1 00:00:01,967 --> 00:00:03,000 NARRATOR: They're watching you. 2 00:00:03,033 --> 00:00:06,867 More than 6,000 satellites circle the Earth. 3 00:00:06,867 --> 00:00:11,500 Every day, they uncover new, mysterious phenomena 4 00:00:11,567 --> 00:00:13,166 that defy explanation. 5 00:00:15,700 --> 00:00:19,066 Nevada's extraterrestrial codes. 6 00:00:19,066 --> 00:00:21,467 This site may have played a role in 7 00:00:21,567 --> 00:00:24,900 one of the most important events in human history. 8 00:00:26,367 --> 00:00:28,400 NARRATOR: Invasion U.S.A. 9 00:00:28,467 --> 00:00:30,000 Everybody suddenly realized they were a prime target. 10 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:31,567 Everybody suddenly realized they were a prime target. 11 00:00:32,767 --> 00:00:36,166 NARRATOR: And a mystery from another dimension. 12 00:00:36,266 --> 00:00:37,867 It's really bizarre. 13 00:00:37,967 --> 00:00:40,467 It looks like it's just been kind of dropped there. 14 00:00:41,467 --> 00:00:45,000 NARRATOR: Baffling phenomena, mysteries from space. 15 00:00:45,066 --> 00:00:47,166 What on Earth are they? 16 00:00:47,266 --> 00:00:52,266 [theme music playing] 17 00:01:05,667 --> 00:01:08,567 February 15th, 2020. 18 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,567 A satellite passes over Nevada's rugged 19 00:01:12,567 --> 00:01:14,300 mountainous deserts 20 00:01:14,367 --> 00:01:16,100 and captures this image. 21 00:01:17,700 --> 00:01:20,100 WALTERS: What we've got here is really confusing. 22 00:01:20,166 --> 00:01:23,500 In this valley is this great big X 23 00:01:23,567 --> 00:01:27,000 kind of carved out of the rock and sand. 24 00:01:27,066 --> 00:01:29,400 SZULGIT: The lines are so straight and perfect. 25 00:01:29,467 --> 00:01:30,000 It's not some local messing about in the desert. 26 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,266 It's not some local messing about in the desert. 27 00:01:32,266 --> 00:01:35,266 This had to be made by someone with resources. 28 00:01:37,900 --> 00:01:39,166 NARRATOR: The mystery X 29 00:01:39,166 --> 00:01:43,000 sits in isolation some 30 miles from civilization. 30 00:01:46,266 --> 00:01:48,100 The X here really does have 31 00:01:48,166 --> 00:01:50,867 something of a clandestine feel to it. 32 00:01:50,967 --> 00:01:54,200 This is the Nevada desert. It's a secretive place. 33 00:01:55,767 --> 00:01:57,467 NARRATOR: To military analysts, 34 00:01:57,467 --> 00:01:59,767 the X resembles a landing strip. 35 00:02:01,367 --> 00:02:04,400 But something about it doesn't make sense. 36 00:02:04,467 --> 00:02:06,600 If this is a runway, then it's 37 00:02:06,667 --> 00:02:10,367 a mysterious one, because there are no buildings around here. 38 00:02:10,467 --> 00:02:11,500 There's no infrastructure. 39 00:02:13,266 --> 00:02:17,567 So exactly what is going on here is very bizarre. 40 00:02:19,767 --> 00:02:22,400 NARRATOR: Martin Morgan has uncovered evidence that 41 00:02:22,467 --> 00:02:24,500 the giant symbol could have played a part 42 00:02:24,567 --> 00:02:27,700 in a secretive program during the Cold War. 43 00:02:27,767 --> 00:02:29,266 That's what's drawn him to this 44 00:02:29,367 --> 00:02:30,000 remote corner of the Silver State. 45 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:31,367 remote corner of the Silver State. 46 00:02:32,667 --> 00:02:35,200 Just south of this X 47 00:02:35,266 --> 00:02:38,767 is this other possible landing area that 48 00:02:38,767 --> 00:02:41,567 I noticed, and it's just over there. 49 00:02:45,467 --> 00:02:48,266 NARRATOR: Next to the X is a dry lake bed 50 00:02:48,367 --> 00:02:49,867 covered in strange markings, 51 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:54,367 signs that this patch of desert helped to define 52 00:02:54,467 --> 00:02:57,567 some of the most momentous events in aviation history. 53 00:02:59,567 --> 00:03:00,000 Declassified military documents show that key aspects 54 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,567 Declassified military documents show that key aspects 55 00:03:03,567 --> 00:03:06,000 and dimensions of this lake bed match 56 00:03:06,066 --> 00:03:09,100 those used in one of the most incredible test programs of 57 00:03:09,166 --> 00:03:10,300 the 20th century. 58 00:03:11,967 --> 00:03:15,867 If I'm right, this was one of the designated 59 00:03:15,967 --> 00:03:18,967 emergency landing fields for the X-15. 60 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:23,667 NARRATOR: The X-15 was one of 61 00:03:23,767 --> 00:03:26,000 NASA's most important experimental 62 00:03:26,100 --> 00:03:27,600 and prototype aircraft. 63 00:03:29,767 --> 00:03:30,000 For the program, 64 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:31,300 For the program, 65 00:03:31,367 --> 00:03:33,767 the space agency identifies a series of 66 00:03:33,867 --> 00:03:36,767 landing sites in Nevada for its test pilots. 67 00:03:39,266 --> 00:03:40,900 There were dry lake beds in the event 68 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:43,367 that the aircraft encountered a problem in flight. 69 00:03:44,667 --> 00:03:46,767 Maybe this is one of them, 70 00:03:46,767 --> 00:03:48,700 and X marks the spot. 71 00:03:48,767 --> 00:03:52,000 NARRATOR: Conceived in the early 1950s, 72 00:03:52,100 --> 00:03:54,867 NASA hopes the X-15 73 00:03:54,967 --> 00:03:56,767 will help it gain vital insights 74 00:03:56,767 --> 00:03:58,867 into the rigors of orbital flight. 75 00:04:03,767 --> 00:04:06,000 The X-15 was an incredible machine that 76 00:04:06,100 --> 00:04:10,700 still holds the fastest air speed record in history. 77 00:04:11,967 --> 00:04:15,100 ORWOLL: The X-15 was a plane that was used for high speed, 78 00:04:15,166 --> 00:04:18,600 high altitude testing, really learning 79 00:04:18,667 --> 00:04:20,467 how to fly onto the edges of space. 80 00:04:22,100 --> 00:04:26,100 NARRATOR: Designed to operate at altitudes of over 60 miles, 81 00:04:26,166 --> 00:04:28,600 the aircraft represents the greatest leap in 82 00:04:28,667 --> 00:04:30,000 aeronautical technology 83 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:30,166 aeronautical technology 84 00:04:30,266 --> 00:04:32,467 since the Wright Brothers' first flight 85 00:04:32,467 --> 00:04:33,867 five decades earlier. 86 00:04:36,100 --> 00:04:39,300 The X-15 is basically a missile 87 00:04:39,367 --> 00:04:42,600 with wings that they stuck a human inside. 88 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,667 KERLEY: The technology that the X-15 was employing 89 00:04:46,667 --> 00:04:49,100 was cutting edge, pushing aerodynamics 90 00:04:49,166 --> 00:04:52,467 and speed as far as you can to learn as much as you can, 91 00:04:52,467 --> 00:04:53,700 very quickly. 92 00:04:56,266 --> 00:04:58,767 NARRATOR: Engineers construct the X-15 93 00:04:58,867 --> 00:05:00,000 using liquid-fueled rocket engines that can propel 94 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,767 using liquid-fueled rocket engines that can propel 95 00:05:01,867 --> 00:05:05,200 it to more than six times the speed of sound. 96 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:11,100 NASA then begins to recruit pilots brave enough to 97 00:05:11,166 --> 00:05:14,667 take the 50-foot-long craft to the edge of space. 98 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:18,367 The people who flew these, 99 00:05:18,467 --> 00:05:20,667 they were really taking their lives into their hands. 100 00:05:21,867 --> 00:05:25,000 ORWOLL: There were many famous pilots in the X-15 program, 101 00:05:25,066 --> 00:05:28,867 but one of them really eclipsed the rest, 102 00:05:28,867 --> 00:05:30,000 and that's Neil Armstrong, 103 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:30,867 and that's Neil Armstrong, 104 00:05:30,967 --> 00:05:33,100 the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. 105 00:05:36,266 --> 00:05:38,867 NARRATOR: One of the many challenges facing Armstrong 106 00:05:38,867 --> 00:05:40,266 and the other pilots 107 00:05:40,266 --> 00:05:44,467 is that the X-15 doesn't take off like conventional aircraft. 108 00:05:46,266 --> 00:05:49,500 JANULIS: The X-15 was launched into the air 109 00:05:49,567 --> 00:05:53,367 attached to a B-52 Stratofortress, 110 00:05:53,467 --> 00:05:55,367 and then, once it got up to altitude, 111 00:05:55,467 --> 00:05:59,467 the plane would detach and hit its thrusters and take off. 112 00:06:00,467 --> 00:06:04,166 NARRATOR: After detaching, the 57,000-pound engine 113 00:06:04,166 --> 00:06:08,266 propels the pilots to an elevation of over 300,000 feet 114 00:06:08,266 --> 00:06:11,867 and an air speed of over 4,000 miles per hour. 115 00:06:14,467 --> 00:06:18,367 During flights, the pilots experience up to two minutes of 116 00:06:18,367 --> 00:06:20,867 weightlessness and depend on manual 117 00:06:20,867 --> 00:06:23,567 thrusters to avoid being bounced by the Earth's 118 00:06:23,667 --> 00:06:26,700 atmosphere into the far reaches of space. 119 00:06:28,900 --> 00:06:30,000 Any small mistake can result in death very quickly. 120 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,066 Any small mistake can result in death very quickly. 121 00:06:33,066 --> 00:06:35,200 WALTERS: You've gotta remember that they weren't just pushing 122 00:06:35,266 --> 00:06:37,166 the planes to the limits -- they wanted to 123 00:06:37,266 --> 00:06:41,700 see if these guys would be ready for the rigors of space travel. 124 00:06:43,567 --> 00:06:44,967 NARRATOR: Over a decade, 125 00:06:44,967 --> 00:06:50,600 NASA runs 199 missions along a 485-mile-long 126 00:06:50,667 --> 00:06:54,467 corridor that takes pilots over the desert in the image. 127 00:06:57,100 --> 00:06:59,200 M. MORGAN: In the event that the aircraft encountered 128 00:06:59,266 --> 00:07:00,000 a problem in flight, 129 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:00,600 a problem in flight, 130 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:07,100 it is clear to me that they had to put an X so that 131 00:07:07,166 --> 00:07:10,600 they would have to provide some means for him to recognize 132 00:07:10,667 --> 00:07:11,967 where that lake bed is. 133 00:07:15,467 --> 00:07:17,767 NARRATOR: NASA uses many of the techniques 134 00:07:17,767 --> 00:07:21,400 and technologies honed during the X-15 program 135 00:07:21,467 --> 00:07:23,667 in its Mercury and Apollo missions. 136 00:07:26,100 --> 00:07:29,066 One year after it retires the space plane, 137 00:07:29,066 --> 00:07:30,000 former test pilot Armstrong becomes the first human 138 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:32,900 former test pilot Armstrong becomes the first human 139 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,100 to set foot on another world. 140 00:07:36,166 --> 00:07:38,667 ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man, 141 00:07:39,867 --> 00:07:42,367 one giant leap for mankind. 142 00:07:45,066 --> 00:07:48,100 CAVELL: I think it's fair to say that, without the X-15 program, 143 00:07:48,166 --> 00:07:51,100 America would not have put a man on the moon. 144 00:07:52,266 --> 00:07:54,266 It is central to that program. 145 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:57,367 WALTERS: There is technology used on the X-15 146 00:07:57,367 --> 00:08:00,000 that is used in rockets right to this day. 147 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:00,200 that is used in rockets right to this day. 148 00:08:00,266 --> 00:08:03,166 So, you know, the X-15 is the granddaddy of them all. 149 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:07,100 NARRATOR: To Morgan, 150 00:08:07,166 --> 00:08:09,767 the X is a symbol of humankind's first 151 00:08:09,767 --> 00:08:13,500 attempts to conquer the cosmos, visible from space. 152 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:18,367 M. MORGAN: It's pretty incredible to think 153 00:08:18,467 --> 00:08:20,567 that it played this critical role, 154 00:08:20,567 --> 00:08:24,367 not just to American history, but to world history. 155 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,300 NARRATOR: Coming up, 156 00:08:34,367 --> 00:08:38,767 L.A.'s $150 billion dollar treasure hunt. 157 00:08:38,867 --> 00:08:42,500 The people become incredibly rich very quickly. 158 00:08:43,700 --> 00:08:46,100 NARRATOR: And into the abyss. 159 00:08:46,166 --> 00:08:49,300 AUERBACH: It's massive. How did it get there? 160 00:08:49,367 --> 00:08:51,367 What purpose does it serve? 161 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,367 NARRATOR: March 17th, 2022. 162 00:09:02,467 --> 00:09:05,100 A satellite scanning the southern 163 00:09:05,166 --> 00:09:08,266 California coastline uncovers a mystery. 164 00:09:10,066 --> 00:09:12,467 A few hundred feet off the coast 165 00:09:12,467 --> 00:09:16,467 are these four very strangely shaped white objects. 166 00:09:17,500 --> 00:09:19,100 KERLEY: The shapes are unusual. 167 00:09:19,166 --> 00:09:21,467 They look like triangles that are put together, 168 00:09:21,467 --> 00:09:23,867 but it's hard to tell just from this image what they are. 169 00:09:25,266 --> 00:09:28,100 NARRATOR: The structures sit in total isolation 170 00:09:28,166 --> 00:09:30,000 near Santa Barbara, 171 00:09:30,066 --> 00:09:32,700 northwest of Los Angeles. 172 00:09:32,767 --> 00:09:36,000 CAVELL: They don't seem to be connected to anything on land. 173 00:09:36,066 --> 00:09:38,567 They look like they're completely independent, 174 00:09:38,667 --> 00:09:40,266 just floating there in the ocean. 175 00:09:42,300 --> 00:09:45,467 NARRATOR: Historic images reveal the platforms appear to have 176 00:09:45,567 --> 00:09:48,367 once been part of a much larger construction. 177 00:09:50,367 --> 00:09:53,567 AUERBACH: We see that, years ago, there used to be 178 00:09:53,567 --> 00:09:54,400 long structures stretching out 179 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:56,967 long structures stretching out 180 00:09:56,967 --> 00:10:00,467 from the sea onto the beach. 181 00:10:00,467 --> 00:10:03,767 WALTERS: These platforms in the historic image are 182 00:10:03,767 --> 00:10:06,567 actually piers linked to an industry 183 00:10:06,667 --> 00:10:09,767 that made California rich -- oil. 184 00:10:12,467 --> 00:10:16,767 NARRATOR: L.A.'s love affair with oil begins in 1892, 185 00:10:16,867 --> 00:10:20,100 when prospectors discover vast reserves in the area. 186 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:24,400 Over the next 35 years, wildcatters dig 187 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:26,767 Over the next 35 years, wildcatters dig 188 00:10:26,867 --> 00:10:30,400 over 2,000 wells there, and the city's population 189 00:10:30,467 --> 00:10:34,066 soon swells from 50,000 to over a million. 190 00:10:35,166 --> 00:10:38,767 The scale of the discoveries and the amount 191 00:10:38,867 --> 00:10:43,500 of money being pumped into the economy was extraordinary. 192 00:10:43,567 --> 00:10:47,367 It changed the face of what was still largely 193 00:10:47,367 --> 00:10:49,567 a sleepy, rural state forever, 194 00:10:49,667 --> 00:10:52,000 outstripping even the Gold Rush in its impact. 195 00:10:53,100 --> 00:10:54,400 NARRATOR: As the city becomes crowded with rigs, 196 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:55,700 NARRATOR: As the city becomes crowded with rigs, 197 00:10:55,767 --> 00:10:58,700 fortune hunters turn their attention to the sea. 198 00:11:00,367 --> 00:11:04,667 By attaching pumps to the ends of 300-foot-long piers, 199 00:11:04,667 --> 00:11:08,300 they create America's first offshore oil rigs near 200 00:11:08,367 --> 00:11:09,700 the site in the image. 201 00:11:10,767 --> 00:11:14,166 These four structures that we're seeing here could have 202 00:11:14,166 --> 00:11:19,100 been the remnants of some of these oil piers, 203 00:11:19,166 --> 00:11:22,166 but if so, what happened to the rest of the structure? 204 00:11:25,066 --> 00:11:26,667 NARRATOR: The answer could lie in one 205 00:11:26,667 --> 00:11:29,967 of the most extraordinary episodes in U.S. history. 206 00:11:29,967 --> 00:11:33,066 [explosion blasts] 207 00:11:33,066 --> 00:11:36,400 What these records show is that Ellwood Oil Field, 208 00:11:36,467 --> 00:11:39,266 where these structures are found, was the target of 209 00:11:39,266 --> 00:11:42,767 the very first shelling of the American mainland during 210 00:11:42,767 --> 00:11:43,967 the Second World War, 211 00:11:43,967 --> 00:11:47,100 so surely, this can't be a coincidence. 212 00:11:49,100 --> 00:11:53,467 NARRATOR: In February 1942, 3 months after the attack on 213 00:11:53,467 --> 00:11:54,400 Pearl Harbor, 214 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:54,667 Pearl Harbor, 215 00:11:54,667 --> 00:11:58,266 reports emerge that Japanese submarines are stalking 216 00:11:58,266 --> 00:11:59,767 the California coast. 217 00:12:00,967 --> 00:12:04,100 The threat that another attack was coming at the West Coast 218 00:12:04,166 --> 00:12:08,266 of the United States itself was very deeply felt. 219 00:12:08,367 --> 00:12:10,166 People were really scared. 220 00:12:12,567 --> 00:12:14,467 NARRATOR: On February 23rd, 221 00:12:14,567 --> 00:12:18,567 these fears are realized when a submarine opens fire on 222 00:12:18,567 --> 00:12:20,000 the Ellwood Oil Field, 223 00:12:20,066 --> 00:12:22,667 hoping to knock out vital infrastructure. 224 00:12:24,367 --> 00:12:24,400 Now, they managed to throw a lot of ordnance at 225 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:27,000 Now, they managed to throw a lot of ordnance at 226 00:12:27,100 --> 00:12:28,867 the refinery, 227 00:12:28,967 --> 00:12:31,166 but they did very little damage. 228 00:12:32,667 --> 00:12:36,367 The refinery got very, very lucky in this engagement. 229 00:12:37,767 --> 00:12:39,000 WALTERS: When all is said and done, 230 00:12:39,066 --> 00:12:41,867 actually, it's a pretty pathetic attack on 231 00:12:41,867 --> 00:12:46,100 the facility, but there were wider ramifications. 232 00:12:48,467 --> 00:12:51,767 CAVELL: The panic that is sparked by the shelling 233 00:12:51,767 --> 00:12:53,800 at Ellwood is actually the thing 234 00:12:53,867 --> 00:12:54,400 that triggers a pretty violent reaction on 235 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:57,100 that triggers a pretty violent reaction on 236 00:12:57,166 --> 00:12:58,900 the part of Californians. 237 00:13:01,367 --> 00:13:03,500 NARRATOR: Fearing another attack is imminent, 238 00:13:03,567 --> 00:13:06,667 authorities mobilize anti-aircraft artillery 239 00:13:06,667 --> 00:13:08,066 and order a blackout. 240 00:13:09,266 --> 00:13:12,567 As night falls, L.A.'s skies light up. 241 00:13:14,867 --> 00:13:17,600 It was absolute chaos, and from the ground, 242 00:13:17,667 --> 00:13:20,867 it appeared that Los Angeles really was under attack. 243 00:13:22,500 --> 00:13:24,367 NARRATOR: The incident becomes known 244 00:13:24,367 --> 00:13:24,400 as the Battle of Los Angeles. 245 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:27,100 as the Battle of Los Angeles. 246 00:13:27,166 --> 00:13:29,900 To the embarrassment of the U.S. military, 247 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:31,867 it later transpires that gunners had 248 00:13:31,967 --> 00:13:35,967 likely mistaken a balloon for incoming enemy aircraft. 249 00:13:37,500 --> 00:13:40,567 The next morning, they had to sort of figure out what 250 00:13:40,567 --> 00:13:42,767 happened, and they figured out 251 00:13:42,767 --> 00:13:45,467 very quickly that they had opened fire on a sky 252 00:13:45,467 --> 00:13:46,667 that had nothing in it. 253 00:13:47,867 --> 00:13:51,000 NARRATOR: However, this night of violence still doesn't 254 00:13:51,066 --> 00:13:52,700 explain why the structures 255 00:13:52,767 --> 00:13:54,400 in the image are no longer connected to land. 256 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:56,166 in the image are no longer connected to land. 257 00:13:56,166 --> 00:13:58,700 WALTERS: What really did for the oil infrastructure 258 00:13:58,767 --> 00:14:01,000 at Ellwood wasn't the Japanese or even 259 00:14:01,066 --> 00:14:03,467 the phantom aggressors of the Battle of L.A. 260 00:14:03,567 --> 00:14:07,767 It was economic reality and the march of time. 261 00:14:09,467 --> 00:14:11,667 KERLEY: The Ellwood Oil Field had been a big producer 262 00:14:11,767 --> 00:14:15,066 through the '20s and the '30s, through the war. 263 00:14:15,066 --> 00:14:19,000 But as all oil fields do, it starts to decline. 264 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,100 AUERBACH: Though production would continue, over time, 265 00:14:24,166 --> 00:14:24,400 these wells were closed and capped. 266 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:26,867 these wells were closed and capped. 267 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,100 NARRATOR: In 2000, city planners schedule 268 00:14:32,166 --> 00:14:34,867 Ellwood's derelict oil piers for demolition. 269 00:14:37,367 --> 00:14:41,000 But they find that some locals have taken up residence there. 270 00:14:42,100 --> 00:14:44,800 Over time, birds discovered what was 271 00:14:44,867 --> 00:14:48,100 left of the old oil industry infrastructure. 272 00:14:48,166 --> 00:14:50,667 It made a kind of perfect home for them. 273 00:14:50,767 --> 00:14:53,867 The dangerous and decaying parts of the oil rigs were 274 00:14:53,967 --> 00:14:54,400 taken apart, 275 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:55,266 taken apart, 276 00:14:55,266 --> 00:14:59,500 but they were replaced with stable structures to mimic what 277 00:14:59,567 --> 00:15:00,667 the rigs looked like so that 278 00:15:00,767 --> 00:15:03,266 these birds still had a place to nest. 279 00:15:05,166 --> 00:15:09,100 NARRATOR: Today, these strange, triangle-shaped sanctuaries are 280 00:15:09,166 --> 00:15:10,367 unlikely monuments 281 00:15:10,367 --> 00:15:13,567 to the momentous events that helped shape Los Angeles. 282 00:15:15,100 --> 00:15:18,500 Over 100 years after the oil industry muscled in on 283 00:15:18,567 --> 00:15:19,600 their patch, 284 00:15:19,667 --> 00:15:23,266 the seabirds have now reclaimed their domain. 285 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,867 NARRATOR: Coming up, a 5,000-year-old code. 286 00:15:33,967 --> 00:15:38,767 This is one of the reminders of one of the great 287 00:15:38,767 --> 00:15:41,367 civilizations of the ancient world. 288 00:15:41,367 --> 00:15:44,900 NARRATOR: And a mystery rises from the earth. 289 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,667 AUERBACH: Why would anyone build such 290 00:15:47,767 --> 00:15:50,100 an extensive network of these things? 291 00:15:58,367 --> 00:16:01,300 NARRATOR: August 20th, 2021. 292 00:16:01,367 --> 00:16:05,667 A satellite scanning the Indian state of Gujarat 293 00:16:05,667 --> 00:16:09,166 spots something in the landscape 400 miles below. 294 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,700 This image shows a really arid region, and in 295 00:16:14,767 --> 00:16:18,266 the middle of it is this big, dark rectangle. 296 00:16:19,266 --> 00:16:21,867 JANULIS: This is really strange. 297 00:16:21,867 --> 00:16:23,385 There's just farm fields and then this giant pool. 298 00:16:23,385 --> 00:16:26,800 There's just farm fields and then this giant pool. 299 00:16:29,300 --> 00:16:33,700 NARRATOR: The mystery pit is over 700 feet long. 300 00:16:33,767 --> 00:16:36,600 It's massive. How did it get there? 301 00:16:36,667 --> 00:16:38,967 What purpose does it serve? 302 00:16:40,367 --> 00:16:43,100 NARRATOR: Analysis reveals the structure sits next to 303 00:16:43,166 --> 00:16:44,667 a series of ruins. 304 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:47,767 Around 5,000 years ago, 305 00:16:47,767 --> 00:16:51,266 this region was home to the Indus Valley Civilization. 306 00:16:51,266 --> 00:16:53,385 So I think this image is connected to that civilization. 307 00:16:53,385 --> 00:16:54,900 So I think this image is connected to that civilization. 308 00:16:59,100 --> 00:17:02,266 NARRATOR: Archaeological records confirm eyes in the sky 309 00:17:02,266 --> 00:17:04,300 have uncovered the remains of Lothal, 310 00:17:05,767 --> 00:17:09,066 the southernmost city of the once mighty Indus people. 311 00:17:10,500 --> 00:17:12,367 Everyone's heard of the Egyptians. 312 00:17:12,367 --> 00:17:14,367 Everyone's heard of the Mesopotamians. 313 00:17:14,367 --> 00:17:17,200 A lot fewer people have heard of 314 00:17:17,266 --> 00:17:19,000 the Indus Valley civilization, 315 00:17:19,100 --> 00:17:23,385 which actually, in terms of population and size, 316 00:17:23,385 --> 00:17:23,467 which actually, in terms of population and size, 317 00:17:23,567 --> 00:17:25,400 eclipse them both. 318 00:17:27,066 --> 00:17:29,567 NARRATOR: Little is known about the Indus people, 319 00:17:29,667 --> 00:17:34,800 but it seems they rise out of these lands in around 3300 BCE. 320 00:17:37,900 --> 00:17:40,467 Master builders and engineers, 321 00:17:40,467 --> 00:17:45,367 they go on to rule an almost 400,000-square-mile empire. 322 00:17:46,867 --> 00:17:49,500 To give you a sense of scale, at one point, 323 00:17:49,567 --> 00:17:53,000 more than 10 percent of the entire world's population 324 00:17:53,066 --> 00:17:53,385 lived under the rule of this empire. 325 00:17:53,385 --> 00:17:56,166 lived under the rule of this empire. 326 00:17:56,266 --> 00:17:57,500 That's massive. 327 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:01,867 AUERBACH: The Indus Valley civilization was very advanced. 328 00:18:01,867 --> 00:18:03,867 They were unique among ancient empires, 329 00:18:03,867 --> 00:18:06,467 because they didn't keep a standing army. 330 00:18:06,567 --> 00:18:10,266 Their focus was trade, and they were incredible at it. 331 00:18:11,867 --> 00:18:14,967 NARRATOR: To understand what role the giant void 332 00:18:14,967 --> 00:18:16,600 played in this civilization, 333 00:18:16,667 --> 00:18:18,667 investigators travel to the site. 334 00:18:20,900 --> 00:18:23,385 There, they discover something surprising. 335 00:18:23,385 --> 00:18:23,567 There, they discover something surprising. 336 00:18:24,967 --> 00:18:30,266 HORTON: So our strange rectangle is actually filled with water. 337 00:18:30,367 --> 00:18:33,800 And archaeologists have looked at the sediments 338 00:18:33,867 --> 00:18:37,767 and have found evidence of sea fossils, 339 00:18:37,867 --> 00:18:41,467 and that tells us that it was connected 340 00:18:41,467 --> 00:18:43,100 directly to the sea. 341 00:18:44,166 --> 00:18:48,867 So we have a civilization that focuses on trade. 342 00:18:48,967 --> 00:18:52,800 We have this massive structure filled with seawater. 343 00:18:52,867 --> 00:18:53,385 I think what we're looking at here is a dock. 344 00:18:53,385 --> 00:18:57,200 I think what we're looking at here is a dock. 345 00:18:59,467 --> 00:19:01,200 NARRATOR: Though now landlocked, 346 00:19:01,266 --> 00:19:03,500 it's believed the giant dock was once 347 00:19:03,567 --> 00:19:05,700 connected to the sea by a river 348 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:10,767 and was constructed just 300 years 349 00:19:10,767 --> 00:19:13,000 after the Great Pyramids of Egypt. 350 00:19:14,767 --> 00:19:19,000 This is certainly the oldest of all the ancient docks 351 00:19:19,100 --> 00:19:20,166 still surviving, 352 00:19:20,166 --> 00:19:22,500 but we could be looking at something even 353 00:19:22,567 --> 00:19:23,385 more extraordinary. 354 00:19:23,385 --> 00:19:23,500 more extraordinary. 355 00:19:23,567 --> 00:19:26,266 We could be looking at the first 356 00:19:26,266 --> 00:19:28,266 large-scale dock ever constructed 357 00:19:28,367 --> 00:19:29,567 by human civilization. 358 00:19:32,166 --> 00:19:35,000 NARRATOR: It's believed that the over 4,000-year-old 359 00:19:35,066 --> 00:19:37,867 dock once held as many as 60 vessels 360 00:19:39,567 --> 00:19:42,166 and was used by Indus traders to ship 361 00:19:42,166 --> 00:19:45,200 metals and other goods across the Arabian sea. 362 00:19:46,867 --> 00:19:50,266 They developed extensive trade networks and great wealth 363 00:19:50,266 --> 00:19:51,333 as a result. 364 00:19:52,367 --> 00:19:53,385 They become the trade hub and the middlemen for 365 00:19:53,385 --> 00:19:56,467 They become the trade hub and the middlemen for 366 00:19:56,467 --> 00:19:58,000 resources going 367 00:19:58,066 --> 00:20:00,867 from one side of the continent to the other and back. 368 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:03,900 These guys were running everything. 369 00:20:06,767 --> 00:20:09,767 NARRATOR: As trade from the site in the image grows, 370 00:20:09,867 --> 00:20:12,600 other civilizations become reliant on the port 371 00:20:12,667 --> 00:20:13,667 for supplies. 372 00:20:15,500 --> 00:20:17,800 This dock is really crucial to 373 00:20:17,867 --> 00:20:20,900 the survival of the Indus Valley civilization. 374 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,367 BELLINGER: Nobody was going to attack the Indus Valley. 375 00:20:23,367 --> 00:20:23,385 Nobody wanted to cut off the flow of 376 00:20:23,385 --> 00:20:26,367 Nobody wanted to cut off the flow of 377 00:20:26,467 --> 00:20:29,467 essential goods that were coming from that direction. 378 00:20:30,467 --> 00:20:33,667 NARRATOR: The Indus civilization mysteriously vanishes 379 00:20:33,767 --> 00:20:37,066 from history in around 1800 BCE. 380 00:20:38,066 --> 00:20:39,967 The dock's landlocked location 381 00:20:39,967 --> 00:20:42,667 could provide a clue to its sudden collapse. 382 00:20:44,767 --> 00:20:47,200 AUERBACH: The records seem to indicate that what happened 383 00:20:47,266 --> 00:20:49,100 was one of the worst imaginable 384 00:20:49,166 --> 00:20:50,767 environmental disasters, 385 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:53,385 a massive flood. 386 00:20:53,385 --> 00:20:54,667 a massive flood. 387 00:20:57,266 --> 00:21:00,500 NARRATOR: Evidence suggests that around 4,000 years ago, 388 00:21:00,567 --> 00:21:04,166 catastrophic tsunamis redirect the river connecting 389 00:21:04,266 --> 00:21:06,300 the dock to the ocean, 390 00:21:06,367 --> 00:21:09,100 leaving it isolated five miles inland. 391 00:21:11,266 --> 00:21:13,166 BELLINGER: The redirection of the river would have been 392 00:21:13,266 --> 00:21:16,266 catastrophic, because what use is a dock 393 00:21:16,367 --> 00:21:18,767 that's disconnected from its river system? 394 00:21:21,100 --> 00:21:23,385 The traders were unable to recover, 395 00:21:23,385 --> 00:21:23,867 The traders were unable to recover, 396 00:21:23,867 --> 00:21:26,367 and the civilization collapsed. 397 00:21:28,967 --> 00:21:30,900 NARRATOR: Today, the giant dock is one of 398 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:34,266 the few enduring relics of this extraordinary people, 399 00:21:35,300 --> 00:21:36,900 captured from space. 400 00:21:38,767 --> 00:21:43,100 This image, to me, is one of the reminders 401 00:21:43,166 --> 00:21:45,867 of one of the great civilizations 402 00:21:45,967 --> 00:21:47,767 of the ancient world. 403 00:21:47,867 --> 00:21:50,367 But it's a reminder of the fragility 404 00:21:50,367 --> 00:21:53,066 of civilizations, as well. 405 00:22:01,266 --> 00:22:05,367 NARRATOR: Coming up, the sins of the past. 406 00:22:05,367 --> 00:22:08,400 It's a rather eerie reminder of 407 00:22:08,467 --> 00:22:12,166 this incredibly brutal chapter in history. 408 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:16,600 NARRATOR: And Hitler's mystery mega weapon. 409 00:22:16,667 --> 00:22:20,500 The blows this gun landed were absolutely devastating. 410 00:22:20,567 --> 00:22:22,567 [explosion blasts] 411 00:22:28,567 --> 00:22:31,367 NARRATOR: June 2022. 412 00:22:31,467 --> 00:22:33,667 A satellite scanning 413 00:22:33,667 --> 00:22:36,667 Spain's arid mountainous interior spots 414 00:22:36,767 --> 00:22:39,567 something in the rugged terrain below. 415 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,600 MUNOZ: Looking at the image, the thing that's most apparent 416 00:22:43,667 --> 00:22:47,867 are these deep gouges or cracks in the landscape. 417 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:52,266 KOUROUNIS: Some of them form perfect zigzag, 418 00:22:52,367 --> 00:22:54,609 staircase kind of shapes. 419 00:22:54,609 --> 00:22:55,367 staircase kind of shapes. 420 00:22:55,467 --> 00:22:57,467 WALTERS: If you look at the way these are spread out, 421 00:22:57,567 --> 00:23:00,467 it looks deliberate -- it looks manmade. 422 00:23:03,367 --> 00:23:06,567 NARRATOR: The mystery gouges are spread along 11 miles 423 00:23:06,667 --> 00:23:09,000 of hillside close to the city of Madrid. 424 00:23:10,166 --> 00:23:13,767 Why would anyone go through the time and effort 425 00:23:13,867 --> 00:23:17,467 to build such an extensive network of these things? 426 00:23:19,867 --> 00:23:22,667 NARRATOR: Anthea Nardi suspects the fissures could be 427 00:23:22,767 --> 00:23:24,609 collapsed tunnels many centuries old. 428 00:23:24,609 --> 00:23:25,266 collapsed tunnels many centuries old. 429 00:23:26,667 --> 00:23:29,800 Spain has an expansive network of underground tunnels. 430 00:23:33,300 --> 00:23:35,166 It's one of the greatest legacies of 431 00:23:35,266 --> 00:23:37,066 the people we know as the Moors. 432 00:23:39,100 --> 00:23:42,367 NARRATOR: In the early 8th century CE, the Moors, 433 00:23:42,467 --> 00:23:46,300 a 12,000-strong Muslim force from North Africa 434 00:23:46,367 --> 00:23:50,667 sweep into Spain and topple the existing Visigoth Empire. 435 00:23:51,767 --> 00:23:54,609 They go on to rule the country for almost 800 years. 436 00:23:54,609 --> 00:23:56,367 They go on to rule the country for almost 800 years. 437 00:23:56,367 --> 00:23:58,100 The Moors introduced new 438 00:23:58,166 --> 00:24:00,400 scientific techniques to the Europeans. 439 00:24:00,467 --> 00:24:03,100 They made advancements in things such as astronomy, 440 00:24:03,166 --> 00:24:04,967 mathematics, chemistry, 441 00:24:04,967 --> 00:24:06,800 geography, and physics. 442 00:24:06,867 --> 00:24:10,266 They also left a very rich architectural legacy. 443 00:24:10,367 --> 00:24:13,700 The Moors were very enthusiastic builders, 444 00:24:13,767 --> 00:24:15,700 and the remnants of their structures 445 00:24:15,767 --> 00:24:18,867 are still found all around Spain. 446 00:24:22,266 --> 00:24:23,500 NARRATOR: Evidence of the Moors' 447 00:24:23,500 --> 00:24:24,609 architectural expertise can also be found below ground, in 448 00:24:24,609 --> 00:24:27,467 architectural expertise can also be found below ground, in 449 00:24:27,467 --> 00:24:31,000 the form of mines and tunnels that endure to this day. 450 00:24:33,166 --> 00:24:36,367 The tunnels were used for a number of purposes, 451 00:24:36,367 --> 00:24:40,600 particularly for transporting things in and out to entertain 452 00:24:40,667 --> 00:24:42,767 the region's Moorish rulers. 453 00:24:44,667 --> 00:24:46,467 NARRATOR: During the 15th century, 454 00:24:46,567 --> 00:24:49,600 the Moors' tunnels go on to be used as hiding places 455 00:24:49,667 --> 00:24:52,500 by those fleeing persecution at the hands 456 00:24:52,567 --> 00:24:53,867 of the Spanish inquisition. 457 00:24:55,467 --> 00:24:59,667 The Moors also used subterranean canals in order 458 00:24:59,667 --> 00:25:03,300 to keep water cool as it was being transported, 459 00:25:03,367 --> 00:25:05,300 so that's another possible explanation. 460 00:25:05,367 --> 00:25:07,300 And we know that there is one 461 00:25:07,367 --> 00:25:10,667 such network of canals just outside of Madrid. 462 00:25:12,700 --> 00:25:14,800 NARRATOR: Others believe the patterns are relics 463 00:25:14,867 --> 00:25:17,967 of a different period in Spain's history. 464 00:25:17,967 --> 00:25:20,400 The Moorish tunnels tend to be more 465 00:25:20,467 --> 00:25:22,967 built up and developed than these ones. 466 00:25:22,967 --> 00:25:24,609 They look like they were built rather hastily. 467 00:25:24,609 --> 00:25:26,066 They look like they were built rather hastily. 468 00:25:26,066 --> 00:25:28,166 Their design leads me to believe 469 00:25:28,266 --> 00:25:30,200 that they are actually military trenches. 470 00:25:31,300 --> 00:25:35,600 Now, this region does have a recent history of warfare. 471 00:25:35,667 --> 00:25:36,867 In fact, it's linked to one of 472 00:25:36,967 --> 00:25:40,266 the bloodiest battles of the Spanish Civil War. 473 00:25:43,266 --> 00:25:48,567 NARRATOR: The Spanish Civil War begins on July 17, 1936, 474 00:25:48,567 --> 00:25:51,767 when General Francisco Franco launches an uprising to 475 00:25:51,867 --> 00:25:53,867 overthrow the Republican government. 476 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:57,567 The three-year-long conflict goes 477 00:25:57,667 --> 00:26:00,100 on to claim half a million lives. 478 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:06,266 The civil war absolutely tore Spain apart, and it also drew 479 00:26:06,266 --> 00:26:08,100 a lot of international attention. 480 00:26:08,166 --> 00:26:11,300 Franco's government was Fascist, whereas the Republican 481 00:26:11,367 --> 00:26:13,166 army leaned heavily Socialist. 482 00:26:13,166 --> 00:26:15,700 So the war was seen as a proxy 483 00:26:15,767 --> 00:26:19,767 for the political tensions already existing in Europe. 484 00:26:23,700 --> 00:26:24,609 NARRATOR: While Britain, France, and Russia side with 485 00:26:24,609 --> 00:26:26,367 NARRATOR: While Britain, France, and Russia side with 486 00:26:26,467 --> 00:26:29,300 the Republicans, Italy and Germany 487 00:26:29,367 --> 00:26:32,800 send 91,000 troops and military hardware to 488 00:26:32,867 --> 00:26:35,166 support Franco's Nationalist forces. 489 00:26:36,266 --> 00:26:38,800 Hitler and the Nazi party actually used 490 00:26:38,867 --> 00:26:41,500 the war as a testing ground for their new aircraft. 491 00:26:41,567 --> 00:26:44,667 I mean, they provided Franco with Stuka dive bombers. 492 00:26:44,767 --> 00:26:46,266 Now, these were planes that were used 493 00:26:46,367 --> 00:26:49,600 to really devastating effect in the Second World War 494 00:26:49,667 --> 00:26:51,066 just a few years later. 495 00:26:54,467 --> 00:26:54,609 NARRATOR: Within months, Franco's Fascists have 496 00:26:54,609 --> 00:26:56,900 NARRATOR: Within months, Franco's Fascists have 497 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,667 captured vast areas in the west of the country, 498 00:27:00,867 --> 00:27:03,767 but the capital remains outside their control. 499 00:27:06,100 --> 00:27:08,800 Franco was unable to dislodge 500 00:27:08,867 --> 00:27:11,066 the Republicans from the city of Madrid. 501 00:27:11,066 --> 00:27:13,300 WALTERS: So he decided to cut it off 502 00:27:13,367 --> 00:27:15,967 by taking all the land surrounding it. 503 00:27:18,266 --> 00:27:22,667 NARRATOR: In February 1937, Franco launches a massive attack 504 00:27:22,767 --> 00:27:24,609 on the Republican lines at the site in the image, 505 00:27:24,609 --> 00:27:25,700 on the Republican lines at the site in the image, 506 00:27:25,767 --> 00:27:28,266 some five miles southeast of the city. 507 00:27:30,567 --> 00:27:34,667 The ensuing engagement becomes known as the Battle of Jarama. 508 00:27:35,667 --> 00:27:39,367 Franco's plan was to send his forces across the Jarama River, 509 00:27:39,467 --> 00:27:41,166 to where the Republican forces were waiting. 510 00:27:42,767 --> 00:27:46,266 After the initial onslaught, both sides retreated, 511 00:27:46,266 --> 00:27:48,600 digging in fortifications and trenches, 512 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:54,200 and those trenches are what we can see in our images. 513 00:27:56,266 --> 00:27:59,367 NARRATOR: Sections of those based in the Republican trenches 514 00:27:59,367 --> 00:28:01,200 are part of the International Brigades, 515 00:28:01,266 --> 00:28:05,767 a 60,000-strong force of foreign volunteers. 516 00:28:08,367 --> 00:28:12,066 Socialist sympathizers poured in from Britain and from 517 00:28:12,066 --> 00:28:15,967 France to try and defend the Republican cause. 518 00:28:15,967 --> 00:28:20,400 The war became this huge cause celebre in the Liberal West, 519 00:28:20,467 --> 00:28:23,100 and you have famous authors, like George Orwell 520 00:28:23,166 --> 00:28:24,609 and Ernest Hemingway, actually joining in the conflict. 521 00:28:24,609 --> 00:28:26,567 and Ernest Hemingway, actually joining in the conflict. 522 00:28:27,900 --> 00:28:30,000 NARRATOR: Over the following three weeks, 523 00:28:30,100 --> 00:28:34,166 more than 15,000 soldiers on both sides perish. 524 00:28:35,667 --> 00:28:40,100 It was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the entire war, 525 00:28:40,166 --> 00:28:43,767 but ultimately, it doesn't achieve all that much. 526 00:28:43,767 --> 00:28:47,266 The stalemate pretty much stayed in place till 1939, 527 00:28:47,266 --> 00:28:50,300 when government forces eventually overran 528 00:28:50,367 --> 00:28:53,266 Republican army positions and ended the war. 529 00:28:55,567 --> 00:28:59,867 NARRATOR: Franco's victory in March 1939 marks the beginning 530 00:28:59,867 --> 00:29:03,400 of 35 years of Fascist rule in Spain, 531 00:29:05,066 --> 00:29:08,100 a reign of terror characterized by torture 532 00:29:08,166 --> 00:29:09,367 and mass killings. 533 00:29:12,166 --> 00:29:15,100 The site in the image is a memorial to those 534 00:29:15,166 --> 00:29:18,767 who died trying to prevent the horrors of his dictatorship. 535 00:29:20,567 --> 00:29:24,100 It's left as a rather eerie reminder of 536 00:29:24,166 --> 00:29:24,609 this incredibly brutal and bloody chapter in 537 00:29:24,609 --> 00:29:28,467 this incredibly brutal and bloody chapter in 538 00:29:28,567 --> 00:29:29,867 Spain's history. 539 00:29:34,867 --> 00:29:38,767 NARRATOR: Coming up, something weird in the German woods. 540 00:29:38,767 --> 00:29:41,900 A. MORGAN: There's this giant teardrop shape cut out 541 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:44,500 of the land, and I don't know why. 542 00:29:45,867 --> 00:29:48,066 NARRATOR: And the all-seeing eye. 543 00:29:48,066 --> 00:29:50,867 MORAN: It does have a lot of people spooked, 544 00:29:50,867 --> 00:29:52,600 because the stakes are so high. 545 00:30:01,667 --> 00:30:04,867 NARRATOR: January 10th, 2020. 546 00:30:06,900 --> 00:30:09,567 Eyes in the sky scan countryside in 547 00:30:09,667 --> 00:30:10,667 northern Germany. 548 00:30:13,500 --> 00:30:17,967 The thing that jumps out is this really smooth, 549 00:30:17,967 --> 00:30:20,767 really defined kind of loop. 550 00:30:20,867 --> 00:30:22,100 RUBEN: It's very strange. 551 00:30:22,166 --> 00:30:25,600 It looks just perfectly cut or carved into the landscape. 552 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:30,000 NARRATOR: Analysts study the giant loop in more detail. 553 00:30:31,367 --> 00:30:33,867 This looks like rail line. 554 00:30:33,867 --> 00:30:36,200 The thing is, there's no final destination. 555 00:30:36,266 --> 00:30:37,967 It doesn't go anywhere. 556 00:30:37,967 --> 00:30:40,600 WALTERS: Judging by the size, it must 557 00:30:40,667 --> 00:30:43,867 be for moving something pretty substantial around. 558 00:30:43,967 --> 00:30:47,667 My guess is that it's a test track of some kind. 559 00:30:49,166 --> 00:30:51,667 NARRATOR: The area's history offers a clue. 560 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:54,600 In World War II, 561 00:30:54,667 --> 00:30:56,194 it's known that this region of Germany was actually 562 00:30:56,194 --> 00:30:57,367 it's known that this region of Germany was actually 563 00:30:57,467 --> 00:31:00,667 the home of a lot of experimental efforts 564 00:31:00,667 --> 00:31:02,800 to develop advanced weapons. 565 00:31:04,166 --> 00:31:05,500 At the beginning of the war, 566 00:31:05,567 --> 00:31:09,266 the Nazis were testing this experimental super weapon that 567 00:31:09,367 --> 00:31:13,667 required rails, and it was known as the Schwerer Gustav. 568 00:31:16,500 --> 00:31:21,166 NARRATOR: In October 1939, Germany begins preparations to 569 00:31:21,266 --> 00:31:22,600 invade France. 570 00:31:25,367 --> 00:31:26,194 In Hitler's way stands the Maginot Line, 571 00:31:26,194 --> 00:31:28,700 In Hitler's way stands the Maginot Line, 572 00:31:28,767 --> 00:31:33,300 a formidable 280-mile-long string of defensive structures 573 00:31:33,367 --> 00:31:35,000 constructed by the French 574 00:31:35,100 --> 00:31:37,266 following their victory in World War I. 575 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:42,567 To blast through it, 576 00:31:42,567 --> 00:31:45,367 the Nazis developed the largest rifled weapon 577 00:31:45,367 --> 00:31:47,367 ever used in combat, 578 00:31:47,467 --> 00:31:48,800 the Schwerer Gustav, 579 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:54,767 a 1,350-ton siege gun equipped with seven-ton shells. 580 00:31:56,066 --> 00:31:56,194 Now, to call this weapon or gun really does it a disservice, 581 00:31:56,194 --> 00:32:00,867 Now, to call this weapon or gun really does it a disservice, 582 00:32:00,867 --> 00:32:04,867 as far as how big it was and how powerful it was designed to be. 583 00:32:04,867 --> 00:32:07,100 SALAITA: It was so big and so heavy, 584 00:32:07,166 --> 00:32:09,000 it couldn't be moved by road. 585 00:32:09,066 --> 00:32:10,767 The only way to support it was to put 586 00:32:10,767 --> 00:32:13,700 it on twin railway tracks and roll it along. 587 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:19,266 So could this railway be associated 588 00:32:19,367 --> 00:32:20,867 with the testing of the gun? 589 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:24,467 NARRATOR: Others disagree. 590 00:32:24,567 --> 00:32:26,100 What I'm seeing in the image 591 00:32:26,166 --> 00:32:26,194 doesn't look like normal train tracks. 592 00:32:26,194 --> 00:32:28,967 doesn't look like normal train tracks. 593 00:32:28,967 --> 00:32:31,367 There's just one thick track that's 594 00:32:31,367 --> 00:32:34,100 raised off the ground, like a monorail. 595 00:32:36,166 --> 00:32:38,100 NARRATOR: Local records confirm that 596 00:32:38,166 --> 00:32:39,967 this loop is a monorail system, 597 00:32:41,767 --> 00:32:44,567 one whose story is mired in catastrophe. 598 00:32:45,767 --> 00:32:48,400 This technology was meant to be the future 599 00:32:48,467 --> 00:32:49,967 of transportation, 600 00:32:49,967 --> 00:32:51,467 something called Maglev, 601 00:32:52,900 --> 00:32:54,667 magnetic levitation. 602 00:32:56,700 --> 00:32:59,800 NARRATOR: In the early 1930s, German engineers 603 00:32:59,867 --> 00:33:03,266 design a revolutionary new levitating railway. 604 00:33:06,266 --> 00:33:08,967 This leads to the development of test trains 605 00:33:08,967 --> 00:33:12,667 propelled along tracks by powerful magnetic fields. 606 00:33:13,867 --> 00:33:16,800 Maglev trains have two sets of magnets. 607 00:33:16,867 --> 00:33:19,567 There's one under the train that helps levitate it off 608 00:33:19,567 --> 00:33:21,367 the track, and then there's one at 609 00:33:21,367 --> 00:33:24,266 the front and the back of the train to push and pull it 610 00:33:24,266 --> 00:33:26,194 along the route. 611 00:33:26,194 --> 00:33:26,367 along the route. 612 00:33:26,367 --> 00:33:29,400 A. MORGAN: The trains literally float on top of it 613 00:33:29,467 --> 00:33:30,767 with levitation. 614 00:33:30,867 --> 00:33:34,667 They glide as softly as a cloud, and they move fast. 615 00:33:36,467 --> 00:33:38,800 NARRATOR: Following these initial tests, 616 00:33:38,867 --> 00:33:41,166 in 1980, work begins on 617 00:33:41,266 --> 00:33:44,266 the 20-mile-long loop spotted from space. 618 00:33:47,367 --> 00:33:50,100 Known as the Transrapid, the trains 619 00:33:50,166 --> 00:33:53,467 there reach speeds of 280 miles an hour, 620 00:33:53,567 --> 00:33:56,194 almost twice that of Amtrak's fastest commuter line. 621 00:33:56,194 --> 00:33:57,367 almost twice that of Amtrak's fastest commuter line. 622 00:33:58,867 --> 00:34:03,500 WALTERS: The trains were fast, seriously fast, 623 00:34:03,567 --> 00:34:06,467 but as several workers would tragically find out, 624 00:34:06,467 --> 00:34:08,800 that isn't always a good thing. 625 00:34:11,066 --> 00:34:14,667 NARRATOR: On the morning of September 22nd, 2006, 626 00:34:14,667 --> 00:34:17,200 Transrapid engineers board a train 627 00:34:17,266 --> 00:34:19,500 to perform routine maintenance checks. 628 00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:26,194 What they don't know is that a 188-ton train is 629 00:34:26,194 --> 00:34:26,367 What they don't know is that a 188-ton train is 630 00:34:26,367 --> 00:34:29,400 already on the track, approaching from the opposite 631 00:34:29,467 --> 00:34:31,567 direction and gathering speed. 632 00:34:33,367 --> 00:34:35,600 A miscommunication between the maintenance staff 633 00:34:35,667 --> 00:34:36,967 and the testing staff 634 00:34:36,967 --> 00:34:39,900 meant that the two were on a collision course. 635 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:47,467 NARRATOR: The subsequent 125-mile-per-hour collision 636 00:34:47,567 --> 00:34:49,467 kills 23 passengers 637 00:34:49,467 --> 00:34:52,000 and leaves 10 more with severe injuries. 638 00:34:53,500 --> 00:34:55,600 SZULGIT: The crash really dampened down 639 00:34:55,667 --> 00:34:56,194 any enthusiasm for Transrapid, 640 00:34:56,194 --> 00:34:57,667 any enthusiasm for Transrapid, 641 00:34:57,767 --> 00:35:01,000 although in the years since, other countries have picked up 642 00:35:01,100 --> 00:35:02,667 where Germany left off. 643 00:35:05,367 --> 00:35:07,000 NARRATOR: Over the following years, 644 00:35:07,066 --> 00:35:09,567 countries such as South Korea, Japan, 645 00:35:09,667 --> 00:35:13,100 and China continue to develop Maglev trains, which can 646 00:35:13,166 --> 00:35:15,767 hit over 370 miles per hour. 647 00:35:20,367 --> 00:35:23,166 Renewed interest in the technology means 648 00:35:23,166 --> 00:35:24,367 the site in the image, 649 00:35:24,367 --> 00:35:26,194 one with such a tragic past, may yet represent 650 00:35:26,194 --> 00:35:28,066 one with such a tragic past, may yet represent 651 00:35:28,066 --> 00:35:30,467 the transportation of the future. 652 00:35:30,467 --> 00:35:34,567 Maglev technology is an idea that just keeps coming back. 653 00:35:34,667 --> 00:35:37,400 It's just a matter of trying to do it right. 654 00:35:37,467 --> 00:35:40,567 Perhaps this time, Germany can. 655 00:35:50,500 --> 00:35:54,300 NARRATOR: Coming up, seeing the invisible. 656 00:35:54,367 --> 00:35:56,194 This kind of system would be bad news 657 00:35:56,194 --> 00:35:57,266 This kind of system would be bad news 658 00:35:57,367 --> 00:36:00,400 for any planes using stealth technology. 659 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:10,467 NARRATOR: August 3rd, 2021. 660 00:36:10,467 --> 00:36:14,066 The WorldView-3 satellite scans 661 00:36:14,066 --> 00:36:16,867 Zhejiang province in eastern China and captures 662 00:36:16,967 --> 00:36:18,300 something bizarre. 663 00:36:20,867 --> 00:36:24,200 In the middle of this patchwork of various fields, 664 00:36:24,266 --> 00:36:27,900 you have this massive circular formation. 665 00:36:29,500 --> 00:36:31,767 MORAN: I can't really tell if it's something cut 666 00:36:31,767 --> 00:36:33,494 into the landscape or built on top of it. 667 00:36:33,494 --> 00:36:34,467 into the landscape or built on top of it. 668 00:36:35,867 --> 00:36:37,500 NARRATOR: The mystery structure measures 669 00:36:37,567 --> 00:36:39,867 over 1,000 feet in diameter. 670 00:36:42,900 --> 00:36:44,400 It's really bizarre. 671 00:36:44,467 --> 00:36:46,066 It just looks so out of place. 672 00:36:46,066 --> 00:36:48,667 It almost looks like it's just been kind of dropped there. 673 00:36:50,166 --> 00:36:53,567 NARRATOR: To space experts, the structure is familiar. 674 00:36:53,667 --> 00:36:55,467 LEE: This thing is really very large. 675 00:36:55,467 --> 00:36:58,367 So that brings to my mind, as an astronomer, 676 00:36:58,367 --> 00:37:01,166 the possibility that it might be something similar 677 00:37:01,166 --> 00:37:02,967 to the FAST telescope, 678 00:37:02,967 --> 00:37:03,494 the gigantic radio telescope that China has built. 679 00:37:03,494 --> 00:37:06,367 the gigantic radio telescope that China has built. 680 00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:10,166 NARRATOR: At almost half a mile in diameter, 681 00:37:10,266 --> 00:37:13,867 FAST is the largest radio telescope on Earth. 682 00:37:15,900 --> 00:37:19,200 The $170 million dish 683 00:37:19,266 --> 00:37:23,900 can detect signals from 13.7 billion lightyears away, 684 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:27,000 distances approaching the edge of the universe. 685 00:37:29,300 --> 00:37:31,867 It's hard to overstate how impressive 686 00:37:31,867 --> 00:37:33,494 this tech is -- FAST is so powerful, 687 00:37:33,494 --> 00:37:35,266 this tech is -- FAST is so powerful, 688 00:37:35,367 --> 00:37:40,467 it can see pulsars, tiny dead stars blinking out radiation. 689 00:37:40,567 --> 00:37:43,166 It should even be able to pick up exoplanets, 690 00:37:43,266 --> 00:37:46,066 other planets circling other stars. 691 00:37:49,767 --> 00:37:51,867 NARRATOR: Intelligence analysts believe 692 00:37:51,867 --> 00:37:55,300 the giant circle is indeed a highly advanced radar, 693 00:37:55,367 --> 00:37:59,066 but one listening in on signals much closer to home. 694 00:38:04,100 --> 00:38:07,166 It sits just miles from Ningbo Harbor, 695 00:38:07,266 --> 00:38:10,500 a key site for China's rapidly expanding navy. 696 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,300 MUNOZ: The military hardware lined up 697 00:38:15,367 --> 00:38:19,266 at Ningbo Harbor is incredibly impressive. 698 00:38:19,367 --> 00:38:22,667 There are warships all bristling with weaponry 699 00:38:22,767 --> 00:38:24,567 and equipment, and you have to remember 700 00:38:24,567 --> 00:38:26,867 that this is just one of China's fleets. 701 00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:32,100 China's navy is on a very rapid trajectory to become 702 00:38:32,166 --> 00:38:33,494 the largest, most powerful navy in the world. 703 00:38:33,494 --> 00:38:34,667 the largest, most powerful navy in the world. 704 00:38:37,367 --> 00:38:40,500 NARRATOR: Aware that China may soon outgun its navy, 705 00:38:42,367 --> 00:38:45,567 the U.S. has increased surveillance of the country. 706 00:38:47,867 --> 00:38:49,100 WALTERS: This could be 707 00:38:49,166 --> 00:38:51,467 a perfectly situated radar station. 708 00:38:52,667 --> 00:38:54,367 Now, that would form 709 00:38:54,467 --> 00:38:58,600 a really powerful, high-tech observation point 710 00:38:58,667 --> 00:39:02,367 for China to keep an eye on its own backyard. 711 00:39:04,700 --> 00:39:06,200 NARRATOR: The structure may represent 712 00:39:06,266 --> 00:39:09,166 a departure from traditional radar stations. 713 00:39:11,266 --> 00:39:14,100 Analysts fear it could be evidence of a breakthrough 714 00:39:14,166 --> 00:39:17,600 in China's efforts to outwit the most sophisticated 715 00:39:17,667 --> 00:39:19,166 U.S. surveillance systems. 716 00:39:21,467 --> 00:39:23,567 This could be an example of the latest 717 00:39:23,567 --> 00:39:25,900 high-tech addition to China's already impressive 718 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:27,800 military arsenal, 719 00:39:27,867 --> 00:39:29,567 a quantum radar station. 720 00:39:30,567 --> 00:39:33,494 WALTERS: China is desperate to develop something that will beat 721 00:39:33,494 --> 00:39:34,266 WALTERS: China is desperate to develop something that will beat 722 00:39:34,266 --> 00:39:36,567 the next generation of stealth planes, 723 00:39:36,567 --> 00:39:40,066 and for that reason, quantum radar is really 724 00:39:40,066 --> 00:39:42,767 the holy grail of detection systems. 725 00:39:46,100 --> 00:39:48,100 NARRATOR: The U.S. has over three times 726 00:39:48,166 --> 00:39:50,967 as many stealth aircraft as any other nation 727 00:39:50,967 --> 00:39:54,000 and is massively reliant on the technology to give it 728 00:39:54,066 --> 00:39:56,567 the edge over its military rivals. 729 00:39:57,767 --> 00:40:00,700 Stealth technology, especially for the U.S. Air Force, 730 00:40:00,767 --> 00:40:03,367 has been a trump card for years and years. 731 00:40:05,166 --> 00:40:08,467 LEE: The way stealth technology works is that your aircraft 732 00:40:08,567 --> 00:40:12,166 will somehow deflect the bulk of the radar signal, so 733 00:40:12,266 --> 00:40:15,066 you can't really tell against the background noise whether 734 00:40:15,066 --> 00:40:17,800 or not you've actually hit an aircraft out there. 735 00:40:19,900 --> 00:40:22,900 NARRATOR: Quantum radar can detect stealth aircraft by 736 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:26,767 using bonded pairs of charged particles called photons. 737 00:40:28,767 --> 00:40:32,467 While half of each pair remains at the base station, 738 00:40:32,467 --> 00:40:33,494 the other half are fired into the sky. 739 00:40:33,494 --> 00:40:34,800 the other half are fired into the sky. 740 00:40:37,467 --> 00:40:40,667 If they reflect off an object, it can be compared 741 00:40:40,667 --> 00:40:43,000 to the twin photon at the base, 742 00:40:43,066 --> 00:40:45,900 meaning scientists can detect even the faintest 743 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:48,900 signal against the natural background noise. 744 00:40:50,967 --> 00:40:54,567 So even if only one photon bounces back from that 745 00:40:54,667 --> 00:40:55,900 stealth plane, 746 00:40:55,967 --> 00:40:58,600 the radar would register it, because it would know it's its 747 00:40:58,667 --> 00:41:02,367 twin, and it knows that there's a plane lurking out there. 748 00:41:05,367 --> 00:41:08,000 NARRATOR: If the structure in the image is linked to this 749 00:41:08,066 --> 00:41:10,100 experimental technology, 750 00:41:10,166 --> 00:41:13,300 it could render U.S. stealth vehicles obsolete. 751 00:41:15,467 --> 00:41:19,000 Suddenly, every stealth plane skulking around 752 00:41:19,066 --> 00:41:22,467 in the clouds would become visible, plain as day. 753 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:28,066 NARRATOR: China has recently claimed to have made 754 00:41:28,066 --> 00:41:30,367 other advances in quantum communication 755 00:41:30,467 --> 00:41:32,367 at this station in the Himalayas. 756 00:41:34,967 --> 00:41:36,767 The site in the image could be 757 00:41:36,767 --> 00:41:39,400 another milestone in this revolutionary, 758 00:41:39,467 --> 00:41:41,000 evolving technology. 759 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:44,900 It does have a lot of people spooked, 760 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:46,500 because the stakes are so high. 761 00:41:48,266 --> 00:41:51,800 Considering their enormous leaps forward, 762 00:41:51,867 --> 00:41:54,400 I wouldn't be at all surprised if the first 763 00:41:54,467 --> 00:41:58,100 nation to have quantum radar technology would be China.