1 00:00:01,468 --> 00:00:01,501  Na                              2 00:00:01,501 --> 00:00:01,534  Narr                            3 00:00:01,534 --> 00:00:01,568  Narrat                          4 00:00:01,568 --> 00:00:01,601  Narrator                        5 00:00:01,601 --> 00:00:01,634  Narrator:                       6 00:00:01,634 --> 00:00:01,668  Narrator: Fi                    7 00:00:01,668 --> 00:00:01,701  Narrator: Five                  8 00:00:01,701 --> 00:00:01,735  Narrator: Five U                9 00:00:01,735 --> 00:00:01,768  Narrator: Five US               10 00:00:01,768 --> 00:00:01,801  Narrator: Five US na            11 00:00:01,801 --> 00:00:01,835  Narrator: Five US navy          12 00:00:01,835 --> 00:00:01,868  Narrator: Five US navy b        13 00:00:01,868 --> 00:00:01,901  Narrator: Five US navy bom      14 00:00:01,901 --> 00:00:01,935  Narrator: Five US navy bombe    15 00:00:01,935 --> 00:00:02,035  Narrator: Five US navy bombers  16 00:00:02,035 --> 00:00:02,068  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   my                              17 00:00:02,068 --> 00:00:02,102  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   myst                            18 00:00:02,102 --> 00:00:02,135  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   myster                          19 00:00:02,135 --> 00:00:02,168  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   mysterio                        20 00:00:02,168 --> 00:00:02,202  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   mysterious                      21 00:00:02,202 --> 00:00:02,235  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   mysteriously                    22 00:00:02,235 --> 00:00:02,268  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   mysteriously d                  23 00:00:02,268 --> 00:00:02,302  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   mysteriously dis                24 00:00:02,302 --> 00:00:02,335  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   mysteriously disap              25 00:00:02,335 --> 00:00:02,369  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   mysteriously disappe            26 00:00:02,369 --> 00:00:02,402  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   mysteriously disappear          27 00:00:02,402 --> 00:00:03,903  Narrator: Five US navy bombers   mysteriously disappear,         28 00:00:03,903 --> 00:00:06,239   while flying over the          Bermuda Triangle.                29 00:00:07,140 --> 00:00:09,576    Adam Bunch: The plan seemed    pretty straightforward:         30 00:00:09,576 --> 00:00:13,246 a familiar route flown countless times by other squadrons,        31 00:00:13,246 --> 00:00:15,849    and should've been routine.   32 00:00:15,849 --> 00:00:17,350   James Ellis: How does             an entire squadron,           33 00:00:17,350 --> 00:00:20,820  followed closely by its            rescuers, simply disappear?   34 00:00:20,820 --> 00:00:23,957   Narrator: The tomb of Egypt's     notorious Queen Cleopatra,    35 00:00:23,957 --> 00:00:26,126   is lost to the sands of time.  36 00:00:27,060 --> 00:00:28,995  Anthea Nardi: Cleopatra         was Egypt's last pharaoh;        37 00:00:28,995 --> 00:00:31,031 maybe the world's                first celebrity;                 38 00:00:31,031 --> 00:00:33,500   and maybe the greatest queen    the world's ever known.         39 00:00:34,267 --> 00:00:37,203   Adam Bunch: Where is            Cleopatra's lost tomb?          40 00:00:37,804 --> 00:00:40,106  Narrator: The vast treasures of    the Knights Templar           41 00:00:40,106 --> 00:00:41,508  vanish without a trace.         42 00:00:43,076 --> 00:00:45,045  Alison Leonard:                   On the 13th of October, 1307,  43 00:00:45,045 --> 00:00:47,247  more than 600 Templars           were swept up,                  44 00:00:47,247 --> 00:00:49,182  and interrogated under torture, 45 00:00:49,182 --> 00:00:50,617    which many of them             didn't survive.                 46 00:00:51,684 --> 00:00:53,787   James Ellis: Once the Knights   were all dead or gone,          47 00:00:53,787 --> 00:00:57,123 very little of their gold         turned up, and it still hasn't. 48 00:00:57,123 --> 00:00:58,825 So what happened                 to the treasures                 49 00:00:58,825 --> 00:00:59,959  of the Knights Templar?         50 00:00:59,959 --> 00:01:01,261  ♪ (show theme music) ♪          51 00:01:01,261 --> 00:01:04,297  Narrator: The chain of history   has many missing links.         52 00:01:04,864 --> 00:01:06,132 Prominent people.                53 00:01:06,132 --> 00:01:07,901   Priceless treasures.           54 00:01:07,901 --> 00:01:09,702 Extraordinary artifacts.         55 00:01:10,770 --> 00:01:13,239 Their locations still unknown... 56 00:01:13,239 --> 00:01:15,542 Lost to the fog of time.         57 00:01:16,576 --> 00:01:19,579 What happens when                 stories of the past...          58 00:01:19,579 --> 00:01:20,980 become...                        59 00:01:20,980 --> 00:01:22,582 Vanished History?                60 00:01:22,582 --> 00:01:28,254    ♪♪                            61 00:01:29,289 --> 00:01:37,831    ♪♪                            62 00:01:37,831 --> 00:01:40,133 Narrator:                          On December 5, 1945,           63 00:01:40,133 --> 00:01:43,670    five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger     torpedo bombers                 64 00:01:43,670 --> 00:01:45,171   roared off the runway          65 00:01:45,171 --> 00:01:48,108   at Naval Air Station           Fort Lauderdale.                 66 00:01:48,108 --> 00:01:50,577   Under the command of             Lieutenant Charles C. Taylor,  67 00:01:50,577 --> 00:01:54,047   the squadron embarked           on a routine training mission.  68 00:01:54,047 --> 00:01:56,516 But what began as                   a simple operation,           69 00:01:56,516 --> 00:02:00,320  would end as one of aviation's     greatest mysteries.           70 00:02:01,988 --> 00:02:03,823    Adam Bunch: The plan seemed   straightforward:                 71 00:02:03,823 --> 00:02:08,862   head east to Hen and Chicken     Shoals for bombing practice,   72 00:02:08,862 --> 00:02:11,431  then north over                   Grand Bahama Island,           73 00:02:11,431 --> 00:02:13,967   and finally southwest          back to Florida.                 74 00:02:13,967 --> 00:02:15,435  It was a familiar route         75 00:02:15,435 --> 00:02:18,037   from countless times              by other squadrons,           76 00:02:18,037 --> 00:02:20,140 and it should have been routine. 77 00:02:21,841 --> 00:02:24,444   A. Leonard: Lieutenant Taylor  had more than 2,500 flight hours 78 00:02:24,444 --> 00:02:26,546  and years of experience          under his belt,                 79 00:02:26,546 --> 00:02:28,181    including extensive           combat experience                80 00:02:28,181 --> 00:02:29,616  in the Pacific Theater.         81 00:02:29,616 --> 00:02:32,051 He was the kind of leader          you'd trust in any situation.  82 00:02:32,952 --> 00:02:35,421    But even the most seasoned       pilots can find themselves    83 00:02:35,421 --> 00:02:37,724  overwhelmed by                   unpredictable factors,          84 00:02:37,724 --> 00:02:40,226   especially in the treacherous     conditions of the Atlantic.   85 00:02:41,628 --> 00:02:43,796  James Ellis: As daylight faded,  the radio transmissions         86 00:02:43,796 --> 00:02:47,333    from Flight 19 grew            increasingly troubling,         87 00:02:47,333 --> 00:02:51,137 until their final message        dissolved into a buzz of static. 88 00:02:51,137 --> 00:02:53,306   (radio static sounds)          89 00:02:53,306 --> 00:02:56,309   By nightfall, all five planes  and their 14 crew members        90 00:02:56,309 --> 00:02:58,311   had vanished without a trace.  91 00:02:58,311 --> 00:03:01,548    Along with the twin engine    PBM Mariner rescue craft         92 00:03:01,548 --> 00:03:05,318 that had been sent to find them,    which carried 13 more men.    93 00:03:05,318 --> 00:03:07,487  So how does an entire squadron, 94 00:03:07,487 --> 00:03:10,557  followed closely by its            rescuers, simply disappear?   95 00:03:11,624 --> 00:03:13,893 Narrator:                          By nightfall, all five planes  96 00:03:13,893 --> 00:03:17,263   and their 14 crew members had  vanished without a trace,        97 00:03:17,263 --> 00:03:20,500    along with the twin-engine    PBM Mariner Rescue craft         98 00:03:20,500 --> 00:03:22,402 that had been sent to find them, 99 00:03:22,402 --> 00:03:24,437    which carried 13 more men.    100 00:03:25,038 --> 00:03:29,108  The disappearance of Flight 19  wasn't an isolated event.        101 00:03:29,108 --> 00:03:32,145  In the infamous waters          of the Bermuda Triangle,         102 00:03:32,145 --> 00:03:34,881   unexplained phenomena          and human error,                 103 00:03:34,881 --> 00:03:36,616   have long converged,           104 00:03:36,616 --> 00:03:39,152  sparking endless debate         about the balance                105 00:03:39,152 --> 00:03:41,354   between mystery and misstep.   106 00:03:42,355 --> 00:03:44,057   Amma Agbedor:                    Flight 19 solidified           107 00:03:44,057 --> 00:03:46,492  the Bermuda Triangle's             reputation                    108 00:03:46,492 --> 00:03:50,797 as a place where reality and the   unexplained collide.           109 00:03:51,364 --> 00:03:54,634    Over the years, it's become      one of the defining stories   110 00:03:54,634 --> 00:03:57,904  behind the speculation           surrounding this area,          111 00:03:57,904 --> 00:04:01,641  linked to strange occurrences,    navigational errors,           112 00:04:01,641 --> 00:04:05,478  and the disappearances            of ships and planes.           113 00:04:06,579 --> 00:04:09,549    Adam Bunch: The pilots knew    their aircraft and the region.  114 00:04:09,549 --> 00:04:12,619   Nearly every Avenger              had a crew of three Marines   115 00:04:12,619 --> 00:04:13,686    or Navy personnel.            116 00:04:13,686 --> 00:04:16,222   Only one of them had           two crew members,                117 00:04:16,222 --> 00:04:18,891 and even the trainees had          already logged about           118 00:04:18,891 --> 00:04:21,060  300 flight hours each.          119 00:04:21,060 --> 00:04:23,796    Their flight leader Taylor,      had 2,500.                    120 00:04:25,665 --> 00:04:27,767  James Ellis: Weather conditions at the start were ideal,         121 00:04:27,767 --> 00:04:29,636    clear skies and calm seas.    122 00:04:29,636 --> 00:04:32,372    Flight 19 took off            just after 2 PM,                 123 00:04:32,372 --> 00:04:35,275 about 25 minutes                 behind schedule.                 124 00:04:35,275 --> 00:04:38,244  But by 3 PM, they had completed    their torpedo runs            125 00:04:38,244 --> 00:04:40,947 at Hen and Chicken Shoals        without incident.                126 00:04:40,947 --> 00:04:43,483  Everything seemed to be          progressing as planned,         127 00:04:43,483 --> 00:04:45,985    and they were on course to    return to Fort Lauderdale        128 00:04:45,985 --> 00:04:47,654    by 5:30 PM.                   129 00:04:48,788 --> 00:04:50,857 Narrator: As the squadron        prepared to shift                130 00:04:50,857 --> 00:04:54,927   to their next leg, unforeseen   challenges began to take hold.  131 00:04:56,195 --> 00:04:58,031 Amma Agbedor: At around 3:45 PM, 132 00:04:58,031 --> 00:05:02,268  a flight instructor picked up a   transmission from Flight 19:   133 00:05:02,268 --> 00:05:04,637   it was clear they were lost.   134 00:05:04,637 --> 00:05:07,940   They believed they had veered    over the Florida Keys          135 00:05:07,940 --> 00:05:10,410   and into the Gulf of Mexico,   136 00:05:10,410 --> 00:05:14,147 despite being far north,         near the Bahamas.                137 00:05:14,147 --> 00:05:16,416  As a result of                  this misjudgment,                138 00:05:16,416 --> 00:05:19,485    Taylor ordered the               squadron northeast,           139 00:05:19,485 --> 00:05:21,321  into the open Atlantic,         140 00:05:21,321 --> 00:05:25,091 putting the flight up to           200 miles off course           141 00:05:25,091 --> 00:05:27,460  and deeper into danger.         142 00:05:28,594 --> 00:05:30,029    Adam Bunch:                   Over the next two hours,         143 00:05:30,029 --> 00:05:32,365  Flight 19 kept                     changing direction.           144 00:05:32,365 --> 00:05:34,767   They were desperately             searching for home.           145 00:05:34,767 --> 00:05:38,171   More than 20 ground stations   scrambled to track them,         146 00:05:38,171 --> 00:05:40,506  but for ages nothing showed up. 147 00:05:40,506 --> 00:05:43,810   Even their IFF transmitter's     identification friend or foe,  148 00:05:43,810 --> 00:05:45,478 which should have                   made them visible,            149 00:05:45,478 --> 00:05:47,714    didn't register or               weren't turned on,            150 00:05:47,714 --> 00:05:50,516    so the squadron was             completely off grid.           151 00:05:51,417 --> 00:05:53,286  Alison Leonard:                 By 6 PM, signal antennas         152 00:05:53,286 --> 00:05:54,954    finally located Flight 19,    153 00:05:54,954 --> 00:05:57,857 approximately 75 miles northeast    of Fort Lauderdale,           154 00:05:57,857 --> 00:06:00,493 showing just how far off          course they had flown.          155 00:06:00,493 --> 00:06:02,495  With barely an                     hour of fuel left,            156 00:06:02,495 --> 00:06:04,964 their chances of survival        were fading fast.                157 00:06:04,964 --> 00:06:06,766  In Taylor's final transmission, 158 00:06:06,766 --> 00:06:09,635    just 30 minutes later, the     garbled, fading voices          159 00:06:09,635 --> 00:06:11,504   painted a haunting picture of    their flight,                  160 00:06:11,504 --> 00:06:14,407    lost, out of time,             and powerless.                  161 00:06:16,042 --> 00:06:18,244    James Ellis: Over the next       five days, the Coast Guard    162 00:06:18,244 --> 00:06:22,014 and Navy combed more than          250,000 square miles           163 00:06:22,014 --> 00:06:23,716 of the Atlantic and Gulf.        164 00:06:23,716 --> 00:06:25,785 But their efforts                yielded nothing.                 165 00:06:25,785 --> 00:06:29,389    No wreckage, no life rafts,   no trace at all.                 166 00:06:29,389 --> 00:06:32,191  In the end, the search             brought no answers,           167 00:06:32,191 --> 00:06:34,160   only more questions.           168 00:06:34,961 --> 00:06:37,430 Narrator: In the endless          expanse of sea and sky,         169 00:06:37,430 --> 00:06:39,799  Flight 19 vanished into a realm 170 00:06:39,799 --> 00:06:42,268  where certainty                    gave way to chaos,            171 00:06:42,268 --> 00:06:45,338    testing the limits            of both man and machine.         172 00:06:46,672 --> 00:06:48,941 Amma Agbedor: Lieutenant           Taylor's radio transmissions   173 00:06:48,941 --> 00:06:52,478   revealed one potential cause   of this tragedy:                 174 00:06:52,478 --> 00:06:55,581   navigational disorientation.   175 00:06:55,581 --> 00:06:59,419    He mistakenly believed the      squadron had drifted           176 00:06:59,419 --> 00:07:02,722  over the Florida Keys,          when in reality,                 177 00:07:02,722 --> 00:07:06,159 they were further north,         near the Bahamas.                178 00:07:06,159 --> 00:07:08,728    His mistake pulled            them off course,                 179 00:07:08,728 --> 00:07:12,498   leading them deeper into the      vast, unforgiving Atlantic.   180 00:07:13,566 --> 00:07:15,735    Adam Bunch:                     A little after 4 PM,           181 00:07:15,735 --> 00:07:19,572 Taylor reported that both of his  compasses were malfunctioning,  182 00:07:19,572 --> 00:07:21,774   so he had no reliable             instruments                   183 00:07:21,774 --> 00:07:24,343 and tried to lead                his squadron home                184 00:07:24,343 --> 00:07:27,113  by using visual                  landmarks and instinct.         185 00:07:28,214 --> 00:07:30,850 James Ellis: The Navy's protocol  for disoriented pilots          186 00:07:30,850 --> 00:07:34,854   was clear: turn west and fly    toward the setting sun.         187 00:07:34,854 --> 00:07:37,757    This fail-safe was             ingrained in training,          188 00:07:37,757 --> 00:07:40,993   and designed to guide           aviators back to land.          189 00:07:40,993 --> 00:07:43,963    But Taylor, convinced they      were over the Gulf of Mexico,  190 00:07:43,963 --> 00:07:47,733    ignored this procedure and    directed the squadron northeast, 191 00:07:47,733 --> 00:07:49,836   straight into the open ocean.  192 00:07:51,871 --> 00:07:54,207 Narrator: Radio transcripts show  the escalating tension          193 00:07:54,207 --> 00:07:56,542    within the squadron            as the trainees                 194 00:07:56,542 --> 00:07:58,945 began to question                   Taylor's decisions.           195 00:07:59,979 --> 00:08:02,448    Amma Agbedor: The situation     quickly deteriorated           196 00:08:02,448 --> 00:08:05,451  until it bordered on hysteria.  197 00:08:05,451 --> 00:08:07,887  One pilot was overheard saying, 198 00:08:07,887 --> 00:08:12,258  "If we'd just fly west,          we'd get home."                 199 00:08:12,258 --> 00:08:14,927    But Taylor doubled               down on his error,            200 00:08:14,927 --> 00:08:18,664   which is a phenomenon             known as cognitive lockup.    201 00:08:18,664 --> 00:08:20,900 That's when stress narrows focus 202 00:08:20,900 --> 00:08:24,003    and leaders become fixated      on wrong assumptions,          203 00:08:24,003 --> 00:08:27,540 despite mounting                 evidence to the contrary.        204 00:08:28,975 --> 00:08:31,043   Alison Leonard: It's hard to      believe navigational error    205 00:08:31,043 --> 00:08:32,778    alone explains everything.    206 00:08:32,778 --> 00:08:35,047    Sure, Taylor's misjudgment       might have started            207 00:08:35,047 --> 00:08:36,249   the chain of events,           208 00:08:36,249 --> 00:08:37,917   but the complete lack            of wreckage,                   209 00:08:37,917 --> 00:08:39,986 and the silence from the         distress systems?                210 00:08:39,986 --> 00:08:42,755   That hints at something else   being part of the story.         211 00:08:44,857 --> 00:08:47,627    Narrator: While human error    offers part of the explanation, 212 00:08:47,627 --> 00:08:49,695   unanswered questions linger,   213 00:08:49,695 --> 00:08:51,764 hinting at complications           and failures,                  214 00:08:51,764 --> 00:08:55,067   that may have turned              confusion into catastrophe.   215 00:08:56,269 --> 00:08:58,871  James Ellis: Mechanical issues     and communication failures,   216 00:08:58,871 --> 00:09:00,640  may have played a pivotal role  217 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:03,242   in the disappearance             of Flight 19.                  218 00:09:03,242 --> 00:09:06,679  Despite pre-flight inspections  showing no major faults,         219 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:09,248   reports of mid-flight            malfunctions                   220 00:09:09,248 --> 00:09:11,217   painted a different picture.   221 00:09:11,217 --> 00:09:13,419  Navigational aids went silent,  222 00:09:13,419 --> 00:09:16,222    and crucial systems           failed to transmit data.         223 00:09:17,523 --> 00:09:19,225  Adam Bunch: Whether the         breakdown was because of         224 00:09:19,225 --> 00:09:21,427 mechanical issues                or interference,                 225 00:09:21,427 --> 00:09:24,030   or just the chaos and            stress of the moment,          226 00:09:24,030 --> 00:09:26,399    the result was that           the communication                227 00:09:26,399 --> 00:09:29,268  with the outside world            was eventually lost,           228 00:09:29,268 --> 00:09:32,138   and the squadron was            utterly alone.                  229 00:09:33,673 --> 00:09:35,675 Narrator: Among the most            puzzling failures,            230 00:09:35,675 --> 00:09:37,510  was the absence                   of a signal from the           231 00:09:37,510 --> 00:09:40,012  Identify Friend or Foe            transmitter.                   232 00:09:41,514 --> 00:09:42,715    Alison Leonard: The           IFF transmitter,                 233 00:09:42,715 --> 00:09:44,250  standard in military aircraft,  234 00:09:44,250 --> 00:09:47,453    would have made Flight 19's      location much more visible,   235 00:09:47,453 --> 00:09:49,689   in real time,                     to ground stations.           236 00:09:50,489 --> 00:09:52,792    But records show it              was never engaged.            237 00:09:52,792 --> 00:09:54,594    These systems were            highly reliable,                 238 00:09:54,594 --> 00:09:57,163  but mechanical strain,             electrical surges,            239 00:09:57,163 --> 00:09:59,732  or even operator error             could render them useless.    240 00:10:00,933 --> 00:10:02,635  James Ellis: What's really odd     is that no distress signals   241 00:10:02,635 --> 00:10:04,070   were ever picked up,           242 00:10:04,070 --> 00:10:07,173    even though all the planes       had emergency transmitters    243 00:10:07,173 --> 00:10:10,543 meant to broadcast their          location automatically.         244 00:10:10,543 --> 00:10:13,779  They stayed completely silent.  245 00:10:13,779 --> 00:10:16,515   And then there's the           PBM Mariner rescue plane,        246 00:10:16,515 --> 00:10:18,618 it had equipment                   specifically designed          247 00:10:18,618 --> 00:10:20,353 to detect those signals,         248 00:10:20,353 --> 00:10:22,755    but it too vanished           without a trace.                 249 00:10:24,090 --> 00:10:26,759  Amma Agbedor: While individual     malfunctions are possible,    250 00:10:26,759 --> 00:10:30,329   the likelihood of all            five planes suffering          251 00:10:30,329 --> 00:10:33,132 the same critical                failures at once,                252 00:10:33,132 --> 00:10:35,067    is hard to believe.           253 00:10:35,067 --> 00:10:38,037    It suggests there's              more to the story,            254 00:10:38,037 --> 00:10:41,040   and possibly                    a larger force at play.         255 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:43,709    Something that intensified     their struggle                  256 00:10:43,709 --> 00:10:45,645   to navigate and communicate.   257 00:10:46,946 --> 00:10:48,681 Narrator: Mechanical and          communication failures          258 00:10:48,681 --> 00:10:50,549   provide part of the picture,   259 00:10:50,549 --> 00:10:52,485    but the true nature           of what unfolded,                260 00:10:52,485 --> 00:10:55,421  may lie hidden                   in the volatile forces          261 00:10:55,421 --> 00:10:57,223    of the sea and sky.           262 00:10:57,857 --> 00:10:59,792  Adam Bunch: One theory           is that a sudden storm          263 00:10:59,792 --> 00:11:01,627   could have sealed their fate.  264 00:11:01,627 --> 00:11:04,163    A white squall can             strike without warning,         265 00:11:04,163 --> 00:11:06,032    even on clear days,           266 00:11:06,032 --> 00:11:08,734   and by late afternoon           the skies had darkened          267 00:11:08,734 --> 00:11:10,903    and conditions were            deteriorating.                  268 00:11:10,903 --> 00:11:13,639   There was torrential             rain and high winds.           269 00:11:13,639 --> 00:11:16,642   Dense cloud cover could have   been disorienting                270 00:11:16,642 --> 00:11:18,844  and create potentially            dangerous conditions           271 00:11:18,844 --> 00:11:20,613 for low flying aircraft.         272 00:11:23,049 --> 00:11:25,184   James Ellis: By 4 PM,           the storm intensified,          273 00:11:25,184 --> 00:11:27,887   with Miami's weather station      recording winds of            274 00:11:27,887 --> 00:11:30,456 40 miles per hour at 1,000 feet, 275 00:11:30,456 --> 00:11:32,425 and hurricane-force gusts        276 00:11:32,425 --> 00:11:34,660   of 75 miles per hour           277 00:11:34,660 --> 00:11:36,128   at higher altitudes.           278 00:11:36,128 --> 00:11:38,931  These conditions likely          engulfed the squadron,          279 00:11:38,931 --> 00:11:41,200    leaving them little              chance of survival.           280 00:11:42,802 --> 00:11:45,204    Amma Agbedor: Adding to the      danger was the Gulf Stream.   281 00:11:45,204 --> 00:11:49,675   This powerful current, moving    at up to five miles per hour,  282 00:11:49,675 --> 00:11:52,578   would have scattered            any debris or survivors         283 00:11:52,578 --> 00:11:55,114   over vast distances.           284 00:11:55,748 --> 00:11:58,484 Even the strongest search          efforts would have struggled   285 00:11:58,484 --> 00:12:00,486  against such relentless forces. 286 00:12:01,554 --> 00:12:04,890 Narrator: But the tragedy          wasn't confined to Flight 19.  287 00:12:06,158 --> 00:12:08,060  Adam Bunch: The rescue          plane sent to find them,         288 00:12:08,060 --> 00:12:11,630  a PBM Mariner,                  met its own tragic fate,         289 00:12:11,630 --> 00:12:13,466  adding to the mystery.          290 00:12:13,466 --> 00:12:15,501   Less than 30 minutes            after takeoff,                  291 00:12:15,501 --> 00:12:18,170    the crew radioed the tower,    saying they were getting close  292 00:12:18,170 --> 00:12:21,841  to Flight 19's                   last assumed position.          293 00:12:21,841 --> 00:12:25,544   Not long after that,             all contact was lost.          294 00:12:25,544 --> 00:12:28,314   The plane and                     its 13 crew members           295 00:12:28,314 --> 00:12:30,216   were never heard from again.   296 00:12:31,884 --> 00:12:34,820   Alison Leonard: PBM Mariners,    known as "flying gas tanks",   297 00:12:34,820 --> 00:12:36,756    were notoriously volatile,    298 00:12:36,756 --> 00:12:37,923   and prone to                    catastrophic accidents          299 00:12:37,923 --> 00:12:39,792 in turbulent conditions.         300 00:12:39,792 --> 00:12:41,827  In rough weather, their            flexible fuel lines           301 00:12:41,827 --> 00:12:43,829   tended to get                     loose and leak gas,           302 00:12:43,829 --> 00:12:45,898 which could cause                   mid-air explosions.           303 00:12:45,898 --> 00:12:48,167  The fact that witnesses            described seeing a fireball   304 00:12:48,167 --> 00:12:50,302    and an oil slick where the     rescue plane went down          305 00:12:50,302 --> 00:12:51,470    fuels this theory.            306 00:12:53,038 --> 00:12:54,940   Narrator: While we may never   know definitively                307 00:12:54,940 --> 00:12:56,842 what happened on                 that tragic day,                 308 00:12:56,842 --> 00:12:58,644    there was a silver lining.    309 00:12:58,644 --> 00:13:01,447 The lessons of Flight 19           helped shape                   310 00:13:01,447 --> 00:13:03,849   a safer future for aviation.   311 00:13:04,917 --> 00:13:06,952    Adam Bunch: There were real    lessons to be learned.          312 00:13:06,952 --> 00:13:10,156  The tragedy highlighted            problems in naval aviation,   313 00:13:10,156 --> 00:13:12,591   such as inconsistent              training standards,           314 00:13:12,591 --> 00:13:13,959 excessive corner cutting.        315 00:13:13,959 --> 00:13:17,029   In the 1950s, the big report,  the Flatly report                316 00:13:17,029 --> 00:13:20,065   would finally lead to             a whole series of reforms,    317 00:13:20,065 --> 00:13:22,768  that transformed flight safety. 318 00:13:24,069 --> 00:13:25,571    Alison Leonard: The Navy's    subsequent investigation         319 00:13:25,571 --> 00:13:27,640    into Flight 19 took            several months.                 320 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:29,708    The final report described    the disappearance                321 00:13:29,708 --> 00:13:32,578  as a tragic convergence          of navigational errors          322 00:13:32,578 --> 00:13:34,346   and environmental challenges.  323 00:13:35,114 --> 00:13:38,217   An initial finding of "mental  aberration" was later overturned 324 00:13:38,217 --> 00:13:40,019  at Lieutenant Taylor's          mother's request,                325 00:13:40,019 --> 00:13:43,088    leaving the investigation's     final ruling as inconclusive.  326 00:13:44,256 --> 00:13:46,692    Narrator: The disappearance      of Flight 19 stands           327 00:13:46,692 --> 00:13:49,361  as a poignant reminder           of the fragile balance          328 00:13:49,361 --> 00:13:51,564   between humanity and nature,   329 00:13:51,564 --> 00:13:55,201   and the unanswered questions      that continue to haunt us.    330 00:13:57,336 --> 00:14:06,111    ♪♪                            331 00:14:06,111 --> 00:14:08,314    Narrator: From the             early 12th century CE,          332 00:14:08,314 --> 00:14:11,483    the Knights Templar              were legendary, righteous,    333 00:14:11,483 --> 00:14:13,085  and fearsome enforcers,         334 00:14:13,085 --> 00:14:15,821 known throughout                  Europe and the Levant.          335 00:14:15,821 --> 00:14:18,123  Through their exploits,         they reaped enough wealth        336 00:14:18,123 --> 00:14:20,960   to finance holy wars              and bankroll kings.           337 00:14:22,928 --> 00:14:24,263    Alison Leonard: The Knights     Templar were created           338 00:14:24,263 --> 00:14:26,532   to protect Christians             who were making pilgrimages   339 00:14:26,532 --> 00:14:28,567  to Jerusalem and the Holy Land. 340 00:14:28,567 --> 00:14:30,169    But in the process             of doing that,                  341 00:14:30,169 --> 00:14:32,037  they acquired hundreds            of castle fortresses,          342 00:14:32,037 --> 00:14:34,006  and enormous "portable wealth", 343 00:14:34,006 --> 00:14:36,842    a great deal of it               being gold, or gold coins.    344 00:14:38,177 --> 00:14:40,112   Anthea Nardi:                     Almost two centuries after    345 00:14:40,112 --> 00:14:42,281 the Order of the Knights            Templar was formed,           346 00:14:42,281 --> 00:14:45,184    Muslim warriors determined     to drive all Christians         347 00:14:45,184 --> 00:14:47,987   out of the Holy Land,           cornered the Templars,          348 00:14:47,987 --> 00:14:50,189    and decimated them               in a fierce battle.           349 00:14:51,257 --> 00:14:53,259  The Knights had always             operated with the blessings   350 00:14:53,259 --> 00:14:55,895 of the Church and                  the throne of France,          351 00:14:55,895 --> 00:14:58,831  but when the end came,          both turned against them.        352 00:15:00,299 --> 00:15:01,767 James Ellis: The Knights          were arrested in Europe         353 00:15:01,767 --> 00:15:04,003  and charged as                   traitors and heretics;          354 00:15:04,003 --> 00:15:05,871   many were publicly executed,   355 00:15:05,871 --> 00:15:08,007    it was a stunning betrayal!   356 00:15:08,007 --> 00:15:09,775  The vast hoard of gold          357 00:15:09,775 --> 00:15:12,144    and other valuables           the Templars had amassed         358 00:15:12,144 --> 00:15:14,280    was supposed to go             to the King of France.          359 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:15,714  But it didn't.                  360 00:15:15,714 --> 00:15:17,983   Once the Knights were          all dead or gone,                361 00:15:17,983 --> 00:15:21,186 very little of their gold         turned up, and it still hasn't. 362 00:15:21,186 --> 00:15:22,821 So what happened                 to the treasures                 363 00:15:22,821 --> 00:15:24,223  of the Knights Templar?         364 00:15:25,491 --> 00:15:27,860    Narrator: The "Poor Fellow       Soldiers of Christ            365 00:15:27,860 --> 00:15:29,295    and the Temple of Solomon"    366 00:15:29,295 --> 00:15:32,531  were founded in                   Jerusalem in 1119 CE,          367 00:15:32,531 --> 00:15:33,799    by a French knight.           368 00:15:33,799 --> 00:15:35,834 Eventually, their                   name was shortened            369 00:15:35,834 --> 00:15:37,269 to "The Knights Templar."        370 00:15:39,571 --> 00:15:41,840  Anthea Nardi: The Templars were   supposed to live communally,   371 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:44,643   like monks, they took          strict vows of chastity,         372 00:15:44,643 --> 00:15:46,111  obedience, and poverty.         373 00:15:46,111 --> 00:15:49,148   They wore a distinctive white  cloak, indicating purity,        374 00:15:49,148 --> 00:15:51,951   with a bold red cross          emblazoned on it.                375 00:15:51,951 --> 00:15:53,919   One of their emblems            was two knights                 376 00:15:53,919 --> 00:15:55,955   riding together on one horse,  377 00:15:55,955 --> 00:15:58,424    the very picture of             poverty and humility.          378 00:15:58,424 --> 00:16:02,194  But the thing is, their          operations required resources.  379 00:16:03,395 --> 00:16:05,164 James Ellis: The Catholic        Church's doctrine                380 00:16:05,164 --> 00:16:07,666 allowed fighting                 for "just causes"                381 00:16:07,666 --> 00:16:10,402  like the defense of the            Holy Land and the Crusades.   382 00:16:10,402 --> 00:16:13,205   So within a decade of          the Templars' formation,         383 00:16:13,205 --> 00:16:15,074   they won recognition            from the Pope.                  384 00:16:15,074 --> 00:16:17,276  They took land                  and reaped riches                385 00:16:17,276 --> 00:16:19,311   from their conquests           in the Holy Land.                386 00:16:20,179 --> 00:16:21,880   Alison Leonard: By the 1300s   they were a true                 387 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:23,449   international military order,  388 00:16:23,449 --> 00:16:25,184   with estates                   from England to Bohemia.         389 00:16:25,818 --> 00:16:29,254    Ultimately, they owned over      870 estates across Europe.    390 00:16:30,122 --> 00:16:32,391   They even had enough money to    build their own naval fleet,   391 00:16:32,391 --> 00:16:33,993    to ship goods that             their estates produced,         392 00:16:33,993 --> 00:16:35,527   and for military use.          393 00:16:37,296 --> 00:16:40,065  They had so much money that at  one point they were able to lend 394 00:16:40,065 --> 00:16:44,103  France's King Philip IV           400,000 gold florins,          395 00:16:44,103 --> 00:16:46,705    which in hindsight, may not     have been a wise thing to do.  396 00:16:48,140 --> 00:16:50,275 Narrator:                          In April of 1291 CE,           397 00:16:50,275 --> 00:16:52,544 with a company of                Templar Knights holed up         398 00:16:52,544 --> 00:16:55,014   in their headquarters             in Acre, Jerusalem,           399 00:16:55,014 --> 00:16:57,316  the Mamluk Sultanate's             relentless throngs            400 00:16:57,316 --> 00:16:59,752   breached the fortress walls.   401 00:16:59,752 --> 00:17:03,155    And with that, the image of      Knights Templar everywhere,   402 00:17:03,155 --> 00:17:05,224  was fatally tarnished.          403 00:17:06,392 --> 00:17:08,427   James Ellis:                     For France's King Philip IV,   404 00:17:08,427 --> 00:17:11,030   who owed the Templars           a great deal of money,          405 00:17:11,030 --> 00:17:12,998   this was a golden opportunity  406 00:17:12,998 --> 00:17:15,200 to not only have                 his debts erased,                407 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:19,371    but to get his hands on the     Templars' legendary fortunes.  408 00:17:19,371 --> 00:17:21,206   Anthea Nardi: Philip issued a     secret order for the arrest   409 00:17:21,206 --> 00:17:23,542  of all Knights Templar             throughout France,            410 00:17:23,542 --> 00:17:27,012   on charges of everything from     denying Christ and heresy,    411 00:17:27,012 --> 00:17:30,349    to financial improprieties       and homosexuality.            412 00:17:30,349 --> 00:17:32,951  And on Philip's urging,           the Pope mandated the arrest   413 00:17:32,951 --> 00:17:34,720  of all Templars across Europe.  414 00:17:36,188 --> 00:17:38,157  Alison Leonard: On the           13th of October, 1307,          415 00:17:38,157 --> 00:17:40,426  more than 600 Templars           were swept up,                  416 00:17:40,426 --> 00:17:42,261  and interrogated under torture, 417 00:17:42,261 --> 00:17:44,229    which many of them             didn't survive.                 418 00:17:44,229 --> 00:17:46,632 Of those who did survive            and were brought to trial,    419 00:17:46,632 --> 00:17:49,101 dozens were convicted and          burned at the stake,           420 00:17:49,101 --> 00:17:50,602    including the Grand Master.   421 00:17:50,602 --> 00:17:53,105 By 1312, the order of the         Templar Knights                 422 00:17:53,105 --> 00:17:54,573 was officially dissolved.        423 00:17:55,774 --> 00:17:57,676   Anthea Nardi: With the order    no longer in existence,         424 00:17:57,676 --> 00:17:59,645 Philip IV was freed of his debt, 425 00:17:59,645 --> 00:18:03,082    and free to confiscate the    Templars' large treasury.        426 00:18:03,082 --> 00:18:06,919   Philip did get some of their   riches, but very little.         427 00:18:07,719 --> 00:18:11,590   Somehow, the Knights Templar     had managed to hide, or move,  428 00:18:11,590 --> 00:18:14,560  or escape with much of           their portable wealth.          429 00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:17,162  Speculation as to what happened to that treasure                 430 00:18:17,162 --> 00:18:18,664  continues to this day.          431 00:18:20,599 --> 00:18:22,267    Narrator: The most obvious     place for the Templars          432 00:18:22,267 --> 00:18:24,403   to have kept the bulk             of their treasures,           433 00:18:24,403 --> 00:18:26,171   would also have been           the hardest place                434 00:18:26,171 --> 00:18:28,373   for anyone to remove it from.  435 00:18:29,374 --> 00:18:30,609    Anthea Nardi: It would make     perfect sense                  436 00:18:30,609 --> 00:18:33,112    if the Knights Templar had      secured their riches           437 00:18:33,112 --> 00:18:35,681   in the main tower of            their fortress at Acre,         438 00:18:35,681 --> 00:18:39,051    where they made their last    stand against the Mamluk.        439 00:18:39,051 --> 00:18:40,953    The tower was built            for protection;                 440 00:18:40,953 --> 00:18:43,155 basically, it was                  a heavily-gated tower          441 00:18:43,155 --> 00:18:45,190    within walls 28 feet thick,   442 00:18:45,190 --> 00:18:47,059 surrounded by a fortress,        443 00:18:47,059 --> 00:18:48,827 inside another fortress.         444 00:18:49,495 --> 00:18:50,796  Alison Leonard: The only catch    is that the Templars           445 00:18:50,796 --> 00:18:53,132    were under siege there for      weeks by the Mamluks,          446 00:18:53,132 --> 00:18:55,134  who pounded the                   castle day and night.          447 00:18:55,134 --> 00:18:57,469   And when the Mamluks             finally gained entry,          448 00:18:57,469 --> 00:18:59,972    there's no record of their      finding a stash of treasure.   449 00:18:59,972 --> 00:19:01,673 So if it had been there,         450 00:19:01,673 --> 00:19:04,209  how could the Templars            possibly have gotten it out,   451 00:19:04,209 --> 00:19:05,511    before they were conquered?   452 00:19:06,311 --> 00:19:08,881  James Ellis: In 1994, a           resident in the town of Acre   453 00:19:08,881 --> 00:19:10,983    looked into a sewer           drainage problem                 454 00:19:10,983 --> 00:19:12,518    they'd been having            under their home,                455 00:19:12,518 --> 00:19:14,987  and discovered                     an underground passageway,    456 00:19:14,987 --> 00:19:16,655 cut through the bedrock.         457 00:19:16,655 --> 00:19:18,223 This was a secret tunnel,        458 00:19:18,223 --> 00:19:20,659  running from where the fortress   had been at one end,           459 00:19:20,659 --> 00:19:23,128 almost 500 feet eastward,        460 00:19:23,128 --> 00:19:26,298  to the internal                 anchorage of Acre's port.        461 00:19:26,298 --> 00:19:28,567    Large enough for men to run    through with cartloads          462 00:19:28,567 --> 00:19:30,836  of whatever goods they          wanted to carry.                 463 00:19:32,771 --> 00:19:34,907 Anthea Nardi: The Templars would have been able to smuggle        464 00:19:34,907 --> 00:19:37,476   every last gold coin           out of the tower,                465 00:19:37,476 --> 00:19:40,746  while the Mamluk siege          raged above their heads.         466 00:19:40,746 --> 00:19:42,347    But if that's true,           467 00:19:42,347 --> 00:19:45,284  if they did get their treasure  out through this tunnel,         468 00:19:45,284 --> 00:19:48,253   the question remains,          where is it now?                 469 00:19:50,589 --> 00:19:52,824   Narrator: Trying to find the   Templars' treasure today         470 00:19:52,824 --> 00:19:54,326   is like playing a shell game   471 00:19:54,326 --> 00:19:56,228   that happened                     nine centuries ago,           472 00:19:56,228 --> 00:19:58,397  with many, many shells.         473 00:19:59,097 --> 00:20:01,033   Alison Leonard: The Templars    had a very practical philosophy 474 00:20:01,033 --> 00:20:03,569   about money: keep it moving.   475 00:20:03,569 --> 00:20:06,104    They realized that if they    allowed the accumulation         476 00:20:06,104 --> 00:20:08,473   of any large amount of money   in any one place,                477 00:20:08,473 --> 00:20:10,676    others had time to              find out where it was          478 00:20:10,676 --> 00:20:13,345  and to plan and execute         raids to get it.                 479 00:20:13,345 --> 00:20:15,447   Wealth was less vulnerable to     raids if it was spread out    480 00:20:15,447 --> 00:20:17,583  in many places,                   and moved frequently.          481 00:20:18,917 --> 00:20:20,919  Anthea Nardi: The Templars had  developed a whole network        482 00:20:20,919 --> 00:20:23,355    of underground safe houses      they could escape to,          483 00:20:23,355 --> 00:20:25,624  and between these safe houses,   they could move                 484 00:20:25,624 --> 00:20:28,460    parcels of wealth,             especially if they had warning. 485 00:20:29,394 --> 00:20:30,762  Alison Leonard:                    And they did have warning.    486 00:20:30,762 --> 00:20:32,864   King Philip's "secret order"    for the arrest                  487 00:20:32,864 --> 00:20:34,366 of the Knights Templar in France 488 00:20:34,366 --> 00:20:37,469   was issued on                    September 14th, 1307,          489 00:20:37,469 --> 00:20:39,238 a full four weeks                 before it said                  490 00:20:39,238 --> 00:20:41,073 the arrests were                    to be carried out.            491 00:20:41,073 --> 00:20:43,008   According to                    contemporary accounts,          492 00:20:43,008 --> 00:20:44,643 the Grand Master                  arranged for more than          493 00:20:44,643 --> 00:20:47,312  2,000 Knights Templar,            and the Templars' treasures,   494 00:20:47,312 --> 00:20:50,215   to be loaded onto 18 ships at   the Port of La Rochelle         495 00:20:50,215 --> 00:20:51,483    before the arrests.           496 00:20:52,484 --> 00:20:55,354    James Ellis: Two ships and       about 620 Templars,           497 00:20:55,354 --> 00:20:58,056    including the Grand Master     stayed behind,                  498 00:20:58,056 --> 00:21:00,826    which may have been           a self-sacrifice;                499 00:21:00,826 --> 00:21:02,761 an intentional diversion.        500 00:21:02,761 --> 00:21:05,797  Thanks to that,                    it appears more than 2,000    501 00:21:05,797 --> 00:21:08,300  of their fellow Knights          were able to sail away          502 00:21:08,300 --> 00:21:10,235   in the other ships, possibly   503 00:21:10,235 --> 00:21:12,404   taking much of their treasure     with them.                    504 00:21:13,839 --> 00:21:16,041  Narrator: Some believe the key   to finding the treasure         505 00:21:16,041 --> 00:21:18,343 won't be to focus                  on where the Templars          506 00:21:18,343 --> 00:21:20,279  might have escaped to with it,  507 00:21:20,279 --> 00:21:23,315    but to consider instead the   possibility the Templars         508 00:21:23,315 --> 00:21:25,984   may have failed disastrously,     in the end.                   509 00:21:26,485 --> 00:21:27,953 Anthea Nardi: The Knights         Templar and their gold          510 00:21:27,953 --> 00:21:31,523 may have escaped by boat,         from La Rochelle or elsewhere,  511 00:21:31,523 --> 00:21:34,426   only to have sunk to           at the bottom of the sea.        512 00:21:34,426 --> 00:21:37,229   Countless sailing ships have     gone down over the centuries   513 00:21:37,229 --> 00:21:39,264   due to storms                    or other bad luck...           514 00:21:39,264 --> 00:21:41,266  let alone while making             a rushed departure,           515 00:21:41,266 --> 00:21:43,669  overloaded with men and cargo.  516 00:21:45,470 --> 00:21:48,540 James Ellis: In 2016, excavation  began on the remains of a ship  517 00:21:48,540 --> 00:21:50,475    found in the Bay of Haifa.    518 00:21:50,475 --> 00:21:52,577 And it was one of                  those rare shipwrecks          519 00:21:52,577 --> 00:21:55,047   that seems to                     tell a whole story.           520 00:21:55,047 --> 00:21:58,317    In terms of wood, only bits     of the hull and keel,          521 00:21:58,317 --> 00:21:59,918  and planking survived.          522 00:21:59,918 --> 00:22:03,121   Radiocarbon dating indicated    that the wood was grown         523 00:22:03,121 --> 00:22:06,792 somewhere between                1062 and 1250 CE.                524 00:22:08,527 --> 00:22:10,262    Alison Leonard: There were      ceramics from Syria,           525 00:22:10,262 --> 00:22:11,530    Cyprus, and Italy.            526 00:22:11,530 --> 00:22:13,799    And there were also           30 gold florins,                 527 00:22:13,799 --> 00:22:15,867 coins that were minted in        the Republic of Florence         528 00:22:15,867 --> 00:22:17,869 in the mid-13th century.         529 00:22:17,869 --> 00:22:20,372   This ship may well have been    piloted or commissioned         530 00:22:20,372 --> 00:22:22,607  by the Knights Templar,           escaping the Mamluks           531 00:22:22,607 --> 00:22:24,843   during siege at Acre in 1291!  532 00:22:25,844 --> 00:22:27,312 Anthea Nardi: They might            have snuck out from           533 00:22:27,312 --> 00:22:29,748   under their fortress            via the secret tunnel,          534 00:22:29,748 --> 00:22:31,950  to board a ship waiting           in the inner harbour.          535 00:22:33,051 --> 00:22:35,554  The gold florins may have been   part of the Templars' treasure  536 00:22:35,554 --> 00:22:37,389    that was being transported.   537 00:22:37,389 --> 00:22:39,758 And perhaps what was paid         to the ship's Captain,          538 00:22:39,758 --> 00:22:42,327    as a bribe to help            escape the chaos.                539 00:22:44,696 --> 00:22:46,898   Narrator: The Haifa wreck is     one ship out of many           540 00:22:46,898 --> 00:22:50,502    that may have successfully       left Acre during the siege.   541 00:22:50,502 --> 00:22:53,138  And of the 18 said to have left  the Port of La Rochelle         542 00:22:53,138 --> 00:22:56,441 in 1307, none have been located. 543 00:22:57,509 --> 00:22:58,777   James Ellis: It's intriguing.  544 00:22:58,777 --> 00:23:01,813  If some of the Templars           did make a successful escape   545 00:23:01,813 --> 00:23:04,216    with their treasure, where    might they have ended up?        546 00:23:04,216 --> 00:23:06,518 Plenty of places                   have been suggested.           547 00:23:08,053 --> 00:23:09,821    Alison Leonard: Carvings in     Rosslyn Chapel in Edinburgh,   548 00:23:09,821 --> 00:23:12,691   suggest some Knights Templar     may have escaped to Scotland.  549 00:23:12,691 --> 00:23:14,693    Could they have hidden some   of their treasure there?         550 00:23:16,528 --> 00:23:17,929    Anthea Nardi: Switzerland's     national flag                  551 00:23:17,929 --> 00:23:21,266    is the exact reverse of the    Knights Templar motif.          552 00:23:21,266 --> 00:23:24,069    It's a white cross,            over a red background.          553 00:23:24,069 --> 00:23:25,804  And the beloved                 Swiss rescue dog                 554 00:23:25,804 --> 00:23:27,873    now shares its name              with the Templars'            555 00:23:27,873 --> 00:23:30,008   patron Saint Bernard             de Clairvaux.                  556 00:23:31,610 --> 00:23:34,045  It's known the Templars         were active in that area,        557 00:23:34,045 --> 00:23:35,080 around that time.                558 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:37,883   So some of their gold             could have ended up there.    559 00:23:37,883 --> 00:23:40,719  And there are plenty of places     still left to look for it.    560 00:23:42,220 --> 00:23:44,423   Narrator: The Knights Templar   were a legendary force,         561 00:23:44,423 --> 00:23:46,358  that might not                     always have fought            562 00:23:46,358 --> 00:23:48,126    with the purest of motives.   563 00:23:48,126 --> 00:23:50,929 The stunning wealth they          amassed during their conquests  564 00:23:50,929 --> 00:23:53,665   may well have caused              their ruin, before,           565 00:23:53,665 --> 00:23:55,600   like the Knights themselves,   566 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:57,769  vanishing into history.         567 00:23:57,769 --> 00:23:58,937    ♪♪                            568 00:24:00,639 --> 00:24:09,581    ♪♪                            569 00:24:09,581 --> 00:24:11,683   Narrator: In the year 30 BCE,  570 00:24:11,683 --> 00:24:13,919    in Egypt's capital             of Alexandria,                  571 00:24:13,919 --> 00:24:17,556  Queen Cleopatra was barricaded     behind heavy wooden doors,    572 00:24:17,556 --> 00:24:19,724 surrounded by her                   greatest treasures,           573 00:24:19,724 --> 00:24:22,894    and the body of her             partner, Marc Antony.          574 00:24:22,894 --> 00:24:25,564   She sent a letter to             her conquering enemy,          575 00:24:25,564 --> 00:24:28,333  Octavian, with                  one last request:                576 00:24:28,333 --> 00:24:32,504  that she and Antony be allowed    to rest in eternity together.  577 00:24:34,072 --> 00:24:36,475  Anthea Nardi: Cleopatra         was Egypt's last pharaoh.        578 00:24:36,475 --> 00:24:38,777 Maybe the world's                first celebrity,                 579 00:24:38,777 --> 00:24:41,279   and maybe the greatest queen    the world's ever known.         580 00:24:41,713 --> 00:24:43,949   She was multilingual,            charismatic,                   581 00:24:43,949 --> 00:24:47,419  intelligent, educated,             and a brilliant strategist.   582 00:24:47,419 --> 00:24:50,021  To the public, she was           presented as a goddess,         583 00:24:50,021 --> 00:24:51,656  "The New Isis."                 584 00:24:54,426 --> 00:24:56,394   Amma Agbedor:                  Cleopatra had ruled Egypt        585 00:24:56,394 --> 00:24:57,929 with two of her brothers;        586 00:24:57,929 --> 00:25:00,532   she'd married                    at least one of them,          587 00:25:00,532 --> 00:25:03,068    and ultimately had              both of them killed.           588 00:25:03,068 --> 00:25:07,606  And she'd had children           by two powerful Romans:         589 00:25:07,606 --> 00:25:10,609  Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.  590 00:25:12,043 --> 00:25:14,746    Adam Bunch: Cleopatra died     just days after                 591 00:25:14,746 --> 00:25:16,781    she sent that final letter.   592 00:25:16,781 --> 00:25:19,751  But the place where she         was buried is a mystery.         593 00:25:19,751 --> 00:25:21,953 People have been                 searching for centuries,         594 00:25:21,953 --> 00:25:25,657  trying to answer one of           history's greatest questions.  595 00:25:25,657 --> 00:25:29,194  Where is Cleopatra's lost tomb? 596 00:25:30,061 --> 00:25:32,731 Narrator:                        Cleopatra VII was born in Egypt, 597 00:25:32,731 --> 00:25:34,833 to a long line of                 Greek pharaohs.                 598 00:25:34,833 --> 00:25:38,403  When she took the throne at 18,    in 51 BCE,                    599 00:25:38,403 --> 00:25:40,805 the family's dynasty was fading, 600 00:25:40,805 --> 00:25:43,875 but she was determined to        turn her fortunes around.        601 00:25:43,875 --> 00:25:46,211  So, four years into her reign,  602 00:25:46,211 --> 00:25:48,413    when Julius Caesar             came to Egypt,                  603 00:25:48,413 --> 00:25:50,415  she recognized the opportunity. 604 00:25:51,316 --> 00:25:53,718  Amma Agbedor: Cleopatra            took Caesar on a week-long    605 00:25:53,718 --> 00:25:55,754   sightseeing tour of the Nile,  606 00:25:55,754 --> 00:25:58,323    and became pregnant            with his child.                 607 00:25:58,323 --> 00:26:00,125  After Caesar returned to Rome,  608 00:26:00,125 --> 00:26:03,562   Cleopatra gave birth            to their son, Caesarion         609 00:26:03,562 --> 00:26:05,564    or "little Caesar."           610 00:26:05,564 --> 00:26:09,734   A powerful, useful diplomatic    bond had been formed.          611 00:26:11,736 --> 00:26:14,573 Anthea Nardi: When Caesar           was assassinated in 44 BCE,   612 00:26:14,573 --> 00:26:16,608    all bets were off.            613 00:26:16,608 --> 00:26:19,811   Cleopatra needed new            diplomatic security with Rome.  614 00:26:19,811 --> 00:26:22,581   So when Mark Antony,           the controller of Rome's         615 00:26:22,581 --> 00:26:25,850   eastern territories, summoned    Cleopatra for a talk,          616 00:26:25,850 --> 00:26:27,752   to gauge her loyalty to Rome,  617 00:26:27,752 --> 00:26:30,121 that was her second opportunity. 618 00:26:32,457 --> 00:26:34,359   Adam Bunch: Cleopatra          started having an affair         619 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:35,927 with Mark Antony,                620 00:26:35,927 --> 00:26:38,396  which was a little bit            complicated,                   621 00:26:38,396 --> 00:26:42,300   since he still went ahead and     married Octavian's sister,    622 00:26:42,300 --> 00:26:45,904   even while having his             love affair with Cleopatra.   623 00:26:46,805 --> 00:26:48,807 Anthea Nardi: Mark Antony        then went so far                 624 00:26:48,807 --> 00:26:51,109   as to give Cleopatra           back territories                 625 00:26:51,109 --> 00:26:53,645    Rome had previously            won from Egypt.                 626 00:26:53,645 --> 00:26:56,047    It was all too much             for Octavian to take.          627 00:26:56,047 --> 00:26:58,617  It seemed Antony wasn't          thinking with his head.         628 00:26:59,184 --> 00:27:02,020    This was a line in the sand      that could not be crossed.    629 00:27:02,020 --> 00:27:04,322   And Octavian declared           war against Cleopatra.          630 00:27:06,257 --> 00:27:08,360  Narrator: Cleopatra was          experienced in battle;          631 00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:11,730  she soon realized they           couldn't win against Octavian;  632 00:27:11,730 --> 00:27:13,965  she pulled her squadron         out of the fight                 633 00:27:13,965 --> 00:27:17,569   and withdrew to the safety of  her palace in Alexandria.        634 00:27:17,569 --> 00:27:19,771 Mark Antony fled as well,        635 00:27:19,771 --> 00:27:22,207  leaving his soldiers to          continue on their own.          636 00:27:23,708 --> 00:27:25,777    Adam Bunch:                      This was a major conflict,    637 00:27:25,777 --> 00:27:27,812 a personal grudge match,         638 00:27:27,812 --> 00:27:31,816 with tens of thousands of        soldiers on either side,         639 00:27:31,816 --> 00:27:34,119 and hundreds of warships.        640 00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:37,222   Mark Antony's forces had the     advantage in numbers,          641 00:27:37,222 --> 00:27:40,759 but it was still Octavian           who ultimately won.           642 00:27:41,926 --> 00:27:44,663   Amma Agbedor: In Alexandria,     Cleopatra surrounded herself   643 00:27:44,663 --> 00:27:46,865  with all of her                    greatest treasures            644 00:27:46,865 --> 00:27:50,602 in a beautiful mausoleum         she'd had built near her palace. 645 00:27:50,602 --> 00:27:52,170   And then she waited.           646 00:27:52,971 --> 00:27:55,073 Anthea Nardi: Mark Antony           threw himself on his sword.   647 00:27:55,073 --> 00:27:57,308 He was carried to                Cleopatra's side,                648 00:27:57,308 --> 00:27:58,677   and died in her arms.          649 00:27:59,644 --> 00:28:01,913   Adam Bunch: According            to the famous legend,          650 00:28:01,913 --> 00:28:05,950 Cleopatra had a poisonous        snake smuggled in                651 00:28:05,950 --> 00:28:09,521    and let it bite her so that   she died from the venom.         652 00:28:09,521 --> 00:28:11,523 According to some                ancient accounts,                653 00:28:11,523 --> 00:28:13,324    Octavian granted her wish,    654 00:28:13,324 --> 00:28:16,594  and ordered that she be          buried with Mark Antony         655 00:28:16,594 --> 00:28:19,597  in splendid and regal fashion.  656 00:28:19,597 --> 00:28:22,333    But, those sources              don't tell us where.           657 00:28:24,436 --> 00:28:26,938   Narrator: In the 2,000 years   since Cleopatra's death,         658 00:28:26,938 --> 00:28:28,573   nobody has been able to find   659 00:28:28,573 --> 00:28:31,109   Cleopatra and                    Mark Antony's crypt.           660 00:28:31,109 --> 00:28:35,246   Only in 2004, did one             investigator decide           661 00:28:35,246 --> 00:28:38,450    everyone had been ignoring    the most important clues.        662 00:28:39,184 --> 00:28:40,785   Amma Agbedor:                    It would make a lot of sense   663 00:28:40,785 --> 00:28:44,222 if Cleopatra were buried          somewhere at the temple complex 664 00:28:44,222 --> 00:28:46,424    of Taposiris Magna,           665 00:28:46,424 --> 00:28:49,928   28 miles west of Alexandria.   666 00:28:49,928 --> 00:28:51,963  "Taposiris Magna" means         667 00:28:51,963 --> 00:28:54,199    "The Great Tomb of Osiris."   668 00:28:54,199 --> 00:28:57,902    A god Mark Antony had been    associated with in life,         669 00:28:57,902 --> 00:29:00,672  and archaeologists always knew  670 00:29:00,672 --> 00:29:04,309   there'd been a temple           of Osiris at that site.         671 00:29:04,309 --> 00:29:07,645   But in 2005, a new discovery   672 00:29:07,645 --> 00:29:09,781 got everyone's attention.        673 00:29:11,049 --> 00:29:13,852   Adam Bunch: The outlines of a  second temple were found         674 00:29:13,852 --> 00:29:17,355    inside the complex:           laid out in three rooms,         675 00:29:17,355 --> 00:29:20,925   which is typical for temples      dedicated to Isis.            676 00:29:20,925 --> 00:29:24,028  So now, there seemed like there   might be temples at this site  677 00:29:24,028 --> 00:29:27,031  dedicated to each the two gods  678 00:29:27,031 --> 00:29:30,435    that Cleopatra and              Mark Antony identified with.   679 00:29:31,569 --> 00:29:34,339 Narrator: Within the centre room  of this temple to Isis,         680 00:29:34,339 --> 00:29:36,341 known as the "sanctuary",        681 00:29:36,341 --> 00:29:38,777 about 200 gold coins were found, 682 00:29:38,777 --> 00:29:41,346 some, bearing Cleopatra's image. 683 00:29:43,148 --> 00:29:46,251  Anthea Nardi: Beneath the room,  there was a 16-foot-deep shaft, 684 00:29:46,251 --> 00:29:48,686   with several                     underground chambers.          685 00:29:48,686 --> 00:29:50,789    The walls of these chambers    still retained                  686 00:29:50,789 --> 00:29:52,357  faint traces of paint.          687 00:29:52,357 --> 00:29:54,859   It's possible these cavities     were used for                  688 00:29:54,859 --> 00:29:56,861    burial or ritual purposes.    689 00:29:56,861 --> 00:29:59,597   And a mask was found,             which some have speculated    690 00:29:59,597 --> 00:30:01,266    could have belonged            to Mark Antony.                 691 00:30:03,234 --> 00:30:05,770   Adam Bunch: In 2022,           another tunnel was found,        692 00:30:05,770 --> 00:30:08,006   43 feet underground,           693 00:30:08,006 --> 00:30:10,241    chiseled out of solid rock    694 00:30:10,241 --> 00:30:13,978    and more than three           quarters of a mile long.         695 00:30:13,978 --> 00:30:17,182    Along with statues,              coins and other artifacts.    696 00:30:17,182 --> 00:30:20,652   And in 2024, the same          archeologist found a bust        697 00:30:20,652 --> 00:30:23,087  she believes depicts Cleopatra  698 00:30:23,087 --> 00:30:25,757 as well as coins,                   that definitely do.           699 00:30:27,592 --> 00:30:30,895   Amma Agbedor: But through all     this, no concrete evidence    700 00:30:30,895 --> 00:30:32,931    tied to Cleopatra's burial    701 00:30:32,931 --> 00:30:35,700    has been found at the site.   702 00:30:35,700 --> 00:30:38,303   And that magnificent,            long tunnel?                   703 00:30:38,303 --> 00:30:41,506 An identical one                   was found in Greece,           704 00:30:41,506 --> 00:30:43,808  on the island of Samos.         705 00:30:43,808 --> 00:30:46,377 That one was an aqueduct.        706 00:30:47,312 --> 00:30:49,814   And there's no proof             that the one in Egypt          707 00:30:49,814 --> 00:30:52,317   ever carried anything             but water, either.            708 00:30:53,818 --> 00:30:56,120 Narrator: A hunch had led        archaeologists to search         709 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:59,357   for Cleopatra                     at Taposiris Magna.           710 00:30:59,357 --> 00:31:03,394  Following the historical record  and geological history instead, 711 00:31:03,394 --> 00:31:06,531   led to a more obvious           location with a twist.          712 00:31:08,299 --> 00:31:12,170 Amma Agbedor: Cleopatra's palace  was in her beloved Alexandria;  713 00:31:12,170 --> 00:31:15,707 she'd built her mausoleum        there; she'd died there;         714 00:31:15,707 --> 00:31:18,443 so it made sense                    she would be buried there.    715 00:31:18,443 --> 00:31:21,579   With its library, and           its famous lighthouse,          716 00:31:21,579 --> 00:31:24,082    Alexandria was the largest,   717 00:31:24,082 --> 00:31:27,085    most sophisticated               city in the world.            718 00:31:28,286 --> 00:31:31,890 Adam Bunch: Today much of         ancient Alexandria is actually  719 00:31:31,890 --> 00:31:35,226    20 feet beneath the surface     of the Mediterranean.          720 00:31:35,226 --> 00:31:38,029  So if Cleopatra                 is buried there,                 721 00:31:38,029 --> 00:31:41,032   she wouldn't be underground,     she'd be underwater.           722 00:31:42,467 --> 00:31:44,135 Anthea Nardi: In 365 CE,         723 00:31:44,135 --> 00:31:46,704   four centuries after              Cleopatra's death,            724 00:31:46,704 --> 00:31:50,074    a massive tsunami,              50 to 100 feet high,           725 00:31:50,074 --> 00:31:53,544  blasted through ancient            Alexandria and its palaces.   726 00:31:53,544 --> 00:31:55,346  It killed about 50,000 people,  727 00:31:55,346 --> 00:31:58,182   and buried Alexandria             under 80 feet of sediment.    728 00:31:59,884 --> 00:32:01,319   Amma Agbedor:                    Since the early '90s,          729 00:32:01,319 --> 00:32:04,555 underwater archaeological          mapping has uncovered          730 00:32:04,555 --> 00:32:06,858  sections of Alexandria;         731 00:32:06,858 --> 00:32:10,295  piers, and the remains          of palace walls;                 732 00:32:10,295 --> 00:32:11,896 granite columns;                 733 00:32:11,896 --> 00:32:15,033   even a massive stone sphinx!   734 00:32:15,033 --> 00:32:17,068   However, there's been no sign  735 00:32:17,068 --> 00:32:19,637   of Cleopatra's crypt             there so far.                  736 00:32:21,105 --> 00:32:23,474   Narrator: Some who've sought   Cleopatra's tomb believe,        737 00:32:23,474 --> 00:32:25,643  that even with the use            of the most advanced           738 00:32:25,643 --> 00:32:27,111   modern technologies,           739 00:32:27,111 --> 00:32:29,981   her tomb may continue             to elude discovery,           740 00:32:29,981 --> 00:32:32,350  and possibly, with good reason. 741 00:32:33,151 --> 00:32:36,054  Anthea Nardi: Cleopatra's tomb     may simply no longer exist.   742 00:32:36,054 --> 00:32:38,489  It may have been found           long ago in antiquity,          743 00:32:38,489 --> 00:32:40,425    then looted, and destroyed.   744 00:32:40,425 --> 00:32:43,761 Or it may have been purposefully dismantled by the Romans,        745 00:32:43,761 --> 00:32:45,263   soon after she died.           746 00:32:45,263 --> 00:32:49,233    We know Octavian wanted to       obtain Cleopatra's riches,    747 00:32:49,233 --> 00:32:52,236  and he wouldn't have wanted to     risk the public maintaining   748 00:32:52,236 --> 00:32:54,605  too strong a connection          with their dead Queen.          749 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:59,410  Adam Bunch: The truth is, right  now, we don't know either way.  750 00:32:59,410 --> 00:33:03,181   And just because Cleopatra's      tomb hasn't been found yet,   751 00:33:03,181 --> 00:33:05,516 doesn't mean it won't be.        752 00:33:05,516 --> 00:33:09,020 It could absolutely still         be out there somewhere,         753 00:33:09,020 --> 00:33:11,122 waiting to be discovered.        754 00:33:12,256 --> 00:33:15,526    Amma Agbedor: It may still     lie at Taposiris Magna;         755 00:33:15,526 --> 00:33:17,261    or under the Mediterranean,   756 00:33:17,261 --> 00:33:20,365    among the ruins of               ancient Alexandria.           757 00:33:20,365 --> 00:33:23,701  There are also untested            theories it may be            758 00:33:23,701 --> 00:33:25,970 at the Temple of Isis in Philae, 759 00:33:25,970 --> 00:33:28,139    or in the Valley of Kings,    760 00:33:28,139 --> 00:33:30,708  where Tutankhamun was interred. 761 00:33:30,708 --> 00:33:33,277  Or it could be some other place 762 00:33:33,277 --> 00:33:35,279   that nobody's thought of yet.  763 00:33:36,848 --> 00:33:38,149   Anthea Nardi:                     If there is a silver lining   764 00:33:38,149 --> 00:33:40,284 to the fruitless                   search for the tomb,           765 00:33:40,284 --> 00:33:42,987    it's that Taposiris             was a neglected site           766 00:33:42,987 --> 00:33:45,823 that everyone knew about,          but few cared about;           767 00:33:45,823 --> 00:33:47,492 It has now become one of Egypt's 768 00:33:47,492 --> 00:33:49,560    most active                     archaeological sites,          769 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,530   with hundreds of significant   discoveries already made.        770 00:33:52,530 --> 00:33:54,932 And the same is happening        under the Mediterranean,         771 00:33:54,932 --> 00:33:56,534  at ancient Alexandria.          772 00:33:56,534 --> 00:33:59,637 So, Cleopatra's influence          continues to live on.          773 00:34:01,406 --> 00:34:04,442  Narrator: Queen Cleopatra VII,    the New Isis,                  774 00:34:04,442 --> 00:34:07,845    who ended her life              more than two millennia ago,   775 00:34:07,845 --> 00:34:10,481   continues to                     impress and inspire.           776 00:34:10,481 --> 00:34:14,018    And it's possible that with      the discovery of her tomb,    777 00:34:14,018 --> 00:34:15,820  she'll return one day,          778 00:34:15,820 --> 00:34:17,722  and tell her own story.         779 00:34:19,924 --> 00:34:29,467    ♪♪                            780 00:34:29,467 --> 00:34:32,336   Narrator: South Africa at the  dawn of the 20th century,        781 00:34:32,336 --> 00:34:36,340    was a land teetering on the      edge of monumental change.    782 00:34:36,340 --> 00:34:38,076   The discovery of gold             transformed                   783 00:34:38,076 --> 00:34:40,344  the once quiet                     Transvaal Republic            784 00:34:40,344 --> 00:34:43,081    into a battleground             of wealth and power,           785 00:34:43,081 --> 00:34:45,483 igniting British                    imperial ambitions.           786 00:34:45,483 --> 00:34:48,986   At the heart of this           upheaval was Paul Kruger,        787 00:34:48,986 --> 00:34:51,189   a leader whose vision           for his people                  788 00:34:51,189 --> 00:34:53,558   collided with                     the relentless tide           789 00:34:53,558 --> 00:34:55,326  of colonial expansion.          790 00:34:56,227 --> 00:34:57,995 James Ellis: Paul Kruger         wasn't just the President        791 00:34:57,995 --> 00:34:59,530  of the South African Republic;  792 00:34:59,530 --> 00:35:03,301   he was the embodiment of Boer    independence and resilience.   793 00:35:03,301 --> 00:35:06,337 The Boers, Dutch-speaking         settlers from the Cape Colony,  794 00:35:06,337 --> 00:35:08,739 had formed their                 self-governing republics         795 00:35:08,739 --> 00:35:10,608   to protect their way of life.  796 00:35:10,608 --> 00:35:13,411  His greatest challenge           began in 1886,                  797 00:35:13,411 --> 00:35:16,714    with the discovery of gold       in the Witwatersrand area.    798 00:35:16,714 --> 00:35:20,518    Suddenly, this area wasn't      just a remote Boer territory,  799 00:35:20,518 --> 00:35:23,721    it was a treasure trove of       unimaginable value,           800 00:35:23,721 --> 00:35:27,325  drawing a flood of British and   foreign settlers or outlanders, 801 00:35:27,325 --> 00:35:29,660  as Kruger disdainfully            called them.                   802 00:35:30,528 --> 00:35:32,063 Alison Leonard: To Kruger         these newcomers weren't         803 00:35:32,063 --> 00:35:34,031 just immigrants,                 they were a direct threat        804 00:35:34,031 --> 00:35:35,633  to the Boer way of life           and identity.                  805 00:35:35,633 --> 00:35:37,335  He steadfastly refused            to grant them                  806 00:35:37,335 --> 00:35:39,337   voting and political rights.   807 00:35:39,337 --> 00:35:41,372  This exclusion angered          the mining elite,                808 00:35:41,372 --> 00:35:43,307 who saw Kruger's                   policies as obstacles          809 00:35:43,307 --> 00:35:45,076   to their economic ambitions,   810 00:35:45,076 --> 00:35:47,211 setting the stage                for an inevitable clash.         811 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,816    Adam Bunch:                    War broke out in 1899.          812 00:35:51,816 --> 00:35:54,285  It was known it was the         Great Boer War back then,        813 00:35:54,285 --> 00:35:56,854   but today historians call it    the South African War,          814 00:35:56,854 --> 00:35:59,957    because many Black Africans   were caught up in it too.        815 00:35:59,957 --> 00:36:02,460  It was a brutal                    colonial conflict,            816 00:36:02,460 --> 00:36:05,563    that saw the Boers embrace       guerrilla warfare,            817 00:36:05,563 --> 00:36:09,233    attacking British outposts,    sabotaging rail lines,          818 00:36:09,233 --> 00:36:11,669  stretching the                     British troops thin           819 00:36:11,669 --> 00:36:13,437 across the vast terrain,         820 00:36:13,437 --> 00:36:16,207 while the British                   targeted civilians            821 00:36:16,207 --> 00:36:18,342   with scorched earth campaigns  822 00:36:18,342 --> 00:36:20,378 and concentration camps.         823 00:36:21,913 --> 00:36:25,116  Anthea Nardi: Amid this chaos,  Kruger faced a pivotal decision. 824 00:36:25,116 --> 00:36:27,418 How to safeguard                  the Republic's wealth,          825 00:36:27,418 --> 00:36:30,621  so he and his advisors           devised a plan.                 826 00:36:30,621 --> 00:36:34,258   Kruger fled South Africa with   over $2 million pounds in gold  827 00:36:34,258 --> 00:36:36,694  worth over $500 million today.  828 00:36:37,595 --> 00:36:40,164   But somewhere along the line,     the gold vanished,            829 00:36:40,164 --> 00:36:43,167 creating one of history's         most enduring enigmas.          830 00:36:43,167 --> 00:36:45,436    So what happened to             the Kruger Millions?           831 00:36:47,004 --> 00:36:48,606    Narrator: On June 4, 1900,    832 00:36:48,606 --> 00:36:51,209    Kruger orchestrated            a daring plan.                  833 00:36:52,009 --> 00:36:54,478 James Ellis: Gold coins,           bullion, and unprocessed gold  834 00:36:54,478 --> 00:36:56,647   were removed from the             South African Mint            835 00:36:56,647 --> 00:36:59,951    and the National Bank, then   packed into wooden crates        836 00:36:59,951 --> 00:37:02,220  and transported                 on wagons towards                837 00:37:02,220 --> 00:37:04,689 the Delagoa Bay Railway.         838 00:37:04,689 --> 00:37:08,159    By noon, the precious cargo   reached Pretoria station,        839 00:37:08,159 --> 00:37:10,228  where a special train awaited,  840 00:37:10,228 --> 00:37:13,598  shrouded in secrecy and            protected by armed guards.    841 00:37:14,599 --> 00:37:16,500 Alison Leonard: Kruger's            plan was audacious,           842 00:37:16,500 --> 00:37:19,403    to transport the Republic's     wealth to Mozambique,          843 00:37:19,403 --> 00:37:21,772  possibly to finance the          war effort from abroad,         844 00:37:21,772 --> 00:37:25,376    or to solidify the nation's      future after the conflict.    845 00:37:25,376 --> 00:37:27,245 For Kruger, this                   wasn't simply wealth;          846 00:37:27,245 --> 00:37:29,413   it was the Republic's            lifeline in wartime.           847 00:37:31,249 --> 00:37:32,650    Adam Bunch:                   Somewhere along the way,         848 00:37:32,650 --> 00:37:36,387    some of the Kruger Millions   seem to have disappeared.        849 00:37:36,387 --> 00:37:38,656    When British forces            took Pretoria,                  850 00:37:38,656 --> 00:37:42,126    they found the vaults empty   and Kruger gone.                 851 00:37:42,126 --> 00:37:44,629  The difference between          those two numbers                852 00:37:44,629 --> 00:37:48,499 has sparked speculation,         myths and legends                853 00:37:48,499 --> 00:37:50,234    that have fascinated people   854 00:37:50,234 --> 00:37:52,270   for more than a century now.   855 00:37:54,338 --> 00:37:57,108   Narrator: Amidst these tales,   one possibility echoes          856 00:37:57,108 --> 00:37:59,343 more persistently than the rest. 857 00:37:59,343 --> 00:38:02,213    The belief that the Kruger      Millions never left the land   858 00:38:02,213 --> 00:38:04,682  where they were forged             and may lie hidden            859 00:38:04,682 --> 00:38:07,918   within South Africa's             vast and rugged landscape.    860 00:38:09,253 --> 00:38:10,721    Anthea Nardi: The idea that      Kruger hid the gold           861 00:38:10,721 --> 00:38:13,424    within South Africa             is plausible.                  862 00:38:13,424 --> 00:38:16,294   Anticipating that the British    might intercept the treasure   863 00:38:16,294 --> 00:38:18,229   before it reached Mozambique,  864 00:38:18,229 --> 00:38:20,131 Kruger could have                   ordered it to be concealed    865 00:38:20,131 --> 00:38:21,799  along the escape route.         866 00:38:21,799 --> 00:38:25,436 The train passed through         secluded areas like Machadodorp, 867 00:38:25,436 --> 00:38:28,472  the Blyde River Canyon,         the Sudwala Caves                868 00:38:28,472 --> 00:38:32,476 and Waterval Onder, ideal         locations for hiding a fortune. 869 00:38:34,445 --> 00:38:36,414    James Ellis: Waterval Onder     wasn't just an ideal           870 00:38:36,414 --> 00:38:38,749  hiding place; it became         the nerve center                 871 00:38:38,749 --> 00:38:40,885   for Kruger's                     government in exile.           872 00:38:41,752 --> 00:38:44,588  Daily trains connected             the site with Machadodorp,    873 00:38:44,588 --> 00:38:46,791 the last town in Boer territory, 874 00:38:46,791 --> 00:38:49,460   allowing crucial war           strategy meetings                875 00:38:49,460 --> 00:38:51,762 as the British closed in.        876 00:38:51,762 --> 00:38:55,533    With tunnels and rail links      running toward Mozambique,    877 00:38:55,533 --> 00:38:58,502   it was a location well-suited  for concealing a fortune.        878 00:38:59,603 --> 00:39:01,339   Alison Leonard: Plus,          the security of the area         879 00:39:01,339 --> 00:39:04,775  meant his most trusted          advisors had easy access.        880 00:39:04,775 --> 00:39:06,577   You have to wonder if            Kruger's men                   881 00:39:06,577 --> 00:39:08,446  may have hidden                    the treasure there,           882 00:39:08,446 --> 00:39:10,848    or if this is just another     layer of misdirection.          883 00:39:12,817 --> 00:39:15,853 Narrator: In 1900, a Boer          officer named Fritz Duquesne,  884 00:39:15,853 --> 00:39:17,922   known for his cunning           and deep-seated                 885 00:39:17,922 --> 00:39:19,256  hatred for the British,         886 00:39:19,256 --> 00:39:21,425   is said to have been           entrusted with the gold.         887 00:39:22,860 --> 00:39:26,030    Adam Bunch: There's lots of    reason not to believe Duquesne. 888 00:39:26,030 --> 00:39:29,600    He was a known con artist,    later became a Nazi spy,         889 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:32,403 and often rewrote                his own history.                 890 00:39:32,403 --> 00:39:35,673  But some stories claim          he led a convoy of wagons        891 00:39:35,673 --> 00:39:38,376   filled with gold, and             then along the way,           892 00:39:38,376 --> 00:39:41,112 his men tried to kill him         and steal the treasure.         893 00:39:43,013 --> 00:39:44,515  Anthea Nardi: Duquesne           caught on to their plan         894 00:39:44,515 --> 00:39:46,851  and managed to foil the          assassination attempt.          895 00:39:46,851 --> 00:39:49,887    It's alleged that he later       ordered his loyal servants    896 00:39:49,887 --> 00:39:52,289 to bury the gold                   in a secret location,          897 00:39:52,289 --> 00:39:54,525   possibly near                     the town of Ermelo.           898 00:39:55,292 --> 00:39:58,129  He was captured by the British     shortly after, and exiled,    899 00:39:58,129 --> 00:40:00,998    and the treasure's location      remained a mystery.           900 00:40:00,998 --> 00:40:04,635  If this story is true, Duquesne  took the details to his grave.  901 00:40:06,570 --> 00:40:08,906 Narrator:                         Decades later, in 2001,         902 00:40:08,906 --> 00:40:12,643 South Africa found itself        gripped by gold fever once again 903 00:40:12,643 --> 00:40:16,514  when Athol Stark, a successful  businessman from Ermelo,         904 00:40:16,514 --> 00:40:18,783  became entangled in the legend. 905 00:40:19,984 --> 00:40:21,886    James Ellis: A Zulu family    approached Stark                 906 00:40:21,886 --> 00:40:25,856   with a proposition: they had   found 4,000 Kruger ponds,        907 00:40:25,856 --> 00:40:28,459   which are gold coins bearing    Paul Kruger's likeness,         908 00:40:28,459 --> 00:40:30,594    and needed his help             to sell them.                  909 00:40:30,594 --> 00:40:32,863  After verifying                    their authenticity,           910 00:40:32,863 --> 00:40:36,834    Stark became convinced that     the Kruger Millions were real  911 00:40:36,834 --> 00:40:39,703    and possibly hidden              near his hometown.            912 00:40:40,771 --> 00:40:42,873  Alison Leonard: As word spread, treasure hunters flocked         913 00:40:42,873 --> 00:40:45,109   to Ermelo, believing that the     coins could be part           914 00:40:45,109 --> 00:40:46,744  of Duquesne's hidden treasure.  915 00:40:46,744 --> 00:40:49,480 The discovery of a buried           statue and multiple caches    916 00:40:49,480 --> 00:40:51,749   of coins in the area            added fuel to the fire,         917 00:40:51,749 --> 00:40:54,185 and for a moment,                   it seemed like the mystery    918 00:40:54,185 --> 00:40:55,719 might finally be solved.         919 00:40:57,321 --> 00:40:59,557 James Ellis: But despite            extensive searches,           920 00:40:59,557 --> 00:41:02,760  no evidence of the full            Kruger Millions was found.    921 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:06,030  The coins that were discovered   were isolated stashes,          922 00:41:06,030 --> 00:41:08,599  perhaps buried by Boer farmers   during the war                  923 00:41:08,599 --> 00:41:10,501 to protect their savings.        924 00:41:11,902 --> 00:41:14,505    Narrator: Without evidence       of a vast, singular hoard,    925 00:41:14,505 --> 00:41:17,475    perhaps the Kruger Millions    weren't hidden at all,          926 00:41:17,475 --> 00:41:19,243   and the true fate of the gold  927 00:41:19,243 --> 00:41:21,078  could reveal a different story  928 00:41:21,078 --> 00:41:22,813 about the Boer struggle.         929 00:41:22,813 --> 00:41:25,816    Anthea Nardi: It's possible    Kruger intended to use the gold 930 00:41:25,816 --> 00:41:28,385   in a desperate bid to sustain    the Republic's fight           931 00:41:28,385 --> 00:41:29,887   against the British.           932 00:41:29,887 --> 00:41:32,756  As conventional warfare         became untenable,                933 00:41:32,756 --> 00:41:34,859    the Boers needed resources    934 00:41:34,859 --> 00:41:37,061 to continue their                   guerrilla tactics.            935 00:41:37,061 --> 00:41:39,763 The gold could have been            crucial in paying soldiers,   936 00:41:39,763 --> 00:41:42,533 securing ammunition, and            buying essential supplies.    937 00:41:43,834 --> 00:41:46,570  James Ellis: Evidence suggests  that significant amounts of gold 938 00:41:46,570 --> 00:41:49,773    were transported to            Lourenço Marques in Mozambique. 939 00:41:49,773 --> 00:41:52,209  There, it was exchanged          for provisions,                 940 00:41:52,209 --> 00:41:56,413    everything from ammunition,   to 44,000 bags of flour.         941 00:41:56,413 --> 00:41:59,416   While this certainly supports   the idea that some of the money 942 00:41:59,416 --> 00:42:01,385   was spent in efforts           to fund the war,                 943 00:42:01,385 --> 00:42:02,953    we still don't have records   944 00:42:02,953 --> 00:42:04,955 that account for                   all the missing gold.          945 00:42:04,955 --> 00:42:07,791    So, if the treasure wasn't    entirely consumed                946 00:42:07,791 --> 00:42:10,327    by the war effort,             or lost amid the chaos,         947 00:42:10,327 --> 00:42:14,598  could its fate lie in Kruger's    most daring maneuver of all?   948 00:42:15,733 --> 00:42:17,601   Narrator: Faced with              dwindling options,            949 00:42:17,601 --> 00:42:20,838  Kruger may have devised         a bold and final strategy        950 00:42:20,838 --> 00:42:23,807    for the Republic's wealth,    an audacious move                951 00:42:23,807 --> 00:42:25,643 that would carry                    the Kruger Millions           952 00:42:25,643 --> 00:42:28,012 far beyond South African shores. 953 00:42:29,246 --> 00:42:30,681   Alison Leonard: It's possible     the Kruger Millions           954 00:42:30,681 --> 00:42:32,349    were smuggled out of Africa   955 00:42:32,349 --> 00:42:34,018    and taken to Europe              by Kruger himself,            956 00:42:34,018 --> 00:42:37,054    then hidden within             international banking systems.  957 00:42:37,888 --> 00:42:40,157    After the fall of Pretoria,   Kruger fled to Mozambique        958 00:42:40,157 --> 00:42:43,994  and secured passage aboard the   Dutch warship HNLMS Gelderland. 959 00:42:43,994 --> 00:42:45,763   Perhaps Kruger took a             substantial portion           960 00:42:45,763 --> 00:42:47,865 of the treasure with him,          intending to use it to rally   961 00:42:47,865 --> 00:42:49,900   international support             for the Boer cause.           962 00:42:51,802 --> 00:42:54,338   Adam Bunch: Kruger spent his    final years in the Netherlands, 963 00:42:54,338 --> 00:42:56,840    and his relationships there     could have helped him          964 00:42:56,840 --> 00:42:58,842 get the gold into Europe.        965 00:42:58,842 --> 00:43:01,245   There even seemed to            be records of deposits          966 00:43:01,245 --> 00:43:03,180 in Dutch and Swiss banks.        967 00:43:04,915 --> 00:43:07,885  Narrator: The recent discovery  of over 900 Kruger coins         968 00:43:07,885 --> 00:43:11,355  found in a Swiss vault,           adds credence to this theory,  969 00:43:11,355 --> 00:43:14,925    suggesting that some of the     treasure was smuggled abroad.  970 00:43:16,026 --> 00:43:17,661    Anthea Nardi: These coins,      minted during                  971 00:43:17,661 --> 00:43:20,731  Kruger's Presidency and           preserved for over a century,  972 00:43:20,731 --> 00:43:23,867    offer a tantalizing             piece of the puzzle.           973 00:43:23,867 --> 00:43:26,003    While it indicates that at    least a fraction                 974 00:43:26,003 --> 00:43:28,405  of the Kruger Millions             made it to Europe,            975 00:43:28,405 --> 00:43:30,774    the quantity found              is small compared to           976 00:43:30,774 --> 00:43:33,043    the supposed total             value of the treasure.          977 00:43:33,911 --> 00:43:36,213   James Ellis: Kruger's           lifestyle in exile was modest,  978 00:43:36,213 --> 00:43:37,881    and upon his death in 1904,   979 00:43:37,881 --> 00:43:40,017    there were no signs            of vast wealth.                 980 00:43:40,017 --> 00:43:43,020 The gaps in documentation        and the secretive nature         981 00:43:43,020 --> 00:43:44,888 of international banking           at the time,                   982 00:43:44,888 --> 00:43:47,224 make it difficult                 to verify this theory.          983 00:43:48,792 --> 00:43:51,362 For all we know, Kruger's          Millions might still           984 00:43:51,362 --> 00:43:53,764 be stashed away in Swiss Vaults, 985 00:43:53,764 --> 00:43:56,400  waiting to fund another          Boer resistance                 986 00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:57,835   that never happened.           987 00:43:58,902 --> 00:44:00,838 Narrator: Over a                    century has passed,           988 00:44:00,838 --> 00:44:04,074   yet the enigma of the Kruger    Millions continues to captivate 989 00:44:04,074 --> 00:44:07,378  historians and treasure            hunters worldwide.            990 00:44:07,978 --> 00:44:10,347    Alison Leonard: The legend     isn't just a tale of lost gold. 991 00:44:10,347 --> 00:44:12,683    It's a story that captures      a nation's struggle,           992 00:44:12,683 --> 00:44:14,685    the tangled legacy             of colonialism,                 993 00:44:14,685 --> 00:44:17,254   and the irresistible           pull of a mystery                994 00:44:17,254 --> 00:44:18,722    that refuses to be solved.    995 00:44:20,958 --> 00:44:24,495   Adam Bunch: Whether the tale     of lost gold is true or not,   996 00:44:24,495 --> 00:44:27,231 the story is a valuable reminder 997 00:44:27,231 --> 00:44:30,567  of a pivotal moment in           South African history,          998 00:44:30,567 --> 00:44:34,438  a brutal war that left           tens of thousands dead          999 00:44:34,438 --> 00:44:36,740 and set the scene for apartheid. 1000 00:44:37,708 --> 00:44:40,110 Narrator: The mystery of            Kruger's Millions endures,    1001 00:44:40,110 --> 00:44:43,647   a timeless relic of colonial   ambition and resistance,         1002 00:44:43,647 --> 00:44:46,250  caught between history             and legend.                   1003 00:44:46,250 --> 00:44:48,886   A haunting symbol of             a people's struggle,           1004 00:44:48,886 --> 00:44:51,288   it's a reminder that history   1005 00:44:51,288 --> 00:44:52,656    is full of secrets,           1006 00:44:52,656 --> 00:44:54,625  waiting to be revealed.         1007 00:44:54,625 --> 00:45:01,265    ♪♪                            1008 00:45:02,332 --> 00:45:07,071    ♪♪