1 00:00:01,067 --> 00:00:02,868 NARRATOR: They're watching you. 2 00:00:02,935 --> 00:00:06,205 More than 5,000 satellites circle the Earth. 3 00:00:06,272 --> 00:00:09,141 Every day, they uncover new 4 00:00:09,175 --> 00:00:13,212 mysterious phenomena that defy explanation. 5 00:00:15,015 --> 00:00:16,415 From the skies, 6 00:00:16,449 --> 00:00:19,251 the hunt for the lost Viking army. 7 00:00:19,318 --> 00:00:23,922 I think this is where the kings were being buried. 8 00:00:23,990 --> 00:00:26,058 NARRATOR: The lagoon of horrors. 9 00:00:26,125 --> 00:00:29,995 This water is basically a poison stew. 10 00:00:30,063 --> 00:00:31,997 NARRATOR: And the CIA 11 00:00:32,065 --> 00:00:35,167 versus the super warriors of the ancient world. 12 00:00:35,201 --> 00:00:37,603 You name it, they were prepared for it. 13 00:00:38,705 --> 00:00:43,475 NARRATOR: Baffling phenomena, mysteries from space. 14 00:00:43,543 --> 00:00:45,477 What on Earth are they? 15 00:00:45,545 --> 00:00:48,147 [theme music playing] 16 00:01:03,196 --> 00:01:05,364 Derbyshire, 17 00:01:05,431 --> 00:01:08,367 a deeply historic county in the center of England. 18 00:01:11,704 --> 00:01:16,275 200,000 years after humans first walked these lands, 19 00:01:16,309 --> 00:01:18,310 Mark Horton has been drawn here 20 00:01:18,377 --> 00:01:21,013 by a mystery revealed from the skies. 21 00:01:23,049 --> 00:01:25,984 This is a fascinating image. 22 00:01:26,018 --> 00:01:28,587 It's of a shape that I've never really seen before. 23 00:01:32,725 --> 00:01:35,360 NARRATOR: An aerial laser scan of a patch of remote 24 00:01:35,395 --> 00:01:38,497 forest has revealed groups of circular structures, 25 00:01:38,531 --> 00:01:40,265 lost to history. 26 00:01:41,701 --> 00:01:44,169 HYMEL: What we're looking at here 27 00:01:44,204 --> 00:01:46,939 seem to be clusters of almost 28 00:01:47,006 --> 00:01:50,042 what looks like pimples on the ground. 29 00:01:50,076 --> 00:01:51,910 KOUROUNIS: There are so many lumps and bumps. 30 00:01:51,945 --> 00:01:56,281 Looks like this countryside has got chicken pox. 31 00:02:00,453 --> 00:02:02,254 NARRATOR: Elsewhere across the U.K. 32 00:02:02,288 --> 00:02:05,357 are similar-shaped structures, 33 00:02:05,424 --> 00:02:09,328 the earthen tombs of warriors and chieftains, 34 00:02:09,362 --> 00:02:12,898 casualties from 5,000 years of this country's long, 35 00:02:12,965 --> 00:02:14,366 bloody history. 36 00:02:15,335 --> 00:02:18,737 Horton thinks these, too, are burial mounds, 37 00:02:18,905 --> 00:02:22,141 but something about them doesn't make sense. 38 00:02:24,310 --> 00:02:27,679 What's really exciting about this particular group 39 00:02:27,780 --> 00:02:31,250 of mounds is that they're tightly packed. 40 00:02:31,317 --> 00:02:34,820 I've never ever seen examples like 41 00:02:34,854 --> 00:02:37,156 that anywhere in the British Isles. 42 00:02:39,626 --> 00:02:42,294 NARRATOR: This arrangement could suggest that this patch of 43 00:02:42,328 --> 00:02:46,031 forest was once a place of mass slaughter. 44 00:02:46,065 --> 00:02:48,901 HYMEL: Because we're looking at so many mounds, 45 00:02:48,935 --> 00:02:51,069 it could be the result of 46 00:02:51,137 --> 00:02:53,272 a major battle, where they bury the bodies 47 00:02:53,339 --> 00:02:55,440 near where they fell. 48 00:02:59,379 --> 00:03:03,115 I think this is the -- the woodland. 49 00:03:03,149 --> 00:03:08,220 It's massively impenetrable and thick, 50 00:03:08,287 --> 00:03:11,390 with barbed wire and everything -- somebody... 51 00:03:13,226 --> 00:03:15,527 clearly doesn't want anyone to get in here. 52 00:03:20,466 --> 00:03:21,700 Hi, it's Mark here. Hiya. 53 00:03:21,768 --> 00:03:23,101 Surrounded by... 54 00:03:23,169 --> 00:03:25,871 NARRATOR: Horton learns that the mounds sit on 55 00:03:25,905 --> 00:03:29,675 private land, and entry is strictly prohibited. 56 00:03:29,709 --> 00:03:33,078 Are you saying that the public aren't allowed in here at all? 57 00:03:33,112 --> 00:03:35,147 So frustrating. 58 00:03:37,984 --> 00:03:41,486 But another contact does have some better news. 59 00:03:41,521 --> 00:03:43,155 That's really interesting. 60 00:03:43,189 --> 00:03:45,190 Can I come over and see them? 61 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:49,361 NARRATOR: Human remains have been discovered 62 00:03:49,395 --> 00:03:51,029 near the site in the image. 63 00:03:52,298 --> 00:03:56,201 Dr. Cat Jarman is analyzing them for clues. 64 00:03:56,269 --> 00:03:58,971 These skulls are absolutely fantastic. 65 00:03:59,005 --> 00:04:01,173 Where were they actually found? 66 00:04:01,207 --> 00:04:04,409 These skulls here were all found in a mass grave 67 00:04:04,477 --> 00:04:06,178 really close to the mounds. 68 00:04:07,347 --> 00:04:10,249 There was almost 300 of them all together, 69 00:04:10,283 --> 00:04:12,084 all jumbled up. 70 00:04:12,151 --> 00:04:15,120 NARRATOR: Dr. Jarman's studies have revealed 71 00:04:15,154 --> 00:04:16,822 the mass grave is a relic of 72 00:04:16,889 --> 00:04:19,625 one of the bloodiest periods in England's history. 73 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:24,062 These skulls actually date to the Viking Age. 74 00:04:25,231 --> 00:04:29,134 So the mounds I've seen on the image could be Viking. 75 00:04:29,168 --> 00:04:31,069 I think that's very possible. 76 00:04:33,339 --> 00:04:38,243 NARRATOR: The Vikings arrive in England in 793 AD, spurring 77 00:04:38,311 --> 00:04:40,846 a wave of pillage and terror that lasts for over 78 00:04:40,913 --> 00:04:42,381 two centuries. 79 00:04:44,417 --> 00:04:48,353 And what Dr. Jarman's work has shown is that these remains 80 00:04:48,388 --> 00:04:50,255 and the ones hidden in the woods 81 00:04:50,323 --> 00:04:52,324 could be those of perhaps the most 82 00:04:52,391 --> 00:04:54,893 feared Norsemen of all. 83 00:04:54,927 --> 00:04:57,929 All the new scientific evidence is really very 84 00:04:57,997 --> 00:05:01,600 strongly suggesting that this is the Great Heathen Army. 85 00:05:03,870 --> 00:05:07,172 NARRATOR: The Great Heathen Army was a monstrous force 86 00:05:07,206 --> 00:05:10,876 of Vikings who invaded England in 865 AD. 87 00:05:10,943 --> 00:05:13,445 [men shouting] 88 00:05:13,479 --> 00:05:16,214 Its arrival marks a dramatic escalation in 89 00:05:16,282 --> 00:05:19,017 the decades of bloodshed that had preceded it. 90 00:05:20,853 --> 00:05:23,655 In the beginning, the Vikings were primarily smash 91 00:05:23,690 --> 00:05:24,656 and grab Raiders, 92 00:05:24,691 --> 00:05:27,492 but in 865, that all changed. 93 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:29,995 We're talking thousands, and they had 94 00:05:30,029 --> 00:05:34,099 the express goal of taking over England. 95 00:05:34,166 --> 00:05:38,370 HYMEL: This army is organized, it has a single purpose. 96 00:05:38,437 --> 00:05:40,172 They're not looking to pillage, 97 00:05:40,239 --> 00:05:41,540 they're looking to conquer. 98 00:05:45,144 --> 00:05:47,012 NARRATOR: At the time, England is ruled 99 00:05:47,046 --> 00:05:49,214 by four separate kingdoms, 100 00:05:49,248 --> 00:05:53,952 Northumbria, Mercia, East Anglia, and Wessex. 101 00:05:56,389 --> 00:05:59,725 The ninth century Anglo-Saxon Chronicles describe how 102 00:05:59,926 --> 00:06:01,727 the heathen warriors quickly conquer 103 00:06:01,861 --> 00:06:04,963 two of these realms, slaying or subjugating 104 00:06:04,997 --> 00:06:07,666 all who stand in their path. 105 00:06:07,733 --> 00:06:08,834 We know that they were up 106 00:06:08,868 --> 00:06:11,903 against some really strong Anglo-Saxon forces. 107 00:06:11,938 --> 00:06:14,005 So we are talking about substantial 108 00:06:14,073 --> 00:06:16,575 number of people moving through the landscape. 109 00:06:18,511 --> 00:06:21,880 NARRATOR: The army is led by Ivar the Boneless, 110 00:06:21,947 --> 00:06:24,182 son of the legendary Viking hero, 111 00:06:24,217 --> 00:06:26,985 Ragnar Lodbrok and a warrior of 112 00:06:27,019 --> 00:06:29,187 incredible cruelty and ferocity. 113 00:06:29,222 --> 00:06:30,689 [man shouting] 114 00:06:30,757 --> 00:06:33,725 It was a wave of terror in human form, 115 00:06:33,893 --> 00:06:37,696 and there wasn't a thing you could do about it. 116 00:06:37,764 --> 00:06:39,698 [men shouting] 117 00:06:39,799 --> 00:06:41,933 NARRATOR: Historians believe the Heathen Army 118 00:06:41,968 --> 00:06:44,302 contained around 10,000 warriors, 119 00:06:44,370 --> 00:06:47,539 a force without parallel in Viking history. 120 00:06:50,009 --> 00:06:52,978 Yet few traces of it have ever been found. 121 00:06:53,045 --> 00:06:54,946 HYMEL: The Great Heathen Army, 122 00:06:54,981 --> 00:06:57,682 it's steeped with mystery, because there's 123 00:06:57,784 --> 00:07:01,420 no real physical evidence of its existence. 124 00:07:03,289 --> 00:07:06,858 NARRATOR: However, near the site in the image, 125 00:07:06,926 --> 00:07:08,994 Jarman has discovered possible evidence 126 00:07:09,061 --> 00:07:10,996 of the army's presence, 127 00:07:11,063 --> 00:07:14,733 pieces of Hnefatafl, a game 128 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:18,270 which its warriors reputedly played between battles. 129 00:07:20,206 --> 00:07:24,676 Hnefatafl is a board game a bit like drafts or checkers. 130 00:07:24,743 --> 00:07:27,679 So they're the smoking gun of the Great Heathen Army. 131 00:07:27,780 --> 00:07:30,315 Absolutely -- wherever the army has been, 132 00:07:30,349 --> 00:07:32,684 we are also finding these gaming pieces. 133 00:07:36,222 --> 00:07:38,723 NARRATOR: Horton is convinced that the graves in 134 00:07:38,791 --> 00:07:41,660 the image hold the remains of the Norse invaders. 135 00:07:43,963 --> 00:07:46,331 The number buried there suggests that something 136 00:07:46,365 --> 00:07:49,301 of great value to them must lie nearby. 137 00:07:50,536 --> 00:07:54,072 The question is, why are the Vikings 138 00:07:54,106 --> 00:07:57,275 coming here to the middle of England? 139 00:07:57,310 --> 00:08:00,178 What would have attracted them to this place? 140 00:08:03,149 --> 00:08:04,649 NARRATOR: Coming up, 141 00:08:04,717 --> 00:08:07,919 into the Vikings chamber of secrets. 142 00:08:07,987 --> 00:08:10,188 Once they captured this, 143 00:08:10,256 --> 00:08:14,092 they've captured the soul of Saxon England. 144 00:08:15,094 --> 00:08:16,928 NARRATOR: And terror from the skies. 145 00:08:16,996 --> 00:08:18,964 [explosion blasts] 146 00:08:18,998 --> 00:08:22,467 One wrong move at the wrong moment will get you dead. 147 00:08:31,210 --> 00:08:34,412 NARRATOR: In Derbyshire, England, Mark Horton is on 148 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:36,281 the trail of the Great Heathen Army, 149 00:08:36,348 --> 00:08:40,418 a force of some 10,000 Viking warriors who 150 00:08:40,486 --> 00:08:44,189 rampaged across the country in the ninth century AD. 151 00:08:44,223 --> 00:08:48,960 This was the army that successively defeated 152 00:08:49,028 --> 00:08:52,430 each of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England 153 00:08:52,498 --> 00:08:54,432 and installed their own kings. 154 00:08:54,500 --> 00:09:01,072 ♪ 155 00:09:01,107 --> 00:09:03,174 NARRATOR: Aerial scans suggest that hundreds of 156 00:09:03,242 --> 00:09:06,912 these legendary Norsemen lie buried in nearby woods. 157 00:09:06,979 --> 00:09:10,916 The question, to me, is why did they 158 00:09:10,983 --> 00:09:14,352 come here at all to this area in these midlands? 159 00:09:17,490 --> 00:09:20,025 NARRATOR: Horton turns to 3D surveys, which 160 00:09:20,059 --> 00:09:22,527 reveal the remains of ancient waterways 161 00:09:22,595 --> 00:09:26,197 the Vikings used to plunder the area around the image. 162 00:09:27,166 --> 00:09:29,267 There's one here which is really interesting, 163 00:09:29,335 --> 00:09:31,303 because that comes 164 00:09:31,337 --> 00:09:35,574 alongside what appears to be a small settlement or a village. 165 00:09:37,276 --> 00:09:41,179 NARRATOR: Horton tracks the waterway from the mounds 166 00:09:41,213 --> 00:09:42,480 to the settlement. 167 00:09:44,951 --> 00:09:47,452 I can see the church. 168 00:09:47,486 --> 00:09:50,255 This is actually beginning to make sense. 169 00:09:52,792 --> 00:09:55,994 NARRATOR: In Viking-era England, churches take 10 percent of 170 00:09:56,028 --> 00:09:59,197 the local population's annual earnings in taxes, 171 00:09:59,231 --> 00:10:02,334 and they are filled with gold ornaments and valuables... 172 00:10:03,469 --> 00:10:05,337 sacred to the Christian Saxons, 173 00:10:05,371 --> 00:10:07,339 but not to the pagan Vikings. 174 00:10:07,373 --> 00:10:11,076 [men clamoring] 175 00:10:11,110 --> 00:10:14,646 I can imagine the excitement of those Vikings 176 00:10:14,713 --> 00:10:16,247 rowing up this river 177 00:10:16,315 --> 00:10:19,217 and realizing that this was a treasure for the taking. 178 00:10:22,755 --> 00:10:24,723 NARRATOR: Much of the church appears to have been 179 00:10:24,924 --> 00:10:27,225 built after the arrival of the Great Heathen Army, 180 00:10:27,259 --> 00:10:29,527 but not all. 181 00:10:32,131 --> 00:10:35,333 Gosh, there's a little -- Little passage 182 00:10:35,401 --> 00:10:38,603 that takes us right underground. 183 00:10:43,142 --> 00:10:46,778 NARRATOR: Horton finds himself in a 250-square-foot 184 00:10:46,812 --> 00:10:48,947 subterranean chamber. 185 00:10:49,014 --> 00:10:52,017 HORTON: This is an extraordinary space. 186 00:10:52,084 --> 00:10:55,787 I think that this crypt must be Saxon, 187 00:10:55,821 --> 00:10:59,491 and then the medieval church has been built on top. 188 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,129 NARRATOR: Historical records confirm that this crypt 189 00:11:04,163 --> 00:11:06,931 was constructed in the 8th century AD, 190 00:11:06,966 --> 00:11:08,133 meaning it is one of 191 00:11:08,167 --> 00:11:10,635 the oldest Christian sites in the country. 192 00:11:12,471 --> 00:11:15,707 What makes it such a target for the Heathen Army is that it 193 00:11:15,875 --> 00:11:17,375 sits in the town of Repton, 194 00:11:17,443 --> 00:11:19,210 the capital of Mercia, 195 00:11:19,245 --> 00:11:22,981 the most powerful of the four main Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. 196 00:11:24,150 --> 00:11:25,950 Mercia was a rich kingdom. 197 00:11:25,984 --> 00:11:28,853 This is where the greatest concentration of power, 198 00:11:28,921 --> 00:11:32,524 authority, and money rests, and the Vikings knew that. 199 00:11:37,196 --> 00:11:39,998 NARRATOR: When the Great Heathen Army arrives in Mercia 200 00:11:40,065 --> 00:11:43,702 in 867 AD, two of the kingdoms, 201 00:11:43,736 --> 00:11:48,373 East Anglia and Northumbria, had already fallen to its swords. 202 00:11:50,509 --> 00:11:54,379 To complete their conquest, the Vikings need Mercia's 203 00:11:54,413 --> 00:11:57,182 Christian riches to bolster their war chest. 204 00:12:01,454 --> 00:12:03,254 Yet as Horton explores the crypt, 205 00:12:03,289 --> 00:12:06,391 he finds clues that it contains something of much 206 00:12:06,425 --> 00:12:10,495 greater value to the Vikings than gold and silver. 207 00:12:10,562 --> 00:12:14,099 You've got these little recesses, 208 00:12:14,166 --> 00:12:18,269 one, two, and three recesses. 209 00:12:18,304 --> 00:12:23,007 That reminds me of places where coffins, 210 00:12:23,042 --> 00:12:27,145 or sarcophagi, would have been placed. 211 00:12:29,415 --> 00:12:33,017 NARRATOR: The size of the crypt and its ornate decoration 212 00:12:33,052 --> 00:12:35,353 suggests that it was once the resting place 213 00:12:35,387 --> 00:12:37,622 of the most powerful people in the kingdom. 214 00:12:38,858 --> 00:12:43,762 I think that this isn't just a crypt. 215 00:12:43,796 --> 00:12:45,897 This is a royal crypt. 216 00:12:45,931 --> 00:12:51,536 This is where the great kings of Mercia were being buried. 217 00:12:53,706 --> 00:12:56,975 NARRATOR: Anglo-Saxon Chronicles confirmed that this crypt once 218 00:12:57,009 --> 00:13:00,945 contained the remains of three Mercian royals, 219 00:13:01,013 --> 00:13:05,650 making it perhaps the greatest prize for the invading Vikings. 220 00:13:05,684 --> 00:13:08,453 HORTON: Not only would it be dripping with treasures, 221 00:13:08,487 --> 00:13:11,122 but actually, more importantly, 222 00:13:11,157 --> 00:13:13,958 once they've captured this, they've captured 223 00:13:14,026 --> 00:13:17,061 the soul of Saxon England. 224 00:13:17,930 --> 00:13:21,032 That explains why some of their dead 225 00:13:21,099 --> 00:13:24,202 are buried in those mounds. 226 00:13:25,971 --> 00:13:27,772 [men shouting] 227 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:29,974 NARRATOR: In 874 AD, 228 00:13:30,042 --> 00:13:32,477 the heathen warriors conquer Mercia and descend 229 00:13:32,511 --> 00:13:35,246 on Wessex, the last Saxon kingdom. 230 00:13:36,382 --> 00:13:39,350 There were thousands of Vikings in a coordinated effort, 231 00:13:39,385 --> 00:13:43,221 acting as a unified army coming right at them. 232 00:13:43,255 --> 00:13:46,291 NARRATOR: The two armies meet at the battle of Eddington 233 00:13:46,325 --> 00:13:48,059 where the Wessex king, 234 00:13:48,126 --> 00:13:50,695 Alfred the Great, finally defeats the Norsemen, 235 00:13:50,796 --> 00:13:53,164 ending their campaign of conquest. 236 00:13:57,503 --> 00:13:59,938 Alfred goes on to unite the four kingdoms, 237 00:14:00,005 --> 00:14:01,372 and the bodies of 238 00:14:01,407 --> 00:14:04,409 the vanquished heathens are swallowed by the earth before 239 00:14:04,476 --> 00:14:07,412 being revealed once more from the skies. 240 00:14:07,479 --> 00:14:12,083 HORTON: What I've seen has made me totally certain that 241 00:14:12,150 --> 00:14:14,152 the Vikings came here, 242 00:14:14,219 --> 00:14:17,956 and in so doing, changed the course of 243 00:14:17,990 --> 00:14:19,223 English history. 244 00:14:26,966 --> 00:14:30,735 NARRATOR: Coming up, the Navy's multibillion dollar secret. 245 00:14:31,804 --> 00:14:36,441 This is something being used for very special purposes. 246 00:14:38,010 --> 00:14:41,279 NARRATOR: And Hawaii's mystery cipher. 247 00:14:41,313 --> 00:14:44,082 ALBERTSON: It reminds me sort of like a chess game. 248 00:14:44,116 --> 00:14:45,250 I don't get it. 249 00:14:53,025 --> 00:14:55,360 NARRATOR: September 2020, 250 00:14:55,427 --> 00:14:58,396 a satellite captures this image of 251 00:14:58,430 --> 00:15:02,467 New Jersey's 7,400-acre Lakehurst Naval Base. 252 00:15:04,169 --> 00:15:07,972 HYMEL: We're looking at what looks to be an airstrip. 253 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:09,641 No surprise there. 254 00:15:09,708 --> 00:15:13,678 But north of it, we see these five lines, 255 00:15:13,779 --> 00:15:16,314 almost like a section of a fan, 256 00:15:16,381 --> 00:15:20,218 and a cutout sort of circular pattern. 257 00:15:20,252 --> 00:15:22,387 MORGAN: These shapes don't seem like they go together, 258 00:15:22,454 --> 00:15:24,022 and I'm not sure what they're for. 259 00:15:24,056 --> 00:15:29,193 ♪ 260 00:15:29,261 --> 00:15:31,763 NARRATOR: Lakehurst is one of the U.S. military's 261 00:15:31,797 --> 00:15:34,799 most sophisticated testing facilities, 262 00:15:34,866 --> 00:15:38,069 with a history stretching back over 100 years. 263 00:15:42,675 --> 00:15:45,677 Military records reveal that the strange circle in 264 00:15:45,744 --> 00:15:49,347 the image is the legacy of its darkest hour. 265 00:15:49,414 --> 00:15:52,317 Despite the fact that this is a Naval Air Research Center, 266 00:15:52,351 --> 00:15:54,652 what is interesting is that the big circle in 267 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,322 the image is the landing site of the Hindenburg. 268 00:15:57,356 --> 00:16:01,025 NARRATOR: When launched in 1936, 269 00:16:01,093 --> 00:16:03,361 the 800-foot-long German airship, 270 00:16:03,428 --> 00:16:05,263 partly funded by the Nazis, 271 00:16:05,297 --> 00:16:08,766 was seen as the future of luxury air travel. 272 00:16:08,834 --> 00:16:11,636 In a cabin sitting below some seven 273 00:16:11,704 --> 00:16:14,572 million cubic feet of highly flammable hydrogen, 274 00:16:14,639 --> 00:16:17,108 50 passengers enjoy a piano bar, 275 00:16:17,175 --> 00:16:21,679 fine dining, and incredibly, a smoking lounge. 276 00:16:21,714 --> 00:16:25,116 HYMEL: The blimp is ideally suited for this task. 277 00:16:25,183 --> 00:16:28,686 It can stay elevated for long periods of time 278 00:16:28,754 --> 00:16:33,057 without any kind of heavy fuel consumption. 279 00:16:33,125 --> 00:16:38,062 NARRATOR: On May 6th, 1937, the mammoth airship 280 00:16:38,130 --> 00:16:39,897 approaches Lakehurst after completing 281 00:16:39,932 --> 00:16:42,100 a transatlantic flight. 282 00:16:42,134 --> 00:16:44,869 As it attempts to dock at the circle 283 00:16:44,936 --> 00:16:46,871 in the image, it ignites, 284 00:16:46,938 --> 00:16:50,975 and the resulting inferno claims 36 lives. 285 00:16:51,010 --> 00:16:52,810 ALBERTSON: In the middle, they would have had a hook 286 00:16:52,878 --> 00:16:57,048 that the airship would have hooked on to be stable and land. 287 00:16:57,082 --> 00:16:59,484 It also would have discharged any static electricity 288 00:16:59,551 --> 00:17:00,451 into that when it landed, 289 00:17:00,486 --> 00:17:02,387 which eventually led to the crash. 290 00:17:07,159 --> 00:17:09,093 NARRATOR: The strange lines to the south of 291 00:17:09,161 --> 00:17:11,295 the crash site have a different origin. 292 00:17:12,264 --> 00:17:13,297 MORGAN: When you punch in close, 293 00:17:13,399 --> 00:17:17,935 you can see that these fan-shaped lines look like 294 00:17:17,970 --> 00:17:22,140 airstrips maybe, but they converge. 295 00:17:23,275 --> 00:17:27,512 CAVELL: You can actually see tracks in the middle of them. 296 00:17:27,579 --> 00:17:31,249 This is something being used for very special 297 00:17:31,316 --> 00:17:33,351 military purposes. 298 00:17:37,056 --> 00:17:39,190 NARRATOR: Declassified records confirm 299 00:17:39,257 --> 00:17:40,958 the tracks are used to help 300 00:17:40,993 --> 00:17:43,628 the military prepare for the extraordinary challenges 301 00:17:43,695 --> 00:17:46,864 posed by naval aviation. 302 00:17:46,932 --> 00:17:50,401 Naval aviation really means planes flying off 303 00:17:50,469 --> 00:17:53,071 the deck of a carrier or landing. 304 00:17:54,773 --> 00:17:55,807 CAVELL: It's probably one of the most 305 00:17:55,874 --> 00:17:58,376 dangerous occupations to be involved in. 306 00:17:58,410 --> 00:18:01,245 Just about every aspect of it could 307 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:04,549 be deadly if you slip for one minute. 308 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,955 NARRATOR: The first attempt to launch a plane from a warship 309 00:18:11,022 --> 00:18:13,291 takes place in 1910, 310 00:18:13,358 --> 00:18:16,394 just seven years after the Wright brothers' maiden flight. 311 00:18:17,996 --> 00:18:19,330 Over the following decades, 312 00:18:19,364 --> 00:18:22,033 thousands of Navy pilots die attempting 313 00:18:22,100 --> 00:18:24,368 this perilous maneuver. 314 00:18:24,436 --> 00:18:27,371 ALBERTSON: Think about what it takes to land aircraft, right? 315 00:18:27,439 --> 00:18:29,674 Now go to sea with pitching decks, 316 00:18:29,708 --> 00:18:32,143 rough seas of 50 feet or greater -- 317 00:18:32,177 --> 00:18:34,812 One wrong move at the wrong moment 318 00:18:34,847 --> 00:18:38,416 will get you dead, and this happens every year. 319 00:18:40,719 --> 00:18:43,921 NARRATOR: Following World War II, 320 00:18:43,989 --> 00:18:47,024 the advent of supersonic jets forces the Navy 321 00:18:47,059 --> 00:18:50,995 to introduce a new generation of carrier deck technologies. 322 00:18:53,265 --> 00:18:56,134 The systems on an aircraft carrier that launch 323 00:18:56,201 --> 00:18:58,035 and catch aircraft 324 00:18:58,070 --> 00:19:01,272 are incredibly complex, and the catapult is probably 325 00:19:01,339 --> 00:19:02,974 the most important. 326 00:19:06,445 --> 00:19:09,313 NARRATOR: The latest generation of aircraft carriers 327 00:19:09,348 --> 00:19:12,150 uses electromagnetic launch systems. 328 00:19:12,217 --> 00:19:16,120 Before being installed on flight decks, 329 00:19:16,155 --> 00:19:18,689 the systems are tested to the point of destruction 330 00:19:18,924 --> 00:19:23,127 at the site in the image using rocket-propelled sleds. 331 00:19:23,161 --> 00:19:27,365 MORGAN: The jet car track site provides the ability to test 332 00:19:27,432 --> 00:19:30,001 at high speed on the ground 333 00:19:30,035 --> 00:19:32,803 without having to hazard expensive aircraft 334 00:19:32,838 --> 00:19:35,473 or lives in an airborne test. 335 00:19:37,876 --> 00:19:41,445 NARRATOR: On board, these systems propel $100 million 336 00:19:41,513 --> 00:19:46,617 fighter jets 0 to 165 miles per hour in two seconds, 337 00:19:47,853 --> 00:19:51,989 subjecting pilots to a dizzying 4 Gs of force. 338 00:19:53,192 --> 00:19:55,893 MORGAN: You can get a large twin engine jet fighter, like 339 00:19:55,927 --> 00:19:59,630 an F-18, airborne in a span of a couple hundred feet. 340 00:20:05,804 --> 00:20:08,172 NARRATOR: When pilots return from their missions, 341 00:20:08,206 --> 00:20:10,775 Lakehurst-designed cable systems stop 342 00:20:10,809 --> 00:20:16,647 a 150-mile-per-hour jet in less than 300 feet, 343 00:20:16,682 --> 00:20:19,283 transferring four times its takeoff weight 344 00:20:19,351 --> 00:20:20,585 into the fuselage. 345 00:20:21,853 --> 00:20:22,920 CAVELL: They have arrestor cables 346 00:20:22,955 --> 00:20:25,323 that can catch the tail hook on an aircraft, 347 00:20:25,357 --> 00:20:26,824 and the only pieces of equipment 348 00:20:26,891 --> 00:20:28,893 stopping that aircraft from actually plowing 349 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:30,728 right off the other end of the deck. 350 00:20:33,799 --> 00:20:36,000 ALBERTSON: Room for error does not exist in this business. 351 00:20:36,034 --> 00:20:39,637 It's precision, life or death stuff. 352 00:20:44,910 --> 00:20:46,377 NARRATOR: Eight decades ago, the shapes 353 00:20:46,444 --> 00:20:49,680 and the image were a place of death and terror. 354 00:20:51,817 --> 00:20:53,384 Today, they are vital to protecting 355 00:20:53,451 --> 00:20:56,954 the lives of around 7,000 Navy top guns. 356 00:20:59,891 --> 00:21:02,093 CAVELL: It really is a pretty amazing facility 357 00:21:02,127 --> 00:21:06,297 at the cutting edge of military technology. 358 00:21:14,439 --> 00:21:18,943 NARRATOR: Coming up, China's mystery mega structures. 359 00:21:19,010 --> 00:21:22,113 The spies go there disguised as tourists 360 00:21:22,147 --> 00:21:24,282 to figure out what they actually are. 361 00:21:25,284 --> 00:21:28,319 NARRATOR: And the strange tale of the mule that tried to 362 00:21:28,353 --> 00:21:29,687 save America. 363 00:21:29,888 --> 00:21:32,356 CAVELL: It would be the first line of defense 364 00:21:32,424 --> 00:21:33,991 in any kind of an attack. 365 00:21:41,266 --> 00:21:43,868 NARRATOR: February 23rd, 2020. 366 00:21:43,902 --> 00:21:48,673 A spy bird in orbit over South China's 367 00:21:48,740 --> 00:21:51,642 Fujian province captures these structures 368 00:21:51,677 --> 00:21:53,044 in the landscape below. 369 00:21:56,281 --> 00:21:58,316 MORAN: This is a really perplexing image. 370 00:21:58,350 --> 00:22:02,219 You have this cluster of shapes, but they don't seem 371 00:22:02,287 --> 00:22:05,956 to be arrayed with any kind of rhyme or reason. 372 00:22:06,024 --> 00:22:08,159 MUNOZ: The location is also really strange. 373 00:22:08,226 --> 00:22:10,394 There's nothing around it except for forests. 374 00:22:10,429 --> 00:22:11,929 Someone really had to go to 375 00:22:11,963 --> 00:22:14,598 a lot of effort to build these things. 376 00:22:16,401 --> 00:22:18,336 NARRATOR: What's even weirder is that 377 00:22:18,370 --> 00:22:20,838 declassified files reveal the CIA 378 00:22:20,905 --> 00:22:24,342 took a great interest in these structures during the 1960s. 379 00:22:24,376 --> 00:22:29,280 There are spy satellite images of this exact location, 380 00:22:29,314 --> 00:22:34,952 which means that CIA analysts were actively looking at 381 00:22:34,986 --> 00:22:36,987 this area and wondering themselves 382 00:22:37,055 --> 00:22:38,255 what was going on there. 383 00:22:39,958 --> 00:22:42,993 CAVELL: The regularity of the structures and the clustered 384 00:22:43,061 --> 00:22:45,863 nature of them were red flags to people 385 00:22:45,930 --> 00:22:49,200 at the CIA who were really worried about what kind of 386 00:22:49,267 --> 00:22:52,737 strategic purpose these might have had. 387 00:22:54,506 --> 00:22:57,341 NARRATOR: The CIA knows that China has just become 388 00:22:57,409 --> 00:22:59,310 a nuclear power by 389 00:22:59,344 --> 00:23:02,046 detonating a 22-kiloton nuclear device 390 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:05,116 code named Project 596. 391 00:23:10,155 --> 00:23:13,457 The intelligence agency fears the mystery structures are 392 00:23:13,492 --> 00:23:15,593 evidence of a dramatic escalation 393 00:23:15,627 --> 00:23:18,028 in their nuclear capabilities. 394 00:23:18,096 --> 00:23:20,698 MORGAN: The government was worried that the Chinese 395 00:23:20,799 --> 00:23:23,634 had not only developed an atomic bomb, 396 00:23:23,702 --> 00:23:26,737 but that maybe these structures were 397 00:23:26,805 --> 00:23:29,039 the launch site for ICB EBs. 398 00:23:31,109 --> 00:23:33,244 NARRATOR: Washington is already engaged 399 00:23:33,311 --> 00:23:35,179 in a silent yet hugely costly 400 00:23:35,246 --> 00:23:37,314 conflict with Russia and is 401 00:23:37,382 --> 00:23:40,284 about to send troops into Vietnam. 402 00:23:40,318 --> 00:23:41,919 Now, it has another 403 00:23:41,986 --> 00:23:44,622 terrifying threat to contend with, 404 00:23:44,656 --> 00:23:49,326 one that it fears could strike at any target within the U.S. 405 00:23:49,394 --> 00:23:52,029 The reason that the government had to be so concerned about 406 00:23:52,063 --> 00:23:54,165 this was that that would represent 407 00:23:54,199 --> 00:23:56,867 a significant challenge to the balance of power, 408 00:23:56,935 --> 00:23:58,836 and the balance of power circa 1965 409 00:23:58,870 --> 00:24:01,705 was already pretty delicate. 410 00:24:01,773 --> 00:24:04,341 NARRATOR: What's more, China's secret development 411 00:24:04,409 --> 00:24:07,144 of its atomic program infuriates Russia, 412 00:24:07,212 --> 00:24:10,147 creating a three-way standoff 413 00:24:10,215 --> 00:24:12,983 between the nuclear superpowers. 414 00:24:13,051 --> 00:24:15,286 MORAN: Here, you have escalating tensions between 415 00:24:15,353 --> 00:24:17,188 the U.S. and the Soviet Union, 416 00:24:17,222 --> 00:24:20,191 and suddenly, there's another country in 417 00:24:20,225 --> 00:24:23,327 that region developing its own nuclear capability. 418 00:24:23,361 --> 00:24:25,229 It's worrisome for everyone. 419 00:24:27,098 --> 00:24:30,301 NARRATOR: The Cold War satellite images reveal thousands 420 00:24:30,368 --> 00:24:33,504 of the silo-like structures scattered across China. 421 00:24:36,341 --> 00:24:39,310 If these are nuclear silos, 422 00:24:39,377 --> 00:24:42,179 the CIA has got to find out more. 423 00:24:43,381 --> 00:24:46,684 MORGAN: Satellite photography ultimately led to spies 424 00:24:46,718 --> 00:24:49,286 having to go there disguised as tourists 425 00:24:49,321 --> 00:24:51,322 to figure out what they actually are. 426 00:24:53,024 --> 00:24:55,192 NARRATOR: The spies confirm that the structures 427 00:24:55,260 --> 00:24:58,395 and the image do serve a military function, 428 00:24:58,463 --> 00:25:01,599 but not the one the intelligence agency expected. 429 00:25:03,401 --> 00:25:06,770 CAVELL: What becomes clear is that these are traditional 430 00:25:06,805 --> 00:25:08,873 Hakka fortifications 431 00:25:08,940 --> 00:25:10,975 and that many of them have actually been around for more 432 00:25:11,009 --> 00:25:12,309 than 600 years. 433 00:25:12,344 --> 00:25:17,314 NARRATOR: The Hakka are an ethnic Chinese 434 00:25:17,349 --> 00:25:20,217 people whose origins are shrouded in mystery. 435 00:25:22,087 --> 00:25:23,254 According to folklore, 436 00:25:23,288 --> 00:25:24,889 they are descended from some of 437 00:25:24,956 --> 00:25:28,959 the most celebrated warriors in the country's history. 438 00:25:29,027 --> 00:25:30,861 The Hakka have traditionally been linked 439 00:25:30,896 --> 00:25:32,997 to one of the greatest and most warlike 440 00:25:33,031 --> 00:25:35,533 of the Chinese dynasties, the Qin dynasty. 441 00:25:38,036 --> 00:25:40,070 NARRATOR: The Qin Dynasty rises to power 442 00:25:40,105 --> 00:25:42,306 during the 3rd century BC. 443 00:25:44,175 --> 00:25:47,278 Its founder, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, 444 00:25:47,312 --> 00:25:49,914 conquers the six warring states of China, 445 00:25:49,981 --> 00:25:54,251 creating a unified country for the first time. 446 00:25:55,453 --> 00:25:59,456 On his death, a city-sized mausoleum is built in 447 00:25:59,524 --> 00:26:05,129 his honor, guarded by the 8,000 soldiers of the Terracotta Army. 448 00:26:05,196 --> 00:26:07,898 HYMEL: Legends had it that the Hakka people 449 00:26:07,933 --> 00:26:11,835 are descendants of warriors from Qin's army. 450 00:26:11,869 --> 00:26:15,205 So there's this strong connection between the Hakka 451 00:26:15,273 --> 00:26:18,309 people and one of the great emperors of China. 452 00:26:20,278 --> 00:26:22,079 NARRATOR: Unlike many Chinese, 453 00:26:22,146 --> 00:26:24,448 the Hakka have no traditional homeland. 454 00:26:25,350 --> 00:26:28,085 As they move from province to province, 455 00:26:28,152 --> 00:26:30,654 they become viewed as outsiders and are 456 00:26:30,689 --> 00:26:34,291 forced to migrate south to escape persecution. 457 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:36,994 The Hakka people in later times found themselves 458 00:26:37,028 --> 00:26:38,295 under attack. 459 00:26:38,363 --> 00:26:40,664 The dangers of just trying to exist 460 00:26:40,699 --> 00:26:43,200 and raise a family were very great. 461 00:26:45,203 --> 00:26:47,037 NARRATOR: After centuries of oppression, 462 00:26:47,105 --> 00:26:49,974 a group of Hakka arrive in Fujian province, 463 00:26:50,041 --> 00:26:53,444 seeking refuge in its remote mountainous interior. 464 00:26:55,046 --> 00:26:57,982 Yet even here, they find no sanctuary. 465 00:26:58,049 --> 00:27:01,518 Bandits ran wild in this region of China, 466 00:27:01,586 --> 00:27:05,089 which made life pretty miserable for the Hakka. 467 00:27:05,123 --> 00:27:06,824 With everyone against them, 468 00:27:06,858 --> 00:27:09,893 it's only natural to assume that the Hakka would consider 469 00:27:09,928 --> 00:27:12,229 building some serious defenses. 470 00:27:13,932 --> 00:27:16,266 NARRATOR: During the 13th century AD, 471 00:27:16,334 --> 00:27:18,469 the Hakka begin constructing the structures 472 00:27:18,536 --> 00:27:21,238 in the image, known as tulous, 473 00:27:21,272 --> 00:27:23,674 to defend their families from the constant 474 00:27:23,741 --> 00:27:25,442 threat of violence. 475 00:27:25,477 --> 00:27:28,679 MORGAN: What they developed was a perfectly circular structure 476 00:27:28,780 --> 00:27:31,715 with very robust outer walls 477 00:27:31,750 --> 00:27:35,486 that could be used for defensive purposes. 478 00:27:37,389 --> 00:27:39,323 MUNOZ: These structures were built to withstand anything, 479 00:27:39,357 --> 00:27:41,925 fires, attacks, 480 00:27:41,959 --> 00:27:44,361 you name it, they were prepared for it. 481 00:27:46,031 --> 00:27:48,399 NARRATOR: Each of the fortified buildings is designed to 482 00:27:48,433 --> 00:27:51,735 hold up to 800 Hakka warriors and their families, 483 00:27:53,071 --> 00:27:55,339 and enough supplies and weaponry is to repel 484 00:27:55,373 --> 00:27:59,176 anything from a surprise attack to a prolonged siege. 485 00:28:00,111 --> 00:28:04,348 They had a background, a proud background, of a warrior 486 00:28:04,382 --> 00:28:08,719 tradition, and these buildings, they speak to that tradition. 487 00:28:10,922 --> 00:28:14,324 NARRATOR: The strange structures that so terrified the CIA 488 00:28:14,392 --> 00:28:16,126 are, in fact, the legacy of 489 00:28:16,194 --> 00:28:19,296 one of the most extraordinary and resilient groups of people 490 00:28:19,330 --> 00:28:20,397 in all of China. 491 00:28:20,465 --> 00:28:24,001 What we're seeing here is actually a testament to 492 00:28:24,068 --> 00:28:26,437 the tenacity and the sheer will 493 00:28:26,471 --> 00:28:29,239 of a marginalized people just wanting to survive. 494 00:28:29,274 --> 00:28:36,547 ♪ 495 00:28:36,614 --> 00:28:38,949 NARRATOR: Coming up, the forgotten heroes 496 00:28:39,016 --> 00:28:40,084 of Pearl Harbor. 497 00:28:40,151 --> 00:28:45,389 It is a remarkable end to a really dramatic tale. 498 00:28:46,391 --> 00:28:49,293 NARRATOR: And the mutant lake. 499 00:28:49,327 --> 00:28:51,862 It's almost as if it's a creature 500 00:28:51,929 --> 00:28:53,664 living out its life cycle. 501 00:29:01,439 --> 00:29:04,007 NARRATOR: September 16th, 2020. 502 00:29:04,075 --> 00:29:08,312 As a satellite orbits above Ni'ihau, 503 00:29:08,346 --> 00:29:11,215 the westernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago, 504 00:29:11,282 --> 00:29:14,017 it captures this pattern far below. 505 00:29:17,388 --> 00:29:19,456 This is really an extraordinary image. 506 00:29:19,491 --> 00:29:22,526 RUBEN: All across are these giant grids, 507 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:27,698 just crisscrossing lines like graph paper 508 00:29:27,766 --> 00:29:29,099 underneath the land. 509 00:29:30,702 --> 00:29:32,402 NARRATOR: The crisscrossing lines cover 510 00:29:32,437 --> 00:29:36,440 some 370 acres of a dry lake bed. 511 00:29:36,507 --> 00:29:39,109 ALBERTSON: It reminds me sort of like a chess game set out on 512 00:29:39,177 --> 00:29:41,178 the ground -- I don't get it. 513 00:29:43,681 --> 00:29:45,382 NARRATOR: The lake is called Halulu, 514 00:29:45,449 --> 00:29:49,153 named after a mythical man-eating bird by the first 515 00:29:49,187 --> 00:29:53,390 Polynesian settlers who arrived here some 1,500 years ago. 516 00:29:54,859 --> 00:29:56,393 And they came to places like Hawaii 517 00:29:56,460 --> 00:29:59,396 to try to set up agricultural settlements. 518 00:29:59,463 --> 00:30:03,167 Squares like this are common for dividing up farmland. 519 00:30:03,201 --> 00:30:07,004 Could it be agricultural plots? 520 00:30:07,071 --> 00:30:10,073 NARRATOR: Yet when Adam Ruben reviews local land records, 521 00:30:10,141 --> 00:30:15,145 he discovers the strange lines don't appear until the 1930s. 522 00:30:15,179 --> 00:30:17,848 This was a time when Hawaii was particularly concerned 523 00:30:17,882 --> 00:30:19,950 about the build-up to a second World War. 524 00:30:20,017 --> 00:30:22,653 So this coincidence of timing indicates that maybe 525 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:26,190 the lines have something to do with the war. 526 00:30:26,224 --> 00:30:28,926 NARRATOR: The records confirm that the satellite has captured 527 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:30,227 a bizarre relic of 528 00:30:30,294 --> 00:30:33,831 one man's attempt to repel the might of the Japanese 529 00:30:33,898 --> 00:30:36,233 Imperial Navy. 530 00:30:36,300 --> 00:30:39,069 A local ranch owner decided that instead of waiting for 531 00:30:39,103 --> 00:30:40,137 a Japanese invasion, 532 00:30:40,171 --> 00:30:42,372 he would take matters into his own hands. 533 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:43,507 CAVELL: It's kind of amazing. 534 00:30:43,574 --> 00:30:46,109 I mean, he was protecting an entire island, 535 00:30:46,177 --> 00:30:50,347 and maybe even an island chain, from a potential attack. 536 00:30:50,381 --> 00:30:54,284 NARRATOR: The story of the strange ruts 537 00:30:54,319 --> 00:30:57,387 begins in the aftermath of World War I, when the League 538 00:30:57,455 --> 00:31:01,291 of Nations grants Japan territories in the Pacific. 539 00:31:01,326 --> 00:31:05,762 That puts the empire of Japan sort of on a collision course 540 00:31:05,797 --> 00:31:06,897 with the United States, 541 00:31:06,931 --> 00:31:09,900 because the United States is also occupying parts of 542 00:31:09,934 --> 00:31:12,269 the Pacific, and the two countries are beginning to 543 00:31:12,336 --> 00:31:13,470 rival one another. 544 00:31:15,273 --> 00:31:19,142 NARRATOR: In 1930s, Japan begins a period of rapid military 545 00:31:19,210 --> 00:31:20,744 expansion, which will see it 546 00:31:20,811 --> 00:31:23,981 take over parts of China and the Soviet Union. 547 00:31:24,015 --> 00:31:28,051 With more than 40 percent of its population of Japanese descent, 548 00:31:28,086 --> 00:31:29,887 Hawaii is directly in 549 00:31:29,954 --> 00:31:33,023 the firing line of these Imperialist ambitions. 550 00:31:33,090 --> 00:31:36,326 The Japanese looked toward the Hawaiian islands as being 551 00:31:36,361 --> 00:31:39,062 a place where they could potentially establish 552 00:31:39,097 --> 00:31:41,398 an overseas empire. 553 00:31:41,432 --> 00:31:44,935 People on the islands are certainly feeling the impact 554 00:31:44,969 --> 00:31:46,336 of this increased tension. 555 00:31:47,338 --> 00:31:49,373 NARRATOR: Yet few in the U.S., 556 00:31:49,407 --> 00:31:52,843 including President Roosevelt, believe the Japanese 557 00:31:52,910 --> 00:31:56,280 possess the military strength needed to threaten U.S. soil. 558 00:31:56,314 --> 00:31:59,216 There is a lot of thinking among, 559 00:31:59,250 --> 00:32:02,085 especially naval planners, that there 560 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:05,756 is no way that Hawaii would be directly vulnerable 561 00:32:05,790 --> 00:32:07,991 to an attack. 562 00:32:08,059 --> 00:32:11,461 MORGAN: Most people were sort of content to ignore the Pacific. 563 00:32:11,529 --> 00:32:12,896 It didn't show up in the headlines. 564 00:32:12,931 --> 00:32:15,232 It was a third page matter. 565 00:32:15,266 --> 00:32:17,534 NARRATOR: Despite Washington's apparent 566 00:32:17,601 --> 00:32:20,837 rejection of the Japanese, threat among the Hawaiians, 567 00:32:20,872 --> 00:32:23,707 fear continues to grow. 568 00:32:23,808 --> 00:32:26,209 HYMEL: Everyone in the Hawaiian islands is concerned, 569 00:32:26,243 --> 00:32:27,911 but it's the island of Ni'ihau, 570 00:32:27,946 --> 00:32:31,381 the most northern western island, where the fear is 571 00:32:31,416 --> 00:32:32,849 the most intense. 572 00:32:32,884 --> 00:32:36,053 It would be the first line of defense 573 00:32:36,087 --> 00:32:38,188 in any kind of an attack. 574 00:32:40,425 --> 00:32:44,161 NARRATOR: In 1933, a local landowner identifies 575 00:32:44,228 --> 00:32:45,896 the lake bed in the image as 576 00:32:45,963 --> 00:32:48,966 a potential natural runway for a Japanese invasion 577 00:32:49,033 --> 00:32:51,001 and decides to act. 578 00:32:51,035 --> 00:32:54,905 What he decided to do was dig up 579 00:32:54,972 --> 00:32:57,407 acres and acres and create 580 00:32:57,442 --> 00:32:59,843 this grid system of trenches 581 00:32:59,910 --> 00:33:03,013 that would prevent the dry lake beds from becoming 582 00:33:03,081 --> 00:33:06,083 the perfect landing strip for Japanese aircraft. 583 00:33:06,117 --> 00:33:09,353 HYMEL: If a Japanese plane tries to land, 584 00:33:09,387 --> 00:33:12,222 it's gonna hit these furrows and either crack up on 585 00:33:12,256 --> 00:33:15,359 landing or maybe even flip over and pancake, 586 00:33:15,393 --> 00:33:18,295 as the pilots call it. 587 00:33:18,329 --> 00:33:20,831 NARRATOR: A small team of Islanders uses shovels 588 00:33:20,865 --> 00:33:22,332 and a plow to carve out 589 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:25,068 half a square mile of 2-foot-deep deep ruts 590 00:33:25,136 --> 00:33:28,171 across the lake bed, revealed from space. 591 00:33:29,340 --> 00:33:32,242 Rutting up these lake beds is no small undertaking. 592 00:33:32,276 --> 00:33:35,712 It's going to take some back-breaking manual labor. 593 00:33:35,847 --> 00:33:38,148 Some people might have looked at him as crazy, 594 00:33:38,215 --> 00:33:42,352 but there really is a pretty impressive foresight that he 595 00:33:42,420 --> 00:33:44,955 sees the coming war 596 00:33:45,022 --> 00:33:50,093 and creates this defense that will deny 597 00:33:50,161 --> 00:33:53,530 the Japanese any idea of using this as a forward base. 598 00:33:55,700 --> 00:33:59,903 NARRATOR: On December 7, 1941, the maverick rancher's fears 599 00:33:59,905 --> 00:34:04,674 are realized when 360 Japanese aircraft rain down 600 00:34:04,709 --> 00:34:06,376 terror on Pearl Harbor. 601 00:34:06,444 --> 00:34:08,111 [explosion blasts] 602 00:34:08,179 --> 00:34:10,147 [gunfire] 603 00:34:18,423 --> 00:34:21,792 NARRATOR: In the aftermath, a damaged Mitsubishi Zero 604 00:34:21,859 --> 00:34:23,093 heads for Ni'ihau, 605 00:34:23,127 --> 00:34:26,196 how hoping to land in the lake bed in the image. 606 00:34:26,263 --> 00:34:30,534 His plan is to put his aircraft down and then rejoin 607 00:34:30,601 --> 00:34:33,203 the fleet -- well, his plans are gonna be foiled 608 00:34:33,237 --> 00:34:35,005 by the trenches. 609 00:34:35,072 --> 00:34:39,709 NARRATOR: The rutted lake bed forces the pilot to crash land, 610 00:34:39,811 --> 00:34:42,279 and he is detained by the islanders, 611 00:34:42,346 --> 00:34:45,148 one of the only Japanese prisoners captured 612 00:34:45,216 --> 00:34:47,417 during the infamous assault on Pearl Harbor. 613 00:34:48,352 --> 00:34:51,388 It really is kind of a remarkable end 614 00:34:51,422 --> 00:34:54,191 to a really dramatic tale. 615 00:34:54,225 --> 00:34:57,527 MORGAN: And that's why the ruts are in the lake. 616 00:34:57,562 --> 00:35:00,697 And those ruts can still be seen 617 00:35:00,765 --> 00:35:03,500 to this day, almost 80 years later. 618 00:35:12,310 --> 00:35:16,113 NARRATOR: Coming up, America's toxic time bomb. 619 00:35:16,180 --> 00:35:19,416 This is a very dangerous situation here. 620 00:35:28,292 --> 00:35:31,661 NARRATOR: More than 150 Earth observation satellites 621 00:35:31,729 --> 00:35:33,396 orbit our planet, 622 00:35:33,464 --> 00:35:35,832 mapping its ever-changing surface in 623 00:35:35,867 --> 00:35:38,168 extraordinary detail. 624 00:35:38,202 --> 00:35:40,804 KOUROUNIS: One great thing about satellite imagery is that 625 00:35:40,871 --> 00:35:42,038 we can look at pictures 626 00:35:42,073 --> 00:35:44,241 from different periods of time and see how 627 00:35:44,275 --> 00:35:46,943 the Earth's surface has changed. 628 00:35:48,713 --> 00:35:50,714 NARRATOR: A series of these images taken 629 00:35:50,781 --> 00:35:55,018 over Green Township, Pennsylvania, uncover a mystery. 630 00:35:56,354 --> 00:36:00,924 There's something really unusual about this lake. 631 00:36:00,958 --> 00:36:04,094 RUBEN: Looking across time, this body of water, 632 00:36:04,128 --> 00:36:06,730 it's growing and shrinking. 633 00:36:06,831 --> 00:36:09,099 It's changing shape, it's changing color. 634 00:36:09,166 --> 00:36:11,968 It's almost as if it's a creature 635 00:36:12,036 --> 00:36:13,670 living out its life cycle. 636 00:36:15,439 --> 00:36:18,408 NARRATOR: What's more, analysis reveals the lake's 637 00:36:18,442 --> 00:36:22,112 morphing waters are forcing those living nearby to flee 638 00:36:22,179 --> 00:36:23,480 their homes. 639 00:36:23,514 --> 00:36:26,316 If we look around this lagoon, 640 00:36:26,383 --> 00:36:29,085 we don't really see signs of life. 641 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:31,087 The buildings look abandoned. 642 00:36:31,122 --> 00:36:32,756 PATEL: It's a bit eerie. 643 00:36:32,790 --> 00:36:37,027 It kind of makes you wonder if there's something unsafe here. 644 00:36:38,496 --> 00:36:40,997 NARRATOR: Samples taken from the mutating lake 645 00:36:41,065 --> 00:36:44,301 confirm that its waters are highly toxic. 646 00:36:44,335 --> 00:36:47,837 It's a cocktail of arsenic and mercury 647 00:36:47,872 --> 00:36:50,707 and lead, things that can really harm human health. 648 00:36:51,842 --> 00:36:56,279 This water is basically a poison stew. 649 00:36:59,250 --> 00:37:02,219 NARRATOR: The roll call of deadly metals offers a clue 650 00:37:02,286 --> 00:37:04,187 to the lake's origin. 651 00:37:04,222 --> 00:37:07,657 We can trace the toxic minerals that are coming from 652 00:37:07,725 --> 00:37:10,026 this particular pond to 653 00:37:10,094 --> 00:37:12,729 the waste products from a power plant, 654 00:37:12,763 --> 00:37:14,431 something called coal ash. 655 00:37:17,568 --> 00:37:21,905 NARRATOR: Coal ash is a highly noxious waste, created when 656 00:37:21,939 --> 00:37:25,108 power plants incinerate vast amounts of the fossil fuel. 657 00:37:27,011 --> 00:37:29,379 And the two states bordering the lake produce 658 00:37:29,446 --> 00:37:32,549 over 20 million tons of the stuff each year. 659 00:37:34,185 --> 00:37:37,120 Whenever you burn coal to generate power, 660 00:37:37,187 --> 00:37:42,259 that coal combusts, and what's left behind is a mixture of 661 00:37:42,326 --> 00:37:46,196 various impurities and chemicals that basically 662 00:37:46,263 --> 00:37:48,265 have to be stored somewhere. 663 00:37:48,332 --> 00:37:52,168 LESTER: Typically, it is dissolved or mixed with water 664 00:37:52,203 --> 00:37:56,873 and disposed of in holding ponds or lakes. 665 00:37:56,940 --> 00:37:59,376 NARRATOR: Back in 1974, 666 00:37:59,410 --> 00:38:01,878 authorities tell locals they are creating 667 00:38:01,945 --> 00:38:04,281 a boating lake at the site in the image. 668 00:38:06,951 --> 00:38:08,351 Over the next 40 years, 669 00:38:08,419 --> 00:38:11,154 they fill it with 20 billion gallons of noxious 670 00:38:11,221 --> 00:38:13,123 coal ash slurry. 671 00:38:15,159 --> 00:38:17,527 Chemicals in the effluent generate colors 672 00:38:17,561 --> 00:38:20,730 so vivid, they are visible from space. 673 00:38:20,798 --> 00:38:22,666 It completely makes sense, 674 00:38:22,700 --> 00:38:24,968 now, understanding what's in this lagoon, 675 00:38:25,035 --> 00:38:26,970 that these buildings are abandoned. 676 00:38:27,905 --> 00:38:32,208 The substances in coal ash can cause all kinds 677 00:38:32,243 --> 00:38:34,177 of problems, and it has absolutely 678 00:38:34,244 --> 00:38:35,645 devastated the community. 679 00:38:40,384 --> 00:38:43,086 NARRATOR: Over the years, the lake in the image grows 680 00:38:43,120 --> 00:38:46,456 to become the biggest waste dump in the U.S., 681 00:38:46,523 --> 00:38:47,991 and it's just one part of 682 00:38:48,058 --> 00:38:50,226 an unfolding disaster that could threaten 683 00:38:50,261 --> 00:38:51,728 millions of lives. 684 00:38:54,098 --> 00:38:58,802 These coal ash ponds are a big problem across the U.S. 685 00:38:58,869 --> 00:39:00,403 RUBEN: There are more than a thousand of these sites 686 00:39:00,471 --> 00:39:02,605 around the country, many of them built 687 00:39:02,673 --> 00:39:04,674 without the necessary safety standards. 688 00:39:04,742 --> 00:39:09,779 ♪ 689 00:39:09,814 --> 00:39:13,683 NARRATOR: The coal ash catastrophe engulfing America 690 00:39:13,751 --> 00:39:16,086 is a legacy of the country's extraordinary 691 00:39:16,153 --> 00:39:20,256 industrial growth over the past two centuries. 692 00:39:20,291 --> 00:39:25,095 Between 1840 and 2010, the U.S. population increases 693 00:39:25,162 --> 00:39:28,965 from some 17 million to over 300 million. 694 00:39:30,201 --> 00:39:33,703 During the same period, coal production surges from 695 00:39:33,771 --> 00:39:37,407 2.5 million tons per year to over one billion. 696 00:39:38,275 --> 00:39:40,944 RUBEN: In many ways, coal is a double-edged sword. 697 00:39:40,978 --> 00:39:42,946 It has enabled the Industrial Revolution. 698 00:39:42,980 --> 00:39:45,782 Coal fueled America for a long time. 699 00:39:45,849 --> 00:39:48,551 But coal has consequences. 700 00:39:51,222 --> 00:39:55,291 NARRATOR: Today, energy companies dispose of 140 million 701 00:39:55,326 --> 00:39:57,427 tons of coal ash each year, 702 00:39:57,461 --> 00:39:59,796 enough to fill a line of train cars stretching 703 00:39:59,863 --> 00:40:01,331 halfway around the world. 704 00:40:03,067 --> 00:40:07,003 More than 95 percent of dump sites are unlined, 705 00:40:07,070 --> 00:40:09,105 and over 200 ash lakes have 706 00:40:09,140 --> 00:40:11,107 contaminated local water supplies with 707 00:40:11,142 --> 00:40:13,176 deadly pollutants. 708 00:40:13,210 --> 00:40:17,247 Cancer, your lungs, kidneys, heart -- 709 00:40:17,281 --> 00:40:19,115 All of those things can be damaged 710 00:40:19,150 --> 00:40:22,185 by exposure to these kind of toxic minerals. 711 00:40:22,219 --> 00:40:25,355 This is a very dangerous situation here. 712 00:40:25,422 --> 00:40:28,258 KOUROUNIS: These disposal sites are a real problem, 713 00:40:28,292 --> 00:40:30,326 and the thing that bothers me is 714 00:40:30,360 --> 00:40:33,363 there's almost no federal regulation of them. 715 00:40:35,332 --> 00:40:38,001 NARRATOR: Aerial images reveal how this lack 716 00:40:38,035 --> 00:40:41,070 of regulation can have catastrophic consequences. 717 00:40:43,908 --> 00:40:46,943 In 2008, an ash pond levy 718 00:40:46,977 --> 00:40:48,678 in Kingston, Tennessee, collapses, 719 00:40:48,846 --> 00:40:52,148 flooding a nearby town with over a billion gallons of 720 00:40:52,183 --> 00:40:54,551 contaminated sludge. 721 00:40:54,585 --> 00:40:59,989 It's the largest industrial disaster in U.S. history, 722 00:41:00,057 --> 00:41:03,226 releasing five times as much toxic 723 00:41:03,260 --> 00:41:06,362 material as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 724 00:41:07,498 --> 00:41:10,166 It is just an awful tragedy 725 00:41:10,201 --> 00:41:13,269 that has befallen the community here. 726 00:41:13,337 --> 00:41:16,206 Unless we start to take into account 727 00:41:16,273 --> 00:41:18,408 that these things are dangerous, 728 00:41:18,475 --> 00:41:21,411 we're gonna continue to see lots of deaths, 729 00:41:21,478 --> 00:41:24,047 lots of health problems in general, 730 00:41:24,081 --> 00:41:27,050 by the people living next to these coal ash ponds. 731 00:41:30,020 --> 00:41:32,956 NARRATOR: In 2016, authorities begin to 732 00:41:33,023 --> 00:41:35,425 clean up the site in the image, 733 00:41:35,492 --> 00:41:38,361 but elsewhere, around six million American lives 734 00:41:38,428 --> 00:41:41,831 live within the deadly shadow of ash ponds, 735 00:41:41,899 --> 00:41:44,701 and for many, time is running out. 736 00:41:46,437 --> 00:41:48,204 RUBEN: We need power to run this country, 737 00:41:48,239 --> 00:41:51,107 and we need reservoirs to create that power, 738 00:41:51,174 --> 00:41:53,710 and that's all well and good until it's your town 739 00:41:53,978 --> 00:41:55,612 that ends up at the bottom of a lake.