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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:08,520 A rusting ship anchored off the English coast, 2 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:10,920 bearing the scars of an armed attack. 3 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:14,280 They were in international waters, and that was supposed 4 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:15,520 to keep them safe. 5 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,760 And they were safe until the raiders arrived. 6 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:24,120 A Lebanese high rise of glitz and glamour consumed 7 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,280 by hate and fear. 8 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:32,360 The militias are going to have to go floor by floor, room by room, 9 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:37,640 chucking grenades, firing blindly until nobody is shooting back. 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,200 A Japanese curiosity caught in a web of corruption. 11 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:51,200 He was a very high-flying businessman with a lot 12 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:56,760 of big plans and a tendency to cut corners ethically in his businesses. 13 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:06,400 And a strange structure at the heart of a Florida suburb that began 14 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:09,200 as a dream and turned into a nightmare. 15 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,000 It's one of the top murder capitals of South Florida. 16 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,920 We are waking this city back up. 17 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:24,760 Decaying relics... 18 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:29,440 ...ruins of lost worlds... 19 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,280 ...sights haunted by the past... 20 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,800 ...their secrets waiting to be revealed. 21 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:53,160 On England's south-east coast, anchored in the Blackwater estuary, 22 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,240 is an illicit piece of pop culture history. 23 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,960 At first glance, this seems like a perfectly ordinary sight. 24 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,320 A ship moored in a waterway that leads out to the sea. 25 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:09,000 But look again. 26 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,600 There's something here that doesn't quite add up. 27 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,960 It has this strange mast sort of sprouting out from its centre. 28 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:18,720 What can it be used for? 29 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,360 Looking below deck, inside is everything you would expect 30 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:25,320 to find on an average ship. 31 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:31,720 With its wood panelling and brass instruments, the bridge feels 32 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:34,400 like something from another era. 33 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:37,240 Other elements come as a little bit of a surprise. 34 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:39,240 They really seem out of place here. 35 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:44,200 We find these strange machines, scattered microphones, 36 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,280 record players, album covers. 37 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,000 This is unmistakeably a broadcast studio. 38 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:56,720 What were they broadcasting and why was it so important to hide it? 39 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,960 Over the years, vessels like this were crewed by buccaneers 40 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:03,800 hellbent on liberating the masses - 41 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,240 not from their money, but from musical monotony. 42 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:11,360 There was a kind of joyful anarchy that took place on this ship, 43 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,960 and the authorities decided to put this to an end. 44 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:26,560 I came out here in 1984 when I was in my 20s. 45 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,840 The ship had only been at sea for about a year and a half or so, 46 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,880 {\an8}having been refitted in Spain. 47 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,000 {\an8}So it glistened in the sunlight and freshly painted, 48 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,400 it looked absolutely splendid and I was very excited to step on board. 49 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:42,280 Nigel Harris lived and worked on this former North Atlantic 50 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:44,680 fishing trawler for five years. 51 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:49,520 When he first boarded the vessel, the ship already had a storied past. 52 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:54,320 {\an8}In 1976, she broke the world's record for biggest earnings 53 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:58,760 {\an8}from a single catch, sailing into port with 200 tons 54 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:01,080 of cod in the hold. 55 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,960 {\an8}But trawlers like this were becoming redundant, and in 1981 56 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,640 {\an8}she was towed to a breaker's yard in Scotland, 57 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,440 where she'd be stripped out for parts. 58 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:14,680 Still in good condition, the ship was spotted by a new buyer 59 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:16,960 and put back to sea. 60 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:19,120 But these were no fishermen. 61 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,160 Nigel worked for an organisation that operated on 62 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:24,560 the wrong side of the law. 63 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,840 The authorities were keeping an eye on us all the time, 64 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:30,080 and getting boats to bring our diesel out 65 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,480 and finding skippers who would do it over and over again 66 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:34,880 became more and more difficult. 67 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,880 But when it worked, I must say, it did work well. 68 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,600 This is the Ross Revenge. 69 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:46,120 In the 1980s, it was the latest in a long line 70 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,360 of offshore pirate radio stations. 71 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:51,120 MUSIC 72 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:55,040 The concept began as a cunning antidote to the British 73 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:59,520 establishment's uptight attitude to 1960s popular music. 74 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:06,360 {\an8}So we like to think of the 1960s as a great moment of change in music. 75 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:10,680 We talk about the British revolution, the Beatles, 76 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:13,320 the Rolling Stones, and of course, in the Americas 77 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:15,600 we have Motown music. 78 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,800 At that time, the BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation, 79 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:23,800 were the only ones with a licence to broadcast on the radio. 80 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,800 But the rock and roll revolution sweeping the United States 81 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,360 had no place on British airwaves. 82 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:37,920 The BBC considered it to be immoral, favouring a bland diet 83 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:40,920 of news and light entertainment. 84 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:44,520 They would only play pop music for a few hours at the weekend. 85 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:50,880 All of these era-defining artists were releasing albums that people 86 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:55,640 just weren't able to listen to on traditional, conventional radio. 87 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:01,520 We must remember that Radio 1 did not exist, 88 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,040 so there was this massively underserved market. 89 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:07,880 So this was a business opportunity. 90 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:12,280 The government refused to license independent broadcasters. 91 00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:14,840 But Irish music promoter Ronan O'Reilly 92 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:18,920 was determined to find a way to break the BBC monopoly. 93 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,440 Whilst the government could shut down anyone broadcasting illegally 94 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,680 on land, once you were in international waters, 95 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:27,960 you were beyond their power. 96 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:32,720 O'Reilly raised £250,000 to launch his passion project. 97 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:38,200 His new station soon began operating three miles off the British coast. 98 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,800 MUSIC 99 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:43,680 # Caroline, the sound of the nation... ♪ 100 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:47,920 When Radio Caroline first started broadcasting in 1964, 101 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:52,600 they were at the forefront of the pirate radio revolution. 102 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:56,080 Suddenly, music fans could tune in and hear new artists 103 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:58,080 whenever they wanted. 104 00:06:58,080 --> 00:06:59,680 ♪ Caroline! ♪ 105 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:06,480 By 1965, around 15 million Brits were tuning in to offshore 106 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:08,960 pirate radio on a daily basis. 107 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:13,440 The BBC didn't like it and neither did the British government. 108 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,720 Over the following decades, the authorities and the pirates 109 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:21,400 played a game of cat and mouse, with the government passing new laws 110 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:25,320 to shut them down and the pirates finding new ways to keep 111 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:27,240 the music playing. 112 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:31,880 {\an8}In 1980, Radio Caroline's latest ship, the Mi Amigo, 113 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:34,240 sank during a violent storm. 114 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:36,960 The team needed a new boat. 115 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:39,240 Enter the Ross Revenge. 116 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:43,720 Official broadcasts of the new Radio Caroline began at noon 117 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:46,800 on August 20th, 1983. 118 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:51,040 This studio you see now is the main on air original studio 119 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:52,760 on the Ross Revenge. 120 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:57,120 This is the mixer we used and still works as far as I know. 121 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:02,080 Microphone faders here for turntables. 122 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,880 It was a great place to be, lots of fun out here. 123 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:09,160 I used to play a lot of Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac. 124 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:12,160 Electric Light Orchestra has always been a favourite. 125 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:16,360 Ross Revenge didn't just house Radio Caroline, but also 126 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:18,760 other radio stations. 127 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:23,080 Well, the Dutch service operating from Studio 2 next door 128 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:28,280 here on the Ross Revenge was in my day called Radio Monique, 129 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:30,440 and they were based in Holland. 130 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:34,640 All secret again, all under the cover of darkness, so to speak. 131 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:39,160 But Radio Caroline was treading a fine line, and the British 132 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:42,160 and Dutch governments' patience was running out. 133 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:47,200 Over time, things did get more complicated. 134 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:50,560 The authorities became more wary of boats getting out here, 135 00:08:50,560 --> 00:08:53,200 so the time between our supply boats would get longer 136 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,160 and longer and longer as things became more difficult. 137 00:08:56,160 --> 00:09:00,760 Throughout the summer of 1989, Radio Caroline kept on broadcasting 138 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:05,000 despite increasing harassment from the authorities. 139 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,480 On August 18th, a ship chartered by the UK government pulled up 140 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,680 alongside the Ross Revenge, asking to come aboard 141 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:13,480 and discuss the ship's future. 142 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,800 When the crew rejected their demands, it returned to port. 143 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:20,880 The next day, when Nigel was hosting his morning show, 144 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:22,960 all hell broke loose. 145 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,600 I was on the air in here and it was a misty morning, 146 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,640 and I looked through that porthole out to the stern of the ship 147 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:33,400 and through the mist, this great big Dutch tug appeared. 148 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,360 It came alongside, slammed alongside. 149 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:40,800 Faced with a 30 strong armed boarding party, the small crew 150 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:43,200 were in no position to stop them. 151 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:09,080 There were two or three of us in here and they came in, 152 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:11,880 manhandled us out of the studios, closed the door on us, 153 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:14,920 and then started to pull wires out of the back of the mixer. 154 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,400 I just don't understand how this can be happening. 155 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,680 It's a strange feeling in your stomach that 156 00:10:21,680 --> 00:10:23,560 is this the end? It can't be. 157 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:29,840 At 1:08 pm, the Ross Revenge was silenced and Radio Caroline 158 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:31,760 had gone off the airwaves. 159 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:36,800 While the pirate crew was rounded up and interrogated, 160 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,080 the authorities went to work. 161 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:43,800 Studio equipment, records and tapes were all boxed up and confiscated. 162 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:47,560 They even cut the aerial cables from the tower. 163 00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:51,040 They knew that they couldn't remove the massive transmitters held 164 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:53,480 below decks, so they simply took sledgehammers 165 00:10:53,480 --> 00:10:56,040 to the delicate electronics. 166 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:59,600 When the raiders had finally gone, Nigel was left 167 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:02,040 to assess the damage. 168 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:04,800 We saw beer bottles lying around everywhere, so it was almost 169 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:08,800 like they come out here on a bit of a jolly, bit of drinking, 170 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:12,200 a bit of smashing, and then they all went home. 171 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:14,600 The pirate DJs didn't give up. 172 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:19,440 They scavenged replacement parts and quickly got back on air. 173 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:21,840 We had so much help from listeners as well. 174 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:25,640 They donated food, they donated records. 175 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,400 But the writing was on the wall. 176 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:33,200 In November 1990, the ship was forced to stop broadcasting 177 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:37,000 due to a lack of fuel and essential supplies. 178 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:41,440 It was left anchored in the English Channel to await its fate. 179 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:46,560 In 1991, the Ross Revenge lost its moorings and began to drift 180 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:49,640 onto a sandbank, and when the ship was eventually towed 181 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:54,080 into port, its 27-year broadcast history came to an end. 182 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:04,560 Pirate radio, although illegal, is credited with paving the way 183 00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:08,360 for popular music to be given a voice in the United Kingdom. 184 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:12,080 The Ross Revenge is part of that legacy. 185 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:15,200 Today, the Ross Revenge is open to the public for visits, 186 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:19,960 but keeping a ship of this size in good condition is no easy feat. 187 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:24,440 Well, there's still a lot of work to be done on the Ross Revenge. 188 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:25,960 It can't sit on the water forever. 189 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:28,920 Unless this work is done, its future is uncertain. 190 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:36,960 In the Lebanese capital of Beirut, 191 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:40,880 modern buildings conceal the reminders of a city divided. 192 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:50,480 You have all these gleaming high rises and fancy 193 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:52,480 shops and restaurants. 194 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:56,520 But in the middle of all, this is one tall building 195 00:12:56,520 --> 00:12:58,400 that is an absolute wreck. 196 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,760 This does not look like normal wear and tear. 197 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:05,760 And you go inside, it's... 198 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:07,880 ...there's no clues as to what it was. 199 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:10,120 Everything's been stripped out. 200 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:15,120 In the beginning, this was a beacon of progress 201 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:18,360 and the height of extravagance in a modern city. 202 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:21,320 It became a ferocious symbol of struggle. 203 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:26,560 So how did it fall from that place to this destroyed shell 204 00:13:26,560 --> 00:13:28,320 of its former self? 205 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:32,760 Haunting clues are revealed etched into the crumbling walls. 206 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:36,440 It's almost like you can see some kind of clash of civilisations 207 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:38,400 playing out in the graffiti. 208 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,360 There's some in Arabic, but then you also 209 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,400 see Christian crosses. 210 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:49,720 This is a building that had gone from a beautiful Middle Eastern 211 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:57,000 destination into the very epitome of hell on earth. 212 00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:09,080 Marwan Ayoubi first came here in 1976 when he was 17 years old. 213 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:13,040 When it was built two years earlier, it was the talk of the town. 214 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,360 But Marwan didn't check in as a guest. 215 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:28,000 He was here for a very different purpose. 216 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:01,400 This is the Holiday Inn Hotel, 217 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:06,640 once the pinnacle of sophistication at the heart of a destination city, 218 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:09,560 different from the one we see today. 219 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:14,920 In the 1970s, 220 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:17,520 Beirut is 221 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:18,960 {\an8}a Western-looking, 222 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:21,760 {\an8}French-speaking city, 223 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:24,640 and people from around the world 224 00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:27,600 are happy to fly to Beirut 225 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,120 to enjoy the Mediterranean climate. 226 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:37,080 It's a place of openness and a kind of pride in their ability, 227 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:40,840 {\an8}which was unusual in the Middle East at any time, 228 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:43,320 {\an8}to coexist with so many different cultures - 229 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,240 {\an8}Christians, Jews, Muslims. 230 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:50,560 In this booming cosmopolitan metropolis, 231 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:55,400 impressive new hotels sprung up in the downtown port district, 232 00:15:55,400 --> 00:15:58,360 including this one in 1974. 233 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,520 The Holiday Inn was a very ambitious hotel chain, 234 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:05,800 {\an8}and they would open these kind of flagship hotels 235 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:10,280 in important cities around the world to advertise the brand. 236 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:13,640 It's the tallest hotel in the city. 237 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:19,160 It has got a revolving restaurant on the roof, 238 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:21,000 which is possibly 239 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,880 the most 1970s thing ever. 240 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,560 It opened in a time when the future for Beirut and Lebanon 241 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:29,160 seemed very bright. 242 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:34,800 But below the surface, tension was building 243 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:38,680 between the country's Muslim and Christian populations. 244 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:43,680 So, while wealthy tourists and other visitors were partying, 245 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:46,840 the politics in Lebanon were changing radically. 246 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:50,760 These sectarian rivalries had been growing 247 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:53,000 for over two decades. 248 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,080 Like many of the countries in the Middle East, 249 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:59,280 the borders of Lebanon were more or less imposed on it 250 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:01,600 by European powers. 251 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,840 The French established the current borders after World War I. 252 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,200 When Lebanon was given its independence in 1943, 253 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:13,000 power is distributed among the various religious groups - 254 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:17,720 you know, the Maronite Christians, the Muslims and the Druze. 255 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:20,080 It makes no-one happy. 256 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:23,360 It's just a matter of how long it's going to take 257 00:17:23,360 --> 00:17:25,400 for Lebanon to fall apart. 258 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:29,320 After the founding of Israel in 1948, 259 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:33,720 Palestinians were forcibly removed from their homes. 260 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:37,760 In the years that followed, the refugee crisis only intensified, 261 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:41,360 and by 1968, 400,000 people 262 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:43,160 had sought shelter in Lebanon. 263 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:48,080 But that introduced a new radicalism into Lebanese politics. 264 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:51,560 And you start to see the emergence of these sectarian militias 265 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:55,400 to defend Maronite interests or Shia interests or Sunni interests 266 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:56,800 or Druze interests. 267 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:01,000 All of these different religious and cultural groups 268 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,040 that had coexisted peacefully, 269 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:05,480 suddenly they were at each other's throats. 270 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:10,480 A year after the Holiday Inn opens, 271 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:12,520 the civil war kicks off. 272 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:18,160 The city's hotel district quickly became the epicentre 273 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:19,960 of the violence. 274 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:24,840 Beirut is kind of bifurcated into a Christian East Beirut 275 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:26,840 and a Muslim West Beirut, 276 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,360 separated by something called the Green Line. 277 00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:33,040 And the Holiday Inn and the other, you know, fancy hotels in Beirut, 278 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:37,880 just happened to be situated along what is now the Green Line. 279 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:42,600 In any military encounter, you want to control the high ground. 280 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:46,000 This is how the Union Army won the Battle of Gettysburg 281 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:47,760 in the Civil War. 282 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:53,960 And in Beirut, these tall hotels, they were the high ground. 283 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,040 The Holiday Inn was the tallest of them all 284 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:01,200 in what would become known as the Battle of the Hotels. 285 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:02,560 GUNFIRE 286 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:06,040 And in the early years of the civil war, the Phalange militia, 287 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:09,240 the Maronite Christians, they control the Holiday Inn, 288 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:12,200 while the neighbouring Phoenicia Hotel and other structures 289 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,640 are controlled by the Lebanese National Movement militias. 290 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:20,200 In March of 1976, a coalition of Muslim forces 291 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:24,680 launched an attack against the heavily guarded Holiday Inn. 292 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:29,600 Marwan Ayoubi led a small unit into the high-stakes fight. 293 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:45,280 Muslim militias, they penetrate the hotel, 294 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:47,920 they get control of the lobby and the lower floors 295 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,400 and they start to celebrate, "We've taken the hotel." 296 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:55,280 It seemed like a victory. What they didn't fully appreciate 297 00:19:55,280 --> 00:20:00,640 was that there were still dozens of Christian militia fighters 298 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:02,520 on the floors above them. 299 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:04,920 The result was just total chaos. 300 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,640 For three days and three nights, 301 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:26,440 bitter fighting raged across the 26 floors of the Holiday Inn. 302 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:30,360 Over 40 men were killed and hundreds severely injured 303 00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:33,200 before the Muslim militia emerged victorious. 304 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:38,320 All the world sees the violence in Beirut 305 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:42,000 on their television screens every night. 306 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:46,080 Everyone sees once-great hotels 307 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:50,720 dissolve into a welter of explosions. 308 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:58,320 The conflict continued to ravage the country for the next 14 years. 309 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:03,800 During that time, warring factions periodically occupied the hotel. 310 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:07,360 Any trace of its former grandeur was obliterated by the struggle. 311 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,360 And the civil war really isn't resolved 312 00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:14,360 until the Taif Accord in 1989, 313 00:21:14,360 --> 00:21:17,280 when, you know, the various groups are all coaxed 314 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:19,240 into this peace arrangement - 315 00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:22,600 basically, giving certain portfolios of government 316 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:24,920 to the different groups. 317 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:28,720 Those who fought in the war had to reconcile the many years 318 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:31,680 spent fighting against their fellow countrymen. 319 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:58,800 Over the years, the Port of Beirut has been revitalised, 320 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:04,160 while the Holiday Inn has sat untouched, caught in a legal limbo. 321 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:08,840 The ownership is split between a group of Lebanese investors 322 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:11,320 who want to refurbish it 323 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:16,720 and a Kuwaiti shareholder who wants to tear it down and start over. 324 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:22,400 For now, it stands there as this somewhat horrifying symbol 325 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:25,480 of just how far off the rails a modern society can go. 326 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:34,960 In the hills west of Niigata, Japan, 327 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:38,520 stands a place that defies rational explanation. 328 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:51,080 The first thing your eye is drawn to is this huge sea of solar panels. 329 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:55,480 But right on their edge, there's a very unexpected structure. 330 00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:01,400 You see an enormous Russian-style cathedral, 331 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:05,960 complete with the onion-type domes and crosses on top of each one. 332 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:09,560 What's it doing here in the middle of rural Japan? 333 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:15,040 For two countries that were sworn enemies for many years, 334 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:18,120 something doesn't add up, 335 00:23:18,120 --> 00:23:22,800 yet whoever ordered its construction clearly invested heavily. 336 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:26,040 With the twisted remains of the stained-glass windows 337 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:30,680 and the gold paint, you can still get a sense of its faded grandeur. 338 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:35,640 If you look straight up, who's staring back at you? 339 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:37,000 Jesus. 340 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:42,200 But a fire-damaged complex next to the church 341 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:46,240 suggests faith alone was not enough to save this place. 342 00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:51,480 It seems there was some kind of cross-cultural tribute 343 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:52,880 intended here, 344 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:58,080 but one that obviously didn't work out that well in the end. 345 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:02,120 Unchecked ambition and corruption is what brought this dream to an end. 346 00:24:10,240 --> 00:24:15,120 Sasaguchi Yuji is the caretaker of this site today. 347 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:19,360 When he came here in the 1990s, it was as a paying guest. 348 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:46,680 This is the Russian Village. 349 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:50,760 It began as an expression of friendship 350 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:54,080 between two former rivals. 351 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:57,440 Traditionally, relations between Japan and Russia 352 00:24:57,440 --> 00:24:58,760 {\an8}were not good, 353 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:01,600 {\an8}but towards the end of the 20th century, something happened 354 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,360 that established a certain bond between the people. 355 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:08,960 In 1964, a severe earthquake hit Niigata. 356 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,120 {\an8}The ground liquefied, 357 00:25:11,120 --> 00:25:13,480 collapsing bridges and buildings, 358 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:15,360 even buckling train tracks. 359 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,120 In the wake of the destruction, 360 00:25:19,120 --> 00:25:22,840 help came from the most unlikely of places. 361 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:25,400 The earthquake killed about three dozen people, 362 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:29,040 destroyed thousands of homes. It was a real crisis. 363 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:32,800 And then a month later, in the port, 364 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:37,560 a huge shipment of wood for construction, for rebuilding, 365 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:41,720 arrived from two small cities in Russia 366 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:45,080 that had heard about the disaster. 367 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:48,240 {\an8}It was a gesture that would allow those who had lost their homes 368 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:49,680 {\an8}to rebuild. 369 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:54,320 The people of Niigata never forgot that kindness. 370 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:59,600 Mr Ryutaro Omori was one of those people. 371 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:03,480 Ryutaro Omori was a local businessman 372 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,120 who rose through the ranks to become the president 373 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:07,920 of the Niigata Central Bank. 374 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:12,240 The Japanese economy was booming, 375 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:16,160 and the Japanese people had a lot of money and they wanted to spend it. 376 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:17,840 They wanted to travel. 377 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:22,760 It led to a boom in building theme parks around Japan. 378 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:27,120 And Omori had an idea for not just one theme park, 379 00:26:27,120 --> 00:26:28,960 but a whole chain of them, 380 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:32,560 so he started with his Russian Village. 381 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:36,440 With Niigata's connection to Russia, 382 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:39,600 and the landscape of pine trees and snowy mountains, 383 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:42,680 it must have felt like the obvious place to build it. 384 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:47,000 It had reportedly cost $150 million to develop. 385 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:53,440 On the 1st September 1993, 386 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:56,760 Russian Village opened to great fanfare. 387 00:27:15,120 --> 00:27:17,880 So, while people were at the Russian Village, 388 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:21,200 they could eat at a Russian restaurant serving Russian food. 389 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,320 There was a little museum. There was even an aquarium 390 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:28,760 that had a certain species of seal that lives in the Siberian Arctic. 391 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:34,240 There used to be areas filled with souvenir shops, 392 00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:36,240 a variety of fast-food stands, 393 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:40,200 places where they would demonstrate Russian folk crafts. 394 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:46,280 In later years, the park even opened a bizarre exhibition 395 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:50,200 of fake life-sized taxidermy woolly mammoths! 396 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:57,320 The star attraction was the park's most faithful offering. 397 00:27:57,320 --> 00:28:00,360 The church was closely based on an actual Russian church 398 00:28:00,360 --> 00:28:02,600 called the Cathedral of the Nativity. 399 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:05,720 It's about 100 miles outside of Moscow. 400 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:09,800 They went to great lengths to make it as authentic as possible, 401 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:11,920 even hiring a Russian painter 402 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:15,760 to create the murals decorating the ceilings and pillars. 403 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:19,920 There would have been rows and rows of pews 404 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,120 facing a raised stage at the front of the church, 405 00:28:22,120 --> 00:28:24,880 where there would have been a pipe organ 406 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:29,280 and all kinds of Orthodox iconography hanging from the walls. 407 00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:32,560 I mean, if you were looking for somewhere a bit different, 408 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:35,320 somewhere quite grand to get married, 409 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:37,560 where better than here? 410 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:41,320 Fortunately for the bride and groom, they had plenty of facilities 411 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:43,600 next door for the reception. 412 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:47,800 The Mura Hotel had 20 rooms, 413 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:51,120 including luxurious suites on the top floor, 414 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,960 perhaps where the newlyweds spent their wedding night. 415 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:57,960 Although little remains today, 416 00:28:57,960 --> 00:28:59,720 from the size of the spaces, 417 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:03,840 you get a real sense of just how grand it would have been. 418 00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:07,880 But in 1994, 419 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:11,960 only months after Omori's bizarre venture first opened, 420 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:13,880 cracks began to show. 421 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:44,600 So once you looked at the church, had a Russian meal, seen a show, 422 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:46,400 you were ready to go home. 423 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:53,080 With its poor attendance, the numbers just weren't adding up 424 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:55,120 for the Russian Village. 425 00:29:55,120 --> 00:30:00,280 Somehow, the park managed to keep going for the next seven years, 426 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:03,920 and in 2001 damning allegations came to light 427 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:07,560 revealing what was going on behind closed doors. 428 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:10,040 The visionary behind the park 429 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:14,080 and the head of the bank that financed it, Ryutaro Omori, 430 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:17,280 had criminal charges filed against him. 431 00:30:17,280 --> 00:30:23,000 His bank reported a deficit of 168.7 billion yen. 432 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:26,720 That's about $1.3 billion today. 433 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:32,560 Omori made a lot of loans that were somewhat dubious, 434 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,920 and one of the shakiest was to his own Russian Village. 435 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:40,560 Even when he knew that the finances were not that strong, 436 00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:44,040 he pushed through another loan for the project, 437 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:46,840 and that one really got him in trouble. 438 00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:52,080 Omori was forced to resign as head of the bank. 439 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:53,960 While he was awaiting trial, 440 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:58,760 a group of Russian financiers tried to help save the park. 441 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:01,800 Their investment was too little, too late. 442 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,320 Whilst his park was shutting down, 443 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:09,760 in 2003, Omori was sentenced to three years in prison. 444 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:12,640 Just two years later, he died. 445 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:21,520 In 2004, a short-lived attempt 446 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:24,680 to reopen the park ended in failure. 447 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:27,320 Many of the buildings were then demolished 448 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:30,760 and vandals destroyed what remained. 449 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:35,760 The future for this area seems to be in the solar energy being generated 450 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:39,880 in this massive solar farm right next door to the Russian Village. 451 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:44,120 The hopes that people might someday travel to this compound 452 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:46,600 were really dashed many years ago. 453 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,600 In Miami Dade County, Florida, 454 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:04,800 are relics of a storybook fantasy brought to life. 455 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:11,560 This looks like a typical Miami suburb, 456 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:16,760 but then you notice that the streets have some pretty unexpected names. 457 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:22,680 You have Baghdad Avenue, Sharazad Boulevard and Sinbad Avenue. 458 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:26,640 In the middle of town is what looks like a crumbling palace, 459 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:28,960 which, much like the street names, 460 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:32,200 appears wildly out of place in Florida. 461 00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:37,080 It's got these pink domes, towering minarets, castle-like battlements 462 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:38,480 and a walled courtyard. 463 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:42,360 It seems to be a mix of various eastern influences. 464 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,080 There's something a bit fantastical about it all. 465 00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:49,120 Exteriors don't really match the interiors. 466 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:52,200 They're offices, they're spaces that would be used 467 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:54,120 for everyday activities. 468 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,920 They're not elaborate, like the outside of the building. 469 00:32:56,920 --> 00:33:01,920 This construction is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle. 470 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:05,560 These structures aren't as big or impressive, 471 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:10,000 but their coordinated style suggests there was once a wider vision 472 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:11,120 for this place. 473 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:15,480 For a time, this was a fantasy that you could buy into, 474 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:18,520 but the dream would be very tragically short-lived. 475 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,520 This city is one of very few in the entire country 476 00:33:24,520 --> 00:33:26,720 of the United States that was built 477 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:29,120 {\an8}on a storybook, quite literally, 478 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:32,040 {\an8}so it's inspiring through and through. 479 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:35,960 Alex Van Mecl began digging into the extraordinary history 480 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:40,600 of this region when he bought his first home here in September 2021. 481 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:43,760 It was very exciting 482 00:33:43,760 --> 00:33:47,720 and was the beginning of a very long journey 483 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:51,360 to uncover a lot about the city that has, in some instances, 484 00:33:51,360 --> 00:33:53,600 never been seen or told before. 485 00:33:55,080 --> 00:33:58,880 This curious structure was to be the beating heart 486 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:02,880 of a grand vision to transform this once-unpopulated area 487 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:04,440 into a thriving city. 488 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:07,560 The driving force behind it 489 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:11,200 was American Renaissance man Glenn H Curtiss. 490 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:16,680 Curtiss was a pioneer of American aviation 491 00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:19,520 and one of the nation's wealthiest men. 492 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:23,400 {\an8}He had helped develop the first aircraft carrier for the US Navy 493 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:25,240 {\an8}and built the first seaplane. 494 00:34:27,640 --> 00:34:30,440 While Curtiss was on holiday in Florida, 495 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:34,280 he recognised the money-making potential of this area. 496 00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:37,880 {\an8}In the years after the First World War, 497 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:39,840 {\an8}Florida experienced a land boom. 498 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:43,440 The number of skilled workers in the country was rising, 499 00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:47,920 and they were benefiting from higher wages and paid vacations. 500 00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:54,880 Suddenly, people had the resources to travel and to buy vacation homes. 501 00:34:56,040 --> 00:34:58,400 Everybody had cars, everyone had a Model T. 502 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:01,360 They wanted to be in the sun, and there was no better place 503 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:03,840 {\an8}to go than Florida. 504 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:08,200 Curtiss and his partners bought 17,000 acres of land, 505 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:12,200 and Curtiss entered a new business - real estate development. 506 00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:16,200 But he also wants to create really unique, special communities, 507 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:19,280 not just your run-of-the-mill tract homes 508 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:22,640 that normally dotted the landscape. 509 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:26,120 Fortunately, there was a new craze that was sweeping the nation 510 00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:30,160 and it would inspire his next project, Opa-locka. 511 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:34,680 Opa-locka was to be something entirely unique, 512 00:35:34,680 --> 00:35:38,160 never before attempted in the United States. 513 00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:42,120 It was a big gamble, based on architecture and literature 514 00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:44,240 from the Islamic world. 515 00:35:44,240 --> 00:35:47,840 In 1925, the architect Bernhardt Muller 516 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:50,800 read the collection of Middle Eastern folktales 517 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,080 known as The Thousand And One Nights. 518 00:35:53,080 --> 00:35:58,200 He was so inspired that he relived it in his dreams that night. 519 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:01,520 He soon came up with a vision of a city 520 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:05,960 built around the theme and design of those stories. 521 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:09,640 And in Curtiss, Muller had a partner with the resources 522 00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:10,920 to make it happen. 523 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:16,000 An advertisement that was placed in the Miami Herald in 1926 524 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:20,160 began with the words "one thousand and one reasons". 525 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:24,520 It encouraged investors to get in on the ground floor 526 00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:26,880 of a never-to-be-repeated opportunity. 527 00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:32,960 This administration building was intended to be an icon 528 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:35,240 of the city's success. 529 00:36:35,240 --> 00:36:39,360 The construction of this building began in early 1926. 530 00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:42,760 It took approximately seven months to construct. 531 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:46,920 At that time, they estimated the cost at $150,000. 532 00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:51,000 Its primary focus - to sell the idea and dream 533 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:54,240 of what it was to become an Opa-lockan. 534 00:36:54,240 --> 00:36:57,560 This was to be a completely self-sufficient community 535 00:36:57,560 --> 00:37:00,840 with its own airport, golf course, 536 00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:04,680 pools, parks, country club, zoo - 537 00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:07,080 all the things that make life fun. 538 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:12,080 Muller personally approved each and every design. 539 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:16,600 He specified all the paint colours and finishings to be used, 540 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:19,760 and even suggested landscaping around the buildings. 541 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:26,000 In less than a year, over 30 homes were built and residents moved in, 542 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:30,200 while the rest of the city's construction was still under way. 543 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:34,040 Curtiss's ambitious risk appeared to be paying off. 544 00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:39,520 But before the city could be completed, Mother Nature interfered. 545 00:37:41,120 --> 00:37:45,480 In 1926, a massive hurricane swept through the Miami area, 546 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:49,120 and although it didn't really affect Opa-locka, 547 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:54,120 it affected Florida as a whole and sent it into this economic tailspin. 548 00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:58,400 Florida's reputation as heaven on earth 549 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:00,800 was shattered in the wake of the destruction. 550 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:05,960 Suddenly, both investors and new residents 551 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:07,920 became harder and harder to find. 552 00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:12,160 But railways had helped other planned communities 553 00:38:12,160 --> 00:38:13,960 in Florida prosper, 554 00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:18,120 and Curtiss was certain a new train line coming in 1927 555 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:19,880 would keep his vision alive. 556 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:24,000 He also had one last trick up his sleeve. 557 00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:29,680 When the first train arrived on January 8th, 1927, 558 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:32,200 the city decided to put on a show. 559 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:34,480 On board was the governor of the state, 560 00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:38,680 the president of the railway and a host of other dignitaries. 561 00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:42,680 They were greeted by something straight out of the movies - 562 00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:46,240 a representative of the company, dressed as the Grand Vizier 563 00:38:46,240 --> 00:38:48,400 of the Empire of Opa-locka, 564 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:51,520 charged on horseback out of the administration building. 565 00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:55,520 He was flanked by others dressed as Arabian horsemen 566 00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:59,160 who were racing out to meet the Iron Horse. 567 00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:03,840 Homeowners from all across the city joined in the celebrations. 568 00:39:03,840 --> 00:39:07,160 Nobody wanted to see Opa-locka crash and burn. 569 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:10,560 Most of the town had costumes 570 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:13,200 that had been rented from New York theatres, 571 00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:17,400 and the whole community put on a show for visitors. 572 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:21,200 Essentially, they got together to commemorate the new beginning 573 00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:22,880 of what was to become 574 00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:27,240 this flourishing and very extraordinarily designed community. 575 00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:29,520 The event was a big success, 576 00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:32,760 and newspapers gave it plenty of coverage, 577 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:36,360 all of which provided great advertising for the city. 578 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:40,400 These days, that type of naked cultural appropriation 579 00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:42,520 would definitely be frowned upon, 580 00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:44,600 though there are certainly outrageous stunts 581 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:46,880 pulled by real estate developers on a daily basis. 582 00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:52,600 The so-called Arabian fantasy may have captured people's attention, 583 00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:56,440 but it failed to get them to open their wallets. 584 00:39:56,440 --> 00:40:02,040 The future of Curtiss's $1.5 million investment was uncertain. 585 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:04,240 Less than two years later, 586 00:40:04,240 --> 00:40:08,280 the aspiring city was dealt another devastating blow. 587 00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:11,240 In the wake of the Wall Street crash, 588 00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:14,200 things really weren't looking good for Opa-locka. 589 00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:17,960 Curtiss pulled out all the stops to try and salvage his dream 590 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:20,920 and save his city's struggling residents. 591 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:24,400 He helped pay for people's landscaping, 592 00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:26,560 he started paying people's mortgages. 593 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:29,240 I think he had every reason to believe that Opa-locka 594 00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:33,840 still could become as great, as thriving as a Coral Gables 595 00:40:33,840 --> 00:40:37,360 or Miami Beach, or even Palm Beach at that time. 596 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:42,400 Curtiss was convinced the development could continue expanding 597 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:44,400 after the economy recovered. 598 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:46,160 Fate disagreed. 599 00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:49,920 On the 23rd of July 1930, 600 00:40:49,920 --> 00:40:55,000 the aviation pioneer died suddenly after an attack of appendicitis. 601 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:58,960 The driving force behind Opa-locka evaporated with him. 602 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:01,760 It is my school of thought 603 00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:05,720 that Curtiss would very much have stuck his vision through, 604 00:41:05,720 --> 00:41:08,400 and it still would have been the fully built environment 605 00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:11,440 that he dreamed of it becoming had he not passed away. 606 00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:15,720 In the years that followed, the suburb declined 607 00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:19,320 beyond all recognition and its crime rate soared. 608 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:23,600 By 2009, the one-time centrepiece of Opa-locka 609 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:26,360 had been left to fall into ruin. 610 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:39,000 John H Taylor Jr was elected mayor of Opa-locka in 2022. 611 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:41,600 The city he grew up in was very different 612 00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:44,320 from the one originally envisioned. 613 00:41:44,320 --> 00:41:48,040 I'm 34 years old and Opa-locka is all that I know. 614 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:50,160 {\an8}During the early '70s, 615 00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:52,560 {\an8}'80s, '90s, early 2000s, 616 00:41:52,560 --> 00:41:56,760 they called us one of the top murder capitals of South Florida. 617 00:41:56,760 --> 00:42:00,080 What was once an area that was drug-infested, crime-ridden 618 00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:03,040 is not the same Opa-locka that you see today. 619 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:04,880 Our crime is down 30%. 620 00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:09,440 I wanted the community where my daughter and my family can grow, 621 00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:11,520 live, play and be safe in. 622 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:17,360 Today, Mayor Taylor hopes to finish what Glenn H Curtiss started. 623 00:42:17,360 --> 00:42:19,720 We want it to be a cultural arts centre. 624 00:42:19,720 --> 00:42:22,200 We want birthday parties here. 625 00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:24,520 We want you to make memories here. 626 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:28,040 And by 2026, you won't be able to recognise Opa-locka. 627 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:30,960 We are waking this city back up. 628 00:42:57,760 --> 00:42:59,520 Subtitles by Red Bee Media 54257

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