Good afternoon, good morning, or good evening, depending on when you are reading this!  The documentary playlist continues to go down as I move down the list, apart from World War II at the start of the list.  I did not want to get November blogs before I got April or May blogs done.   Today is a documentary on Haile Selassie, and the run time for this documentary is 1:00:16.  It is called Haile Selassie: Controversial Ethiopian Emperor turned Rastafarian Messiah.

Haile Selassie was the emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974 and ruled a country that was never colonized by Europeans.  He is a divisive figure in history.  He would lead Ethiopia to become the first non-Western nation in the League of Nations.  He would also defend Ethiopia’s independence against Italy.  He would be exiled to Bath for four years.  After he returned to Ethiopia, he would abolish slavery in Ethiopia and would become seen as a Messiah figure.  However, his popularity would decline, and he would eventually be killed.

The story of Haile Selassie begins with Ethiopia.  Ethiopia was a Christian country as a result of Egypt being a central Christian center, and when Islam conquered Africa, this nation was cut off from the Christian World.  Ethiopians would not convert to Islam and would adapt their version of Christianity.  The rulers of Ethiopia claimed descent from King Solomon.  The documentary quickly talked about the diverse people of Ethiopia, which was a bit hard to catch. The Ethiopian Empire was known as Abyssinian. 

It was the most powerful state in Africa.  European nations started colonizing Africa.  The British were the strongest presence, while other nations had treaties with other nations.  It was the decade of the Scramble for Africa.  Menelik II would not allow Ethiopia to be conquered.  He established a new capital and modernized the nation.  He allied with the Russians, who sent experts to help Ethiopia move forward.  Ethiopia would modernize the government, economy, and military.  Italy would invade Ethiopia, and would be turned back by the Ethiopian forces.  An Ethiopian army of 70,000 soldiers defeated the 15,000-strong Italian army.

Haile Selassie was born Lij Tafari Makonnen, he was a member of a noble house. He was appointed the governor of a local province. He would marry Menen Asfaw of Ambassel, who was the niece of the heir to the throne.  Emperor Menelik II was becoming more and more incapacitated after a series of strokes.  In 1913, Menelik passed away and was supposed to be succeeded by his grandson.  However, the council of ministers opposed his grandson’s rule.  Princess Zewditu led the opposition, and she would take the throne.   Lij Tafari Makonnen would be appointed as her successor.  Empress Zewditu, a traditionalist, had her challenges because she was a woman.   Lij Tafari Makonnen was able to have more influence in the royal court.

Eventually, Lij Tafari Makonnen’s influence would grow too strong, and he was allowed to embark on a system of modernization.  Railroads would be built, and Ethiopia would join the League of Nations.  A more Western-style justice system was adopted.  He would even go on tour around Europe.  He would try to convince the European powers to grant him access to the Red Sea. He would eventually succeed the throne as Haile Selassie, and he would call himself the King of Kings.  He would immediately start additional reforms, such as a new constitution and a parliamentary system.  He would continue to expand modernization. 

Unfortunately, the Italians were coming.  Benito Mussolini had taken over Italy and was looking to restore Rome’s fortunes.  He would look to invade Ethiopia to help this restoration.  The Italians would invade Ethiopia, and it would prove to be a brutal campaign.  What would be the results of this campaign?  What about Haile Selassie?  How did he become such a divisive figure?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

Overall, it was a good introduction to Haile Selassie and his rule, and if a student was working on a Haile Selassie biography, I would point them to this documentary.  It is a good start to learning about Haile Selassie, and I would put this on my potential to show list for a history classroom.

Greetings, I hope that things are going well for you.  Today is a documentary on Alfred Wegener and his expedition to Greenland.  This is something I had never heard of, so I will look forward to watching this.  It is from the Get.Factual YouTube Channels.  The run time for this documentary is 42:07.  I am calling it Alfred Wegener’s Final Expedition.

Alfred Wegener was a polar explorer who had a bold theory as to how the continents were created.  He planned an expedition to Greenland and would spend the year on the Island to gather evidence.  However, the Greenland expedition would prove to be challenging.  He made a heroic effort to deliver vital supplies to his stranded team.  However, the conditions were brutal and would lead to his untimely death.  What happened to this expedition?  How did he die?  This documentary explores this Expedition.

Alfred Wegener was a gentleman at the top of his field.  He would go to Greenland to observe the climate there and would document everything.  He would film his polar expeditions.  Not only did he explore the polar regions, he also went up in a hot air balloon and stayed up in the sky for 52 hours with just street clothes.  He would go to Greenland and would discover a passion for field research.

He would go to Greenland several times and knew the risks.  On one expedition, he almost lost his life in a fierce storm.  He was a fierce adventurer, but also a respected and popular professor.  His students loved him.  He was the man who originated Pangea, the concept that all the continents were together in a supercontinent.  However, continental drift would have been a theory, and so he would have to go to Greenland to learn more.

He was a family man who was getting older, and so time was of the essence.  He would propose the expedition and would receive the funding for the expedition.  Transportation was arranged to Greenland, as well as food and equipment.  On April 1, 1930, he would leave Copenhagen for Greenland to commence the expedition.  There was a quick stop in Iceland to pick up ponies, which is a throwback to the early explorers who used ponies on their expeditions to the polar regions.

The expedition would arrive in Greenland, however, there were immediate challenges.  The bay was full of ice that needed to be broken up.  This would cost the expedition six weeks.  Then the expedition would have to scale a glacier, which would have challenged them.  They also had to haul up 120 tons of supplies.  It would have to be scaled by brute strength, the dogs.  The ponies would carry the technologically advanced equipment.  Wegner would have pressed his men forward and would have moved fast in order to make up for lost time.

They were going to go to a place where men had never gone.  The locals believed that the area was haunted by bad spirits.  It was strange to see outsiders come into the area.  They would help the German scientist get to the interior.  They would have lived in tents for the first part of the expedition, however, this would not have provided good protection from the cold weather.  There were promises of a better shelter.  As the expedition progressed, there seemed to be more and more challenges along the way.  It is starting to remind me of the failed Scott Expedition to the South Pole.

Anyway, one of the important tools of the expedition was sledges, and they were designed to go over the snow.  However, the sledges could not handle the conditions in Greenland.  He would have to turn to dog power in order to get into the interior.  Wegener treated the locals well, and he earned their trust.  So what happened in this expedition?  Why did it fail?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

I wish the narrator had said his name that way I could have used it for the documentary.  It was also very interesting to see that the expedition was remembered by Local Greenlanders.  It was a very well put-together documentary on something you never heard about.  I would put t

Good day!  I hope that the day is going well for you.  After that disappointing documentary, I am going to throw it back to Ancient Egypt and do a documentary on the Pyramid of Saqqara.  The documentary is called Saqqara: The Buried Secrets of a Pyramid, and it is part of the Inside Pyramids series.  The run time for this documentary is 53:14.

Saqqara is the largest archaeological site in Egypt.  It is home to one of the largest pyramids created.  However, all that remains of the pyramid is the tomb that would have held the pharaoh who built it.  The pyramid was built by a virtually unknown Pharaoh.  For the first time, a film crew is allowed inside to film in the pyramid.  What will be discovered about the tomb?  What will it reveal about the pharaoh who built it?

The documentary begins with an architect who loves studying Ancient Egypt.  His name is Franck Monnier, and he talks about what makes this pyramid so special.  He has created a plan for the buried pyramid of Sekhemkhet.  It is a pyramid that little research has been done on, so Monnier’s plan is theoretical.  The mission for this program is to go to the pyramid is scan the pyramid.  When the pyramid was discovered over 70 years ago, a stone sarcophagus was discovered.
So the mission begins with Alban-Brice Pimpaud.  He has made his way to the site to start scanning the pyramid.  The site is now buried under tons of sand.  Pimpaud, using Lidar, goes into the pyramid to scan it.  He goes into the pyramid carefully and begins scanning.  He will have two hours to scan the pyramid.  This will not only create a plan for the pyramid but also track the deterioration of the pyramid.  He carefully threads his way through the passageways.

The pyramid of Sekhemkhet was hidden for thousands of years and could easily be missed.  However, the results of the scans are now revealing the secrets of Sekhemkhet’s pyramid.  Another Egyptologist makes his way to the pyramid to learn more about Sekhemkhet and his burial chambers.  It is a thrilling experience for him.  Monnier is also allowed to enter the pyramid.  The pyramid of Sekhemkhet was the second pyramid constructed. 

The rock in which the chamber was built is very fragile.  If someone bangs their head on it, a chunk could come off on your head.  Monnier discovers a red line that would have been drawn by the tomb builders.  When the pyramid was discovered, it was an accident.  There were irregularities in the ground that prompted the investigation.  The remains of a pyramid were discovered.  However, when the sarcophagus was opened, it was empty.  So, who did the pyramid belong to?

There was pottery discovered that bore the name Sekhemkhet.  He was a little-known Pharaoh from the Third Dynasty.  He was a man who developed trade in Egypt.  Other than that, not much is known about Sekhemkhet.  Pimpaud returns to the pyramid to scan a vertical shaft, which would have been used in the construction of the chambers.  It probably allowed thieves to enter the burial chamber to rob the pyramid.  So why did Sekhemkhet build this pyramid?  Who was his inspiration?  What else will be discovered about this pyramid?  Tune into the rest of the documentary to find out more.

I would have appreciated some information on Sekhemkhet at the start of the documentary.  I also found it interesting to hear that they were allowed two hours in the pyramid to scan, but throughout the documentary, other archaeologists and Egyptologists were allowed to enter the pyramid.  Were they in the pyramid while the scanning was being done?  That should have been made clearer.  I also wish the documentary had gone into more detail about what was originally discovered on the site, in addition to why nobody has really researched the pyramid.  I have mixed feelings about this documentary.  The coolest thing about the pyramid was the sarcophagus that had a side opening.  I have some mixed feelings about this documentary.  The film itself was very good, but I feel like it should have been put in a different order.  So far, I would probably hold off showing this to a history class.

Greetings!  I hope that things are going well for you and that you are going to soon have a great summer break.  Question, are there schools out there who get out late April or early May?  I am rather curious to get that answer.  Anyway, I will work on a documentary on the Salem Witch Trials.  The runtime for this documentary is 51:47 and I will call it the Salem Witch Trials because after the introduction there was no title card.

1692, New England, and something is going on in Salem.  A ruthless manhunt for witches is sweeping through the town.  The witch hunts that had been in Europe in the past are now in America.  Dozens of people are accused of witchcraft, and others are executed.  The Salem witch trials continue to fascinate historians and artists alike.  What happened to cause this small town in Massachusetts?

The Salem Witch Trials – 1692 are the beginning of a witch hunt in the New World.  The puritan community believes that the devil is among its citizens.  Anyone and everyone could be a witch.  As a result of this belief, lives were altered and lives were lost, and when it ended, the community was left with a deep guilt.

It started with a group of young girls.  They were descendants of the early Puritan settlers who arrived in America to escape religious persecution.  These girls were the daughters and nieces of Minister Paris.  While there were whispers of witches, the political situation in America was challenging.  The French and Indians were attacking the outlying settlements.  This would have caused refugees to come into more established communities.  Tensions were high, and so everyone was on the lookout for something.  This is something that was never taught about Salem: that the environment was already tense in the first place.  The focus was on “how silly these people were.”  It gave me something to think about.

Anyway, after that discussion on the political tension running high, the documentary then shifted to the Puritans and the religion in the community.  There was a discussion of the religious climate that the Puritans would have been a part of.  I found this discussion overly simplified and arrogantly did not allow for any nuance.  Maybe the participants could have gone into more about why they believed the way they did, but I highly doubt that they really did not know why the Puritans believed the way they did.

The first affliction that would have set off the Salem Witch Trials was found in the household of Reverend Paris.  The girls were so afflicted that Revered Paris called for a doctor, which I took to be something not really done, but the speakers were not explicit about it.  The speakers talked about the different theories as to how and why the girls were sick.  They did talk about the ergot theory and were a bit arrogant about the theory and how it was debunked.  They did not explain how it was debunked, and lied when they said that it was debunked in the same issue of the magazine the theory was first proposed.  If I recall rightly from the Secrets of the Dead episode, the woman who proposed the theory went back to the records and discovered the weather would have fostered the growth of the fungus.  This discussion really grated on me.

Then the speakers talked about the symptoms of the girls and how the law started getting involved.  They talked about how it was an inversion of societal expectations, listening to children.  I was almost expecting them to mention the Pendle Witch Trials and Jennet Devise.  She was a child who was allowed to testify in her mother’s trial, and this would have given the people of Salem the idea to allow these girls to testify.  The documentary continues to move forward with recreations and discussions on the Salem Witch Trials.  If you want to learn more, continue to watch the rest of the episode.

This documentary, particularly the speakers and the narrators, annoyed me every which way.  I wanted to scream into a pillow watching this because they missed opportunities (like the Pendle Witch Trials) to further the story of the Salem Witch Trials.  I would NOT show this documentary to a history class.  I would not even mine it for clips.

Greetings!  I hope that things are going well for you.  Today’s documentary comes from the Real History YouTube Channel.  I had to quickly go through my Mayan documentaries to see if I had done this one before, and it turns out I did not.  The run time for this documentary is 50:09.  It is called The Men Who Found the Maya.  It is part of the Myth Hunters Series.

In the 19th Century, a city was discovered deep in the jungle.  It was discovered by John Lloyd Stephens.  He came upon the ruins of the ancient Mayan City of Copan.  For decades, it was theorized that other people would have built the ruins.  However, two men would descend on the site to learn more about who built Copan.  They would not only discover Copan but would also discover 44 other cities.  So, how did these two men discover these ruins?

The story begins with John Lloyd Stevens, who was a lawyer and classically educated.  He was campaigning for mayor when he got sick with a throat infection.  His doctor advised a change in climate, so he traveled around Europe and the Middle East.  He would stop of in London where he would meet an artist, Frederick Catherwood.  He was trained as an architect and focused on art. 

Catherwood was also a world traveler, and he would take in the sights of the Old World.  He would paint the ruins of these sites as well.  It would have been an unlikely pair if not for rumors of a new world civilization.  There were stories of curious ruins that were in Central America.  Catherwood had a book on these ruins, and he showed Stevens.  The book was about Palenque.  The conclusion back then was that the First Nations could not build these ruins. 

Civilizations were understood as having sophisticated farming techniques and grand cities.  There were fixed rules of civilization.  However, Catherwood and Stevens concluded that these were built by native groups.  Their curiosity was piqued, and so they would look further.  One historian pointed out that their backgrounds helped them see that there was an indigenous civilization.  Stevens would return to New York and start researching.  He went to a book seller, and the book seller had gold.  There were books about these ancient ruins.

Stevens decided that he would find these ruins.  He would plan an expedition to Central America.  He would reach out to Catherwood to come.  Catherwood would paint the ruins that they found.  Stevens would write a book about what they found.  At the time, the area was a dangerous place, and so the expedition had to be carefully planned.  Stevens even convinced President Martin Van Buren to name him as a special ambassador to Central America.

With the expedition planned, Catherwood and Stevens would go to Central America.  Their target was these mysterious ruins in Central America.  They would arrive in Belize and they would head to Copan.  Copan was one of the mysterious lost cities that were recorded in the books Stevens read.

The British governor warned them about the rebels in the area.  He gave them a boat and told them if they ran into trouble to retreat to the boat and to send word to him.  With a military salute, the pair were off for Copan. 

Over two weeks, the party would hack through jungles, climb a mountain, and go over ravines.  Food would have been a challenge, as one speaker talked about how, for the most part, they survived by “chocolate and cigars.”  The expedition pressed on even though the looming threat of rebels hung over their head.  One night, while they were sleeping, drunken soldiers broke into where they were.  What would happen during this encounter?

Eventually, the pair would reach the area of Copan.  It was a place unfamiliar to locals and not even visited by outsiders.  Along the river, there was a large stone wall that emerged from the undergrowth.  So was this the mysterious Copan?  What other cities do they discover?  How did these discoveries change the understanding of history?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

This was a very well-done documentary.  The reenactments were very good.  I liked the narrator too because he was a good story teller.  I would recommend showing this to a history class.

Hello, I hope that things are going well for you.  The documentary playlist continues to go down one documentary at a time.  The school year also continues to wind down, and soon we will be in May.  Today, I am going to do a documentary on Ancient History, and it is about Rome.  It is about a plague that almost destroyed the Roman Empire.  The run time for this documentary is 52:58.  The documentary is called Empire and Epidemics.

Ancient Rome would become one of history’s more successful empires.  However, its success could have potentially led to its downfall.  As Rome grew, more and more people came into its cities.  These people would have brought deadly pathogens, which would have spread to the residing citizens.  Plagues would have spread through the cities and would have killed thousands of people.  This population decline would have almost led to the collapse of the Roman Empire.

The story begins with Kyle Harper, who has dedicated his life to studying Ancient Rome.  He talks about his interest and how Rome built an empire.  He is also part of a growing movement in history to use science to help explore history and explain what happened to civilizations.  Then the narrator goes back to the second century and how Rome was confident that their empire would not collapse.  They were living in Pax Roma, a peaceful period in Roman history.

Well, this is a rough transition, but anyway, gladiator games continue to take place across the empire.  There is a recreation of these battles, and one of the witnesses to the battle is a doctor.  So I take it this was an introduction to the witnesses to the plagues.  It was very jarring.  Then the documentary talks about the ice cores and looking for evidence of the Roman Empire.  There was a talk about lead and silver, and how where there is silver production, there is lead used.  The Iberian Peninsula was famous for its silver mines, and there would have been a lot of lead used.  Spanish silver coins would have fueled the Roman Empire’s economy.  The Romans would also mine for gold to help fuel the economy.  The conclusion of this section was that it led to a golden age for the Roman Empire.

Then the documentary talked about Roman agriculture and how farms would have produced higher yields to support a growing population.  Then there was a short discussion on the volcanic eruptions that happened during the period.  I really could not understand what its connection was to the farming or how Rome was able to consolidate its power.  Then the documentary goes back to agriculture, and the focus is on Tuscany.  It was interesting to see the landscape, and the camera work was very well done.  This was the time that small subsistence farms gave way to larger, profit-making farms.

There were shots of a Roman port, which would have allowed the Roman Empire to trade around the Mediterranean world.  There were some very good shots of the ancient jetty that was created by the Romans.  It started out as a fishing port, but soon it would export wine so the Romans improved it.  Rome not only was shipping food out it was also importing grain.  Rome needed food to support the population. 

Rome was growing rapidly.  It could be said that Rome had one million residents living in it.  The citizens had access not only to food but also to entertainment facilities.  Outside Rome, there was a mountain of clay containers.  They would have been discarded outside the city, and there were so many remains that it created a mountain.  I remember that from Mary Beard’s presentation on the Roman Empire. 

Finally, the documentary got to the life and life expectancy of the Romans.  So what was the Roman life expectancy?  How did the Roman Empire fall?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

Some of the transitions between different presentations were a bit jarring and unclear.  As a result, I found myself drifting away from this documentary from time to time.  I also had to rewind it several times as a result of the drifting and the fast transitions.  The documentary was time-stamped and labeled, which helped out some.  The build-up to the epidemics was way too long and way too meandering.  I would skip showing this documentary to a history class.

Good afternoon, good morning, or good evening, depending on when you are reading this.  I will continue to work down my documentary review list.  I hope that the school year ends on a high note for you folks.  Today is a documentary on massive ships that sailed the waterways of the world.  The documentary is part of the Drain the Oceans series, which is a good series, but the episodes can be way too short sometimes and it is called Lost Giants: Shipwrecks of the Century.  The run time of this documentary is 47:22.

Britannic, the sister ship of the Titanic.  She was supposed to be safer than the Titanic, however, she sank to the bottom in under an hour.  A brand new supertanker is out on the sea carrying a million barrels of oil.  A simple mistake would send a supertanker to her death.  A ship has vanished without a trace, leaving behind a mystery and an oil slick.  Could a ghostly voice help solve the mystery a how a ship sank?

The story begins with the passenger liners.  They would have traveled the world’s oceans and carried people across the seas.  The biggest ocean liner was the Titanic, and when the Titanic sank, her sister ship, Britannic, was being built.  She was the same length as the Titanic but eighteen inches wider.  She would have carried passengers, however, World War I would intervene.  She was converted into a hospital ship.

She served in the Mediterranean Sea, carrying wounded soldiers back home.  It was on one of these journeys back to the front that she was sunk.  This sinking would cause a mystery for decades to come.  Was she torpedoed, or was it a mine?  Historian Simon Mills is looking to solve that mystery.  I saw him in the original documentary on the Britannic, and I remember the survivors talking about how the ship was torpedoed.  It also goes to show how much time it takes to solve a mystery.  A team of divers goes to the wreck site.  She is the largest passenger ship on the bottom of the ocean.  I am very impressed with how the wreck looks after the water was drained.

When the Britannic Sank, it was thought that the Germans had torpedoed a hospital ship, and this was the long-standing theory.  However, there was some evidence that a mine was laid in the channel in which the Britannic was sunk.  Draining the sea shows the remains of a mine on the ocean floor.  So why did the Britannic sink so fast?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

As a result of the Titanic and Britannic (and probably other wrecks), the international community came together to write stricter laws to prevent ships from sinking.  Over the years, passenger traffic would decline and would be replaced by tanker and cargo ships.  Supertankers would be developed, and they would have to be built strong.  However, for the Amoco Cadiz, no laws could prevent it from sinking.  It was a super tanker that ran aground off the coast of Brittany in the English Channel.  It was loaded with 1.6 million barrels of crude oil.  She would spill her load across France.  It was the first supertanker disaster and the worst oil spill in history.  However, it was a brand-new supertanker, so why did it fall apart?  An expedition to the Amoco Cadiz site is determined to find out what happened to the ship.  Why did it sink?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

The third ship is a ship that has vanished.  It is called the MV Derbyshire, and it was a ship that vanished without a trace.  Where did it go?  Why did it sink?  What does technology reveal about shipwrecks?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

Wow, the recreations of the Britannic were very well done.  I wish that this documentary were time-stamped and labeled.  It was neat to see James Delgado.   He is someone whom I could listen to all day.  Technology continues to evolve, and it helps further our understanding of shipwrecks.  This would be a good documentary to show to a history class.

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, teachers!  I hope that things are going well for you.  The school year is slowly winding down.  Today’s documentary is part of an Ancient Murder Mystery Series.  While watching this documentary, I recall hearing that forensic science was introduced in the classroom setting a few years ago.  I had to look up high schools that offer forensic science and found at least three schools: the Jordan School District, Oak Meadow Schools, and Beacon Schools.  The run time for this documentary is 50:35.  It is called Otzi the Iceman.

It is Europe’s oldest murder: Otzi the Iceman.  He was discovered encased in ice in 1991, high in the Alps.  His corpse was mummified, which would make him Europe’s oldest mummy.  In the preceding years, it was discovered that he had been murdered.  Now, a team of modern archeologists and criminologists is heading to the Alps and to a crime scene 10,000 meters high to learn more about this murder.  What will the team learn about Otzi the Iceman?  Will this murder be solved?

Rod Demery, homicide cop, and Turi King, scientist, head on over to the Alps to learn more about the murder of Otzi the Iceman.  It is a landscape that has not changed since Otzi’s time.  Turi heads up into the Alps and will be heading up in a helicopter to see the site.  It is 10,000 meters high.  The site where Otzi was discovered was marked with a pillar.  Even though King travels by helicopter to the site, it is still a challenge to land on the site.

When Otzi was discovered, he was face down, emerging from the ice.  The body looked so fresh, the initial thought it was a modern climbing casualty.  A rescue team was sent to the site to recover the victim.  However, it was soon realized that this was not a modern climber; it was one of the oldest mummies in the world.  How did this man end up in the ice?  Was he murdered?

In the meantime, Demery walks the streets and takes in the sights.  He enjoys the thrill of a historical murder mystery.  That was fantastic editing on the filmmaker's side because I thought King was heading up the mountain at the same time Demery was walking the streets.  Demery and King meet in a temporary headquarters.  The pair goes over the known factors in the case.  It was initially thought Otzi had died of hypothermia, but X-rays showed an arrow in his back.  The obvious cause of death was murder.

Demery and King go to the museum to look at Otzi.  He is in a dedicated chamber to help preserve him.  This chamber mimics the conditions of an ice pack, which would have naturally preserved him, much like how Lake Superior preserves sailors’ bodies.  Demery comments on the tattoos Otzi had and how they were on the bone joints.  It is theorized that this was a form of ancient medical treatment.  Demery and King look at the clothing that was found with Otzi and other artifacts.

What was Otzi doing on the day he died?  Was he hunting up in the Alps?  Why did Otzi die?  Who would have killed him?  Demery talks about what was found on the site.  About two meters away from the body, his personal items were found.   He was found with a dagger nearby.  Was he trying to defend himself?

King wants to get a look at the arrow wound on the body.  The body has been scanned, and so she meets with a preservationist who shows her the scan of the body.  This goes to show you how far technology has come when it comes to solving historical mysteries.  The arrow wound was small, but it was a lethal shot.  Death would have happened about 15 minutes after he was shot.  How far was the lethal shot?  What does going back to the crime scene tell us about Otzi’s death?  Will the mystery of Otzi’s death be solved?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

Wow, this was an excellent start to a series on solving historical murder mysteries.  It goes to how you how history with discoveries has changed over the years.  The technology aspect was very neat to see.  I would show this documentary to a history class and to a forensic science class.

Greetings, I hope that things are going well for you.  Today is a documentary on Joseph Stalin’s daughter.  I think I may have done this documentary, but it could have been a different documentary on Svetlana.  The original one has since been removed, so I cannot tell.  If I had, oh well, it was only a matter of time before I did a repeat, mainly because the Historical YouTube channels are really inconsistent in titling their documentaries.  The run time for this documentary is 52:13.  It is called Joseph Stalin’s Daughter.

Svetlana Alliluyeva is the daughter of Joseph Stalin.  Growing up she would live a life shrouded in mystery.  However, she was the apple of her father’s eye.  She lived a life of controversy and turmoil.  So, who was this lady beyond her famous father?  She was a woman torn between her past and her present.  This turmoil would lead her to defect to the West to finally escape her father’s shadow.  So who was this lady?

A Russian woman steps into the American Embassy in New Delhi.  Nobody speaks Russian; however, what she said surprises the embassy officials.  She says her name is Svetlana Alliluyeva, and she says she is Joseph Stalin’s daughter.  Growing up, she was the beloved daughter of the Soviet dictator.  He was a man whom even Vladimir Lenin warned about.  Lenin’s death would lead to a struggle for the succession, and everyone who surrounded Lenin’s coffin had a chance.

However, Joseph Stalin would rise above them all because his second wife was Lenin’s secretary.  She fell in love with him when she was sixteen years old.  They would marry and have two children.  Svetlana remembers him being a good father, which would have contrasted sharply to the brutal dictator he was.  Stalin’s letters to his daughter survive, and they show a man who treated his daughter tenderly.

Her mother had more ambitions than to be a wife.  She wanted to help construct the Soviet state.  She was a student and she would introduce Stalin to Nikita Khrushchev.  Stalin eventually maneuvered himself into power and stamped his ruthless authority.  He forced the collectivization of the farms.  His wife questioned this, which would lead to him turning against her.  The last time his wife was seen alive was at the anniversary celebrations for the revolution.  She was found dead in her room with a bullet to her head.  Her official cause of death was a burst appendix.

Her children are left motherless, and nobody knows exactly what happened.  English newspapers speculate about her mother committing suicide.  The mystery remains.  Stalin would be married to politics, and this would change his personality for the worse.  Still, he would try to be an affectionate father.  He would bring her on trips to meet other children, and he wanted her to meet other children.  Svetlana would be friends with the daughter of Maxim Gorky and this lady talks about meeting Stalin’s daughter.

For the first time in her life, Svetlana would have a friend her age.  They would attend classes together and would spend the weekends together at Stalin’s dacha.  However, the girl would be embarrassed when she had dinner with Stalin.  Stalin would tease her about the boys flitting around them, however, Svetlana would push back against this teasing.

Svetlana’s brother Wassily was neglected.  He feared his father and would tremble in his presence.  He was a talented young man who probably would have done well for himself if he had had a different father.  Stalin would have been seen as the father of the people and would have taken credit for how Moscow thrived.  In the countryside, millions are murdered or exiled in the purses.  Nikita Khruschev lived in fear during these times.

Svetlana would grow up during these times, unaware of what was going on in the outside world.  As she grew up, she would increasingly become more aware of the world around her.  She would long for a normal life away from her father.  So, how did Svetlana decide to defect to the West?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

This was a very good documentary.  It was cool to hear from people who knew her.  I would recommend this for a history class.

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, depending on when you are reading this.  I hope that things are going well for you.  Well, that did not take too long, because I added two more documentaries to my Documentary Review list.  Oh well, I knew that it was a possibility.  Anyway, I will continue to work down my list.  Today’s documentary is about Adolf Hitler.  It looks like it's part of the Hitler’s Circle of Evil series.  The run time for this documentary is 52:11.

World War II, 1945, and the Allies are advancing.  Germany is running out of fuel and man and the dreams of the Nazi High command are in ruins.  Hitler is falling apart, drugged up, and the inner circle is not doing what they are told.  The network is falling apart.  Heinrich Himler, Hermann Goring, Albert Speer, Joseph Goebbels, and Martin Borman are all members of the inner circle.  Assassination attempts, hiding treasures and cash for Jews are all swirling around as the Allies close in on the capital.  Who will jump ship?  What escape plans are being made?

April 1945: The Red Army is coming to Berlin, and the Allied Forces have just crossed the Rhine.  The Nazis were surrounding and Hitler’s Inner Circle is disintegrating.  Hitler has retreated to his underground bunker and is a broken man with fantasies of victory.  Nobody is willing to tell Hitler the truth.  Hitler celebrates his birthday under a barrage of Soviet guns.

The SS is assassinating deserters.  The SS Boss is still going out to the front to see the troops and wants to show his loyalty.  However, getting to the troops is proving to be a challenge.  One man, Albert Speer, makes the trip to Berlin on an airplane, which would have been considered suicidal at the time, with the Allied Forces taking over the skies.  He goes to Berlin to celebrate Hitler’s birthday, which was surprising because he had thought about assassinating Hitler in his bunker in the past.  However, Hitler anticipated this and had special vents built into the bunker to stop gas attacks.  What were Speer’s motives behind this trip?

Herman Goring has made his way to Berlin as well.  He still believes himself to be the second in command.  However, he is making his plans post-war.  Eva Braun has joined in the birthday celebrations.  Her appearance was a surprise, however, Hitler’s physical appearance shocked the inner circle.  The sounds of war permeated the celebrations.  Martin Bormann was present when Hitler announced that he was going to stay in Berlin and planned to die in the bunker.  Borman was surprised and thought that the Nazi leadership should retreat to the Alps.

Goring sees an opportunity to seize power.  He has no qualms about fleeing as his servants have emptied Goring’s treasures.  Carinhall has been rigged with tons of explosives, and he plans to blow up his grand estate.  Goring is the first to leave the party.  It is now every man for himself.  Heinrich Himmler, once a man who toed the party line, had his plans to flee.  Goring corners Himmler to make plans.  However, Himmler is well ahead in his plans.  He’s been trying to secure peace deals behind Hitler’s back which would have been treason.

Bormann is watching them and overhears Himmler and Goring.  Himmler flees to the Baltic Coast to meet with the Jewish Congress and the Swedish Red Cross.  He was going to get out of Germany.  For months, he started closing down the concentration camps and bulldozing camps, however, it is too late.  The world is realizing what happened.  He would then negotiate with Count Folke Bernadotte for peace. So what happened during these negotiations?  Who all flees the inner circle?  What other exit strategies are in place?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

The historians were very well spoken and thoughtful about what they were presenting in their story.  I also enjoyed the narrator for this series.  The recreations were excellent, and the music was dramatic and set the tone for the documentary.  This was a very well-done documentary.  I would use this for a history class, and I would also put this on an independent study student’s list.