1 00:00:02,166 --> 00:00:03,300 [narrator] In Alabama, 2 00:00:03,300 --> 00:00:05,066 the pride of a community 3 00:00:05,066 --> 00:00:07,867 that was born out of a harsh reality. 4 00:00:07,867 --> 00:00:11,767 At the time when people were struggling for freedom in this country, 5 00:00:11,767 --> 00:00:15,300 this building stood as a beacon of hope. 6 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:19,200 [narrator] A lavish complex in Lebanon, 7 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:23,166 embroiled in an unexpected tragedy. 8 00:00:23,166 --> 00:00:27,400 You had every component of a bomb just sitting there 9 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:29,700 waiting for the spark that would ignite it. 10 00:00:33,900 --> 00:00:37,700 [narrator] And in Greece, an unforgiving institution 11 00:00:37,700 --> 00:00:40,467 for the country's ambitious elite. 12 00:00:40,467 --> 00:00:41,900 [Rob Bell] It looks like a paradise, 13 00:00:41,900 --> 00:00:45,600 but this place was designed to toughen you up. 14 00:00:49,500 --> 00:00:51,000 [theme music playing] 15 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:52,634 [narrator] Decaying relics... 16 00:00:54,467 --> 00:00:56,734 Ruins of lost worlds... 17 00:00:58,667 --> 00:01:01,300 Sites haunted by the past... 18 00:01:03,066 --> 00:01:05,400 Their secrets waiting... 19 00:01:05,767 --> 00:01:07,300 to be revealed. 20 00:01:15,667 --> 00:01:18,300 In Tunisia, a hostile landscape 21 00:01:18,300 --> 00:01:21,800 disguises remnants of a fateful confrontation. 22 00:01:29,700 --> 00:01:32,100 [Dr. Onyeka Nubia] Dug into the ground are structures 23 00:01:32,100 --> 00:01:34,600 that seem at one with the landscape 24 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:36,634 until you get closer to them. 25 00:01:37,567 --> 00:01:38,934 Are they medieval? 26 00:01:39,266 --> 00:01:40,667 Are they modern? 27 00:01:40,667 --> 00:01:43,166 Who has made them? 28 00:01:43,166 --> 00:01:46,200 [Dr. Lynette Nusbacher] This facility has clearly been stripped off 29 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:47,667 everything of value. 30 00:01:47,667 --> 00:01:49,467 All that's left 31 00:01:49,467 --> 00:01:51,400 is the echoing space, 32 00:01:51,867 --> 00:01:55,300 and the concrete structures. 33 00:01:55,300 --> 00:01:58,367 [narrator] A complex, buried high on the hillside, 34 00:01:58,367 --> 00:02:01,200 reveals who once occupied this site. 35 00:02:02,300 --> 00:02:05,266 If you look up you will see 36 00:02:05,266 --> 00:02:10,367 very clearly painted exactly who was here. 37 00:02:10,367 --> 00:02:13,567 [narrator] From this subterranean outpost in Africa, 38 00:02:13,567 --> 00:02:17,000 plans were hatched that could've decided the fate of Europe 39 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:18,500 and the Allied forces. 40 00:02:19,500 --> 00:02:23,367 The natural advantages of this piece of terrain 41 00:02:23,367 --> 00:02:26,600 mean that nobody can get through here. 42 00:02:28,967 --> 00:02:30,767 [Sascha Auerbach] Overcoming this required 43 00:02:30,767 --> 00:02:34,166 the invention of an entirely new type of warfare 44 00:02:34,166 --> 00:02:38,567 conducted by a ragtag group of rogues who called themselves 45 00:02:38,567 --> 00:02:40,500 the Pirates of the High Desert. 46 00:02:44,166 --> 00:02:45,567 [narrator] Major Mohamed Mars 47 00:02:45,567 --> 00:02:49,700 has served in the Tunisian Army for over 20 years. 48 00:02:49,700 --> 00:02:55,200 He's spent a decade uncovering the secrets of these remote structures. 49 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,867 [interpreter] This building's made of reinforced concrete. 50 00:02:58,867 --> 00:03:00,667 It's more than three-feet thick. 51 00:03:00,667 --> 00:03:02,634 [Major Mars speaking other language] 52 00:03:07,266 --> 00:03:08,867 [interpreter] The roof is camouflaged, 53 00:03:08,867 --> 00:03:11,700 so it can't be detected by the enemy. 54 00:03:14,266 --> 00:03:18,166 [narrator] This site's construction began in 1936 55 00:03:18,166 --> 00:03:20,834 against an unexpected enemy. 56 00:03:21,667 --> 00:03:23,367 [Dr. Nusbacher] In the early 20th century, 57 00:03:23,367 --> 00:03:26,500 Tunisia was part of the French Empire. 58 00:03:27,500 --> 00:03:28,967 [Dr. Nubia] The French were concerned 59 00:03:28,967 --> 00:03:32,367 about the Italian influence in Africa. 60 00:03:32,367 --> 00:03:35,667 Libya had fallen under the authoritarian power 61 00:03:35,667 --> 00:03:37,867 of the dictators in Italy, 62 00:03:37,867 --> 00:03:40,700 and they felt that Tunisia was next. 63 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:45,567 [narrator] The French solution was this, 64 00:03:45,567 --> 00:03:47,567 the Mareth Line, 65 00:03:47,567 --> 00:03:51,100 a 22-mile-long heavily-armed chain of bunkers 66 00:03:51,100 --> 00:03:53,000 designed to protect Tunisia 67 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:56,700 against an Italian invasion from neighboring Libya. 68 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:00,767 [Auerbach] Bound on either side by natural obstacles 69 00:04:00,767 --> 00:04:04,000 these fortifications formed an impenetrable wall. 70 00:04:06,166 --> 00:04:09,133 It was the perfect place to stage a defense. 71 00:04:10,700 --> 00:04:13,600 [narrator] Yet it wasn't an attack on the Mareth Line 72 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:15,667 that the French should've feared. 73 00:04:15,667 --> 00:04:19,400 The real threat was closer to home. 74 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:23,667 [Auerbach] Germany's blitzkrieg victory over France in 1940 75 00:04:23,667 --> 00:04:26,667 led to the installation of pro-Nazi government 76 00:04:26,667 --> 00:04:30,800 in both the French North African colonies and in France itself. 77 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:34,300 [narrator] German-led Axis forces 78 00:04:34,300 --> 00:04:37,500 swiftly took control of much of North Africa, 79 00:04:37,500 --> 00:04:40,133 including Libya and Tunisia. 80 00:04:41,166 --> 00:04:43,767 The region's strategic importance 81 00:04:43,767 --> 00:04:46,166 would soon make it a key battleground 82 00:04:46,166 --> 00:04:48,800 in the world's deadliest conflict. 83 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,300 [Dr. Nusbacher] It is a small step 84 00:04:51,300 --> 00:04:55,000 across the narrowest bit of the Mediterranean Sea 85 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,400 to Sicily, and you're on Italian soil. 86 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,100 Once you can fight 87 00:05:00,100 --> 00:05:02,700 the Italians and the Germans in Italy, 88 00:05:02,700 --> 00:05:07,400 you can fight the Italians and Germans in Germany. 89 00:05:08,266 --> 00:05:10,567 Winning the war in Tunisia 90 00:05:10,567 --> 00:05:12,400 is the first step 91 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:14,900 to winning the war in Europe. 92 00:05:16,300 --> 00:05:18,800 [Auerbach] In 1942 the British launched 93 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:21,166 an invasion of North Africa. 94 00:05:21,166 --> 00:05:24,467 Churchill appointed Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, 95 00:05:24,467 --> 00:05:26,800 known as Monty, to lead it. 96 00:05:28,066 --> 00:05:32,667 Americans landed in Morocco and Algeria to the west of Tunisia, 97 00:05:32,667 --> 00:05:35,867 while British forces pushed in from Egypt to the East, 98 00:05:35,867 --> 00:05:38,734 trapping the Germans in a pincer movement in Tunisia. 99 00:05:39,667 --> 00:05:42,266 [narrator] But the heavily fortified Mareth Line 100 00:05:42,266 --> 00:05:45,000 now stood in the way of Allied victory. 101 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:49,266 Nazi commander Erwin Rommel 102 00:05:49,266 --> 00:05:51,400 was tasked with stopping them. 103 00:05:52,700 --> 00:05:54,367 [Dr. Nubia] Rommel was determined 104 00:05:54,367 --> 00:05:56,700 that the Mareth Line would be defended 105 00:05:56,700 --> 00:06:00,100 with the belief that so long as he held the Mareth line, 106 00:06:00,100 --> 00:06:02,834 then Tunisia would never fall to the Allies. 107 00:06:04,867 --> 00:06:08,667 He massively reinforced the Line adding and placement 108 00:06:08,667 --> 00:06:12,100 of pillbox and machine guns on either side. 109 00:06:12,100 --> 00:06:15,467 He also added a five-mile-wide minefield 110 00:06:15,467 --> 00:06:17,800 that ran for the entirety of its length. 111 00:06:19,967 --> 00:06:22,300 [Dr. Nusbacher] Attacking this line of fortifications 112 00:06:22,300 --> 00:06:26,700 would have to be done at great cost, 113 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:31,300 paying a price in blood. 114 00:06:32,066 --> 00:06:34,767 [narrator] Even then, there was no guarantee 115 00:06:34,767 --> 00:06:37,100 a head-on assault would succeed. 116 00:06:37,667 --> 00:06:39,300 British commander Montgomery 117 00:06:39,300 --> 00:06:41,667 knew the only way to defeat the Nazis 118 00:06:41,667 --> 00:06:44,500 was to find a way around the Mareth Line. 119 00:06:45,266 --> 00:06:46,667 [Auerbach] But to get to it he had to move 120 00:06:46,667 --> 00:06:48,567 thousands of troops and vehicles 121 00:06:48,567 --> 00:06:52,900 across 20 miles of treacherous mountainous terrain 122 00:06:52,900 --> 00:06:55,600 and then a hundred miles of trackless desert, 123 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:58,634 that was deemed impossible to penetrate. 124 00:07:01,867 --> 00:07:03,767 [narrator] It was a huge gamble, 125 00:07:03,767 --> 00:07:08,467 and something no one, including the Germans thought possible. 126 00:07:08,467 --> 00:07:12,567 But Montgomery already had a secret mission underway, 127 00:07:12,567 --> 00:07:15,734 one he set in motion months earlier. 128 00:07:17,100 --> 00:07:20,767 The solution came with this new British special forces 129 00:07:20,767 --> 00:07:24,533 that were actually going to change the face of warfare. 130 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:31,266 [narrator] In Tunisia 131 00:07:31,266 --> 00:07:33,367 the Nazi-controlled Mareth Line 132 00:07:33,367 --> 00:07:36,600 stood in the way of Allied victory in North Africa. 133 00:07:37,667 --> 00:07:40,100 But British commander Bernard Montgomery 134 00:07:40,100 --> 00:07:41,800 had a secret weapon. 135 00:07:42,900 --> 00:07:45,266 A covert ops team of soldiers, 136 00:07:45,266 --> 00:07:47,300 called the Long Range Desert Group 137 00:07:47,300 --> 00:07:51,967 originally led by maverick military engineer Ralph Bagnold. 138 00:07:51,967 --> 00:07:56,834 Bagnold was a brilliant geologist, 139 00:07:57,367 --> 00:07:59,867 an amateur archaeologist, 140 00:07:59,867 --> 00:08:02,100 Royals Signals Officer. 141 00:08:02,100 --> 00:08:06,166 He was one of the British desert lovers, 142 00:08:06,166 --> 00:08:08,600 like Lawrence of Arabia. 143 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:10,200 [Auerbach] Bagnold had spent the '30s 144 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,266 pioneering new ways of getting around the desert, 145 00:08:13,266 --> 00:08:14,967 by four-wheel-drive vehicles 146 00:08:14,967 --> 00:08:18,467 that could move heavy equipment through the shifting sands. 147 00:08:18,467 --> 00:08:22,900 [Dr. Nusbacher] Bagnold formed the core of the units 148 00:08:22,900 --> 00:08:25,300 who know how to work with the desert 149 00:08:25,300 --> 00:08:29,767 rather than to have to fight against the desert environment. 150 00:08:29,767 --> 00:08:34,934 They can go places no one ever expect them to be. 151 00:08:36,667 --> 00:08:38,300 [narrator] On Montgomery's orders, 152 00:08:38,300 --> 00:08:41,000 they set out deep behind enemy lines 153 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,767 in specially modified off-road trucks 154 00:08:43,767 --> 00:08:47,700 to find a route around the Mareth Line. 155 00:08:47,700 --> 00:08:51,867 [Auerbach] The LRDG probed the mountains and out into the desert, 156 00:08:51,867 --> 00:08:53,900 looking for a route that would allow the Allies 157 00:08:53,900 --> 00:08:57,066 to avoid the Mareth Line and outflank the Germans. 158 00:08:57,066 --> 00:08:58,867 [narrator] After weeks of searching, 159 00:08:58,867 --> 00:09:01,900 they manage to chart a navigable course. 160 00:09:02,567 --> 00:09:04,767 Armed with this vital information, 161 00:09:04,767 --> 00:09:08,667 Montgomery launched a two-pronged attack. 162 00:09:08,667 --> 00:09:11,700 [Dr. Nusbacher] So, the British Army pins down 163 00:09:11,700 --> 00:09:15,100 Rommel's troops in the Mareth Line, 164 00:09:15,100 --> 00:09:19,667 another chunk of the British Army sneak through the desert, 165 00:09:19,667 --> 00:09:24,500 finds their way assisted by the Long Range Desert Group 166 00:09:25,100 --> 00:09:28,900 and deliver a sharp left hook 167 00:09:29,567 --> 00:09:31,300 to the German Army. 168 00:09:32,166 --> 00:09:35,200 [narrator] But victory was far from certain. 169 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:37,500 Two weeks of hellish fighting followed, 170 00:09:37,500 --> 00:09:41,900 before the British finally overpowered the Mareth Line, 171 00:09:41,900 --> 00:09:45,233 paving the way for victory in North Africa. 172 00:09:46,266 --> 00:09:48,800 Tunisia was fundamental 173 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:50,667 to the North African campaign 174 00:09:50,667 --> 00:09:54,800 and the North Africa campaign was fundamental to the success 175 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:57,066 of the Second World War. 176 00:09:57,066 --> 00:10:01,166 Montgomery said that without the probing of the Long Range Desert Group 177 00:10:01,166 --> 00:10:03,700 then his attack would have been a leap in the dark. 178 00:10:04,300 --> 00:10:06,100 [upbeat music playing] 179 00:10:10,066 --> 00:10:12,467 [narrator] At the end of the battle for the Mareth Line, 180 00:10:12,467 --> 00:10:14,467 its bunkers were disarmed 181 00:10:14,467 --> 00:10:16,467 and decommissioned. 182 00:10:16,467 --> 00:10:19,667 The now empty structures were left to decay. 183 00:10:19,667 --> 00:10:24,567 [Dr. Nubia] In the 1990s, a museum opened where we can all learn 184 00:10:24,567 --> 00:10:27,834 about what happened here during the Second World War. 185 00:10:31,500 --> 00:10:33,800 [narrator] In Lebanon's capital city, 186 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:36,000 an elegant structure sticks out 187 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,400 from the high-rises that surround it. 188 00:10:45,467 --> 00:10:48,266 [Prof. Michele Mitchell] Beirut can be a city of noise and commotion. 189 00:10:48,266 --> 00:10:51,667 But tucked away on the center of it all is something of an oasis. 190 00:10:51,667 --> 00:10:53,767 [Dr. Katherine Landdeck] When you turn on to this street, 191 00:10:53,767 --> 00:10:57,100 the architecture of the space is drastically different 192 00:10:57,100 --> 00:10:59,000 than everything around it. 193 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:02,066 You walk into this house and it's very elaborate, 194 00:11:02,066 --> 00:11:03,367 it's very beautiful. 195 00:11:03,367 --> 00:11:07,400 It has marble floors, beautiful ceilings. 196 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:11,800 These were clearly built by and for, the city's elite. 197 00:11:12,467 --> 00:11:14,467 [narrator] Yet the faded opulence 198 00:11:14,467 --> 00:11:18,266 hides the hallmarks of a traumatic event. 199 00:11:18,266 --> 00:11:21,667 [Auerbach] Everywhere you look, you start to notice damage. 200 00:11:21,667 --> 00:11:26,200 The great windows at the back of the building are missing entirely. 201 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:28,000 It's like someone has reconstructed 202 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:29,567 the whole segments of the outside wall 203 00:11:29,567 --> 00:11:31,433 but never bothered to paint it. 204 00:11:32,900 --> 00:11:35,567 [Dr. Landdeck] This level of devastation and destruction 205 00:11:35,567 --> 00:11:37,100 doesn't happen overtime. 206 00:11:37,100 --> 00:11:40,467 Something very quick and violent has happened here. 207 00:11:40,467 --> 00:11:43,500 It was a normal day. The weather was fantastic, 208 00:11:43,500 --> 00:11:47,266 and all of a sudden there was a huge circle, 209 00:11:47,266 --> 00:11:49,667 just like a nuclear bomb over this area. 210 00:11:49,667 --> 00:11:52,500 [Dr. Landdeck] People had to evacuate immediately. 211 00:11:52,500 --> 00:11:54,900 The city was collapsing around them. 212 00:11:54,900 --> 00:11:56,567 [Eli Khoury] I've been through wars, 213 00:11:56,567 --> 00:11:58,567 I've been through civil unrest, 214 00:11:58,567 --> 00:12:01,333 I've never ever seen something like that. 215 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:08,400 [upbeat music playing] 216 00:12:09,367 --> 00:12:11,900 [narrator] Eli Khoury co-owns this building. 217 00:12:12,667 --> 00:12:14,266 When he and his business partners 218 00:12:14,266 --> 00:12:16,400 first decided to make this the headquarters 219 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:17,967 for their media company, 220 00:12:17,967 --> 00:12:20,800 it had been neglected for years. 221 00:12:20,800 --> 00:12:23,667 I'm the type that always wants to dream big. 222 00:12:23,667 --> 00:12:27,133 When we moved in, which was in 2010, 223 00:12:27,567 --> 00:12:28,867 well, it was in shambles. 224 00:12:28,867 --> 00:12:32,567 Cost roughly about four to five million dollars to fix it. 225 00:12:32,567 --> 00:12:33,967 Believe me, it was funny 226 00:12:33,967 --> 00:12:36,900 because people didn't want to go home. 227 00:12:36,900 --> 00:12:39,266 I mean, they wanted to stay here, 228 00:12:39,266 --> 00:12:40,467 work late, 229 00:12:40,467 --> 00:12:42,000 every Friday we used to do, 230 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:45,800 like, an in-house sort of little party. 231 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:49,867 [narrator] But this building was not always used as an office. 232 00:12:49,867 --> 00:12:52,266 It began life over a century earlier, 233 00:12:52,266 --> 00:12:55,033 as a glamorous private residence. 234 00:12:55,667 --> 00:12:58,100 More than once, it was a victim 235 00:12:58,100 --> 00:13:00,967 of the country's turbulent past. 236 00:13:00,967 --> 00:13:03,467 [Prof. Mitchell] In 18th and 19th century Beirut, 237 00:13:03,467 --> 00:13:05,200 the aristocracy was formed 238 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:06,767 by prominent Christian families 239 00:13:06,767 --> 00:13:10,700 that held massive wealth and power in Lebanon. 240 00:13:10,700 --> 00:13:13,166 [Auerbach] They built these palatial homes 241 00:13:13,166 --> 00:13:15,400 in the style of European villas. 242 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:19,700 [narrator] This one is called Villa Mokbel. 243 00:13:21,300 --> 00:13:23,000 [Dr. Landdeck] At one point there are about 244 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,367 30 of these palaces on the street. 245 00:13:25,367 --> 00:13:29,066 [Auerbach] But few of these palazzos would escape the chaos 246 00:13:29,066 --> 00:13:31,934 that descended on Beirut in the 1970s. 247 00:13:35,867 --> 00:13:37,500 [Prof. Mitchell] Civil war broke out and some of 248 00:13:37,500 --> 00:13:39,500 the heaviest fighting's took place here, 249 00:13:39,500 --> 00:13:41,166 right in the heart of the city. 250 00:13:41,166 --> 00:13:44,367 [Auerbach] As rival militias fought for control, 251 00:13:44,367 --> 00:13:46,400 these buildings would suffer 252 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:50,166 from artillery strikes and looting. 253 00:13:50,166 --> 00:13:54,500 [narrator] Villa Mokbel was one of those caught in the conflict's crossfire. 254 00:13:55,166 --> 00:13:57,467 At the end of the war in 1990, 255 00:13:57,467 --> 00:13:59,467 the derelict battle-scarred mansion 256 00:13:59,467 --> 00:14:02,166 changed ownership a number of times, 257 00:14:02,166 --> 00:14:05,200 until Eli stepped in to transform it. 258 00:14:05,900 --> 00:14:07,900 But little did he know 259 00:14:07,900 --> 00:14:10,133 Beirut was once again 260 00:14:10,500 --> 00:14:12,000 headed for disaster. 261 00:14:17,266 --> 00:14:18,900 [Khoury] Rubble on the streets, 262 00:14:19,467 --> 00:14:21,767 ash, smoke, 263 00:14:21,767 --> 00:14:24,800 people with blood, crying. 264 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:27,900 That day would make headlines the world over, 265 00:14:27,900 --> 00:14:30,900 and headlines of the worst possible kind. 266 00:14:36,700 --> 00:14:38,266 [narrator] In Beirut, 267 00:14:38,266 --> 00:14:39,800 August fourth, 2020, 268 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:42,467 started like any other day for Eli Khoury 269 00:14:42,467 --> 00:14:44,300 and his 40 employees. 270 00:14:45,300 --> 00:14:47,700 That, would soon change. 271 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,266 I came here with my colleague. 272 00:14:51,266 --> 00:14:53,567 We are both talking on the phone, 273 00:14:53,567 --> 00:14:55,600 and just looking at the port, 274 00:14:56,667 --> 00:14:58,266 looking at sky, 275 00:14:58,266 --> 00:15:00,100 and then the whole thing happened. 276 00:15:02,700 --> 00:15:04,000 [man] Oh, my God! 277 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,600 [Khoury] The scene I saw, it was incredible. 278 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:12,233 That actually went through the buildings as if they were linked. 279 00:15:14,367 --> 00:15:17,000 This is when my colleague and I, 280 00:15:17,567 --> 00:15:19,200 he pushed me, 281 00:15:19,767 --> 00:15:21,667 so we jump on the floor. 282 00:15:21,667 --> 00:15:23,400 The lady that was on that balcony 283 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:27,233 actually flew all the way to that end, 284 00:15:28,467 --> 00:15:30,467 and she fell unconscious, 285 00:15:30,467 --> 00:15:32,900 uh, unfortunately. 286 00:15:32,900 --> 00:15:37,467 [narrator] The blast Eli witnessed destroyed 77,000 homes, 287 00:15:37,467 --> 00:15:40,734 and caused $15 billion worth of damage. 288 00:15:42,266 --> 00:15:45,266 The chain of events that led to this disaster, 289 00:15:45,266 --> 00:15:49,066 was set in motion seven years earlier. 290 00:15:49,066 --> 00:15:52,166 [Dr. Landdeck] In 2013 a Russian-owned ship 291 00:15:52,166 --> 00:15:53,800 the MV Rhosus, 292 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:57,200 made an unscheduled stop in the Port of Beirut. 293 00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,600 Port authorities inspected the ship, 294 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:01,834 and they did not like what they found. 295 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:03,667 [narrator] They discovered 296 00:16:03,667 --> 00:16:05,367 that the ship's hull was leaking 297 00:16:05,367 --> 00:16:09,800 and water was constantly being pumped out to keep it afloat. 298 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:14,367 They decided very quickly that this ship was unsafe to continue its journey, 299 00:16:14,367 --> 00:16:17,233 and grounded them there in the Port of Beirut. 300 00:16:17,867 --> 00:16:19,667 [narrator] The ship's Russian owner 301 00:16:19,667 --> 00:16:22,500 refused to pay the mounting port bills 302 00:16:22,500 --> 00:16:25,700 and shortly after mysteriously vanished. 303 00:16:26,266 --> 00:16:29,166 The ship's cargo was unloaded, 304 00:16:29,166 --> 00:16:33,200 and stuffed into a warehouse, right there, at the port. 305 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:34,667 [Auerbach] What was offloaded, 306 00:16:34,667 --> 00:16:37,000 was a potentially deadly cargo, 307 00:16:37,700 --> 00:16:42,767 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, 308 00:16:42,767 --> 00:16:46,567 a volatile compound that is used in fertilizer, 309 00:16:46,567 --> 00:16:49,900 but can also be employed to make explosives. 310 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:56,900 The cargo sat there in hangar 12 for years, completely neglected. 311 00:16:57,767 --> 00:16:59,400 [narrator] Customs officials at the port 312 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:00,567 sent multiple letters 313 00:17:00,567 --> 00:17:02,567 to government lawyers in Beirut, 314 00:17:02,567 --> 00:17:05,300 pleading for the volatile payload to be removed. 315 00:17:06,266 --> 00:17:08,433 Every request was ignored. 316 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:12,000 [Auerbach] In the weeks leading up to the disaster 317 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,400 even the prime minister and president 318 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:17,400 were warned of the potential dangers of the situation. 319 00:17:19,100 --> 00:17:21,900 Despite wide knowledge of the safety risk, 320 00:17:21,900 --> 00:17:23,900 nobody took any action. 321 00:17:24,767 --> 00:17:27,333 [narrator] But there was an even bigger problem. 322 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:29,266 [Auerbach] The ammonium nitrate 323 00:17:29,266 --> 00:17:32,767 was stored in bags that were spilling, 324 00:17:32,767 --> 00:17:35,300 and it was stored with 325 00:17:35,867 --> 00:17:38,767 kerosene, hydrochloric acid, 326 00:17:38,767 --> 00:17:43,934 and 15 tons of fireworks. 327 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:45,600 [Dr. Landdeck] When you put 328 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:47,066 all of these materials together 329 00:17:47,066 --> 00:17:50,900 you've essentially got the makings of a giant bomb. 330 00:17:52,066 --> 00:17:55,300 All that was missing now was a spark. 331 00:17:56,166 --> 00:17:58,867 [narrator] That spark came on August 4th, 332 00:17:58,867 --> 00:18:01,700 when an unexplained fire broke out. 333 00:18:01,700 --> 00:18:03,266 It was thought to have originated 334 00:18:03,266 --> 00:18:05,500 at the north end of hangar 12, 335 00:18:05,500 --> 00:18:08,100 and then spread quickly across the warehouse. 336 00:18:09,066 --> 00:18:11,367 [Auerbach] Fireworks stored nearby discharged, 337 00:18:11,367 --> 00:18:14,200 and hangar 12 goes up in a ball of flame. 338 00:18:15,066 --> 00:18:16,266 Seconds later 339 00:18:16,266 --> 00:18:18,400 the ammonium nitrate detonates 340 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,266 in a blinding enormous explosion. 341 00:18:21,266 --> 00:18:22,700 [man] Oh, my God! 342 00:18:22,700 --> 00:18:24,900 [indistinct shouting] 343 00:18:24,900 --> 00:18:28,500 This creates a shockwave that goes across the city, 344 00:18:28,500 --> 00:18:31,467 breaks out windows, knocks down buildings, 345 00:18:31,467 --> 00:18:33,133 blows people over. 346 00:18:34,467 --> 00:18:38,000 We went out. We start seeing people with blood all over. 347 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:42,233 It was a scene from the worst World War II movie I've ever seen. 348 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:45,100 Over 200 people died, 349 00:18:45,100 --> 00:18:47,333 you know, hundreds of thousands are homeless. 350 00:18:51,867 --> 00:18:54,300 [Khoury] One of the most saddening moment 351 00:18:54,300 --> 00:18:58,166 was watching a lady coming down from her apartment 352 00:18:58,166 --> 00:19:01,400 with a dead baby in her hands. 353 00:19:01,967 --> 00:19:03,500 It was incredible. 354 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:09,333 Remarkably, we had 41 injured 355 00:19:10,300 --> 00:19:12,000 but thank God no one died. 356 00:19:13,967 --> 00:19:17,100 [narrator] Like many of the buildings in the blast radius, 357 00:19:17,100 --> 00:19:19,667 Villa Mokbel was shattered into pieces, 358 00:19:19,667 --> 00:19:23,400 and needed emergency stabilization to keep it standing. 359 00:19:24,100 --> 00:19:27,200 Today, it remains in ruins, 360 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:30,700 until Eli can raise the funds to restore it. 361 00:19:30,700 --> 00:19:33,200 [Khoury] If I were to fix it again, 362 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:37,100 it will cost between two to three million dollars. 363 00:19:37,100 --> 00:19:40,567 If things get better we would wanna come back to this office 364 00:19:40,567 --> 00:19:43,600 because it was beautiful to work out of here. 365 00:19:44,667 --> 00:19:46,300 [dramatic music playing] 366 00:19:50,266 --> 00:19:52,500 [Auerbach] In the aftermath of the explosion 367 00:19:52,500 --> 00:19:54,100 an investigation was launched, 368 00:19:54,100 --> 00:19:55,867 but any attempt to hold 369 00:19:55,867 --> 00:19:57,767 particular government officials accountable 370 00:19:57,767 --> 00:20:00,767 has been blocked on multiple occasions. 371 00:20:00,767 --> 00:20:02,200 [narrator] For the people of Beirut, 372 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,166 the long wait for justice continues. 373 00:20:05,166 --> 00:20:08,800 [Khoury] The country is going through, real, real tough stuff now. 374 00:20:09,667 --> 00:20:10,834 It's actually, uh, 375 00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:13,900 a tough job to be Lebanese. 376 00:20:13,900 --> 00:20:15,233 It's not an easy job. 377 00:20:20,900 --> 00:20:23,867 [narrator] In Downtown Birmingham, Alabama, 378 00:20:23,867 --> 00:20:26,266 is an imposing structure that played a part 379 00:20:26,266 --> 00:20:29,800 in one of America's greatest times of change. 380 00:20:34,700 --> 00:20:37,367 [Jim Meigs] Standing alone like a monolith 381 00:20:37,367 --> 00:20:40,266 is this very dramatic seven-story building. 382 00:20:40,266 --> 00:20:43,367 It might be a former department store 383 00:20:43,367 --> 00:20:45,500 or an office block. 384 00:20:46,300 --> 00:20:49,500 It's just so vast, what can it be used for? 385 00:20:50,667 --> 00:20:52,400 On the upper level are long corridors 386 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:53,867 with fading business signs, 387 00:20:53,867 --> 00:20:56,767 for lawyers, doctors and dentists. 388 00:20:56,767 --> 00:20:58,166 What I'd say it's been long since 389 00:20:58,166 --> 00:21:00,200 anyone sat inside of those chairs. 390 00:21:00,967 --> 00:21:02,767 It's almost as if the people left 391 00:21:02,767 --> 00:21:04,233 in a great hurry. 392 00:21:05,367 --> 00:21:08,400 [narrator] Further exploration reveals there's much more 393 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,233 to this sight that meets the eye. 394 00:21:11,066 --> 00:21:13,266 The whole second floor is dominated 395 00:21:13,266 --> 00:21:16,166 by this enormous ballroom, 396 00:21:16,166 --> 00:21:18,667 with balconies and a stage. 397 00:21:18,667 --> 00:21:23,767 This was a place for big public meetings of some sort. 398 00:21:23,767 --> 00:21:28,367 [narrator] Discarded paraphernalia hints an ominous agenda. 399 00:21:28,367 --> 00:21:30,166 [Prof. Mitchell] There are strange symbols, 400 00:21:30,166 --> 00:21:32,800 a coffin and a throne-like seating. 401 00:21:33,567 --> 00:21:36,600 It all feels sort of ritualistic. 402 00:21:37,567 --> 00:21:40,100 [narrator] Yet looks can be deceiving, 403 00:21:40,100 --> 00:21:43,100 and not all is what it seems. 404 00:21:43,100 --> 00:21:46,467 [Dr. Nubia] It was a place where people organized 405 00:21:46,467 --> 00:21:48,667 to make sure that democracy 406 00:21:48,667 --> 00:21:51,400 was for all of the American citizens. 407 00:21:54,867 --> 00:21:57,700 [narrator] In Downtown Birmingham, Alabama, 408 00:21:57,700 --> 00:22:00,734 is a grand century-old structure. 409 00:22:01,667 --> 00:22:04,467 Today, Corey Hawkins heads up the group 410 00:22:04,467 --> 00:22:07,000 that was originally behind its construction. 411 00:22:10,100 --> 00:22:12,100 [Corey D. Hawkins Sr.] It was the, the place, 412 00:22:12,100 --> 00:22:14,367 that African Americans were proud of, 413 00:22:14,367 --> 00:22:17,800 and whether they are member of the organization or not, 414 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,000 this was their building. 415 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:24,700 [narrator] That organization is one, often shrouded in secrecy. 416 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:29,300 [Hawkins Sr.] We have been accused of being a cult, 417 00:22:29,867 --> 00:22:30,600 which is not true, 418 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,266 being a part of the illuminati. 419 00:22:33,266 --> 00:22:36,500 I am a fourth generation mason. 420 00:22:37,567 --> 00:22:39,467 [Prof. Mitchell] In simple terms, 421 00:22:39,467 --> 00:22:41,667 the freemasons are a male, social 422 00:22:41,667 --> 00:22:43,767 and philanthropic organization, 423 00:22:43,767 --> 00:22:46,567 and its origins date back to medieval Europe, 424 00:22:46,567 --> 00:22:49,000 and the guilds of stonemasons. 425 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,667 [Meigs] Through his career a mason would move up 426 00:22:51,667 --> 00:22:54,967 from being a, an apprentice 427 00:22:54,967 --> 00:22:58,667 to a joinery man to eventually a master mason. 428 00:22:58,667 --> 00:23:00,200 And at each level they were taught 429 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:02,700 secret code words and handshakes. 430 00:23:03,867 --> 00:23:05,867 [Prof. Mitchell] That way stonemasons made their way 431 00:23:05,867 --> 00:23:07,367 across Europe to the next job. 432 00:23:07,367 --> 00:23:10,000 Each man would be paid according to his skill level. 433 00:23:11,767 --> 00:23:13,000 [dramatic music playing] 434 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:17,400 [narrator] By the mid-1700s the handshakes still remained. 435 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,400 But the society had evolved into a fraternity 436 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,634 no longer connected to the stonemasonry labor force. 437 00:23:24,567 --> 00:23:28,467 Yet there were no lodges for African Americans. 438 00:23:28,467 --> 00:23:32,200 That is until revolutionary war hero Prince Hall 439 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:35,400 made it his mission to change that. 440 00:23:36,767 --> 00:23:39,367 [Meigs] Prince Hall was an extraordinary man. 441 00:23:39,367 --> 00:23:42,767 Born, raised as a slave in Boston, 442 00:23:42,767 --> 00:23:46,133 by 1770, he had earned his freedom. 443 00:23:47,266 --> 00:23:50,166 [Dr. Nubia] He sought admittance to an established lodge 444 00:23:50,166 --> 00:23:52,934 and was prevented because of his color. 445 00:23:53,567 --> 00:23:56,033 But he wasn't daunted. He continued. 446 00:23:57,200 --> 00:23:59,567 [narrator] Hall realized he had to sidestep 447 00:23:59,567 --> 00:24:02,333 the American masons that denied him access. 448 00:24:02,867 --> 00:24:04,667 Instead, he petitioned 449 00:24:04,667 --> 00:24:06,667 the Duke of Cumberland, in England, 450 00:24:06,667 --> 00:24:08,700 the home of freemasonry, 451 00:24:08,700 --> 00:24:12,000 to ask permission to start his own lodge. 452 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:13,266 [Prof. Mitchell] A charter was granted 453 00:24:13,266 --> 00:24:17,900 and the African Lodge No. 459 began. 454 00:24:17,900 --> 00:24:20,367 Many African American Lodges including this one 455 00:24:20,367 --> 00:24:23,166 have descended from Prince Hall's. 456 00:24:23,166 --> 00:24:25,467 [narrator] Fast forward to the early 1900s, 457 00:24:25,467 --> 00:24:28,767 and Birmingham's Prince Hall masons were determined 458 00:24:28,767 --> 00:24:31,000 to build a state headquarters 459 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:33,634 worthy of their hard-fought history. 460 00:24:34,500 --> 00:24:35,867 You have to remember that 461 00:24:35,867 --> 00:24:37,500 this was the period of Jim Crow laws. 462 00:24:37,500 --> 00:24:40,700 Meaning that segregation was enshrined in law. 463 00:24:41,867 --> 00:24:43,867 [Dr. Nubia] This building therefore was to be 464 00:24:43,867 --> 00:24:46,500 a beacon of hope for those communities. 465 00:24:49,700 --> 00:24:54,166 [narrator] The order raised $720,000 from its members, 466 00:24:54,166 --> 00:25:00,100 and in 1922, construction on the new Masonic Temple. 467 00:25:00,100 --> 00:25:03,233 Two years later, it opened its doors. 468 00:25:04,667 --> 00:25:08,066 [Hawkins Sr.] There's a photo from 1924, 469 00:25:08,066 --> 00:25:11,367 when the masons were congregated here in this room, 470 00:25:11,367 --> 00:25:13,800 uh, at the state-wide meeting. 471 00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:15,467 But this building was much more 472 00:25:15,467 --> 00:25:17,967 than just a headquarters for the masons. 473 00:25:17,967 --> 00:25:20,467 [Dr. Nubia] It was full of excitement and creativity, 474 00:25:20,467 --> 00:25:22,967 businesses, and activities, 475 00:25:22,967 --> 00:25:25,200 designed to uplift the community. 476 00:25:26,667 --> 00:25:29,000 [Hawkins Sr.] For African Americans that was new... 477 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,867 gave people a sense of pride and hope in 478 00:25:31,867 --> 00:25:34,600 what the future holds for our people. 479 00:25:35,567 --> 00:25:37,567 [narrator] Over the next 29 years 480 00:25:37,567 --> 00:25:39,967 the Masonic Temple helped transform 481 00:25:39,967 --> 00:25:45,200 the 4th Avenue District into a thriving business and cultural hub. 482 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:49,133 But the biggest test was still yet to come. 483 00:25:50,700 --> 00:25:54,700 In the 1960s the long overdue fight 484 00:25:54,700 --> 00:25:58,567 for civil rights was really coming to a boil, 485 00:25:58,567 --> 00:26:03,000 and Birmingham is today synonymous 486 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,600 with the intensity of this fight. 487 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:09,867 [narrator] In January 1963, Martin Luther King 488 00:26:09,867 --> 00:26:13,967 announced he wanted to lead a demonstration in Birmingham. 489 00:26:13,967 --> 00:26:15,467 It was while he was in the city 490 00:26:15,467 --> 00:26:17,266 to recruit non-violent protestors 491 00:26:17,266 --> 00:26:18,867 for the Birmingham campaign, 492 00:26:18,867 --> 00:26:22,400 that Martin Luther King came to the Masonic Temple. 493 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:25,467 And there's a photo where he's making a pool shot, 494 00:26:25,467 --> 00:26:28,667 so, that let you know that he was in this building, 495 00:26:28,667 --> 00:26:31,166 and we're proud of that. 496 00:26:31,166 --> 00:26:35,767 King chose Birmingham because of its strong segregation laws, 497 00:26:35,767 --> 00:26:39,300 and because it had officials there, like "Bull" Connor, 498 00:26:39,300 --> 00:26:44,266 who was a symbol of segregation. 499 00:26:44,266 --> 00:26:46,567 [narrator] But Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, 500 00:26:46,567 --> 00:26:50,367 a key civil rights spokesperson in Birmingham, 501 00:26:50,367 --> 00:26:52,200 didn't want to proceed with the protest, 502 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,200 while Connor, the city's public safety officer 503 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:58,300 and de facto police chief, was still in office. 504 00:27:00,066 --> 00:27:03,000 He believed that if a desegregation accord 505 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:05,300 was reached with local businesses, 506 00:27:05,300 --> 00:27:07,767 that Connor would actually reverse it 507 00:27:07,767 --> 00:27:10,400 and then reinforce segregation. 508 00:27:12,567 --> 00:27:14,166 [narrator] One way to remove Connor, 509 00:27:14,166 --> 00:27:17,000 was if the City of Birmingham voted to change 510 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,300 how the local government was set up. 511 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:25,467 J. Mason Davis played a crucial role in making that happen 512 00:27:25,467 --> 00:27:29,266 from his legal practice at the Masonic Temple. 513 00:27:29,266 --> 00:27:33,066 [J. mason Davis] There were four, five lawyers that were in this building 514 00:27:33,066 --> 00:27:37,266 and we were all working towards the same end 515 00:27:37,266 --> 00:27:40,467 of getting City of Birmingham 516 00:27:40,467 --> 00:27:44,867 change from a three-person city commission 517 00:27:44,867 --> 00:27:48,300 to a nine-person city council. 518 00:27:48,300 --> 00:27:54,000 Once the voter voted to change the form of government 519 00:27:54,500 --> 00:27:57,467 that changed the attitude 520 00:27:57,467 --> 00:28:01,667 of all of the people that lived in the city 521 00:28:01,667 --> 00:28:04,533 toward progress by Blacks. 522 00:28:07,166 --> 00:28:10,233 [Prof. Mitchell] Birmingham then held its first mayoral election. 523 00:28:10,700 --> 00:28:13,000 Connor ran but lost, 524 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,400 and with more moderate Albert Boutwell in office 525 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:18,800 the marches could actually go forward. 526 00:28:20,767 --> 00:28:23,200 On April third, 1963, 527 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:26,767 the campaign began with lunch counter sit-ins, 528 00:28:26,767 --> 00:28:28,700 a march to City Hall, 529 00:28:28,700 --> 00:28:31,900 and a boycott of downtown businesses. 530 00:28:31,900 --> 00:28:36,500 But towards the end of April things were starting to flag. 531 00:28:36,500 --> 00:28:38,100 It was hard for people to keep going into the streets 532 00:28:38,100 --> 00:28:40,333 and facing that kind of abuse that they were facing. 533 00:28:41,266 --> 00:28:43,467 [narrator] The civil rights campaign in Birmingham 534 00:28:43,467 --> 00:28:46,700 was in danger of falling apart. 535 00:28:46,700 --> 00:28:49,800 It would take a profound leap of faith 536 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:51,233 to save it. 537 00:28:53,967 --> 00:28:56,400 In the spring of 1963, 538 00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:58,700 the civil rights movement in Birmingham 539 00:28:58,700 --> 00:29:01,567 was beginning to lose momentum. 540 00:29:01,567 --> 00:29:04,333 A new approach brought fresh hope. 541 00:29:05,467 --> 00:29:08,667 Some leaders came up with a pretty radical idea 542 00:29:08,667 --> 00:29:11,266 which was to send the children out 543 00:29:11,266 --> 00:29:13,266 to help lead these protests, 544 00:29:13,266 --> 00:29:14,467 the Children's Crusade. 545 00:29:14,467 --> 00:29:15,600 This is very controversial, obviously 546 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:18,100 because they were sending these kids into harm's way. 547 00:29:19,100 --> 00:29:22,166 In May, the campaign was reinvigorated 548 00:29:22,166 --> 00:29:24,133 by these young people's presence. 549 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:26,367 [narrator] But "Bull" Connor, 550 00:29:26,367 --> 00:29:29,867 despite no longer having any real law-making power, 551 00:29:29,867 --> 00:29:32,667 after being ousted by Birmingham's voters, 552 00:29:32,667 --> 00:29:37,100 refused to relinquish control over the city's police force. 553 00:29:37,100 --> 00:29:41,467 He was willing to use the most extreme and vicious methods 554 00:29:41,467 --> 00:29:45,200 to drive these protestors off the streets. 555 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:48,467 [Dr. Nubia] Over 900 children were arrested, 556 00:29:48,467 --> 00:29:50,200 and then he began to implement 557 00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:51,700 even more draconian measures 558 00:29:51,700 --> 00:29:54,000 involving the use of water canons 559 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:55,867 and attack dogs. 560 00:29:55,867 --> 00:29:57,533 [dog barking] 561 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:01,467 I remember looking out the window 562 00:30:01,467 --> 00:30:05,467 and watching the water coming out of those hoses 563 00:30:05,467 --> 00:30:09,567 hitting young people and knocking them down in the street. 564 00:30:09,567 --> 00:30:11,200 Often when protestors were injured, 565 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:12,867 they didn't go to the hospital, 566 00:30:12,867 --> 00:30:15,300 they came to the Masonic Temple 567 00:30:15,300 --> 00:30:17,200 'cause there were doctors there. 568 00:30:18,467 --> 00:30:23,100 [narrator] Outside, the tide was turning in the fight for equality. 569 00:30:23,100 --> 00:30:26,066 The shocking scenes were enough to spark 570 00:30:26,066 --> 00:30:29,333 both national and international outrage. 571 00:30:30,667 --> 00:30:33,266 [Meigs] Eventually the Attorney General Robert Kennedy 572 00:30:33,266 --> 00:30:36,000 sent a representative down to Birmingham 573 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:38,667 to try to negotiate a compromise. 574 00:30:38,667 --> 00:30:40,467 And indeed the result of all this was 575 00:30:40,467 --> 00:30:43,634 the effective desegregation of Birmingham. 576 00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:46,000 [Davis] It was very good 577 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:48,266 because... you knew that 578 00:30:48,266 --> 00:30:50,166 you were making progress, 579 00:30:50,166 --> 00:30:52,867 because in the next year 580 00:30:52,867 --> 00:30:55,500 the Civil Rights Act was passed. 581 00:30:55,867 --> 00:30:57,367 And the next year, 582 00:30:57,367 --> 00:31:01,100 in 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed. 583 00:31:03,467 --> 00:31:06,967 [Meigs] That... that was the genius of King's movement 584 00:31:06,967 --> 00:31:10,266 was to make people see for themselves 585 00:31:10,266 --> 00:31:13,567 that this was unfair, that it had to change. 586 00:31:13,567 --> 00:31:15,300 [upbeat music playing] 587 00:31:18,667 --> 00:31:21,767 [Dr. Nubia] For a longtime after the civil rights campaign 588 00:31:21,767 --> 00:31:24,367 this building continued to be popular, 589 00:31:24,367 --> 00:31:26,500 useful, and a center 590 00:31:26,500 --> 00:31:29,300 for this community in this city. 591 00:31:29,300 --> 00:31:33,100 [narrator] But as the years passed the businesses slowly vacated 592 00:31:33,100 --> 00:31:36,634 until the last occupants left in 2011. 593 00:31:37,166 --> 00:31:39,967 Its legacy however is secured, 594 00:31:39,967 --> 00:31:43,133 and there are multi-million dollar plans in progress 595 00:31:43,667 --> 00:31:45,533 to bring it back to life. 596 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:49,500 [Meigs] As one of his last acts in office, 597 00:31:49,500 --> 00:31:52,066 President Obama signed an executive order 598 00:31:52,066 --> 00:31:54,166 establishing a 599 00:31:54,166 --> 00:31:57,166 Civil Rights National Monument in Birmingham 600 00:31:57,166 --> 00:32:02,000 and it includes protecting the Prince Hall Lodge Masonic Temple. 601 00:32:08,767 --> 00:32:11,367 [narrator] On the Greek island of Spetses, 602 00:32:11,367 --> 00:32:14,400 is a collection of monolithic constructions 603 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:17,734 intended to mold the country's elite. 604 00:32:22,767 --> 00:32:26,200 [Meigs] Here in this town of red-roof buildings, 605 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:29,767 we see this compound, very imposing, 606 00:32:29,767 --> 00:32:32,867 large white structures. 607 00:32:32,867 --> 00:32:36,567 They were clearly designed to be stately and impressive 608 00:32:36,567 --> 00:32:39,634 but it's kind of eerily empty. 609 00:32:40,467 --> 00:32:42,066 There's an old basketball court 610 00:32:42,066 --> 00:32:44,667 with the hoop just lying on the ground. 611 00:32:44,667 --> 00:32:47,166 And then what seems like an old gymnasium. 612 00:32:47,166 --> 00:32:49,767 You can still see the wooden climbing frames 613 00:32:49,767 --> 00:32:50,900 along the sides. 614 00:32:50,900 --> 00:32:55,000 It all gives a very ghost-town feel about the place. 615 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:58,000 [Dominic Selwood] Entering through a broken door 616 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:01,667 you're greeted by a vast number of chairs and desks 617 00:33:01,667 --> 00:33:04,266 piled precariously on top of each other. 618 00:33:04,266 --> 00:33:07,567 [Bell] Rows of old lockers with doors just hanging open. 619 00:33:07,567 --> 00:33:10,600 Blackboards, I mean, it looks like a school, 620 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:12,767 but why would you have such a huge 621 00:33:12,767 --> 00:33:17,300 educational facility like this stranded on a tiny island? 622 00:33:18,667 --> 00:33:24,166 [narrator] This complex was built to achieve an ambitious national dream, 623 00:33:24,166 --> 00:33:26,166 but for the people contained within, 624 00:33:26,166 --> 00:33:28,867 it felt more like a prison. 625 00:33:28,867 --> 00:33:31,667 [Bell] This was no five-star luxury resort. 626 00:33:31,667 --> 00:33:35,166 This place was designed to toughen you up. 627 00:33:35,166 --> 00:33:37,300 It was a world-class institution, 628 00:33:37,867 --> 00:33:40,100 with a very serious purpose. 629 00:33:44,266 --> 00:33:48,400 [narrator] Leontios Portokalakis and Panos Karamitsos 630 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:50,734 met here in the 1960s. 631 00:34:04,066 --> 00:34:05,567 [narrator] Forging strong alliances 632 00:34:05,567 --> 00:34:08,133 was central to this facility's vision. 633 00:34:08,667 --> 00:34:10,667 It was conceived in an era 634 00:34:10,667 --> 00:34:12,367 when Greece was still emerging 635 00:34:12,367 --> 00:34:14,533 from the dark shadow of tyranny. 636 00:34:15,667 --> 00:34:17,700 [Selwood] At the start of the 20th century, 637 00:34:17,700 --> 00:34:19,700 Greece was relatively a young country, 638 00:34:19,700 --> 00:34:22,967 having been ruled for much of the previous 500 years, 639 00:34:22,967 --> 00:34:25,700 by the Ottoman Empire. 640 00:34:25,700 --> 00:34:28,867 [Bell] In a bloody war of independence in the 1820s, 641 00:34:28,867 --> 00:34:31,100 the Greeks had taken back Athens 642 00:34:31,100 --> 00:34:33,166 and many of the surrounding areas. 643 00:34:33,166 --> 00:34:35,700 But much of the mainland and the islands 644 00:34:35,700 --> 00:34:37,800 were still controlled by the Turks. 645 00:34:39,100 --> 00:34:42,266 That all changed when a legendary leader 646 00:34:42,266 --> 00:34:46,400 hailing from Crete took power in 1910. 647 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,500 [Bell] Eleutherios Venizelos, was a young politician 648 00:34:49,500 --> 00:34:53,400 determined to unite all Greeks into one nation. 649 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:55,600 [narrator] By 1913, 650 00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:59,266 after fighting against the Turks with his Balkan neighbors, 651 00:34:59,266 --> 00:35:02,367 he managed to retake former Greek land. 652 00:35:02,367 --> 00:35:04,400 Then during the First World War, 653 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:06,300 after siding with the Allies, 654 00:35:06,300 --> 00:35:08,400 he seized back even more. 655 00:35:08,867 --> 00:35:10,166 By 1920, 656 00:35:10,166 --> 00:35:15,166 Greece had doubled in size and population under his leadership. 657 00:35:15,166 --> 00:35:17,500 [Meigs] Venizelos believed that 658 00:35:17,500 --> 00:35:20,300 this reestablished country 659 00:35:20,300 --> 00:35:22,300 with its deep cultural roots 660 00:35:22,300 --> 00:35:26,000 needed a strong, elite, leadership class 661 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:28,767 who could manage the challenges 662 00:35:28,767 --> 00:35:30,066 that lay ahead, 663 00:35:30,066 --> 00:35:31,867 and he was very aligned 664 00:35:31,867 --> 00:35:34,066 to looking at his allies in Britain 665 00:35:34,066 --> 00:35:36,300 and saying, "Well, how do the British do it?" 666 00:35:37,166 --> 00:35:39,500 [narrator] Venizelos used the centuries old 667 00:35:39,500 --> 00:35:42,400 English boarding school named Eton College 668 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:44,867 as the blueprint for his vision. 669 00:35:44,867 --> 00:35:48,867 The aim was to educate the future leaders of Greece. 670 00:35:48,867 --> 00:35:54,934 By that time Eton had already produced 15 British prime ministers. 671 00:35:55,467 --> 00:35:57,000 [Meigs] The Duke of Wellington 672 00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:59,600 supposedly said after defeating Napolean, 673 00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:01,867 that the Battle of Waterloo 674 00:36:01,867 --> 00:36:04,600 was won on the playing fields of Eton. 675 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:07,367 [narrator] For Venizelos, his country's future 676 00:36:07,367 --> 00:36:10,400 depended on realization of this dream. 677 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:14,166 Yet no one was willing to invest in his idea. 678 00:36:14,166 --> 00:36:18,100 The grand plan looked destined to fail. 679 00:36:18,100 --> 00:36:21,266 He didn't have anywhere near the money 680 00:36:21,266 --> 00:36:23,100 to, to build a school. 681 00:36:26,867 --> 00:36:28,867 [upbeat music playing] 682 00:36:28,867 --> 00:36:30,166 [narrator] In 1920s, 683 00:36:30,166 --> 00:36:33,600 Greek Prime Minister Eleutherios Venizelos 684 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:37,600 envisioned building a school for the country's elite. 685 00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:40,233 But no one would fund its construction. 686 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:44,000 The dream looked to be over, 687 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:47,500 until an old friend offered him a lifeline. 688 00:36:48,367 --> 00:36:50,166 [Selwood] Sotirios Anargyros 689 00:36:50,166 --> 00:36:52,400 was the wealthiest man in Spetses, 690 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:55,867 having made a fortune trading tobacco in America. 691 00:36:55,867 --> 00:36:58,800 [Bell] But he offered the cash on one condition 692 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:02,200 that the school be built on his beloved Spetses. 693 00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:04,767 [narrator] In 1927, 694 00:37:04,767 --> 00:37:08,567 the Anargyrios and Korgialeneios School of Spetses 695 00:37:08,567 --> 00:37:11,867 opened its doors to wealthy families. 696 00:37:11,867 --> 00:37:15,367 [Selwood] It featured five neo-classical buildings, 697 00:37:15,367 --> 00:37:17,066 manicured gardens, 698 00:37:17,066 --> 00:37:19,066 state-of-the-art sports facilities, 699 00:37:19,066 --> 00:37:23,333 and even an amphitheater with breathtaking views out over the sea. 700 00:37:24,567 --> 00:37:29,066 [Meigs] The school brought in noted scholars and educators 701 00:37:29,066 --> 00:37:31,867 to train these young men. 702 00:37:31,867 --> 00:37:36,000 But it also really sought to toughen these kids up. 703 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:38,667 These might be the spoilt children of the elite 704 00:37:38,667 --> 00:37:40,400 but they wouldn't be spoilt for long. 705 00:37:42,467 --> 00:37:43,600 The school adopted 706 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:46,266 the harsh discipline system of Eton, 707 00:37:46,266 --> 00:37:48,600 complete with a timetable that kept the boys busy 708 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:50,834 from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. 709 00:38:02,567 --> 00:38:05,367 [narrator] That system included physical punishment 710 00:38:05,367 --> 00:38:06,767 by the teachers 711 00:38:06,767 --> 00:38:09,367 for alleged disorderly behavior. 712 00:38:09,367 --> 00:38:12,667 The boys could be caned for the slightest breach, 713 00:38:12,667 --> 00:38:15,734 for speaking in class to not cleaning their rooms. 714 00:38:16,467 --> 00:38:18,000 [narrator] If that wasn't bad enough, 715 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:19,467 the students themselves 716 00:38:19,467 --> 00:38:21,900 were forced into a brutal hierarchy. 717 00:38:23,266 --> 00:38:25,867 Older boys who'd earn their rank 718 00:38:25,867 --> 00:38:28,000 were free to dish out punishments 719 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:29,500 as they saw fit. 720 00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:44,066 [narrator] But the daily curriculum 721 00:38:44,066 --> 00:38:48,800 also included harsh activities intended to build character. 722 00:38:50,166 --> 00:38:52,600 Every morning the boys had to take a plunge 723 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:54,900 into the cold sea or face punishments. 724 00:39:10,066 --> 00:39:11,767 [narrator] The regime was tough, 725 00:39:11,767 --> 00:39:13,467 but the school's early years 726 00:39:13,467 --> 00:39:16,233 delivered on Venizelos' promise. 727 00:39:17,100 --> 00:39:20,100 In the 1930s, future Greek Prime Minister, 728 00:39:20,100 --> 00:39:22,533 Georgios Rallis was educated there. 729 00:39:23,867 --> 00:39:27,867 [narrator] Yet Rallis would be the only prime minister produced here. 730 00:39:27,867 --> 00:39:30,467 Thirteen years after the school opened, 731 00:39:30,467 --> 00:39:34,533 world events forced it into a radical new era. 732 00:39:37,367 --> 00:39:41,100 [Bell] Greece was devastated by conflict in the 1940s. 733 00:39:41,100 --> 00:39:43,567 First under occupation by the Nazis 734 00:39:43,567 --> 00:39:46,300 and then by a three-year civil war. 735 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:50,400 With the country in a state of post-war poverty, 736 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:54,500 parents were less able to afford expensive boarding schools. 737 00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:57,867 [narrator] The school then began to target 738 00:39:57,867 --> 00:40:01,000 a different type of student to keep its doors open. 739 00:40:02,467 --> 00:40:06,967 The school became a little bit like the way some people would send away 740 00:40:06,967 --> 00:40:09,367 a child off to a military academy, 741 00:40:09,367 --> 00:40:11,900 to get straightened out. 742 00:40:11,900 --> 00:40:14,800 [narrator] Panos was one of those children. 743 00:40:24,667 --> 00:40:27,100 [Bell] Confined on this tiny island, 744 00:40:27,100 --> 00:40:30,467 this was almost a school version of the Alcatraz. 745 00:40:30,467 --> 00:40:34,266 [narrator] But the school was running on borrowed time. 746 00:40:34,266 --> 00:40:37,066 As Greek society became more liberal, 747 00:40:37,066 --> 00:40:40,000 the school's conservative approach to education 748 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:43,000 gradually became less popular. 749 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:46,066 [Selwood] Student numbers declined in the 1970s. 750 00:40:46,066 --> 00:40:49,166 By 1983 there were only five pupils 751 00:40:49,166 --> 00:40:51,433 attending the massive school. 752 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:53,567 [Bell] Without enough income 753 00:40:53,567 --> 00:40:55,867 to maintain the extensive facilities, 754 00:40:55,867 --> 00:40:58,000 it was forced to close. 755 00:41:02,567 --> 00:41:06,000 [narrator] Today, Leontios and Panos help run a foundation 756 00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:08,900 which is working to revitalize the facility. 757 00:41:08,900 --> 00:41:11,667 Their goal is to host summer schools, 758 00:41:11,667 --> 00:41:13,767 conferences and academies. 759 00:41:13,767 --> 00:41:17,066 Our task is to make the whole foundation 760 00:41:17,066 --> 00:41:19,634 more popular and attract more seminars. 761 00:41:20,400 --> 00:41:23,667 All of us, we feel very proud, 762 00:41:23,667 --> 00:41:26,033 we lived a part of this vision. 763 00:41:26,567 --> 00:41:28,467 [soft music playing]