1 00:00:01,917 --> 00:00:04,250 [Dan narrating] 2 00:00:08,417 --> 00:00:11,375 [mysterious music] 3 00:00:13,917 --> 00:00:18,082 - What if I told you a man once found himself in a face off 4 00:00:18,083 --> 00:00:21,042 with one of nature's most unexpected opponents? 5 00:00:22,042 --> 00:00:25,124 - Greig sees this enormous kangaroo. 6 00:00:25,125 --> 00:00:26,291 - [Greig] Oh God! 7 00:00:26,292 --> 00:00:28,624 - [James] Holding his dog hostage. 8 00:00:28,625 --> 00:00:31,374 - This kangaroo can pretty much eviscerate him. 9 00:00:31,375 --> 00:00:33,999 - He realizes he has to do something pretty quick 10 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,166 to save his dog. 11 00:00:36,167 --> 00:00:38,791 - Or there's a filthy rich cereal mogul 12 00:00:38,792 --> 00:00:41,624 who declared war on the weather? 13 00:00:41,625 --> 00:00:43,374 - Post makes the connection, 14 00:00:43,375 --> 00:00:46,999 maybe if you agitate the atmosphere sufficiently, 15 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:48,624 you can make it rain. 16 00:00:48,625 --> 00:00:53,125 - Post hires a team of 50 men to fly dynamite kites. 17 00:00:54,083 --> 00:00:55,541 [bombs exploding] 18 00:00:55,542 --> 00:00:58,291 - [Hakeem] But they have all kinds of problems. 19 00:00:58,292 --> 00:01:00,957 - How about being pushed to the brink of extinction 20 00:01:00,958 --> 00:01:02,999 by a tiny bug? 21 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,041 - There are billions and billions of them 22 00:01:06,042 --> 00:01:07,332 and they're hungry. 23 00:01:07,333 --> 00:01:08,957 - When they descend on a farm, 24 00:01:08,958 --> 00:01:12,708 the scale of destruction is biblical. 25 00:01:14,250 --> 00:01:16,291 - These are the unbelievable stories 26 00:01:16,292 --> 00:01:19,207 of what happens when humans and nature collide. 27 00:01:19,208 --> 00:01:22,292 [mysterious music] 28 00:01:31,542 --> 00:01:35,082 - The ocean is home to a vast array of incredible creatures. 29 00:01:35,083 --> 00:01:37,541 Many are peaceful, but every now and then, 30 00:01:37,542 --> 00:01:40,957 the deep sea reminds us who's really in charge. 31 00:01:40,958 --> 00:01:43,707 [tense music] 32 00:01:43,708 --> 00:01:46,457 - In 2024, off the coast of New Hampshire, 33 00:01:46,458 --> 00:01:48,957 two fishermen have their boat floating over schools 34 00:01:48,958 --> 00:01:50,249 of small bait fish, 35 00:01:50,250 --> 00:01:53,332 which attract the larger fish they're after. 36 00:01:53,333 --> 00:01:56,291 But these anglers get a much bigger bite 37 00:01:56,292 --> 00:01:57,916 than they bargained for. 38 00:01:57,917 --> 00:01:59,792 [anglers yelling] 39 00:02:02,167 --> 00:02:04,750 - It turns out to be a humpback whale, 40 00:02:05,917 --> 00:02:09,249 and it capsizes this $150,000 boat. 41 00:02:09,250 --> 00:02:10,541 - [Videographer 1] Oh my God. 42 00:02:10,542 --> 00:02:12,952 - Sending the two fishermen ride into the drink. 43 00:02:14,208 --> 00:02:16,666 - Humpback whales are enormous. 44 00:02:16,667 --> 00:02:20,666 They can grow to 60 feet and weigh 40 tons. 45 00:02:20,667 --> 00:02:23,916 That's over two times the size of the boat 46 00:02:23,917 --> 00:02:26,374 and many times its mass. 47 00:02:26,375 --> 00:02:28,499 - [Dan] Close calls between humans and whales 48 00:02:28,500 --> 00:02:30,250 happen more often than you think, 49 00:02:31,292 --> 00:02:34,124 but who actually has the right of way? 50 00:02:34,125 --> 00:02:36,582 - Legally, fishing boats are required 51 00:02:36,583 --> 00:02:39,916 to stay a safe distance from humpback whales 52 00:02:39,917 --> 00:02:42,499 and avoid the schools of bait fish 53 00:02:42,500 --> 00:02:44,582 where the whales are feeding. 54 00:02:44,583 --> 00:02:47,541 The law is intended to protect the whales, 55 00:02:47,542 --> 00:02:50,375 but it turns out it's good for the fishermen too. 56 00:02:51,833 --> 00:02:55,332 - Not all fishermen are following these guidelines 57 00:02:55,333 --> 00:02:57,541 because they're after their fish, 58 00:02:57,542 --> 00:02:59,457 and so situations like this 59 00:02:59,458 --> 00:03:01,582 may occur more and more often. 60 00:03:01,583 --> 00:03:03,916 [water splashing] 61 00:03:03,917 --> 00:03:06,041 - Is this boat bashing on purpose, 62 00:03:06,042 --> 00:03:08,416 a case of sea rage perhaps? 63 00:03:08,417 --> 00:03:11,416 We might never know, but for one bird scientist, 64 00:03:11,417 --> 00:03:13,666 the question of nature's vengeful intent 65 00:03:13,667 --> 00:03:15,292 seems pretty clear. 66 00:03:17,417 --> 00:03:20,541 - John Marzluff is a wildlife biologist 67 00:03:20,542 --> 00:03:24,207 working at the University of Washington in 2006, 68 00:03:24,208 --> 00:03:27,375 and his specialty is studying crows. 69 00:03:28,417 --> 00:03:31,082 That includes capturing them, tagging them, 70 00:03:31,083 --> 00:03:33,749 and tracking them to observe their behaviors 71 00:03:33,750 --> 00:03:35,250 and learn more about them, 72 00:03:35,251 --> 00:03:38,166 and he has been working consistently 73 00:03:38,167 --> 00:03:41,082 with this one flock of birds, a murder of crows, 74 00:03:41,083 --> 00:03:44,707 and he starts to notice something happening. 75 00:03:44,708 --> 00:03:46,541 - Some of these crows 76 00:03:46,542 --> 00:03:49,875 seem very wary of specific researchers. 77 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,499 More than that, the crows swoop 78 00:03:54,500 --> 00:03:56,582 and dive bomb the researchers 79 00:03:56,583 --> 00:03:59,832 who've been directly involved in the trapping, 80 00:03:59,833 --> 00:04:01,291 and they also scold them, 81 00:04:01,292 --> 00:04:02,957 [crows cawing] 82 00:04:02,958 --> 00:04:05,082 cawing at them aggressively. 83 00:04:05,083 --> 00:04:07,207 - What becomes really interesting here 84 00:04:07,208 --> 00:04:09,749 is that this happens even when these researchers 85 00:04:09,750 --> 00:04:12,833 are just going about their lives around campus, 86 00:04:14,417 --> 00:04:17,624 and these crows are formidable. 87 00:04:17,625 --> 00:04:20,457 They have really tough beaks and talons. 88 00:04:20,458 --> 00:04:24,874 So if a crow is mad at you, that is a serious threat. 89 00:04:24,875 --> 00:04:26,374 Marzluff starts to wonder, 90 00:04:26,375 --> 00:04:29,082 are these birds recognizing these people's faces 91 00:04:29,083 --> 00:04:31,250 and are they mad at them? 92 00:04:33,667 --> 00:04:37,833 - Marzluff decides to try a particular experiment. 93 00:04:39,208 --> 00:04:43,207 He asks researchers who are trapping the crows 94 00:04:43,208 --> 00:04:46,541 to wear a Halloween mask of a caveman 95 00:04:46,542 --> 00:04:48,374 and other researchers 96 00:04:48,375 --> 00:04:51,041 who are not involved in trapping the crows 97 00:04:51,042 --> 00:04:54,707 wear a Halloween mask of Vice President Dick Cheney. 98 00:04:54,708 --> 00:04:56,499 - [Dan] As cavemen and Dick Cheneys 99 00:04:56,500 --> 00:04:58,874 are released into the wild on campus, 100 00:04:58,875 --> 00:05:02,166 Marzluff notices something extraordinary. 101 00:05:02,167 --> 00:05:07,416 - The crows continually accost the cavemen 102 00:05:07,417 --> 00:05:09,207 who are trapping them 103 00:05:09,208 --> 00:05:13,374 and ignore or leave alone the Dick Cheneys. 104 00:05:13,375 --> 00:05:16,457 - And this happens even when they try it with a hat on 105 00:05:16,458 --> 00:05:17,832 while they're wearing the mask, 106 00:05:17,833 --> 00:05:20,541 or they'll put on a different kerchief or a scarf 107 00:05:20,542 --> 00:05:23,041 just to see if it is definitely the face 108 00:05:23,042 --> 00:05:28,333 that the birds are focusing on, and it is every single time. 109 00:05:28,334 --> 00:05:30,582 - [Dan] Incredibly, this hostility runs much deeper 110 00:05:30,583 --> 00:05:31,958 than anyone imagined. 111 00:05:33,500 --> 00:05:36,707 - Birds that have never been part of this research project 112 00:05:36,708 --> 00:05:41,708 also start to attack, swooping angrily at the cavemen. 113 00:05:42,167 --> 00:05:46,374 These remarkable animals have been teaching each other. 114 00:05:46,375 --> 00:05:48,416 - It goes on right into 2020. 115 00:05:48,417 --> 00:05:51,082 So 14 years after the initial research 116 00:05:51,083 --> 00:05:52,624 and after the paper's published, 117 00:05:52,625 --> 00:05:55,749 the caveman mask is still eliciting this response, 118 00:05:55,750 --> 00:05:58,416 and that means that there are birds in play 119 00:05:58,417 --> 00:06:00,457 that are generationally separated 120 00:06:00,458 --> 00:06:02,333 from the original flock. 121 00:06:02,917 --> 00:06:06,166 - In all fairness, the biologists started this spat, 122 00:06:06,167 --> 00:06:09,792 but sometimes the animal is the one looking for a fight. 123 00:06:12,250 --> 00:06:15,582 - In 2016 in the Australian outback, 124 00:06:15,583 --> 00:06:19,666 Greig Tonkins is out with his friends hunting wild boar, 125 00:06:19,667 --> 00:06:21,707 - There's one there. [indistinct] 126 00:06:21,708 --> 00:06:24,832 when one of Greig's dogs, Max, gets a scent 127 00:06:24,833 --> 00:06:28,500 and runs off ahead and disappears into the brush. 128 00:06:29,792 --> 00:06:33,166 - Greig sees something he really wasn't expecting, 129 00:06:33,167 --> 00:06:36,457 which is this enormous kangaroo. 130 00:06:36,458 --> 00:06:37,874 - [Greig] Oh God! 131 00:06:37,875 --> 00:06:41,541 - Holding his dog hostage on a headlock 132 00:06:41,542 --> 00:06:44,374 and Greig realizes he has to do something pretty quick 133 00:06:44,375 --> 00:06:46,124 to save his dog. 134 00:06:46,125 --> 00:06:49,041 - Big male kangaroos are actually quite terrifying. 135 00:06:49,042 --> 00:06:52,707 They've got these just huge biceps, big broad chests, 136 00:06:52,708 --> 00:06:56,249 and a kangaroo can punch eight times harder than a human 137 00:06:56,250 --> 00:06:58,749 and they can bite as hard as a grizzly. 138 00:06:58,750 --> 00:07:03,207 But the biggest threat is actually the kangaroo's kick. 139 00:07:03,208 --> 00:07:05,041 - [Dan] A kangaroo's middle toes fuse 140 00:07:05,042 --> 00:07:09,374 into a single sharp talon, a feature called syndactyly, 141 00:07:09,375 --> 00:07:12,416 not unlike the kill claw found on a velociraptor. 142 00:07:12,417 --> 00:07:13,874 - He can kick his heart as a horse 143 00:07:13,875 --> 00:07:15,957 and with that sharp nail on the end of his toe, 144 00:07:15,958 --> 00:07:18,167 can pretty much open Greig completely up 145 00:07:19,500 --> 00:07:20,958 and eviscerate him. 146 00:07:21,708 --> 00:07:25,207 - As it happens, Greig is a zookeeper by profession, 147 00:07:25,208 --> 00:07:28,958 so he moves in close enough to distract the kangaroo 148 00:07:30,083 --> 00:07:31,667 and it releases the dog. 149 00:07:31,668 --> 00:07:34,832 You might think that the story would end there, 150 00:07:34,833 --> 00:07:38,667 but no, the kangaroo turns its attention to Greig. 151 00:07:39,542 --> 00:07:41,082 - [Jarod] Now, this kangaroo 152 00:07:41,083 --> 00:07:44,749 is in full blown territory mode and puts up his dukes. 153 00:07:44,750 --> 00:07:46,832 Greig, to not show any weakness, 154 00:07:46,833 --> 00:07:50,916 leans back and he socks the kangaroo straight in the jaw. 155 00:07:50,917 --> 00:07:53,624 [suspenseful music] 156 00:07:53,625 --> 00:07:56,583 - Surprisingly, the roo backs off, 157 00:07:57,833 --> 00:08:00,707 and actually that probably saves Greig's life. 158 00:08:00,708 --> 00:08:03,917 [suspenseful music] 159 00:08:06,042 --> 00:08:08,541 - It's unclear if this was a triumph over nature 160 00:08:08,542 --> 00:08:11,166 or mercy on the part of the kangaroo, 161 00:08:11,167 --> 00:08:14,249 but in the end, the kangaroo learns the hard way, 162 00:08:14,250 --> 00:08:15,880 don't mess with a man and his dog. 163 00:08:17,199 --> 00:08:22,124 - The pioneers of the Great Plains fought droughts, storms 164 00:08:22,125 --> 00:08:25,041 and brutal winters, but in 1874, 165 00:08:25,042 --> 00:08:28,332 nature threw something at them they never saw coming. 166 00:08:28,333 --> 00:08:30,291 [suspenseful music] 167 00:08:30,292 --> 00:08:33,832 - It is summer of 1874 in Nebraska. 168 00:08:33,833 --> 00:08:39,874 It's a sparsely populated area that survives on agriculture, 169 00:08:39,875 --> 00:08:44,583 and the state is suffering a really crippling drought. 170 00:08:46,625 --> 00:08:48,124 The local farmers are hoping 171 00:08:48,125 --> 00:08:51,457 and praying that things turn around when all of a sudden, 172 00:08:51,458 --> 00:08:54,708 there is this strange and disturbing rumbling. 173 00:08:56,750 --> 00:08:58,582 As the rumbling continues, 174 00:08:58,583 --> 00:09:03,082 suddenly a haze starts to form over the sun, 175 00:09:03,083 --> 00:09:05,750 the skies start to darken. 176 00:09:05,751 --> 00:09:09,916 - At first, you think it might be an approaching storm 177 00:09:09,917 --> 00:09:16,000 or a tornado, but it disperses into billions of tiny specs. 178 00:09:16,542 --> 00:09:19,124 - These specs are not bits of dust, 179 00:09:19,125 --> 00:09:22,791 they're not raindrops, they're grasshoppers. 180 00:09:22,792 --> 00:09:24,874 Rocky Mountain grasshoppers, 181 00:09:24,875 --> 00:09:28,750 billions and billions of them, and they're hungry. 182 00:09:31,667 --> 00:09:33,707 - They will eat an entire field of crops 183 00:09:33,708 --> 00:09:35,208 in a matter of hours. 184 00:09:36,708 --> 00:09:39,207 - It's like a blizzard of grasshoppers. 185 00:09:39,208 --> 00:09:44,292 In some areas, the insects form a carpet a foot deep. 186 00:09:46,583 --> 00:09:51,041 They invade homes, they eat cloth and quilts, 187 00:09:51,042 --> 00:09:55,916 paper, curtains, leather, tool handles. 188 00:09:55,917 --> 00:09:59,791 - They will eat the wool right off of a live sheep. 189 00:09:59,792 --> 00:10:03,291 They will start eating the clothes off of your back. 190 00:10:03,292 --> 00:10:04,749 When they descend on a farm, 191 00:10:04,750 --> 00:10:08,167 the scale of destruction is biblical. 192 00:10:09,375 --> 00:10:12,124 - [Dan] Shockingly, this isn't an isolated incident. 193 00:10:12,125 --> 00:10:14,332 It's happening all over Kansas, Iowa, 194 00:10:14,333 --> 00:10:18,291 Minnesota, Missouri, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. 195 00:10:18,292 --> 00:10:22,666 They call it the Great Grasshopper Plague of 1874. 196 00:10:22,667 --> 00:10:25,082 [suspenseful music] [grasshoppers buzzing] 197 00:10:25,083 --> 00:10:28,624 - There have been grasshopper invasions before, 198 00:10:28,625 --> 00:10:31,916 but this one in 1874 is on a scale 199 00:10:31,917 --> 00:10:34,250 that the US has never seen before. 200 00:10:35,583 --> 00:10:37,707 At the peak of the invasion, 201 00:10:37,708 --> 00:10:42,749 estimates run as high as 15 trillion grasshoppers. 202 00:10:42,750 --> 00:10:46,124 That's 390,000 grasshoppers 203 00:10:46,125 --> 00:10:51,041 for every resident of the United States at that time. 204 00:10:51,042 --> 00:10:54,666 - [Dan] Dazed citizens wonder why this particular year 205 00:10:54,667 --> 00:10:56,666 is especially brutal. 206 00:10:56,667 --> 00:10:58,291 - Rocky Mountain grasshoppers originate 207 00:10:58,292 --> 00:11:00,666 in the Rocky Mountains and under normal circumstances, 208 00:11:00,667 --> 00:11:01,916 that's where they stay. 209 00:11:01,917 --> 00:11:04,416 But in 1874, conditions are not normal. 210 00:11:04,417 --> 00:11:07,874 There's a very severe drought going on, and when it's dry, 211 00:11:07,875 --> 00:11:09,832 their eggs hatch more successfully 212 00:11:09,833 --> 00:11:13,042 so the population of grasshoppers explodes. 213 00:11:14,250 --> 00:11:17,874 - There are also winds that form a jet stream 214 00:11:17,875 --> 00:11:22,041 and carry the grasshoppers throughout the Great Plains, 215 00:11:22,042 --> 00:11:26,666 leading to a cycle of the grasshoppers overpopulating, 216 00:11:26,667 --> 00:11:29,167 decimating food and seeking more food. 217 00:11:31,583 --> 00:11:38,666 The grasshoppers cause about $200 million in crop damage, 218 00:11:38,667 --> 00:11:43,917 which is the equivalent of $5.5 billion today. 219 00:11:44,542 --> 00:11:46,041 Even more dangerous, 220 00:11:46,042 --> 00:11:49,999 the excrement from these billions of grasshoppers 221 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:54,207 poisons wells and water supplies. 222 00:11:54,208 --> 00:11:56,416 - [Dan] As this mass infestation continues 223 00:11:56,417 --> 00:11:59,124 throughout the summer of 1874, 224 00:11:59,125 --> 00:12:02,833 desperate farmers go to war with the grasshoppers. 225 00:12:04,917 --> 00:12:07,916 - They try setting them on fire, 226 00:12:07,917 --> 00:12:10,291 they try smoking them out, 227 00:12:10,292 --> 00:12:11,958 they try poisons. 228 00:12:12,875 --> 00:12:16,374 - They even try a contraption called a hopper dozer, 229 00:12:16,375 --> 00:12:21,207 which is a horse drawn metal sheet coated with coal tar 230 00:12:21,208 --> 00:12:25,499 intended to get the insects stuck to the metal sheet, 231 00:12:25,500 --> 00:12:27,041 but there are just too many of them 232 00:12:27,042 --> 00:12:29,749 and it becomes another failure. 233 00:12:29,750 --> 00:12:31,874 - [Dan] The swarms of grasshoppers return 234 00:12:31,875 --> 00:12:33,916 for the next four summers, 235 00:12:33,917 --> 00:12:37,041 but then a strange thing happens. 236 00:12:37,042 --> 00:12:38,852 - The grasshoppers just disappear. 237 00:12:40,708 --> 00:12:42,916 They're not just gone from the Plains, 238 00:12:42,917 --> 00:12:44,624 they're gone from everywhere. 239 00:12:44,625 --> 00:12:47,250 By the early 1900s, they're extinct. 240 00:12:48,779 --> 00:12:51,999 - While Nebraska farmers learned 241 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,041 that bugs can ruin your life, 242 00:12:54,042 --> 00:12:57,207 one ancient king discovered there's a way to use them 243 00:12:57,208 --> 00:12:58,624 to your advantage. 244 00:12:58,625 --> 00:13:00,374 [suspenseful music] 245 00:13:00,375 --> 00:13:04,249 - It's 67 BCE in what is modern day Turkey 246 00:13:04,250 --> 00:13:07,541 along the Black Sea, and the Persian king, Mithridates 247 00:13:07,542 --> 00:13:11,750 is on the run from the Roman general Pompey The Great. 248 00:13:13,542 --> 00:13:15,957 - Mithridates is an interesting guy. 249 00:13:15,958 --> 00:13:18,124 His father was murdered by poison, 250 00:13:18,125 --> 00:13:21,374 so he spends much of his early life out in the woods, 251 00:13:21,375 --> 00:13:24,541 ingesting small amounts of poisons like arsenic 252 00:13:24,542 --> 00:13:25,917 to build up a tolerance. 253 00:13:25,918 --> 00:13:28,541 At the time, he's probably one 254 00:13:28,542 --> 00:13:31,375 of the world's leading experts on human toxins. 255 00:13:32,625 --> 00:13:35,957 - [Dan] Now, with the Roman army hot on his tail, 256 00:13:35,958 --> 00:13:38,792 Mithridates uses this knowledge to his benefit. 257 00:13:40,208 --> 00:13:44,582 - He instructs his soldiers to gather large amounts 258 00:13:44,583 --> 00:13:46,542 of a sticky red honey 259 00:13:47,792 --> 00:13:52,458 and place it in jugs all along his escape route. 260 00:13:55,000 --> 00:14:00,749 - The Romans encounter these jars and on closer inspection, 261 00:14:00,750 --> 00:14:04,041 they find that it smells sweet, they sample it, 262 00:14:04,042 --> 00:14:06,458 and they find that it tastes sweet as well. 263 00:14:08,167 --> 00:14:10,517 - Once they taste it, there's no stopping them. 264 00:14:10,518 --> 00:14:13,374 Soldier after soldier after soldier 265 00:14:13,375 --> 00:14:15,582 is consuming handful after handful 266 00:14:15,583 --> 00:14:19,582 of life-giving nutrient-rich honey 267 00:14:19,583 --> 00:14:21,874 until the side effects kick in. 268 00:14:21,875 --> 00:14:24,583 [tense music] 269 00:14:27,417 --> 00:14:32,041 - What the soldiers don't know is that in Turkey, 270 00:14:32,042 --> 00:14:36,582 bees often pollinate rhododendron fields 271 00:14:36,583 --> 00:14:41,500 and these flowers contain large amounts of grayanotoxin. 272 00:14:42,708 --> 00:14:45,374 The toxin ends up in the honey, 273 00:14:45,375 --> 00:14:50,000 which causes hallucinations, diarrhea, 274 00:14:51,083 --> 00:14:54,125 dizziness, and loss of consciousness. 275 00:14:54,126 --> 00:14:56,957 - After eating tons of this honey, 276 00:14:56,958 --> 00:15:00,125 the Roman soldiers are on a pretty bad trip. 277 00:15:01,958 --> 00:15:04,500 They are not what you would call battle ready. 278 00:15:05,708 --> 00:15:07,791 Imagine having to fight for your life 279 00:15:07,792 --> 00:15:09,962 while you're vomiting and hallucinating. 280 00:15:11,375 --> 00:15:14,791 This is exactly what Mithridates had in mind. 281 00:15:14,792 --> 00:15:18,124 [suspenseful music] 282 00:15:18,125 --> 00:15:20,875 - Mithridates's force then doubles back on them 283 00:15:21,750 --> 00:15:23,375 and engages them in battle. 284 00:15:25,208 --> 00:15:27,957 - [Dan] The result, it's a slaughter 285 00:15:27,958 --> 00:15:30,875 with over 1,000 stoned Romans killed. 286 00:15:32,458 --> 00:15:34,624 - Mithridates took all those years 287 00:15:34,625 --> 00:15:36,874 studying poisons and toxins, 288 00:15:36,875 --> 00:15:38,916 and he essentially creates possibly 289 00:15:38,917 --> 00:15:41,041 the first biological weapon. 290 00:15:41,042 --> 00:15:42,832 - In fact, today it is one 291 00:15:42,833 --> 00:15:44,582 of the oldest hallucinogenic drugs, 292 00:15:44,583 --> 00:15:47,624 though very expensive and sometimes hard to get. 293 00:15:47,625 --> 00:15:48,999 In some countries, 294 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:51,170 it sells for $80 a pound on the black market. 295 00:15:53,542 --> 00:15:55,292 - Talk about sweet revenge. 296 00:15:57,289 --> 00:16:01,332 - The weather is unpredictable, untamed, 297 00:16:01,333 --> 00:16:04,582 and for one man the next great frontier to conquer. 298 00:16:04,583 --> 00:16:08,666 What happens when human ambition takes on Mother Nature? 299 00:16:08,667 --> 00:16:11,207 [suspenseful music] 300 00:16:11,208 --> 00:16:14,791 - C.W. Post becomes a breakfast cereal baron 301 00:16:14,792 --> 00:16:16,624 in the late 1800s. 302 00:16:16,625 --> 00:16:19,416 He makes a lot of money with products like Grape-Nuts 303 00:16:19,417 --> 00:16:22,624 and other post cereals like Raisin Bran. 304 00:16:22,625 --> 00:16:24,707 - [Announcer] Start your day a little bit better 305 00:16:24,708 --> 00:16:26,624 with Post Grape-Nuts Flakes. 306 00:16:26,625 --> 00:16:29,582 - Eventually, Post starts to have these obsessions 307 00:16:29,583 --> 00:16:31,249 and because of his success, 308 00:16:31,250 --> 00:16:33,500 he does not hesitate to act upon them. 309 00:16:35,292 --> 00:16:39,291 - In 1907, Post buys up 200,000 acres of land 310 00:16:39,292 --> 00:16:41,541 in order to build this self-sustaining, 311 00:16:41,542 --> 00:16:43,292 idyllic little community. 312 00:16:44,250 --> 00:16:47,207 - He calls it Post City. 313 00:16:47,208 --> 00:16:50,207 It seems that Post has thought of everything 314 00:16:50,208 --> 00:16:53,541 in his perfect city, except for one thing. 315 00:16:53,542 --> 00:16:55,332 There's not enough water. 316 00:16:55,333 --> 00:16:58,957 And soon enough, the region is plagued by drought. 317 00:16:58,958 --> 00:17:03,000 This city can't sustain itself, no one can grow enough food. 318 00:17:04,250 --> 00:17:06,374 - He remembers that there were stories 319 00:17:06,375 --> 00:17:09,916 that after big cannon battles in the Napoleonic wars, 320 00:17:09,917 --> 00:17:11,624 it would start raining. 321 00:17:11,625 --> 00:17:14,207 So he makes the connection. 322 00:17:14,208 --> 00:17:17,791 Maybe if you agitate the atmosphere sufficiently, 323 00:17:17,792 --> 00:17:19,624 you can make it rain. 324 00:17:19,625 --> 00:17:22,125 - [Dan] His plan is as simple as it is bizarre, 325 00:17:23,042 --> 00:17:25,083 he's going to blow up the clouds. 326 00:17:26,625 --> 00:17:31,457 - Post hires a team of 50 men to fly dynamite kites. 327 00:17:31,458 --> 00:17:33,541 Each one of these kites is equipped 328 00:17:33,542 --> 00:17:37,999 with two pounds of dynamite and extremely long fuses 329 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:39,916 so that when you light it at the bottom, 330 00:17:39,917 --> 00:17:43,000 a few minutes later, the dynamite goes off in the sky. 331 00:17:44,500 --> 00:17:47,832 - So he has 50 kites, but they have all kinds of problems. 332 00:17:47,833 --> 00:17:49,416 The cords get tangled, 333 00:17:49,417 --> 00:17:52,291 the dynamite explodes too close to the ground sometimes, 334 00:17:52,292 --> 00:17:55,124 almost killing his men. [bomb exploding] 335 00:17:55,125 --> 00:17:58,541 Clearly this kite approach is too unreliable, 336 00:17:58,542 --> 00:18:01,500 so Post has to come up with yet another plan. 337 00:18:02,792 --> 00:18:06,874 - He has his men haul the explosives up the Caprock, 338 00:18:06,875 --> 00:18:11,291 which is a high escarpment running throughout West Texas. 339 00:18:11,292 --> 00:18:16,167 He uses a total of 350 pounds of explosives spread out 340 00:18:17,417 --> 00:18:20,041 so that each explosive is about 50 feet apart 341 00:18:20,042 --> 00:18:23,041 and they're set off every 10 minutes. 342 00:18:23,042 --> 00:18:25,707 [bombs exploding] 343 00:18:25,708 --> 00:18:30,542 - Everything goes as planned except it does not rain. 344 00:18:32,208 --> 00:18:34,957 - Post gets this idea that you really need 345 00:18:34,958 --> 00:18:37,707 to replicate battle conditions. 346 00:18:37,708 --> 00:18:41,874 The explosions need to be violent and random. 347 00:18:41,875 --> 00:18:44,541 There can't be any pattern to it. 348 00:18:44,542 --> 00:18:46,707 - [Dan] Eventually his persistence pays off 349 00:18:46,708 --> 00:18:49,541 when one of these rain battles actually works. 350 00:18:49,542 --> 00:18:51,457 [tense music] [bomb exploding] 351 00:18:51,458 --> 00:18:55,999 - Post is thrilled, but subsequent rain battles 352 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:57,707 have mixed results, 353 00:18:57,708 --> 00:19:01,666 and so Post thinks they're not using enough dynamite. 354 00:19:01,667 --> 00:19:06,625 So he ups the ante from 300 pounds to 3,000 pounds. 355 00:19:07,125 --> 00:19:10,457 [bombs exploding] 356 00:19:10,458 --> 00:19:11,916 During one rain battle, 357 00:19:11,917 --> 00:19:16,666 Post detonates over 24,000 pounds of dynamite. 358 00:19:16,667 --> 00:19:20,332 That's equivalent to the most powerful conventional weapons 359 00:19:20,333 --> 00:19:23,874 used by the US military today. 360 00:19:23,875 --> 00:19:27,041 - [Dan] By the end of 1913, after middling results, 361 00:19:27,042 --> 00:19:29,374 Post fires his last shot. 362 00:19:29,375 --> 00:19:34,582 - Overall, Post spends about $50,000 in his rain battles, 363 00:19:34,583 --> 00:19:38,624 which is equivalent to about $1.7 million today, 364 00:19:38,625 --> 00:19:42,292 or half a million boxes of Grape-Nuts. 365 00:19:42,318 --> 00:19:46,832 - For another visionary who dared to do battle 366 00:19:46,833 --> 00:19:48,374 with the natural world, 367 00:19:48,375 --> 00:19:52,874 Mother Nature's response was much more harsh. 368 00:19:52,875 --> 00:19:54,832 [suspenseful music] 369 00:19:54,833 --> 00:19:58,541 - From 1949 until 1976, 370 00:19:58,542 --> 00:20:03,499 Mao Zedong is the all powerful leader of Communist China 371 00:20:03,500 --> 00:20:06,541 and he holds the opinion that humankind 372 00:20:06,542 --> 00:20:09,916 was intended to dominate nature. 373 00:20:09,917 --> 00:20:13,499 - [Dan] In 1958, Mao' Great Leap Forward program 374 00:20:13,500 --> 00:20:17,249 mandates a massive increase in agricultural production. 375 00:20:17,250 --> 00:20:18,874 - If you're in charge of a massive country 376 00:20:18,875 --> 00:20:21,416 with a population of 600 million people, 377 00:20:21,417 --> 00:20:25,499 your first priority is feeding those people. 378 00:20:25,500 --> 00:20:30,041 Any loss in crop is an enemy to the people. 379 00:20:30,042 --> 00:20:33,916 According to Mao, the number one culprit in grain theft 380 00:20:33,917 --> 00:20:36,542 is the evil sparrow. 381 00:20:37,750 --> 00:20:40,999 - In order to harness all of the agricultural potential 382 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:42,291 of the People's Republic, 383 00:20:42,292 --> 00:20:44,625 he declares war on a two-ounce bird. 384 00:20:45,875 --> 00:20:48,874 - He enlists an army of millions of citizen soldiers 385 00:20:48,875 --> 00:20:52,916 to kill as many of the sparrows as possible. 386 00:20:52,917 --> 00:20:57,707 - People use whatever weapons they have, guns, slingshot. 387 00:20:57,708 --> 00:21:02,124 They even use long poles to poke at nests up in the trees. 388 00:21:02,125 --> 00:21:03,749 But the most bizarre method 389 00:21:03,750 --> 00:21:06,541 is to simply follow the birds around, 390 00:21:06,542 --> 00:21:09,999 making a loud noise with pots and pans 391 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,541 and anything metal that they can clang together. 392 00:21:12,542 --> 00:21:15,416 So the sparrows, they're too scared to land 393 00:21:15,417 --> 00:21:17,917 and they end up dying from exhaustion. 394 00:21:20,417 --> 00:21:22,541 - In just a matter of weeks, 395 00:21:22,542 --> 00:21:26,916 the Chinese kill over one billion sparrows. 396 00:21:26,917 --> 00:21:27,791 - [Dan] For Mao, it's proof 397 00:21:27,792 --> 00:21:30,041 of his people's revolutionary devotion. 398 00:21:30,042 --> 00:21:33,707 Unfortunately for the great leader, his contempt for nature 399 00:21:33,708 --> 00:21:36,542 is only surpassed by his ignorance of it. 400 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:41,999 - Mao is convinced that it's the sparrows eating the grain, 401 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:46,041 but actually it's insects that consume most of the grain, 402 00:21:46,042 --> 00:21:50,624 and the sparrows are the ones eating the insects. 403 00:21:50,625 --> 00:21:53,666 So in Nanzhong, 60% of the crops are destroyed, 404 00:21:53,667 --> 00:21:56,832 in another region, 15% of the rice crop 405 00:21:56,833 --> 00:21:58,541 is consumed by locusts, 406 00:21:58,542 --> 00:22:00,916 and this happens again and again and again 407 00:22:00,917 --> 00:22:03,333 all over sparrowless China. 408 00:22:05,250 --> 00:22:07,791 - The result of Mao's war on sparrows 409 00:22:07,792 --> 00:22:10,707 is the country is driven to famine 410 00:22:10,708 --> 00:22:14,541 and the estimates are that 45 million people 411 00:22:14,542 --> 00:22:18,000 starved to death from 1959 to '61. 412 00:22:20,083 --> 00:22:23,832 This gave rise in the United States to this practice 413 00:22:23,833 --> 00:22:26,041 of scolding children who didn't want to eat 414 00:22:26,042 --> 00:22:29,207 by telling them that there are starving children in China, 415 00:22:29,208 --> 00:22:30,541 which was set in motion 416 00:22:30,542 --> 00:22:33,125 by Mao's declared war on the sparrows. 417 00:22:34,375 --> 00:22:36,874 [birds chirping] 418 00:22:36,875 --> 00:22:39,957 - Chairman Mao's battle with birds is a stark reminder 419 00:22:39,958 --> 00:22:42,707 that when you mess with nature, beware, 420 00:22:42,708 --> 00:22:45,125 nature has a brutal way of restoring balance. 421 00:22:47,793 --> 00:22:51,207 - For all of humanity's progress, 422 00:22:51,208 --> 00:22:52,999 nature still holds the upper hand. 423 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,499 And in 1908 in the remote Siberian wilderness, 424 00:22:56,500 --> 00:23:01,124 it delivers a blow so powerful, it defies explanation. 425 00:23:01,125 --> 00:23:02,707 [suspenseful music] 426 00:23:02,708 --> 00:23:06,332 - It's June, 1908 in Eastern Siberia 427 00:23:06,333 --> 00:23:08,041 near the Tunguska River. 428 00:23:08,042 --> 00:23:10,541 This area is incredibly remote. 429 00:23:10,542 --> 00:23:13,072 You're more likely to see a reindeer than a person. 430 00:23:14,333 --> 00:23:16,582 - A man sits on his porch 431 00:23:16,583 --> 00:23:19,167 when suddenly there's a massive explosion. 432 00:23:21,333 --> 00:23:22,832 After the flash, 433 00:23:22,833 --> 00:23:24,207 [low rumble] 434 00:23:24,208 --> 00:23:28,541 a violent hot wind pommels him 435 00:23:28,542 --> 00:23:31,707 and destroys his entire home. 436 00:23:31,708 --> 00:23:35,124 - He manages to lift his head to look around 437 00:23:35,125 --> 00:23:38,707 and he sees that the forest surrounding his home 438 00:23:38,708 --> 00:23:43,667 has been flattened by some invisible, mysterious force. 439 00:23:44,958 --> 00:23:48,082 It turns out this explosion isn't right next door. 440 00:23:48,083 --> 00:23:51,416 It's over 40 miles away. 441 00:23:51,417 --> 00:23:53,707 - [Dan] In fact, the blast is so powerful, 442 00:23:53,708 --> 00:23:56,542 its impact reaches far beyond Siberia. 443 00:23:57,833 --> 00:24:02,249 - Windows a hundred miles away are shattered. 444 00:24:02,250 --> 00:24:06,707 Seismic readings are taken as far away as Washington DC. 445 00:24:06,708 --> 00:24:08,666 For days after this event, 446 00:24:08,667 --> 00:24:11,582 the night skies across Europe and Asia 447 00:24:11,583 --> 00:24:14,083 are glowing with this bright light. 448 00:24:14,084 --> 00:24:17,207 - [Dan] The violent detonation becomes known 449 00:24:17,208 --> 00:24:18,874 as the Tunguska Event, 450 00:24:18,875 --> 00:24:21,583 and right away the world wants to know what caused it. 451 00:24:22,458 --> 00:24:24,916 - Speculation runs rampant. 452 00:24:24,917 --> 00:24:29,416 Some Russian scientists believe that it was a volcano 453 00:24:29,417 --> 00:24:31,832 that went off in eastern Siberia, 454 00:24:31,833 --> 00:24:34,041 while local indigenous peoples believed 455 00:24:34,042 --> 00:24:36,999 that maybe it was a god or a powerful shaman 456 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:40,249 that had sent a fireball to punish them. 457 00:24:40,250 --> 00:24:43,124 - [Dan] 19 years later in 1927, 458 00:24:43,125 --> 00:24:47,124 scientist Leonid Kulik is finally able to get close enough 459 00:24:47,125 --> 00:24:48,458 to study the scene. 460 00:24:49,542 --> 00:24:53,749 - There's an 800 square mile circular area 461 00:24:53,750 --> 00:24:56,374 where the trees have been absolutely flattened. 462 00:24:56,375 --> 00:24:58,874 80 million trees are down. 463 00:24:58,875 --> 00:25:01,999 It's not hard for Kulik to find the epicenter 464 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:05,625 because all the trees are pointing away from it. 465 00:25:05,626 --> 00:25:09,916 - He suspects that the culprit could be something 466 00:25:09,917 --> 00:25:12,541 that came from space and collided. 467 00:25:12,542 --> 00:25:14,541 He expects to find a crater in the middle. 468 00:25:14,542 --> 00:25:17,082 He doesn't, it's even more strange. 469 00:25:17,083 --> 00:25:20,124 All the trees in the center in ground zero 470 00:25:20,125 --> 00:25:21,499 are still standing. 471 00:25:21,500 --> 00:25:23,291 Of course, they're burnt to a crisp 472 00:25:23,292 --> 00:25:24,749 and their bark has been shorn off, 473 00:25:24,750 --> 00:25:26,332 but they're still upright. 474 00:25:26,333 --> 00:25:28,263 Every other tree is pointing outward. 475 00:25:30,125 --> 00:25:34,166 - Over the decades, a lot of pretty wild theories crop up. 476 00:25:34,167 --> 00:25:38,707 One suggests that an alien spacecraft armed 477 00:25:38,708 --> 00:25:43,707 with nuclear weapons exploded over Siberia. 478 00:25:43,708 --> 00:25:47,374 The force of the explosion actually supports this idea. 479 00:25:47,375 --> 00:25:48,874 Scientists estimate 480 00:25:48,875 --> 00:25:53,791 that the blast was 185 times more powerful 481 00:25:53,792 --> 00:25:56,166 than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. 482 00:25:56,167 --> 00:26:00,041 - [Dan] There's also another, more natural explanation. 483 00:26:00,042 --> 00:26:02,499 - There's one speculative hypothesis, 484 00:26:02,500 --> 00:26:06,207 which is that the earth passed gas, 485 00:26:06,208 --> 00:26:09,374 that there was a large pocket or reservoir of methane 486 00:26:09,375 --> 00:26:11,207 that leaked out into the surface 487 00:26:11,208 --> 00:26:14,207 and then was ignited by a lightning bolt, 488 00:26:14,208 --> 00:26:17,416 and then that ignition detonated the entire pocket 489 00:26:17,417 --> 00:26:19,917 in one giant blast. 490 00:26:20,875 --> 00:26:24,416 - Finally, in 2020, a Russian research team comes up 491 00:26:24,417 --> 00:26:26,291 with a very plausible idea, 492 00:26:26,292 --> 00:26:30,207 which is that an asteroid came through space, 493 00:26:30,208 --> 00:26:33,582 entered our earth's atmosphere, kind of skimmed along, 494 00:26:33,583 --> 00:26:35,041 but didn't impact 495 00:26:35,042 --> 00:26:37,666 and ricocheted right off of our atmosphere. 496 00:26:37,667 --> 00:26:39,916 This would've heated up the air. 497 00:26:39,917 --> 00:26:42,374 It would've created these sonic shockwaves 498 00:26:42,375 --> 00:26:44,874 that caused all of this destruction. 499 00:26:44,875 --> 00:26:50,000 - It's estimated that the meteor is about 130 feet across 500 00:26:50,292 --> 00:26:54,957 and weighs 220 million pounds. 501 00:26:54,958 --> 00:26:58,457 If something like that landed on a major city like London, 502 00:26:58,458 --> 00:27:00,541 millions would die. 503 00:27:00,542 --> 00:27:03,207 - What's more terrifying, whatever it was, 504 00:27:03,208 --> 00:27:06,582 we know we can't prevent it from happening again. 505 00:27:06,583 --> 00:27:08,707 And due to laws of nature, 506 00:27:08,708 --> 00:27:11,875 chances are it will happen again. 507 00:27:12,917 --> 00:27:14,791 - It's a stark reminder, 508 00:27:14,792 --> 00:27:18,041 you never know when nor where nature's fury will strike, 509 00:27:18,042 --> 00:27:21,042 whether from above or deep below. 510 00:27:22,833 --> 00:27:25,791 - It's a quiet night in 2013 in Seffner, 511 00:27:25,792 --> 00:27:28,416 a small town outside of Tampa, Florida. 512 00:27:28,417 --> 00:27:29,957 A gentleman named Jeremy Bush 513 00:27:29,958 --> 00:27:32,958 is suddenly awakened by a crash, 514 00:27:34,375 --> 00:27:39,457 followed by the sound of his 37-year-old brother screaming. 515 00:27:39,458 --> 00:27:42,041 Jeremy runs to his brother's bedroom 516 00:27:42,042 --> 00:27:45,999 and much to his dismay and shock, there's no furniture. 517 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:49,750 The bed, the dresser, the drawers, everything is gone. 518 00:27:50,875 --> 00:27:53,541 - What he sees is just completely unbelievable. 519 00:27:53,542 --> 00:27:56,249 There's a hole in the center of the room 520 00:27:56,250 --> 00:27:59,374 and he does not see his brother anywhere. 521 00:27:59,375 --> 00:28:02,666 In his desperation, Jeremy grabs a shovel, 522 00:28:02,667 --> 00:28:03,957 he jumps into the hole 523 00:28:03,958 --> 00:28:05,957 and he's trying to dig his brother out, 524 00:28:05,958 --> 00:28:08,707 but the walls are still falling in, 525 00:28:08,708 --> 00:28:10,207 the soil is still moving, 526 00:28:10,208 --> 00:28:13,541 so the more he digs, nothing's happening. 527 00:28:13,542 --> 00:28:15,999 - [Dan] Unfortunately, Jeremy and his brother are dealing 528 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:18,710 with one of nature's most unpredictable phenomena, 529 00:28:19,708 --> 00:28:21,749 a sinkhole. 530 00:28:21,750 --> 00:28:23,874 - A sinkhole forms when you have a layer of soil 531 00:28:23,875 --> 00:28:27,249 over a layer of limestone, a porous rock, 532 00:28:27,250 --> 00:28:29,124 and a cavern underneath. 533 00:28:29,125 --> 00:28:31,041 When the rain seeps into the soil, 534 00:28:31,042 --> 00:28:34,291 it can go down and erode that limestone away, 535 00:28:34,292 --> 00:28:37,291 and when it gets sufficiently weak, it breaks, 536 00:28:37,292 --> 00:28:39,458 and that's when the system collapses. 537 00:28:39,459 --> 00:28:42,582 - Because of the amount of limestone underground 538 00:28:42,583 --> 00:28:43,999 in the state of Florida, 539 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:46,999 plus all the rain they receive on an annual basis, 540 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:49,041 it's just prime territory for sinkhole, 541 00:28:49,042 --> 00:28:52,000 and they have over 27,000 of them there. 542 00:28:53,208 --> 00:28:55,166 - One of these sinkholes in China 543 00:28:55,167 --> 00:28:59,082 is known to go down as far as 2,000 feet. 544 00:28:59,083 --> 00:29:02,916 In fact, entire prehistoric habitats 545 00:29:02,917 --> 00:29:06,208 have been found well preserved inside of these sinkholes. 546 00:29:07,167 --> 00:29:09,457 - [Dan] On that terrible night in 2013, 547 00:29:09,458 --> 00:29:12,833 there's no telling how deep this sinkhole goes. 548 00:29:14,542 --> 00:29:18,082 - When first responders arrive, they quickly tell Jeremy 549 00:29:18,083 --> 00:29:21,249 that the hole is too unstable to pull Jeff out. 550 00:29:21,250 --> 00:29:23,916 The emergency workers themselves make some attempts. 551 00:29:23,917 --> 00:29:26,207 They jump in, they dig down, 552 00:29:26,208 --> 00:29:28,041 but the walls of the hole are collapsing 553 00:29:28,042 --> 00:29:30,541 and they realize it's too dangerous 554 00:29:30,542 --> 00:29:32,207 and they have to abandon the effort. 555 00:29:32,208 --> 00:29:35,957 - The ground has literally disappeared beneath him 556 00:29:35,958 --> 00:29:38,292 and he has been buried alive. 557 00:29:38,293 --> 00:29:43,957 - [Dan] In the aftermath, local authorities fill the hole 558 00:29:43,958 --> 00:29:46,458 and condemn the entire block. 559 00:29:48,708 --> 00:29:52,416 - In 2015, two years after Jeff's death, 560 00:29:52,417 --> 00:29:54,207 a strange thing happens. 561 00:29:54,208 --> 00:29:56,666 People notice their dogs are starting to act weird, 562 00:29:56,667 --> 00:29:58,707 they're a little afraid to go outside, 563 00:29:58,708 --> 00:30:01,207 and then they hear a massive rumble. 564 00:30:01,208 --> 00:30:03,249 [tense music] 565 00:30:03,250 --> 00:30:05,207 - Suddenly, their sinkhole appears 566 00:30:05,208 --> 00:30:07,124 right in the same spot as the first one, 567 00:30:07,125 --> 00:30:09,417 only this time it's even bigger. 568 00:30:11,083 --> 00:30:14,749 - [Cyrena] In 2023, it opens up for a third time. 569 00:30:14,750 --> 00:30:18,083 - Nobody's injured, but it's even bigger still. 570 00:30:21,042 --> 00:30:24,874 The thing is sink holes are known to grow, 571 00:30:24,875 --> 00:30:27,083 and chances are it may come again. 572 00:30:27,084 --> 00:30:30,916 - The earth, it seems, has a way of keeping us on our toes. 573 00:30:30,917 --> 00:30:33,541 Just when we think we have it all figured out, 574 00:30:33,542 --> 00:30:35,582 it throws us a curve ball, 575 00:30:35,583 --> 00:30:36,958 or in this case, a sinkhole. 576 00:30:38,713 --> 00:30:43,166 - When nature calls and you're nowhere near a bathroom, 577 00:30:43,167 --> 00:30:44,666 it's usually an inconvenience. 578 00:30:44,667 --> 00:30:49,500 But for one man, it comes in, well, unbelievably handy. 579 00:30:51,042 --> 00:30:54,207 - A hundred years ago, the most interesting man 580 00:30:54,208 --> 00:30:59,208 in the world was probably Danish explorer Peter Freuchen. 581 00:31:00,542 --> 00:31:04,999 He stands six foot, seven, he's covered in animal furs, 582 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:08,707 he commands dog sleds across the tundra. 583 00:31:08,708 --> 00:31:13,332 According to legend, he killed a wolf with his bare hands. 584 00:31:13,333 --> 00:31:15,707 - [Dan] For all his experience in the wild, 585 00:31:15,708 --> 00:31:19,207 nothing could fully prepare Freuchen for what lay ahead 586 00:31:19,208 --> 00:31:21,417 on the icy expanse of Greenland. 587 00:31:22,458 --> 00:31:26,832 - In 1926, Peter Freuchen and some guides 588 00:31:26,833 --> 00:31:31,875 are attempting an extremely difficult trek across Greenland. 589 00:31:33,500 --> 00:31:36,374 They encounter heavy snows 590 00:31:36,375 --> 00:31:39,582 and realize that their sleds are too heavy, 591 00:31:39,583 --> 00:31:43,124 so they unload a lot of the supplies with the intention 592 00:31:43,125 --> 00:31:46,541 of coming back to them when conditions clear up. 593 00:31:46,542 --> 00:31:49,749 - Next day, Peter is convinced that he can make it back 594 00:31:49,750 --> 00:31:51,707 to where they left the supplies, 595 00:31:51,708 --> 00:31:53,417 load it up and continue on his own. 596 00:31:53,418 --> 00:31:56,707 - [Dan] But when he makes it to the supply dump, 597 00:31:56,708 --> 00:31:58,917 he's trapped by a sudden blizzard. 598 00:32:00,333 --> 00:32:04,207 - Peter has no other choice than to seek shelter, 599 00:32:04,208 --> 00:32:07,916 so he digs a shallow snow trench, 600 00:32:07,917 --> 00:32:10,749 puts the sled on top of it 601 00:32:10,750 --> 00:32:13,917 and crawls in through a small hole. 602 00:32:15,208 --> 00:32:18,458 He's essentially burrowing into a snow bed. 603 00:32:20,125 --> 00:32:24,791 - He stays in this shelter for 30 hours. 604 00:32:24,792 --> 00:32:29,874 When the storm subsides, Peter discovers that the exit hole 605 00:32:29,875 --> 00:32:32,333 to his shelter is now frozen shut. 606 00:32:33,375 --> 00:32:36,957 He is now stuck inside of an icy coffin 607 00:32:36,958 --> 00:32:38,541 of his own making 608 00:32:38,542 --> 00:32:43,249 and all of his tools are on the sled outside. 609 00:32:43,250 --> 00:32:44,707 If he doesn't get out, 610 00:32:44,708 --> 00:32:47,583 he's either going to suffocate or freeze to death. 611 00:32:47,584 --> 00:32:51,457 - He notes from his experience in polar exploration 612 00:32:51,458 --> 00:32:55,374 that when his sled dogs would go to the bathroom, 613 00:32:55,375 --> 00:32:59,082 their feces would freeze solid in the snow, 614 00:32:59,083 --> 00:33:01,082 as hard as a rock. 615 00:33:01,083 --> 00:33:03,249 Peter now has to relieve himself, 616 00:33:03,250 --> 00:33:07,999 so he fashions his own fecal matter 617 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:12,791 into a chisel shaped implement, 618 00:33:12,792 --> 00:33:15,250 and he waits for it to freeze. 619 00:33:16,583 --> 00:33:19,207 - Miraculously, it works. 620 00:33:19,208 --> 00:33:21,667 He's chipping away, chunks of ice are flying, 621 00:33:22,875 --> 00:33:25,707 and his tool is remaining intact. 622 00:33:25,708 --> 00:33:29,374 He continues fracturing the ice till he gets a hole 623 00:33:29,375 --> 00:33:32,500 that's almost big enough for him to squeeze through. 624 00:33:34,125 --> 00:33:37,124 - He gets one arm out, one shoulder out, 625 00:33:37,125 --> 00:33:40,083 but then he realizes he's stuck 626 00:33:40,833 --> 00:33:43,375 and he's dropped his poop chisel. 627 00:33:44,833 --> 00:33:49,542 - In desperation, Peter takes an extremely long exhale, 628 00:33:50,708 --> 00:33:52,999 the longest of his life 629 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:56,791 and contracts his chest just enough 630 00:33:56,792 --> 00:33:59,082 to squeeze through the hole. 631 00:33:59,083 --> 00:34:02,582 His left foot is stricken with frostbite, 632 00:34:02,583 --> 00:34:07,667 but he is able to crawl back to the camp and he survives. 633 00:34:11,875 --> 00:34:14,166 - A blizzard alone is a challenge, 634 00:34:14,167 --> 00:34:18,457 but in 1923, four natural disasters strike at once, 635 00:34:18,458 --> 00:34:22,583 turning a bustling city into pure chaos. 636 00:34:24,083 --> 00:34:28,207 - It's an ordinary day on September 1st, 1923, 637 00:34:28,208 --> 00:34:30,916 the city of Tokyo going about its business, 638 00:34:30,917 --> 00:34:33,542 has no idea what's coming. 639 00:34:34,875 --> 00:34:39,833 A 60 by 60 mile tectonic plate breaks loose under the ocean 640 00:34:41,458 --> 00:34:46,124 and causes an earthquake registering 8.3 641 00:34:46,125 --> 00:34:47,707 on the Richter Scale. 642 00:34:47,708 --> 00:34:49,082 [suspenseful music] 643 00:34:49,083 --> 00:34:51,207 - [Dan] In Tokyo and nearby Yokohama, 644 00:34:51,208 --> 00:34:54,499 buildings are leveled, crushing thousands of victims. 645 00:34:54,500 --> 00:34:57,374 Moments later, a 40 foot tsunami hits, 646 00:34:57,375 --> 00:34:59,333 killing thousands more, 647 00:35:00,417 --> 00:35:02,374 and this is just the beginning 648 00:35:02,375 --> 00:35:04,625 of nature's merciless assault. 649 00:35:04,626 --> 00:35:08,207 - Not only do you have ruptured gas lines, 650 00:35:08,208 --> 00:35:10,541 this earthquake happened at about noontime. 651 00:35:10,542 --> 00:35:13,041 A lot of people were inside making lunch and cooking, 652 00:35:13,042 --> 00:35:14,625 and so now the fires begin. 653 00:35:16,375 --> 00:35:19,041 It also just so happens there's a typhoon 654 00:35:19,042 --> 00:35:20,999 just off of the coast as well, 655 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:24,500 and now you have very strong winds fueling all these fires. 656 00:35:25,917 --> 00:35:30,375 - The fire rips through 45% of the buildings in Tokyo. 657 00:35:31,792 --> 00:35:35,582 - Authorities direct about 44,000 people 658 00:35:35,583 --> 00:35:39,332 to open ground near the Sumida River 659 00:35:39,333 --> 00:35:43,582 where these fleeing residents are considered safe, 660 00:35:43,583 --> 00:35:46,417 but nature's havoc is not over. 661 00:35:47,667 --> 00:35:52,667 The flames themselves form into a massive spiral. 662 00:35:54,083 --> 00:35:58,416 In essence, it's a tornado composed of fire. 663 00:35:58,417 --> 00:35:59,707 - [Dan] The Japanese have a word 664 00:35:59,708 --> 00:36:02,957 for this rare and devastating phenomenon, 665 00:36:02,958 --> 00:36:04,417 a dragon twist. 666 00:36:05,542 --> 00:36:10,749 - The dragon twist grows to 650 feet tall 667 00:36:10,750 --> 00:36:12,791 and 1,000 feet across, 668 00:36:12,792 --> 00:36:17,791 and it is heading straight for the 44,000 survivors. 669 00:36:17,792 --> 00:36:20,417 - It's an absolute massacre. 670 00:36:22,458 --> 00:36:26,583 Of the 44,000, only 300 survive. 671 00:36:27,792 --> 00:36:32,416 This unthinkable disaster, earthquake, tidal wave, 672 00:36:32,417 --> 00:36:37,207 fire, dragon twist ultimately takes the life 673 00:36:37,208 --> 00:36:39,958 of 140,000 people. 674 00:36:41,417 --> 00:36:45,458 It is the worst natural disaster in Japanese history. 675 00:36:47,333 --> 00:36:50,832 - I can't imagine how terrifying that twister looked. 676 00:36:50,833 --> 00:36:53,166 Of course, now that everyone has a high tech camera 677 00:36:53,167 --> 00:36:55,337 in their pockets, heh, we wouldn't have to. 678 00:36:57,539 --> 00:37:01,041 - Humans don't always feel nature's wrath 679 00:37:01,042 --> 00:37:05,332 in the form of disaster, tragedy or cranky kangaroos. 680 00:37:05,333 --> 00:37:07,207 Sometimes it's triggered by something 681 00:37:07,208 --> 00:37:09,332 as simple as a wild animal 682 00:37:09,333 --> 00:37:11,875 that's just sick of having its picture taken. 683 00:37:14,542 --> 00:37:16,624 - Every year, four million visitors 684 00:37:16,625 --> 00:37:18,374 descend on Yellowstone Park 685 00:37:18,375 --> 00:37:22,291 to get a close look at nature and the animals, 686 00:37:22,292 --> 00:37:24,416 and what do people like to do? 687 00:37:24,417 --> 00:37:28,291 Take a selfie. [observers yelling] 688 00:37:28,292 --> 00:37:29,624 Bison actually account 689 00:37:29,625 --> 00:37:32,457 for most human injuries at Yellowstone, 690 00:37:32,458 --> 00:37:35,666 and they hate getting their photograph taken. 691 00:37:35,667 --> 00:37:40,750 - [Videographer 2] [yells] Oh my God, oh my God. 692 00:37:40,751 --> 00:37:43,832 - But this problem isn't unique to Yellowstone. 693 00:37:43,833 --> 00:37:46,250 I mean, this is happening all around the world. 694 00:37:47,667 --> 00:37:50,874 - A woman in a zoo in Arizona gets mauled by a jaguar 695 00:37:50,875 --> 00:37:53,957 when she attempts a photo up against its cage. 696 00:37:53,958 --> 00:37:56,541 [victim moaning] 697 00:37:56,542 --> 00:37:59,291 Then this other guy climbs right into a zoo enclosure 698 00:37:59,292 --> 00:38:01,750 with a lion, which promptly kills him. 699 00:38:03,167 --> 00:38:06,792 - [Dan] But the story of one Todd Fassler may take the cake. 700 00:38:08,625 --> 00:38:12,916 - In 2015, he's at the Barona Speedway in San Diego 701 00:38:12,917 --> 00:38:15,624 and he sees a rattlesnake. [rattlesnake hissing] 702 00:38:15,625 --> 00:38:18,707 He decides, oh, this is a perfect opportunity 703 00:38:18,708 --> 00:38:21,417 for a up-close selfie with a rattlesnake. 704 00:38:22,375 --> 00:38:23,916 He doesn't get his shot, 705 00:38:23,917 --> 00:38:26,624 but he does get a bite. [rattlesnake hissing] 706 00:38:26,625 --> 00:38:29,166 The rattlesnake injects the venom, 707 00:38:29,167 --> 00:38:31,832 and Todd is in a world of hurt. 708 00:38:31,833 --> 00:38:33,332 - [Dan] Todd survives, 709 00:38:33,333 --> 00:38:35,499 but his arm isn't the only thing hurting. 710 00:38:35,500 --> 00:38:37,749 There's also his wallet. 711 00:38:37,750 --> 00:38:40,791 - Anti-venom is incredibly expensive, 712 00:38:40,792 --> 00:38:44,207 and guess what's not likely to be covered by insurance? 713 00:38:44,208 --> 00:38:45,791 Anti-venom shots. 714 00:38:45,792 --> 00:38:49,458 So Todd ends up with a bill of over $150,000, 715 00:38:52,125 --> 00:38:53,875 and he didn't even get the selfie. 716 00:38:54,917 --> 00:38:57,374 - While some animals avoid the lens, 717 00:38:57,375 --> 00:38:58,749 others are more than willing 718 00:38:58,750 --> 00:39:01,708 to steal the spotlight and the bottle. 719 00:39:01,709 --> 00:39:06,707 - So you're vacationing on the lovely island of Saint Kitts. 720 00:39:06,708 --> 00:39:10,082 You're lounging poolside with a tropical cocktail 721 00:39:10,083 --> 00:39:11,832 and you drift off to sleep. 722 00:39:11,833 --> 00:39:15,457 You may not realize though, that someone is watching you, 723 00:39:15,458 --> 00:39:16,750 poised to strike. 724 00:39:18,042 --> 00:39:19,832 - It's a vervet monkey 725 00:39:19,833 --> 00:39:23,124 and he's not interested in ejecting you from his territory 726 00:39:23,125 --> 00:39:24,832 or begging for a bit of food. 727 00:39:24,833 --> 00:39:27,499 He wants your booze. 728 00:39:27,500 --> 00:39:30,499 For years, this island paradise has been plagued 729 00:39:30,500 --> 00:39:35,082 by a small army of sneaky, thieving, drunken monkeys. 730 00:39:35,083 --> 00:39:38,666 [tense music] [monkey yelling] 731 00:39:38,667 --> 00:39:40,666 - [Dan] The vervet monkeys of Saint Kitts 732 00:39:40,667 --> 00:39:43,166 have a long history of excessive drinking, 733 00:39:43,167 --> 00:39:44,707 going back to the 1600s 734 00:39:44,708 --> 00:39:48,082 when they were brought to the island by the British as pets. 735 00:39:48,083 --> 00:39:50,999 - The monkeys start raiding sugar cane plantations 736 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:55,166 and sometimes the sugar cane can start to ferment. 737 00:39:55,167 --> 00:39:58,041 Then the sugar eventually turns into alcohol, 738 00:39:58,042 --> 00:40:01,457 and the monkeys start chewing on the sugar cane, 739 00:40:01,458 --> 00:40:04,582 ultimately becoming addicted to alcohol. 740 00:40:04,583 --> 00:40:06,041 - [Dan] Centuries later, 741 00:40:06,042 --> 00:40:09,666 sugar fields are replaced by bars and hotels, 742 00:40:09,667 --> 00:40:13,624 but the monkeys' tradition of boozing is still going strong. 743 00:40:13,625 --> 00:40:16,582 - For scientists, the situation on Saint Kitts 744 00:40:16,583 --> 00:40:19,916 actually creates a rare opportunity. 745 00:40:19,917 --> 00:40:23,457 Where else can you study alcohol consumption 746 00:40:23,458 --> 00:40:27,417 in a group of highly social, non-human primates? 747 00:40:28,333 --> 00:40:30,291 And the results of that research 748 00:40:30,292 --> 00:40:32,042 are like looking in a mirror. 749 00:40:32,043 --> 00:40:36,374 - So some are more social drinkers who do it in moderation 750 00:40:36,375 --> 00:40:38,457 and only when they're with other monkeys, 751 00:40:38,458 --> 00:40:41,624 and then there's a small group, about 5%, 752 00:40:41,625 --> 00:40:43,374 who are described by researchers 753 00:40:43,375 --> 00:40:46,874 as seriously abusive binge drinkers. 754 00:40:46,875 --> 00:40:50,041 - They get wasted, they get into brawls, 755 00:40:50,042 --> 00:40:53,124 they basically raid outdoor cocktail tables 756 00:40:53,125 --> 00:40:56,124 and just about anywhere they can find alcoholic beverages. 757 00:40:56,125 --> 00:40:59,374 - [Dan] Research also reveals something else surprising. 758 00:40:59,375 --> 00:41:00,999 - Well, it turns out that the most effective 759 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:03,666 and powerful leaders among these primates 760 00:41:03,667 --> 00:41:05,708 are the drunkest monkeys of all. 761 00:41:07,839 --> 00:41:11,374 - Whether it's an entire population 762 00:41:11,375 --> 00:41:12,874 of plastered primates, 763 00:41:12,875 --> 00:41:15,707 a sinister 600 foot wall of fire, 764 00:41:15,708 --> 00:41:18,124 or the sinkhole that just won't fill, 765 00:41:18,125 --> 00:41:20,624 these are the tales of man's battles with nature 766 00:41:20,625 --> 00:41:24,125 that are so bizarre, they are truly unbelievable. 767 00:41:24,175 --> 00:41:28,725 Repair and Synchronization by Easy Subtitles Synchronizer 1.0.0.0