Skip to main content

Up Next

Ben Franklin's Bones

Ben Franklin's Bones

Season 14 Episode 1
54:41
JFK & LBJ: A Time for Greatness

JFK & LBJ: A Time for Greatness

Season 14 Episode 2
55:10
The Real Trojan Horse

The Real Trojan Horse

Season 14 Episode 3
54:40
Jamestown’s Dark Winter

Jamestown’s Dark Winter

Season 14 Episode 4
54:41
Graveyard of the Giant Beasts

Graveyard of the Giant Beasts

Season 15 Episode 5
55:11
Van Gogh’s Ear

Van Gogh’s Ear

Season 16 Episode 2
55:09
Nero’s Sunken City

Nero’s Sunken City

Season 16 Episode 3
55:11
Leonardo, The Man Who Saved Science

Leonardo, The Man Who Saved Science

Season 16 Episode 4
55:11
The Woman in the Iron Coffin

The Woman in the Iron Coffin

Season 16 Episode 5
55:11
Secrets of the Dead Season 17

Hannibal in the Alps

Season 17 Episode 2
55:11
King Arthur's Lost Kingdom

King Arthur's Lost Kingdom

Season 17 Episode 3
55:41
Abandoning the Titanic

Abandoning the Titanic

Season 17 Episode 6
55:15
Back to Show
Secrets of the Dead

Mystery of the Black Death

Season 3 Episode 2

In 1665, a British tailor opened a flea-infested shipment of fabric from London. In a matter of days, the tailor and much of the village were suffering the telltale signs of bubonic plague, the disease that wiped out a third of the European population. 350 years later, an American geneticist is delving into the reasons why some managed to survive the Black Death while others were not so lucky.

Support Provided By
Season
Secrets of the Dead Season 22
55:15
Priceless artifacts in Laos reveal holy sites from the early days of the Khmer Empire.
Lost Treasures of Angkor – The Discovery
55:15
The discovery of priceless artifacts in Laos sheds light on the ancient Khmer Empire.
Field of Vampires
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Uncover the mystery behind the discovery of more than 50 "vampire" burials.
The Civil War's Lost Massacre
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:23
A search for the remains of Black Union soldiers murdered toward the end of the Civil War.
The Herculaneum Scrolls
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Scientists attempt to read ancient scrolls carbonized by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.
Mozart's Sister
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Learn the untold story of Maria Anna Mozart, Wolfgang’s older sister and collaborator.
Returning to Babylon
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:45
Archaeologists search for Assyrian artifacts that survived the Isis occupation of Mosul.
The Princes in the Tower
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Find out if the 15th-century murder of two princes in the Tower of London can be solved.
Death in Britannia
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Uncover the only evidence of crucifixion in Roman-occupied Britain.
Eiffel's Race to the Top
Unlock with PBS Passport
54:45
Discover the untold story of Paris’ most famous landmark and the race to top 1,000 feet.
Jurassic Fortunes
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:01
Discover the world of dinosaur fossil collecting, an unusual hobby with a growing market.
The Sunken Basilica
Unlock with PBS Passport
55:15
Explore the sunken remains of an early Christian basilica in western Turkey.
Active loading indicator