All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S08E07.1080p.DSCP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[eng]

Narrator:
THEY'RE WATCHING YOU,

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES
CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER

NEW MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

NAZIS AND BLACK MAGIC
IN THE FORESTS OF POLAND.

Man: OH, MY GOD,
LOOK AT THIS PLACE.

IT'S LIKE SOME SORT
OF CEREMONIAL ALTAR.

Narrator: THE 7,000 SQUARE MILE
DEAD ZONE,

Woman: HUNDREDS OF DOLPHINS
WASHING UP,

DEAD BEACHES
COVERED WITH FISH CORPSES,

IT'S MASS CARNAGE.

Narrator: AND THE SWAMP THINGS
OF LOUISIANA,

IT LOOKS LIKE A SPIDER WEB.

SOMETHING HAS REALLY DEVASTATED
THIS PLACE.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA,
MYSTERIES FROM SPACE --

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

MARTIN MORGAN IS TRAVELING

THROUGH THE POLISH REGION
OF SILESIA

TO INVESTIGATE A FOREST BUILDING
CAPTURED FROM SPACE

ON OCTOBER 12, 2019.

Man: THIS STRUCTURE IS SPECIAL

AND IT'S PROVIDING
NOTHING BUT MYSTERY.

IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE
ANY OTHER BUILDING

THAT I'VE EVER LAID EYES ON.

Narrator: THE THING THAT
INTRIGUES MORGAN

IS THE LOCATION OF THE BUILDING
AND ITS PROBABLE DATE.

IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE
IT'S OLD ENOUGH

TO BELONG TO THE 19th CENTURY,

IT LOOKS LIKE IT BELONGS TO

THE MIDDLE PART
OF THE 20th CENTURY.

I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
BUILT BY THE NAZIS.

Man: YOU'VE GOT TO REMEMBER
THAT SILESIA

BEFORE AND DURING THE SECOND
WORLD WAR WAS PART OF GERMANY.

SO THIS IS EASILY SOMETHING

THAT COULD HAVE BEEN
BUILT BY THE GERMANS.

[ SPEAKING GERMAN,
CROWD SHOUTING REPLY IN GERMAN ]

Narrator: DURING WORLD WAR II,

HITLER CHOOSES SILESIA TO BE
HIS HEADQUARTERS

FOLLOWING WHAT HE WAS CONVINCED
WOULD BE A GERMAN VICTORY.

[ BAND PLAYING,
SINGING IN GERMAN ]

SOMEWHERE HERE, IT IS RUMORED
LIE HIDDEN BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

OF NAZI TREASURE STASHED
BY THE FUHRER

AND HIS CRONIES TO FUND
THEIR POSTWAR LIFESTYLES.

Morgan: THIS PART OF
WHAT IS NOW POLAND

WOULD HAVE BEEN GROUND ZERO

FOR NAZI IDEOLOGY
GOING BEYOND THE CONFLICT.

I THINK THAT THIS STRUCTURE
MIGHT BE EVIDENCE

OF PART OF THAT LONG RANGE PLAN.

Narrator: MORGAN'S JOURNEY TAKES
HIM TO AN AREA

NEAR THE TOWN OF VALBRICH.

OKAY, WELL, THIS LOOKS LIKE
THE END OF THE LINE.

**

Narrator:
GUIDED BY THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

MORGAN STRIKES WEST.

**

IT WAS IN THESE FORESTS
THAT THE NAZIS

BEGAN THEIR CAMPAIGN

OF GENOCIDAL TERROR
IN SEPTEMBER 1939.

**

OH, MY GOSH,
LOOK AT THIS THING.

WOW!

**

Narrator: THE STRUCTURE IS MADE
FROM CONCRETE,

YET COVERED
IN A LAYER OF CARVED STONE...

IN A VAIN ATTEMPT
TO MAKE THE BUILDINGS

SEEM GOTHIC AND MEDIEVAL.

Morgan: THIS IS PURELY
ABOUT APPEARANCES.

IT'S NOT ABOUT FUNCTION.

SO WHY WOULD THE NAZIS
BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS

IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
AND WHAT IS NOW POLAND?

**

Narrator: MORGAN CAN FIND ONLY

ONE SMALL
ENTRANCE INTO THE STRUCTURE.

**

OH, MY GOD, LOOK AT THIS PLACE.

**

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

THERE'S A CENTRAL COURT

WITH A CLOISTER
THAT GOES ALL AROUND IT.

Narrator: THE LAYOUT HAS
RELIGIOUS OVERTONES,

BUT THERE'S NOT ONE SINGLE
CHRISTIAN SYMBOL HERE.

IN SOME AREAS THERE IS GRAFFITI,

PRESUMABLY FROM LOCAL YOUTHS
WHO HAVE STUMBLED ON THIS PLACE.

**

Morgan: THE WHOLE THING
IS ASTONISHING.

OH, LOOK AT THIS!

MOSAIC TILING.

OH, YEAH, THERE'S ONE
IN EACH ONE OF THESE ALCOVES.

OH, MY GOD, LOOK AT THAT.

**

IT'S REAL.

IT FEELS LIKE
IT'S THE INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE.

**

SOMETHING WAS OUT HERE.

YOU CAN TELL BY THE PRESENCE
OF THESE CARVED STONES.

THERE ARE FOUR THREADED
MOUNTING BRACKETS,

SO THERE USED TO BE SOMETHING
RIGHT HERE.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE
THIS WHOLE STRUCTURE

IS SOME
SORT OF CEREMONIAL ALTAR.

**

Narrator:
MORGAN CONTINUES TO EXPLORE

THE CLOISTERS
SURROUNDING THE COURTYARD.

**

THE FLOOR HAS GIVEN WAY.

I'M NOT GOING DOWN THERE.

IT'S ABOUT AN EIGHT FOOT
DROP STRAIGHT DOWN,

BUT I CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT THERE
IS A PASSAGEWAY BENEATH US.

Narrator: YET THE TUNNEL OFFERS
NO CLUES

TO THE PURPOSE OF THE BUILDING

OR THE ALTAR-LIKE STRUCTURE IN
ITS CENTER.

Morgan: I'M COMING AWAY WITH
MORE QUESTION MARKS

THAN ANYTHING,

SO I NEED SOMETHING
TO BRING SOME CLARITY

TO THE PURPOSE
OF THIS STRANGE PLACE.

**

Narrator: AS THE NAZIS FLED
THE RED ARMY

AT THE END OF THE WAR,

THEY DESTROYED
ALL THE RECORDS THEY COULD...

BUT MANY SURVIVE IN THE VAULTS

OF LOCAL
POLISH MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES.

Morgan: OKAY, HERE WE GO.
THIS IS IT.

THIS IS ABOUT THE BUILDING.

**

Narrator: OFFICIALLY,
THE STRUCTURE IS A MEMORIAL

TO THE FALLEN OF WORLD WAR I.

BUT THEN MORGAN FINDS
A SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS

TAKEN AT THE SITE.

**

Morgan:
LOOK AT THIS BIG BONFIRE TORCH.

IT'S IN THE CENTER COURTYARD.

**

THERE IT IS WITH A FIRE
BURNING AT NIGHT.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE
WE HAVE MEMBERS

OF THE SCHUTZSTAFFEL, THE SS.

Narrator:
THE PRESENCE OF THE FEARED SS

COULD EXPLAIN WHY THE NAZIS
BUILT A TORCH-LIT,

TEMPLE-LIKE STRUCTURE
IN THE POLISH WOODS.

HEINRICH HIMMLER,
THE HEAD OF THE SS,

IS FASCINATED BY THE OCCULT.

Walters: SO WHEN YOU GET A FLAME

IN THE
MIDDLE OF A BUILDING LIKE THIS,

IT SMACKS TO ME
AS ABSOLUTELY BLUE CHIP NAZI

OCCULTIC BEHAVIOR.

THE PLOT THICKENS
WITH THESE PHOTOS --

WHAT THE WORLD WAS THIS THING
USED FOR?

**

Narrator: COMING UP,

MARTIN MORGAN JOURNEYS
INTO THE HEART OF DARKNESS...

BUT IT MAKES THIS
ONE OF THE CREEPIEST,

STRANGEST PLACES I'VE EVER BEEN.

Narrator: AND THE PIRATES
WHO TOOK ON AMERICA...

Man: THEY CAME OVERBOARD,
A DAGGER IN EACH HAND.

THEY SHOWED ABSOLUTELY NO MERCY.

**

**

Narrator:
MARTIN MORGAN IS IN POLAND

INVESTIGATING A STRANGE
NAZI STRUCTURE

CAPTURED FROM SPACE.

OFFICIAL GERMAN DOCUMENTS
CLAIM IT'S A WAR MEMORIAL,

YET THE DISCOVERY OF THESE
80 YEAR OLD PHOTOS

HINT AT ANOTHER, DARKER PURPOSE.

Morgan: IT LOOKS LIKE A TEMPLE.

BUT WHY ARE THESE MEMBERS
OF THE SS HERE?

**

Narrator: MORGAN'S INVESTIGATION
LEADS HIM TO A LOCAL HISTORIAN,

JOANNA LAMPARSKA.

-YES?
-HI, I'M MARTIN MORGAN.

I THINK WE SPOKE ON THE PHONE...

Narrator:
WHO HAS BEEN RESEARCHING

THE NAZI OCCUPATION HERE.

**

DO YOU THINK THAT THIS BUILDING
IS MORE THAN

JUST A WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL?

YEAH, FOR SURE --
DURING WORLD WAR II,

THE GUARD OF HONOR STOOD CLOSE
TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE BUILDING.

THERE WERE SOME RUMORS
THAT THEY GUARDED THIS

BECAUSE THERE WAS SOMETHING
MORE IMPORTANT TO THEM.

Narrator: EYEWITNESS TESTIMONIES
PROVIDE CLUES

AS TO WHY THE STRUCTURE
WAS SO HEAVILY DEFENDED.

PEOPLE SAY THAT DURING
WORLD WAR II,

GERMAN OFFICERS PERFORMED SOME
KIND OF VERY STRANGE RITUALS.

SO YOU'RE SAYING
THAT PEOPLE BELIEVE

THAT SS RITUALS HAPPENED HERE?

YEAH.

Narrator:
FORMED IN 1925,

THE SS INITIALLY CONSISTED
OF JUST EIGHT SOLDIERS

WHO SERVED
AS HITLER'S PERSONAL BODYGUARDS.

DURING THE 1930s,

UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF
HEINRICH HIMMLER,

IT GROWS TO NUMBER 250,000

AND BECOMES THE MOST FEARED
AND POWERFUL DIVISION

OF THE NAZI WAR MACHINE.

THE SS WERE THE ELITE
OF THE GERMAN MILITARY.

Man: THEY WERE ESSENTIALLY
RESPONSIBLE

FOR UPHOLDING NAZI IDEOLOGY,
BOTH IN GERMANY AND WITHOUT.

Narrator:
AS THE NAZIS PREPARE FOR WAR,

HIMMLER FORMULATES
A NEW RELIGION

TO REINFORCE
THIS MURDEROUS IDEOLOGY --

ONE THAT REJECTS
CHRISTIAN MERCY

AND EMBRACES ANCIENT
PAGAN BELIEFS.

NAZISM WASN'T JUST
A POLITICAL MOVEMENT,

IT WAS A RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT,
AND AT THE HEART

OF THAT KIND OF RELIGIOUS
ELEMENT TO IT WAS THE SS.

Narrator:
HIMMLER'S NAZI RELIGION

REVIVES THE OLD NORDIC
AND GERMAN GODS

AND OCCULT SYMBOLS AND OBJECTS.

FOR HIS ELITE SOLDIERS,

HE FORGES TOTENKOPFRINGS,
OR DEATH'S HEAD RINGS,

INSCRIBED WITH RUNES
OR MAGICAL SYMBOLS

REPRESENTING DEATH AND CONTROL
OVER THE UNIVERSE.

WHAT HE BELIEVES,
GENUINELY BELIEVES,

IS THAT IF ONE OF HIS SUPER
SOLDIERS IS KILLED IN ACTION,

THEN HE CAN DRAW ON THE POWER
EXUDING FROM THESE RINGS

AND EFFECTIVELY WILL THE POWER
OF ALL THESE SS MEN

THAT HAVE DIED WEARING THEM.

LIKE J.R.R. TOLKIEN'S
"LORD OF THE RINGS,"

HIMMLER IS INSPIRED
BY A GERMAN EPIC POEM

KNOWN AS THE NIBELUNGENLIED.

[ CLATTERING ]

IT IS THE LEGEND DEPICTED
IN WAGNER'S MOST FAMOUS WORK,

THE RING.

[ "RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES"
BY WAGNER PLAYING ]

THE NAZIS ARE OBSESSED
WITH WAGNER'S RING.

TO THEM, THIS RING OF POWER
FORGED BY THE DWARF ALBERICH

REPRESENTS THE DESTINY

OF THE NORDIC ARYAN RACE
TO RULE THE WORLD.

**

Narrator:
DURING SS INITIATION CEREMONIES,

HIMMLER PRESENTS HIS RECRUITS
WITH THEIR DEATH'S HEAD RINGS

AND INDOCTRINATES THEM
WITH THE BELIEF

THAT THEY ARE PART
OF AN ANCIENT GODLIKE RACE.

IF YOU CAN OBTAIN THE OBJECTS
THAT HOLD GREAT SYMBOLIC

MEANING TO ANY GROUP OF PEOPLE,

THAT GIVES YOU
PSYCHOLOGICAL POWER OVER THEM.

Man: THE NAZIS DESIRE TO INVOKE
THAT SYMBOLISM,

I THINK BRINGS US BACK AROUND
TO THE STRUCTURE

THAT WE SEE IN WESTERN POLAND.

SO IT'S LIKE IT STAGED
AN INITIATION CEREMONY.

THERE WAS A LOT OF RUMORS
ABOUT IT.

SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT
DURING WORLD WAR II,

GERMAN OFFICERS PERFORMED
SOME KIND OF BLACK MASSES THERE.

Narrator:
THE CHILLING CEREMONIES
DESCRIBED BY THE LOCALS

COULD SHED LIGHT
ON THE PURPOSE OF THE TUNNELS

HIDDEN UNDER THE STRUCTURE.

SOME PEOPLE REMEMBER PEOPLE
COMING THERE WITH TORCHES.

THEY WERE PUT IN COFFINS --
COFFINS WERE CLOSED.

AND AFTER A FEW HOURS,
IF THEY SURVIVE,

THEY WILL BE WORTHY OF
JOINING SS ORDER.

Narrator:
BETWEEN 1939 AND 1945,

BRAINWASHED SS RECRUITS,

MANY WEARING THEIR
DEATH'S HEAD RINGS,

UNLEASH A WAVE OF RAPE, MURDER
AND TERROR

UNPARALLELED IN HUMAN HISTORY.

IF YOU'VE BEEN TOLD OVER
AND OVER AND OVER

THAT YOU'RE FROM A RACE
OF POWERFUL WARRIORS,

YOU BEGIN TO BELIEVE IT
AND THEN YOU ACT ON IT.

THE SS WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR
RUNNING THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS

MORE THAN ANY OTHER GROUP,

THE SS WERE THE ONES
WHO CARRIED OUT THE HOLOCAUST.

Narrator:
HIMMLER'S SS DEATH SQUADS,

INSPIRED BY HIS OCCULT IDEOLOGY,

GO ON TO KILL UPWARDS OF
SIX MILLION

CONCENTRATION CAMP INMATES
AND INNOCENT CIVILIANS.

UNLIKE THE STRANGE BUILDING
REVEALED FROM SPACE,

MORGAN HOPES THEIR HEINOUS ACTS

WILL NOT FADE
FROM HISTORY SO EASILY.

Morgan:
THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT,

THE MORE I AM CONVINCED
THAT THIS WAS SOMEHOW ASSOCIATED

WITH WAFFEN-SS
INITIATION RITUALS.

WE STILL DON'T KNOW
A LOT ABOUT IT,

BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW
MAKES THIS ONE OF THE CREEPIEST,

STRANGEST PLACES I'VE EVER BEEN.

**

Narrator: COMING UP --
BEAUTIFUL, BUT UTTERLY DEADLY.

WHOA, THAT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE
ANY OCEAN I'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE.

Narrator: AND THE ABANDONED
ISLAND OF DOOM.

Woman:
IT HAS A REALLY DARK PAST.

COULD THIS STRUCTURE
BE RELATED TO THAT?

**

**

Narrator:
OCTOBER 13, 2018 --

A SATELLITE SCANNING
THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES

COASTLINE FINDS THE SEA
IS CHANGING COLOR.

WHOA. IT'S LIKE A VAST AMOUNT
OF TURQUOISE INK

HAS BEEN SQUIRTED
INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO.

THIS IS JUST AMAZING.

THERE'S THIS GORGEOUS CLOUD
OF THIS STUFF

GOING ALL THE WAY ALONG
THE COAST.

Narrator: YET ACCOUNTS FROM GULF
FISHERMEN REVEALED THAT

THIS BEAUTY CONCEALS DANGER.

THERE ARE REPORTS OF MASS
DIE-OFFS

OF MARINE LIFE ALONG THIS COAST.

Woman: HUNDREDS OF DOLPHINS
WASHING UP DEAD,

BEACHES COVERED WITH FISH
CORPSES, IT'S MASS CARNAGE.

Narrator:
SOMETHING IN THE WATER HERE

IS KILLING TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF TONS OF MARINE LIFE

AND TURNING THE OCEAN INTO
A 7,000 SQUARE MILE DEAD ZONE.

LINDSAY MORAN STUDIES
THE IMAGE FOR CLUES.

WHAT REALLY JUMPS OUT IS
THIS MASSIVE AMOUNT OF

SINISTER-LOOKING DISCHARGE

THAT'S COMING
FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA.

IF YOU TRAVEL UP THE RIVER
JUST BEYOND NEW ORLEANS,

YOU SEE THIS ENORMOUS
BELT OF FACTORIES.

THIS COULD BE WHAT'S FUELING
THE DEAD ZONE

IF THEY'RE DISCHARGING
TOXIC MATERIAL

INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

Narrator: THE SNAKING BELT OF
150 GIANT PLANTS AND FACTORIES

EXTENDS FOR OVER 85 MILES ALONG
THE BANKS OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

LOCALS CALL IT "CANCER ALLEY."

CANCER ALLEY IS WHERE ABOUT

A FIFTH OF AMERICA'S
PETROCHEMICALS ARE PRODUCED.

CANCER ALLEY IS BASICALLY
ONE BIG TOXIC BELCHING HELLHOLE.

Narrator: EACH YEAR,
THE PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS

OF CANCER ALLEY PUMP TENS OF
MILLIONS OF TONS OF POLLUTANTS

INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

AT NIGHT, THESE EMISSIONS FORM
OF YELLOW, NOXIOUS MIST

THAT RAINS DOWN ONTO
SURROUNDING AREAS.

EMISSIONS FROM
THE PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY

ARE LINKED TO EVERYTHING
FROM CANCER TO CARDIOVASCULAR

AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES,

EVEN REPRODUCTIVE DISORDERS.

Narrator: IN 2015, GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES FIND THAT

THE RISK OF CONTRACTING CANCER

IN THE WORST-HIT PARTS
OF CANCER ALLEY

ARE 50 TIMES HIGHER
THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.

Moran: YOU'VE GOT TO WONDER
IF PETROCHEMICAL WASTE

IS WASHING OUT OF
THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA

AND KILLING ALL OF THE MARINE
LIFE IN THE DEAD ZONE.

Narrator: YET WHEN SCIENTISTS
STUDY SAMPLES

FROM THE MISSISSIPPI'S
MURKY WATERS,

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.

WHATEVER THE CONSEQUENCES
OF ALL OF THIS INDUSTRIAL WASTE

BEING DUMPED HERE,
THERE'S MORE GOING ON.

WHEN THE WATER IS TESTED,

WE FIND OUT THAT IT'S FULL
OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS.

Narrator: DEVIN DENNIE THINKS
THE ORIGIN OF THESE POLLUTANTS

LIES UPRIVER FROM CANCER ALLEY

IN THE 30 OR SO STATES THAT FEED
THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI.

THE CENTRAL PART OF
THE UNITED STATES

IS KNOWN AS THE BREADBASKET
OF THE WORLD.

IT'S AN INTENSELY
AGRICULTURAL AREA,

AND A PART OF AGRICULTURE
IS THE USE OF

THINGS LIKE NITRATES
AND PHOSPHATES.

Narrator: THE MIDWEST
BREADBASKET IS THE HEART

OF AMERICA'S COLOSSAL
AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY,

AN INDUSTRY WHOSE FARMS COVER

MORE THAN 900 MILLION
ACRES OF LAND,

AN AREA LARGER THAN INDIA.

EACH YEAR, IT PRODUCES OVER
90 MILLION TONS OF SOYBEANS

AND HUGE AMOUNTS OF OTHER CROPS,
FROM ALFALFA TO ZUCCHINI.

Dennie:
YOU NAME IT, WE GROW IT.

FOUR OUT OF EVERY 10 EARS
OF CORN

THAT ARE GROWN
IN THE ENTIRE WORLD

ARE GROWN RIGHT HERE
IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN.

Narrator: WHEN FARMING SPREADS
ACROSS THE MIDWEST

IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY,

AGRICULTURE EMPLOYS
OVER 80 PERCENT

OF THE ENTIRE
AMERICAN WORKFORCE.

BETWEEN 1850
AND NINETEEN HUNDRED,

THE U.S. POPULATION
TRIPLES IN SIZE,

RATCHETING UP THE PRESSURE
ON ITS FARMLANDS

TO PRODUCE MORE AND MORE FOOD.

Dennie: THERE'S A CONSTANT
BATTLE WITH NATURE.

WE NEED TO CREATE AS MUCH FOOD
AS WE CAN

FOR EVERY ACRE OF GROUND
THAT WE PLANT AND GROW.

Narrator:
TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY.

FARMERS TURNED
TO CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS

RICH IN NITRATES
AND PHOSPHATES --

20 MILLION TONS OF THEM
EVERY YEAR.

Dennie: OVER TIME,
THOSE NITRATES AND PHOSPHATES

FLOW INTO CREEKS
AND STREAMS AND RIVERS,

AND ULTIMATELY THOSE RIVERS DUMP
INTO THE MISSISSIPPI.

Narrator: THE MISSISSIPPI'S
CATCHMENT AREA IS SO VAST

THAT FERTILIZER FROM 40% OF THE
ENTIRE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES

ENDS UP BEING DUMPED
IN THE GULF OF MEXICO.

BIOLOGIST GREG SZULGIT THINKS
THIS EXPLAINS

THE SWIRLING LETHAL VORTEX
REVEALED FROM SPACE.

Szulgit: I THINK THIS IS
PROBABLY ALGAE --

THEY'RE FEEDING ON NUTRIENTS

THAT ARE BEING WASHED
OUT OF THE RIVER,

AND THAT'S CAUSING
THIS IMMENSE BLOOM.

Narrator: ALGAE ARE
SINGLE-CELLED ORGANISMS

THAT THRIVE ON THE CHEMICALS
FOUND IN FERTILIZERS.

AND WHILE THEY ARE TINY,

IN LARGE NUMBERS,
THEY ARE MASS KILLERS.

Szulgit:
HOW THAT WORKS IS THAT ALGAE
HAVE A VERY SHORT LIFE SPAN.

SO AS THEY DIE,
THEY SINK LIKE SNOWFLAKES

DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN

AND THERE, THEY'RE DEVOURED
BY BACTERIA.

Narrator: ONE POPULATION
EXPLOSION HAS LED TO A SECOND,

THIS TIME OF BACTERIA
IN TRULY GIGANTIC QUANTITIES,

AND THEY'RE SUCKING EVERY LAST
BIT OF OXYGEN FROM THE WATER.

THAT OXYGEN IS WHAT'S SUPPORTING
THE WHOLE SYSTEM,

SO WHEN THAT GOES,
EVERYTHING SUFFERS AND DIES.

SO WHILE FERTILIZERS ARE
VERY MUCH NEEDED,

THAT CAN CAUSE
THE OCEAN ENVIRONMENT

TO BE COMPLETELY WIPED OUT.

**

Narrator: COMING UP,
THE ISLAND THAT TIME FORGOT...

YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE
HOW TERRIFYING

A PLACE LIKE THIS WOULD BE.

Narrator: AND SOMETHING BIG
IS STIRRING IN THE SWAMP,

THEY ALL RADIATE OUTWARDS
LIKE A SPIDER WEB.

**

Narrator:
APRIL 30, 2016 --

MOVING AT ALMOST FIVE MILES
PER SECOND

ABOVE THE ATLANTIC OCEAN,

A SATELLITE CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

THIS CLEARLY DEPICTS
SOME SORT OF DESOLATE ISLAND,

AND THERE'S THIS THING WHICH
LOOKS LIKE SOME KIND OF BEETLE

OR TRILOBITE FOSSIL
POINTING TOWARDS THE SHORE.

Narrator: THE WEIRD PATTERN
SITS ON A DESERTED ISLAND

ON THE REMOTE ARCHIPELAGO
OF CAPE VERDE.

ANALYSTS TURN TO THE ISLAND
NATION'S HISTORY FOR CLUES.

Woman: SO CAPE VERDE IS THIS
SPECK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

IT HAS A REALLY DARK PAST,
THOUGH,

AND IT'S TIED INTO
THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE.

COULD THIS STRUCTURE
BE RELATED TO THAT?

Narrator: CAPE VERDE'S ROLE IN
THE HORRORS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

BEGINS WITH ITS DISCOVERY
BY THE PORTUGUESE IN 1456.

THE ISLANDS' STRATEGIC POSITION
ON THE TRADE WINDS

SOON MAKES THEM INVALUABLE
TO SLAVERS.

THE CAPE VERDES BECAME
PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT

BECAUSE THEY WERE PLACES

WHERE SHIPS
COULD GET FRESH FOOD,

THEY COULD GET FRESH WATER.

Narrator:
OVER THE NEXT 400 YEARS,

ALMOST SIX MILLION CAPTIVES PASS
THROUGH CAPE VERDE'S PORTS

ON THEIR WAY
TO A LIFE OF BONDAGE.

Bellinger: THEY BEGAN TO FUNNEL
38 TO 45 PERCENT

OF ALL AFRICAN SLAVES

THROUGH THESE TINY ISLANDS.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY
STRUCTURE'S FORTIFIED WALLS

YIELD CLUES TO ITS POSSIBLE ROLE
IN THIS SICKENING TRADE.

THE PORTUGUESE HAD TO BUILD
A LARGE NUMBER OF SLAVE FORTS

TO ENSURE THAT SLAVES
DID NOT ESCAPE.

SO PERHAPS THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE.

YET WHEN NEW AERIAL
IMAGES EMERGE,

THEY REVEAL THE STRUCTURE
SERVED A DIFFERENT PURPOSE.

Man: THIS LOOKS LIKE
A 19TH CENTURY FORT TO ME.

Man: BY THAT TIME, THE DWINDLING
SLAVE TRADE

IS ALREADY BEING ABOLISHED.

SO THIS STRUCTURE
CAN'T BE A SLAVE FORT.

Narrator: PATRICK HUNT THINKS
THE FORT'S CANNONS

ARE DEFENDING AGAINST
AN OCEAN-BORNE THREAT.

WHY WOULD YOU NEED A FORT
IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD?

SOMETHING ELSE IMMEDIATELY
COMES TO MIND: PIRATES.

Narrator: MARITIME RECORDS
CONFIRM THAT,

DURING THE 19TH CENTURY,

THE ISLANDS IN THE IMAGE
BECOME A TARGET

FOR THE MOST FEARED PIRATES
IN HISTORY.

Hunt: ONE KNOWN SCOURGE OF
THE REGION,

WRITTEN ABOUT
WITH FEARSOME DETAIL,

ARE THE NOTORIOUS
BARBARY PIRATES.

Narrator: THE BARBARY PIRATES
OPERATE OUT OF NORTH AFRICA.

THEY PREY ON SHIPS THROUGHOUT
THE MEDITERRANEAN AND ATLANTIC,

CAPTURING CHRISTIAN SLAVES
TO SELL IN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE.

WHILE AFRICA HAD BEEN ENSLAVED
BY EUROPEANS

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,

NOW THE TIDE HAS TURNED.

THESE ARE AFRICANS WHO ARE
OVERWHELMING EUROPEANS

AND ENSLAVING THEM.

Narrator: SOME GIRLS ARE PRESSED
INTO SEXUAL SLAVERY;

THE MEN FORCED
TO WORK IN QUARRIES

OR TO ROW PIRATE GALLEYS
IN PURSUIT OF YET MORE CAPTIVES.

WEALTHY FAMILIES
MUST PAY A RANSOM

TO GET THEIR CHILDREN BACK.

THEY WERE ESSENTIALLY
STATE-SPONSORED PIRATES,

AND IT WAS A WAY OF THESE
NORTH AFRICAN LOCALES

TO RAISE MONEY
FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE STATES.

Narrator: HISTORIANS ESTIMATE

THAT BETWEEN THE 16th
AND 18th CENTURIES,

THE PIRATES TAKE UP TO ONE AND
A HALF MILLION PEOPLE HOSTAGE.

IN THE 1780s,
THEY BEGIN TARGETING

AMERICAN MERCHANT SHIPS.

BY 1800, RANSOMS
AND EXTORTION PAYMENTS

TO THE PIRATES ACCOUNT FOR

A FIFTH OF THE ENTIRE
U.S. GOVERNMENT'S

ANNUAL EXPENDITURE.

Hunt: THOMAS JEFFERSON DESCRIBES

HOW THEY SURROUNDED YOUR SHIP

AND CAME OVERBOARD,

A DAGGER IN EACH HAND,

AND A DAGGER IN THE MOUTH.

THEY SHOWED ABSOLUTELY NO MERCY.

Narrator: THE NEWLY INDEPENDENT
UNITED STATES

BUILDS A NAVY AND WAGES WAR
ON THE PIRATES IN 1801 AND 1815.

DURING THESE CONFLICTS,
A GROUP OF PIRATES HEADS

TO CAPE VERDE
SEEKING PLUNDER IN A TOWN

TO THE EAST OF THE ISLAND
IN THE IMAGE.

Hunt: THE TOWN OF SAL REI WAS
A SALT PRODUCTION CENTER

AND MADE A GREAT DEAL OF WEALTH,
AND IN 1815,

THE CITY WAS ATTACKED
BY PIRATES,

SO THE LOCALS DECIDED
TO BUILD A FORTIFICATION

TO DEFEND AGAINST SUCH ATTACKS
IN THE FUTURE.

Narrator: THE FORT BECOMES
OPERATIONAL IN 1820,

BUT IT NEVER SEES ACTION --

FOR THE ONCE-FEARED
BARBARY PIRATE FLEET

IS SOON DEFEATED
BY EUROPEAN NAVIES.

OVER THE FOLLOWING
TWO CENTURIES,

THE STRUCTURE SLOWLY FADES
TO RUIN AND BECOMES A MONUMENT

TO A TIME WHEN TERROR
THREATENED THESE DISTANT SHORES.

**

COMING UP,
ATTACK OF THE SWAMPERS.

THIS IS PLUNDER
ON A TRULY HORRIFIC SCALE.

Narrator:
AND THE SECRET NUCLEAR CITY.

IF THERE IS A WORLD WAR III,

MORE THAN LIKELY
IT'LL START RIGHT THERE.

**

Narrator:
SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 --

EYES IN THE SKY SCAN
SOUTHERN LOUISIANA.

THERE IS SOMETHING
UNUSUAL GOING ON HERE.

IT'S A VERY ODD SET OF PATTERNS.

Man: THEY ALL COME FROM
A CENTRAL POINT

AND RADIATE OUTWARDS,
SORT OF LIKE A SPIDERWEB.

Narrator: MILITARY ANALYSTS
HAVE A THEORY...

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN ONLY
REALLY BE SPOTTED FROM ABOVE.

SO IT LEADS ME TO WONDER,

COULD THIS BE
SOME KIND OF TARGET?

Woman: IF THESE ARE TARGETS,

WHY ARE THEY IN THE MIDDLE
OF A LOUISIANA SWAMP?

THERE'S ONLY ONE
POSSIBLE EXPLANATION,

WHICH IS
THE LOUISIANA MANEUVERS.

Narrator:
THE LOUISIANA MANEUVERS

WERE A SERIES OF MASSIVE
WAR GAMES

IN THESE SWAMPS

DESIGNED TO READY
AMERICAN SOLDIERS

FOR THE INVASION
OF NAZI OCCUPIED EUROPE.

Moran: IN THE BUILD UP TO
WORLD WAR II,

THE U.S. ARMY REALLY
WASN'T QUITE UP TO SPEED.

I MEAN, THEY WERE STILL USING
TECHNOLOGY AND WEAPONRY

THAT WERE HOLDOVERS
FROM WORLD WAR I.

Narrator: IN 1939, THE U.S. HAS
FEWER THAN 200,000 SOLDIERS,

A SMALLER ARMY THAN PORTUGAL'S,

AND USES CAVALRY
TO PULL ITS ARTILLERY.

HAS GLOBAL CONFLICT LOOMS,
19 DIVISIONS OF FRESH RECRUITS

WAGE A FAKE WAR
IN THE LOUISIANA SWAMPS

TO WORK OUT HOW TO DEFEAT
THE NAZIS' BLITZKRIEG TACTICS.

THE THINKING WAS, IF YOU CAN
SURVIVE IN LOUISIANA SWAMPLAND,

YOU CAN CERTAINLY MAKE IT
IN EUROPE.

Narrator: THE WAR GAMES COVER
3,400 SQUARE MILES

AND INVOLVE 470,000 SOLDIERS,
50,000 VEHICLES

AND 1,000 PLANES.

WHEN YOU SEE FROM ABOVE
THESE CIRCULAR PATTERNS

WITH ALMOST A TARGET
IN THE MIDDLE,

IT MAKES YOU WONDER.

IS THIS PART OF
THE LOUISIANA MANEUVERS?

Narrator: LOUISIANA NATIVE
MARTIN MORGAN

RECOGNIZES THE PATTERNS.

HE REVEALS THAT RATHER THAN
BEING A LEGACY OF WORLD WAR II,

THEY'RE AN EXTRAORDINARY RELIC
OF THE STATE'S INDUSTRIAL PAST.

SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN
VERY IMPORTANT

TO THE ECONOMY OF SOUTHERN
LOUISIANA HAS BEEN LOGGING.

I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING TODAY
ARE THE SCARS THAT WERE CREATED

WHEN THE LOGGERS DRAG
CYPRESS LOGS ACROSS THE SWAMP.

Narrator:
LOUISIANA'S SWAMPS WERE ONCE
FILLED WITH CYPRESS TREES,

A VAST FOREST THAT COVERED
ONE AND A HALF MILLION ACRES.

BETWEEN THE EARLY 18TH
AND 20TH CENTURIES,

THEY ATTRACT GROUPS
OF PIONEERING LOGGERS

KNOWN AS SWAMPERS.

Morgan: SWAMPERS WERE A TOUGH
FRONTIER TYPE PERSON.

THESE ARE PEOPLE
THAT LIVED IN THE SWAMP,

BRINGING DOWN CYPRESS TREES,
BEING ON THE LOOKOUT CONSTANTLY

FOR LOUISIANA BLACK BEAR
AND FOR SNAKES AND ALLIGATORS.

THIS IS HARD,
PHYSICALLY TRYING WORK,

Narrator: GROWING IN A SWAMP,

CYPRESS WOOD IS EXCELLENT
AT WITHSTANDING WATER,

SO IT IS HIGHLY PRIZED
BY SHIP AND HOUSE BUILDERS.

BUT THE TREES ARE HUGE,

MORE THAN 100 FEET TALL
WITH TRUNKS EIGHT FEET WIDE.

AND GETTING THEM
TO THE LUMBER MILLS WAS TOUGH.

Morgan:
THEY WERE PAID BY THE LOG,

AND THAT WAS AN ENORMOUS
AMOUNT OF WORK

UNDER VERY HARSH CONDITIONS
FOR A VERY SMALL PAYCHECK.

Narrator: IN 1891, THE INVENTION
OF A NEW MACHINE

CHANGES ALL THAT.

Morgan: THE INVENTION
OF THE PULL BOAT

REVOLUTIONIZED THE PROCESS
OF SWAMP LOGGING.

THESE PROVIDE A SOLUTION
TO HOW DO YOU HARVEST

THE CYPRESS LOGS
OUT OF A CYPRESS SWAMP?

Narrator: PULL BOATS USE
STEAM-DRIVEN WINCHES

TO DRAG CYPRESS TREES

THOUSANDS OF FEET FROM
INACCESSIBLE PARTS OF THE SWAMP.

IN SOME PLACES, THE PULL BOATS
DON'T EVEN MOVE,

THEY JUST DRAG LOGS
FROM ALL DIRECTIONS

THAT CREATES THESE DISTINCTIVE
STAR SHAPES

THAT WE SEE SO CLEARLY
IN THE SATELLITE PHOTOS.

Narrator: USING PULL BOATS,

SWAMPERS CAN ASSEMBLE RAFTS OF
500 GIANT LOGS

FOR LOUISIANA'S LUMBER MILLS.

BY THE EARLY 1900s,
THESE MILLS ARE PRODUCING

A BILLION BOARD FEET
OF WOOD A YEAR,

ENOUGH TO CREATE
A CYPRESS BOARDWALK

FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON.

Morgan: IT BRINGS MONEY,
IT BRINGS PEOPLE,

IT BRINGS ECONOMIC VITALITY --

AND IT ALSO BRINGS DESTRUCTION
OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

Narrator: THE PULL BOATS
RAVAGE LOUISIANA,

FELLING TREES THAT WERE ALREADY
500 YEARS OLD

WHEN COLUMBUS
VISITED THE AMERICAS.

WITHIN 35 YEARS,

THE STATE'S MAGNIFICENT
CYPRESS FORESTS

HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO
A FETID WASTELAND --

SUITABLE FOR ARMY WAR GAMES,

BUT LITTLE ELSE.

BY THE 1920s, JUST ABOUT
EVERY CYPRESS IN LOUISIANA

HAS BEEN CUT DOWN.

THIS IS THE PLUNDER
OF A PRICELESS ANCIENT FOREST

ON A TRULY HORRIFIC SCALE.

Narrator: TODAY, ALL THAT
REMAINS OF

LOUISIANA'S CYPRESS GOLD RUSH

ARE THE STRANGE SCARS
REVEALED FROM THE SKIES.

**

COMING UP, THE MEGASTRUCTURE
THAT DISAPPEARED.

Woman: SOMEBODY DOESN'T WANT
THIS FACILITY

SHOWING UP ON THE PUBLIC RECORD.

**

Narrator:
APRIL 30, 2016 --

AS THE WORLDVIEW-3 SATELLITE

PASSES OVER THE HISTORIC STATE
OF KARNATAKA, INDIA,

IT CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S
A GIANT PARCEL OF LAND

THAT'S BEEN CASED
IN SOME SORT OF A BARRIER.

Narrator: THE WALL ENCIRCLES
A 15 SQUARE MILE PROPERTY.

IT SEEMS IT'S ERODED AWAY,
SO THERE'S REALLY NO TELLING

HOW LONG THIS THING
HAS BEEN OUT THERE FOR.

Narrator: IF THE GIANT WALL
IS ERODING AWAY,

IT COULD BE A RELIC
OF INDIA'S ARISTOCRATIC PAST.

SUCH A MASSIVE PROJECT LIKE THIS
REMINDS US

OF THE OVER-THE-TOP
CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE MAHARAJ.

Narrator: THE MAHARAJAH'S ARE
THE HISTORIC KINGS

AND RULERS OF INDIA.

BEFORE THE COUNTRY'S
INDEPENDENCE IN 1947,

THEY COMMAND
AN ALMOST GODLIKE STATUS...

AND ACCUMULATE VAST FORTUNES
THROUGH TRADE AND TAXATION.

Hunt:
IT STAGGERS THE IMAGINATION

TO THINK OF HOW WEALTHY
A MAHARAJAHS WERE

AND HOW THEY SPENT

TO MAINTAIN THEIR STATUS.

Narrator: SUCH WAS THEIR WEALTH
THAT SOME MAHARAJAHS ARE KNOWN

TO HAVE USED ROLLS-ROYCES
FOR GARBAGE COLLECTION

AND DIAMONDS FOR PAPERWEIGHTS.

THEY CONSTRUCT VAST PALACES,
SOME WITH UPWARDS OF 300 ROOMS,

MANY OF WHICH STILL PEPPER
THE INDIAN COUNTRYSIDE.

Hunt: THE LANDSCAPE OF INDIA
IS FILLED WITH BEAUTIFUL FOLLIES

BUILT AT ENORMOUS EXPENSE
BY THE MAHARAJAHS.

Narrator: BRONWYN AGRIOS
USES SATELLITE IMAGERY

TO TRACK BACK THROUGH TIME.

Agrios: WHAT GETS REVEALED
ACTUALLY IS THIS HAS ONLY BEEN

AROUND FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS.

SO THIS HAS TO BE
A NEW FACILITY.

Narrator: AGRIOS'S INVESTIGATION
UNCOVERS SOMETHING STRANGE

ABOUT THE MYSTERY FACILITY.

Agrios: WHAT'S INTERESTING IS,

WHEN I GO
TO THE MAP OF THIS AREA,

IT'S JUST BLANK --
SOMEBODY DOESN'T WANT

THIS FACILITY SHOWING UP
ON THE PUBLIC RECORD.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGES
REVEAL CONSTRUCTION

ON THE SITE BEGINS IN 2009.

LOCAL VILLAGERS WHO ACTUALLY
LOST THEIR OWN LAND

TO HELP BUILD THIS FACILITY

ACTUALLY SUED
THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT

TO FIND OUT
EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON.

Woman: WHAT THEY DISCOVERED WAS
THAT HALF OF THE FACILITY

WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE USED
TO STUDY ATOMIC ENERGY

AND NUCLEAR REACTORS.

Narrator: THE GOVERNMENT CLAIMS

THE SITE WILL BE USED
TO ENRICH URANIUM

TO FUEL NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
AND SUBMARINES,

YET HAD STRUCTURES
TO THE NORTH SUGGEST

THIS IS LIKELY NOT THE CASE.

Moran: THIS FACILITY HAS WHAT'S
CALLED A RARE MATERIALS PLANT

AND THAT IS USED TO PRODUCE
HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM,

WHICH, AS WE ALL KNOW,

IS A KEY COMPONENT
TO MAKING NUCLEAR BOMBS.

Narrator: INTELLIGENCE ANALYSTS
BELIEVE INDIA CURRENTLY

POSSESSES AROUND 140
THERMONUCLEAR WEAPONS,

FEWER THAN ITS NEIGHBORS AND
ADVERSARIES, CHINA AND PAKISTAN.

THE SCALE OF THE NUCLEAR CITY
REVEALED FROM SPACE SUGGESTS

IT COULD ADD
HUNDREDS OF WARHEADS

TO ITS STOCKPILE
OVER THE NEXT DECADE.

Moran:
THE FACILITY HAS BEEN UPGRADED

WITH CUTTING EDGE EQUIPMENT
AND CENTRIFUGES,

WHICH MAKE IT CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING HUNDREDS OF POUNDS

OF WEAPONS-GRADE URANIUM
EVERY YEAR.

Munoz: WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE
COULD BE INDIA'S EFFORT

TO BRING BALANCE BACK
TO THE REGION IN INDIA'S FAVOR

TO MAKE ITS WARHEAD
ARSENAL COMPETE

WITH THESE OTHER COUNTRIES.

Narrator: INDIA'S SPENDING
ON ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM

IS NOW MORE THAN DOUBLE
THAT OF PAKISTAN'S.

INDIA'S INTENTIONS HERE
ARE REALLY

TO ESSENTIALLY
STRONG ARM ITS NEIGHBORS

AND TO SOLIDIFY ITS POSITION
AS A POWERHOUSE IN THE REGION.

Narrator: TENSIONS BETWEEN INDIA
AND ITS NEIGHBORS,

PAKISTAN AND CHINA,

HAVE DRAMATICALLY ESCALATED
IN RECENT YEARS,

WITH BORDER SKIRMISHES
CLAIMING HUNDREDS OF LIVES.

SATELLITES CONTINUE TO MONITOR
THE SITUATION AS IT UNFOLDS.

YOU THINK OF GEOPOLITICAL
TENSIONS BEING STRONGEST

BETWEEN THE WORLD'S SUPERPOWERS,

BETWEEN RUSSIA
AND THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA,

BUT THIS IS A POWDER KEG
WAITING TO BLOW.

**