1 00:00:01,917 --> 00:00:05,292 NARRATOR: An ancient battle fought with nuclear weapons. 2 00:00:06,250 --> 00:00:09,250 A deadly virus of otherworldly origins. 3 00:00:10,458 --> 00:00:13,125 And biblical plagues that some believe 4 00:00:13,208 --> 00:00:17,042 were caused by extraterrestrial technology. 5 00:00:17,208 --> 00:00:20,083 Throughout history, devastating disasters 6 00:00:20,208 --> 00:00:23,917 have been associated with celestial beings 7 00:00:24,083 --> 00:00:26,917 and mysterious objects in the sky. 8 00:00:27,083 --> 00:00:30,542 Now, Ancient Aliens is taking a look back 9 00:00:30,667 --> 00:00:34,625 at ten of the biggest disasters we've investigated. 10 00:00:34,792 --> 00:00:38,167 Disasters that add to the growing body of evidence 11 00:00:38,375 --> 00:00:40,958 that Earth has been visited... 12 00:00:41,125 --> 00:00:43,667 by extraterrestrials. 13 00:00:51,958 --> 00:00:54,333 Disasters and devastating events 14 00:00:54,542 --> 00:00:57,958 are unavoidable facts of life on planet Earth. 15 00:00:58,042 --> 00:00:59,250 But what's interesting 16 00:00:59,458 --> 00:01:01,833 to ancient astronaut theorists like me 17 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:03,875 is that every once in a while, 18 00:01:04,042 --> 00:01:06,167 we find evidence that a catastrophe 19 00:01:06,333 --> 00:01:09,875 might be linked to an extraterrestrial presence. 20 00:01:10,042 --> 00:01:12,333 Like when mysterious flying craft 21 00:01:12,542 --> 00:01:14,750 were reported hovering over the site 22 00:01:14,917 --> 00:01:16,958 of a recent deadly incident. 23 00:01:17,167 --> 00:01:19,833 Number ten on our countdown 24 00:01:20,042 --> 00:01:25,292 of the top ten alien disasters: The Fukushima Nuclear Accident. 25 00:01:29,042 --> 00:01:34,000 NARRATOR: March 11, 2011. Tohoku, Japan. 26 00:01:34,125 --> 00:01:36,125 (screaming) 27 00:01:36,292 --> 00:01:40,125 At 2:46 p.m., a massive earthquake 28 00:01:40,292 --> 00:01:43,333 shakes the region for nearly six minutes. 29 00:01:43,542 --> 00:01:48,333 The energy released registers 9.0 on the Richter scale, 30 00:01:48,500 --> 00:01:50,708 making it the most powerful earthquake 31 00:01:50,833 --> 00:01:53,042 ever recorded in Japan. 32 00:01:53,208 --> 00:01:56,208 The violent tremors destroy buildings, 33 00:01:56,375 --> 00:02:00,417 set fires, and kill thousands of people. 34 00:02:02,667 --> 00:02:06,083 It also triggers a catastrophic tsunami. 35 00:02:06,250 --> 00:02:10,292 In a matter of minutes, 130-foot-tall waves 36 00:02:10,375 --> 00:02:15,500 slam into the coast and travel more than six miles inland. 37 00:02:16,625 --> 00:02:18,167 But the greatest impact 38 00:02:18,333 --> 00:02:21,583 would be to a nearby nuclear power plant. 39 00:02:22,708 --> 00:02:25,667 One wave in particular struck the Fukushima-Daiichi 40 00:02:25,875 --> 00:02:27,000 power-generating plant, 41 00:02:27,208 --> 00:02:29,333 and overwhelmed the safety systems, 42 00:02:29,542 --> 00:02:33,667 which caused the plant to enter a critical phase 43 00:02:33,833 --> 00:02:35,250 and release radioactive material 44 00:02:35,417 --> 00:02:37,375 into the atmosphere and into the water. 45 00:02:39,042 --> 00:02:40,542 NARRATOR: In a matter of hours, 46 00:02:40,667 --> 00:02:42,125 rescue teams arrive 47 00:02:42,292 --> 00:02:44,833 to prevent the plant's reactors from melting down. 48 00:02:45,042 --> 00:02:47,917 As the situation worsens, 49 00:02:48,083 --> 00:02:50,375 authorities evacuate the region. 50 00:02:52,042 --> 00:02:53,833 The only people who remain 51 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:55,625 are employees who struggle for days 52 00:02:55,792 --> 00:02:59,250 to prevent a larger catastrophe from occurring. 53 00:02:59,375 --> 00:03:03,208 But according to eyewitnesses on the scene, 54 00:03:03,375 --> 00:03:06,250 these workers were not alone. 55 00:03:07,167 --> 00:03:08,958 There were UFO sightings 56 00:03:09,083 --> 00:03:11,333 reported in some significant numbers 57 00:03:11,542 --> 00:03:14,250 in that area in the weeks and the days 58 00:03:14,375 --> 00:03:16,625 leading up to the earthquake and tsunami. 59 00:03:16,792 --> 00:03:19,750 And there were a number of UFO sightings 60 00:03:19,917 --> 00:03:23,667 reported in the immediate area, uh, directly afterward. 61 00:03:23,875 --> 00:03:27,042 DAVID CHILDRESS: At that time, it seemed that there was going to be 62 00:03:27,208 --> 00:03:29,542 this huge nuclear disaster 63 00:03:29,708 --> 00:03:32,000 that would devastate all of Japan 64 00:03:32,167 --> 00:03:33,583 and the western hemisphere. 65 00:03:35,125 --> 00:03:38,500 Is it possible that extraterrestrials 66 00:03:38,708 --> 00:03:43,917 did something to lessen the impact of this disaster? 67 00:03:44,083 --> 00:03:46,917 It would seem that this nuclear meltdown 68 00:03:47,083 --> 00:03:49,500 could have been much, much worse. 69 00:03:49,667 --> 00:03:51,667 WILLIAM HENRY: This suggests the possibility 70 00:03:51,792 --> 00:03:54,000 that extraterrestrials were involved 71 00:03:54,167 --> 00:03:57,583 in stabilizing that situation. 72 00:03:57,708 --> 00:04:01,125 Because had that Fukushima plant melted down, 73 00:04:01,333 --> 00:04:05,250 it would have made a large swath of Asia uninhabitable 74 00:04:05,375 --> 00:04:07,333 for a very long time. 75 00:04:07,500 --> 00:04:10,167 If extraterrestrials really were there 76 00:04:10,375 --> 00:04:12,500 at the Fukushima disaster, 77 00:04:12,667 --> 00:04:15,292 they must have been there on a rescue mission. 78 00:04:15,417 --> 00:04:19,292 They were there to avert a larger catastrophe. 79 00:04:21,667 --> 00:04:25,458 The notion that UFOs had a hand in protecting us 80 00:04:25,667 --> 00:04:30,417 from the Fukushima disaster is a truly wild idea. 81 00:04:30,583 --> 00:04:33,667 But what makes it even more incredible is the fact 82 00:04:33,875 --> 00:04:35,917 that UFOs were also seen 83 00:04:36,083 --> 00:04:38,375 during another nuclear meltdown. 84 00:04:38,542 --> 00:04:40,667 And this time, they were observed 85 00:04:40,833 --> 00:04:44,292 alongside a mysterious winged creature 86 00:04:44,417 --> 00:04:46,583 who had glowing red eyes. 87 00:04:46,708 --> 00:04:52,500 Number nine on our countdown: The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. 88 00:04:56,542 --> 00:05:00,750 NARRATOR: Pripyat, Ukraine. 1986. 89 00:05:02,708 --> 00:05:05,667 This small city is the home of Chernobyl, 90 00:05:05,833 --> 00:05:09,083 one of the world's most advanced nuclear power plants. 91 00:05:09,250 --> 00:05:14,833 But on April 26, just after 1:00 a.m., disaster strikes. 92 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:16,083 (alarm ringing) 93 00:05:16,250 --> 00:05:17,875 During a routine safety test, 94 00:05:18,042 --> 00:05:22,500 reactor number 4 suffers a catastrophic meltdown. 95 00:05:25,042 --> 00:05:28,167 PITTMAN: Literally tons of radioactive material 96 00:05:28,333 --> 00:05:30,250 was released in the atmosphere 97 00:05:30,417 --> 00:05:33,250 after a series of thermal explosions 98 00:05:33,375 --> 00:05:36,583 and a devastating fire. 99 00:05:36,750 --> 00:05:38,917 More than 30 people were killed very quickly 100 00:05:39,083 --> 00:05:41,083 as a direct result of the disaster. 101 00:05:41,250 --> 00:05:44,042 Thousands more have died or will die 102 00:05:44,208 --> 00:05:46,958 due to radiation-related cancers. 103 00:05:48,042 --> 00:05:51,125 The absolute catastrophe at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant 104 00:05:51,292 --> 00:05:54,375 was the worst nuclear disaster in the history of humanity. 105 00:05:56,542 --> 00:05:58,500 NARRATOR: According to official reports, 106 00:05:58,667 --> 00:06:01,417 the nuclear meltdown was caused by a combination 107 00:06:01,542 --> 00:06:04,583 of human error and mechanical failures. 108 00:06:04,708 --> 00:06:08,333 But some former residents of Pripyat 109 00:06:08,542 --> 00:06:11,417 believe the disaster had an otherworldly connection. 110 00:06:11,542 --> 00:06:13,500 CHILDRESS: A number of witnesses reported 111 00:06:13,667 --> 00:06:17,458 that there were UFOs hovering around the power station. 112 00:06:19,583 --> 00:06:21,625 And that even beams of light were coming down 113 00:06:21,833 --> 00:06:25,167 from these UFOs and doing something 114 00:06:25,292 --> 00:06:27,750 to the nuclear power plants. 115 00:06:29,125 --> 00:06:32,292 NARRATOR: But UFOs were not the only strange phenomenon 116 00:06:32,500 --> 00:06:34,583 seen in the area. 117 00:06:34,750 --> 00:06:37,667 Residents also reported a large, black creature 118 00:06:37,792 --> 00:06:40,042 flying near the nuclear reactor. 119 00:06:40,208 --> 00:06:45,042 It has become known as the Blackbird of Chernobyl. 120 00:06:46,625 --> 00:06:48,958 Some of the workers at Chernobyl in the days 121 00:06:49,167 --> 00:06:53,958 immediately preceding the explosion and following 122 00:06:54,167 --> 00:06:56,542 reported seeing this mysterious, 123 00:06:56,708 --> 00:06:59,333 bat-like, winged creature 124 00:06:59,500 --> 00:07:02,125 with blazing red eyes. 125 00:07:04,292 --> 00:07:09,500 It was regarded as this otherworldly, monstrous figure 126 00:07:09,708 --> 00:07:11,917 that struck them with terror. 127 00:07:14,125 --> 00:07:17,000 NARRATOR: Is it possible that the Blackbird of Chernobyl 128 00:07:17,208 --> 00:07:19,000 was an extraterrestrial being? 129 00:07:19,167 --> 00:07:21,000 And if so, 130 00:07:21,167 --> 00:07:24,417 what was it doing at the site of this disaster? 131 00:07:24,583 --> 00:07:26,833 Some suggest that this entity 132 00:07:27,042 --> 00:07:29,625 was not attempting to create devastation, 133 00:07:29,792 --> 00:07:32,833 but, rather, to prevent it. 134 00:07:33,833 --> 00:07:35,917 PITTMAN: Now, the explosions at Chernobyl, 135 00:07:36,125 --> 00:07:37,500 those were thermal explosions. 136 00:07:37,667 --> 00:07:40,167 They weren't nuclear explosions. 137 00:07:40,375 --> 00:07:42,583 The thermal explosions were devastating. 138 00:07:42,750 --> 00:07:45,958 However, had it been a nuclear explosion, 139 00:07:46,083 --> 00:07:50,333 what we now look at as, uh, former Soviet Union 140 00:07:50,542 --> 00:07:53,125 a-and much of Europe wouldn't be on a map anymore. 141 00:07:53,250 --> 00:07:57,042 And some have speculated that the UFOs 142 00:07:57,208 --> 00:07:59,833 that were seen during the crisis, 143 00:08:00,042 --> 00:08:03,833 after the crisis, may have been, perhaps, protecting us. 144 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:08,708 Trying to stave off a horrifying nuclear explosion. 145 00:08:10,583 --> 00:08:13,875 The Blackbird of Chernobyl provides compelling evidence 146 00:08:14,083 --> 00:08:17,458 that extraterrestrials may be observing us 147 00:08:17,625 --> 00:08:19,750 during devastating events. 148 00:08:19,958 --> 00:08:22,625 And an even more extraordinary example 149 00:08:22,792 --> 00:08:25,500 occurred on the opposite side of the globe 150 00:08:25,708 --> 00:08:28,167 where witnesses reported the presence 151 00:08:28,292 --> 00:08:30,583 of a mysterious flying creature 152 00:08:30,792 --> 00:08:32,833 during a disaster in West Virginia. 153 00:08:33,042 --> 00:08:37,667 Number eight on our countdown: The Silver Bridge Collapse. 154 00:08:39,875 --> 00:08:41,958 NARRATOR: Point Pleasant, West Virginia. 155 00:08:42,125 --> 00:08:45,875 December 15, 1967. 156 00:08:46,042 --> 00:08:47,833 At 5:00 p.m., 157 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:50,875 during bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic, 158 00:08:51,042 --> 00:08:54,792 the historic Silver Bridge suddenly collapses 159 00:08:54,958 --> 00:08:57,875 into the freezing-cold Ohio River. 160 00:08:59,583 --> 00:09:01,625 It was the worst bridge disaster in U.S. history. 161 00:09:01,792 --> 00:09:03,917 Uh, 46 people died. 162 00:09:05,167 --> 00:09:06,500 Everybody here in Point Pleasant 163 00:09:06,667 --> 00:09:09,083 knew somebody on the bridge or had a relative, 164 00:09:09,250 --> 00:09:11,083 you know, that was on the bridge, 165 00:09:11,250 --> 00:09:14,000 and it changed the town of Point Pleasant forever. 166 00:09:14,167 --> 00:09:18,125 NARRATOR: Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board 167 00:09:18,292 --> 00:09:22,000 concluded that the bridge failed due to a structural flaw 168 00:09:22,167 --> 00:09:26,208 that had been present since it was built in 1928. 169 00:09:26,417 --> 00:09:29,375 But some witnesses believe 170 00:09:29,542 --> 00:09:32,583 there was an otherworldly connection. 171 00:09:32,750 --> 00:09:33,958 WAMSLEY: There were people that claimed to have seen 172 00:09:34,167 --> 00:09:37,542 a large, winged creature, six to seven foot tall, 173 00:09:37,667 --> 00:09:40,208 gray in color and two large red eyes 174 00:09:40,375 --> 00:09:41,667 flying back and forth, you know, 175 00:09:41,875 --> 00:09:44,208 across the river before the bridge fell. 176 00:09:45,667 --> 00:09:47,375 NARRATOR: For residents of Point Pleasant, 177 00:09:47,542 --> 00:09:50,750 the description is instantly recognizable. 178 00:09:50,917 --> 00:09:54,792 The creature had been terrifying residents for months. 179 00:09:54,958 --> 00:09:57,958 It's known as the Mothman. 180 00:09:58,083 --> 00:10:03,042 CHILDRESS: From late 1966 to December 1967, 181 00:10:03,208 --> 00:10:07,083 were what was called the Mothman encounters. 182 00:10:07,250 --> 00:10:12,750 And the Mothman was a strange flying humanoid 183 00:10:12,875 --> 00:10:16,250 that had these red, burning eyes. 184 00:10:17,208 --> 00:10:20,000 Some people felt that, you know, since the bridge fell 185 00:10:20,167 --> 00:10:23,167 right when the Mothman sightings were taking place 186 00:10:23,292 --> 00:10:25,417 that there may have been some kind of a connection, 187 00:10:25,542 --> 00:10:29,000 a harbinger of doom or whatever. 188 00:10:29,167 --> 00:10:32,292 So, what is the connection here between Mothman, 189 00:10:32,458 --> 00:10:35,875 UFOs and the Silver Bridge? 190 00:10:36,042 --> 00:10:38,667 The strange thing is that after the collapse, 191 00:10:38,792 --> 00:10:40,333 Mothman disappeared. 192 00:10:40,458 --> 00:10:42,250 There were no further sightings. 193 00:10:46,875 --> 00:10:48,125 , 194 00:10:48,292 --> 00:10:51,333 the most devastating disasters to hit this planet 195 00:10:51,542 --> 00:10:54,167 happened long before the time of humans. 196 00:10:54,375 --> 00:10:57,833 For example, every grade school student is taught 197 00:10:58,042 --> 00:11:00,958 about the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. 198 00:11:01,167 --> 00:11:03,833 However, for ancient astronaut theorists, 199 00:11:04,042 --> 00:11:07,958 it's possible that this was not a natural disaster, 200 00:11:08,125 --> 00:11:11,625 but one orchestrated by extraterrestrials. 201 00:11:11,792 --> 00:11:14,583 Number seven on our countdown 202 00:11:14,750 --> 00:11:18,917 of the top ten alien disasters: The Dinosaur Extinction. 203 00:11:22,333 --> 00:11:25,167 NARRATOR: The Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. 204 00:11:25,333 --> 00:11:29,833 Here, just off the north coast of this tropical paradise, 205 00:11:30,042 --> 00:11:32,833 lies the enormous Chicxulub crater. 206 00:11:33,042 --> 00:11:36,292 It is a remnant of a cataclysmic event 207 00:11:36,500 --> 00:11:38,833 that forever changed our planet. 208 00:11:40,083 --> 00:11:44,917 MARK WILSON: The Chicxulub crater is the largest impact crater on Earth. 209 00:11:46,042 --> 00:11:48,708 This crater is 180 kilometers in diameter. 210 00:11:48,875 --> 00:11:51,833 It's absolutely ginormous. 211 00:11:52,042 --> 00:11:53,792 And it represents an event that occurred 212 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:55,708 at the end of the Cretaceous period 213 00:11:55,875 --> 00:12:00,167 that took out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. 214 00:12:00,292 --> 00:12:02,458 KAKU: We think that the dinosaurs were wiped out 215 00:12:02,625 --> 00:12:05,583 perhaps within a period of one year. 216 00:12:05,792 --> 00:12:08,792 With all the debris being shot into the space, 217 00:12:08,958 --> 00:12:11,125 it blanketed the sunlight. 218 00:12:11,292 --> 00:12:13,708 Temperatures plunged as a consequence. 219 00:12:13,875 --> 00:12:16,000 Therefore, vegetation died. 220 00:12:16,208 --> 00:12:20,375 With the dying of vegetation, the plant eaters died. 221 00:12:20,542 --> 00:12:21,958 And when the plant eaters died, 222 00:12:22,083 --> 00:12:24,792 then the meat eaters would also die as a consequence. 223 00:12:24,958 --> 00:12:27,542 And so the whole food chain collapsed 224 00:12:27,708 --> 00:12:30,542 as a consequence of just one year's worth 225 00:12:30,667 --> 00:12:32,833 of cataclysmic weather change. 226 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,875 NARRATOR: According to mainstream scientists, 227 00:12:38,042 --> 00:12:39,667 the meteor impact didn't just draw 228 00:12:39,875 --> 00:12:42,250 the age of the dinosaurs to a close, 229 00:12:42,375 --> 00:12:46,583 but it marked a new dawn for life on Earth. 230 00:12:46,792 --> 00:12:50,167 COLLINS: The blast that killed the dinosaurs 231 00:12:50,375 --> 00:12:54,750 allowed mammals to thrive. 232 00:12:55,667 --> 00:12:57,833 If the dinosaurs had been left 233 00:12:57,917 --> 00:13:00,333 and remained on this earth, 234 00:13:00,542 --> 00:13:02,833 we wouldn't be here now. 235 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:05,792 So, our very existence 236 00:13:05,958 --> 00:13:08,958 has come about through impact events. 237 00:13:10,917 --> 00:13:13,042 NARRATOR: The chance of Earth being hit by an asteroid 238 00:13:13,208 --> 00:13:15,583 like the one that killed the dinosaurs 239 00:13:15,750 --> 00:13:17,458 is extremely remote. 240 00:13:17,625 --> 00:13:20,292 And for ancient astronaut theorists, 241 00:13:20,417 --> 00:13:23,833 this raises an interesting possibility. 242 00:13:24,042 --> 00:13:26,458 Was the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs 243 00:13:26,625 --> 00:13:28,875 simply the result of chance, 244 00:13:29,042 --> 00:13:31,917 an intergalactic accident, 245 00:13:32,042 --> 00:13:36,042 or might it have been a planned event? 246 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:42,167 TSOUKALOS: In September 2022, we shot up a probe 247 00:13:42,375 --> 00:13:47,333 towards an asteroid, crashed it into it, 248 00:13:47,500 --> 00:13:48,000 in order to move the trajectory of the asteroid. 249 00:13:48,917 --> 00:13:51,458 in order to move the trajectory of the asteroid. 250 00:13:52,875 --> 00:13:55,958 If we can now direct an asteroid, 251 00:13:56,125 --> 00:13:58,042 then it's certainly possible 252 00:13:58,208 --> 00:14:00,833 that highly advanced extraterrestrials 253 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:02,750 could have had the technology 254 00:14:02,958 --> 00:14:05,917 to direct an asteroid towards Earth. 255 00:14:09,875 --> 00:14:13,667 NARRATOR: Were the dinosaurs killed off by a cosmic "natural event," 256 00:14:13,875 --> 00:14:16,167 as mainstream scientists believe? 257 00:14:16,292 --> 00:14:20,833 Or might the dinosaurs have been the target of extermination? 258 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:24,083 And if so, for what purpose? 259 00:14:24,292 --> 00:14:27,125 Some ancient astronaut theorists believe 260 00:14:27,333 --> 00:14:30,000 that extraterrestrials may have wanted to clear a path 261 00:14:30,208 --> 00:14:32,833 for the development of humanity. 262 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,917 Maybe it was made on purpose by extraterrestrials, 263 00:14:38,125 --> 00:14:41,667 simply because if the dinosaurs would have survived, 264 00:14:41,833 --> 00:14:46,083 they would have overtaken the planet Earth. 265 00:14:46,208 --> 00:14:49,333 According to mythology, which is worldwide, 266 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:52,125 the gods created man according to their image. 267 00:14:52,292 --> 00:14:54,792 It was in the extraterrestrials' plan 268 00:14:54,958 --> 00:14:57,833 to create something like themselves, 269 00:14:57,958 --> 00:14:59,958 human-like being. 270 00:15:01,125 --> 00:15:03,833 So, the dinosaurs were not helpful in this game. 271 00:15:03,917 --> 00:15:06,333 (roaring) 272 00:15:06,500 --> 00:15:10,750 The possibility that aliens sent an asteroid to Earth 273 00:15:10,917 --> 00:15:14,167 millions of years ago is truly mind-blowing. 274 00:15:14,375 --> 00:15:17,417 But even more incredible is that in Siberia, 275 00:15:17,542 --> 00:15:21,417 the locals claim there is otherworldly technology 276 00:15:21,542 --> 00:15:23,375 embedded in the Earth, 277 00:15:23,542 --> 00:15:25,000 which actually protects us 278 00:15:25,208 --> 00:15:27,125 from the kind of impact events 279 00:15:27,250 --> 00:15:29,500 that wiped out the dinosaurs. 280 00:15:29,708 --> 00:15:31,625 And they say there is evidence 281 00:15:31,833 --> 00:15:34,167 that it destroyed an enormous meteor 282 00:15:34,375 --> 00:15:38,333 hurtling towards our planet as recently as the 20th century. 283 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,958 Number six on our list: The Tunguska Explosion. 284 00:15:46,750 --> 00:15:48,708 NARRATOR: The taiga forest, Siberia, 285 00:15:48,875 --> 00:15:51,958 1908. 286 00:15:52,125 --> 00:15:55,250 On June 30, a fireball was seen streaking 287 00:15:55,417 --> 00:15:58,333 across the sky over the Tunguska river. 288 00:15:58,458 --> 00:16:01,333 Moments later, there was a massive explosion. 289 00:16:03,458 --> 00:16:06,500 The blast flattened more than 80 million trees 290 00:16:06,708 --> 00:16:09,375 across 800 square miles of forest. 291 00:16:10,917 --> 00:16:14,417 Whatever happened over the taiga that day, 292 00:16:14,583 --> 00:16:18,833 it had the power of the most powerful nuclear bombs. 293 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,083 It was one of the greatest disasters 294 00:16:21,250 --> 00:16:23,333 of the 20th century. 295 00:16:25,125 --> 00:16:27,375 But it was in such a faraway part of the world 296 00:16:27,542 --> 00:16:29,667 that nobody really knew what was going on. 297 00:16:31,750 --> 00:16:33,208 CHILDRESS: Soviet scientists 298 00:16:33,375 --> 00:16:37,000 took several years to actually reach the crash site, 299 00:16:37,125 --> 00:16:39,875 and look for what they thought was a meteorite 300 00:16:40,042 --> 00:16:43,625 that had come down and exploded in Siberia. 301 00:16:43,750 --> 00:16:47,875 But they could not find a crater for this asteroid. 302 00:16:48,042 --> 00:16:51,417 NARRATOR: If the devastating Tunguska explosion 303 00:16:51,583 --> 00:16:55,667 wasn't created by a meteorite impact, what caused it? 304 00:16:55,875 --> 00:16:57,708 Researcher Ivan Mackerle 305 00:16:57,875 --> 00:17:00,833 has spent decades studying the mythology 306 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,333 of the region's native Yakut people. 307 00:17:03,542 --> 00:17:06,792 Their legends describe mysterious metallic cauldrons 308 00:17:06,958 --> 00:17:09,958 that are hidden in the taiga forest. 309 00:17:10,125 --> 00:17:12,042 (speaking foreign language) 310 00:17:12,208 --> 00:17:14,750 (translated): These pictures illustrate what people claimed 311 00:17:14,917 --> 00:17:16,375 the cauldrons had looked like. 312 00:17:16,542 --> 00:17:19,958 The first picture shows a cauldron upside down 313 00:17:20,167 --> 00:17:21,542 with an open entrance 314 00:17:21,708 --> 00:17:24,958 where even a man on his reindeer can enter it. 315 00:17:25,125 --> 00:17:28,042 The second one shows another cauldron 316 00:17:28,208 --> 00:17:31,125 with some side supports. 317 00:17:31,250 --> 00:17:33,500 NARRATOR: According to Yakut mythology, 318 00:17:33,667 --> 00:17:36,333 the mysterious cauldrons were placed in the forest 319 00:17:36,500 --> 00:17:40,208 by celestial beings in the distant past. 320 00:17:40,375 --> 00:17:42,875 The cauldrons were said to be a type of weapon 321 00:17:43,042 --> 00:17:46,958 that would send fireballs into the sky. 322 00:17:47,125 --> 00:17:50,833 CHILDRESS: The local people there say it is some kind of alien 323 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:54,208 underground installation that becomes active, 324 00:17:54,375 --> 00:17:56,250 and comets or meteors 325 00:17:56,375 --> 00:17:59,250 that had been entering the Earth's atmosphere, 326 00:17:59,417 --> 00:18:03,125 they are being shot down by unknown technology. 327 00:18:03,292 --> 00:18:06,125 And, in fact, this may have been what caused 328 00:18:06,292 --> 00:18:09,458 the Tunguska explosion. 329 00:18:09,583 --> 00:18:12,167 NARRATOR: Might the mysterious metallic cauldrons 330 00:18:12,333 --> 00:18:15,083 and the legends of the Yakut people 331 00:18:15,250 --> 00:18:18,875 explain the explosion over Siberia in 1908? 332 00:18:19,042 --> 00:18:22,500 Explorers continue to search the taiga forest 333 00:18:22,708 --> 00:18:25,250 for the so-called cauldrons that the locals claim 334 00:18:25,375 --> 00:18:27,958 to have seen with their own eyes. 335 00:18:28,042 --> 00:18:30,417 And ancient astronaut theorists suspect 336 00:18:30,583 --> 00:18:33,833 their discovery will present undeniable proof 337 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,583 of extraterrestrial technology. 338 00:18:36,708 --> 00:18:40,208 But they say that an even more powerful technology 339 00:18:40,375 --> 00:18:44,250 can be found in the biblical account of Moses 340 00:18:44,417 --> 00:18:47,167 and a powerful staff that brought destruction 341 00:18:47,375 --> 00:18:49,333 upon ancient Egypt. 342 00:18:55,875 --> 00:18:58,500 to devastating disasters, s 343 00:18:58,667 --> 00:19:01,167 one of the most famous examples can be found 344 00:19:01,292 --> 00:19:03,500 in the pages of the Holy Bible. 345 00:19:03,708 --> 00:19:06,583 But for ancient astronaut theorists like me, 346 00:19:06,750 --> 00:19:08,708 the descriptions sound very much like 347 00:19:08,875 --> 00:19:10,667 misunderstood technology. 348 00:19:10,875 --> 00:19:13,625 At number five on our countdown 349 00:19:13,792 --> 00:19:18,875 of the top ten alien disasters, The Ten Plagues of Egypt. 350 00:19:24,875 --> 00:19:27,167 NARRATOR: Qantir, Egypt, 351 00:19:27,333 --> 00:19:31,000 60 miles northeast of Cairo. 352 00:19:31,208 --> 00:19:34,167 Many historians believe that beneath these fields 353 00:19:34,375 --> 00:19:38,792 lie the ancient ruins of the lost city of Pi-Ramesses. 354 00:19:38,958 --> 00:19:43,292 In the 13th century BC, this was the capital of Egypt 355 00:19:43,458 --> 00:19:46,833 and home to Pharaoh Ramesses II. 356 00:19:46,958 --> 00:19:50,833 According to some theologians, it was also the location 357 00:19:50,958 --> 00:19:55,167 of a miraculous series of events described in the Book of Exodus 358 00:19:55,333 --> 00:19:58,458 known as the Ten Plagues of Egypt. 359 00:19:58,625 --> 00:20:01,583 MICHAEL CARTER: We have the story of the Exodus, 360 00:20:01,708 --> 00:20:05,458 which is the story of the Hebrew people leaving Egypt. 361 00:20:05,625 --> 00:20:08,750 And so Moses is going to be the liberator. 362 00:20:08,917 --> 00:20:10,833 He's chosen by God, 363 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:13,667 i.e. Yahweh, to go to pharaoh 364 00:20:13,833 --> 00:20:14,958 and say "Let my people go." 365 00:20:16,458 --> 00:20:18,375 NARRATOR: According to the biblical account, 366 00:20:18,500 --> 00:20:21,750 the pharaoh refuses to release the Hebrew slaves. 367 00:20:21,917 --> 00:20:25,667 So God instructs Moses to unleash a series of 368 00:20:25,833 --> 00:20:29,958 ten increasingly devastating plagues on the people of Egypt. 369 00:20:31,167 --> 00:20:32,458 MULLINS: In the first plague, 370 00:20:32,625 --> 00:20:34,292 Moses touches his staff to the Nile river 371 00:20:34,500 --> 00:20:36,917 and it becomes blood. 372 00:20:38,208 --> 00:20:40,875 In the second plague, Moses multiplies frogs. 373 00:20:43,083 --> 00:20:45,000 In the third plague, 374 00:20:45,208 --> 00:20:48,958 Moses brings about gnats or, some think, lice. 375 00:20:51,333 --> 00:20:52,750 CARTER: Livestock were poisoned. 376 00:20:52,917 --> 00:20:54,792 There were boils, 377 00:20:54,958 --> 00:20:56,500 thunder and hail. 378 00:20:56,708 --> 00:20:58,875 There was a darkness across the land. 379 00:21:00,125 --> 00:21:02,125 The land was covered with locusts. 380 00:21:02,292 --> 00:21:03,500 And, of course, the kicker is 381 00:21:03,708 --> 00:21:06,167 the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt. 382 00:21:06,375 --> 00:21:08,500 MULLINS: So, for each of these plagues, 383 00:21:08,708 --> 00:21:11,375 they begin to increase in their severity. 384 00:21:11,542 --> 00:21:14,667 And, finally, the pharaoh needs to concede that, 385 00:21:14,792 --> 00:21:16,583 you know, this is the finger of God, 386 00:21:16,750 --> 00:21:19,875 and beyond this, we can't challenge him anymore. 387 00:21:21,667 --> 00:21:23,458 NARRATOR: According to the biblical account, 388 00:21:23,625 --> 00:21:26,958 Moses summoned the plagues by using his staff. 389 00:21:27,167 --> 00:21:32,000 Religious scholars contend the staff held the power of God. 390 00:21:32,208 --> 00:21:34,500 But ancient astronaut theorists suggest 391 00:21:34,708 --> 00:21:38,583 it was a device that came from another world. 392 00:21:39,625 --> 00:21:42,708 TSOUKALOS: Through this staff, Moses was able to 393 00:21:42,875 --> 00:21:44,417 perform these miracles. 394 00:21:44,583 --> 00:21:47,292 Now, when I look at something like that, 395 00:21:47,458 --> 00:21:51,500 then what I am suggesting is that perhaps 396 00:21:51,708 --> 00:21:54,833 some type of technology was used. 397 00:21:54,958 --> 00:21:57,833 This is what the ancient astronaut theory does. 398 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:01,458 We try to dispel 399 00:22:01,625 --> 00:22:05,500 the misunderstandings of our past 400 00:22:05,708 --> 00:22:09,500 and suggest that what was described in the Old Testament 401 00:22:09,708 --> 00:22:11,208 was not God, 402 00:22:11,375 --> 00:22:13,583 it was extraterrestrials 403 00:22:13,750 --> 00:22:16,500 who had nuts-and-bolt technology 404 00:22:16,625 --> 00:22:19,625 that our ancestors looked at 405 00:22:19,792 --> 00:22:21,500 and thought, "Wow, 406 00:22:21,667 --> 00:22:23,958 it must be something divine." 407 00:22:24,125 --> 00:22:26,750 And, therefore, these plagues 408 00:22:26,917 --> 00:22:30,042 were actually technological in origin. 409 00:22:32,458 --> 00:22:36,250 In 1992, archaeologists in India uncovered 410 00:22:36,375 --> 00:22:39,042 radioactive ash that some believe 411 00:22:39,208 --> 00:22:41,292 was caused by a nuclear explosion 412 00:22:41,500 --> 00:22:43,250 thousands of years ago. 413 00:22:43,417 --> 00:22:45,833 And according to ancient Sanskrit texts, 414 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:48,458 it was the result of a powerful weapon 415 00:22:48,625 --> 00:22:51,625 deployed by beings who came from the stars. 416 00:22:51,792 --> 00:22:54,500 At number four on our countdown: 417 00:22:54,667 --> 00:22:57,333 The Ancient Nuclear War. 418 00:22:59,708 --> 00:23:02,083 NARRATOR: Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India. 419 00:23:02,250 --> 00:23:04,083 1992. 420 00:23:05,250 --> 00:23:07,792 Engineers working on a housing development 421 00:23:07,958 --> 00:23:12,333 discover a heavy layer of radioactive ash under the soil. 422 00:23:13,375 --> 00:23:15,250 Further examination reveals 423 00:23:15,417 --> 00:23:17,667 the contamination stretches across 424 00:23:17,833 --> 00:23:20,292 a three-square-mile area of the desert 425 00:23:20,458 --> 00:23:23,417 that was once home to an ancient civilization. 426 00:23:24,417 --> 00:23:26,000 PRAVEEN MOHAN: After cordoning off the area, 427 00:23:26,167 --> 00:23:29,500 scientists unearthed a city 428 00:23:29,667 --> 00:23:33,458 with completely demolished buildings. 429 00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:36,083 When they looked closer, 430 00:23:36,292 --> 00:23:38,667 they found evidence of an atomic blast 431 00:23:38,833 --> 00:23:41,500 that happened 10,000 years ago. 432 00:23:43,708 --> 00:23:47,208 NARRATOR: Is it possible that the radioactive ash was created 433 00:23:47,375 --> 00:23:50,833 by a nuclear explosion in the distant past? 434 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,042 And if so, what could have caused it? 435 00:23:55,208 --> 00:23:56,750 Scientists are unable to 436 00:23:56,917 --> 00:23:59,167 determine the cause of the radiation. 437 00:23:59,333 --> 00:24:01,375 But ancient astronaut theorists believe 438 00:24:01,583 --> 00:24:03,333 a clue can be found 439 00:24:03,500 --> 00:24:07,042 in one of India's oldest Sanskrit texts. 440 00:24:07,208 --> 00:24:09,500 The Indian epics themselves 441 00:24:09,708 --> 00:24:13,083 actually describe what seem to be atomic wars. 442 00:24:14,375 --> 00:24:16,667 The Ramayana, particularly, is talking about 443 00:24:16,875 --> 00:24:21,000 this terrific war that occurred. 444 00:24:21,208 --> 00:24:22,417 NARRATOR: In the Ramayana, 445 00:24:22,542 --> 00:24:24,750 one of the major ancient Sanskrit texts, 446 00:24:24,917 --> 00:24:28,333 is a description of a battle fought by the god Rama 447 00:24:28,542 --> 00:24:30,333 against the Demon King. 448 00:24:30,542 --> 00:24:32,167 To win the war, 449 00:24:32,333 --> 00:24:34,417 Rama unleashes a powerful weapon 450 00:24:34,583 --> 00:24:36,458 to rain down destruction from above. 451 00:24:36,625 --> 00:24:39,500 It's called the Brahmastra. 452 00:24:40,542 --> 00:24:41,917 CHILDRESS: And these Brahmastras 453 00:24:42,083 --> 00:24:44,458 they devasted everything. 454 00:24:47,167 --> 00:24:48,667 Everything was killed. 455 00:24:48,833 --> 00:24:52,875 All life was destroyed and nothing could grow 456 00:24:53,042 --> 00:24:55,375 in that area for years. 457 00:24:55,542 --> 00:24:57,667 It was exactly like 458 00:24:57,833 --> 00:25:00,750 an atomic weapon had been used. 459 00:25:01,875 --> 00:25:04,958 NARRATOR: Could the radioactive soil discovered in the Thar Desert 460 00:25:05,125 --> 00:25:08,792 have resulted from an ancient nuclear explosion? 461 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,000 And if so, was the weapon known as 462 00:25:12,167 --> 00:25:16,292 the Brahmastra a description of extraterrestrial technology? 463 00:25:16,458 --> 00:25:18,542 For ancient astronaut theorists, 464 00:25:18,750 --> 00:25:22,167 it's a distinct possibility. 465 00:25:23,125 --> 00:25:27,500 TSOUKALOS: Those texts are chock full with extraterrestrials or 466 00:25:27,708 --> 00:25:32,667 the so-called gods having waged a war up in the sky 467 00:25:32,792 --> 00:25:35,750 that our ancestors actually witnessed. 468 00:25:35,875 --> 00:25:38,708 When you combine the physical evidence 469 00:25:38,833 --> 00:25:42,042 and you combine that with ancient written documents, 470 00:25:42,250 --> 00:25:43,833 perhaps what we have here 471 00:25:43,958 --> 00:25:47,042 are descriptions of weapons of mass destruction. 472 00:25:50,042 --> 00:25:51,583 u, 473 00:25:51,750 --> 00:25:54,917 humanity faced one of the deadliest epidemics 474 00:25:55,042 --> 00:25:58,500 in our history when a devastating disease 475 00:25:58,708 --> 00:26:01,000 swept across the world. 476 00:26:01,208 --> 00:26:04,542 But what might surprise you is that these outbreaks 477 00:26:04,750 --> 00:26:06,958 were often preceded by sightings 478 00:26:07,042 --> 00:26:10,500 of mysterious otherworldly beings. 479 00:26:10,625 --> 00:26:12,833 Number three on our list 480 00:26:12,917 --> 00:26:17,542 of the top ten alien disasters: The Black Plague. 481 00:26:21,708 --> 00:26:23,208 NARRATOR: Messina, Sicily. 482 00:26:24,375 --> 00:26:25,667 1347. 483 00:26:27,625 --> 00:26:30,167 Italian sailors returning from the Black Sea 484 00:26:30,333 --> 00:26:32,500 develop dark, oozing boils, 485 00:26:32,625 --> 00:26:35,667 and die soon after. 486 00:26:36,708 --> 00:26:38,833 The disease spreads rapidly throughout Europe 487 00:26:39,042 --> 00:26:41,958 and is given the name the Black Plague. 488 00:26:43,083 --> 00:26:44,542 MILTON WAINWRIGHT: What you get with the Black Plague 489 00:26:44,750 --> 00:26:47,583 is a slow, lingering, painful death. 490 00:26:48,542 --> 00:26:50,750 And, uh, that's what... (chuckles) is nasty. 491 00:26:50,875 --> 00:26:52,958 And it completely decimates populations. 492 00:26:54,042 --> 00:26:55,917 In the Middle Ages, the whole of civilization 493 00:26:56,083 --> 00:26:58,333 had collapsed for a time period. 494 00:26:59,375 --> 00:27:02,708 NARRATOR: Within five years, this previously unknown disease 495 00:27:02,875 --> 00:27:05,792 had wiped out nearly one-third of Europe, 496 00:27:05,958 --> 00:27:08,292 the equivalent in today's numbers 497 00:27:08,458 --> 00:27:10,667 of more than 300 million dead. 498 00:27:10,833 --> 00:27:14,417 And curiously, outbreaks of the plague 499 00:27:14,583 --> 00:27:19,167 were accompanied by sightings of mysterious aerial phenomena. 500 00:27:19,375 --> 00:27:21,500 TSOUKALOS: What's interesting about these accounts 501 00:27:21,625 --> 00:27:24,708 is that they seem to have originated 502 00:27:24,917 --> 00:27:28,417 after something strange was seen up in the sky. 503 00:27:28,583 --> 00:27:31,833 For example, they saw this shield 504 00:27:31,958 --> 00:27:34,958 made out of bronze and gleaming metal 505 00:27:35,125 --> 00:27:37,708 that appears to be floating in the sky, 506 00:27:37,875 --> 00:27:41,667 and then it is also described that this black dust 507 00:27:41,875 --> 00:27:46,083 came off that particular object. 508 00:27:46,292 --> 00:27:50,542 IMBROGNO: People saw strange bronze ships 509 00:27:50,708 --> 00:27:55,208 spreading a mist around the entire area, 510 00:27:55,375 --> 00:27:57,167 and shortly after that, 511 00:27:57,333 --> 00:28:01,458 people began to become very sick and die. 512 00:28:03,458 --> 00:28:04,458 CHILDRESS: During the Black Plague, 513 00:28:04,583 --> 00:28:07,458 UFOs were seen sometimes. 514 00:28:07,583 --> 00:28:11,750 There would be vapor trails or something behind these UFOs. 515 00:28:11,875 --> 00:28:14,167 Certain, uh, researchers 516 00:28:14,375 --> 00:28:16,667 have speculated that, 517 00:28:16,833 --> 00:28:20,583 like this so-called modern phenomenon of chemtrails, 518 00:28:20,708 --> 00:28:23,875 that something like this was happening, 519 00:28:24,042 --> 00:28:27,208 where UFOs are spreading, 520 00:28:27,417 --> 00:28:30,542 really, viruses and bacteria 521 00:28:30,708 --> 00:28:32,958 which will infect some people, 522 00:28:33,125 --> 00:28:36,792 uh, and perhaps kill them, while others survive 523 00:28:36,958 --> 00:28:39,250 and they develop a stronger immune system 524 00:28:39,417 --> 00:28:44,000 and are ultimately a hardier race, uh, because of that. 525 00:28:45,042 --> 00:28:47,208 NARRATOR: Bronze ships in the sky? 526 00:28:48,792 --> 00:28:51,833 A mysterious mist that made people sick? 527 00:28:52,042 --> 00:28:56,667 What natural phenomenon could explain these strange reports? 528 00:28:56,833 --> 00:28:59,833 IMBROGNO: If you ask a historian today, 529 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,542 they would say that they were hallucinating 530 00:29:02,708 --> 00:29:05,000 because of the illness. 531 00:29:05,167 --> 00:29:07,833 But how do you get thousands of people 532 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,333 hallucinating the same thing? 533 00:29:11,458 --> 00:29:14,125 NARRATOR: In addition to the sightings of ships in the sky 534 00:29:14,250 --> 00:29:16,792 were accounts of mysterious cloaked figures 535 00:29:16,958 --> 00:29:19,750 spraying mist on the ground. 536 00:29:19,875 --> 00:29:22,625 It was this report that gave rise to rumors 537 00:29:22,792 --> 00:29:25,333 of a black-hooded messenger of death, 538 00:29:25,500 --> 00:29:28,167 later known as the Grim Reaper. 539 00:29:29,375 --> 00:29:33,125 PITTMAN: In one case, the chronicle recounts a group of men 540 00:29:33,292 --> 00:29:35,542 mowing down wheat, and their scythes 541 00:29:35,750 --> 00:29:37,833 were making a loud swishing sound 542 00:29:38,042 --> 00:29:41,458 but not actually cutting down the crops. 543 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,958 We can imagine that maybe what was perceived in medieval times 544 00:29:46,125 --> 00:29:48,458 as scythes making a swishing sound 545 00:29:48,625 --> 00:29:50,875 were perhaps some kind of wand 546 00:29:51,042 --> 00:29:53,250 shooting some kind of aerosol into the air 547 00:29:53,417 --> 00:29:55,958 that was a pathogen that made so many people sick. 548 00:29:56,958 --> 00:29:58,792 TSOUKALOS: There are eyewitness reports 549 00:29:58,917 --> 00:30:00,875 of these black-clad creatures. 550 00:30:01,083 --> 00:30:04,292 Now, to me, that is highly fascinating because 551 00:30:04,375 --> 00:30:07,500 it essentially depicts what looks like people 552 00:30:07,708 --> 00:30:09,250 in hazmat suits. 553 00:30:10,417 --> 00:30:13,125 Now, is it possible that what we have here 554 00:30:13,208 --> 00:30:17,625 are extraterrestrials wearing some type of protective suits? 555 00:30:18,750 --> 00:30:22,708 IMBROGNO: These beings were tall, with hoods over their head, 556 00:30:22,875 --> 00:30:25,500 and they would have some type of device 557 00:30:25,667 --> 00:30:29,667 that looked like a curved apparatus, a sickle, 558 00:30:29,792 --> 00:30:33,292 which would spray onto the wheat. 559 00:30:33,458 --> 00:30:38,083 And shortly after that, the Black Death occurred. 560 00:30:38,292 --> 00:30:41,167 And people associated those beings with the coming of death. 561 00:30:41,375 --> 00:30:44,625 Maybe the Grim Reaper could have been 562 00:30:44,750 --> 00:30:46,875 extraterrestrials. 563 00:30:51,542 --> 00:30:53,292 he moss 564 00:30:53,458 --> 00:30:56,125 of a devastating disaster was written 565 00:30:56,250 --> 00:30:57,958 by the Greek philosopher Plato 566 00:30:58,125 --> 00:31:00,917 more than 2,000 years ago. 567 00:31:01,083 --> 00:31:03,833 According to the story, an entire continent 568 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:06,375 was destroyed in a single night 569 00:31:06,542 --> 00:31:08,000 of smoke and fire, 570 00:31:08,167 --> 00:31:10,458 bringing an end to a highly advanced 571 00:31:10,583 --> 00:31:14,167 and potentially extraterrestrial civilization. 572 00:31:14,375 --> 00:31:17,833 Number two on our list of alien disasters: 573 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:20,583 The Disappearance of Atlantis. 574 00:31:21,792 --> 00:31:23,375 (thunder cracks) 575 00:31:23,542 --> 00:31:27,125 NARRATOR: For over 2,000 years, historians and explorers 576 00:31:27,292 --> 00:31:31,000 have been fascinated by the story of a great cataclysm 577 00:31:31,167 --> 00:31:34,750 that destroyed a long-lost civilization 578 00:31:34,958 --> 00:31:37,417 known as Atlantis. 579 00:31:37,583 --> 00:31:41,417 TSOUKALOS: The first reference of Atlantis that we have is 580 00:31:41,625 --> 00:31:45,292 in Plato's dialogues by Timaeus and Critias. 581 00:31:46,250 --> 00:31:48,250 In the very end of Timaeus, it talks about 582 00:31:48,417 --> 00:31:51,083 this mythical place called Atlantis 583 00:31:51,208 --> 00:31:55,292 from where any and all knowledge of the world came. 584 00:31:56,375 --> 00:31:58,333 And so some people have suggested 585 00:31:58,500 --> 00:32:01,083 that the first civilization on Earth 586 00:32:01,292 --> 00:32:04,000 may have been Atlantean. 587 00:32:04,208 --> 00:32:05,500 CHILDRESS: Atlantis, 588 00:32:05,667 --> 00:32:07,542 as described by Plato, 589 00:32:07,708 --> 00:32:10,625 was a great civilization that was 590 00:32:10,792 --> 00:32:12,958 over 12,000 years ago. 591 00:32:13,875 --> 00:32:16,958 Atlantis had had concentric circles 592 00:32:17,125 --> 00:32:19,708 that were ports and canals, 593 00:32:19,917 --> 00:32:21,708 and they led to a central city, 594 00:32:21,917 --> 00:32:24,792 and the Atlanteans were said to have, 595 00:32:24,958 --> 00:32:27,042 uh, great technology. 596 00:32:27,167 --> 00:32:30,667 They had huge fleets of ships. 597 00:32:31,875 --> 00:32:35,167 JONATHAN YOUNG: Atlantis was thought to be the great civilization 598 00:32:35,292 --> 00:32:39,000 of high culture and technological achievement. 599 00:32:39,167 --> 00:32:41,583 They had robotics at a very advanced level. 600 00:32:41,708 --> 00:32:44,000 The power of levitation, which is how they built 601 00:32:44,208 --> 00:32:45,917 their glorious cities. 602 00:32:46,083 --> 00:32:48,083 They achieved things that we still 603 00:32:48,250 --> 00:32:50,000 are not able to do. 604 00:32:51,333 --> 00:32:54,042 NARRATOR: According to Plato, the remarkable accomplishments 605 00:32:54,208 --> 00:32:58,250 of Atlantis came from an otherworldly connection. 606 00:32:59,208 --> 00:33:00,875 CHILDRESS: According to legend, 607 00:33:01,042 --> 00:33:05,125 Atlantis was founded by the god Poseidon. 608 00:33:06,208 --> 00:33:10,333 He fell in love with a human woman named Cleito, 609 00:33:10,542 --> 00:33:14,125 and that they had five sets of twins. 610 00:33:14,250 --> 00:33:16,583 And these twins went on to be 611 00:33:16,750 --> 00:33:19,375 the founders of Atlantis. 612 00:33:19,542 --> 00:33:23,583 So here we see really a story of extraterrestrials, 613 00:33:23,708 --> 00:33:28,375 perhaps, coming to Earth at a very early date. 614 00:33:28,542 --> 00:33:31,458 HENRY: Plato said the Atlanteans 615 00:33:31,625 --> 00:33:35,167 were the children of the gods. They were, to use our term, 616 00:33:35,292 --> 00:33:38,625 "hybrid beings," they were part-human, part-god. 617 00:33:38,833 --> 00:33:41,500 And, perhaps, also contributed to their ability 618 00:33:41,708 --> 00:33:45,208 to develop advanced technologies as Plato described. 619 00:33:45,375 --> 00:33:48,167 But then that divine aspect that they possessed 620 00:33:48,375 --> 00:33:50,167 suddenly started to diminish. 621 00:33:50,333 --> 00:33:52,500 And that's when Atlantis was destroyed. 622 00:33:52,667 --> 00:33:55,042 RICHARD RADER: At some point, for reasons 623 00:33:55,208 --> 00:33:56,875 that are not entirely clear, 624 00:33:57,042 --> 00:33:59,500 the city disappeared. 625 00:33:59,667 --> 00:34:04,500 And it was either destroyed by a natural disaster, a flood, 626 00:34:04,667 --> 00:34:07,667 or if we look at the archaeological record, 627 00:34:07,792 --> 00:34:09,167 maybe even the eruption 628 00:34:09,333 --> 00:34:11,708 of Mount Thera, as well, 629 00:34:11,875 --> 00:34:14,500 in the seventh century BCE. 630 00:34:14,667 --> 00:34:16,958 But a disaster consumes 631 00:34:17,125 --> 00:34:19,333 the city of Atlantis 632 00:34:19,542 --> 00:34:21,500 and all of its natural wonders. 633 00:34:22,542 --> 00:34:26,125 NARRATOR: Was Atlantis destroyed by a natural disaster? 634 00:34:26,250 --> 00:34:28,333 Or did otherworldly beings 635 00:34:28,542 --> 00:34:31,333 punish the greed of Atlanteans by destroying it 636 00:34:31,542 --> 00:34:33,333 in a cataclysm, 637 00:34:33,542 --> 00:34:36,333 as the writings of Plato suggest? 638 00:34:36,500 --> 00:34:39,167 It's a question that might never be answered. 639 00:34:39,333 --> 00:34:42,000 But ancient astronaut theorists suggest 640 00:34:42,167 --> 00:34:46,500 there could be an even more profound explanation. 641 00:34:46,708 --> 00:34:48,792 When Plato said 642 00:34:48,917 --> 00:34:52,292 that Atlantis disappeared in Timaeus and Critias, 643 00:34:52,458 --> 00:34:54,833 the accepted idea is that Atlantis, 644 00:34:55,042 --> 00:34:57,167 at some point, sank. 645 00:34:57,375 --> 00:35:00,333 Well, when you read the original Plato, 646 00:35:00,500 --> 00:35:04,375 Plato not once said that Atlantis sank, 647 00:35:04,542 --> 00:35:07,167 but he says that Atlantis disappeared 648 00:35:07,375 --> 00:35:11,250 in a night of fire, smoke and trembling. 649 00:35:12,917 --> 00:35:17,000 In my opinion, Atlantis did exist, 650 00:35:17,125 --> 00:35:19,583 but it was never an island 651 00:35:19,750 --> 00:35:22,000 that sank or disappeared. 652 00:35:22,125 --> 00:35:25,125 It was some type of a machine. 653 00:35:25,333 --> 00:35:27,208 A type of movable island 654 00:35:27,417 --> 00:35:31,083 that the ancient Greeks referred to as Asteria. 655 00:35:31,292 --> 00:35:34,542 Asteria means "star that fell from the sky." 656 00:35:34,708 --> 00:35:38,000 The Atlantis description is very clear. 657 00:35:38,208 --> 00:35:41,667 I mean, it's concentric circles and it has this, 658 00:35:41,875 --> 00:35:43,542 this bronze exterior. 659 00:35:43,708 --> 00:35:47,500 So what if Atlantis was a proverbial disk 660 00:35:47,667 --> 00:35:51,250 that descended from the sky, landed in the sea, 661 00:35:51,375 --> 00:35:54,292 was able to float around, and then lifted off again? 662 00:35:57,125 --> 00:35:59,625 We're just moments away from revealing 663 00:35:59,792 --> 00:36:02,833 the number one alien disaster on our list. 664 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:05,500 And it's some of the best evidence yet 665 00:36:05,667 --> 00:36:08,208 for the ancient astronaut theory. 666 00:36:11,667 --> 00:36:14,042 . 667 00:36:14,208 --> 00:36:16,333 And if you're a fan of Ancient Aliens, 668 00:36:16,458 --> 00:36:19,500 I'm sure you guessed this one right from the start. 669 00:36:19,583 --> 00:36:21,667 It's a story from the Hebrew Bible 670 00:36:21,833 --> 00:36:24,125 that, as far as ancient astronaut theorists 671 00:36:24,292 --> 00:36:27,292 are concerned, paints a clear picture 672 00:36:27,458 --> 00:36:29,417 of extraterrestrial intervention. 673 00:36:31,167 --> 00:36:33,083 At number one on our countdown 674 00:36:33,250 --> 00:36:36,833 of alien disasters: The Great Flood. 675 00:36:39,542 --> 00:36:41,125 NARRATOR: It is one of the best-known stories 676 00:36:41,292 --> 00:36:43,625 of the Bible, and variations 677 00:36:43,750 --> 00:36:46,250 of this ancient tale can be found in cultures 678 00:36:46,458 --> 00:36:47,833 throughout the world. 679 00:36:47,917 --> 00:36:51,500 It is written that God sent a powerful storm 680 00:36:51,667 --> 00:36:54,625 that rained for 40 days and 40 nights. 681 00:36:55,625 --> 00:36:58,292 The deluge created a great flood 682 00:36:58,458 --> 00:37:00,792 that submerged even the tallest mountains. 683 00:37:01,917 --> 00:37:04,958 It lasted for 150 days 684 00:37:05,167 --> 00:37:07,500 and destroyed all of humanity, 685 00:37:07,667 --> 00:37:11,250 except for one man and his family. 686 00:37:13,375 --> 00:37:15,875 IRVING FINKEL: In the Bible, God decided, because 687 00:37:16,042 --> 00:37:20,125 the human race was so sinful and wicked, to destroy everything. 688 00:37:20,208 --> 00:37:22,708 And at last minute relented enough 689 00:37:22,875 --> 00:37:25,958 to inform Noah that he has to build a boat 690 00:37:26,083 --> 00:37:27,708 really fast and put 691 00:37:27,875 --> 00:37:30,000 all the animals in it and shut the doors. 692 00:37:30,167 --> 00:37:31,833 Then, afterwards, life could continue 693 00:37:31,917 --> 00:37:33,417 when the waters went down. 694 00:37:34,875 --> 00:37:37,833 YOUNG: There's a similar story in India. 695 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:40,333 King Manu was warned by a fish 696 00:37:40,500 --> 00:37:42,417 that there would be a great flood. 697 00:37:42,583 --> 00:37:45,375 The king built a great boat and survived. 698 00:37:45,542 --> 00:37:48,583 In an Aztec version, a sacred couple 699 00:37:48,750 --> 00:37:51,583 hide in a hollow tree with a little corn 700 00:37:51,750 --> 00:37:55,667 and somehow manage to survive the deluge. 701 00:37:55,833 --> 00:37:59,208 Other versions come from Irish legend, Norse lore, 702 00:37:59,375 --> 00:38:01,292 also from China. 703 00:38:01,458 --> 00:38:04,458 This is a terribly important motif. 704 00:38:04,667 --> 00:38:07,250 The common denominator in the flood myths 705 00:38:07,417 --> 00:38:09,208 around the world is that there was 706 00:38:09,375 --> 00:38:11,333 an otherworldly being, 707 00:38:11,542 --> 00:38:14,167 an extraterrestrial being, who is providing knowledge 708 00:38:14,375 --> 00:38:16,625 to certain humans of what is to come. 709 00:38:16,750 --> 00:38:18,583 This tells us that there was definitely 710 00:38:18,708 --> 00:38:20,667 an extraterrestrial connection. 711 00:38:21,958 --> 00:38:25,667 NARRATOR: Was the Great Flood caused by extraterrestrial beings 712 00:38:25,833 --> 00:38:28,583 as ancient astronaut theorists suggest? 713 00:38:28,750 --> 00:38:31,458 And if so, why? 714 00:38:32,500 --> 00:38:34,000 Perhaps clues can be found 715 00:38:34,125 --> 00:38:36,125 within a set of ancient documents 716 00:38:36,292 --> 00:38:38,542 known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. 717 00:38:38,708 --> 00:38:41,333 These scrolls contain the oldest versions 718 00:38:41,500 --> 00:38:43,833 of the Bible ever discovered. 719 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:48,667 Among them were copies of a text called the Book of Enoch, 720 00:38:48,875 --> 00:38:52,667 which greatly expands on the story of the Great Flood. 721 00:38:53,750 --> 00:38:57,250 COLLINS: The Book of Enoch is about these angels 722 00:38:57,458 --> 00:38:59,583 who are described as "watchers." 723 00:38:59,750 --> 00:39:03,333 And it was said that 200 of their number 724 00:39:03,542 --> 00:39:05,833 come down from heaven 725 00:39:06,042 --> 00:39:08,833 and they took mortal wives 726 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:12,500 who begat offspring. 727 00:39:12,667 --> 00:39:14,792 And these offspring 728 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:16,667 were of giant nature 729 00:39:16,875 --> 00:39:19,333 and they were referred to as the Nephilim. 730 00:39:19,500 --> 00:39:22,500 And these Nephilim ran amok. 731 00:39:22,625 --> 00:39:25,167 It was said that they drank blood. 732 00:39:25,292 --> 00:39:27,917 They caused battles and wars. 733 00:39:31,250 --> 00:39:32,833 NARRATOR: According to the Book of Enoch, 734 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:36,292 the Nephilim were guilty of horrific crimes, 735 00:39:36,500 --> 00:39:38,417 including slaughtering humans 736 00:39:38,583 --> 00:39:40,375 and feasting on their flesh. 737 00:39:40,542 --> 00:39:42,667 God ultimately decides 738 00:39:42,750 --> 00:39:45,083 the Earth must be cleansed. 739 00:39:46,125 --> 00:39:48,250 KATHLEEN McGOWAN: One of the differences is that in the Book of Enoch 740 00:39:48,417 --> 00:39:50,667 the flood washes away the Nephilim, 741 00:39:50,875 --> 00:39:52,833 as opposed to the traditional flood story, 742 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:54,667 which washes away people 743 00:39:54,833 --> 00:39:58,125 who have been rebellious and sinful. 744 00:39:59,458 --> 00:40:02,542 CHILDRESS: You've got to wonder, what was really going on here? 745 00:40:02,708 --> 00:40:04,333 Are extraterrestrials coming 746 00:40:04,500 --> 00:40:07,625 and now breeding with humans, 747 00:40:07,750 --> 00:40:10,333 which was somehow forbidden 748 00:40:10,500 --> 00:40:12,667 and wrong, but they did it anyway? 749 00:40:12,792 --> 00:40:15,000 And so the other extraterrestrials decided, 750 00:40:15,167 --> 00:40:16,542 this is a big mistake. 751 00:40:16,708 --> 00:40:19,833 Now we've got to destroy all these people. 752 00:40:20,875 --> 00:40:22,917 According to the ancient astronaut theory, 753 00:40:23,083 --> 00:40:26,167 the realm of the angels was some type of a spaceship 754 00:40:26,375 --> 00:40:28,500 that was, uh, orbiting the Earth 755 00:40:28,708 --> 00:40:31,708 and the angels most certainly were not angels. 756 00:40:31,875 --> 00:40:34,750 The idea is that the extraterrestrials, 757 00:40:34,917 --> 00:40:39,333 in the end, are looking out for our survival. 758 00:40:39,458 --> 00:40:41,375 They're not interested in killing us. 759 00:40:41,542 --> 00:40:45,667 So this is why some people were "saved." 760 00:40:47,792 --> 00:40:51,625 For ancient astronaut theorists like me, 761 00:40:51,792 --> 00:40:54,417 the disasters featured on our countdown 762 00:40:54,583 --> 00:40:58,500 not only provide evidence of an alien connection 763 00:40:58,667 --> 00:41:02,167 but also suggest extraterrestrials have played 764 00:41:02,333 --> 00:41:04,167 a greater role in the history 765 00:41:04,333 --> 00:41:06,917 of our planet than ever imagined. 766 00:41:08,042 --> 00:41:11,458 Perhaps as we continue to study these devastating events, 767 00:41:11,583 --> 00:41:14,125 from deadly plagues 768 00:41:14,292 --> 00:41:15,958 to nuclear meltdowns 769 00:41:16,167 --> 00:41:18,042 and asteroid impacts... 770 00:41:19,042 --> 00:41:22,167 ...the truth will finally be revealed. 771 00:41:22,333 --> 00:41:24,333 We are not alone. 772 00:41:24,542 --> 00:41:27,833 We have never been alone. 773 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:32,000 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS