The Titans That Built America

TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

For centuries, explorers have searched for the Bible’s most sacred religious artefacts. One of the most mysterious of these objects is the famed Ark of the Covenant. The gold-plated wooden chest – one of the most instrumental symbols of faith and God's presence – was believed to house the two tablets bearing the Ten Commandments. The Ark’s exact whereabouts has long puzzled scholars. Where did it go? And why has it remained such a mystery?

Myths die hard, and the history of the 20th century is no exception to this rule. Even today, we hold popular beliefs that we take for Evangelical truths. Thus, we believe that Hiroshima caused Japan to surrender, that the Marshall Plan saved Europe, that Adolf Hitler was a military genius, or that Mao Zedong was a necessary evil for China’s modernization. Of course, these judgements contain some truth; but, too broad-stroked to be accurate, they contradict the historical reality by denying its complexity. What if the truth was slightly different? Through an exploration of great national or international myths, this full archive documentary collection revisits the key moments of the 20th century with a new perspective in order to provide a new, smarter and more subtle interpretation, bringing elements to light that have been forgotten or sometimes overshadowed.

One of the most important historical investigations carried out by Rai, signed by the great Sergio Zavoli with the collaboration of Luciano Onder and Edek Osser and the scientific consultancy of Alberto Aquarone, Gaetano Arfé, Renzo De Felice, Gabriele De Rosa, Gastone Manacorda and Salvatore Valitutti. The six-part series, broadcast for the first time in the autumn of 1972, represented, half a century after the "March on Rome", a significant assessment of the years of the advent of the Mussolini regime, recalled with the rigor of the best television journalism (Saint-Vincent Award 1973) and through the direct testimonies of over fifty protagonists of the time, both fascists and anti-fascists.

Tutankhamun, Ramses the Great, Cleopatra, Khufu…these legendary pharaohs built the wonders of Karnak, Luxor and the pyramids of Giza before their civilization faded into obscurity. But in 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte’s expedition to Egypt reopened the doors to a forgotten world and ignited a fascination with Ancient Egypt that continues to this day. Bold explorers, such as Jean-François Champollion and Giovanni Battista Belzoni, risked everything to unearth these wonders. Archaeology became a conquest, and Egypt’s heritage was plundered by tomb raiders - until Auguste Mariette laid the foundations of modern Egyptology. This immersive series reveals the splendor of the pharaohs and the feats of the explorers.

What does the Ground Zero flag from 9/11 have in common with the original Wright Brothers flying machine patent? Both are historically important items for the United States… and both are missing. Best-selling author Brad Meltzer enlists America’s help to find these and other missing treasures.

How the Silk Road Made the World 3 x 60' NHNZ/CCTV (China Central Television) The Silk Road is one of humanity’s greatest enterprises. For thousands of years across the vastness of Eurasia, a trade route linking east and west has deeply influenced history. Silk Road trade has helped to build and break empires, fed revolutions and profoundly affected civilisations. Humanity as we know it, and all we have created, owes much to the legendary Silk Road. This is true of objects as basic yet revolutionary as a piece of paper, to the complex metropolis of New York City. Travel through time to witness the evolution of ancient warfare, experience the horror of the Black Death, see the explosive impacts of innovations and live through radical social change. Embark on a dramatic historical journey throughout Eurasia and delve into the captivating tales of this world-famous trade route. Discover How the Silk Road Made the World.