History Detectives Episode Guide

Episode Guide

History Detectives: Season 7 (2009)

• Season 7 Episode 11: Civil War Bridge; Scottsboro Boys Stamp; Duke Ellington Plates

  Site where a bridge may have been burned during the Civil War; stamp may be connected to a landmark civil rights case.

  Next on: Sunday 3rd January 9:00pm EST - WHUT (PBS)
• Season 7 Episode 10: Stalag 17 Portrait; Seadrome; Black Tom Shell

  A sketch of a man while he was a prisoner in a German war camp; the Seadrome, a floating airport anchored to the ocean floor.

  Next on: Tomorrow at 9:00pm EST - WHUT (PBS)
• Season 7 Episode 9: WPA Mural Studies; George Washington Miniature; Japanese Balloon Bomb

  Mural studies that may have been commissioned by the WPA in the 1930s or 1940s; miniature painting may depict George Washington.

  Next on: Tomorrow at 7:00pm EST - KYNE (PBS)
• Season 7 Episode 8: Mussolini Dagger; Liberia Letter; N.E.A.R. Device

  Dagger may have belonged to Benito Mussolini; letter may indicate a family's participation in post-slavery exodus to Liberia.

• Season 7 Episode 7: Hindenburg Artifact; John Adams Book; Birthplace of Hip Hop

  A metal box that may have been recovered from the Hindenburg crash site; a book that may have belonged to President John Adams.

• Season 7 Episode 6: Amelia Earhart Plane; Fillmore Pardon; Boxcar Home

  Plane fragment may be a piece of Amelia Earhart's plane; presidential pardon signed by Millard Fillmore; home may have been constructed from a railroad boxcar.

• Season 7 Episode 5: Tokyo Rose Recording; Crazy Horse Photo; WWII Diary

  Recording may hold evidence used in the World War II treason trial of Iva Tugori; possible photo of Lakota warrior Crazy Horse.

• Season 7 Episode 4: Sideshow Babies; Lubin Photos; Navajo Rug

  Baby may have been exhibited in an incubator at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair; early movie mogul Siegmund Lubin; Navajo rug.

• Season 7 Episode 3: St. Valentine's Day Massacre; Booth Letter; Cemetery Alarm

  Shotgun may have belonged to one of Al Capone's men; letter indicates that John Wilkes Booth's father threatened to kill President Andrew Jackson.

• Season 7 Episode 2: Manhattan Project; Galleon Shipwreck; Creole Poems

  Invention may have been used to build the atomic bomb; a 23-pound block of beeswax; French manuscript could be love poems.

• Season 7 Episode 1: PsychoPhone; War Dog Letter; Pancho Villa Watch Fob

  Thomas Edison created the PsychoPhone to record messages from the afterlife; a World War II soldier's letter; watch fob commemorates murderous raid.

History Detectives: Season 6 (2008 - 2009)

• Season 6 Episode 11: Slave Songbook; Josh White Guitar; Birthplace of Hip Hop

  A book of 136 plantation songs could be the first book of black spirituals ever published; a Guild brand acoustic guitar may have belonged to Josh White.

• Season 6 Episode 10: Blueprint Special; Monroe Letter; Atocha Spanish Silver

  A veteran's unique acetate recording may be a forgotten piece of history; a framed letter allegedly written by future President James Monroe in 1807; silver from the Spanish ship Atocha.

• Season 6 Episode 9: Shipwreck Cannons; Connecticut Farmhouse; Kahlil Gibran Painting

  Cannons from the 1846 shipwreck of the USS Shark; Jewish immigrants sheltered at a Connecticut farmhouse; painting possibly by poet Kahlil Gibran.

• Season 6 Episode 8: John Adams Book; Sioux Spoon; NC-4 First Across the Atlantic

  Book containing transcripts of sedition trials may have belonged to President John Adams; spoon commemorating Sioux hangings of 1862.

• Season 6 Episode 7: Black Tom Shell; USS Olympia Glass; Front Street Blockhouse

  A large intact artillery shell may have been involved in a 1916 attack in New York's harbor; etched glass window depicts the USS Olympia.

• Season 6 Episode 6: GAR Photograph; Bill Pickett Saddle; Hitler Films

  A Civil War-era photo depicts 20 white men in uniform standing with two black men; a saddle with the name Bill Pickett burned into it.

  Next on: Tomorrow at 6:00pm EST - WMPTDT2 (WMPT-DT2) (PBS)
• Season 6 Episode 5: Hindenberg Artifact; Bonus Army Stamp; Dempsey Fight Bell

  An instrument panel may have belonged to the Hindenberg; a stamp may be linked to the Bonus Army veterans; boxing bell.

• Season 6 Episode 4: China Marine Jacket; Airstream Caravan; Lincoln Forgery

  An embroidered jacket may have belonged to a member of the China Marines; Airstream trailer may have been a member of the Wally Byam Caravan Club.

  Next on: Tomorrow at 6:00pm EST - PBS HD
• Season 6 Episode 3: Japanese Balloon Bomb; Society Circus Program; Camp David Letter

  Scrap could be evidence of the Japanese balloon bomb; Cobina Wright's Society Circus; memorabilia reveals the beginning of Camp David.

• Season 6 Episode 2: Red Hand Flag; Seth Eastman Painting; Isleton Tong

  A flag that may have been carried into battle by a black infantry regiment during World War I; painting may have been done by military officer Seth Eastman.

• Season 6 Episode 1: WWII Diary; 1856 Mormon Tale; Annie Oakley Coin

  A diary written by a World War II pilot; an 1856 book about a woman married to a Mormon elder when polygamy was openly practiced; coin shot by Annie Oakley.

History Detectives: Season 5 (2007)

• Season 5 Episode 10: USS Thresher; Pete Gray Cartoon; Manhattan Project Letter

  Technical drawings and engineering documents may be from a nuclear submarine; a comic strip features ballplayer Pete Gray; a letter about the Manhattan Project.

• Season 5 Episode 9: Bill Pickett Saddle; McKinley Casket Flag; Hitler Films

  A saddle with rodeo performer Bill Pickett's name burned into it; a flag that may have been on President William McKinley's casket; home movies of Nazi officials.

• Season 5 Episode 8: Lincoln Letter; Quaker Map; U.S.S. Indianapolis

  A letter may have been signed by Abraham Lincoln; a hand-drawn map may show the underground railroad; items may be from the attack on the USS Indianapolis.

• Season 5 Episode 7: Red Cloud Letter; '32 Ford Roadster; Cast Iron Eagle

  A letter from the sculptor of Mount Rushmore to a Lakota leader; a 1932 Ford roadster that may have been used for dry-lake racing.

• Season 5 Episode 6: NC-4: First Across the Atlantic; Howard Hughes Crash; Professor Lowe's Hot Air Balloon

  Canvaslike fabric may come from an NC-4; a 1940s altimeter may come from the XF-11 that Howard Hughes crashed in 1946; frayed material may be from the hot-air balloon Enterprise.

• Season 5 Episode 5: Great Mexican War Posters; Nora Holt Autograph Book; Muhlenberg Robe

  Posters announcing the Mexican War; a book of autographs; a robe that may have belonged to clergyman Peter Muhlenberg.

• Season 5 Episode 4: Atocha Spanish Silver; Lucy Parsons Book; Ernie Pyle's Typewriter

  Decoding a strange mark on a bar of silver retrieved from the Atocha; a book that may have belonged to anarchist Lucy Parsons; a typewriter of World War II journalist Ernie Pyle.

• Season 5 Episode 3: GAR Photograph; Jefferson Pledge; Dempsey Fight Bell

  A pledge by Thomas Jefferson to build two elementary schools; bell that may be from Jack Dempsey's world heavyweight championship match.

• Season 5 Episode 2: Continental Currency; Short-Snorter; Liberty Bell Pin

  A six dollar bill dated Feb. 17, 1776; paper signed by every luminary on allied side of World War II; unassuming pin may be made of metal from Liberty Bell.

• Season 5 Episode 1: 3-D Cuban Missile Crisis; Amos 'n' Andy Record; Women's Suffrage Painting

  A 3-D photo helps President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis; a record may be an original copy of an 'Amos 'n' Andy' radio program.

  Next on: Thursday 7th January 11:00am EST - WMPTDT2 (WMPT-DT2) (PBS)

History Detectives: Season 4 (2006)

• Season 4 Episode 11: Superman Sketch; Lost Musical Treasure; Rebel Whiskey Flask

  Original artwork featuring Superman; metal masters used to press shellac records in the 1920s and '30s; a flask may be from the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion.

  Next on: Saturday 2nd January 9:00am EST - WMPTDT2 (WMPT-DT2) (PBS)
• Season 4 Episode 10: Lou Gehrig Autograph; Cleveland Electric Car; Philadelphia Freedom Paper

  A ticket that may contain Lou Gehrig's autograph; electric trolley cars; 'freedom paper.'

  Next on: Tomorrow at 9:00am EST - WMPTDT2 (WMPT-DT2) (PBS)
• Season 4 Episode 9: Grace Kelly Automobile; Illicit P.O.W. Photos; Mystery Motorcycle

  The original Sunbeam Alpine used in the film 'To Catch a Thief'; Civil War photography; a Harley-Davidson's early history.

  Next on: Monday 4th January 11:00am EST - WMPTDT2 (WMPT-DT2) (PBS)
• Season 4 Episode 8: Calf Creek Arrow; Doc Holliday's Watch; Black Star Line Stock Certificates

  Handmade hunting spear; Doc Holliday's watch; two Black Star Line stock certificates.

  Next on: Saturday 2nd January 11:00am EST - WMPTDT2 (WMPT-DT2) (PBS)
• Season 4 Episode 7: Survivor Camera; Alcoholics Anonymous Letter; Tallahassee Mystery Cross

  The antique camera of a Holocaust survivor; a letter reveals a man's grandfather was in Alcoholics Anonymous; cross found on a Spanish mission site.

  Next on: Friday 1st January 11:00am EST - WMPTDT2 (WMPT-DT2) (PBS)
• Season 4 Episode 6: Orphan Film Reel; Chinese Opium Scale; Hermann Goering's Shotgun

  A film may feature stuntman Eddie Polo; a scale used by Chinese immigrants to weigh opium; shotgun may have belonged to Hermann Goering.

  Next on: Thursday 31st December 5:00pm EST - WMPTDT2 (WMPT-DT2) (PBS)
• Season 4 Episode 5: U.S.S. Indianapolis; Highlander Badge; Spirit of St. Louis

  Artifacts may date back to a kamikaze attack on the USS Indianapolis; badge with Latin inscriptions; 1927 letter from Wright Aeronautical Corp.

  Next on: Wednesday 30th December 5:00pm EST - WMPTDT2 (WMPT-DT2) (PBS)
• Season 4 Episode 4: Alternative Service Certificates; Carolina Mystery Books; Mickey Mouse's Origin

  Certificates dated 1943 may have been one person's attempt to avoid serving in World War II; books that may have belonged to John C. Calhoun.

  Next on: Tuesday 29th December 5:00pm EST - WMPTDT2 (WMPT-DT2) (PBS)
• Season 4 Episode 3: Vicksburg Map; Coca-Cola Trade Card; Lawrence Strike

  A map may be connected to the Civil War siege of Vicksburg, Miss.; a card dated 1886 advertising Coca-Cola; billy club dated 1912.

  Next on: Monday 28th December 5:00pm EST - WMPTDT2 (WMPT-DT2) (PBS)
• Season 4 Episode 2: Wartime Baseball; Confederate Eyeglass; Howard Hughes' Invention

  A baseball autographed by Dizzy Dean; a tiny brass eyeglass reveals an image of Confederate President Jefferson Davis; twin-cone roller rock bit.

• Season 4 Episode 1: The Chisholm Trail; Harry Houdini Poster; McKinley Casket Flag

  A walk on the Chisholm Trail; old posters for a Harry Houdini magic show; a flag that may have draped over the casket of President William McKinley.

History Detectives: Season 3 (2005)

• Season 3 Episode 11: Home for Unwed Mothers; Long Expedition Encampment; Evelyn Nesbit Portrait

  A woman searches for her birth parents; scientific exploration in the American West; portrait may have been done by Howard Chandler Christy.

• Season 3 Episode 10: Leisureama Homes; Jim Thorpe Tickets; 1667 Land Grant

  Search for the missing 'Splitnick' homes; whether Jim Thorpe had a career in basketball; land grant.

• Season 3 Episode 9: Coney Island Lion; Legacy of a Doll; Ballet Shoes

  Zinc lion's claws could be from the Steeplechase Park in Coney Island; antique Greiner doll may have belonged to a former slave.

• Season 3 Episode 8: Hermann Goering's Shotgun; Calf Creek Arrow; The Edison House

  A shotgun may have belonged to German Luftwaffe officer Hermann Goering; handmade arrowhead; a house may have been designed and built by Thomas Edison.

• Season 3 Episode 7: Doc Holliday's Watch; Civil War Female Soldiers; Japanese Internment Camp Artwork

  A watch may have belonged to Doc Holliday; a Civil War photograph may be that of a female soldier.

• Season 3 Episode 6: Secrets of the Tape; Mountain Mail Bag; Banned Birth Control Box

  A possible 19th-century birth control device; leather satchel; the first commercially produced automobile tape-player.

• Season 3 Episode 5: Portrait of George Washington; Revolutionary War Poem; Revolutionary War Cannon

  Portrait of George Washington; Revolutionary War poem found hidden in an antique trunk; old cannon.

• Season 3 Episode 4: Cherokee Bible; Slave Banjo; United Empire Loyalists

  A bible which may contain Cherokee writing; slave banjo; family link to the United Empire Loyalists.

• Season 3 Episode 3: Arthur Szyk's Earliest Cartoons; Professor Lowe's Hot Air Balloon; Chemical Warfare Map

  Drawings that may be the early work of political cartoonist Arthur Szyk; possible piece of Professor Lowe's balloon 'Enterprise.'

• Season 3 Episode 2: Black Star Line Certificates; Mickey Mouse's Origin; Pro-Nazi Newspaper in Texas

  Black Star Line stock certificates; small mouse figurine; a World War II pro-Nazi newspaper found in Texas.

• Season 3 Episode 1: The Spirit of St. Louis; Gary Powers' Suicide Pin; Image of Apache Warrior Geronimo

  Two men believe their uncle built the engine for the Spirit of St. Louis; possible prototype for Gary Powers' poison-filled pin.

History Detectives: Season 2 (2004)

• Season 2 Episode 12: Body in the Basement; Newport U-Boat; Shippen Golf Club

  Human skeleton in basement; propellers that may have been on a U-boat; golf club.

• Season 2 Episode 11: Charlie Parker Saxophone; Prison Plaque; Koranic School Book

  Saxophone may have belonged to Charlie Parker; prison plaque; schoolbook contains passages from the Koran.

• Season 2 Episode 10: Pretty Boy Floyd Handgun; Paul Cuffee Muster Roll; Pop Lloyd

  Handgun may have belonged to Pretty Boy Floyd; muster roll; baseball field.

• Season 2 Episode 9: Lost Gold Ship; John Hunt Morgan Saddle; Cesar Chavez Banner

  Shipwreck in Alaska; possible Civil War saddle; banner may be linked to civil-rights march.

• Season 2 Episode 8: Bonnie & Clyde; Revolutionary War Poem; Portrait

  Deaths of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow; Revolutionary War poem; possible portrait of George Washington.

• Season 2 Episode 7: Ventriloquist Dummy; Witch's House; Poems

  Ventriloquist's dummy; woman accused of witchcraft; detained Chinese immigrants write poems.

• Season 2 Episode 6: Preston Brook's Riding Crop; Home of Lincoln Assassination Plot

  Riding crop; assassination plot against President Abraham Lincoln; cannon.

• Season 2 Episode 5: Dueling Pistols; Evelyn Nesbit Portrait; Little Bighorn Bayonet

  A San Francisco banker has questions about dueling pistols; a portrait of a woman may link to a 1906 crime; an Old West cavalry bayonet turns up in a New Jersey attic.

• Season 2 Episode 4: The First Movie Studio; UFA Light; King Kong Camera

  Lincoln Heights, Calif., and the beginning of the movie industry; a lighter has 'Harry Warner' on one side and 'Ufatone' on the other; a movie camera may be one of those used to film the original 'King Kong.'

• Season 2 Episode 3: LCT103/WW2 Land Craft; The Abolitionist Flag; Mail Order Brides

  A Bayfield, Wis., dredger may be a D-Day landing craft; abolitionist flag; 19th-century photo advertisements for mail-order brides.

• Season 2 Episode 2: Monopoly; Japanese Internment Camp Artwork; The Lewis and Clark Cane

  A Delaware man wants his board game investigated; postcard-size watercolors are painted on the back of a notice of an internment camp; the descendant of a fur trader shows a cane he thinks came from the Lewis and Clark expedition.

• Season 2 Episode 1: Civil War-Era Submarine; Red Cloud's Pipe; The Edison House

  New Orlean's French Quarter has a Civil War submarine, salvaged from a lake; an official's descendant believes she has Chief Red Cloud's pipe; the architecture of Thomas Edison's home reveals technological innovations.

History Detectives: Season 1 (2003)

• Season 1 Episode 10: The Love Dish; Rebel Gun; Prison Plaque

  An 18th-century set of china; flintlock rifle; plaque found at the abandoned Eastern State Penitentiary.

• Season 1 Episode 9: Sheridan's House; Mark Twain Watch; Prisoner Poem

  Civil War Gen. Philip Sheridan's home; Mark Twain's watch; Revolutionary War poem.

• Season 1 Episode 8: Ventriloquist Dummy; Home of Lincoln Assassination Plot; 34 Star Flag

  Ventriloquist John Cooper's dummy; New York home may be the site of the Lincoln assassination plot; 34-star flag from a Staten Island boarding house.

• Season 1 Episode 7: The Depot That Made Dallas; Mexican Peso; Pirate Spyglass

  Railroad station in the middle of Dallas; Mexican currency; Jean Lafitte's spyglass.

• Season 1 Episode 6: John Brown's Letters: Sacramento, California; Japanese House: Gilroy, California; Poems: San Francisco, California

  Descendant of abolitionist John Brown; Japanese tea house; poems carved in the walls of the Angel Island detention center.

• Season 1 Episode 5: Lee's Last Orders: Beech Island, South Carolina; Natchez House: Natchez, Mississippi; Napoleonic Sword: St. Martinville, Louisiana

  Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's farewell address; home overlooking the Mississippi River; Napoleon's sword.

• Season 1 Episode 4: Portrait of George Washington: Frederick, Maryland; Patty Cannon: Federalsburg, Maryland; Trumpet: Bucks County, Pennsylvania

  Potential painting of George Washington; home of slave trader Patty Cannon; trumpet from the Revolutionary War.

• Season 1 Episode 3: Charles W. Morgan Whaling Ship: Mystic, Connecticut; Witch's House: Essex County, Massachusetts; Jigsaw Puzzle: Worcester, Massachusetts

  Whaling ship's connection to the underground railroad; accused witch Martha Carrier's house; 1909 puzzle depicts women playing a contact sport.

• Season 1 Episode 2: Bonnie & Clyde: Brodhead, Wisconsin; Al Ringling Theater: Baraboo, Wisconsin; Sears Home: Akron, Ohio

  Bullets that possibly killed Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow; Al Ringling Theater; Sears, Roebuck and Co. house.

• Season 1 Episode 1: Fire Station: Morristown, New Jersey; Face Artifact: Mantoloking, New Jersey; Pop Lloyd's Baseball Field: Altlantic City, New Jersey

  President Ulysses S. Grant's visit to a Morristown, N.J. firehouse; stone with an etched face; baseball field named for black ballplayer John Henry Lloyd.