

1856 Mormon Tale
S6 Ep1 | 15m 36s

Is this tattered book a true account of female slavery in the old West?

Annie Oakley Coin
S6 Ep1 | 17m 9s

Was this coin a target for one of the Wild West's most popular female sharpshooters?

Red Hand Flag
S6 Ep2 | 16m 51s

Is this peculiar flag one that African-American soldiers marched under in WWI?

Seth Eastman Painting
S6 Ep2 | 15m 48s

Is this an original work from a famous painter of the American West?

Isleton Tong
S6 Ep2 | 16m 59s

Was this building a safe haven for persecuted immigrants, or a hub for organized crime?

Airstream Caravan
S6 Ep4 | 18m 36s

Was this mobile home part of a modern-day wagon train halfway across the world?

China Marine Jacket
S6 Ep4 | 17m 23s

Can the symbols on this unusual item of clothing help identify a marine?

Lincoln Forgery
S6 Ep4 | 14m 48s

Could this sheet music have come from Abraham Lincoln's private collection?

Bonus Army Stamp
S6 Ep5 | 16m 3s

Is this stamp connected to a time when the military bore weapons against fellow soldiers?

Black Tom Shell
S6 Ep7 | 16m 24s

Is this shell from a devastating act of foreign sabotage on U.S. soil?

Front Street Blockhouse
S6 Ep7 | 15m 18s

Did this unassuming house protect an American colony from attack almost 300 years ago?

Mankato Spoon
S6 Ep8 | 16m 30s

What does this silver spoon have to do with the largest mass execution in U.S. history?

Kahlil Gibran Painting
S6 Ep9 | 16m 28s

Is this painting an unknown work by an immigrant poet whose words inspired a generation?

Connecticut Farmhouse
S6 Ep9 | 14m 34s

How is this Connecticut farmhouse connected to the assassination of a Russian tsar?

Blueprint Special
S6 Ep10 | 17m 27s

Did this record play a dramatic role in the Allied victory during the Second World War?

Monroe Letter
S6 Ep10 | 14m 57s

Does this letter link an American President to the high seas piracy of the 1800s?

Preview: Cuban Missile Crisis connections
S5 Ep1 | 30s

Airs Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.