All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S08E08.1080p.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.

GHOST BOMBS
OF WORLD WAR II.

THERE'S A TIME BOMB RIGHT
UNDER YOUR HOUSE

WAITIN' TO GO OFF.

[ SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

Narrator:
DISCOVERED FROM THE SKIES,

THE VIKING HOUSE OF CORPSES.

THIS IS REALLY
A FANTASTIC NEW DISCOVERY.

THIS STRUCTURE IS
COMPLETELY UNIQUE.

Narrator: AND ALIEN-LOOKING
SYMBOLS ETCHED INTO THE DESERT.

THINGS IMAGE IS WEIRD
AS IT IS,

BUT WHAT MAKES IT
EVEN WEIRDER IS

THAT THIS WAS TAKEN
NEAR AREA 51.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.
MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

**

**

**

[ BIRD CALLING ]

JUNE 23, 2019,

4 A.M., IN THE VILLAGE OF
HALBACH, WESTERN GERMANY.

IT'S THE PREDAWN DARKNESS,

WHEN SUDDENLY
THE PEACE AND QUIET

IS INTERRUPTED BY
AN EAR-SPLITTING EXPLOSION.

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

[ ALARM SOUNDS ]

IT'S SO POWERFUL THAT
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS IN

THE AREA ACTUALLY RECORD IT
AS AN EARTHQUAKE.

Narrator: THE CAUSE OF
THE MASSIVE BLAST IS A MYSTERY.

A FEW HOURS LATER,
AERIAL CAMERAS SCANNING

FIELDS NEAR THE VILLAGE
CAPTURE THIS IMAGE.

IT LOOKS ALMOST
AS IF SOME VOLCANO HAS

JUST ERUPTED FROM
THE MIDDLE OF THIS FIELD.

Narrator: GUY WALTERS
THINKS THE CRATER IS

EVIDENCE OF SOMETHING
EVEN MORE TERRIFYING.

WHAT'S APPARENT IS THAT
SOMETHING HAS BLOWN UP.

I THINK
IT'S A SUBTERRANEAN BOMB.

Narrator: IT APPEARS
THE EXPLOSION IS A LEGACY OF

THE TERROR THAT GRIPPED
THE WORLD EIGHT DECADES AGO.

WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS

AN UNEXPLODED BOMB
THAT'S JUST WOKEN UP

75 YEARS LATER AND BLOWN UP
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

Narrator: ON-SITE INVESTIGATORS
CONFIRM THAT A LONG-BURIED,

550-POUND WORLD WAR II BOMB
HAS SPONTANEOUSLY DETONATED.

IT IS A HAUNTING REMINDER THAT

THE DEADLIEST CONFLICT IN
HISTORY CONTINUES TO

THREATEN LIVES.

THE UNCOMFORTABLE REALITY OF
THIS SITUATION IS THAT

THERE ARE POTENTIALLY

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF BOMBS
THAT ARE OUT THERE

WAITING TO EXPLODE
LIKE THIS ONE DID.

THE QUESTION IS,
WHERE ARE THEY?

Narrator: THE DISTURBING THING
IS THAT MOST OF THESE BOMBS

AREN'T LYING
UNDER REMOTE FIELDS,

BUT IN HIGHLY POPULATED
EUROPEAN TOWNS AND CITIES,

CITIES LIKE GLOGOW
IN POLAND,

WHICH STILL BEARS
THE SCARS OF ONE OF

THE MOST INTENSE BOMBARDMENTS
OF WORLD WAR II.

[ SIRENS WAILING ]

THIS IS THE TEAM
TASKED WITH FINDING

AND DEFUSING THE CITY'S
WARTIME BOMBS BEFORE THEY KILL

YET MORE PEOPLE.

COMMANDER JAROSLAW
ROMANOWSKI HEADS UP

GLOGOW'S BOMB
DISPOSAL SQUAD.

[ SPEAKING POLISH ]

Narrator: THE CHALLENGE FACING
THE BOMB SQUAD IS IMMENSE.

[ SIRENS WAILING ]

BETWEEN MARCH AND APRIL 1945,
THE ADVANCING SOVIETS SUBJECT

NAZI-HELD GLOGOW TO A SERIES
OF CATACLYSMIC ATTACKS,

WHICH DESTROY MORE THAN
95% OF THE CITY.

IT WAS A MAJOR TARGET.

DURING THE END
OF WORLD WAR II.

THE ALLIES WERE TRYING TO
DESTROY THE AREA

AND ALSO BLOCK OFF
GERMAN SOLDIERS

FROM RETREATING
AND SAVING THEMSELVES.

Narrator: THESE BOMBING RAIDS
SEND SHOCKWAVES

620 MILES INTO THE AIR.

[ EXPLOSIONS BLASTING ]

YET MORE AERIAL HELL

COMES IN THE FORM
OF THE RED ARMY'S

ARTILLERY SHELLS, MORTARS,
AND GRENADES.

Silbey: THEY TARGETED
PARTICULARLY

TRANSPORT HUBS,
RAILWAYS, ROADS,

UM, ANYTHING LIKE THAT,
WHICH MEANT ALL OF THOSE AREAS

GOT CARPETED WITH HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF POUNDS OF BOMBS.

Narrator: NOT ONLY ARE THESE
AERIAL BOMBS AND ORDNANCE

HOPELESSLY UNRELIABLE,

BUT ALMOST ALL MISSED
THEIR INTENDED TARGETS.

THE FUSES ONLY WORKED ABOUT
NINE OUT OF 10 TIMES,

WHICH LEAVES 10% OF THESE
BOMBS STILL LAYING IN

THE GROUND SOMEWHERE.

Narrator:
FOLLOWING WORLD WAR II,

BOMB DISPOSAL EXPERTS CLEAR SOME

AREAS OF GLOGOW,

BUT EVEN TODAY,
UNTOLD TONS

OF UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE
LITTER THE CITY.

NO ONE KNOWS WHERE THEY ARE

OR WHEN THEY WILL EXPLODE.

Morgan: THAT'S SORT OF
A CHILLING REALITY TO CONSIDER.

HERE WE ARE MORE THAN 75 YEARS
BEYOND THE CONFLICT,

AND THERE'S THE POTENTIAL THAT
SOMEONE COULD BE SITTING

AT HOME ENJOYING LUNCH,
AND THEN KABOOM.

Narrator:
TODAY, COMMANDER ROMANOWSKI

IS TURNING TO AERIAL IMAGERY TO

HUNT FOR THESE DEADLY RELICS
OF WORLD WAR II.

[ SPEAKING POLISH ]

Narrator: USING PHOTOGRAPHS
TAKEN JUST AFTER

GLOGOW'S DESTRUCTION, COMMANDER
ROMANOWSKI IDENTIFIES AREAS

THAT SUFFERED HEAVY BOMBARDMENT

BUT HAVE YET TO BE SWEPT
FOR WORLD WAR II MUNITIONS.

Narrator: THE TEAM IS HEADING
FOR AN AREA A MILE

TO THE NORTHEAST THAT

WITNESSED A BRUTAL ASSAULT
BY THE RED ARMY

ON A NAZI-HELD POSITION.

[ SIRENS WAILING ]

Narrator: FOR COMMANDER
ROMANOWSKI AND HIS TEAM,

EACH MISSION IS MORE
PERILOUS THAN THE LAST.

THE MORE TIME THAT PASSES,

THE MORE THE BOMBS DECAY,
AND THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO

SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODE.

Silbey:
THESE ARE NOT STABLE BOMBS,

SO THESE PEOPLE ARE TAKING
THEIR LIVES IN THEIR OWN HANDS

WHEN THEY GO TO EXTRACT
YET ANOTHER ONE OF

THESE UNEXPLODED DEVICES.

Narrator: IN 2019,
TWO FELLOW SOLDIERS DIED WHEN

A WORLD WAR II BOMB THEY WERE
DEFUSING DETONATED.

THESE WEAPONS OF WAR
ARE STILL CLAIMING LIVES.

THE FIRST SIGN
WE MIGHT GET AS TO

THE PRESENCE OF AN UNEXPLODED
BOMB IS WHEN IT BLOWS UP.

[ SIRENS WAILING ]

Narrator:
COMING UP...

...AND A MYSTERY DISCOVERY
IN THE LAND OF THE VIKINGS.

Chamberlain: THIS IS
VERY STRANGE.

THIS REALLY LOOKS LIKE SOME
KIND OF RUNIC SYMBOL.

Narrator: LATE WINTER IN GLOGOW,
WESTERN POLAND.

[ DISTANT SIRENS WAILING ]

ON THE GROUND, A TEAM OF COMBAT
ENGINEERS ARE ON

THE HUNT FOR LIVE WORLD WAR II
BOMBS AND MUNITIONS.

Narrator: USING AERIAL IMAGES
TAKEN IN 1945, THE BOMB SQUAD

HAVE HIGHLIGHTED AREAS OF
INTENSE BOMBING

THAT COULD CONTAIN
WARTIME ORDNANCE.

[ SPEAKING POLISH
OVER RADIO ]

[ SPEAKING POLISH ]

[ SPEAKING POLISH ]

Narrator:
THE POLICE HAVE CORDONED OFF

AN AREA FOR THE TEAM TO SWEEP.

IN ITS CENTER
STANDS THE REMAINS OF

A HUGE FORT OBLITERATED BY
SOVIET AIR RAIDS AND ARTILLERY.

Narrator: COMMANDER ROMANOWSKI
WILL CONDUCT

A FORENSIC SEARCH
OF THE AREA.

HIS KEVLAR SUIT CONCEALS
BALLISTIC PLATES THAT CAN

WITHSTAND SHRAPNEL TRAVELING
AT ALMOST 6,000 FEET PER SECOND.

BUT A LARGE EXPLOSION
WOULD BE FATAL.

Narrator: DURING WORLD WAR II,
ALMOST ONE IN FIVE POLISH

PEOPLE DIED AT THE HANDS

OF THE NAZIS IN
FORESTS SUCH AS THIS ONE.

EVEN NOW, THEIR RULE OF
TERROR CASTS

A LETHAL SHADOW OVER
THE DESCENDANTS OF THOSE

WHO PERISHED HERE.

Narrator: COMMANDER ROMANOWSKI
HAS LOCATED TWO PIECES

OF ORDNANCE NEAR
THE BASE OF THE FORT.

ONE OF THEM,
A SOVIET MORTAR SHELL,

POSES AN IMMEDIATE THREAT.

Narrator: COMMANDER ROMANOWSKI
CALCULATES THE MORTAR

GRENADE HAS A BLAST RADIUS
OF AROUND 80 FEET.

HE HOPES USING THIS GRAPPLE
WILL PROVIDE HIS BOMB SUIT

WITH A VITAL FEW
FEET OF CLEARANCE

SHOULD IT DETONATE.

[ INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER ]

Narrator: AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO
THE ELEMENTS FOR EIGHT DECADES,

THE RUSTING MORTAR SHELL IS
HIGHLY UNSTABLE.

IT CARRIES
A CONTACT FUSE THAT

COULD DETONATE
ON THE SLIGHTEST IMPACT.

**

**

Narrator: TO TRANSPORT MUNITIONS
TO THE DISPOSAL SITE,

THE BOMB SQUAD USES
A BLAST-PROOF TRAILER,

WHICH THEY HOPE WILL SUPPRESS
ANY EXPLOSION EN ROUTE.

WITH THE VOLATILE
MORTAR ROUND SECURED,

THE TEAM TURNS
THEIR ATTENTION TO

THE SECOND MORE STABLE
PIECE OF ORDNANCE,

A 122-MILLIMETER
ARTILLERY SHELL.

**

**

Narrator: DISPOSAL TAKES PLACE
AT A SECURE SITE

THREE MILES SOUTH OF
THE CITY.

GLOGOW WAS SO BADLY BOMBED
AND THE QUANTITY OF UNEXPLODED

ORDNANCE SO GREAT,

THE BOMB DISPOSAL TEAM
REGULARLY DETONATES WHOLE

STOCKPILES OF NEWLY DISCOVERED
WORLD WAR II MUNITIONS.

Narrator: THE SAPPERS ATTACH
DETONATORS AND FUSES TO

THE WEEK'S HAUL BEFORE BURYING
IT UNDERGROUND.

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

Narrator:
WITH THESE BLASTS,

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

THE TEAM DESTROYS 130 POUNDS
OF EXPLOSIVES

THAT MIGHT HAVE OTHERWISE
CLAIMED COUNTLESS LIVES.

FOR MANY LIVING HERE
AND ELSEWHERE ACROSS EUROPE,

WORLD WAR II
IS FAR FROM OVER.

Albertson: YOU MIGHT BE LIVING
ON TOP OF ONE OF THESE THINGS,

AND YOU JUST DON'T KNOW IT.

AND THERE'S A TIME BOMB RIGHT
UNDER YOUR HOUSE,

WAITIN' TO GO OFF.

Narrator: COMING UP,
THE VIKING HALL OF DEATH.

MAYBE WE'RE LOOKING AT
A PRISON FOR THE VIKING DEAD.

Narrator:
AND SEEN OVER AREA 51...

IT'S THE PERFECT BLUFF
IN THIS

HIGH-STAKES GAME OF
MILITARY POKER.

AUGUST 2019.

AN AERIAL CAMERA
SCANNING AN AREA NEAR

THE VILLAGE OF VINJEORA

IN CENTRAL NORWAY UNCOVERS THIS
IN THE LANDSCAPE BELOW.

THIS REALLY LOOKS LIKE SOME
KIND OF RUNIC SYMBOL.

Krueger:
IT JUST LOOKS SO UNUSUAL,

AND THERE SEEMS TO BE THIS
RECTANGLE INSIDE THE CIRCLE,

WHICH MAKES IT EVEN
MORE MYSTERIOUS.

Narrator: THE IMAGE IS OF
INTENSE INTEREST

TO RAYMOND SAUVAGE,
WHO HAS RECENTLY BEGUN

EXCAVATING THE SYMBOL
SEEN FROM THE SKIES.

THE ARCHAEOLOGIST BELIEVES
IT IS THE FOOTPRINT OF

A STRUCTURE THAT STOOD HERE
1,000 YEARS AGO.

ALL OUR EVIDENCE
POINTS THAT THIS STRUCTURE

DATES FROM
THE VIKING AGE.

Narrator: BUT WHAT PUZZLES
THE VIKING EXPERT IS THAT IT'S

UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE
THE NORSEMEN

ARE KNOWN TO HAVE BUILT.

Sauvage:
WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT

THIS MYSTERIOUS FEATURE
IS YET.

I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING
LIKE THIS BEFORE.

Narrator: THE ANCIENT STRUCTURE
IS LOCATED AT THE END OF

A 33-MILE-LONG FJORD THAT ONCE
CARRIED WARRIORS SEEKING

PLUNDER ACROSS THE SEAS.

CENTURIES OF AGRICULTURAL
ACTIVITY HAVE ERASED MUCH

OF THE EVIDENCE
OF WHAT STOOD HERE,

BUT FROM THE AIR,
CLUES DO REMAIN.

USING THE SATELLITE
MEASURING SYSTEM,

WE CAN MAP FEATURES WITHIN
A VERY HIGH DEGREE OF ACCURACY.

SAUVAGE'S GPS DATA
AND EXCAVATIONS REVEAL THAT

THE LINE TRANSECTING
THE CIRCLE

IS A SCAR
CREATED BY FARMING.

THE CIRCLE ITSELF IS A DITCH

ENCLOSING WHAT WAS ONCE
A LARGE MOUND.

BUT IT'S WHAT WAS HIDDEN IN

THE CENTER OF THIS MOUND THAT
BAFFLES THE ARCHAEOLOGIST.

Sauvage: INSIDE,
WE FOUND STONES THAT

SUPPORTED A WOODEN STRUCTURE.

SO IT'S CLEAR
THAT THIS WAS

AN ACTUAL HOUSE CONSTRUCTED
INSIDE A MOUND.

Narrator: THE BIZARRE
SEMI-SUBTERRANEAN HOUSE IS

THE FIRST SUCH STRUCTURE

DISCOVERED IN THE LAND
OF THE VIKINGS.

AND AROUND IT,
SAUVAGE AND HIS TEAM

ARE FINDING MACABRE CLUES

AS TO WHY THE NORSEMEN BUILT
IT ALL THOSE CENTURIES AGO.

YES, THIS IS
A SINGLE-EDGED SWORD.

IT HAS A...

CUTTING EDGE
ON THIS SIDE HERE.

Narrator: THE SWORD WAS
DISCOVERED IN THIS GRAVE,

WHICH CONTAINS THE ROTTED
REMAINS OF A BOAT BURIAL.

Sauvage:
IT TELLS US THAT THIS MAN

PROBABLY SERVED AS A WARRIOR.

HE WAS BURIED WITH
HIS WEAPONS.

Narrator: SURROUNDING
THE MYSTERY STRUCTURE,

THE TEAM HAS UNCOVERED
DOZENS MORE

GRAVES SPANNING 200 YEARS
OF VIKING HISTORY.

THERE ARE NO SETTLEMENTS HERE.

I WOULD CHARACTERIZE

THIS AS THE LANDSCAPE
OF THE DEADS.

Narrator: VIKINGS BELIEVED
THAT WHEN YOU DIED,

YOU WOULD EMBARK ON A JOURNEY
TO ONE OF THREE REALMS.

VALHALLA,
THE HALL OF THE DEAD.

FOLKVANGR,
THE FIELD OF WARRIORS.

OR HELHEIM,
THE UNDERWORLD.

BUT IT APPEARS THIS IS
A STRANGE NEW FORM OF

NORSE BURIAL,

A MORTUARY HOUSE DESIGNED TO
PREVENT SUCH A VOYAGE AND KEEP

THE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD
HERE ON EARTH.

THE MORTUARY HOUSE IS
A MYSTERY BECAUSE

IT'S SOMETHING YOU HAVEN'T SEEN
BEFORE IN SCANDINAVIA.

Narrator: SOME EXPERTS THINK
THE MORTUARY HOUSE

WAS USED TO STORE BODIES
BEFORE BURIAL,

BUT TO SAUVAGE,
EVIDENCE OF A DOORWAY SUGGESTS

IT SERVED
A MORE RITUAL PURPOSE.

WE CAN IMAGINE THAT
THE DOORWAY WAS A THRESHOLD.

SO WHEN YOU ENTER THE HOUSE,

YOU ENTERED SORT OF
THE REALM OF THE DEADS.

Narrator:
BY ENTERING THIS REALM,

THE LIVING COULD COMMUNE
WITH THE DEAD, SEEKING

PROPHECY OR PROTECTION BEFORE
CROSSING THE WATERS TO DO

BATTLE IN FOREIGN LANDS.

Krueger: IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE
THAT VIKINGS WANTED

TO REACH OUT TO THE DECEASED,

BUT THERE'S A DARKER
EXPLANATION FOR

THE HOUSE THAT'S UNDER
THE MOUND.

Narrator:
EVIDENCE FROM VIKING TEXTS

SUGGEST THAT THE STRUCTURE

WASN'T BUILT
TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEAD,

BUT TO IMPRISON THEM.

THERE ARE LOTS OF
SOIL MATERIAL.

IT SHOWS CLEARLY THAT PEOPLE
WERE AFRAID THAT

PEOPLE COULD COME BACK
FROM THE DEAD.

THE VIKINGS BELIEVED
THAT SOME CORPSES

COULD TURN INTO DRAUGR,

UNDEAD CREATURES THAT

RISE FROM THE GRAVE TO STALK
THOSE WHO THEY BELIEVE

WRONGED THEM IN LIFE.

Paul: THEY COULD BRING
CROP FAILURES.

THEY COULD BRING
DEFEAT IN BATTLE.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
TERRIFYING FORMS OF THE UNDEAD.

Narrator: TO PREVENT
THE DECEASED FROM BECOMING

A DRAUGR, THEY ARE CARRIED
THROUGH A SO-CALLED CORPSE DOOR,

WHICH IS THEN BRICKED UP TO
TRAP THEM IN THEIR TOMB.

Sauvage: BY CARRYING
THE BODY INSIDE THIS PORTAL,

THE BODY SHOULDN'T RETURN.

SO MAYBE THIS IS CONNECTED
WITH THOSE KIND OF BELIEFS.

Narrator: FOR NOW,
THE EXACT PURPOSE OF THE HOUSE

OF THE DEAD DISCOVERED FROM
THE SKIES REMAINS UNCLEAR.

Narrator: SAUVAGE CONTINUES
TO EXCAVATE THE SITE,

BUT THIS ANCIENT LANDSCAPE
IS NOT GIVING UP

ITS SECRETS EASILY.

THIS IS REALLY A FANTASTIC
NEW DISCOVERY BECAUSE IT

COULD GIVE US NEW INSIGHTS
INTO VIKING RITUALS

AND BELIEFS.

Narrator: COMING UP,
AREA 51'S STRANGE SYMBOLS.

THIS IS SO WEIRD --
IT'S A PERFECTLY DESIGNED STAR

ETCHED INTO THE GROUND.

Narrator: AND THE UNDERGROUND
WAR THAT CHANGED HISTORY.

Silbey:
UNION SOLDIERS DIG TUNNELS

AND LITERALLY BLOW
THE CONFEDERATES SKY HIGH.

Narrator:
JULY 1, 2017,

ORBITING ABOVE NEVADA,

THE WorldView-2 SATELLITE
CAPTURES THIS

IN THE DESERT SCRUB BELOW.

THIS IS SO WEIRD --
IT'S A PERFECTLY DESIGNED,

ALMOST SNOWFLAKE OR STAR
ETCHED INTO THE GROUND.

Narrator: ANOTHER ALMOST
IDENTICAL PATTERN SITS NEARBY.

THIS IMAGE IS WEIRD AS IT IS,

BUT WHAT MAKES IT EVEN WEIRDER
IS THAT THIS WAS TAKEN NEAR

AREA 51.

Narrator: AREA 51,

A FACILITY SO SECRETIVE
THAT MOST OF ITS

EMPLOYEES COMMUTE TO WORK IN
UNMARKED PRIVATE PLANES.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SHOT TRYING
TO ENTER INTO AREA 51.

AND WHY?
BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE

INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES TEST
NEW TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCTS.

Narrator: REPORTS OF STRANGE
THINGS IN THE SKIES

OVER AREA 51 DATE BACK
TO THE 1950s,

WHEN THE U.S. MILITARY

BEGINS TESTING
A SERIES OF NEW EXPERIMENTAL

AIRCRAFT KNOWN AS X-PLANES.

WHAT WE COULD BE
LOOKING AT HERE

IS WHAT'S KNOWN
AS A TEST TRACK.

THERE'S A SIMILAR TEST TRACK
AT GROOM LAKE WITHIN AREA 51.

IT'S A SERIES OF RUNWAYS
THAT THE U.S. MILITARY

USES TO DO RESEARCH
ON NEXT-GENERATION AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: THE FIRST SPY PLANE
TO TAKE TO THE SKIES FROM

THE GROOM LAKE RUNWAYS IS
THE U-2 DRAGON LADY IN 1955.

IT PAVES THE WAY FOR

THE 2,193-MILE-PER-HOUR
SR-71 BLACKBIRD,

THE WORLD'S FASTEST PLANE.

THEN THE REVOLUTIONARY
B-2 STEALTH BOMBER

AND THE F-117 NIGHTHAWK,

ALL OF WHICH WERE FIRST
LAUNCHED FROM TEST TRACKS

IN AREA 51.

AREA 51 BROKE THE MOLD FOR

HOW MODERN-DAY FIGHTER JETS
WERE CONSTRUCTED.

NOW,
IF THESE ARE TEST TRACKS,

IT ACTUALLY WOULD
PROVIDE OPTIONS

TO LAUNCH DIFFERENT AIRCRAFT
IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS.

BUT TREVOR ALBERTSON DOUBTS
THE PATTERNS

ARE LEGACIES OF THESE
GROUNDBREAKING TEST FLIGHTS.

THESE RUNWAYS,
IF THEY WERE RUNWAYS AT ALL,

WOULD ONLY BE 2,000 FEET
IN LENGTH,

FAR TOO SHORT FOR AN AIRCRAFT.

Narrator: THE FORMER
INTELLIGENCE OFFICER FINDS

THE STRANGE SHAPES INTRIGUING
AND CONFUSING,

AND, HE WONDERS,

MAYBE THAT'S THE POINT.

Albertson: ONE POSSIBILITY IS
THAT THESE SITES WE SEE IN

THESE IMAGES ARE ACTUALLY DECOYS
FOR THE OPEN SKIES PROGRAM.

Narrator: THE TREATY ON OPEN
SKIES IS AN AGREEMENT THAT

ALLOWS NATIONS TO CONDUCT AERIAL
SURVEILLANCE OF EACH OTHER'S

MILITARY SITES.

THE IDEA BEHIND
OPEN SKIES IS TO

BASICALLY SHOW YOUR CARDS
TO EACH OTHER.

THE RATIONALE IS
THAT THIS BUILDS

A KIND OF TRUST
BETWEEN THE POWERS.

Narrator: THE TREATY MEANS
THAT RUSSIAN SPY BIRDS

CAN LEGALLY SNOOP ON
AREA 51'S INSTALLATIONS.

KNOWING THAT THE RUSSIANS WERE
FLYING OVER AREA 51,

MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING MEANT
TO THROW THEM OFF THE SCENT.

Narrator: OPEN SKIES IS FIRST
PROPOSED IN 1955 BY

PRESIDENT EISENHOWER.

MANKIND EXPECTS
THE PARTICIPANTS

IN THIS SUMMIT MEETING

TO WORK HONESTLY
AND INTELLIGENTLY

FOR MEASURES TOWARD
GENUINE PEACE.

Narrator: HOWEVER, HIS SOVIET
COUNTERPART, NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV,

REJECTS THE IDEA.

IT TRANSPIRES THIS IS BECAUSE
HE HAS AN AUDACIOUS

PLAN TO TRICK THE U.S. ABOUT
RUSSIA'S MILITARY CAPABILITIES.

Wawro: ONE REASON KHRUSHCHEV
VETOED EISENHOWER'S IDEA

WAS THAT KHRUSHCHEV DID NOT WANT
THE AMERICANS

TO DISCOVER THE LACK OF SOVIET
PREPAREDNESS FOR NUCLEAR WAR.

Narrator:
DURING THE 1950s,

THE SOVIETS ARE AWARE
THAT THE U.S. POSSESSES

FAR MORE NUCLEAR
WEAPONS THAN THEY DO.

BUT BY PLAYING ON
ANTI-COMMUNIST PARANOIA,

THEY BEGIN TO CONVINCE
WASHINGTON THAT THE OPPOSITE

IS TRUE.

ONCE KHRUSHCHEV REALIZES
THE AMERICANS ARE STARTING TO

BITE, HE SAYS, OH,

WE'RE MAKING THESE MISSILES
LIKE SAUSAGES AND UPS

THE ANXIETY
ON THE AMERICAN SIDE.

Narrator: FUELED BY A LACK
OF AERIAL INTELLIGENCE,

AMERICAN ANALYSTS
WILDLY OVERESTIMATE

THE SOVIETS'
NUCLEAR STOCKPILE,

CLAIMING THE COMMUNISTS
POSSESS MANY HUNDREDS OF

INTERCONTINENTAL
BALLISTIC MISSILES.

THE REAL NUMBER,
IT TURNS OUT, IS FOUR.

IT WAS CRITICAL FOR KHRUSHCHEV

AND HIS SUCCESSORS
TO ALWAYS PROJECT

FAR MORE STRENGTH THAN

THEY ACTUALLY DEPLOYED
SO THE U.S.

WOULDN'T DARE ATTEMPT
A NUCLEAR FIRST STRIKE.

Narrator:
TO RATCHET UP THIS DECEPTION,

THE KREMLIN PARADES WHAT THE CIA
LATER LEARNS ARE FAKE ICBMs

IN RED SQUARE.

Hymel: IT'S THE PERFECT BLUFF
IN THIS HIGH-STAKES GAME OF

MILITARY POKER,

AND THE ACE UP THE SOVIETS'
SLEEVE IS NO ACE AT ALL.

Narrator:
THE U.S. ITSELF IS NO STRANGER

TO THIS KIND OF SUBTERFUGE,

HAVING USED INFLATABLE TANKS,

DUMMY AIRSTRIPS, AND FAKE RADIO
TRANSMISSIONS TO DECEIVE

THE NAZIS DURING
THE D-DAY LANDINGS.

ANALYSTS SPECULATE THE STRANGE
PATTERNS REPRESENT ANOTHER

TWIST IN THE GAME OF BLUFF

THAT HAS BEEN PLAYING
OUT BETWEEN AMERICA

AND HER ENEMIES FOR DECADES.

Munoz: IF THESE IMAGES
HAVE NO MEANING WHATSOEVER,

THE HOPE IS YOU HAVE RUSSIAN
AND CHINESE ANALYSTS KIND OF

SPINNING THEIR WHEELS

FIGURING OUT WHAT
THIS PATTERN IS IN THE DESERT.

MEANWHILE, YOU'RE
ACTUALLY CONDUCTING

THE REAL WORK
IN SOME OTHER SECTOR.

Narrator: COMING UP, THE MEGA
BLAST THAT SHAPED AMERICA.

THE NOISE IS SO LOUD THAT IT
CAN BE HEARD 25 MILES AWAY.

Narrator: AND THE 2,000-YEAR-OLD
JUNGLE MYSTERY.

THIS LOOKS ALMOST MOLECULAR,
LIKE WHAT

YOU WOULD BUILD
IN CHEMISTRY CLASS.

Narrator:
JULY 2014.

ARIEL ARCHAEOLOGISTS TAKE TO
THE SKIES OVER THE HISTORIC

19th-CENTURY BATTLEFIELD
OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.

PETERSBURG WAS THE SITE OF ONE
OF THE GREAT BATTLES OF

THE CIVIL WAR,
THE SIEGE OF PETERSBURG.

Narrator: THE SURVEY PLANE FIRES
LASER PULSES AT THE GROUND,

CREATING A LIDAR IMAGE OF
THE WOODED LANDSCAPE BELOW.

IT REVEALS A SERIES
OF LONG-HIDDEN TUNNELS

CRISSCROSSING ONE OF
THE MOST INTENSELY

STUDIED ARCHAEOLOGICAL
LANDSCAPES IN THE COUNTRY.

THEY'RE NOT ON MODERN MAPS.

I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT
SUPPOSED TO BE HERE.

THE QUESTION IS,
WHO BUILT THEM AND WHY.

Narrator:
ANALYSTS TURN TO THE HISTORY

OF THE BATTLE FOR CLUES.

Wawro: PETERSBURG PLAYS
A REALLY IMPORTANT ROLE

IN THE WAR,
BECAUSE WHEN ULYSSES S. GRANT

TAKES OVER THE COMMAND
OF THE UNION ARMY,

HE DECIDES TO GO AFTER
ROBERT E. LEE'S ARMY

OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
DESTROY IT, AND END THE WAR.

[ DISTANT SHOUTING ]

Narrator:
BY JUNE 1864,

THE CIVIL WAR HAS BEEN WAGING
FOR OVER THREE YEARS.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN,
SEEKING REELECTION

FOR HIS SECOND TERM,

INSTRUCTS GENERAL GRANT
TO CAPTURE PETERSBURG,

CUT OFF SUPPLIES TO THE NEARBY
CONFEDERATE CAPITAL OF RICHMOND,

AND FINALLY DEFEAT
THE REBEL STATES.

GRANT RECKONS THAT
IF HE TAKES PETERSBURG,

HE CAN BRING THE CONFEDERACY
TO ITS KNEES.

THERE WERE HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF UNION SOLDIERS

ATTACKING TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF CONFEDERATES.

IT WAS AN INCREDIBLY VIOLENT,
INCREDIBLY DEVASTATING BATTLE.

Narrator: WHAT MAKES THE BATTLE
SO DEVASTATING IS THAT

IT SIGNALS THE DAWN OF A NEW,

BRUTAL FORM OF COMBAT,
ONE THAT COULD SHED LIGHT

ON THE TUNNELS DISCOVERED
BY AERIAL IMAGING...

TRENCH WARFARE.

WE TEND TO THINK OF TRENCH
WARFARE STARTING

IN WORLD WAR I,

BUT ACTUALLY, WHAT HAPPENED
AROUND PETERSBURG LOOKS

AN AWFUL LOT LIKE WHAT HAPPENED
IN FRANCE IN 1914 TO 1918.

Narrator: WHEN THE UNION
SOLDIERS ARRIVE AT PETERSBURG,

THEY DISCOVER IT'S FORTIFIED
WITH 10 MILES OF DEFENSIVE

EARTHWORKS PROTECTED BY
A DEVASTATING NEW GENERATION

OF WEAPONRY.

AMONG THESE NEW IMPLEMENTS
OF WAR YOU'RE SEEING

AT PETERSBURG IS
THE GATLING GUN.

BECAUSE OF THE INCREASING
SOPHISTICATION OF THE WEAPONS

IN THIS CHAPTER
OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR,

THESE ARMIES ARE BEGINNING TO
GO UNDERGROUND AS THEY TRY TO

ESCAPE THE MURDEROUS FIRE
OF THE RIFLES AND ARTILLERY.

Narrator:
OVER THE FOLLOWING MONTHS,

THE OPPOSING FORCES CONSTRUCT
A FURTHER

30 MILES OF TRENCHES,

AND THE UNION'S
LONG-HOPED-FOR VICTORY,

DESCENDS INTO A MUDDY,
BLOODY DEADLOCK.

Silbey: THE UNION ARMY
COULDN'T FIND A WAY

TO BREAK THROUGH
THE TRENCH LINES.

THE SIEGE WAS A STALEMATE,
AND NEITHER SIDE

COULD FIGURE OUT
A WAY TO RESOLVE IT.

Narrator: TO BREAK THROUGH
THE CONFEDERATE DEFENSES,

FORMER MINING ENGINEER
HENRY PLEASANTS

DEVISES A DARING PLAN.

HE SUGGESTED THE UNION
SOLDIERS SHOULD DIG TUNNELS

UNDERNEATH
THE CONFEDERATE TRENCHES,

PACK THEM FULL OF EXPLOSIVES,
AND LITERALLY

BLOW THE CONFEDERATES
SKY HIGH.

Narrator: BY JULY 23rd,
UNION ENGINEERS HAVE

HAND-EXCAVATED
A 510-FOOT-LONG SHAFT

DIRECTLY UNDER
CONFEDERATE POSITIONS

AND FILLED IT
WITH 320 KEGS OF GUNPOWDER.

ON JULY 30th,
THEY DETONATE THE MINE.

[ EXPLOSION BLASTS ]

WHEN THIS THING BLOWS,
I MEAN,

CONFEDERATES ARE
TOSSED INTO THE AIR.

IT KILLS HUNDREDS OF THEM.
IT'S A HUGE GAP IN THE LINE.

[ MEN SHOUTING ]

THE NOISE IS SO LOUD THAT
IT CAN BE HEARD IN RICHMOND,

25 MILES AWAY.

AND THERE'S
A GIANT CRATER FORMED IN

THE DEFENSIVE TRENCH SYSTEM
OF THE CONFEDERATES.

Narrator: THE SO-CALLED BATTLE
OF THE CRATER KICKSTARTS

A GRUELING CAMPAIGN OF TUNNELING

AND COUNTER-MINING
REVEALED BY THE LIDAR IMAGE

TAKEN ABOVE
THE BATTLEFIELD.

Wawro: SO YOU SEE THIS KIND OF
CAT-AND-MOUSE GAME GOING ON,

UNION TRYING TO DIG UNDER
THE CONFEDERATE POSITION

AND MINE IT,
CONFEDERATES

DIGGING INTO THESE UNION
TUNNELS BEFORE THEY REACH

THE CONFEDERATE POSITION,
DESTROYING THEM.

IT REALLY IS KIND OF
ALMOST A TERROR WEAPON,

BECAUSE NOW THE TROOPS

ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LINE ARE
PARANOID -- WHEN'S MY TURN?

YOU KNOW, WHEN AM I GONNA BE
SITTING PLAYING CARDS,

AND KABOOM!
MY LIFE IS OVER.

Wawro: THESE ARE PROBABLY
CONFEDERATE TUNNELS BECAUSE

THE CONFEDERATE
COUNTER-MINING OPERATIONS

WERE VERY OPPORTUNISTIC,
PROBABLY NOT RECORDED ANYWHERE.

Narrator:
ON APRIL 2, 1865,

PETERSBURG FINALLY FALLS,
AND WITH IT, RICHMOND,

HERALDING THE END OF
THE CONFLICT.

OVER THE FOLLOWING YEARS,
THE TUNNELS COLLAPSE,

BURIED BY HISTORY UNTIL
THEY ARE REDISCOVERED

BY EYES IN THE SKY.

THIS COULD BE A TREASURE
TROVE OF INFORMATION ABOUT

THE LITTLE-KNOWN CONFEDERATE
SIDE OF THE UNDERGROUND

CIVIL WAR.

Narrator: COMING UP,
THE CONGO'S MEGA BEASTS.

Kays: IF A PREHISTORIC CREATURE
WAS TO SURVIVE,

UNDISCOVERED, UNTIL TODAY,

IT WOULD BE
IN THE CONGO BASIN.

Narrator:
JUNE 30, 2019.

A SATELLITE ABOVE CENTRAL
AFRICA SCANS

AN AREA OF FOREST
ALMOST 400 MILES BELOW.

Fanara:
THIS IS PRETTY CRAZY-LOOKING.

THERE ARE A NUMBER
OF THESE CIRCLES,

AND THERE'S TRACKS
CONNECTING THEM.

IT'S THE STRANGEST THING.

Schuttler: THIS LOOKS ALMOST
MOLECULAR IN SHAPE,

LIKE WHAT YOU WOULD BUILD
IN CHEMISTRY CLASS.

Narrator:
THE WEIRD FOREST BLOBS

SIT IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE CONGO BASIN,

A LARGELY UNEXPLORED TROPICAL
RAINFOREST LARGER THAN

THE STATE OF ALASKA.

ZOOLOGIST ROLAND KAYS
TAKES A CLOSER LOOK.

I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS
IS, BUT THE WAY THERE ARE

THESE LINES CONNECTING BETWEEN

THESE CIRCULAR THINGS
SUGGESTS IT

COULD BE SOME SORT OF
NETWORK OF TRAILS

MADE BY SOME SORT
OF ANIMAL.

Narrator: THERE ARE STORIES OF
A BEAST IN THE CONGO, WHICH,

ACCORDING TO THOSE
WHO LIVE HERE,

COULD HAVE MADE THE STRANGE
PATTERNS IN THE IMAGE.

Dennie: TRIBES THAT INHABIT
THIS AREA HAVE A LEGEND

OF SOMETHING
CALLED MOKELE-MBEMBA,

WHICH ESSENTIALLY IS
A CREATURE THAT HELPS SHAPE

THE LANDSCAPE.

ITS NAME MEANS THE ONE WHO
STOPS THE FLOW OF RIVERS,

Narrator: REPORTEDLY
A LARGE HORNED REPTILE

THAT LIVES IN CAVES
ALONG RIVERBANKS.

OVER 50 EXPEDITIONS HAVE
VENTURED INTO THESE JUNGLES IN

SEARCH OF THE GIANT CREATURE.

Kays: AS OF YET, THEY HAVEN'T
BEEN ABLE TO SPOT ONE.

BUT IF A PREHISTORIC CREATURE
WAS TO SURVIVE,

UNDISCOVERED, UNTIL TODAY,

IT WOULD BE IN A REALLY REMOTE
PLACE LIKE THE CONGO BASIN.

Narrator: ADAM RUBEN CONSIDERS
IF SUCH A MONSTER COULD

ACCOUNT FOR THE STRANGE PATTERN
DISCOVERED FROM THE SKIES.

Ruben: AS A BIOLOGIST,
I TRY NOT TO RULE THINGS OUT,

BUT A MORE LIKELY EXPLANATION
IS A DIFFERENT LARGE ANIMAL

THAT WE ALREADY KNOW LIVES IN

THIS FOREST, WHICH IS
THE FOREST ELEPHANT.

Narrator: THE FOREST ELEPHANT
IS AN ELUSIVE, LITTLE-STUDIED

SUBSPECIES OF AFRICAN ELEPHANT

THAT EVOLVED AROUND
1.5 MILLION YEARS AGO.

THE BETTER KNOWN
AFRICAN ELEPHANTS MOVED OUT

TO THE SAVANNAH,
WHILE THE FOREST ELEPHANTS

STAYED IN THE FOREST AND ADAPTED
TO LIFE IN A DENSE JUNGLE.

Narrator:
FOREST ELEPHANTS ARE CALLED

ANIMAL ENGINEERS
BECAUSE THEY TRANSFORM

THE JUNGLE AS THEY
MOVE THROUGH IT,

CREATING GAPS FOR PLANTS TO
GROW AND TRACKS FOR OTHER

ANIMALS TO USE.

THEY FOLLOW THE SAME PATHS

AND TEND TO GATHER
IN THE SAME AREAS.

SO BASED ON THE PATTERNS
WE'RE SEEING,

ARE WE LOOKING AT SOME KIND OF
ELEPHANT VILLAGE?

Narrator: YET WHEN INVESTIGATORS
TRAVEL TO THE REMOTE SITE,

THEY UNCOVER A STRANGE
NEW CLUE TO THE ORIGIN OF

THE MYSTERY PATTERNS.

WHEN THEY EXPLORE
THE CREEKS AND THE RIVERS,

THEY FIND OIL PALM NUTS.

OIL PALMS ARE
A CULTIVATED SPECIES.

THEY'RE NOT FOUND
NATURALLY IN THE JUNGLE.

SO WHERE DID THESE NUTS
COME FROM?

Narrator:
CARBON DATING REVEALS

THE NUTS WERE CULTIVATED
BETWEEN 2,300

AND 1,000 YEARS AGO,

SUGGESTING THE PATTERNS ARE
A KIND OF ANCIENT FARMLAND.

THESE PATHS AND CLEARINGS

SHOW A SOPHISTICATED
AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM.

THERE'S AREAS FOR WATER
MANAGEMENT, GROVES,

DIFFERENT TYPES OF FIELDS.

IT'S CRAZY.

Narrator: FURTHER AERIAL IMAGES
REVEAL MANY MORE SUCH SITES

COVERING AN AREA
LARGER THAN GREAT BRITAIN,

WHICH WERE ONCE LIKELY
HOME TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.

Schuttler:
THIS IS PRETTY INCREDIBLE.

WHAT THIS REVEALS
IS THAT AN AREA THAT

IS COMPLETELY FORESTED NOW WAS
ONCE AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION.

Narrator: WHAT ISN'T APPARENT
FROM THE IMAGES

IS WHERE
ALL THESE PEOPLE LIVED.

DO THESE JUNGLE CANOPIES
ALSO CONCEAL LOST TOWNS

AND CITIES?

AND THE DISCOVERY LEAVES OTHER
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS.

SO WE CAN FIND ALL THIS REALLY
OLD EVIDENCE THAT THERE WAS

A SIZABLE POPULATION HERE,

BUT ONLY UP TO A POINT,
AND THEN NO MORE.

WHAT HAPPENED
TO ALL THE PEOPLE?

Narrator: IT APPEARS THAT
AROUND 1,000 A.D.,

WHATEVER WAS HAPPENING
HERE STOPPED,

AND WHOEVER WAS
HERE DISAPPEARED.