The Real Story

Uncover the true story behind the most famous prison break in American history. Alcatraz was the world's most impregnable prison-until three inmates escaped. Despite a vast manhunt, the men were never seen again. Did the prisoners actually make it off the island, or did the icy waters of the San Francisco Bay act as the fortress' last line of inescapable defense?

Just who was the real Indiana Jones? Indy's creators George Lucas and Steven Spielberg say the inspiration for the whip-cracking adventurer came from the explorers featured in 1930s and 40s movie serials. In turn, many writers of these serials say their inspiration came from the real-life adventures of Roy Chapman Andrews. Another source for the Indy legend is the German scholar and Grail-hunter, Otto Rahn. Both embody the spirit of Indiana Jones, and lived real lives of scholarship, exploration and danger.

The quiet village of Amityville, NY took the country by gruesome surprise on November 13, 1974, when police discovered six members of the DeFeo family shot dead in their suburban home. Ronald, the eldest son, was found guilty of the murders. But when a new family moves into the DeFeo's Amityville home, reports of demonic possession and poltergeist activity grab international attention. Through eyewitness accounts and archival footage, we explore the facts behind the Amityville case and reveal new evidence, which suggests a hoax could be behind the horror.

Bond...James Bond. Is this man of mystery a personification of a real spy or a fantasy spun by author Ian Fleming? Fleming wanted his suave secret agent to be the ultimate spy - but who provided the inspiration? Discover Fleming's wartime service in naval intelligence, and meet two men who could have supplied the basis for Bond's character. Uncover the facts behind the fiction - the people, places and even the gadgets that inspired the iconic spy.