History Detectives

Face Artifact The Place: Mantoloking, New Jersey Found on the beach, a pebble in the sand with sculpted human features. To unlock this riddle, the team must travel through time, across borders and between cultures. Fire Station The Place: Morristown, New Jersey The evidence suggests that President Ulysses S. Grant celebrated America's centennial at this old firehouse. The History Detectives try to prove it. "Pop" Lloyd's Baseball Field The Place: Atlantic City, New Jersey Black ball players, white politicians, prejudice and patrimony. All of these threads appear when the History Detectives begin to unravel the origins of a historic memorial to black ballplayer John Henry Lloyd.

Bonnie & Clyde The Place: Brodhead, Wisconsin Did these five .45 caliber bullets end one of the most infamous crime sprees in American history? The History Detectives try to link these bullets to Bonnie and Clyde using ballistics tests and some old-fashioned research. Al Ringling Theater The Place: Baraboo, Wisconsin Was this one of the country's first great movie palaces? The History Detectives set out to discover why such an ornate theater was erected and survived in such an obscure location. Sears Home The Place: Akron, Ohio The History Detectives investigate whether or not Sears & Roebuck could have built this home during the industrial boom. Does this couple live in a relic from years gone by?

Morgan Whaling Ship The Place: Mystic, Connecticut Did this Charles W. Morgan whaling ship smuggle slaves out of the south as part of the Underground Railroad? The History Detectives are called in to find out. Witch's House? The Place: Essex County, Massachusetts Did Martha Carrier, who was hanged as a witch, once own Benjamin Abbot's house? The History Detectives must rely on historical research, Martha's descendents and even experts from around the world to solve the case. 1909 Jigsaw Puzzle The Place: Worcester, Massachusetts A quirky jigsaw puzzle of women playing football in the 1800s puzzles the History Detectives. A jigsaw expert, sport historian, magazine collector and antiquities society help solve the riddle.

Portrait of George Washington The Place: Frederick, Maryland Is this an authentic portrait of the nation's first president, George Washington? The History Detectives call in a fake buster and art historian to discover if this is a national treasure. Patty Cannon The Place: Federalsburg, Maryland Was Jack and Rose's home once the headquarters of kidnapper and slave trader Patty Cannon? Trumpet The Place: Bucks County, Pennsylvania Was this trumpet, bought by a Philadelphia man at auction, actually played during the battles that won America's independence from England?

Lee's Last Orders The Place: Beech Island, South Carolina Is the Beech Island Agricultural Club's copy of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's farewell address the original? Natchez House The Place: Natchez, Mississippi How could Robert Smith, a former slave, afford to build this magnificent home for himself in 1851? Napoleonic Sword The Place: St. Martinville, Louisiana A family legend has it that when a doctor treated Napoleon at the Battle of Wagram in Austria, the great General was so grateful he rewarded him with a fine sword, which has been kept in the family ever since.

John Brown's Letters The Place: Sacramento, California Does a Californian woman own a treasure trove of John Brown's documents? Tukufu sets out to authenticate the letters and delve into her family tree to prove if she is related to the famous abolitionist. Japanese Tea House The Place: Gilroy, California How did an authentic Japanese house become part of the famed San Francisco World Fair just before World War II? The history detectives attempt to reveal the origins of the house and how it got there. Poems The Place: San Francisco, California Kathleen Wong, a second-generation Chinese-American calls in the history detectives to trace her ancestors' perilous journey to America. She wants to know whether any of the hundreds of poems left on the walls at the West Coast Angel Island detention center relate to her family.

Civil War-Era Submarine The Place: New Orleans, Louisiana In Louisiana's bustling French Quarter sits a surprising remnant of American warfare - a Civil War-era submarine. Salvaged from the depths of a New Orleans lake, the origin of this vessel remains a murky mystery. Now a New Orleans man wants to know if his great-grandfather helped build the iron-clad wonder. Red Cloud's Peace Pipe? The Place: Livermore, California Was this peace pipe given to a Californian woman's ancestor by the famous warrior Chief Red Cloud? The ancestor was the Indian agent who moved the Oglala Lakota to a Reservation in South Dakota. Would Chief Red Cloud have given such a gift to a U.S. government official? The History Detectives go back to the turbulent days of the 1870s and a battle of wills and political scandal that reached the highest levels of government. Thomas Edison's House? The Place: Union, New Jersey This strange house is said to have been designed and built by Thomas Edison. Did the

Early Monopoly? The Place: Arden, Delaware A man in Delaware has an old board game that bears a remarkable similarity to Monopoly, but was made 20 years before Parker Brothers patented their creation. Could he own the earliest version of the world's best-selling board game? History Detectives investigates Monopoly's history and discovers a surprising story. Rather than originating in the Great Depression of the 1930s, Monopoly could be a much older game, reflecting an economic argument that - if followed - would have created a radically different economy than today's. Japanese Internment Camp Artwork The Place: San Francisco, California A San Francisco archive has discovered a set of watercolor paintings of what appears to be a prison camp. Piecing them together shows they were painted on the back of a Japanese-American internment notice from 1942. What is the story behind these paintings? Who was the artist? And what was his or her fate? History Detectives uncovers the dramati

World War II Landing Craft The Place: Bayfield, Wisconsin A craft used for dredging and hauling rocks in Bayfield's harbor could hold a dramatic secret. A local man whose father fought in the Second World War claims that, 60 years ago, the vessel played a vital role in the D-Day landings, when it transported American tanks on to the beaches of Normandy. Could this ship really be one of the 1500 LCT103 ""Landing Craft Tanks"" designed and built to support the amphibious landings of World War II, and did it really see action off the beaches of France? The Abolitionist Flag The Place: Michigan What two Michigan brothers believed was an old sheet in a family trunk may have contributed to the end of slavery in America. Was the sheet a flag an ancestor may have used to campaign for the creation of Free States? Or was it used as propaganda in a pivotal pre-Civil War campaign? History Detectives explores the politically charged abolition movement to reveal the surprising past of this fam

The First Movie Studio? The Place: Los Angeles, California Lincoln Heights is a quiet neighborhood in northeast Los Angeles located far from the glitz and glamour normally associated with Hollywood. But a resident there thinks the city's first motion picture studio may be located right in her very own neighborhood park. Could a broken gateway once have been the grand entrance to the beginning of Hollywood history? Warner Ufa Lighter The Place: Los Angeles, California A California man spends $50 at a flea market on an antique lighter that could be a piece of Hollywood history. It is engraved with ""Harry Warner"" on one side and ""Ufatone"" on the other. Harry Warner was one of the founders of Warner Brothers, whereas Ufa was Germany's largest studio and Hollywood's biggest competition. What is the connection between Harry Warner, known for his anti-fascist commitment, and a studio that became the propaganda tool of the Nazi party? King Kong Camera? The Place: Washington State and

Dueling Pistols The Place: San Francisco, California A San Francisco bank owns two antique pistols, allegedly used in the last great duel on U.S. soil. Fought in 1856, the duel was between abolitionist Senator David Broderick and California Supreme Court Justice David Terry. 150 years later, a bank employee wants to know if these guns are authentic - and more about the duel. What really happened? Was it about slavery or honor? Did it influence the outcome of the Civil War? Evelyn Nesbit Portrait The Place: New Jersey A woman owns a portrait she believes is a lost masterpiece by one of America's greatest illustrators and artists, Howard Chandler Christy. The painting's subject is claimed to be Evelyn Nesbit, the actress and model who rose to fame in 1906 when her husband killed a famous architect accused of ""taking advantage"" of her. The resulting scandal rocked New York in the early 1900's and became the ""trial of the century"". But is the painting authentic? Little Big Horn Bay

Preston Brooks' Riding Crop The Place: Long Island, New York A man claims that a beautiful riding crop was given to a family ancestor by the President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. He believes that it was no ordinary present, but was given to Preston Brooks to congratulate him for beating into senselessness an anti-slavery campaigner, Charles Sumner. Many regard this public attack in the Senate as a significant moment in America's move toward division and Civil War. History Detectives visits New York City, Columbus, Georgia and Sea Cliff, New York, to unravel a startling story of politics, filibusters and mistaken identity. Home of Lincoln Assassination Plot The Place: Greenwich Village, New York A woman has a question about the home she's been living in for the last few years. She's heard a rumor that John Wilkes Booth, the infamous assassin of Abraham Lincoln, spent some time in her house. Not only that, she's heard that her home is where the plot for the assassination

The Spirit of St. Louis Two brothers from New Jersey suspect that their uncle may have built the engine in Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis plane. Suicide Pin A Kansas City man bought a used toolbox that contains two pins similar to the “poison pins” U2 pilot Francis Gary Powers had with him when he was shot down in 1960 over the Soviet Union. Image of Apache Warrior Geronimo A woman in New Mexico has a photo that she thinks is the Apache warrior Geronimo.

Black Star Line Certificates Mickey Mouse's Origin Pro-Nazi Newspaper in Texas

Arthur Szyk's Earliest Cartoons Professor Lowe's Hot Air Balloon Chemical Warfare Map

Cherokee Bible Slave Banjo United Empire Loyalists

Portrait of George Washington Revolutionary War Poem Revolutionary War Cannon

Secrets of the Tape Mountain Mail Bag Banned Birth Control Box

Puzzles involving the Chisholm Trail, Houdini posters and a flag that may have draped the coffin of President William McKinley, assassinated in 1901. Included: determining how far south the Chisholm Trail extended; checking the authenticity of Harry Houdini posters for a Chicago magic show; learning if a flag handed down to the great-grandson of McKinley's bodyguard actually adorned the 25th president's casket.

Questions surrounding a baseball autographed by Dizzy Dean, a brass eyeglass containing an image of Jefferson Davis, and a question on credit for an oil-drilling device. Included: investigation of a 1944 baseball game in which the players supposedly included Dean, Satchel Paige and an Air Force staff sergeant; whether an eyeglass belonged to a Confederate supporter; whether a twin-cone roller-rock bit was invented by Howard Hughes or a San Jose resident's grandfather.

Puzzles involve an 1886 Coca-Cola trade card, a map connected to a Civil War battle and a billy club from a 1912 textile-factory strike in Lawrence, Mass. Included: a trip to Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta to try to verify the trade card info; digging up details pertaining to the 1863 siege of Vicksburg, Miss.; a journey to Lawrence to investigate the Bread and Roses strike.

Puzzles pertaining to 1943 certificates labeled “alternate service to war”; a set of books that may have belonged to 19th-century politician John C. Calhoun; and a toy mouse named Micky that bears a patent date of 1926 (two years before Walt Disney created Mickey).

Puzzles concerning items believed to have come from a WWII kamikaze attack; a badge that may have belonged to a British soldier in the Revolutionary War; and two New Jersey brothers who suspect that their uncle built the Spirit of St. Louis's Wright Whirlwind J-5C engine.

Puzzles involve a film reel of 1920s stuntman Eddie Polo; scales used by Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century; and a shotgun that belonged to Nazi henchman Hermann Goering.

The fifth season begins with a portable projection screen that may have been used by President Kennedy to view spy photos during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also: an aluminum record that might contain an original recording of the “Amos 'n' Andy” program; and a painting that may have been an original portrait used in the women's suffrage movement.

A possible Colonial-era $6 bill found by a Nebraska family; and a British 10-shilling note said to have been signed by FDR, Winston Churchill and George Patton. Also: A North Carolina woman has a pin she claims was made from metal taken from the Liberty Bell.

A fight bell that may have been used in a Jack Dempsey boxing match; a photo that may depict white Civil War soldiers standing with two black men, all of whom are thought to be members of the Grand Army of the Republic. Also: a document that may have Thomas Jefferson's signature on it, along with a pledge that would help finance a school.

Two bars of silver that may have been from a Spanish ship that went down off Florida; a book that might have belonged to social activist Lucy Parsons; a typewriter that may have belonged to WWII journalist Ernie Pyle.

Movie posters for a film that might contain footage of fighting during the Mexican Revolution; and an autograph book that may have signatures from Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Also: a robe that might have belonged to Gen. Peter Muhlenberg, who led troops during the American Revolution.

A square of fabric that may have been part of an NC-4 aircraft, which was the first to fly across the Atlantic; and an altimeter that might have been part of the XF-11 aircraft flown by Howard Hughes in 1946. Also: a piece of material that may have been part of a Civil War-era hot-air balloon designed for the U.S. Army.

WWII Diary: Does this diary hold the key to understanding the fate of a missing bomber pilot from World War II? Annie Oakley Coin: Was this coin a target for one of the Wild West's most popular female sharpshooters? 1856 Mormon Tale: Is this tattered book a true account of female slavery in the old West?

Red Hand Flag: Is this peculiar flag one that African-American soldiers marched under in the war to end all wars? Seth Eastman Painting: Is this painting an original depiction of Native American life from one of the premiere painters of the American West? Isleton Tong: Was this building a safe haven for persecuted immigrants, or a hub for organized crime?

Japanese Balloon Bomb: Is this scrap of fabric evidence of a secret wartime attack on the United States' mainland? Society Circus Program: Why are some of New York's wealthiest planning a high society circus at the very depth of the Great Depression? Camp David Letter: Could a box found in a dumpster hold information about the founding of a top-secret Presidential retreat?

China Marine Jacket: Can the symbols on this unusual item of clothing identify a marine who may have witnessed a Chinese paradise tumbling into disaster? Airstream Caravan: Was this mobile home part of a modern-day wagon train halfway across the world? Lincoln Forgery: Could this piece of sheet music have come from Abraham Lincoln's private collection?

Hindenburg Artifact Was this device snatched from the burning wreckage of the ill-fated zeppelin? Bonus Army Stamp: Is this stamp connected to a moment when the U.S. Army advanced with fixed bayonets against fellow soldiers in the nation’s capital? Dempsey Fight Bell: Is this the bell that sat ringside at the world's first boxing superstar's legendary match?

GAR Photograph: How did two African Americans come to be part of this photograph of about 20 older white men in Reconstructionist-era America? Bill Pickett Saddle: Did this saddle ride into cowboy history with one of rodeo's most daring innovators? Hitler Films: Could these rusting film canisters contain unknown footage of one of the 20th century's most heinous murderers?

Season 7 begins with a closer look at the "Psycho-Phone," a device presumed to have been built by Thomas Edison and was designed to communicate with the dead. Then, a WWII letter between two soldiers which talks about a third man's qualifications to become a dog trainer. Lastly, a watch fob which commemorates Pancho Villa's infamous raid on Columbus, New Mexico in 1916.

Manhattan Project Patent - Could this drawing have been part of America's secret plans to fuel the atomic bomb? Galleon Shipwreck - Is this a piece of treasure from a Spanish galleon washed up on an Oregon beach? Creole Poems - Does this manuscript contain words of love or illegal acts of rebellion?

Items include a shotgun believed to have been used by a member of Al Capone's gang during the St. Valentine's Day Massacre; a threatening letter to President Andrew Jackson believed to have been written by John Wilkes Boothe's father; and an alarm which is thought to have been an alarm against grave robbers in a cemetery.

A woman wonders whether her mother was used as an infant as part of the incubator expedition at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago. Also, a look at the Siegmund Lubin Studios, which made silent films in Philadelphia. And lastly, a closer look at a Navajo rug which may have a taboo symbol on it of a man in a feathered headdress holding lightening bolts.

Items explored include a recording believed to be from the trial of Iva Toguri, better known Tokyo Rose, the Japanese American woman who made propaganda broadcasts for the Japanese during WWII; a possible photograph of the legendary Crazy Horse, the Lakota warrior. Also, a diary written by a pilot during WWII who perished in action is returned to his family.

Was this magnetic boot designed to allow walking in space? Could a three-inch square of metallic material be part of America's first satellite program? Did the Apollo 12 space mission smuggle Andy Warhol's artwork to the moon?

Iwo Jima Map - What role did this map play in one of WWII’s fiercest battles? Copperhead Cane - How did this cane inspire a fiery political movement that threatened Lincoln’s presidency? Theremin - How did this strange instrument help spark a rock n’ roll revolution?

A collector who may possess part of the first talking movie; a Cape Cod beachcomber's discovery of what may be a section of the first transatlantic cable. Also: the story behind sketches of five- and eight-pound gold nuggets.

Sculpture piece may be part of one that featured Andrew Jackson; Clara Barton letter; a notebook may have belonged to a World War I spy.

Cromwell Dixon: A four-inch square of fabric tells the story of one of America's first barnstorming pilots. Bartlett Sketchbook: Does this sketchbook illustrate scenes from the first ever US-Mexican border survey? Duke Ellington Plates (R): Could this dumpster find be the printing plates for Duke Ellington's hit "Take the A Train"?

Korean War Letter: What does this letter reveal about a forgotten act of heroism during the final days of the Korean War? Diana: How did this alleged lesbian autobiography escape censorship in the 1930’s? Lookout Mountain Painting: What can this painting tell us about a turning point in the Civil War?

A veteran collector of cowboy gear, our contributor thinks he may have a saddle that once belonged to rodeo champion and Hollywood legend, Yakima Canutt. History Detectives’ first ever Hawaii story takes us to the island of Ni’ihau, the backdrop for a fascinating tale often overshadowed by the enormity of the raid on Pearl Harbor. A Charleston, SC antique dealer discovered a century old puzzle in a corked test tube. The tube contained what appeared to be metal filings along with a note that reads: "Old Secession was rebored at the Charleston Iron Works May 4/99 and fired by Palmetto Guard Company U.C.V. in honor of U.C.V. reunion May 10/99."

War traumatized Sol Fellman. He rarely discussed his Spanish Civil War experience until shortly before his death when he passed on his mementos. Going through her brother’s belongings in El Paso, TX, a History Detectives fan came across a leaflet with Japanese writing and startling war images. Our contributor cherishes a small, framed watercolor handed down from his great-great grandmother, Anne Weston.But he has reason to believe the value of this painting may extend beyond his family bond.

Rummaging through a box of shells and bullets at a Colorado gun show, a History Detectives fan discovered a World War I vintage cartridge with a curious etching: Leo V. Thompson, CO E 31st Inf., A.E.F. Siberia. Our contributor bought a spear, or pike, from an antique shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He knows abolitionist John Brown lived near Chagrin Falls and wonders if rebels used this blade in John Brown’s famous raid at Harpers Ferry, VA. Have we found the original costume that launched Ronald McDonald? The label credits a well-known costume designer, and the costume looks similar to the suit we see in an early Ronald McDonald commercial: the yellow balloon coverall, red and white striped shirt and long stockings, and red oversized shoes.

Our contributor found an unusual 1950's comic book at an auction, titled Negro Romance. For over 50 years our contributor has cherished an object he inherited from his late father. It’s a piece of fabric in Plexiglass with signatures of Charles Lindbergh and Igor Sikorsky and dated August 1943. A couple of stamp enthusiasts found far more than stamps in a box they purchased. In the box, along with Civil War era stamps, we find letters addressed to a William Blackford, Senate Post, Washington, D.C.

Tucked into the pages of an antique book, our contributor from Osceola, Indiana found what he thinks may be a letter written by Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. More than 30 years ago, while tearing the aluminum roofing from a farm house, a Chicago man discovered an oddly carved piece of wood in the dark recesses of the attic. Working beside a rural airstrip, an Illinois man dug up an intriguing find: an eight-foot long wooden airplane propeller. A little research online made him believe that his propeller might be from a TDR-1 plane, a pioneering U.S. drone plane from World War II.

A viewer from Colorado thinks he may have discovered a gem of Gold Rush memorabilia when he found an unusual drawing. When a Kittery Point, ME man moved into his great aunt’s house he discovered an unusual wooden telescope. No one in his family knows where it came from or how long it’s been in the family. A California man hopes the Japanese characters on this hand-carved cane will unlock the mysteries of his family’s past.

The Season 10 premiere investigates the history of an electric guitar to determine if Bob Dylan played it at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Also: possible Beatle autographs from 1964 Miami Beach; a $5 thrift-store find that may have a Frank Zappa link.

A matched set of Civil War-era pistols; a 78 rpm record from KKK Records that features the songs "The Bright Fiery Cross" and "The Jolly Old Klansman." Also: Eduardo Pagán attempts to prove that Motown bassist James Jamerson owned an Ampeg B-15 amp that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wants to display.

Country star Clint Black learns about an old book of wanted posters that he owns. Also: a chunk of molten metal that may be from a B-25 bomber that crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945; a 1950s-era slide that may be of pinup queen Bettie Page.

Whether two patches that feature a symbol of a bird dropping a bomb are from a World War II unit; if a neckpiece and leggings belonged to Chief Black Kettle, a Cheyenne leader; whether a President Lincoln-signed note is authentic. Also: A tattered piece of red fabric is linked to a pivotal moment in the U.S. Civil War.

Is this picture frame a piece from the Titanic, Lusitania or neither? Were these signs part of the scene in an early victory for Civil Rights? Did a Nazi spy buy these toy soldiers?

A North Vietnamese soldier's diary; Notebook with recipes for large volumes of liquor; ledger sheds light on how American Indian actors were treated in Hollywood.

The 11th season premiere of "History Detectives," which has been reformatted to focus on one iconic mystery per episode, opens with a look at the April 27, 1865, explosion of the Mississippi steamboat SS Sultana, which was packed with Union soldiers. One of the worst maritime disasters in U.S. history, the official death toll was 1547. The team reviews the original investigative report; and examines theories about the cause, including that it was an act of sabotage by a Confederate agent.

An investigation into the disappearance of Glenn Miller during World War II. On December 15, 1944, the Army Air Force plane carrying him from England to France vanished while flying across the English Channel. The report makes use of a plane spotter's notebook that was discovered in 2012 to pinpoint the path of Miller's plane; and digs into several theories, including one that friendly fire downed the plane and another that he was on a secret mission to end the war.

The unsolved case of the Servant Girl Murders in 1884-85 Austin, Texas, is investigated. Over the course of a year, six African-American servants and two white women were brutally murdered. The modus operandi was similar in each instance: the assailant attacked the victim with an ax while she slept in bed; and then he dragged her outside, where he raped and mutilated her.

An investigation into the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, the former Teamsters president, who was last seen outside the Machus Red Fox Restaurant in Bloomfield Township, Mich., on July 30, 1975.