All language subtitles for The.World.From.Above.S08E09.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-AlfaHD_track3_[eng]

(dramatic music)

(upbeat music)

- Our journey
begins in Corolla, a magnificent

holiday destination at the
northern end of the Outer Banks,

a string of islands and
peninsulas that runs along

the east coast of the
state of North Carolina.

Heading west, we reach Bull
Neck Swamp Research Forest.

Once stripped by loggers,

it's now a leading
center for conservation.

To the east, we discover
the Wright Brothers National

Memorial, where they first
achieved powered flight,

and transformed the modern world.

Continuing south, we find Roanoke Island,

home to one of America's
oldest unsolved mysteries,

the lost colony of 1587.

Moving south along the coast,
we discover why it's called,

"the graveyard of the Atlantic".

Finally, we head inland to New Bern,

one of America's oldest
towns and the birthplace

of Pepsi Cola.

On the east coast of America,

in the southern state of North Carolina,

is the town of Corolla.

Until a development boom, in
the 1980's, it was little known

and rarely visited.

It was known as North
Carolina's last beach frontier.

Today, with it's spectacular
beaches, holiday homes,

and magnificent sea views,

Corolla is a popular tourist destination.

The town is at the northern
end of the Outer Banks,

a 320 kilometer long strip that separates

the Atlantic Ocean, to the east,

from the estuaries and inlets,
or sounds, to the west.

One of the town's most famous
sites is it's lighthouse,

Currituck Beach Light.

Built in 1875, it's 48 meters tall.

Many of the visitors, drawn
to Corolla and it's beaches,

are families and this
has long been the case.

In 1892 a writer, from
Harper's Weekly, wrote,

"If there were any spot on
earth that one would expect

"to find untenanted, it surely
would be this stretch of sand

"between ocean and sound.

"Yet there is a hardy
race who have lived here,

"from father to son, for over a century.

"They exist entirely by hunting,
fishing, rearing cattle,

"and acting as guides."

Whilst guiding and rearing
cattle have fallen from favor,

it remains a great spot for
fishing and enjoying family life

on the beach.

Crossing to the west, we find
the estuary of Albemarle Sound

and, on the mainland, Bull
Neck Swamp Research Forest.

Covering 25 square
kilometers, it's owned by

North Carolina State University.

It provides a habitat for many species,

including black bears, bobcats, and deer.

Before it was made a
protected area, in 1996,

the site was owned by logging companies.

And much of the forestry's
conservation efforts have been

to bring back the Atlantic white cedar,

which had been heavily deforested.

Today the forest is used to
research conservation techniques

and, in order to raise funds
for the continued work,

the Department of Forestry
and Environmental Resources

allows sustainable timber sales
and issues a certain number

of hunting licenses.

Crossing back to the Outer
Banks, we find this four

and a half kilometer long bridge.

It's name offers a clue to
the world changing event

that happened near here.

It's called the Wright Memorial Bridge.

And this is the town
of Kitty Hawk offering,

perhaps, another clue.

The area had been settled for centuries,

before European explorers
arrived in the 16th century,

but the modern town was little known.

And this made it, in 1900, the
ideal spot for two brothers

looking for a secluded place,

for some experiments into flight.

This was the Wright
brothers, Orville and Wilbur,

who declared that the area
around Kitty Hawk was perfect.

It had, they said, privacy,
steady winds, and wide open

non-vegetated spaces.

And it was here, at Kill Devils
Hills, that the two brothers

became the first men in history
to achieve powered flight.

Their invention is considered

one of mankind's greatest achievements.

Today their accomplishment is
marked by this 18 meter high

granite monument, the Wright
Brothers National Memorial.

At the top of the tower,
like a lighthouse,

is a marine beacon.

Nearby, the precise location
of the brother's first four

flights are marked by
large standing stones.

On December 17th, 1903,
after three years of gliding

experiments, the brothers made
four flights, traveling 37,

53, 61, and finally, 260 meters.

Remarkably, all but the
longest of these distances

are less than the wingspan
of a modern jumbo jet.

Visitors could also see
reconstructions of the brothers'

1903 living quarters
and, the world's first,

airplane hangar, next door.

Based on historical photographs,
these give a glimpse

into the building which
once sheltered their plane,

which they named "The Flyer".

The brothers' great
breakthrough was their invention

of three axis control, which
enabled the pilot to steer

the aircraft effectively and
to maintain it's balance.

This method became, and
remains, standard on fixed wing

aircraft of all kinds.

The moment of the first flight is captured

in Stephen Smith's full
scale bronze sculpture

called "First Flight".

It was unveiled in 2003, marking 100 years

of powered flight.

The sculpture shows the
seven people involved,

including Orville
Wright, flying the plane,

Wilbur running beside
him, and John T. Daniels

who photographed the instant
that travel changed forever.

The original airplane can be
seen at the Smithsonian Museum,

in Washington, DC.

As the evening draws in, we
catch a spectacular sunset

over Albemarle Sound.

(soft music)

With evening upon us and
the light fading fast,

it's time to refuel and stop for the night

at Deer County Regional Airport.

(airplane propeller sounds)

On a stretch of the Outer
Banks, named Nags Head,

is Jockey's Ridge State Park.

(soft music)

This is the tallest
natural sand dune system,

in the eastern United
States, and one of the most

significant natural
landmarks in North Carolina.

(soft music)

Visitors can explore a
museum about the sand dunes,

but the brave can take
lessons at the onsite

hang gliding school.

As the Wright Brothers agreed,
it's also a world class spot

for flying kites.

We move on, heading towards
they mysterious Roanoke Island.

(upbeat music)

And, in the island's Festival
Park, find this historic

16th century sailing ship.

Named the Elizabeth II, it's
a replica of one of the seven

ships in Sir Walter Raleigh's fleet.

It was built in 1984 to
celebrate the 400th anniversary

of the arrival of English ships

to the North Carolina Outer Banks.

(soft banjo music)

The ship, which is fully
working, has three square rigged

masts, it's 21 meters
long, five meters wide,

and draws two and a half meters of water.

It was aboard ships, such
as this, that 117 colonists

arrived to found Roanoke colony.

The year was 1587.

They founded the colony in, what is now,

the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.

After a few months, the
colony's governor, John White,

decided to sail back to
England for supplies.

When he returned, two years later,

he found the settlement deserted,

the entire colony vanished.

The only clue was a
single word 'Croatoan',

the name of a nearby island,
carved into a wooden post.

The fate of the 117 colonists
has never been discovered.

The nearby Elizabeth Gardens were created

as a memorial to them.

The gardens are home to hundreds
of species of native plants

and wildlife, as well as rare specimens

from all over the world.

The Roanoke Colony is also celebrated

at the waterside theater.

Since 1937, this has
been home to a live show

by Pulitzer prize winning
playwright Paul Green.

His production, "The Lost
Colony", requires a company

of over a hundred actors,
dancers, singers, and technicians.

It was originally planned to
run for just a single season,

but it has become a North
Carolina tradition that, today,

has played to over four million visitors.

Across the sound, on the Outer Banks,

is Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Standing 48 meters tall,
it has a Fresnel lens

and an electric lamp.

The first was in 1847, by
a former customs official,

who neglected to include
any proper foundations.

The lighthouse began to lean
and was quickly abandoned.

The second, built in 1859,
was blown up in the Civil War

by retreating Confederacy soldiers.

Current lighthouse was completed in 1862

and, today, it's open to visitors.

The original light keeper's
house, renovated in 1992,

now serves as an information center.

(soft music)

The many lighthouses of the
Outer banks have been built

because of the treacherous
waters that lie about it.

(soft music and waves breaking)

It's known as the
'Graveyard of the Atlantic'.

Shipwrecks, such as
these isolated sections,

litter the sea bed in the area.

There are believed to have
been more than 5,000 ships

lost in these waters since records began,

in the late 17th century.

Today, visitors can
explore this macabre past

in the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

at nearby Hatteras island.

Though this coastline might
not be great for ships,

they're ideal for fish,
and the Outer Banks

is a perfect spot for surf fishing.

Each fisherman here can catch
anything from dog sharks

to black drum, baiting mullet to bluefish.

(soft music and waves crashing)

Our journey continues south
towards Cape Hatteras.

This is the most southeasterly
point on the Atlantic coast

of North America and, these
seaside houses are often

in danger as this region is
considered one of the highest

risk areas along the
American eastern seaboard

for hurricanes and tropical storms.

Cape Hatteras is home to a lighthouse.

In 1999, due to shore erosion,
the lighthouse was at risk

of falling into the sea,
so it was shifted, intact,

800 meters inland.

At 64 meters tall, weighing
5,000 tons, it's the tallest

masonry structure ever moved.

The name Hatteras is the
sixth oldest surviving

English place-name in the United States.

An inlet north of the cape
was named "Hatrask", in 1585,

and later modified to
"Hatteras", which was the name

of the local Indian people.

Following the coastline, we
come to the village of Hatteras,

which has always earned
it's living from the sea,

though today it's best known
as a tourist destination

for charter fishing.

But the town still has a small
commercial fishing fleet.

Each year the people of
Hatteras celebrate it in a day

at the dock when, at sunset,
local fishing boats are sailed,

in flotilla, past the waterfront before

the cheering Hatteras community.

(soft piano music)

For visitors who want the taste
of the sea, but aren't lured

by fishing, there are
the Ocracoke ferries.

The ferry began as a private
tugboat service in the 1920s.

In the 1930s, to maintain the
service for the inhabitants

of the isolated Ocracoke Island,
the state of North Carolina

subsidized the service.

And soon, it was free to
passengers, providing reliable

transport that runs 365 days a year.

(upbeat music)

It's still a favorite with locals,

but most of it's passengers are tourists,

taking the 40 minute trip from Hatteras

to the island of Ocracoke.

The views from the ferry
are spectacular and,

for lucky visitors, they can
even see parts of dolphins.

Dolphins can be found
living along the coast

of the Outer Banks and in the sounds.

A small population lives here year round

and, during the warmer months,

it's believed that another 500
migrate here to give birth.

We're now approaching the
entrance to Pamlico Sound,

129 kilometers long and
48 wide, Pamlico Sound

is the largest lagoon on
the east coast of America.

And here we discover a
spectacular site, a swarming flock

of migrating birds.

With hundreds of kilometers
of deserted beaches,

maritime forests, and marsh
lands, the Outer banks

are a haven for birds.

It attracts a whole range
of northern species,

like the Harlequin duck,
to southern species

like the roseate spoonbill,
at the cinnamon teal

from the west, to wading birds
like ruffs, from Eurasia.

Pamlico Sound can also attract
more disconcerting visitors.

In 2015, a one ton, four
meter long great white shark,

called surprisingly 'Catherine',
swam into these in shore

waters close to a number of tourist sites.

It spent 18 hours in the
sound, before slipping back

out into the sea.

We now reach, one of the oldest towns

in North Carolina, New Bern.

The settlers who founded New
Bern came from Switzerland

and the town is named in honor
of the Swiss capital, Bern.

Set between the Trent and Neuse rivers,

New Bern became a center for shipping and,

by the 19th century, one of
the largest towns in the state.

With it's many theaters and old buildings,

the town was once known as
the 'Athens of the South'

and visitors today can still
explore museums, galleries,

and the city hall.

The town is famous for another
contribution to American

culture, this is the
birthplace of Pepsi Cola.

Pepsi was invented here, in
1893, by chemist Caleb Bradham.

In 1902, he founded Pepsi Cola,
which grew from this modest

drugstore to one of the
biggest drinks corporations

in the world.

(classical music)

Somewhat more grand is
another New Bern landmark,

Tryon Palace.

(classical music)

It was built in 1770, before
American independence,

when the country was
still a British colony.

The Royal Governor, William
Tryon, brought a London

architect to design and build this palace

in the English Georgian style.

After the revolution, the
palace was North Carolina's

first state capital.

In 1798, it was burned to the ground.

But, in 1959, after a 30
year campaign by the people

of New Bern, the palace was reconstructed.

It has 25 hectares of
gardens, including formal wall

gardens, in the Victorian
style, for flowers

as well as vegetables.

There's also an 18th
century wilderness garden

with the native plants
English settlers discovered

when they first arrived in America.

(classical music)

On the outskirts of New Bern
are plants of a different type,

agriculture is a huge
industry in North Carolina.

(folksy music)

It contributes almost 18
billion dollars a year

to the state's economy,

and employs almost one in every five

of North Carolina's workforce.

And the farms are some
of the most diversified

in the country.

The state grows over 80
different commodities

and is the national leader
in the production of crops,

from sweet potatoes to Christmas trees

and from tobacco to turkeys.

(country music)

But perhaps the most influential crop,

in North Carolina's history, is cotton.

In the 19th century, along
with much of the rest

of the American South, it was
the state's biggest cash crop.

Harvesting this cotton though,
meant back breaking labor

and the cotton fields of North Carolina

were once picked by slaves.

Before it's abolition in
1865, there were over 330,000

slaves in the state, a third
of North Carolina's population.

Today, mercifully, this
cotton is not picked by hand.

This is a spindle picker, a
machine that uses rotating

spindles to pluck seed
cotton from the plant,

it's then blown up into the basket.

Once the basket is full, the
picker dumps the seed cotton

into a module builder, which
creates a compact brick

of seed cotton, weighing in at
approximately 220 kilograms.

Meaning that, today, the growing
of cotton is a productive,

and now civilized, part of
North Carolina's economy.

The first picking machines
were only capable of harvesting

one row of cotton at a time,
but became practical in 1944.

As we can see, the current
cotton picker can harvest

six rows at a time.

And, as we look at this
remarkable and fascinating machine

in action in the North Carolina landscape,

it's the perfect place
to end this journey.

(dramatic music)