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Exploring Our World

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by
Mark Lasswell
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Exploring Our World
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Exploring Our World

This month NOVA and Secrets of the Dead take you on a spectacular voyage to the far reaches of the ancient world, with ports of call in Rome, Istanbul and Paris. See how Notre Dame Cathedral was built and how fire nearly destroyed it, the design of a Roman monument to power and cruelty, the building innovations that have saved a Turkish treasure and learn the mysteries of a city carved from stone. Then board the Titanic in its last fateful hours and return to hunt the lost treasurer of a notorious gangster. Best of all, you can explore the world from the comfort of home, with multiple air dates for each program on WTVP-HD 47 and WTVP-WR (World) 47.3.

NOVA:
COLOSSEUM: ROMAN DEATH TRAP
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 8 PM

The Colosseum is a monument to Roman imperial power and cruelty. Now, with access to one of the world’s most protected world heritage sites, archaeologists and engineers team up to re-create ancient Roman techniques to build a 25 foot lifting machine and trap-door system capable of releasing a wolf into the Colosseum’s arena for the first time in 1,500 years.

Airdates:

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 11/04/2020 @ 8pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/05/2020 @ Noon
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/05/2020 @ Midnight
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/05/2020 @ 11pm
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/05/2020 @ 6pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Fri, 11/06/2020 @ 4am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/06/2020 @ 7am
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sun, 11/08/2020 @ Midnight
NOVA

Colosseum: Roman Death Trap Preview

0:30
Published:
Rating: TV-PG

1500 years ago, how did the Romans engineer bloody spectacles and reenact sea battles?

Secrets of the Dead

Abandoning the Titanic Preview

0:30
Published:

Learn about the captain of a “mystery ship” who turned away from the "unsinkable" Titanic.

SECRETS OF THE DEAD:
ABANDONING THE TITANIC
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 9 PM

Join a team of investigators as they search for the identity of the captain of a “mystery ship” that turned away from the “unsinkable” Titanicin its darkest hour, abandoning thousands of lives to the icy waters and their deaths.

Airdates:

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 11/04/2020 @ 9pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/05/2020 @ 1am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/05/2020 @ 7pm
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/06/2020 @ 8am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/06/2020 @ Midnight
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sun, 11/08/2020 @ 2am

NOVA:
PETRA: LOST CITY OF STONE
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 8 PM

More than 2,000 years ago, the thriving city of Petra rose in the bone-dry desert of what is now Jordan. Now, in a daring experiment, an archaeologist and sculptors team up to carve an iconic temple-tomb to find out how the ancient people of Petra built their city of stone.

Airdates:

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 11/11/2020 @ 8pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/12/2020 @ Noon
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/12/2020 @ Midnight
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/12/2020 @ 11pm
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/12/2020 @ 6pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Fri, 11/13/2020 @ 4am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/13/2020 @ 7am
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sun, 11/15/2020 @ Midnight
NOVA

Petra: Lost City of Stone Preview

0:30
Published:
Rating: TV-PG

How did early engineers carve tombs into rock cliffs and funnel water to this desert city?

Secrets of the Dead

Nero’s Sunken City

0:35
Published:
Rating: NR

What made Baiae such a special place?

SECRETS OF THE DEAD:
NERO'S SUNKEN CITY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 9 PM

Explore some iconic historical moments while debunking long-held myths and shining new light on past events. Advances in investigative techniques, forensic science and historical scholarship offer new evidence on forgotten mysteries.

Airdates:

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 11/11/2020 @ 9pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/12/2020 @ 1am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/12/2020 @ 7pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Fri, 11/13/2020 @ 2am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/13/2020 @ 8am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/13/2020 @ Midnight
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sun, 11/15/2020 @ 2am

NOVA — BUILDING WONDERS:
HAGIA SOPHIA: ISTANBUL'S ANCIENT MYSTERY
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 8 PM

Istanbul’s magnificent Hagia Sophia has survived on one of the world’s most active seismic faults, which has inflicted a dozen devastating earthquakes since Hagia Sophia was built in 537 AD. NOVA follows the team’s discoveries as they examine the building’s unique structure and other ingenious design strategies that have ensured the dome’s survival.

Airdates:

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 11/18/2020 @ 8pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/19/2020 @ Noon
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/19/2020 @ Midnight
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/19/2020 @ 11pm
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/19/2020 @ 6pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Fri, 11/20/2020 @ 4am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/20/2020 @ 7am
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sun, 11/22/2020 @ Midnight
NOVA

Hagia Sophia: Istanbul's Mystery Preview

0:30
Published:
Rating: TV-G

How has this unique structure, built on a seismic fault, survived centuries of quakes?

Secrets of the Dead

Gangster's Gold Preview

0:30
Published:

Join treasure hunters searching for the lost treasure of gangster Dutch Schultz.

SECRETS OF THE DEAD:
GANGSTER'S GOLD
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 9 PM

Join three groups of treasure hunters, armed with modern technology and newly uncovered clues, as they set out to find the lost treasure of notorious Prohibition-era gangster Dutch Schultz and solve an 85-year-old mystery.

Airdates:

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 11/18/2020 @ 9pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/19/2020 @ 1am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/19/2020 @ 7pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Fri, 11/20/2020 @ 2am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/20/2020 @ 8am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/20/2020 @ Midnight

NOVA:
SAVING NOTRE DAME
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 8 PM

When the roof of Norte Dame Cathedral erupted in flames in April of 2019, firefighters battled for nine grueling hours to save the historic landmark. Still, Paris came alarmingly close to losing more than 800 years of history. Now engineers are in a different race against time: to rebuild the roof and secure the medieval structure of Notre Dame.

Airdates:

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 11/25/2020 @ 8pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/26/2020 @ Noon
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/26/2020 @ Midnight
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/26/2020 @ 11pm
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/26/2020 @ 6pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Fri, 11/27/2020 @ 4am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/27/2020 @ 7am
NOVA

Saving Notre Dame Preview

0:28
Published:

Scientists and engineers fight to save Notre Dame Cathedral after the 2019 fire.

Secrets of the Dead

Preview: Building Notre Dame

0:30
Published:

Follow an in-depth investigation into the centuries-long construction of Notre Dame.

SECRETS OF THE DEAD:
BUILDING NOTRE DAME
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 9 PM

Follow an investigation into the centuries-long construction of Notre Dame de Paris, uncovering the vast architectural, technical and human challenges that played out during the turbulent history of one of the world's most celebrated buildings.

Airdates:

  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 11/25/2020 @ 9pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 11/26/2020 @ 1am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Thu, 11/26/2020 @ 7pm
  • WTVP-HD 47.1 - Fri, 11/27/2020 @ 2am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/27/2020 @ 8am
  • WTVP-WR 47.3 - Fri, 11/27/2020 @ Midnight