Hidden History in your House (2014)

What does Thomas Jefferson have to do with your lights? How is Henry Ford connected to your grill? What does your pool have to do with taxidermy? From settling the American West to landing on Mars, every one of mankind's greatest achievements is hidden in your house; you just need to know how and where to look. Now, Kevin O'Connor, the host of PBS's This Old House, is on an H2 mission to deconstruct the American home and reveal the History hidden inside. You'll never look at your house the same way again.

D-Day (2014)

For the 70th Anniversary of the Allied invasion of Nazi-held Europe, History tells the story of D-Day in HD. Rare footage is rendered in High Definition, then combined with interviews from the men who lived through it. Allied and German survivors tell their first-hand stories about the war that changed the course of the world. Through these stories, the long held belief that an Allied victory was secured after a single, bloody day will be dispelled. In truth, it would take weeks of back and forth struggle before the Allies could cement their foothold in enemy territory. And the final death toll far exceeds anything seen on the beaches. D-Day remains one of the most important turning points of WWII, yet very few of us know the real story…until now.

* The Bible Rules (2014)

The use and abuse of alcoholic beverages goes back to deepest antiquity, and so it comes as no surprise These days, most people don’t worship golden idols, but it’s amazing how many of the Bible rules about graven images still sound relevant. In this episode, we plunge back into a world of otherworldly gods, who had to be fed, clothed and coddled by their believers. Yet that’s just the beginning of a journey that will then shoot forward into outer space to explore the possibilities of prayer on other planets. For anyone who ever asked God to determine the outcome of a football game, this investigation into the rules is a must.

* The Occult History of the Third Reich (2004)

From the occult origins of the Nazi party to the death of Hitler in the flaming ruins of Berlin, the emergence of the doctrine of National Socialism took place in a dark and sinister world of rituals and beliefs. Using newly discovered archive footage The Occult History of the Third Reich explores the remarkable phenomenon that mesmerized Germany in the 1930s and '40s.

Part 1 - The Enigma of the Swastika

50 min., b & w/Color - First adopted in 1920, the Swastika was at the very center of the Nazi Party's ideology. The armed cross became the cornerstone of Aryan mythology and the symbol of the terrifying ambition of one man - the messianic figure of Adolf Hitler. The unique documentary looks at the swastika's ancient roots in the mysterious religious cults of India and Tibet and explores its adoption by European occultists and the subsequent transformation of this symbol of good fortune into an infamous emblem of terror.

Part 2 - The SS Blood and Soil

55 min., b & w/Color - The most sinister of all Nazi creations was the black-clad SS. Originally Hitler's bodyguard, this military-religious order became a racial aristocracy under the leadership of Heinrich Himmler. A carefully selected elite, destined to subjugate all other peoples and achieve the ultimate purification through racial selection and elimination, the SS personified the Aryan vision of a master race. Their fascinating documentary explores the strange and secret world of the SS, from its roots in the teaching s of Germanic mystics and occultist circles, to its rise.

Part 3 - Adolf Hitler

50 min., b & w/Color - The occult was never far from the life of the infamous leader of the Third Reich. From his poverty-stricken boyhood years in Vienna right up to his death in the flaming ruins of war-torn Berlin, Adolf Hitler was immersed in the Germanic mysticism of Guido von lIst and Joerg Lanz. Believing he was the Stark von Oben, The Strong One From Above sent by providence to create the Thousand Year Reich, Hitler's vision of himself as a new Messiah was reinforced by his closest associate, deputy leader of the Nazi party, Rudolf Hess, himself an astrologer and mystic. For the first time in this remarkable video documentary the strange and terrifying beliefs of this sinister figure are explored. Hitler's fascination with the origins and rise to power of Aryan man his obsession with possessing the spear of destiny and his own messianic plans for the world are revealed through recently discovered rare archive footage of this terrifying era.

* Richard Hammond and the Holy Grail (2006)

Exploring hundreds of years of history, Richard Hammond embarks on an entertaining travelogue examining the popular and enduring myths and legends surrounding the Holy Grail.

Thought by many to be the very cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper, the Holy Grail has haunted public imagination for centuries but left many unanswered questions. Does the Grail exist or not and what exactly is it? Is the Grail a cup from which Jesus supposedly drank at the Last Supper? Or could it be something more sinister - a secret about a sacred bloodline? And in fact does the Grail exist at all?

It is a quest that takes Richard to ancient scrolls in the Vatican's secret archive; medieval knights and hidden treasure in the South of France; Hitler's search for the Grail; holy relics in Constantinople; a psychic in Scotland; a crop circle symposium in Glastonbury; and to Paris where he explores the latest Grail fever phenomenon.

He poses the question: why are so many people intrigued by the Grail and why does it hold such enchantment? The Grail is supposed to have magical powers and is considered to be the most important religious relic in the western world. Many theories abound as to exactly what happened to it and the story goes that it was seen by pilgrims in the fifth century before disappearing from Palestine. By the 13th century, it is claimed, the Grail was held by the people of Constantinople - now Istanbul - and it is here that Richard's quest begins. Although the search for the Grail is laced with historical fact, Richard also soon discovers that it is awash with contradictions, conundrums and twists and turns.

He says: "Every time you think you get close to the Grail, the story moves you on. Just as you knock down one story, another pops up to tempt you along." Continuing his travels, his quest takes him from Turkey to London on the trail of the Knights Templar. The Knights sparked a myriad of myths and legends about the Holy Grail but could Temple Church, 'a little piece of Jerusalem' in the heart of London, really be its final resting place? The questions keep coming and Richard find himself at a mysterious 15th century church in Scotland which claims that clues to the Holy Grail's whereabouts are hidden in the church's medieval carvings. The Grail trail then propels him on to Glastonbury where he explores tales of King Arthur before he moves on to discover a literary treasure in the British Library.

Here, a fascinating trail leads him from Tennyson, to Sir Thomas Mallory and back to an obscure author in the Champagne region in France and he examines the possibility of the legend as a literary invention. Lured by a conspiracy theory to the south of France, Richard explores the medieval city of Carcassonne, and an amazing Cathar castle high up in the Pyrenees. This is beautiful country with a magical feeling but one which has a dark past. could the mystery of the Grail be solved here?

The journey ends in Rome, where Richard gains entry to the Vatican's secret archives.