Tuesdays, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET
Wes Cowan opens up the story behind a rare Civil War photograph. Was the black man in the Confederate uniform slave or free? Did Hollywood treat the Indians listed in a payment ledger fairly? What can an ornate stock certificate tell us about the earliest days of developing Harlem?
The detectives investigate a projection screen with possible Cuban Missile Crisis connections, what could be an early "Amos 'n' Andy" record and a painting with potential ties to women's suffrage.
Continental Currency; Short-Snorter; Liberty Bell Pin
August 2008 (check local listings)
Whether Great Mexican War posters could identify an eye-witness to the Mexican Revolution; the authenticity of an autograph book that may have belonged to Nora Holt; and the real story behind the Revolutionary War-era legend of the Muhlenberg Robe.
September 2008 (check local listings)
Encore - A WWII Marine’s jacket with stitched inscriptions; a vintage Airstream that may have made a historic journey; and sheet music bearing Abraham Lincoln’s signature.
An artifact that could be a souvenir of the Hindenburg disaster; a stamp that may be connected to the Bonus Army March on Washington in 1932; and a bell that may have been ringside at Jack Dempsey’s legendary world heavyweight championship match.
A fragment that may been a piece of Amelia Earhart’s plane; a letter from President Millard Fillmore commuting the death sentence of a Native American; a Colorado home whose supports may have been constructed from a railroad boxcar.
Could a scrap of Mylar have been a part of an early U.S. satellite? Could a jury-rigged ski boot be a prototype for a NASA space boot? Could some of Andy Warhol’s artwork really be on the moon?
Did a Japanese map found during World War II play a role in the Battle of Iwo Jima? Then, tracing the Civil War-era history of a cane topped with a coiled snake. And, is an instrument owned by a New Mexico man one of the few built by Leon Theremin himself?
The reunification of two halves of a vandalized sculpture of President Andrew Jackson? Then, why did Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, write a letter about a Civil War soldier? And, does a Pennsylvania man have a notebook that once belonged to a World War I spy?
Did a HISTORY DETECTIVES viewer find a clip of the first talking picture? What’s the story behind Gold Rush sketches of five and eight-pound gold nuggets? Did a beachcomber find a section of the first transatlantic cable?
A four-inch square of fabric tells the story of one of America’s first barnstorming pilots. Then, does this sketchbook illustrate scenes from the first ever US-Mexican border survey? And, could this dumpster find be the printing plates for Duke Ellington’s hit, Take the A Train?
The daughter of a Korean War Veteran looks for the man her father mentioned in a letter. Then, could this be the first widely published lesbian autobiography? A painting depicts a Civil War battle; who painted the scene?
Family lore says their shotgun played a role in the Chicago St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Why is this miniature of Washington more than a piece of art? A portrait sketched in a WWII prison leads to a meeting 65 years later.
This poster suggests a battle is brewing: a clenched fist, police called “pigs.” Who made it and why? Then, did the artist mean to scare someone with the grimace on this face jug? And, what does the inscription on a rock in Phoenix tell us about when Spain first arrived in America?
Does a Jackie Robinson All-Stars scorecard signal early steps toward integration of MLB? How does a basket connect us to a woman congress honored as a heroine of the Indian Wars of the West? Why did J. Edgar Hoover endorse a radio script based on an FBI case?
This box of cartoon drawings and cels tells an unexpected story about animation's early days. Why did a regional governor care enough about a slave to sign her emancipation papers? Did this dagger once belong to Benito Mussolini?
How could one clock regulate time for an entire region, and is this it? A document seems connected to an early controversial religion, the first founded by an American-born woman. So where is her name? What went wrong during a WWII dog-training program on Cat Island?
Mysterious airplane engine parts lead Eduardo Pagán to a heroic story on a forbidden Hawaiian island. Elyse Luray tries to match metal shavings to the right Civil War cannon. Wes Cowan connects a rodeo saddle to a star that changed Hollywood movie-making.
Wes Cowan decodes the message behind a U.S. World War II propaganda leaflet. Researching a family heirloom, leads Gwen Wright to Tiffany stained glass. And a touching eulogy unites a nephew and a son of two American soldiers who fought in the Spanish Civil War.
Wes Cowan investigates a raid on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry. Eduardo Pagán wonders why U.S. troops were in Siberia during World War I and Elyse Luray sizes up a Ronald McDonald costume.
HISTORY DETECTIVES investigate a Civil War soldier’s letter, fabric from an aircraft that could be linked to Charles Lindbergh and Igor Sikorsky, and a 1950s comic book, "Negro Romance."
HISTORY DETECTIVES investigate a propeller from a World War II drone, a wooden club that could be Teddy Roosevelt’s and a letter that Clara Barton could have written concerning a soldier’s life.
HISTORY DETECTIVES investigate Japanese characters carved into a cane, an unusual wooden telescope and drawings of huge gold nuggets from the Gold Rush era.
A 1960s poster draws battle lines between “the people” and “the pigs.” Elyse reunites a vandalized, centuries old carving of Andrew Jackson. A woven basket tells the story of a Modoc Indian heroine.
The mystery behind a camera takes Wes to the White House pressroom. Did this Civil War doll smuggle medicine past the Northern blockade? A 15th century map tells us more about how Europe colonized Florida.
Elyse uncovers the moving family story behind a 1775 Almanac. Tukufu tries to name a 1920s media exercise guru. And Gwen searches NASA records for “John F,” who may have smuggled Andy Warhol’s art to the moon.
Gwen dissects the mystery behind an ornate Belgian war medal. Elyse traces a pennant to the early battle for the women’s vote. And a cartoon cel leads Tukufu to unsung heroes of animation.
Eduardo uses a business card to uncover California underground secrets. Can Elyse link a shotgun to a bloody gang massacre? And Gwen finds ties between a Society Circus and FDR’s New Deal.
Join the History Detectives in three investigations devoted to rock ‘n’ roll.
Learn the real stories behind a set of Civil War-era pistols, K.K.K. Records and a battered Ampeg B-15 amp.
Uncover information about Clint Black’s book of posters, a slide of Bettie Page and the original Hollywood sign.
Learn the truth about an evocative symbol, a swatch of fabric, Native American clothing and a Lincoln signature.
Get the facts about a disputed picture frame, Woolworth signs and German toy soldiers.
Get the facts about a Vietnamese soldier’s diary, a bootlegger’s notebook and a Hollywood Indian ledger.
Explore stories about a WWI poster, a map of Valley Forge, a transistor radio and a 70-year-old business card.
See stories concerning an early American bill of sale, a powder horn, the “Star Spangled Banner” and a 1775 almanac.
Investigate four stories from the American West.
