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Our contributor has a box of cartoon drawings and cels. Host Tukufu Zuberi doesn't recognize most of the characters in these drawings, but the condition of the art leads him to believe they're old. What role did these drawings play in the history of animation? This investigation takes us through the early years of animation and introduces us to some of the unsung heroes behind the art.
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Clip Length 16:57 Premiere: 08/29/10

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Season Episodes

HDSI - Texas Servant Girl Murders
S11 E3 Length 54:41 Premiere Date 07/15/14

HDSI - The Disappearance of Glenn Miller
S11 E2 Length 54:41 Premiere Date 07/08/14

HDSI - Civil War Sabotage?

S11 E1 Length 54:41 Premiere Date 07/01/14

Tukufu Zuberi on Being a History Detective
Clip Length 02:19 Premiere Date 04/29/05

Behind the Scenes - Series Three
Clip Length 01:53 Premiere Date 04/29/05

Sports Memorabilia
Clip Length 01:41 Premiere Date 04/28/05

Provenance
Clip Length 02:13 Premiere Date 05/31/03

Trash or Treasure
Clip Length 01:55 Premiere Date 05/31/03

House Dating
Clip Length 02:06 Premiere Date 05/31/03

Real or Fake
Clip Length 02:19 Premiere Date 05/31/03

Preservation
Clip Length 01:39 Premiere Date 05/31/03

Causes of the Civil War
Clip Length 01:37 Premiere Date 05/31/03

Thin Section Analysis
Clip Length 01:30 Premiere Date 05/31/03

Genealogy
Clip Length 01:36 Premiere Date 05/31/03

Underground Railroad
Clip Length 01:26 Premiere Date 05/31/03

Behind the Scenes - Flintlock Rifle
Clip Length 02:49 Premiere Date 04/27/03

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Tokyo Rose Recording/Crazy Horse Photo/WWII Diary - S7 E5

Premiered On: 07/20/2009

A recording that may have played a part in the World War II treason trial of Tokyo Rose, a photo ostensibly of Crazy Horse, and the poignant diary of a World War II pilot.

  • Sunday October 11, 2026 11:00 pm ET on KET2
  • Sunday October 11, 2026 10:00 pm CT on KET2
  • Tuesday October 13, 2026 5:00 am ET on KET2
  • Tuesday October 13, 2026 4:00 am CT on KET2
  • Thursday October 15, 2026 4:00 am ET on KET2
  • Thursday October 15, 2026 3:00 am CT on KET2

Amelia Earhart Plane/Fillmore Pardon/Boxcar Home - S7 E6

Premiered On: 07/27/2009

A fragment that may been a piece of Amelia Earhart's plane, a letter from President Millard Fillmore commuting the death sentence of a Native American, and a Colorado home whose supports may have been constructed from a railroad boxcar.

  • Sunday October 18, 2026 11:00 pm ET on KET2
  • Sunday October 18, 2026 10:00 pm CT on KET2
  • Tuesday October 20, 2026 5:00 am ET on KET2
  • Tuesday October 20, 2026 4:00 am CT on KET2
  • Thursday October 22, 2026 4:00 am ET on KET2
  • Thursday October 22, 2026 3:00 am CT on KET2

Hindenburg Artifact/John Adams Book/Birthplace of Hip Hop - S7 E7

Premiered On: 08/10/2009

Encore presentations: An instrument that may have been recovered from the Hindenburg, a book that may have been a gift from John Adams to his son, and a home in the Bronx that may have been the birthplace of hip hop.

  • Sunday October 25, 2026 11:00 pm ET on KET2
  • Sunday October 25, 2026 10:00 pm CT on KET2
  • Tuesday October 27, 2026 5:00 am ET on KET2
  • Tuesday October 27, 2026 4:00 am CT on KET2
  • Thursday October 29, 2026 4:00 am ET on KET2
  • Thursday October 29, 2026 3:00 am CT on KET2

WPA Mural Studies/George Washington Miniature/Japanese Balloon Bomb - S7 E9

Premiered On: 08/24/2009

Mural studies that may have been commissioned by the WPA in the 1930s or 40s, a miniature painting that may depict George Washington, and a balloon scrap that may be a missing piece of a secret weapon.

  • Sunday November 1, 2026 11:00 pm ET on KET2
  • Sunday November 1, 2026 10:00 pm CT on KET2
  • Tuesday November 3, 2026 5:00 am ET on KET2
  • Tuesday November 3, 2026 4:00 am CT on KET2
  • Thursday November 5, 2026 4:00 am ET on KET2
  • Thursday November 5, 2026 3:00 am CT on KET2

Stalag 17 Portrait/Seadrome/Black Tom Shell - S7 E10

Premiered On: 08/31/2009

A portrait created in a German prisoner of war camp; the Seadrome, a floating airport anchored to the ocean floor where trans-Atlantic passenger flights could refuel; and an intact artillery shell that may have been part of an attack on the U.S. in WWI.

  • Sunday November 8, 2026 11:00 pm ET on KET2
  • Sunday November 8, 2026 10:00 pm CT on KET2
  • Tuesday November 10, 2026 5:00 am ET on KET2
  • Tuesday November 10, 2026 4:00 am CT on KET2
  • Thursday November 12, 2026 4:00 am ET on KET2
  • Thursday November 12, 2026 3:00 am CT on KET2
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Sideshow Babies/Lubin Photos/Navajo Rug - S7 E4

  • Thursday October 8, 2026 4:00 am ET on KET2
  • Thursday October 8, 2026 3:00 am CT on KET2
  • Tuesday October 6, 2026 5:00 am ET on KET2
  • Tuesday October 6, 2026 4:00 am CT on KET2
  • Sunday October 4, 2026 11:00 pm ET on KET2
  • Sunday October 4, 2026 10:00 pm CT on KET2

St. Valentine's Day Massacre/Booth Letter/Cemetery Alarm - S7 E3

  • Thursday October 1, 2026 4:00 am ET on KET2
  • Thursday October 1, 2026 3:00 am CT on KET2
  • Tuesday September 29, 2026 5:00 am ET on KET2
  • Tuesday September 29, 2026 4:00 am CT on KET2
  • Sunday September 27, 2026 11:00 pm ET on KET2
  • Sunday September 27, 2026 10:00 pm CT on KET2

Manhattan Project/Galleon Shipwreck/Creole Poems - S7 E2

  • Thursday September 24, 2026 4:00 am ET on KET2
  • Thursday September 24, 2026 3:00 am CT on KET2
  • Tuesday September 22, 2026 5:00 am ET on KET2
  • Tuesday September 22, 2026 4:00 am CT on KET2
  • Sunday September 20, 2026 11:00 pm ET on KET2
  • Sunday September 20, 2026 10:00 pm CT on KET2

PsychoPhone/War Dog Letter/Pancho Villa Watch Fob - S7 E1

  • Thursday September 17, 2026 4:00 am ET on KET2
  • Thursday September 17, 2026 3:00 am CT on KET2
  • Tuesday September 15, 2026 5:00 am ET on KET2
  • Tuesday September 15, 2026 4:00 am CT on KET2
  • Sunday September 13, 2026 11:00 pm ET on KET2
  • Sunday September 13, 2026 10:00 pm CT on KET2

History Detectives - S10 E9

  • Thursday September 10, 2026 4:00 am ET on KET2
  • Thursday September 10, 2026 3:00 am CT on KET2
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