Secrets of the Dead

Ben Franklin’s Scientific Achievements

America’s Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was intellectually curious about the world and he operated in it as a gentlemanly scientist. He pursued experiments related to electricity, he looked at better ways to make clocks and improve bifocal lenses. In 1752, he had won world-wide fame when he proved that lightening was not an act of God but in fact electricity.

Ben Franklin’s Scientific Achievements

3m 23s

  • Lost Treasures of Angkor – King's Gold: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Lost Treasures of Angkor – King's Gold

    S22 E4 - 55m 15s

    The discovery of gold and silver artifacts in Laos, dating to the early days of the Khmer Empire, leads scientists to investigate how the priceless objects were made and where they might have originated. On their journey, they retrace the steps of the ancient kings and explore the sacred landscape around Vat Phou to learn more about this ancient civilization.

  • Lost Treasures of Angkor – The Discovery: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Lost Treasures of Angkor – The Discovery

    S22 E3 - 55m 15s

    Angkor was the capital of the Khmer empire, which controlled much of the region between the 9th and 15th centuries. The stunning accomplishments of Angkor’s great kings are clear to see—but the period preceding the foundation of their great city is shrouded in mystery. Now, the discovery of an incredible hoard of stunning artifacts is providing surprising new clues about this early Khmer society.

  • Field of Vampires: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Field of Vampires

    S22 E2 - 55m 15s

    In 2022, a terrifying discovery: a female skeleton dating from 1650, buried with a sickle across her neck and giant padlock on her toe—double protection to keep her from rising from the dead. All the evidence points to her being buried as a vampire... and she’s not alone, with more than 50 deviant burials around her. Who was she and what did these burial rituals mean?

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