Best of Vault: Year in Review

The Greek gods acted like a dysfunctional feuding family, often displaying near-human frailties. Visit magnificent monuments and temples to see how the gods' changing faces reflected the advancement of the Greeks.

Called treacherous, deluded, out-of-touch, insane, Lenin might have been a minor historical footnote but for the Russian Revolution, which catapulted him into the headlines of the 20th century.

It begins like the common cold. Then fever, swelling, and coughing of blood. From the Pope's palace to the humble huts of medieval peasants, watch as people live and die in the unforgiving grip of the Plague.

A volatile temper and a legendary flair for fashion helped John Gotti rise to the top of the Gambino crime family - and become one of the most well-known figures in Mafia history.

Have the conspiracy theories surrounding Area 51 been a smokescreen for military projects? Explore the security, undercover operations, and outrageous claims about the Earth's most famous secret military base.

Rare and never-before-seen amateur films offer a unique perspective on the rise of Nazi Germany from Germans who experienced it. How were millions of people so vulnerable to fascism?

Explore the dramatic history of Christianity between the years 1000-2000 A.D. as it becomes the driving force of Western culture, leading Europe from the depths of the Dark Ages to unprecedented power and prestige.

Trailblazing pioneers set out to conquer the west, but find the land already claimed. Wagon trains meet hardship on the road to California's gold. The steamboat ushers in a new era of commerce and unprecedented wealth.

Rare footage of the Allied forces' D-Day invasion of Nazi-held Europe is rendered in high definition alongside interviews with Allied and German survivors recounting their first-hand experiences on that fateful day.

To mark the 100th anniversary of Titanic's sinking, experts took part in an exhaustive study of the wreck that yielded unprecedented new discoveries and the first comprehensive map of Titanic's watery grave.

An examination of the paranoia, cold-bloodedness, and sadism of two of the 20th century's most brutal dictators and mass murderers: Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

In Part 1, Explore the creation of America, through the different groups who immigrated here seeking freedom. From early Colonial times through the end of the Civil War, revel in our cultural origins.

On a unique planet, a unique species takes its first steps: Mankind begins. Threatened by extinction, we innovate to survive, and from humble beginnings we become the dominant creature on the planet.

Out of the turmoil of the Civil War, America enters an age of enlightenment driven by five insightful men that will change the landscape of the country forever.

Under the cloak of the Dark Ages, people like Charlemagne, St. Benedict, and the Empress Theodora helped to bridge the gap of civilization between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance.

An assassin's bullet sparks a global conflict that quickly evolves into the deadliest war humanity has ever seen. In the chaos, a new generation of soldiers - and world leaders - emerges. Jeremy Renner narrates.

Experience the final days of the mighty Romanov dynasty and penetrate the web of intrigue surrounding the murder of the royal family.

The Korean War was a dramatic confrontation that brought the disastrously downsized forces of the U.S. across the Pacific to stand toe to toe with a Chinese colossus fighting in its own back yard.

The Ancient Greeks laid a foundation that has supported nearly 3000 years of European history, including philosophers, Olympian gods, the beginnings of democracy, and great conquering armies.

Find out how seven generations of European settlers survived against all odds in the establishment of the original American colonies.