All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S04E03.1080p.DSCP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[eng]

Narrator:
THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES
CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER NEW,
MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

[ BEEPING, DISTORTED MUSIC ]

LABYRINTHS, CODES, AND WITCHES
IN THE HEART OF ENGLAND...

I WAS STRUCK IMMEDIATELY
BY THE SYMBOLISM.

ONE, MAYBE TWO,
I'VE RECOGNIZED.

...THE MYSTERIOUS HEALING POWERS
OF THE LAKE FROM MARS...

WHAT IS THIS?

AM I LOOKING AT
AN ALIEN LANDSCAPE?

NO.
THIS IS RIGHT HERE.

...AND THE TREASURE SHIP
THAT APPEARS FROM NOWHERE.

THIS SHIP IS RUMORED
TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN OVER

BY HORDES

OF CANNIBAL RATS.

BAFFLING PHENOMENA.

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

[ BEEPING ]
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]
[ WHIRRING ]

[ BEEPING ]

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, ENGLAND.

[ HEARTBEAT ]
[ WHIRRING ]

IN THE SPRING OF 1944,

A RECONNAISSANCE PLANE
PHOTOGRAPHS

A SET OF CONCENTRIC CIRCLES

SEEMINGLY ETCHED
INTO THE GROUND.

OVER 70 YEARS LATER,
THE GRAINY IMAGE STILL BAFFLES.

IT LOOKS REALLY ODD.

IT'S REALLY QUITE INTRIGUING.

WHY WOULD THERE BE THESE ALMOST
PERFECT CONCENTRIC CIRCLES

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANDSCAPE?

Gough:
THIS IS SO WEIRD.

IT REMINDS ME OF CROP MARKS.

EXCEPT THERE ARE NO CROPS
TO MAKE THE MARK IN.

IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH
IT'S BEEN INSCRIBED

INTO THE GROUND ITSELF.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE IT LOOKS
LIKE A GIANT SYMBOL.

BUT, IF SO,
WHAT COULD IT MEAN?

YOU HAVE TO RECOGNIZE
IMMEDIATELY THAT

IT'S A WARTIME IMAGE

AND IF IT WAS TAKEN THEN
AND IT WAS TAKEN FROM THE AIR,

WHO TOOK IT?

**

Narrator:
WARTIME MAPS REVEAL
SEVERAL RAF AIRFIELDS NEARBY,

BUT THERE'S NO OBVIOUS
REASON AN ALLIED PLANE

WOULD PHOTOGRAPH
ITS OWN BACKYARD.

SUSPICION FALLS ON THE ENEMY.

EVEN IN 1944, THE LUFTWAFFE
WAS CARRYING OUT

PHOTO RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS
OVER THE UNITED KINGDOM

ON A REGULAR BASIS.

Narrator:
JUST 30 MILES TO THE SOUTH
OF THE MYSTERIOUS CIRCLES

LIES BLETCHLEY PARK,
[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]

THE CENTER FOR ALLIED
CODEBREAKING.

HERE, CRYPTOGRAPHERS BUILT
THE MACHINE WHICH CRACKED

THE NAZIS' SUPPOSEDLY
UNBREAKABLE ENIGMA CODE.

THE FACT THAT THEY WERE UP
THERE, PHOTOGRAPHING THIS SPOT,

DANGEROUSLY CLOSE
TO BLETCHLEY PARK,

IT CERTAINLY INDICATES
THAT THE GERMANS KNEW

THAT SOMETHING WAS UP THERE AND
THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR IT.

Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER IF THIS
GIANT SYMBOL COULD BE A MARKER,

CARVED BY NAZI SPIES TO GUIDE
ENEMY BOMBERS TOWARDS BLETCHLEY.

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

ALMOST EVERY NATION INVOLVED

HAD CONCERNS
OF FIFTH-COLUMN ACTIVITY,

MEANING THAT THERE WOULD BE
A COHORT OF PEOPLE

LIVING WITHIN THE COUNTRY THAT
WERE HELPING THE ENEMY DIRECTLY,

AND THAT WAS CERTAINLY
THE CASE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

[ BIRDS CHIRPING ]

WE DO KNOW THAT NAZI
SYMPATHIZERS

DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR

WOULD USE CERTAIN MARKINGS
IN THE LANDSCAPE

TO KIND OF TIP OFF THE NAZIS.

Narrator:
BUT THE CIRCULAR FORMATION
IS 390 FEET WIDE,

SURELY TOO BIG TO BE
A CLANDESTINE SYMBOL.

EVEN CREATING THIS TYPE OF THING

WOULD CERTAINLY ATTRACT
A LOT OF ATTENTION.

Narrator:
HISTORIAN ANDREW GOUGH DOESN'T
BUY THE LUFTWAFFE THEORY.

HE CHECKS WITH AN ARCHIVE
IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

WHAT THEY TELL HIM
CONFIRMS HIS HUNCH.

I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH

AND, ACTUALLY, IT TURNS OUT
THAT THIS PHOTO,

IT WASN'T TAKEN
BY THE GERMANS AT ALL.

IT WAS PROBABLY TAKEN
BY A U.S. PILOT.

I DON'T THINK THIS IS THE WORK
OF THE FIFTH-COLUMNIST.

IT LOOKS MORE ANCIENT THAN THAT.

I'M WONDERING IF THIS IS SOME
SORT OF PREHISTORIC SITE.

Narrator:
GOUGH KNOWS CIRCLES WERE COMMON
SYMBOLS IN PREHISTORIC BRITAIN.

PEOPLE OFTEN BUILT
CIRCULAR STRUCTURES.

NOT JUST THE WELL-KNOWN
STONE CIRCLES,

BUT YOU ALSO HAVE
HENGE MONUMENTS.

IT'S CLEARLY UBIQUITOUS
IN PREHISTORIC LIFE

THAT PEOPLE WERE
OBSESSED WITH CIRCLES.

Narrator:
BUT GOUGH'S CLOSER INSPECTION OF
THE AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE IMAGE

REVEALS EVIDENCE THAT
THE BAFFLING CIRCULAR SYMBOL

MAY HAVE BEEN CREATED
MORE RECENTLY.

TO THE SOUTH, ANDREW PINPOINTS
A CROSS-SHAPED BUILDING

WHICH HE DISCOVERS WAS BUILT
FOR A MYSTERIOUS TUDOR NOBLEMAN:

SIR THOMAS TRESHAM,
WHO ALSO OWNED THE LAND

WHERE THE CIRCULAR
FORMATION IS FOUND.

**

HE HEADS FOR NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
TO INVESTIGATE.

**

LOOK AT THIS THING.

IT'S LIKE IT'S BEEN TELEPORTED.

IT'S LIKE IT'S BEEN
BURNT TO THE GROUND,

BUT THERE'S NO SCORCH MARKS.

WHAT IS IT DOING HERE?

**

Narrator:
AS THE SIZE OF THE
BUILDING SUGGESTS,

THOMAS TRESHAM WAS A MAN
WITH BIG AMBITIONS.

HE WAS ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST
LANDOWNERS IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

AND WAS LOATHED AND FEARED
BY HIS PEASANTS.

HE HAD A PRETTY BAD REPUTATION
AMONGST THE LOCALS.

THERE WAS A RIOT THAT TOOK
PLACE OUTSIDE OF HIS HOUSE

AND, APPARENTLY,
SOME HEDGES WERE DESTROYED.

SIR THOMAS TRESHAM WAS
SO ANGERED BY THIS

THAT HE ENDED UP EXECUTING

50 OF THE PEOPLE
WHO PERPETRATED THIS ATTACK.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT,
KILLING 50 PEOPLE

JUST FOR WRECKING YOUR HEDGES?

[ FLAMES CRACKLING ]
[ SHOUTING ]

Narrator:
THIS IS A DANGEROUS TIME
TO BE ALIVE.

THERE ARE SO MANY PLOTS
AGAINST TRESHAM'S QUEEN,

ELIZABETH I,

SHE NEEDS HER OWN SPYMASTER:
FRANCIS WALSINGHAM.

HE'S KIND OF
LIKE THE NSA

OR LIKE
AN FBI AGENT TODAY.

WALSINGHAM EMPLOYS A TEAM
OF CRYPTOGRAPHERS.

THEY INTERCEPT CODED LETTERS

UNCOVERING CONSPIRACIES
AGAINST THE QUEEN.

**

GOUGH WONDERS IF THE SYMBOLS
CARVED ONTO THIS LODGE

COULD BE A REBEL TUDOR CODE.

Gough:
I WAS STRUCK IMMEDIATELY
BY THE SYMBOLISM.

IT'S SO WEIRD.

I MEAN, YOU HAVE THESE
THREE IMAGES

REPEATING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

[ FLASHBULBS EXPLODING ]

I'VE SEEN THESE BEFORE.

AND THEN YOU HAVE THESE
REALLY CURIOUS RELIEFS UP HERE

AND THEY'RE IN GROUPS OF SEVEN
AND THEY JUST KEEP REPEATING.

ONE, MAYBE TWO, I'VE RECOGNIZED.
THEY'RE CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS.

THE REST OF THEM,
DON'T THINK SO.

MAYBE ONE OR TWO ARE
COAT OF ARMS, BUT THE OTHERS,

THIS IS CRAZY.

Narrator:
IF TRESHAM'S SYMBOLS
ARE A CODED MESSAGE,

THEN GOUGH CONSIDERS IF
THE NEARBY CONCENTRIC RINGS

COULD BE PART
OF THE SAME SECRET CODE.

HE CROSSES THE FIELD
TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.

**

FROM GROUND LEVEL, THE CIRCULAR
PATTERN IS MORE CLEARLY DEFINED.

SOMEONE HAS MOWED PATHWAYS,

HIGHLIGHTING THE TUDOR
RINGS BENEATH.

LOOKS LIKE SOME KIND OF PATH,
CURVING AROUND,

BUT THIS IS FRESHLY CUT.

IT'S SYMMETRICAL.
SOMEONE'S TAKING CARE OF THIS.

SOMEONE'S LOOKING AFTER IT.

LOOK AT THAT.

WITH AN ENTRANCE AND AN EXIT,
THIS HAS GOT TO BE...

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]
...A LABYRINTH.

Narrator:
GOUGH KNOWS THAT LABYRINTHS
HAD A SPECIAL PLACE

IN THE TUDOR WORLD.

THEY WERE USUALLY RESERVED
FOR THE INTERIORS

OF GRAND CHURCHES
OR CATHEDRALS.

BUT THIS LABYRINTH
IS MILES FROM ANY CHURCH,

CARVED INTO A MEADOW.

IT WILL NEED ALL HIS
INVESTIGATIVE SKILLS

TO UNRAVEL THIS MYSTERY.

[ WHIRRING ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]
COMING UP...

SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENING
IN THE WILDERNESS...

IT'S LIKE A "GHOSTBUSTERS"
MOVIE GOING OFF ON YOU.

...AND ANDREW GOUGH SETS OUT
TO BREAK THE CODE.

THE GUY IS OBSESSED
WITH THE NUMBER THREE.

HE'S TRYING
TO TELL US SOMETHING,

BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]
[ WHIRRING ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator:
ANDREW GOUGH IS IN
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, ENGLAND,

INVESTING A 70-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY.

A WARTIME AERIAL
RECONNAISSANCE PHOTOGRAPH

OF A BAFFLING CIRCULAR SYMBOL

HAS LED HIM
TO THE LYVEDEN ESTATE,

WITH ITS STRANGE LABYRINTH

AND TUDOR HUNTING LODGE
ADORNED WITH SECRET SYMBOLS.

**

NOW, GOUGH LEARNS IT'S NOT THE
ONLY MYSTERIOUS STRUCTURE BUILT

FOR TYRANT SIR THOMAS TRESHAM.

LYVEDEN WAS AMAZING.

NOW, SOMEONE TELLS ME THERE'S
ANOTHER LODGE OF TRESHAM'S

NOT FAR FROM HERE,
AND IT'S TRIANGULAR.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS,
BUT I'VE GOTTA CHECK IT OUT.

Narrator:
GOUGH IMMEDIATELY CONFIRMS

THE WALLS FORM
AN EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE

AND ITS ARCHITECTURAL
FEATURES ARE IN TRIPLICATE.

THERE'S THREE WINDOWS, AND EACH
OF THE WINDOWS HAS THREE PANELS.

AND THERE'S THE NUMBER 3
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

THE GUY IS OBSESSED
WITH THE NUMBER THREE.

HE'S TRYING TO TELL US
SOMETHING.

**

Narrator:
GOUGH ARRANGES TO MEET
EMILIE MURPHY,

AN EXPERT IN TUDOR
CODES AND SYMBOLS.

HE SUSPECTS TRESHAM'S LABYRINTH
AND HIS ECCENTRIC BUILDINGS

MUST CARRY HIDDEN MEANINGS.

SIR TRESHAM, IS THIS ABOUT SOME
KIND OF SECRET SOCIETY OR A CULT

OR IS IT ACTUALLY WITCHCRAFT?

WELL, WITCHCRAFT AND THE OCCULT

WAS A HUGE CONCERN
FOR THE AUTHORITIES.

FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN ELIZABETH I
WAS VISITING NORWICH IN 1578,

THEY UNCOVERED A BODY
THAT HAD BEEN BURIED

WITH THREE WAX FIGURES.

ONE OF THEM WAS CLEARLY MEANT
TO REPRESENT ELIZABETH.

IT HAD "ELIZABETH" CARVED
ONTO THE FOREHEAD.

AND ALL OVER THE WAX FIGURES
WERE KIND OF

WEIRD KIND OF SYMBOLS

AND WITCHCRAFT
WAS THE CONCLUSION.

Narrator:
GOUGH LEARNS TRESHAM SPENT
15 YEARS INCARCERATED

IN A BRUTAL TUDOR JAIL,
NOT FOR PRACTICING WITCHCRAFT,

BUT FOR BEING A CATHOLIC.

WAIT. HANG ON.

CATHOLICISM IS WORSE
THAN WITCHCRAFT?

CATHOLICISM
WAS EVEN MORE FEARED

BY THE GOVERNMENT
THAN WITCHCRAFT.

-RIGHT.
-BEING CATHOLIC MEANT

THAT YOU WERE OBEYING
A FOREIGN POWER.

ELIZABETH WAS THE HEAD
OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

IF YOU WERE A CATHOLIC,

IT MEANT THAT YOU WERE
SUPPORTING THE POPE.

Narrator:
IN THE LATE 16th CENTURY,

ENGLAND'S CATHOLICS
WERE THE ENEMY WITHIN,

SECRETLY PLOTTING TO BRING DOWN
THE PROTESTANT QUEEN.

SO, TODAY, WE THINK
OF CONSPIRACY

AS IN CODES AND PLOTS
AND THINGS LIKE THIS.

THIS IS THE STUFF OF NOVELS
AND FANTASY FILMS.

BUT, REALLY, AT THAT TIME,
IT WAS THE STUFF OF REALITY.

I MEAN, YOUR RELIGION
COULD CAUSE YOUR DEATH.

**

Narrator:
NOW, GOUGH CAN PIECE
TOGETHER THE MEANINGS

OF THE CODED EVIDENCE
ON THE GROUND.

TRESHAM'S HUNTING LODGE
REPRESENTS A CRUCIFIX.

[ EERIE MUSIC PLAYS ]

**

THE EMBLEM IHS IS
THE SIGNATURE OF THE JESUITS,

THE CATHOLIC ORDER KNOWN
AS THE POPE'S FOOT SOLDIERS.

**

THE TRIANGULAR LODGE
IS A REPRESENTATION

OF THE HOLY TRINITY.

AND THE LABYRINTH IS A CODED
INVITATION TO CATHOLIC PRAYER.

YOU OFTEN SAW THEM IN CATHOLIC
CATHEDRALS IN EUROPE.

THEY WERE KIND OF
A MANIFESTATION OF A PILGRIMAGE

AS A SYMBOLIC JOURNEY
OF YOUR PENANCE.

I MEAN, TRESHAM WAS BEING VERY
BOLD IN WHAT HE WAS DOING.

HE WAS PUTTING HIS RELIGION
OUT THERE AT A TIME

THAT YOU COULD BE BURNED
FOR HAVING A CERTAIN BELIEF

THAT WAS WRONG ACCORDING TO WHO
WAS ON THE THRONE AT THE TIME.

Narrator:
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE
LABYRINTH COMES TO THE FORE

WHEN INVESTIGATORS
CONFIRM THE ESTATE

WAS STILL UNDER
CONSTRUCTION IN 1605,

THE SAME YEAR AS THE NOTORIOUS
CATHOLIC-BACKED

GUNPOWDER PLOT TO BLOW UP
BRITISH PARLIAMENT.

[ FLAMES CRACKLING ]

"REMEMBER, REMEMBER!
THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER.

THE GUNPOWDER,
THE TREASON, THE PLOT".

I MEAN, THIS WAS THE PLOT THAT
WAS SUPPOSED TO KILL KING JAMES

AND AGAIN PUT SOMEONE
ON THE THRONE

WHO WOULD REESTABLISH
CATHOLICISM AS THE RELIGION.

Narrator:
SO COULD THE LABYRINTH
IDENTIFIED

IN THE WARTIME
RECONNAISSANCE IMAGE

BE LESS OF A CALL TO PRAYER
THAN A CALL TO ARMS?

HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS
SHED NO LIGHT

ON THOMAS TRESHAM'S
INVOLVEMENT IN THE PLOT.

BUT THEY DO REVEAL HIS SON
FRANCIS TRESHAM

WAS ONE OF THE CONSPIRATORS.

CATHOLICS DURING
THIS TIME PERIOD

WERE TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING
THEY COULD TO OVERTHROW

THE PROTESTANT
RULERS OF THE LAND.

SO IS THIS SYMBOL
AN ATTEMPT AT KIND OF

INCITING SOME TYPE
OF AN INSURRECTION

OR IS THIS SIMPLY AN EXPRESSION
OF HIS DEVOUT CATHOLIC FAITH?

IT'S A QUESTION WE'LL NEVER BE
ABLE TO ANSWER FOR SURE.

[ BEEPING ]

**

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP...

A GHOST SHIP HAUNTS
A CALIFORNIA BEACH.

WHERE HAS THIS THING BEEN
FOR GOD KNOWS HOW MANY YEARS?

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator:
FEBRUARY 2016.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

A MARITIME APPARITION SHOCKS
SUNSEEKERS ON CORONADO BEACH.

A SHIP DOESN'T JUST APPEAR
OUT OF THIN AIR OVERNIGHT.

Narrator:
SATELLITE ANALYSTS SCAN IMAGES
OF THE BEACH TAKEN PREVIOUSLY,

BUT FIND NO CLUES TO EXPLAIN
ITS SUDDEN APPEARANCE.

ONE MINUTE, IT'S NOT THERE,

AND THEN, THE NEXT MINUTE,
IT'S THERE.

Narrator:
LOCAL NEWS REPORTS SUGGEST
THE TANTALIZING POSSIBILITY

OF TREASURE ONBOARD,
BUT THE BIGGEST MYSTERY

IS THE SIMPLEST.
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

HOW DID IT GET HERE?

[ WIND WHIPPING ]

THE NIGHT BEFORE,

A MAJOR EL NIÑO-CLASS STORM
BATTERS CALIFORNIA'S COASTLINE.

EL NIÑO IS A PERIODIC
WEATHER PATTERN

THAT CAN BRING WITH IT
BIG WINDS AND RAIN,

AND CALIFORNIA'S BEACHES WERE
PUMMELED WITH GALE-FORCE WINDS.

Chamberlain:
IF YOU GET CAUGHT
IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF WIND

FROM AN EL NIÑO,
THAT'S SERIOUS BUSINESS.

THESE GALE-FORCE WINDS
MAY HAVE CRASHED THIS SHIP

INTO THE SHORE.

Narrator:
BUT A REVIEW OF
THE SHIPPING BULLETINS

CASTS DOUBT ON THIS IDEA.

THERE HAD BEEN NO REPORTS
TO THE COAST GUARD

OF A SHIP IN DISTRESS.

THIS BOAT IS 300 FEET LONG,
SO YOU WOULD THINK THAT,

IF THERE WAS SOMEONE
LIVING ON IT,

THEY WOULD'VE CALLED IN
A DISTRESS SIGNAL.

Narrator:
THE MYSTERY DEEPENS WHEN
A DETAILED EXAMINATION

OF THE AERIAL IMAGES REVEALS
THIS SHIP IS SERIOUSLY OLD.

IF YOU LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER,
YOU CAN SEE THAT

THIS IS NOT A NEW SHIP.

IT'S BARELY HELD TOGETHER.

IT BELONGS A BYGONE ERA,
SO THE QUESTION IS:

WHERE HAS THIS THING BEEN
FOR GOD KNOWS HOW MANY YEARS?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

**

Narrator:
INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER
THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE VESSEL

MAY BE A PHANTOM CRAFT
ABANDONED ON THE WAVES.

GHOST SHIPS AREN'T JUST FROM
HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS.

THEY'RE ACTUALLY REAL.

**

[ WHIRRING ]
THERE ARE LOTS OF TALES

OF SHIPS AND OTHER VESSELS

THAT HAVE BEEN LEFT
ABANDONED AT SEA.

**

Narrator:
FROM CLOSE ANALYSIS
OF THE AERIAL IMAGES,

INVESTIGATORS CALCULATE
THE MYSTERY SHIP

IS THE SAME LENGTH
AS THE NOTORIOUS

RUSSIAN GHOST SHIP
THE LYUBOV ORLOVA...

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

DESERTED IN 2013
ON ITS FINAL VOYAGE

FROM NEWFOUNDLAND
TO THE CARIBBEAN.

IT WAS BEING TOWED
AWAY FOR SCRAP

AND, ALONG THE WAY,
THE TOWLINE BROKE

AND, NOW, THIS SHIP
IS FLOATING IN THE OCEAN.

THIS SHIP IS RUMORED
TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN OVER

BY HORDES OF CANNIBAL RATS.

Chamberlain:
I MEAN, THERE'S NOTHING ELSE
TO EAT, RIGHT?

SO IMAGINE THIS GIANT SHIP
FULL OF THESE RAVENOUS HORDES

OF CANNIBAL RATS

APPEARING ON YOUR LOCAL BEACH,
RIGHT WHERE YOU LIVE.

EW!

Narrator:
BUT MANY DOUBT
THE LYUBOV ORLOVA

COULD'VE MADE IT ALL THE WAY
TO CALIFORNIA ON ITS OWN.

PROBLEM IS THAT
THE RUSSIAN CRUISELINER

WAS LEFT IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN,

SO, UNLESS THOSE RATS HAVE SOME
NAVIGATIONAL ABILITIES

THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE, IT WOULD
BE A PRETTY AMAZING FEAT

FOR IT TO GET ALL THE WAY
TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN

AND WASH UP IN CALIFORNIA.

**

Narrator:
WITH THE AID OF
THE WorldView-2 SATELLITE,

ANALYST AMANDA MARCHETTI
USES MULTISPECTRAL ANALYSIS

TO FURTHER PROBE THE LOCATION.

I THINK I CAN PEER THROUGH USING
THE MULTISPECTRAL TECHNOLOGY

TO ACTUALLY PEER
INTO THE WATER COLUMN

AND REALLY GET A FULL VIEW
OF THE WRECKAGE.

Narrator:
THE SATELLITE SENSORS PICK UP
SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS

THAT THE HUMAN EYE CAN'T SEE,
REVEALING THE INVISIBLE.

IT'S SOMEWHAT INTACT,

[chuckling] WHICH MEANS
IT'S PROBABLY BEEN BURIED

FOR THE MAJORITY OF ITS TIME
ON THIS BEACH,

BUT, BECAUSE OF THE SIGNIFICANT
EROSION THAT'S OCCURRING

WITH THE EL NIÑO EVENT
DURING THIS TIME PERIOD,

I CAN EASILY SEE THAT
THE WRECKAGE WAS EXPOSED

AND, NOW, IT'S RAPIDLY
BEING BURIED AGAIN.

Narrator:
BEFORE THE SANDS ONCE AGAIN
COVER THE WRECK,

GROUND-LEVEL EXAMINATION
REVEALS AN IMPORTANT CLUE:

THIS SHIP APPEARS TO BE MADE
FROM CONCRETE, NOT STEEL.

WHEN INVESTIGATORS CROSSCHECK
THIS UNUSUAL DESIGN

WITH RECORDS
AT THE SAN DIEGO ARCHIVES,

THEY MAKE A BREAKTHROUGH.

IT WAS ONE OF 12
EXPERIMENTAL VESSELS

BUILT FOR THE U.S. QUARTERMASTER
CORPS DURING WORLD WAR I,

WHEN STEEL WAS IN SHORT SUPPLY.

CONCRETE IS HEAVY,

BUT IF MOLDED CORRECTLY,
CONCRETE SHIPS DO FLOAT.

THIS ONE STAYED IN SERVICE
FOR JUST 2 YEARS

BEFORE IT WAS DECOMMISSIONED
AND SOLD ON.

IT TURNS OUT THIS SHIP
IS ACTUALLY AN OIL TANKER

THAT WAS TAKEN OVER
BY THE MOB IN THE 1930s.

Narrator:
THE MOB ISN'T INTERESTED IN OIL.

[ FLASHBULB EXPLODES ]
THEY RENAME THE VESSEL

THE SS MONTE CARLO
AND LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL.

[ JAZZ PLAYS ]
Sanford: THIS SHIP HAD IT ALL,

WHEN IT CAME TO ILLICIT THINGS.

IT WAS A FLOATING CASINO,

A BROTHEL,

AND A SPEAKEASY.

IT WAS A SHIP OF SIN.

**

Narrator:
MOB BOSSES ARE CAREFUL TO KEEP
THEIR SHIP FAR ENOUGH OFFSHORE

TO AVOID PROSECUTION.

[ HORN BLOWS ]

AN INDIVIDUAL COULD TRAVEL
ON THIS SHIP,

OUT INTO INTERNATIONAL WATERS,
AND INDULGE ALL OF THEIR VICES

AND THEY COULD DO SO
SAFELY AND LEGALLY.

Narrator:
IN ITS HEYDAY, 15,000 PEOPLE
VISIT THE SS MONTE CARLO

EVERY WEEK.

THE MOB MAKES AN ESTIMATED
$3 MILLION A YEAR.

THE LEVEL OF DEPRAVITY GOING ON
ON THIS SHIP WAS SO GREAT

THAT THERE WERE LOCAL
RELIGIOUS GROUPS

WHO ACTUALLY PRAYED
FOR IT TO SINK.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

Narrator:
ON NEW YEAR'S DAY 1937,

THOSE PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED.

A BIG STORM BROKE THE SHIP
FREE OF ITS MOORINGS.

IT DRIFTED OFFSHORE AND THEN
WAS PUSHED BACK INTO THE BEACH.

Narrator:
BATTERED BY THE SURF,
THE SHIP IS ABANDONED.

**

THE MOB DOESN'T WANT
TO CLAIM IT

AND THE GOVERNMENT
DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY

TO ACTUALLY PAY TO REMOVE IT,
SO IT JUST SAT THERE.

Narrator:
BY 1940, THE SANDS
SWALLOW THE WRECK,

BUT THE MIGHTY STORM
NEARLY 8 DECADES LATER

GIVES THE SS MONTE CARLO
ANOTHER DAY IN THE SUN.

79 YEARS AFTER IT WAS LOST,
THIS POWERFUL EL NIÑO STORM

SCOURED THE SITE
OF WRECK OF THIS SHIP

AND REVEALED IT ONCE AGAIN.

**

Narrator:
IN ONE FINAL TWIST...

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
...IT EMERGES THAT

LOCAL TREASURE HUNTERS
RETRIEVED A HOARD

OF SILVER COINS FROM THE WRECK
WHEN IT FIRST CAME ASHORE.

**

SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT THERE IS
STILL $100,000 OF SILVER COINS

IN THE WRECKAGE OF THIS SHIP.

AND NOW THAT IT'S UNCOVERED,
IT RAISES QUESTIONS

ABOUT PEOPLE GOING BACK
OUT TO THE SITE

AND DIGGING AROUND IN IT
TO FIND THE REST OF THESE COINS.

AND, IF THEY DO FIND SOMETHING,
THE BIGGER QUESTION IS:

WHO DOES THAT
TREASURE BELONG TO?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP...

A SPOOKY VILLAGE THAT DIED
AND NEVER CHANGED...

HOW DO YOU THINK SO LITTLE
OF YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEING

THAT YOU WOULD DO THAT?

...AND A MYSTERIOUS LAKE
BRINGS MARS TO PLANET EARTH.

LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING THAT MIGHT
COME OFF OF THE COVER

OF A SCI-FI NOVEL
DEPICTING AN ALIEN PLANET.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

[ BEEP ]

[ WHIRRING ]
Narrator: JULY 2016.

THE GeoEye SATELLITE PASSES

OVER A REMOTE VALLEY
IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

AND PHOTOGRAPHS
A DRIED-UP LAKE BED

PEPPERED WITH HUNDREDS
OF SHIMMERING POOLS.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

IT'S ABSOLUTELY ASTOUNDING.

YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS,
GOING, "WHAT IS THIS?

AM I LOOKING
AT AN ALIEN LANDSCAPE?"

IT'S RIDDLED WITH CRATERS,
JUST LIKE THE MOON,

BUT THEY'RE SMALL
AND LIGHTLY COLORED

AND ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT
SIZES AND SHAPES.

Narrator:
THE DRY LAKE IS MORE
THAN 2,000 FEET LONG

AND IS WIDER THAN
FIVE FOOTBALL FIELDS.

WITHIN IT ARE OVER 300
GLISTENING POOLS.

FROM A SCIENTIST PERSPECTIVE,

THIS LAKE IS
PARTICULARLY UNUSUAL.

TO SEE A WHITE CRUST
IS PRETTY TYPICAL,

BUT THIS IS REALLY UNUSUAL,

WITH THESE LITTLE CIRCULAR
DEPRESSIONS WITHIN THE LAKE.

IT'S A LITTLE WEIRD.

Narrator:
EXPLORER GEORGE KOUROUNIS
HAS SEEN HUNDREDS OF LAKES

THE WORLD OVER,

BUT NONE LIKE THIS.

IT REMINDS ME OF A SALT LAKE,

BUT THAT DOESN'T
EXPLAIN THESE CIRCLES.

THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE GOING
ON HERE, SOMETHING UNIQUE.

Narrator:
THIS LAKE LOOKS LIKE IT
SHOULDN'T EXIST ON PLANET EARTH,

BUT, WEIRDLY, IT LOOKS
LIKE LAKES THAT EXIST --

OR USED TO EXIST --
ON MARS.

**

MARS APPEARS DRY NOW,
BUT IT DOES HAVE WATER

AND IT ONCE HAD A LOT MORE,
COVERED IN LAKES LIKE THIS ONE.

**

WHAT'S SITTING IN THIS LAKE
COULD PROVIDE VALUABLE CLUES

ABOUT THE SECRETS OF MARS.

**

-HELLO!
-AMY!

Narrator:
KOUROUNIS CONTACTS SPACE
RESEARCHER AMY SHIRA TEITEL.

FROM WHAT I KNOW
ABOUT THIS LAKE,

THIS MIGHT BE ANALOGOUS
TO WHAT MARS USED TO BE

WHEN IT WAS A WET PLANET,

INSTEAD OF THE DEAD,
DRY ONE WE'VE GOT NOW.

IF WE CAN FIND ANY SIGNS
OF LIFE THERE,

THAT MIGHT HELP US UNDERSTAND

WHETHER OR NOT THERE COULD'VE
BEEN LIFE ON ANCIENT MARS.

Narrator:
THIS STRANGE LAKE FROM MARS
SITS IN TERRITORY CONTROLLED

BY THE INDIGENOUS
OKANOGAN PEOPLE,

WHO REGARD THE LAKE AS SPECIAL.

THE OKANOGAN BELIEVE THIS LAKE
HAS A LOT OF HEALING POWERS.

Narrator:
THERE IS A LIMIT
TO WHAT CAN BE GATHERED

FROM THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

BUT KOUROUNIS IS CONVINCED THAT,
IF HE CAN GO ONSITE

AND EXAMINE
THE SPOTTED LAKE UP CLOSE,

HE MAY BE ABLE TO DETERMINE HOW
THE WEIRD CIRCLES WERE FORMED

AND SHED LIGHT ON THE SUPPOSEDLY
MAGICAL PROPERTIES OF THE WATER.

BUT, FIRST, HE HAS TO VISIT
THE HEADQUARTERS

OF THE OKANOGAN NATION ALLIANCE

TO GET PERMISSION
FROM THE ELDERS.

OUR LEADERSHIP ARE VERY
ACTIVE IN ITS PROTECTION.

WE LIKE TO BE INVOLVED
IN EVERYTHING

AND IF THERE IS NOT AGREEMENT,
THERE'S NOT AGREEMENT.

**

Narrator:
AFTER AN ANXIOUS FEW HOURS...

[ RING ]
...KOUROUNIS GETS THE PHONE CALL

HE'S BEEN WAITING FOR.

YOU HAVE
GOOD NEWS FOR ME?

OH, THAT'S GREAT!

KOUROUNIS HAS PERMISSION
TO GO TO THE SPOTTED LAKE.

BUT, AS HE APPROACHES,

IT DOESN'T APPEAR AS IT DOES
IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

**

THE WATER LEVEL HAS RISEN
SIGNIFICANTLY.

THERE HAVE BEEN HEAVY RAINS,
BUT, FOR SOME REASON,

THOSE RAINS HAVE NOT
DRAINED AWAY,

AS THEY WOULD
IN MANY OTHER LAKES.

**

[ BEEP ]
[ ROTORS WHIRRING ]

KOUROUNIS USES A DRONE
TO GET A BETTER LOOK

AT THE UNEARTHLY SPOTS.

SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED
AN EYE IN THE SKY.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

KOUROUNIS ARRANGES TO MEET
LEON LOUIS, AN OKANOGAN ELDER,

TO FIND OUT IF THE LEGENDS
OF THIS ANCIENT PEOPLE

CAN SHED ANY LIGHT
ON THE ORIGIN OF THE LAKE.

Louis: OKAY.

YOU TAKE THE TOBACCO IN YOUR
LEFT HAND, 'CAUSE THAT'S --

Narrator:
BUT, FIRST, THEY MAKE
AN OFFERING TO THE WATERS.

[ SPEAKING
INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE ]

**

GO AHEAD.

AND I THANK YOU
FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.

**

Narrator:
LOUIS TELLS KOUROUNIS
THE LAKE IS PART

OF THE OKANOGAN'S
CREATION MYTH,

THE STORY THAT EXPLAINS HOW
THE WORLD CAME INTO BEING.

IT IS SAID THAT COYOTE,
A GODLIKE CREATURE,

WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UNIQUE
APPEARANCE OF THE POOLS.

THEY WERE FORMED WHEN HE
DROPPED SOME BUFFALO MEAT

AND BONES INTO THE LAKE.

IT STARTED TO BOIL.

AND SO,
WHEN IT STARTED TO BOIL,

ALL THAT BROTH CAME UP HERE.

AND, IF YOU'VE EVER
BOILED MEAT

AND YOU SEE ALL
THOSE LITTLE CIRCLES,

WELL, THIS IS THE MEDICINE

OF THE BUFFALO.
-OH.

THAT'S HOW THIS LAKE WAS MADE.

Narrator:
ACCORDING TO OKANOGAN LEGEND,

EACH COLORED POOL
HAS A UNIQUE MEDICAL POWER.

Louis:
THERE'S 365 CIRCLES
HERE IN THIS LAKE.

EACH CIRCLE HAS A DIFFERENT
HEALING PROPERTY TO IT.

SO, IF YOU HAVE WARTS,
YOU MIGHT GO TO ONE TO HEAL;

AND IF YOU HAVE A BODY ACHE
OR ANOTHER AILMENT,

YOU MIGHT GO TO ANOTHER.

AMONG THE MANY UNUSUAL
FEATURES OF THIS LAKE...

[ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS ]
...IS THE TOPOGRAPHY,

HOW IT LIES IN THE LANDSCAPE.

THE KEY TO THIS LAKE
IS THAT IT'S A LAKE

THAT REALLY DOESN'T
HAVE ANY OUTFLOW,

EVEN IN TERMS OF GROUNDWATER.

IT'S THE WATER THAT GETS
INTO THIS THING STAYS PUT.

Narrator:
WHAT'S UNUSUAL ABOUT THIS LAKE

IS THAT THERE ARE
NO STREAMS FLOWING INTO IT

AND THERE ARE NO STREAMS
FLOWING OUT OF IT.

THE LAKES LIES AT THE BOTTOM
OF A SEALED, HOLLOW BASIN.

NORMALLY, THE WATER CYCLE
GOES FROM THE HILLS

INTO STREAMS, INTO RIVERS,
INTO THE OCEAN,

BUT, BECAUSE IT'S A CLOSED
SYSTEM IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES,

THE MELTWATER FROM
THE SNOWPACK IN THE WINTER

RUNS DOWN THE HILLS,

PICKING UP SALT ON THE WAY
INTO THE LAGOON,

BUT THERE'S NOWHERE
FOR THE WATER TO GO,

EXCEPT FOR THROUGH EVAPORATION.

Narrator:
WHEN IN HIGH SUMMER,
MOST OF THE WATER EVAPORATES.

IT LEAVES BEHIND MARTIAN-STYLE,
MULTICOLORED,

INTENSELY SALINE, BRINE POOLS.

SO THE REASON THEY'RE DIFFERENT
COLORS IS BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT

DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS
AND MIXTURES OF SALTS.

WHEN THE WATER RUNS OFF OF
A PARTICULAR PART OF THE HILL,

MAYBE THERE'S A GYPSUM SALT
AND IT PULLS A LOT

OF THAT GYPSUM SALT
INTO ONE OF THE PONDS;

AND ANOTHER PART OF THE HILL

HAS A DIFFERENT
KIND OF MINERAL SALT

AND THAT'LL PULL IT
INTO A DIFFERENT POND.

Narrator:
THE WATER FOUND IN EACH POOL

RETAINS A DISTINCTIVE
MINERAL PROFILE.

SOME POOLS, KOUROUNIS LEARNS,
CONTAIN EPSOM SALTS,

WHICH TREAT RHEUMATISM
AND ARTHRITIS.

FOR OKANOGAN HEALERS,
THE COLOR OF EACH POOL

INDICATES WHICH MINERAL
IS PRESENT.

FIRST NATIONS DOCTORS
WOULD'VE ACTUALLY USED THEM

AS A PRESCRIPTION PAD.

Narrator:
BUT THIS ISN'T
THE MOST SURPRISING THING

ABOUT SPOTTED LAKE.

THE WATERS HERE HAVE AMONG
THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATIONS

OF SULFATES ANYWHERE
IN THE WORLD.

IT'S LIKE A CHUNK OF MARS
HAS SOMEHOW BROKEN OFF

AND TRAVELED 33 MILLION MILES.

AND WHAT'S EXCITING IS THAT
SCIENTISTS BELIEVE

THIS MARTIAN-TYPE LAKE COULD
CONTAIN MARTIAN-TYPE LIFE.

ANALYSIS OF WATER
FROM SPOTTED LAKE

REVEALS THAT TINY ORGANISMS ARE,
INDEED, LIVING IN THE POOLS.

**

IT'S LIKE MARS
HAS COME TO EARTH.

[ STATIC CRACKLING ]

AND IN THESE WEIRD HOLES ARE
CLUES TO LIFE ON THE RED PLANET.

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT SOME KIND
OF LIFE LIKE THAT

MIGHT BE EXISTING ON MARS,

WHICH WOULD BE
AN INSANE DISCOVERY.

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP...

GHOST VILLAGE OF THE DEAD
COMES BACK FROM THE PAST...

IT'S ALMOST LIKE
THIS IS

LIKE A PLAGUE AREA
OR SOMETHING,

AND NOBODY'S GONE
IN THERE FOR DECADES.

...AND, SUDDENLY,
FROM NOWHERE,

A 6-MILE MYSTERIOUS
SCAR IN THE DESERT.

[ FLASHBULBS EXPLODING ]
IT'S NOT A SHAPE THAT

YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE
FROM SOMETHING THAT

OCCURRED IN NATURE.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]
[ WHIRRING ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]
[ BEEPING ]

Narrator:
NOVEMBER 2015.

A NASA SATELLITE PASSES

OVER THE GIBSON DESERT
IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

IT SPOTS A LARGE,
CLEARLY-DEFINED SHAPE

NOT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED.

THIS IS A MAMMOTH SHAPE

OUT IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK.

WHAT WOULD'VE CREATED THIS?

JUST ONE MONTH EARLIER,
THERE WAS NO FEATURE HERE;

AND, ONE MONTH LATER, THERE'S
THIS ODD-SHAPED FEATURE.

THEN YOU REALIZE
IT IS 6 MILES LONG.

[ BEEPING ]

Narrator:
THE GIBSON DESERT EXTENDS
TO ALMOST 60,000 SQUARE MILES.

IT'S THE FIFTH-LARGEST
DESERT IN AUSTRALIA

AND IT'S SO INHOSPITABLE THAT
HARDLY ANYONE VENTURES HERE.

THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
REMOTE PLACES ON EARTH.

THE SHAPE LOOKS LIKE IT HAS BEEN
SCORCHED INTO THE SOIL.

INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER
IF IT COULD BE A GIANT BURN SCAR

CAUSED BY A BUSHFIRE.

AS THIS SATELLITE IMAGE
OF AUSTRALIA SHOWS,

BUSHFIRES ARE COMMONPLACE
IN THE OUTBACK.

THEY COST THE COUNTRY
AN ESTIMATED $12 BILLION A YEAR.

THIS IS A DESERT LOCATION

WHERE TEMPERATURES CAN EASILY
GET OVER 100°.

WHEN YOU GET THOSE HOT
OF TEMPERATURES,

IT DRIES OUT THE VEGETATION.

SO IT DOESN'T TAKE ANYTHING
MORE THAN A LITTLE SPARK

TO CREATE A FAIRLY
LARGE WILDFIRE.

[ WHOOSHING ]

Narrator:
CLOSER INSPECTION OF THE IMAGE
REVEALS THE BURN MARKS

ARE UNLIKE THE RESULT
OF A TYPICAL BUSHFIRE.

THE SHAPE IS TOO DEFINITE.

[ EERIE MUSIC PLAYS ]
BUT THERE IS ONE TYPE OF FIRE

THAT STRIPS AWAY EVERYTHING
IN ITS PATH:

WHAT LOCAL EXPERTS
CALL A FIRENADO.

[ FLAMES WHOOSHING ]

IT IS A TORNADO MADE OF FIRE
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S MADE UP

OR FROM AN "X-MEN" MOVIE,
BUT IT REALLY HAPPENS,

THAT FIRE WILL START SWIRLING,

AND I WONDER
IF THIS COULD BE A FIRENADO

MOVING ACROSS THE LAND
AND MAKING THAT LONG SCAR.

Narrator:
FIRENADOES CAN REACH
TEMPERATURES

BEYOND 2,000° FAHRENHEIT

AND CREATE WINDS SO STRONG,
THEY KNOCK OVER TREES.

**

Zeitler:
IT'S THE SAME CONCEPT
AS A TORNADO.

THE DIFFERENCE IS
IS THIS IS ON FIRE.

IT'S NOT JUST AIR MOVING
AROUND THAT MAY, SAY,

RIP OFF A ROOF
OR BLOW DOWN A FENCE,

BUT IT'S ACTUALLY ON FIRE,
IN ADDITION TO THE WIND,

SO IT'S SORT OF A DUAL THREAT,
SO THEY'RE VERY DANGEROUS.

[ SIZZLING ]

Narrator:
REPORTS OF FIRENADOES
ARE COMMON IN AUSTRALIA,

BUT THE SCALE OF THE BURN SCAR
DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

IN THIS CASE,
THE SIZE OF THE FEATURE

WE'RE LOOKING AT ON SATELLITE
IS TOO LARGE

FOR IT TO BE ONE OF THESE FIRE
WHIRLS OR FIRE TORNADOES.

THEY'RE MORE OF THE SIZE OF,
SAY, HALF OF A FOOTBALL FIELD,

50 YARDS, 50 METERS,

AND SO THEREFORE,
IT WOULDN'T PRODUCE THAT.

IT'S MORE A WALL OF FLAME
THAT WOULD'VE PRODUCED

THE FEATURE WE'RE LOOKING AT.

Narrator:
AMERICAN WEATHERMAN
SCOTT RUDLOSKY GOES BACK

TO METEOROLOGICAL RECORDS
FOR NOVEMBER 2015.

**

[ LIGHTNING CRASHES ]

WHEN WE WENT AND LOOKED
AT THE LIGHTNING DATA,

WE FOUND THAT THERE
WAS LIGHTNING THAT OCCURRED

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE BURN SCAR HERE,

AND SO THIS IS KIND OF
A SMOKING GUN,

IN TERMS OF WHAT COULD'VE BEEN
THE CAUSE FOR THIS BURN SCAR.

Narrator:
SCOTT KNOWS THAT ONLY
A MEGALIGHTNING STRIKE

COULD SET OFF SUCH A HUGE FIRE.

MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW
THAT LIGHTNING BOLTS

CAN BE REALLY MASSIVE, RIGHT?

THEY'RE ARCING ACROSS THE SKY,
200-MILES LONG.

THE LONGEST LIGHTNING STRIKE,
EVER, LASTED ABOUT 8 SECONDS.

IF YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE.

I MEAN, GOOD LORD, THE AMOUNT
OF ELECTRICAL POWER.

IT'S LIKE A "GHOSTBUSTERS"
MOVIE GOING OFF ON YOU.

[ LIGHTNING CRASHING ]

Narrator:
SCOTT STARTS TO BUILD A PICTURE
OF HOW A FIREWALL

PRODUCED BY A MEGALIGHTNING BOLT
COULD'VE CREATED THIS SHAPE.

THE PREVAILING WINDS
ARE COMING

FROM NORTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST
IN THIS REGION.

THE ELEVATION IS HIGHER
UP HERE IN THE NORTH

THAN IT IS TO THE SOUTH.

THOSE TWO THINGS COMBINE
TO SUGGEST

THE FIRE WOULD GROW FURTHER
IN THE SOUTH DIRECTION

THAN IN THE NORTH DIRECTION.

[ FLAMES CRACKLING ]

Narrator:
BUT SCOTT STILL DOESN'T HAVE
THE COMPLETE PICTURE.

HE KNOWS A MEGALIGHTNING STRIKE

COULD'VE IGNITED
THE HUGE FIREWALL.

SOMETHING ELSE MIGHT'VE
CAUSED IT TO STOP ABRUPTLY,

TO GIVE THE SCAR
ITS KNIFE-LIKE EDGES.

HE FINDS NEW DATA, WHICH
PROVIDES A POSSIBLE ANSWER.

SIX HOURS LATER,

THERE WAS A MUCH STRONGER
STORM THAT CAME THROUGH.

[ LIGHTNING CRASHES ]
Narrator: THE SECOND STORM

WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A BAND
OF TORRENTIAL RAIN.

[ LIGHTNING CRASHING ]

THIS PRODUCED
ENOUGH PRECIPITATION

TO STOP THE FIRE IN ITS TRACKS

AND THAT WOULD HELP
TO EXPLAIN THIS SHARP EDGE

ON THE WESTERN SIDE
OF THE BURN SCAR.

[ WHOOSHING ]

Narrator:
SCOTT HAS SHOWN HOW THIS
UNNATURAL-LOOKING FEATURE

COULD HAVE A NATURAL
EXPLANATION.

BUT IF HIS MEGALIGHTNING-STRIKE
THEORY IS CORRECT,

THE IMPLICATIONS ARE TERRIFYING.

WE'RE SO LUCKY THAT THIS 6-MILE-
LONG SWATH OF DEVASTATION

HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE DESERT,

THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE,
INSTEAD OF, SAY, NEW YORK.

I MEAN, MANHATTAN
IS ABOUT 6 MILES LONG.

[ LIGHTNING CRASHING ]

40 YEARS AGO, NEW YORK'S
ENTIRE POWER GRID WENT DOWN

DUE TO A LIGHTNING STRIKE

AND THAT CAUSED
$300 MILLION IN DAMAGE,

WHICH SOUNDS LIKE A LOT,
BUT REMEMBER, YEARS AGO,

OUR LIFE WASN'T RUN
BY COMPUTERS.

OUR CARS WEREN'T COMPUTERS.

I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW BAD
IT WOULD BE NOW,

TO HAVE 9 HOURS OF BLACKOUT
IN NEW YORK CITY.

[ EERIE MUSIC PLAYS ]
[ LIGHTNING CRASHING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: COMING UP...

A HORROR VILLAGE
FROZEN IN TIME...

REALLY STRANGE-LOOKING.

WE MIGHT SEE THESE BUILDINGS
IN AN APOCALYPTIC MOVIE.

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]
[ WHIRRING ]

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator:
A SATELLITE FLIES
OVER THE REGION

OF NOUVELLE-AQUITAINE
IN CENTRAL FRANCE

AND CAPTURES A GHOSTLY IMAGE.

IT LOOKS AS IF IT'S
A COMPLETELY ABANDONED TOWN,

BUT NOT ONLY ABANDONED,
COMPLETELY DESTROYED.

IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE
THERE WAS RECENTLY A FIRE

THAT SCOURED THROUGH HALF
OF THIS COMMUNITY,

SCARRING IT, DESTROYING
BUILDINGS, BURNING CARS UP.

Narrator:
BUT THERE ISN'T THE CHARRING
YOU'D EXPECT FROM A FIRE

AND THERE ARE NO
MODERN BUILDINGS.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

SATELLITE ANALYST MARK D'ANTONIO
SCOURS THE IMAGE FOR CLUES.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE THIS IS LIKE
A PLAGUE AREA OR SOMETHING

AND NOBODY'S GONE
IN THERE FOR DECADES.

Narrator:
D'ANTONIO TURNS TO IMAGES
TAKEN CLOSER TO EARTH.

**

THERE ARE UPTURNED STROLLERS,
RUSTING CARS,

AND BULLET HOLES
IN THE WALLS.

D'Antonio:
IT'S REALLY STRANGE-LOOKING.

WE MIGHT SEE THESE BUILDINGS
IN AN APOCALYPTIC MOVIE.

Narrator:
BUT, WHEN D'ANTONIO CHECKS
HISTORIC RECORDS,

HE DISCOVERS THIS IS
NO MOVIE SET,

AND WHAT HAPPENED
HERE WAS VERY REAL.

THIS IS ORADOUR-sur-GLANE,
A FRENCH VILLAGE...

[ EERIE MUSIC PLAYS ]
...THAT CEASES TO EXIST

ON JUNE 10, 1944.

WHEN YOU ACTUALLY REALIZE WHAT
HAPPENED IN THIS FRENCH VILLAGE,

WHEN YOU ACTUALLY REALIZE
THE HORRORS

OF WHAT HISTORY REVEALS TO US,

IT WAS MUCH MORE DEVASTATING
THAN ANY EARTHQUAKE OR FIRE.

Narrator:
THE DETAILS OF WHAT HAPPENED
HERE ARE UNCERTAIN.

THIS IS THE WORK
OF THE GERMAN SS

AND WHAT BRINGS THEM HERE
IS THE FRENCH RESISTANCE.

[ EXPLOSION ]

THE FRENCH RESISTANCE
WOULD SABOTAGE FACTORIES

AND THEY WOULD
SABOTAGE RAIL LINES...

[ RAPID GUNFIRE ]
...AND THEY WOULD TRY TO SOW

DESTRUCTION AND CHAOS INTO THE
GERMAN SYSTEM OF OCCUPATION.

Harrison:
ONE OF THE THINGS
ABOUT THE RESISTANCE IS

IT COULD BE ANYONE;
IT COULD BE ANYWHERE.

SO THERE WAS THE SENSE
OF INSECURITY, OBVIOUSLY,

AMONG THE GERMANS.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHO'S
IN THE RESISTANCE.

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORD STRIKES ]

**

Narrator:
ONE CENTER OF RESISTANCE
ACTIVITY LIES

25 MILES TO THE SOUTH
OF ORADOUR-sur-GLANE.

IT HAS A VERY SIMILAR NAME:
ORADOUR-sur-VAYRES.

FOUR DAYS AFTER D-DAY,

SS MAJOR ADOLF DIEKMANN
IS ORDERED TO GO THERE.

A FELLOW GERMAN OFFICER IS
SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED

BY THE FRENCH RESISTANCE.

DIEKMANN IS TOLD
TO DETAIN 30 HOSTAGES,

AND KILL THEM,
IF THE OFFICER IS NOT RELEASED.

HE TAKES A UNIT FROM
THE SS DAS REICH REGIMENT,

BUT GOES TO THE WRONG PLACE,

TO THE VILLAGE
OF ORADOUR-sur-GLANE.

[ FILM CRACKLING ]

HE GOES IN, DOESN'T FIND
THE GERMAN OFFICER

THAT HE'S LOOKING FOR,

AND DECIDES TO RAZE
THE VILLAGE ANYWAY.

[ EXPLOSION ]
THE SS WAS NOT IN THE BUSINESS

OF TAKING PRISONERS.

THEY WERE IN THE BUSINESS
OF KILLING PEOPLE.

Narrator:
AT 2:00, THE SS ARRIVES.

EVERYONE IS ROUNDED UP
AND TAKEN TO THE VILLAGE SQUARE.

THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN
ARE LOCKED INTO THE CHURCH.

197 MEN ARE FORCED INTO BARNS,

WHERE MACHINE GUNNERS
ARE WAITING.

THE GERMANS AIM FOR THE LEGS,

THEN DOUSE THE WOUNDED
IN GASOLINE.

THE IDEA THAT YOU WOULD
SHOOT PEOPLE IN THE LEGS

AND THEN BURN THEM ALIVE
SO THEY COULDN'T RUN AWAY,

IT'S OBVIOUSLY THE OUTCOME

OF HAVING AN INCREDIBLY
TWISTED,

FANATICAL,
MEDIEVALLY CRUEL MIND.

Narrator:
THE CHURCH IS PACKED.

THE TRAPPED WOMEN AND CHILDREN
ARE TERRIFIED.

Carter:
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE
THE SCREAMS, THE CRIES,

CHILDREN HUDDLED UP AGAINST
THEIR MOTHER, YOU KNOW,

WONDERING WHAT WAS
GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT.

Narrator:
THEN, THE SOLDIERS DETONATE
A LARGE INCENDIARY BOMB.

[ EXPLOSION ]

THE ENSUING INFERNO KILLS
240 WOMEN AND 205 CHILDREN.

HOW DO YOU THINK SO LITTLE
OF YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEING

THAT YOU WOULD DO THAT?

Narrator:
THERE ARE NO MASSACRES
ON THE SAME SCALE IN FRANCE.

THE SS COMMIT THE MOST
SHOCKING CRIMES,

BUT MOST OF THE SLAUGHTER
TAKES PLACE IN THE EAST.

THE NAZIS AIM TO EXTERMINATE
EUROPE'S JEWISH POPULATION

AND ALL WHO THEY CONSIDER
TO BE RACIALLY INFERIOR.

WE TYPICALLY TEND TO ASSOCIATE
THESE SORT OF ACTIONS

AS REPRISAL ACTIONS
ON THE RUSSIAN FRONT.

THIS IS WHAT MAKES IT
MORE SURPRISING,

BECAUSE THE MOTIVATION BEHIND IT
IS INCREDIBLY PERPLEXING

AND INCREDIBLY MYSTERIOUS.

SO WHY DID THEY DO IT?

IN MY CAREER AS AN HISTORIAN,

I HAVE FOUND MYSELF STUDYING
A NUMBER OF INCIDENTS

THAT LOOK A LOT LIKE
ORADOUR-sur-GLANE

AND WHAT I HAVE FOUND IS THAT
THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES

THAT REMAIN CONSTANT
THROUGH EACH OF THEM,

AND THAT IS THAT THEY TENDED TO
DO IT WHEN NO ONE WAS LOOKING.

THEY DID IT UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES
WHERE THEY COULD THEN

QUICKLY SLIP AWAY
FROM THE SCENE OF THE CRIME

AND THEREBY ESCAPE THE
CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIVITY.

Narrator:
AS THE ALLIED ARMIES APPROACH,

GERMAN OFFICERS FEAR THAT THEY
WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

IN AN APPARENT EFFORT
TO DISTANCE HIMSELF

FROM THE MASSACRE,
DIEKMANN'S SENIOR OFFICER,

SYLVESTER STADLER,
ORDERS A COURT MARTIAL,

BUT DIEKMANN DIES
BEFORE HE CAN STAND TRIAL.

Harrison:
HE WAS IN FACT KILLED IN BATTLE.

HE WASN'T THERE TO BE PART
OF AN INVESTIGATION.

THAT WOULD HAVE TO WAIT
TO AFTER WORLD WAR II.

Narrator:
AFTER THE WAR,
THERE ARE SEVERAL TRIALS,

BUT NONE ARE CONCLUSIVE.

THE BIGGEST,
IN BORDEAUX, IN 1953,

INCLUDED JUST 21 OF THE 66
SURVIVING SOLDIERS

WHO TOOK PART IN THE MASSACRE.

[ MELANCHOLY TUNE PLAYS ]

THOUGH CONVICTED, NONE SERVED
MORE THAN 5 YEARS IN PRISON.

THE SENIOR SS OFFICERS
INVOLVED WERE NEVER TRIED.

**

ONE OF THE SADDEST FACTS
ABOUT ORADOUR

IS THAT, OVER MANY DECADES,

THERE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTS
TO BRING THOSE WHO COMMITTED

THIS REALLY FOUL CRIME
TO JUSTICE,

BUT, AS IS SO OFTEN THE WAY
WITH THESE NAZI WAR CRIMINALS,

IT APPEARS THAT THE PERPETRATORS
HAVE GOT AWAY WITH IT.

Narrator:
THE FRENCH BURY THEIR DEAD,

BUT, AS THE SATELLITE
IMAGE SHOWS,

THEY DECIDE THAT
ORADOUR-sur-GLANE

SHOULD REMAIN AS THE SS LEFT IT.

AFTER THE WAR,
PRESIDENT CHARLES de GAULLE

DECLARES THIS A MEMORIAL SITE

AS A HAUNTING REMINDER
OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR

AND THE BRUTALITIES
THAT WERE WAGED

AGAINST THE FRENCH POPULATION.

Narrator:
THIS VILLAGE, FROZEN IN TIME,
REMAINS A POTENT IMAGE.

IT'S IMPORTANT FOR A MEMORIAL,

LIKE THE VILLAGE HAS BEEN
TURNED INTO, TO EXIST,

A MEMORIAL THAT WARNS US
THAT THIS IS THE KIND OF THING

THAT CAN HAPPEN IN WARFARE.

**