[SCA-AS] Pirates on the History Channel Sunday Night / Future Period Programs

[rmhowe]

On the history channel tonite for all you current Pirate-wanna-bes.

On a slightly different note, the history channel tonite ran Mel Gibson's
1981 Road Warrior.   Mel seems to be revising all kinds of history.
Although I certainly wouldn't have expected the History Channel to
carry that.   Kind of like the Discovery Channel's switch to
mix and match motorized vehicles.

Magnus

Sunday, July 16, 2006
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6-8pm -- True Caribbean Pirates -
Blackbeard. Ann Bonny. Henry Jennings. Calico Jack.
Henry Morgan. Black Bart Roberts. During the mid to
late 17th and early 18th centuries, they were feared
criminals. The Caribbean was their domain, the parade
of treasure and cargo to Europe their target. The
origins of Caribbean piracy began when Columbus made
landfall in the Bahamas. Two years later, the Pope
granted Spain the exclusive right to the Caribbean and
most of the New World. The Spanish reaped an immense
fortune in gold and silver, but with a price. England,
France, and Holland all desired a portion of this
wealth and each established Caribbean bases and used
privateers--private sailors fighting for profit--to
protect their interests and steal Spanish treasure.
The line between privateering and piracy became
blurred. We'll examine this Golden Age of Piracy and
the true stories of the infamous pirates, how they
operated, and their successes and failures in this
dark and deadly profession.

8-10pm -- Return of the Pirates -
A new war rages off the world's coastlines. Piracy is
making a comeback. Intelligence indicates that pirates
and terrorists are merging tactics. Over 90% of
international trade travels by water and pirates have
long known what Sir Walter Raleigh once said:
"Whosoever commands the sea commands the trade;
whoever commands the trade of the world commands the
riches of the world, and consequently the world
itself." Nations and corporations are racing to
protect themselves and their goods. So far the pirates
are ahead, but new international response units and
mercenary ships are combating the attacks. The US
Coast Guard trains navies worldwide in anti-piracy
measures, but corrupt law enforcement officials mar
advances in their effectiveness. Though Captain Kidd
and Blackbeard have disappeared into Davy Jones's
Locker, piracy is a growing threat to the world's
economy and security. Today's pirate is organized,
political, and will command world attention once
again.
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Monday, July 17, 2006
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9-10pm -- Lost Worlds - Atlantis.
Field investigators using the latest research, expert
analysis, and cutting-edge technology take us back to
ancient Greece, to a peaceful island that exploded
with devastating force. But, at the dawn of the 20th
Century, the remains of a palace were discovered on
the island of Crete, preserved beneath volcanic ash.
Could the ruins be home to the ancient civilization of
Atlantis? Our investigators find that a Cretan palace
and a town on Santorini are linked by unique
engineering of their buildings. Rebuilding towns,
temples, and the palace of Atlantis as described by
Plato, we reveal the majesty and mystery of this lost
world. The builders of the original palace achieved a
level of engineering excellence not matched for
centuries. With its massive scale, complex
water-management systems, and sparkling gypsum walls,
the engineering of this extraordinary palace connects
it to Plato's descriptions of Atlantis.

10-11pm -- Digging for the Truth - Troy: Of Gods and
Warriors.
The Iliad is one of the most famous literary works of
the Western world. It's an epic tale of Greek gods,
earthly soldiers, and a decade-long fight over the
most beautiful woman in the world. Could The Iliad
actually be based on fact? Could the Trojan War really
have happened? Josh Bernstein travels to Greece and
Turkey in search of ancient Troy. Along the way, he'll
learn what it took to live and fight on the coasts of
the Aegean in the late Bronze Age. He'll test the
tools of the Trojan warriors, and he'll uncover a city
in northern Turkey that just might prove The Iliad was
far more than a simple work of fiction.
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Thursday, July 20, 2006
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This is one of those extraordinary programs the History Channel/
A&E just won't sell.  I keep trying to buy the series.
Heron of Alexandria is by far the best of the six.

8-9pm -- Ancient Marvels - Ancient Discoveries: Galen,
Doctor to the Gladiators.
In this fascinating mini-series, we examine ancient
inventions once believed to have been created in
modern times, and test the wits of ancient inventors
against some of the world's great modern inventors.
Part 2 uncovers the revolutionary work of Galen, the
great Roman doctor to the gladiators, who was
performing brain surgery 2,000 years ahead of his
time. We also explore the sophistication of Roman
medicine and compare it to modern techniques.
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Saturday, July 29, 2006
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8-10pm -- Nostradamus: 500 Years Later -
The life story of Nostradamus unfolds in medieval
Europe at the time of the Great Plague and the
Inquisition. He lived in an age of superstition and
magic and believed that he could foretell the future.
For this he was labeled both a prophet and a heretic,
and his cryptic journals continue to inspire
controversy just as they did in the 16th century. In
this 2-hour examination of his life, we visit his
birthplace in France and trace his career as doctor,
astrologer, father, and seer.
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Monday, July 31, 2006
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9-10pm -- Lost Worlds - Athens-Ancient Supercity
In the 5th century BC, one man leads his city to
greatness and paves the way for western civilization.
The city is Athens and Pericles is not a king or
prince, but an elected man. He will mastermind the
most costly and ambitious construction campaign
undertaken in the western world--creating a model city
of temples, houses, market places, civic buildings,
and a highly innovative sanitation system. But
Pericles' decision to raid the Greek treasury and take
the money set aside to defend all the city states will
lead to the downfall of Athens and Pericles himself.
It took 30 years to build, but it was brought down in
one generation by war and disease. Now, 2,500 years
later we restore Athens to its former glory--the first
senate house, the terrifying power of the Greek navy,
and one of the world's most advanced water systems. We
also reveal the magnificence of the Parthenon--a
building often hailed as the most perfect building
ever completed.