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The Hidden Chains Beneath the Statue of Liberty Explained

A little-known element of the Statue of Liberty's original design almost changed how Americans viewed the monument forever. Historians explain why the statue's broken chains were moved out of sight and what that decision reveals about race, slavery, and reconciliation after the Civil War.
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Clip Season 23 Episode 6 Length 01:29 Premiere: 10/21/26

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Kentucky Connections on Secrets of the Dead

One of public television’s most popular series, Secrets of the Dead, brings its historical analysis to Kentucky! This series uses the latest science to challenge prevailing ideas and share fresh perspectives on historical events.

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Secrets of the Dead: The Herculaneum Scrolls

Making headlines worldwide, the University of Kentucky’s Dr. Brent Seales and his team of computer scientists set out on a mission to read the 2,000-year-old carbonized scrolls found in the remains of a villa in Herculaneum. Mt. Vesuvius’s eruption in 79 AD transformed the papyri, fusing the layers of the scrolls and making them impossible to read. But can particle physics and AI finally reveal what the scrolls say?

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Secrets of the Dead: The Civil War’s Lost Massacre

The Secrets of the Dead investigates an incident in Kentucky history known as the “Simpsonville Massacre,” when 22 Civil War soldiers from the 5th US Colored Cavalry on a cattle drive to Louisville were ambushed and slain by outlaws.

The episode “The Civil War’s Lost Massacre,” which was co-produced by KET, revisits the events of January 25, 1865, tracing the stories of several of the Kentucky soldiers and their families with help from guest historians, including two who hail from Kentucky: Jerry Miller, a former state legislator from Louisville, and Juanita White, a docent at the Farmington Historic Plantation in Louisville.

Aided by University of Kentucky archeologist Dr. Philip Mink and the university’s EduceLab Mobile Team, the historians search the land around where the massacre occurred, hoping to find the burial grounds of the slain soldiers. The episode also features interviews with Kentucky’s Civil War scholars, Dr. Amy Murrell Taylor, author and history professor at UK; Steve Phan, chief of interpretation at Camp Nelson National Monument; Dr. W. Stephen McBride, former director of interpretation and archeology at Camp Nelson National Monument; and Joni House, former park manager of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site.

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Funding for Secrets of the Dead: The Civil War’s Lost Massacre was made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund. 

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Clips & Previews

Season 23 Episodes

Finding America's Fallen
S23 E8 Length 55:20 Premiere Date 11/11/26

Saving Tangier Island
S23 E7 Length 55:15 Premiere Date 11/04/26

Raising Lady Liberty
S23 E6 Length 54:56 Premiere Date 10/21/26

Africa's Golden City
S23 E5 Length 55:15 Premiere Date 10/14/26

China's Bronze Kingdom
S23 E4 Length 55:15 Premiere Date 05/27/26

The Quest for Camelot
S23 E3 Length 55:15 Premiere Date 02/04/26

Queens of Combat
S23 E2 Length 55:15 Premiere Date 01/28/26

Picturing Shakespeare
S23 E1 Length 55:15 Premiere Date 11/12/25

Preview | Raising Lady Liberty
Preview Length 00:30 Premiere Date 10/21/26

How Lady Liberty's Giant Torch Was Built
Clip Length 02:28 Premiere Date 10/21/26

The Hidden Chains Beneath the Statue of Liberty Explained
Clip Length 01:29 Premiere Date 10/21/26

The Genius Engineering Behind Lady Liberty
Clip Length 03:34 Premiere Date 10/21/26

Fall 2026 Season Preview
Preview Length 00:30 Premiere Date 10/14/26

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TV Schedules

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Upcoming

Finding America's Fallen - S23 E8

Veterans investigate the site of the Battle of Camden in South Carolina, exploring how the Continental Army's devastating defeat became a turning point in the American Revolution.

  • Wednesday November 11, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
  • Wednesday November 11, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET
  • Friday November 13, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
  • Friday November 13, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
  • Friday November 13, 2026 4:00 pm ET on KET
  • Friday November 13, 2026 3:00 pm CT on KET

Jamestown's Dark Winter - S14 E3

Premiered On: 11/24/2015

Forensic anthropologists excavate the early American colony and uncover dark secrets. What do the newly discovered bones of a 14-year-old English girl reveal about what really happened during the winter of 1609?

  • Wednesday November 25, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
  • Wednesday November 25, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET
  • Friday November 27, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
  • Friday November 27, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
  • Friday November 27, 2026 4:00 pm ET on KET
  • Friday November 27, 2026 3:00 pm CT on KET
Jump to Upcoming Airdates

Recent

Saving Tangier Island - S23 E7

  • Monday November 9, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
  • Monday November 9, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
  • Friday November 6, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
  • Friday November 6, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
  • Wednesday November 4, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
  • Wednesday November 4, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET

Field of Vampires - S22 E2

  • Wednesday November 4, 2026 9:00 am ET on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday November 4, 2026 8:00 am CT on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday November 4, 2026 1:00 am ET on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday November 4, 2026 12:00 am CT on KETWORLD
  • Tuesday November 3, 2026 8:00 pm ET on KETWORLD
  • Tuesday November 3, 2026 7:00 pm CT on KETWORLD
  • Monday November 2, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
  • Monday November 2, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
  • Friday October 30, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
  • Friday October 30, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
  • Wednesday October 28, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
  • Wednesday October 28, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET

Graveyard of the Giant Beasts - S15 E5

  • Saturday October 31, 2026 5:00 am ET on KETWORLD
  • Saturday October 31, 2026 4:00 am CT on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 28, 2026 10:00 am ET on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 28, 2026 9:00 am CT on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 28, 2026 2:00 am ET on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 28, 2026 1:00 am CT on KETWORLD
  • Tuesday October 27, 2026 9:00 pm ET on KETWORLD
  • Tuesday October 27, 2026 8:00 pm CT on KETWORLD

Raising Lady Liberty - S23 E6

  • Wednesday October 28, 2026 9:00 am ET on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 28, 2026 8:00 am CT on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 28, 2026 1:00 am ET on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 28, 2026 12:00 am CT on KETWORLD
  • Tuesday October 27, 2026 8:00 pm ET on KETWORLD
  • Tuesday October 27, 2026 7:00 pm CT on KETWORLD
  • Monday October 26, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
  • Monday October 26, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
  • Friday October 23, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
  • Friday October 23, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
  • Wednesday October 21, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
  • Wednesday October 21, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET

Africa's Golden City - S23 E5

  • Wednesday October 21, 2026 9:00 am ET on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 21, 2026 8:00 am CT on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 21, 2026 1:00 am ET on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 21, 2026 12:00 am CT on KETWORLD
  • Tuesday October 20, 2026 8:00 pm ET on KETWORLD
  • Tuesday October 20, 2026 7:00 pm CT on KETWORLD
  • Monday October 19, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
  • Monday October 19, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
  • Friday October 16, 2026 3:00 am ET on KET
  • Friday October 16, 2026 2:00 am CT on KET
  • Wednesday October 14, 2026 10:00 pm ET on KET
  • Wednesday October 14, 2026 9:00 pm CT on KET

Cleopatra's Last Temple - S22 E8

  • Wednesday October 14, 2026 9:00 am ET on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 14, 2026 8:00 am CT on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 14, 2026 1:00 am ET on KETWORLD
  • Wednesday October 14, 2026 12:00 am CT on KETWORLD
  • Tuesday October 13, 2026 8:00 pm ET on KETWORLD
  • Tuesday October 13, 2026 7:00 pm CT on KETWORLD
  • Monday October 12, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
  • Monday October 12, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
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