The History Channel's blog

Saturday August 6 at 7.30pm on THE HISTORY CHANNEL

Central Steam is an exciting, new 15 part series with fascinating access behind the scenes at the preserved steam heritage heritage railway the Great Central Railway The Great Centra railway, the Great Central Railway. The Great Centrall is unique in Britain in that it is the only preserved is unique in Britain in that it is the only preserved line that has a double track so that the days when full size steam engines could pass each other can be recreated. The series follows a year in the life of the railway, as we meet some of the seven hundred staff and volunteers who share their passion for the golden age of steam. Over the series we meet engine drivers and firemen, chefs, engineers, and visiting celebrities including artist David Shepherd and pop mogul Pete Waterman. And not to mention mention visiting engines including visiting engines including ‘Tornado Tornado’ ‘ , Oliver Oliver Cromwell Cromwell’, and and the vintage the vintage ‘Sir Sir Berkeley Berkeley’ that that helped build the helped build the Great Central 110 years ago.

Tuesday, August 2 at 7.30pm on THE HISTORY CHANNEL

This intriguing film reveals the amazing and relatively untold story of Albert Goering, the brother of Nazi Herman Goering. Despite his connections to the highest echelons of the Nazi Party, Albert was determinedly anti-Nazi. He saved people from Nazi atrocities by audaciously using his brother’s forged signature and exalted position. Australian backpacker William Hastings Burke – who recently stumbled on new evidence to support the story – has travelled thousands of miles, interviewed relatives and talked to survivors, including some who owe their lives to Albert’s interventions. His film shows just how Albert’s true legacy was overshadowed by his brother’s savage crimes.

Monday August 1 at 8.30pm on THE HISTORY CHANNEL

For some it’s the root of all evil. Others wished it grew on trees. Love it or loathe it, whatever your opinion of it is, money is as inescapable as death and taxes. But what exactly is money? Where did it come from? And where did it all go? In this fresh, revelatory series, historian and Harvard professor Niall Ferguson reveals everything you need know about money. Why did money stop being metal and morph into paper? Why do people never learn that stock market bubbles always end in busts? Understand these things and you start to see world history in a new light. Discover that it was Rothschild as much as Wellington who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo and why it’s the adoption adoption of Arab mathematics that allowed Renaissance art and of Arab mathematics that allowed Renaissance art and architecture architecture to flourish Combining dynamic film to flourish. Combining dynamic filmmaking, interviews with financial big hitters and Niall Ferguson’s engaging and accessible style, Ascent of Money will fundamentally transform your idea of what really makes the world go round.

Wednesday, July 27 at 7.30pm on THE HISTORY CHANNEL

2 episodes x 60 minutes

What happens when 10 teenagers used to playing computer war games experience the stark realities of life in the front front line of a world war two battle? History is brought to life in this groundbreaking new series The brainchild of line of a world war two battle? History is brought to life in this groundbreaking new series. The brainchild of two former special-forces soldiers, the teenagers are put through a demanding and challenging training regime in authentic 1940′s conditions. Their mission is to successfully recreate Operation Market Garden, the legendary aerial parachute assault over Arnhem on 17 September 1944, by jumping into Holland on the anniversary of the original drop. Intercut with interviews with the few remaining survivors and original archive, this is the ultimate history lesson and has a life-changing effect on the recruits.

Sunday, July 24 at 7.30pm on THE HISTORY CHANNEL

Two-hour special

A 9.0 quake happens once every 20 years, like the one that struck Japan in March. An earthquake of 10.0 has never been recorded in history and it is said to occur once every 2500 years, capable of destroying entire civilizations. We’ll see what would unfold if a 10.0 Megaquake struck different fault lines in the U.S., underwater and around the world.

Thursday July 21 at 10.30pm on THE HISTORY CHANNEL

Adapted from the critically acclaimed true crime bestsellers, each author tells their infamous stories on-camera. Each story is told only from the author’s perspective.

Wednesday July 20 at 7.30pm on THE HISTORY CHANNEL

September 1943: Mussolini has been out of power for a month and imprisoned at a ski resort at Campo Imperatore in Italy’s Gran Sasso, high in the Apennine Mountains. This documentary presents the true story of the Gran Gran Sasso raid or Operation Oak Sasso raid, or Operation Oak, anan audacious attempt by the Nazis to free the former Duce audacious attempt by the Nazis to free the former Duce byby the the man that man that lead the mission, Commanding Officer Herald Mors.

Monday, July 18 at 8.30pm on THE HISTORY CHANNEL

Edward Teach, alias Blackbeard, was the most notorious pirate of his day. Now, 300 years later, a marine archaeology team believe they have found his sunken flagship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, off the North Carolina coast. Did Blackbeard accidentally run his ship aground, or was it a deliberate plot to betray his crew and cheat them out of their share of the plunder?

Mondays, July 18 at 7.30pm on THE HISTORY CHANNEL

Following in Queens Victoria’s footstep on her Royal Progress throughout her 63 reign -intrepid experts Tim Wonnacott and Rosemary Shrager head to respective upstairs and downstairs quarters of some of the most beautiful houses in Great Britain, to see what life was like for servants and guests in finery alike during the Royal visit… It was a time steeped in tradition – yet also one of unparalleled industrial, political and social change. We reveal everything from how they polished the brass, re-built the garden, made asparagus ice-cream and cleaned the tapestry and arrived in splendour.

Sunday, July 17 at 7.30pm on THE HISTORY CHANNEL

Every step we take, we walk over a fascinating world beneath our feet. What’s there is not only a time machine of geologic history; it’s a catalogue of multiple histories that tell the story of us and of our planet. Using the visual of a depth chart as a timeline of what has been buried and burrowed through over years, we’ll pick the most engaging and unexpected stories across the world that cover examples of archaeology, technological achievement, natural history, anthropology, botany and geography in addition to geology.