Great British Inventions - The HovercraftSubscribe to Naked Science - http://goo.gl/wpc2Q1
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Boats can’t reach high speeds because of the friction between the hull and the water. In 1877 Sir John Isaac Thornycroft, a brilliant British boat designer suggested that trapping air under a boat might reduce the friction problem. He tested his idea with a scale model of a flat bottomed boat with a recess underneath. Air trapped in the recess lifted the boat almost out of the water increasing its speed. Later he built a much more complex model using a clockwork mechanism connected to bellows, the bellows pumped air underneath the boat, as it passed through the water the air acted as a lubricant reducing the boat’s friction and once again increasing its speed. Sadly for Thornycroft his boat needed better engine technology than existed at the time. The patents were never exploited.
Over half a century later another inventor took up the challenge and built the first full sized hovercraft. That man was Sir Christopher Sydney Cockerell. His dedicated belief in the air cushion principle earned him a place in the history books, as the inventor of the hovercraft. When he unveiled the first prototype of his extraordinary machine the press were amazed, the headlines called it the “Flying Saucer”. But they did not possibly believe it could work over water. So the scientists took it out onto the bay for its first ever flight over the sea.
Cockerell was a well-respected engineer, he already had many patents to his name. He knew the hovercraft would work because of his early experiments, using an air blower, two tin cans, one inside the other, and a set of scales.
Clip from the documentary “Extreme Machines - Hovercraft”.
Watch it here - Coming soon!
Flight of the Future - Science Fiction or RealitySubscribe to Naked Science - http://goo.gl/wpc2Q1
Every Wednesday we present a new video, so join us to see the truth laid bare...
In the not too distant future strange craft will zoom across our skies. These are not UFOs, they’re not alien craft from another planet, these are machines developed and built by human engineers and designers. Today’s science fiction will become tomorrow’s reality. These are the aircraft of the future!
What you’re about to see is a glimpse into the future of aviation. Winged aircraft as we know them will soon be a thing of the past. Across the world designers are racing to create fantastic new aircraft that can fly humans higher, faster, and further than ever before. New military designs, airliners that can take us to the edge of space and around the planet in minutes, and new propulsion systems that will make the jet engine obsolete forever.
One casualty of this race for the future sits abandoned on an airfield, this fighter was more advanced than aircraft in service, but was already obsolete. It was the loser in the engineering competition of the century. In 1985 the United States Air Force demanded a new fighter plane, one that would incorporate the most up-to-date advances in stealth and agility. Two multibillion dollar designs by rival companies took to the air in a fight to the death. One was the Northrop YF-23, it had diamond shaped wings. The other was the Lockheed YF-22. The winner would become the backbone of the US Air Force, the loser a billion dollar pile of scrap.
A fierce fight was about to take place between the two most advanced fighter aircraft ever built. The test pilots fought to outperform each other. But after the YF-23’s wheels touched the ground it never flew again. With its greater performance and agility, the YF-22 was chosen to take the US Air Force into the next millennium. It is a truly remarkable craft, it is able to reach speeds and perform manoeuvres far beyond that of the front line fighter of the time, the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle.
World's Deepest Mine - Gold AlchemySouth Africa's TauTona mine, real life alchemy, and Halicephalobus Mephisto. Footage from the 2012 documentary, "Down to the Earth's Core".
We have travelled into space and looked deep into the universe's depths, but the world beneath our feet remains unexplored and unseen. Now, that's about to change. For the first time in one epic unbroken shot, we embark on an impossible mission - using spectacular computer generated imagery to smash through three thousand miles of solid rock, and venture from our world into the underworld and on to the core of the Earth itself.
It's a journey fraught with danger. One thousand feet down we find ourselves inside one of the planet's most volatile places - the San Andreas Fault. Caught between two huge rock slabs, we watch as stress builds and then releases. It unleashes an earthquake and blasts us on towards rivers of molten rock, explosive volcanoes, tears in the Earth's crust and giant tornadoes of liquid metal. But for every danger, there are wonders beyond imagination.
Four hundred feet below the surface, a three hundred million year old fossilized forest, with every leaf and every piece of bark perfectly preserved. At one thousand feet down we enter a cave of giant crystals, glistening in deadly 122 degree heat. More than two miles underground we find buried treasure - gold and gems. Deeper still there are valuable resources - salt, oil, coal and iron. And over one hundred miles down we see the sparkling beauty of diamonds.
As we descend we piece together our planet's extraordinary story. We rewind time to discover how prehistoric forests became modern-day fuel. 1700 feet down a layer of rock reveals the extraordinary story of the dinosaurs' cataclysmic death. We watch stalactites form and gold grow before our eyes. The deeper we travel into the underworld the more we understand our world above the surface. A bigger picture takes shape - a cycle of destruction and creation, driven by the core that sustains our dynamic planet and makes the Earth the only planet with life in a seemingly lifeless universe.
Until, finally, three thousand miles down, we reach the core. Inside it lie the secrets of life as we know it - the magnetic force field that protects life on Earth from the sun's deadly rays, the ancient heat source that keeps our planet alive. Down to the Earth's Core brings the latest science together with breathtaking computer generated imagery. The result is an unmissable journey into an extraordinary world - full of dangers, wonders and secrets. And it's all down there, beneath our feet, right now waiting to be discovered.
Naked Science is an American documentary television series that premiered in 2004 on the National Geographic Channel. The programme features various subjects related to science and technology.
Does telepathy exist? Scientists have argued for years about the existence of telepathy, the claimed ability to transmit words or thoughts to another mind outside of the channels of the recognized senses. Sceptics insist that humans possess no such power, but fail to provide answers for many phenomena suggesting that direct transmission can, and does, take place. Now Naked Science investigates this mysterious sixth sense and commissions new experiments to find an answer to this age-old question, does telepathy exist?
Unsubstantiated claims are not proof, so several experiments are conducted to put the phenomenon to the test. This includes exploring the telepathic connection that some twins claim to experience through a series of tests on one twin and recording the other twin's reaction, and a Ganzfeld test where a person in one room attempts to transmit mental pictures to another person in a different room.
Naked Science is an American documentary television series that premiered in 2004 on the National Geographic Channel. The programme features various subjects related to science and technology.
A disaster is looming. A fabulous city, rich in culture, and technological advances, is about to be destroyed. Buildings, people, an entire civilisation, swept away by an overwhelming natural disaster. The legend has entranced scientists and scholars for centuries.
In this episode Naked Science goes in search of the most enduring myth of all - The City of Atlantis - lost beneath the waves to a massive natural cataclysm some 11,000 years ago. We know very little of Atlantis, in fact were it not for the writings of the Greek philosopher Plato we might not have encountered it at all. Plato, recounting a story he heard as a child, described a huge metropolis, rich in fine art, architecture and culture. The city was destroyed in the space of a day and a night, sunk beneath the waves for eternity by a massive natural cataclysm. For thousands of years the tale remained an obscure yet tantalising fable until an American by the name of Ignatius Donnelly reignited the idea, bringing it to worldwide attention and sending archaeologists and trophy hunters alike across the globe in its wake.
Ancient Wonders of the World2002 documentary for the Travel Channel.
If you had to pick seven ancient wonders of the world, which ones would they be? We've compiled a list of our top 7, from the soaring heights of the Great Pyramid, to the statues of Easter Island, exotic Mayan temples, a Roman amphitheatre, and the Great Wall of China.
In this documentary we explore some of the most awesome ancient wonders, each rich in stories of mystery and intrigue. We take part in the summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge, walk the Great Wall of China, and join archaeologists in Mexico as they hunt for treasure in the Mayan temples. By searching for clues hidden with these historic monuments we can begin to unlock their secrets and reveal the marvels of these ancient wonders of the world.
Great Pyramid of Giza:
The three pyramids of Giza have stood on a high plateau by the Nile for more than 4,500 years. These wonders were built by the ancient Egyptian King Khufu, his son, and his grandson. Khufu's Great Pyramid is the largest and most impressive of them all
Tower of London:
The oldest palace and fortress in Europe. Behind this facade of respectability lie dark blood-curdling tales of terror, sinister acts born of ruthless ambition. For over 900 years these monumental walls have overshadowed the city of London. Even today the Tower of London is one of the capital's most prominent landmarks.
The Colosseum:
A marvel of Roman engineering and the greatest amphitheatre ever built. This huge stadium was designed so that as many Romans as possible could watch the most cruel and violent games the world has ever seen. Thousands died here in the name of popular entertainment.
Stonehenge:
Deep in the heart of the English countryside lies what is possibly the oldest structure on Earth. This is Stonehenge. It was built by prehistoric man and yet amazingly this extraordinary monument is aligned with the cosmos. The arrangement of the stones can predict exactly when the sun and the moon eclipse, and on the longest day of the year, they line up precisely with the midsummer sunrise.
Great Wall of China:
Built across mountain ranges up to 8,000 feet high, the Great Wall of China is a feet of engineering unparalleled in the world. It extends over 4,500 miles from North Korea to the wastes of the Gobi Desert, the same distance as from Miami to the North Pole. The Great Wall of China is the longest manmade structure on the planet.
Easter Island Moai:
This is one of the most isolated places on Earth, yet every year 20,000 tourists make the journey here to see some of the strangest wonders of the world. Easter Island is over 2,000 miles from the nearest habitation in Chile, it's a place with a tragic history, where the events of the past almost destroyed an entire population. 887 gigantic statues dot the island.
Lost City of Palenque:
In the 18th century the Spanish priest was sent by his bishop to explore the dense jungle of Central America. Searching for new land to cultivate he stumbled upon some hauntingly beautiful ruins rising spectacularly out of the forest. This was the Lost City of Palenque.
Naked Science - Who Built Stonehenge?2004 Documentary - Naked Science Season 1 - Who Built Stonehenge?
Naked Science is an American documentary television series that premiered in 2004 on the National Geographic Channel. The programme features various subjects related to science and technology.
Stonehenge, England's most mysterious ancient monument, on a site older than the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt. 85 massive stones, some weighing more than 40 tonnes, stand guard on a remote and wind-swept plain. Why is it here, what is it for, how was it built? The answers are lost in the mists of time. Myth links Stonehenge to England's mysterious druids, Celtic priests said to have practiced ritual sacrifice. What we do know is that some of the rocks at Stonehenge were transported more than 200 miles across the waters of England's widest tidal estuary. Naked Science demonstrates how these stones could have been carried such a vast distance, and raised into place, using just the primitive technology possessed by Ancient Britons almost 5000 years ago. And, for the first time, the film employs modern forensic investigation techniques to examine human skeletons found near the site and recreates the face of one man who may have worked on the construction of this astonishing, ancient structure.
World of Mysteries - Tutankhamun2002 Documentary
World of Mysteries
Tutankhamun : Curse of the Boy King
For 3000 years the treasures of Tutenkahmun lay entombed beneath Egypt's desert sands, until archaeologists disturbed the pharaoh's rest and unleashed a deadly curse. It's a controversial issue that scientists dismiss out of hand, yet the threat of an ancient curse has enthralled the public for nearly 100 years.
When an Egyptian King died suddenly 3000 years ago it marked the start of an ancient murder mystery that baffled scientists to this day. Far more chilling than the death of this young pharaoh, is the mystery of his curse, said to have caused a sinister series of deaths that began with the opening of his tomb in 1922.
This is the story of Tutenkahmun.
It's set against the backdrop of Egypt, this country of awe inspiring natural beauty is more than twice the size of Texas. Egypt sits on the Mediterranean Sea at the northeast corner of Africa, between Libya, Israel, and the Sudan. It's a land steeped in mysticism, which shrouds the most magnificent monuments in the world. Architecture of colossal proportions bears silent witness to a glorious past. Thousands of years ago Egypt was home to ancient Egyptians, at that time, the most advanced civilisation on Earth.
Naked Science - What is Human?2004 Documentary - Naked Science Season 1 - What is Human?
Naked Science is an American documentary television series that premiered in 2004 on the National Geographic Channel. The programme features various subjects related to science and technology.
What do you need to compete with the fiercest predators on Earth, to tame fire, to make tools, to survive cataclysmic natural disasters, and ultimately turn yourself from being an ape like creature, into human being?
Uncovering the secrets of the dead, we're looking back millions of years. This is the story of our battle to survive. Our species nearly became extinct. The struggle that eventually propelled one animal to rise above all other creatures on Earth. This is our story, the story of what makes us, human.
Evolution, what is human? In the beginning there were amoebas. Then there were fish and then there were walking, air-breathing fish. Then there were apes and then, well, me and you. At some point along the vast evolutionary scale a change occurred, a genetic mutation was born giving rise to a new species, the first 'human'. The problem is when? Naked Science travels the globe in search of our earliest ancestor, the first animal we can say is undeniably not an ape, but one of 'us'.
Naked Science is an American documentary television series that premiered in 2004 on the National Geographic Channel. The programme features various subjects related to science and technology.
There is a place on Earth that we have never seen. It is a place of unimaginable heat and pressure, where no life could survive. Yet without it, we would perish for it holds the key to our precarious existence on this planet.
2000 miles below the Earth's surface, there is a vast ocean of molten iron. The spinning outer core of the Earth generates a protective magnetic shield around the planet, defending life from lethal space radiation. But now there is startling data that it could be about to stop defending us. Naked Science is taking you on a journey to the centre of the Earth.
Universe: Beyond the Millennium - Creation"Universe: Beyond the Millennium" is a television series observing astronomical phenomena, research, and theories on the universe and its origins.
Narrated by John Hurt.
The documentary premiered in 1999 and presents an overview of the universe as humans understood it at that time, and how we think it will evolve in the next millennium. Using 3D computer generated graphics, the series features animated sequences that offer insight into the Big Bang theory and the anatomy of the sun.
"Creation", for years scientists have speculated about the beginning of the universe. Some astronomers support the Big Bang theory while others purport the Steady State theory. Which one is correct? Telescopes that tune into natural heat radiation coming from space are helping scientists find answers to these and other questions.
One day our universe will cool and die, our only escape maybe to risk a flight into a different universe. Perhaps the greatest question facing the human race is to discover where we came from, and find out what is our ultimate fate. Every culture, every age, has asked that question and tried answering it.
Universe: Beyond the Millennium - Planets"Universe: Beyond the Millennium" is a television series observing astronomical phenomena, research, and theories on the universe and its origins.
Narrated by John Hurt.
The documentary premiered in 1999 and presents an overview of the universe as humans understood it at that time, and how we think it will evolve in the next millennium. Using 3D computer generated graphics, the series features animated sequences that offer insight into the Big Bang theory and the anatomy of the sun.
"Planets", a new theory suggests that planets were formed from ice dwarfs or large solid lumps of frozen water. These ice dwarfs were causing cosmic collisions all throughout our solar system. Discover how this latest theory as well as cosmic collisions made earth hospitable and other planets in our solar system so desolate.
We have blasted men and machines to our neighbouring worlds. Sent probes to the outer solar system. Discovered volcanoes erupting on the surface of distant moons, visited worlds more diverse than we had ever imagined. We have landed on Mars, walked on the moon. At the dawn of a new millennium, we're at the start of a new era of exploring the planets
Universe: Beyond the Millennium - Alien Life"Universe: Beyond the Millennium" is a television series observing astronomical phenomena, research, and theories on the universe and its origins.
Narrated by John Hurt.
The documentary premiered in 1999 and presents an overview of the universe as humans understood it at that time, and how we think it will evolve in the next millennium. Using 3D computer generated graphics, the series features animated sequences that offer insight into the Big Bang theory and the anatomy of the sun.
"Alien Life", when NASA scientists found a lump of rock from Mars with microscopic fossils in it, the search for extraterrestrial life beyond our own became a credible objective. Researchers and scientists from SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) have spent decades trying to determine how an alien life force would contact us and if one does, how we would reply.
At the start of a new millennium we're about to embark on the greatest adventure of all time. Five hundred million miles from Earth, a spacecraft will land on Jupiter's icy moon, Europa. It's mission, to search for alien life. As we reach out across the galaxy, our spacecraft will explore the most extreme environments to answer the ultimate question, are we alone?
Catastrophe - Episode 1 - Birth of the PlanetCatastrophe - 2008 Documentary
This spectacular five-part series, presented by Tony Robinson, investigates the history of natural disasters, from the planet's beginnings to the present, putting a new perspective on our existence and suggesting that we are the product of catastrophe.
99% of all the creatures that have ever lived, no longer exist. They were wiped-out in a series of global catastrophes. Each disaster changed the course of evolution on earth. Without them mankind, nor any of the life we see around us, would be here today. For out of catastrophe comes rebirth. Evolution is a savage, imperfect and violent process. It's survive or perish. The earth's history of catastrophes has both moulded the planet and determined evolution. For each disaster led to another leap forward on the evolutionary trail form single celled bacteria to humankind itself.
Episode 1 - Birth of the Planet
The first programme tells the story of Earth's difficult birth, and how the formation of our moon set us on a unique course to being a planet ripe for life. Glowing peacefully in the night sky, it is difficult to imagine that the moon was actually born from one of the most violent and potentially devastating events in history. Four and half billion years ago, in the chaos of the early solar system, a Mars-sized planet smashed into our young Earth with such force that it sent rock debris hurtling out into space. This was how the moon was formed. The first film of the Catastrophe series explores the role of the moon in creating the calm atmosphere on Earth that would eventually allow life to take hold.
This spectacular five-part series, presented by Tony Robinson, investigates the history of natural disasters, from the planet's beginnings to the present, putting a new perspective on our existence and suggesting that we are the product of catastrophe.
99% of all the creatures that have ever lived, no longer exist. They were wiped-out in a series of global catastrophes. Each disaster changed the course of evolution on earth. Without them mankind, nor any of the life we see around us, would be here today. For out of catastrophe comes rebirth. Evolution is a savage, imperfect and violent process. It's survive or perish. The earth's history of catastrophes has both moulded the planet and determined evolution. For each disaster led to another leap forward on the evolutionary trail form single celled bacteria to humankind itself.
Episode 3 - Planet of Fire
250 million years ago, 95% of life was wiped off the face of Earth in the biggest extinction event ever. But what was responsible? Back then, our planet was a very different place. Millions of years before the era of dinosaurs, creatures such as Dicynodonts and Gorgonopsians roamed the land, while the oceans too teemed with life. Then, in the blink of a geological eye, everything changed. Life itself was almost completely wiped out in what is known as the Permian extinction. Travelling to locations such as South Africa, California, and Iceland, the experts discover that the volcanic activity of the Siberian Traps led to the release of deadly gases from beneath the sea and rises in Earth's temperature. This turbocharged global warming brought drought and a breakdown in the food cycle, with even the strongest animals eventually succumbing to the conditions.
Catastrophe - Episode 4 - Asteroid ImpactCatastrophe - 2008 Documentary
This spectacular five-part series, presented by Tony Robinson, investigates the history of natural disasters, from the planet's beginnings to the present, putting a new perspective on our existence and suggesting that we are the product of catastrophe.
99% of all the creatures that have ever lived, no longer exist. They were wiped-out in a series of global catastrophes. Each disaster changed the course of evolution on earth. Without them mankind, nor any of the life we see around us, would be here today. For out of catastrophe comes rebirth. Evolution is a savage, imperfect and violent process. It's survive or perish. The earth's history of catastrophes has both moulded the planet and determined evolution. For each disaster led to another leap forward on the evolutionary trail form single celled bacteria to humankind itself.
Episode 4 - Asteroid Impact
Dinosaurs rose up as rulers of Earth around 230 million years ago, eventually dominating all other species and relegating mammals to the shadows. But 65 million years ago their planet was rocked by yet another massive event when, seemingly out of nowhere, the mighty dinosaurs were wiped off the face of Earth. But without this devastating catastrophe, humans would not be here today.
This film explores the trail of clues that lead to what extinguished the dinosaurs and ultimately led to the evolution of humans. Cutting-edge scientists, palaeontologists and geologists investigate what could be responsible, and chart the story behind the widely held theory that Earth was hit once again by a deadly asteroid.
Universe: Beyond the Millennium - Stars"Universe: Beyond the Millennium" is a television series observing astronomical phenomena, research, and theories on the universe and its origins.
Narrated by John Hurt.
The documentary premiered in 1999 and presents an overview of the universe as humans understood it at that time, and how we think it will evolve in the next millennium. Using 3D computer generated graphics, the series features animated sequences that offer insight into the Big Bang theory and the anatomy of the sun.
"Stars", scientific studies of our sun and surrounding stars are revealing discoveries that link electric and magnetic weather patterns of the sun with storms that rage on the earth. Similarly, viewers learn how the sun's electro-magnetic properties can close the Toronto Stock Exchange and turn off all the lights in New York City.
In five billion years, our nearest start, the sun, will die, swelling and becoming a red giant. The heat will be so intense the oceans will boil. Our planet will be scorched beyond recognition. The crust will melt, the surface will become an ocean of molten rock, all life will end, in the ultimate armageddon.
This spectacular five-part series, presented by Tony Robinson, investigates the history of natural disasters, from the planet's beginnings to the present, putting a new perspective on our existence and suggesting that we are the product of catastrophe.
99% of all the creatures that have ever lived, no longer exist. They were wiped-out in a series of global catastrophes. Each disaster changed the course of evolution on earth. Without them mankind, nor any of the life we see around us, would be here today. For out of catastrophe comes rebirth. Evolution is a savage, imperfect and violent process. It's survive or perish. The earth's history of catastrophes has both moulded the planet and determined evolution. For each disaster led to another leap forward on the evolutionary trail form single celled bacteria to humankind itself.
Episode 5 - Survival Earth
So far, humans have been lucky not to have experienced catastrophes on a global scale, like those that have extinguished 99% of all other species. Humans have come to reside as the most powerful species on this planet, but it is easy to forget that the forces that wiped out many of our ancestors are still at work. In this final programme, Catastrophe maps out key events over the last 75,000 years. During that time humans were subjected to a super-volcano that nearly devastated whole regions of Earth. The ensuing ice age that covered Europe with ice sheets many kilometres thick is said to have thwarted the development of complex civilisation, and the cosmic catastrophe that followed is believed to have changed life forever for the early inhabitants of North America.
The New Zodiac - Astrology vs AstronomyIt's 5:07pm on the 10th February, and a child is being born in central London. According to astrology he's born under the star sign Aquarius, he will be innovative, sociable, and unconventional. But we can reveal that the method that Western astrologers use to calculate our star signs is flawed. This programme will show that we are all reading the wrong star signs, we unveil the truth about astrology and "The New Zodiac".
For centuries astrologers have believed that we are all intimately linked with the heavens, the exact position of the planets and stars act as a celestial mirror which reflects our personality, and our destiny. Astrologers base their predictions on the movements of the sun, the moon, and the planets as seen from Earth. As they move these heavenly bodies cross in front of 12 groups of stars called constellations. The ancient Greeks thought that these constellations look like figures, a crab, some twins, even a bull. This journey through the 12 constellations inspired astrologers to divide the sky into 12 equal segments, each representing a month. We know these constellations as the 12 signs of the zodiac.
This 2001 documentary was produced by Pioneer Productions for Channel 5.
Featuring contributions from astrologers Russell Grant and Roy Gillett, interviews with astronomer Dr Francisco Diego (University College London), psychologist Dr Chris French (Goldsmiths College), and media sceptic Tony Youens.
World of Mysteries - Quest for the Holy Grail2002 Documentary
World of Mysteries
Quest for the Holy Grail
For 2000 years successive generations have been gripped by a quest. A quest, championed by King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, for a sacred cup which will provide it's finder with immortality and total enlightenment. This is the greatest treasure hunt of all, a journey through some of the most historic and mysterious sites in Britain. The Quest for the Holy Grail.
The search for the Holy Grail has taken questers around the world, but one of the most enduring legends tells us that the Grail was brought to Britan by Jesus Christ's great uncle, Joseph of Arimathea. When Jesus was dying on the cross, Joseph held a bowl to his side, collecting the blood of Christ. After Christ died Joseph was visited by the Archangel Raphael who told him to bring this sacred bowl, this Holy Grail, to the Blessed Isles of the West, Britain. Once here the chalice was said to be hidden in the most holy place in the land. Ever since the search has been on to find the Holy Grail.
The story is shrouded in the mists of legend and the quest continues to this day weaving a spectacular path across some of the most dramatic and mysterious sites in Britain. Glastonbury, where the water flows red from the blood of Christ. Tintagel, birthplace of King Arthur, and home to Merlin. Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, a sacred treasure trove which closely guards its holy secrets including, possibly, the Holy Grail.
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World of Mysteries - Hidden City of London2002 Documentary
World of Mysteries
Hidden City of London
London, Europe's biggest and busiest metropolis, visited by 28 million tourists every year. They come for history, culture, and entertainment, but behind the glamour of the bright lights lies a concealed sinister city that most travellers don't get to see. This is the Hidden City of London.
London is a city rich in history, but you won't see it all from a double decker bus. In this programme we explore a secret subterranean world. We hunt for ghosts of centuries past, and unravel the most famous English mystery of all, Jack the Ripper.
In 1888, Jack the Ripper was the most feared name in London. The Ripper preyed upon prostitutes of the East End, in just ten weeks he savagely murdered five women, but to this day his true identity remains a mystery. In Victorian England the East End of London was a gloomy network of narrow cobbled streets shrouded in thick smog, life here was hard.
Each year on November 5th hundreds of bonfires burn across the city as millions celebrate Guy Fawkes Night. Guy Fawkes was a seventeenth century terrorist captured trying to blow up the Houses of Parliament with two tonnes of gunpowder. Fawkes was imprisoned in one of the most brutal and terrifying places of all, the Tower of London.
The West End is the Broadway of Europe. This is theatre land with over 40 playhouses in a single square mile. The Theatre Royal at Drury Lane is hundreds of years old, and seats 2500 theatre goers, both living, and dead. Mark Fox has been at the theatre since 1992, he claims to know of at least three ghosts that haunt the building, and he has a possible explanation for one of them.
In search of London's darker mysteries we sail up the River Thames to one of the most glorious palaces in England. Hampton Court represents 500 years of royal history, and with it, countless hauntings.
Westminster, in the heart of London is Britain's political hub and home to matters of vital national security, but these buildings were not built to withstand the impact of the Blitz of World War II. Instead Winston Churchill's war cabinet held their meets at a top secret location below ground. Now a museum, the Churchill War Rooms have been left exactly as they were when they were abandoned in 1945.
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Concorde - Supersonic MarvelSubscribe to Naked Science - http://goo.gl/wpc2Q1
Every Wednesday we present a full length documentary, so join us to see the truth laid bare...
Concorde is the greatest civilian aircraft ever built. In the aviation hall of fame Concorde stands second only to the Wright brothers' maiden flight. Even before she leaves the ground, she goes like a bat out of hell! She cruises at twice the speed of sound, faster than the earth rotates. She's so far ahead of the pack, she's out of sight!
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde is a retired turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner or supersonic transport (SST). Concorde was jointly developed and produced by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) under an Anglo-French treaty. First flown in 1969, Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued commercial flights for 27 years. The aircraft is regarded by many people as an aviation icon and an engineering marvel.
Type : Supersonic Jet
Cruise Speed : 1,350 mph
Cruise Altitude : 11 miles
Rolls Royce Olympus Engines : Total Thrust 152,000 lbs
Afterburners : Adapted from Military Jet
Air Intake Systems : Slows Air for Engines to Subsonic Speed
The Delta Wing : 5,000 of Testing
Nose : Hydraulically Controlled System
Clip from the documentary "Modern Wonders of the World".
Watch it here -- http://youtu.be/CYUlzC8Znok
World of Mysteries - Bermuda Triangle2002 Documentary
World of Mysteries
Bermuda Triangle : Lost at Sea
Over the past fifty years 3000 ships and 100 planes have gone missing in a mysterious stretch of water in the Atlantic Ocean. One minute they are there, the next, they've vanished. They all have one thing in common, they all ventured in to the Bermuda Triangle.
They're paradise destinations for tourists, the sunshine coast of Florida and the Florida Keys, the sun-baked island of Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas, and the beautiful coral seas of Bermuda. But the surrounding waters hold a mystery that has been known by many names, the Devil's Triangle, the Devil's Seas, Graveyard of the Atlantic, but one given to these infamous waters strikes fear into the hearts of those who attempt to cross it, the Bermuda Triangle.
The Bermuda Triangle lies off the Eastern Seaboard of the United States bordered by the Florida Keys, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico, one and half million square miles of empty ocean.
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World of Mysteries - In Search of Amelia EarhartSubscribe to Naked Science - http://goo.gl/wpc2Q1
Every Wednesday we present a full length documentary, so join us to see the truth laid bare...
Papua New Guinea, a remote island in the vast Pacific, so impenetrable is this jungle island that only the most adventurous travel here. This untamed land holds many secrets, it plays host to the greatest aviation mystery of all time. In 1937, Amelia Mary Earhart took off from Papua New Guinea, then vanished without a trace. Now her true fate is finally emerging, armed with new technology, experts are going back to the Pacific to find the queen of the skies.
International travel has never been easier, thousands of aircraft girdle the globe, guided to their destinations by satellite navigation systems. Pick any place on Earth and it’s only a plane ride away, it would never occur to us that our pilot might get lost, but in the pioneering days of aviation when Amelia Earhart was flying, getting lost was an occupational hazard. When she opened up the air routes we fly today she did so with little more than a compass to guide her.
In 1932 flying across the States was big news, especially when the pilot was a woman. Amelia Earhart’s daring and charm made her a media celebrity, people hungered for every detail of this remarkable woman’s life. When she became the first woman to fly the Atlantic, New York City gave her a hero’s welcome. In an age when most people had never seen an aeroplane, flying across an ocean was like going to the moon.
In 1937, Amelia announced her most ambitious project, to fly around the world. The first two thirds of the flight were successful, a month after she left the US Amelia reached the Pacific island of Papua New Guinea, California was only three days away. But she never made it.
“In Search of Amelia Earhart”, is a 2002 documentary, from the “World of Mysteries” series.
Modern Wonders of the WorldSubscribe to Naked Science - http://goo.gl/wpc2Q1
Every Wednesday we present a full length documentary, so join us to see the truth laid bare...
We live on a beautiful planet. Today our natural landscapes also boast manmade wonders, icons of engineering and architecture. So what are the world's modern wonders? We've compiled our top seven, from the tallest building on Earth, to the longest underwater tunnel, from aviation's greatest airliner, to engineering's greatest work of art. These are our modern wonders!
The great engineering achievements of the modern world are more than purely functional. The visionaries who dreamed up their imposing shapes used art and science to create structures of dramatic beauty. Our bridges, dams, and skyscrapers, dominate our landscapes, as the pyramids dominated those of ancient Egypt. They're testaments to the creative genius of humankind. In this film we tunnel under, climb up, jump off, and fly with, the greatest marvels the modern world has to offer.
2002 documentary for the Travel Channel, including the following subjects :
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is a bridge in New York City and is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. It has a main span of 486.3 metres and was the first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed.
Petronas Towers
The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat official definition and ranking, they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004. The buildings are a landmark of Kuala Lumpur, along with nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower.
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde is a retired turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner or supersonic transport. Concorde was jointly developed and produced by Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation under an Anglo-French treaty. First flown in 1969, Concorde entered service in 1976 and continued commercial flights for 27 years.
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889, it was initially criticised by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but has become both a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a 77.1 kilometre ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea) to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 metres above sea level.
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a 50.5 kilometre rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom, with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, near Calais in northern France, beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At 37.9 kilometres the tunnel has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world.
World of Mysteries - Crop Circles and Desert Lines2002 Documentary
World of Mysteries
Crop Circles and Desert Lines
Peru, South America, where mysterious pictures were created 2000 years ago on the plains of the driest desert on Earth. Now these ancient wonders have spawned a modern tourist industry attracting travellers from all over the world. Elsewhere, tourists flock to see monuments that date from the dawn of history, like at Stonehenge in England, and in the surrounding countryside new wonders still appear today, vast and intricate crop circles that materialise overnight. But how and why are they made, and who creates these extraordinary mysteries of the fields.
Amid the rolling hills of England, hundreds of intricate designs known as crop circles appear in the fields. Such perfect circles have been known about for centuries, they used to be feared as the work of the devil. A 17th century illustration shows Satan mowing his corn. But in recent years these crop circles have become ever more numerous, more elaborate, and more mysterious. Nobody knows just how the circles are made, but some strange force is at work, twisting, crushing, and flattening the corn.
Britain's corn circles are beautiful and complex, but other more mysterious artworks can be found halfway round the world in Peru, South America. The Ballestas Islands, these uninhabited isles are an astonishing haven for wildlife, and home to the coastal sand drawing known as the Paracas Candelabra. 600 feet high, the drawing can be seen 12 miles out at sea. Nobody really knows when it was built, or why.
But even this massive sand drawing pales in significance when compared to the awesome spectacle of the Nazca Lines, 150 miles away in the Peruvian desert. It looks like a desert runway, big enough for any international airport, 180 feet wide, more than 6000 feet long, a landing strip for a jumbo jet, or the space shuttle, or perhaps a more mysterious, more alien, flight arrival.
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Natural Born Killers - The Science of Shark AttacksSubscribe to Naked Science - http://goo.gl/wpc2Q1
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One of the most feared predators of the sea is the shark, many species of which can strip a man to ribbons in a matter of minutes. But what prompts sharks to attack human beings, who are not their natural enemies? “The Science of Shark Attacks” is a documentary in which survivors of shark attacks share their life-and-death stories, as ichthyologists explain the attack behaviour of sharks, how to keep yourself safe in the water, and discuss attempts to cure sharks of their killer instinct.
Contrary to popular belief, only a few sharks are dangerous to humans. Out of more than 470 species, only four have been involved in a significant number of fatal, unprovoked attacks on humans: the great white, oceanic whitetip, tiger, and bull sharks. These sharks are large, powerful predators, and may sometimes attack and kill people. Despite being responsible for attacks on humans they have all been filmed without using a protective cage.
The perception of sharks as dangerous animals has been popularised by publicity given to a few isolated unprovoked attacks, such as the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, and through popular fictional works about shark attacks, such as the Jaws film series. Jaws author Peter Benchley, as well as Jaws director Steven Spielberg later attempted to dispel the image of sharks as man-eating monsters.
Naked Science is an American documentary television series that premiered in 2004 on the National Geographic Channel. The programme features various subjects related to science and technology.
Just for a moment, imagine, a universe awash with life, where we humans are not the only intelligent beings around. What might these alien races look like? Could we communicate with them, or even recognise them as intelligent? And what would they make of our violent and dangerous species? Might they take one look, and decide not to bother with such primitive beings? A planetary nursery filled with spiteful, galactic infants. On the other hand, in our imaginary scenario, they may enrich us with scientific knowledge beyond our imagination. Or could an encounter with aliens have a more destructive outcome? It could be a bad day for human kind. But relax, it's just make believe, it could never happen, could it?
A mysterious crash in Roswell, New Mexico during the 1940s convinced many that our planet is being visited by space aliens. Crop circles in Britain have only added fuel to the fire. Few scientists doubt that life indeed exists elsewhere, but some believe we're more likely to make contact via radio waves. Join the search for extra-terrestrials and hear from scientists who think we are on the verge of making contact.
