1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,560 Flying saucers... 2 00:00:03,892 --> 00:00:05,975 It's going 20,000 miles per hour... 3 00:00:06,095 --> 00:00:08,218 ...and makes a right hand turn without decelerating. 4 00:00:08,418 --> 00:00:09,655 That isn't possible. 5 00:00:10,855 --> 00:00:12,264 ...magic carpets... 6 00:00:12,697 --> 00:00:16,174 There are traditions of King Solomon having an airship. 7 00:00:16,734 --> 00:00:19,910 ...and fiery wheels descending from the heavens. 8 00:00:20,479 --> 00:00:24,649 What Ezekiel described in his eyewitness report... 9 00:00:24,954 --> 00:00:26,816 ...it was misunderstood technology. 10 00:00:28,281 --> 00:00:30,615 In ancient cultures throughout the world... 11 00:00:30,924 --> 00:00:33,724 there are stories of strange sightings in the sky. 12 00:00:35,135 --> 00:00:36,735 Are they simply fiction? 13 00:00:37,169 --> 00:00:40,460 Or might they be accounts of alien vehicles? 14 00:00:40,898 --> 00:00:43,721 You begin to have to ask yourself, "Is something going on here?" 15 00:00:44,015 --> 00:00:45,619 "Are we missing part of the story?" 16 00:00:45,935 --> 00:00:47,329 And honestly, I think we are. 17 00:00:48,175 --> 00:00:50,375 Millions of people around the world... 18 00:00:50,495 --> 00:00:52,535 believe we have been visited in the past... 19 00:00:52,655 --> 00:00:54,657 ...by extraterrestrial beings. 20 00:00:55,295 --> 00:00:57,054 What if it were true? 21 00:00:58,035 --> 00:01:02,055 Did ancient aliens really help to shape our history? 22 00:01:02,533 --> 00:01:06,775 And if so, might we find evidence in ancient stories... 23 00:01:06,895 --> 00:01:08,855 ...of alien transports? 24 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:43,680 Saqqara, Egypt... 25 00:01:44,655 --> 00:01:47,375 located roughly 20 miles south of Cairo... 26 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,520 ...it is home to the world famous step pyramid of King Djoser. 27 00:01:53,455 --> 00:01:55,982 Dating back more than 4,000 years... 28 00:01:56,255 --> 00:01:59,337 ...it is the oldest of Egypt's 97 pyramids. 29 00:02:01,735 --> 00:02:06,641 Saqqara is also famous for being one of Egypt's oldest burial grounds... 30 00:02:07,015 --> 00:02:09,520 ...earning it the nickname. City of the Dead. 31 00:02:11,245 --> 00:02:13,676 It was here, in 1891... 32 00:02:14,109 --> 00:02:17,362 that French archaeologists unearthed an ancient tomb... 33 00:02:17,640 --> 00:02:20,640 containing the burial remains of Pa-Di-Imen... 34 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,280 ...an official from the third century BC. 35 00:02:24,495 --> 00:02:28,335 Among the various items discovered was a small, wooden model... 36 00:02:28,455 --> 00:02:30,245 ...of what appeared to be a bird... 37 00:02:30,535 --> 00:02:32,295 ...lying beside a papyrus... 38 00:02:32,415 --> 00:02:34,855 ...bearing the inscription "I want to fly." 39 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,480 The artifact was later sent to the Cairo Museum... 40 00:02:40,842 --> 00:02:41,804 where authorities placed it... 41 00:02:41,894 --> 00:02:44,531 alongside several other bird figurines. 42 00:02:45,415 --> 00:02:49,895 The model sat largely unnoticed, until 1969... 43 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:54,720 ...when Egyptologist Dr Khalil Messiha was examining the bird collection... 44 00:02:54,855 --> 00:02:57,255 ...and noticed that there was something very different... 45 00:02:57,375 --> 00:02:58,855 ...about the Saqqara bird. 46 00:02:59,455 --> 00:03:01,855 It's interesting, because on one hand... 47 00:03:01,975 --> 00:03:04,327 ...clearly, it should look like a bird... 48 00:03:04,535 --> 00:03:07,969 because it has eyes and has a typical nose of a bird. 49 00:03:08,775 --> 00:03:11,659 On the other hand, the wings are clearly not bird wings. 50 00:03:13,575 --> 00:03:15,473 To the middle of the rump... 51 00:03:15,855 --> 00:03:18,041 ...you'll see this wing a bit thicker. 52 00:03:18,935 --> 00:03:23,330 In this region, the lift-up is the highest. 53 00:03:23,935 --> 00:03:28,655 The whole thing becomes thinner to the end of the wings... 54 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,800 ...and those wings are modeled down. 55 00:03:33,135 --> 00:03:36,911 And this is a very modern aerodynamic design. 56 00:03:37,163 --> 00:03:39,854 Then the other point is birds have no rudders... 57 00:03:40,292 --> 00:03:42,615 ...because a bird doesn't need a rudder... 58 00:03:42,735 --> 00:03:44,895 ...because of its aerodynamic architecture. 59 00:03:45,015 --> 00:03:50,179 And so there is the idea that they are not representing birds... 60 00:03:50,455 --> 00:03:53,029 ...but flying machines, or aircraft. 61 00:03:59,215 --> 00:04:02,459 Could the ancient Egyptians have possessed the power of flight? 62 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:08,200 In 2006, aviation and aerodynamics expert, Simon Sanderson... 63 00:04:08,495 --> 00:04:10,819 ...built a scale model of the Saqqara bird... 64 00:04:11,601 --> 00:04:15,295 ...five times larger than the original, to test that possibility. 65 00:04:27,935 --> 00:04:29,667 We're running at a constant speed... 66 00:04:29,797 --> 00:04:32,015 ...slowly increasing the angle of attack... 67 00:04:32,135 --> 00:04:34,815 ...and then measuring the forces which it's producing... 68 00:04:34,935 --> 00:04:37,330 ...that way we can learn about its flight characteristics. 69 00:04:38,815 --> 00:04:42,295 At 10 degrees, we're producing four times weight and lift. 70 00:04:42,415 --> 00:04:43,884 So it actually would be flying now. 71 00:04:44,017 --> 00:04:44,935 That's good. 72 00:04:45,375 --> 00:04:50,846 Tests shows the Saqqara bird is a highly developed glider. 73 00:04:52,975 --> 00:04:55,974 And this is a design we use today. 74 00:04:56,495 --> 00:04:59,335 During the Sanderson tests, it was discovered... 75 00:04:59,455 --> 00:05:01,525 ...that the only thing preventing the Saqqara bird... 76 00:05:01,615 --> 00:05:02,895 ...from achieving flight... 77 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,160 ...was the lack of a rear stabilizing rudder... 78 00:05:05,454 --> 00:05:08,384 ...or elevator needed to maintain balance. 79 00:05:09,335 --> 00:05:10,375 Is it possible... 80 00:05:10,495 --> 00:05:13,847 ...that the Saqqara bird ever possessed this critical component? 81 00:05:14,169 --> 00:05:17,371 What is missing is something like an elevator. 82 00:05:17,655 --> 00:05:19,413 But if you look at this feature here... 83 00:05:19,739 --> 00:05:24,136 ...and we may interpret that something like an elevator... 84 00:05:24,371 --> 00:05:28,199 ...was connected here but was lost during history. 85 00:05:31,576 --> 00:05:33,760 Computer models seem to confirm... 86 00:05:33,850 --> 00:05:36,368 ...that the Saqqara bird is certainly airworthy. 87 00:05:37,015 --> 00:05:39,505 But there is another problem to consider, 88 00:05:39,854 --> 00:05:41,095 launching a glider. 89 00:05:41,735 --> 00:05:44,249 Modern methods require the use of a tow plane... 90 00:05:44,615 --> 00:05:46,539 ...that pulls the glider into the air... 91 00:05:46,855 --> 00:05:49,651 ...then releases it when a proper altitude is reached. 92 00:05:49,924 --> 00:05:53,563 So, how might the ancient Egyptians have launched the Saqqara bird? 93 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,480 The scientifics of Egyptology had told us... 94 00:05:57,807 --> 00:06:03,218 ...that such a bird could be powered off by catapults to fly. 95 00:06:03,645 --> 00:06:08,401 And we had high acceptance by Egyptian scientists. 96 00:06:08,815 --> 00:06:12,849 The idea of using a catapult does have a contemporary parallel. 97 00:06:13,335 --> 00:06:17,400 Many of today's glider enthusiasts employ a bungee cord system... 98 00:06:17,490 --> 00:06:19,766 to launch their sail craft into the air. 99 00:06:21,895 --> 00:06:24,397 But if the Saqqara bird is capable of flight... 100 00:06:24,895 --> 00:06:28,012 ...where would ancient Egyptians have acquired such technology? 101 00:06:28,695 --> 00:06:31,695 I think that people in ancient times were visited... 102 00:06:31,815 --> 00:06:34,135 ...by beings coming not from this Earth... 103 00:06:34,255 --> 00:06:38,735 ...and they gave us culture and scientific technologies... 104 00:06:38,855 --> 00:06:42,448 ...to improve our life on Earth... 105 00:06:42,775 --> 00:06:46,169 ...coming from the primitive to a higher developed culture. 106 00:06:50,575 --> 00:06:53,935 It's a fact that our ancestors were more intelligent... 107 00:06:54,055 --> 00:06:57,335 ...and had more technological superiority capabilities... 108 00:06:57,455 --> 00:07:00,098 ...than our history books give them credit for. 109 00:07:01,495 --> 00:07:04,495 You begin to have to ask yourself, are we missing part of the story? 110 00:07:04,615 --> 00:07:05,884 And honestly, I think we are. 111 00:07:06,255 --> 00:07:08,761 I think there has been a forgotten episode in human history... 112 00:07:09,083 --> 00:07:11,971 ...and we're a species with amnesia. 113 00:07:12,295 --> 00:07:14,691 We don't really remember who or what we are. 114 00:07:15,575 --> 00:07:19,289 I haven't been convinced that there is evidence... 115 00:07:19,815 --> 00:07:22,305 ...that supports an ancient visitation. 116 00:07:23,335 --> 00:07:25,571 But there is no reason why not. 117 00:07:26,226 --> 00:07:30,135 And I think to shut oneself to that possibility is a mistake... 118 00:07:30,255 --> 00:07:32,935 ...mainly because there are so many anomalies that we can't explain. 119 00:07:36,855 --> 00:07:39,295 Could the Saqqara bird really be a model... 120 00:07:39,415 --> 00:07:41,086 of an ancient flying machine? 121 00:07:42,215 --> 00:07:44,775 And if so, might this be evidence... 122 00:07:44,895 --> 00:07:47,785 ...that our ancestors witnessed alien technology? 123 00:07:49,895 --> 00:07:52,015 Perhaps further proof can be found... 124 00:07:52,135 --> 00:07:55,089 ...by examining a century old Mexican ritual... 125 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,800 called the dance of the flyers. 126 00:08:04,686 --> 00:08:06,322 Veracruz, Mexico. 127 00:08:08,369 --> 00:08:12,653 Five men in ceremonial dress ascend a 100-foot pole. 128 00:08:13,449 --> 00:08:17,329 Once at the top, one of the men performs a sacred dance... 129 00:08:17,449 --> 00:08:20,168 ...while playing a flute and drum atop a platform. 130 00:08:20,809 --> 00:08:23,893 The other four men launch themselves off. 131 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,520 It is a ritual known as la danza de los voladores... 132 00:08:30,169 --> 00:08:32,254 ...or the dance of the flyers. 133 00:08:33,049 --> 00:08:35,599 The ritual has the leader stand on the top of the pole... 134 00:08:35,689 --> 00:08:36,719 ...a tiny little platform... 135 00:08:36,809 --> 00:08:40,286 ...and the four flyers wrap a cable around that pole... 136 00:08:40,388 --> 00:08:43,529 ...and then branch out and fly around in a pyramid shape... 137 00:08:43,649 --> 00:08:45,126 ...in perfect synchronous order. 138 00:08:45,369 --> 00:08:47,413 It's a stunning and daring thing to do. 139 00:08:48,809 --> 00:08:50,169 They are representing the birds. 140 00:08:50,289 --> 00:08:52,289 They are representing the four cardinal directions. 141 00:08:52,409 --> 00:08:53,889 They are representing the elements... 142 00:08:54,009 --> 00:08:56,891 ...heavily symbolic and mythic as a powerful ritual. 143 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,720 The Totanac people who practice this ceremony today... 144 00:09:05,169 --> 00:09:08,438 ...claim it is a dance that was invented 500 years ago... 145 00:09:08,645 --> 00:09:11,533 ...as a plea to the gods to end a severe drought. 146 00:09:12,729 --> 00:09:15,137 But could this ancient ritual have different... 147 00:09:15,370 --> 00:09:17,843 ...perhaps otherworldly, origins? 148 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,400 What we have here with the voladores... 149 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:25,720 ...is 100 percent living mythology. 150 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:29,560 Something that describes and illustrates... 151 00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:31,440 in front of our living eye... 152 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:35,720 ...the descent of the gods from a long time ago. 153 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:41,040 According to ancient astronaut theorists... 154 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:43,800 ...the voladores ritual is a re-enactment... 155 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:47,760 ...of a close encounter with alien visitors in the distant past. 156 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:51,520 They believe extraterrestrials... 157 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:53,560 ...descended upon the flat mountaintops... 158 00:09:53,680 --> 00:09:57,440 ...of the Palpa region in Peru around 500 AD, 159 00:09:58,040 --> 00:09:59,480 dropping from their aircraft... 160 00:09:59,760 --> 00:10:02,640 ...and gliding down to Earth in spiraling circles. 161 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:09,440 The voladores ritual was very technological... 162 00:10:09,560 --> 00:10:13,350 ...as in, you know, these beings descending from the sky... 163 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:17,960 ...and the circle signifying arrival of the gods. 164 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:23,960 Where does that flying or descending gods motif originate? 165 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,360 Our ancestors saw something... 166 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:34,080 ...because why would you hurl yourself... 167 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:38,960 from a 100-foot pole out of nothing to imitate a bird? 168 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:40,800 Birds are not that important. 169 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:43,480 Something very significant happened. 170 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,320 Could an alien encounter really be the inspiration... 171 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:50,080 for the voladores ritual? 172 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:53,920 And could the Totanac people who created the ceremony... 173 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:58,160 really have been trying to mimic the ancient gods' power of flight? 174 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:04,920 As further evidence that early humans... 175 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:08,640 ...may have encountered alien visitors equipped with the power of flight... 176 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:11,720 ...ancient astronaut theorists, 177 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:16,440 point to various artifacts and statues depicting ancient gods. 178 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:20,480 One such example is the Mayan god, Ah-Muzen-Cab... 179 00:11:20,609 --> 00:11:23,449 also known as the flying "bee god." 180 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:28,800 Another is the most prominent god of early Mesoamerican culture... 181 00:11:29,169 --> 00:11:31,489 ...the winged deity Quetzalcoatl. 182 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:35,920 The Mesoamericans believed in the plumed serpent... 183 00:11:36,049 --> 00:11:37,809 ...or Quetzalcoatl... 184 00:11:37,929 --> 00:11:42,089 ...which came from the sky, bringing wisdom, powered the wind... 185 00:11:42,209 --> 00:11:44,329 ...and also influenced everything... 186 00:11:44,449 --> 00:11:46,902 ...that happened in the daily life of the Mayans. 187 00:11:47,050 --> 00:11:49,236 In fact, they looked to the sky for all their answers... 188 00:11:49,326 --> 00:11:51,449 ...from everything as simple as when to plant corn... 189 00:11:51,569 --> 00:11:52,929 ...to when to go to war. 190 00:11:53,151 --> 00:11:55,889 They believed all answers in the universe came from the sky... 191 00:11:56,009 --> 00:11:58,369 ...and trying to relate that to their daily lives. 192 00:11:58,611 --> 00:12:00,289 The ancient record are loaded... 193 00:12:00,409 --> 00:12:02,089 ...with fantastic examples... 194 00:12:02,209 --> 00:12:04,064 ...of the gods flying around. 195 00:12:04,224 --> 00:12:05,889 These are the ancient aliens... 196 00:12:06,009 --> 00:12:09,630 ...and humans are being shown the ultimate capability of these gods. 197 00:12:11,089 --> 00:12:12,609 In my eyes... 198 00:12:12,729 --> 00:12:14,350 ...because we are the sons of the gods... 199 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:16,120 ...we are the offsprings of the gods... 200 00:12:16,389 --> 00:12:21,914 ...whatever humans can dream, whatever humans think... 201 00:12:22,314 --> 00:12:28,409 ...was once reality in the past or will be reality in the future. 202 00:12:31,476 --> 00:12:34,498 July 31st, 2003. 203 00:12:34,778 --> 00:12:36,249 The English Channel. 204 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:39,000 Felix Baumgartner becomes the first person... 205 00:12:39,118 --> 00:12:41,769 ...to cross this 22-mile wide body of water... 206 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:43,080 ...in freefall... 207 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:45,920 ...using a specially made fiber wing. 208 00:12:46,308 --> 00:12:49,051 But the Austrian daredevil is just one of many... 209 00:12:49,141 --> 00:12:51,733 ...who have used wing suits to simulate flying... 210 00:12:51,893 --> 00:12:53,849 ...by means of a free fall. 211 00:12:59,021 --> 00:13:01,783 A wing suit is basically a jumpsuit... 212 00:13:01,965 --> 00:13:04,347 ...that you put on under your rig... 213 00:13:04,587 --> 00:13:08,194 ...and it's designed to actually make you fly... 214 00:13:08,314 --> 00:13:09,769 ...when you exit the plane. 215 00:13:10,243 --> 00:13:12,349 The material inflates underneath your arms... 216 00:13:12,439 --> 00:13:13,809 ...in between your legs... 217 00:13:14,090 --> 00:13:19,760 ...and creates basically an airfoil that you glide on through the air. 218 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:21,398 It's an amazing feeling... 219 00:13:21,488 --> 00:13:24,929 ...because you're actually the pilot and the plane. 220 00:13:25,980 --> 00:13:27,489 It is total freedom. 221 00:13:27,766 --> 00:13:29,529 You feel as though you're flying. 222 00:13:32,118 --> 00:13:33,729 Though you are falling... 223 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:37,360 ...you're using the air to maneuver your body. 224 00:13:37,712 --> 00:13:40,264 And the wing suit helps you cover a lot of ground... 225 00:13:40,354 --> 00:13:41,729 ...as you're descending. 226 00:13:42,342 --> 00:13:46,061 Some people have been exceeding two-to-one glide ratio. 227 00:13:46,494 --> 00:13:51,989 For example, three-to-one would mean for every foot you descend... 228 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,200 ...you're traveling three feet forward. 229 00:13:55,955 --> 00:13:57,316 We got these flying guys... 230 00:13:57,435 --> 00:14:00,529 ...that have these wings attached to their backs... 231 00:14:00,625 --> 00:14:02,851 ...and they hurl themselves out of planes... 232 00:14:02,971 --> 00:14:06,419 ...and some even have rocket engines attached to them. 233 00:14:06,539 --> 00:14:11,039 And so they essentially themselves become airplanes. 234 00:14:11,828 --> 00:14:16,996 Now imagine showing that to someone from 100 years ago. 235 00:14:17,116 --> 00:14:21,073 That person would be in complete awe of what they're witnessing... 236 00:14:21,233 --> 00:14:26,079 ...not understanding that there is technology involved with this. 237 00:14:27,079 --> 00:14:29,887 Just using our own body, we cannot fly. 238 00:14:30,007 --> 00:14:31,208 We have no wings. 239 00:14:31,298 --> 00:14:34,623 But, of course, we have the fantasy and we have the technology... 240 00:14:34,743 --> 00:14:37,703 ...to develop wings that we can fly. 241 00:14:38,338 --> 00:14:43,667 The pursuit of flight has been one of the most sought-after quests... 242 00:14:43,867 --> 00:14:45,696 ...in all of mankind's history. 243 00:14:45,816 --> 00:14:46,704 Why? 244 00:14:46,794 --> 00:14:48,529 Because with flight... 245 00:14:49,164 --> 00:14:54,169 ...you could reach, conceivably, the realm of the gods. 246 00:14:59,846 --> 00:15:02,068 From the ancient Greek myth of Icarus... 247 00:15:02,158 --> 00:15:04,877 ...fashioning wings of feathers and wax... 248 00:15:05,202 --> 00:15:08,312 ...to modern daredevils like Felix Baumgartner... 249 00:15:08,512 --> 00:15:10,902 ...human beings have been fascinated with... 250 00:15:10,992 --> 00:15:14,929 ...and often frustrated by, their desire to fly. 251 00:15:15,359 --> 00:15:19,569 But have birds really served as mankind's inspiration? 252 00:15:20,018 --> 00:15:23,033 Or were they inspired by something else? 253 00:15:23,266 --> 00:15:26,209 Perhaps something extraterrestrial? 254 00:15:26,590 --> 00:15:29,392 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes... 255 00:15:29,512 --> 00:15:31,508 ...and claim further proof can be found... 256 00:15:31,598 --> 00:15:36,369 ...by examining Ancient China's mysterious stories of dragons. 257 00:15:46,118 --> 00:15:48,863 Celestial beings coming down to Earth. 258 00:15:50,081 --> 00:15:52,544 Gods descending from the sky. 259 00:15:53,646 --> 00:15:56,251 Do similar accounts exist in other cultures... 260 00:15:56,341 --> 00:15:58,937 ...and other religions across the world? 261 00:15:59,297 --> 00:16:02,538 And if so, what is the explanation? 262 00:16:02,978 --> 00:16:05,923 We have to remind ourselves that our ancestors... 263 00:16:06,013 --> 00:16:07,752 ...were highly intelligent. 264 00:16:07,912 --> 00:16:11,557 However, their technological frame of reference... 265 00:16:11,677 --> 00:16:12,817 ...was different... 266 00:16:12,907 --> 00:16:15,558 ...than our technological frame of reference. 267 00:16:15,678 --> 00:16:20,220 So they didn't have the vocabulary with which to describe... 268 00:16:20,310 --> 00:16:24,707 ...or with which to name certain things that they saw. 269 00:16:24,797 --> 00:16:26,150 So, what did they do? 270 00:16:26,270 --> 00:16:31,505 They used words that they were familiar with in their time. 271 00:16:31,596 --> 00:16:35,428 And so they tried to describe whatever they witnessed... 272 00:16:35,518 --> 00:16:39,867 ...to the best of their abilities with their vocabulary. 273 00:16:45,298 --> 00:16:48,534 Ancient China also shared some of the same beliefs... 274 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:53,080 ...that can be found in Egyptian, Native American and Dogon legends... 275 00:16:53,642 --> 00:16:56,272 ...that deities arrived from the stars. 276 00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:01,720 According to Chinese mythology dating back to 3,000 BC... 277 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,480 ...when the god named Huangdi was born... 278 00:17:04,633 --> 00:17:07,270 ...there was a radiance from the great star Chi. 279 00:17:10,718 --> 00:17:14,936 Huangdi would later emerge from the belly of a fire-breathing dragon... 280 00:17:15,056 --> 00:17:17,505 ...to become China's first emperor. 281 00:17:17,862 --> 00:17:19,789 The origins of the Han Chinese people... 282 00:17:19,879 --> 00:17:24,382 ...start with a story of a great God looking down with empathy. 283 00:17:25,222 --> 00:17:29,959 Here were people in poverty, in a beautiful, rich country... 284 00:17:30,049 --> 00:17:33,479 ...the landscape profound, but the people were suffering. 285 00:17:34,479 --> 00:17:37,216 He took pity and decided to come down. 286 00:17:43,233 --> 00:17:49,033 Huangdi arrived on planet Earth in a flying dragon. 287 00:17:50,377 --> 00:17:52,701 He had the power of flight. 288 00:17:52,901 --> 00:17:57,114 Huangdi could be anywhere within minutes. 289 00:17:57,403 --> 00:18:01,905 And he usually accomplished this by hopping on his dragon... 290 00:18:02,008 --> 00:18:03,871 ...and flying somewhere. 291 00:18:07,500 --> 00:18:10,281 Now this divine energy becomes human... 292 00:18:10,401 --> 00:18:13,070 ...and is a great leader, the Yellow Emperor... 293 00:18:13,208 --> 00:18:15,496 ...who rules and unites the people... 294 00:18:15,587 --> 00:18:17,345 ...and there's a period of great prosperity... 295 00:18:17,436 --> 00:18:19,145 ...until his work is done. 296 00:18:20,525 --> 00:18:25,867 Huangdi brought order to the chaos, creating China's first empire. 297 00:18:26,495 --> 00:18:28,756 He is seen as a cultural hero... 298 00:18:29,092 --> 00:18:33,142 ...and is credited with the invention of the compass, acupuncture... 299 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:36,040 ...and the standardization of Chinese writing. 300 00:18:36,954 --> 00:18:40,506 One of his greatest legacies is the Great Wall of China. 301 00:18:40,912 --> 00:18:44,639 When the land is prosperous, he decides its time to go... 302 00:18:44,839 --> 00:18:46,749 ...and the great yellow dragon comes back... 303 00:18:46,875 --> 00:18:49,229 ...and he gets back into the belly of the dragon... 304 00:18:49,319 --> 00:18:50,753 ...and flies off forever. 305 00:18:53,502 --> 00:18:58,503 Now were these dragons truly dragons... 306 00:18:58,593 --> 00:19:01,694 ...in a biological nature? 307 00:19:04,111 --> 00:19:08,841 Or were they misinterpreted types of machines? 308 00:19:09,001 --> 00:19:12,928 Because as we all know, dragons are always correlated... 309 00:19:13,018 --> 00:19:16,476 ...with spewing fire and a lot of smoke. 310 00:19:17,987 --> 00:19:21,578 Whenever we see a modern rocket take off, there is all this smoke. 311 00:19:21,698 --> 00:19:25,137 And sometimes the smoke is yellow and sometimes it's red. 312 00:19:25,227 --> 00:19:29,051 So, it's very bizarre how we have these correlations... 313 00:19:29,141 --> 00:19:32,754 ...between the ancient times and modern times today. 314 00:19:33,674 --> 00:19:37,146 Mythology is the effort to grasp what we can't grasp... 315 00:19:37,236 --> 00:19:39,067 ...to understand what is beyond us. 316 00:19:39,267 --> 00:19:40,385 In the Eastern teachings... 317 00:19:40,485 --> 00:19:43,200 ...the dragons very often carry people... 318 00:19:43,555 --> 00:19:46,300 ...sometimes on their back, sometimes inside their bellies. 319 00:19:46,390 --> 00:19:48,856 So if we think of them as, as a poet's effort... 320 00:19:48,946 --> 00:19:51,801 ...to explain a vehicle that was strange to them... 321 00:19:52,244 --> 00:19:53,910 ...well, those sound like flying saucers. 322 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,182 So it might just be a problem with translation. 323 00:19:56,277 --> 00:19:57,463 Because after all, it's just a word. 324 00:19:57,553 --> 00:20:01,068 It's trying to describe something that's very difficult to, to grasp. 325 00:20:05,692 --> 00:20:07,691 Could Chinese tales of dragons... 326 00:20:07,781 --> 00:20:12,184 ...be based on ancient interpretations of rocket ships descending to Earth? 327 00:20:12,344 --> 00:20:15,502 And if so, could the legends of Huangdi... 328 00:20:15,601 --> 00:20:17,224 ...like those of Quetzalcoatl... 329 00:20:17,316 --> 00:20:19,150 ...and the Egyptian Saqqara bird... 330 00:20:19,364 --> 00:20:23,314 ...be evidence of alien visitations in the distant past? 331 00:20:23,541 --> 00:20:27,022 Perhaps the answer can be found high on a mountaintop... 332 00:20:27,142 --> 00:20:30,041 ...known as the throne of Solomon. 333 00:20:33,310 --> 00:20:35,079 In the 21st century... 334 00:20:35,309 --> 00:20:38,315 ...modern transportation and communication methods... 335 00:20:38,405 --> 00:20:40,941 ...have connected the world like never before. 336 00:20:41,731 --> 00:20:43,259 Products or ideas... 337 00:20:43,419 --> 00:20:45,826 ...no matter where in the world they may have originated... 338 00:20:45,916 --> 00:20:48,594 ...can spread to even the most remote countries. 339 00:20:48,965 --> 00:20:52,429 A hip-hop hit in Brooklyn might make it big in Tokyo... 340 00:20:52,519 --> 00:20:54,704 ...before it's even heard in Manhattan. 341 00:20:55,032 --> 00:20:58,830 This cultural interconnection has transformed the globe... 342 00:20:59,050 --> 00:21:00,359 ...but is it new? 343 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:06,560 Mainstream archaeologists believe ancient civilizations... 344 00:21:06,651 --> 00:21:09,269 ...such as those found in the remote Pacific Islands... 345 00:21:09,359 --> 00:21:11,459 ...Asia, and South America... 346 00:21:11,549 --> 00:21:13,884 ...developed independently from each other. 347 00:21:15,106 --> 00:21:17,588 But ancient astronaut theorists contend... 348 00:21:17,788 --> 00:21:20,807 ...that similarities in building styles and beliefs... 349 00:21:20,927 --> 00:21:22,918 ...found in these cultures suggest... 350 00:21:23,078 --> 00:21:26,907 ...that a worldwide trade route may have connected them to each other. 351 00:21:33,571 --> 00:21:37,515 But just like we have airports today, around the world... 352 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:40,560 ...in ancient times, with the vimanas... 353 00:21:40,825 --> 00:21:44,504 ...there would have been hangars for the craft... 354 00:21:44,974 --> 00:21:46,863 ...airports for them to land. 355 00:21:46,953 --> 00:21:48,611 And those airports would have been situated... 356 00:21:48,701 --> 00:21:50,812 ...in strategic places around the world. 357 00:21:50,902 --> 00:21:54,947 And that's exactly what we see in remote places. 358 00:21:58,781 --> 00:22:02,421 Legends of air travel are also found in ancient Africa... 359 00:22:02,541 --> 00:22:03,821 ...and the Middle East. 360 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:08,400 According to the Kebra Nagast, a holy book of the Ethiopians... 361 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:11,800 ...written sometime before the second century AD... 362 00:22:12,221 --> 00:22:15,821 ...the queen of Sheba was once given a gift of a flying carpet... 363 00:22:15,941 --> 00:22:17,941 ...by King Solomon of Israel. 364 00:22:18,061 --> 00:22:19,581 The Kebra Nagast... 365 00:22:19,701 --> 00:22:22,981 ...is one of the most important texts you've never heard of. 366 00:22:24,021 --> 00:22:27,451 The Kebra Nagast means the Book of Kings. 367 00:22:27,611 --> 00:22:33,101 And it is the most sacred book of the Ethiopians. 368 00:22:34,421 --> 00:22:37,812 In it, King Solomon, it's described... 369 00:22:37,972 --> 00:22:42,581 ...he had access to some type of a flying machine. 370 00:22:42,981 --> 00:22:47,461 And that part of the world, the term flying carpet... 371 00:22:47,901 --> 00:22:50,941 ...was always used very liberally. 372 00:22:51,541 --> 00:22:57,141 My question is, did they really mean actual flying carpets? 373 00:22:57,261 --> 00:23:01,301 Or was it another term with which to describe... 374 00:23:01,421 --> 00:23:03,741 ...some type of a flying machine? 375 00:23:05,061 --> 00:23:08,781 This was the original Chariots of the Gods... 376 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,080 ...that Erich Von Daniken talked about... 377 00:23:11,181 --> 00:23:17,261 ...the flying magic carpets of the Arabian Nights stories. 378 00:23:18,461 --> 00:23:20,011 There are traditions, in the Middle East... 379 00:23:20,101 --> 00:23:22,221 ...of King Solomon having this airship... 380 00:23:22,341 --> 00:23:25,661 ...and flying to different places in the Middle East... 381 00:23:25,781 --> 00:23:29,901 ...certain mountains, which are known as the Mountains of Solomon. 382 00:23:30,501 --> 00:23:37,461 These may have been certain airports or landing areas for these vimanas. 383 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:42,400 Nicholas Roerich, famous Russian-American explorer... 384 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:48,400 ...who traveled all through central Asia and Tibet in the 1920s. 385 00:23:48,501 --> 00:23:51,021 He, too, claimed that Tibetans had traditions... 386 00:23:51,141 --> 00:23:55,221 ...of King Solomon flying to Tibet in this aircraft. 387 00:23:56,061 --> 00:23:58,021 The Kebra Nagast also describes... 388 00:23:58,141 --> 00:24:00,661 ...how King Solomon used his flying airship... 389 00:24:00,781 --> 00:24:02,501 ...to make maps of the world. 390 00:24:03,637 --> 00:24:06,461 But could these have any relation to other ancient maps... 391 00:24:06,581 --> 00:24:10,221 ...some believe may have been made by extraterrestrials? 392 00:24:10,853 --> 00:24:13,021 Some of these maps show the world... 393 00:24:13,141 --> 00:24:14,211 ...not as it looks today... 394 00:24:14,301 --> 00:24:16,675 ...but as it looked during the last ice age. 395 00:24:16,795 --> 00:24:19,261 And this is really hard to explain. 396 00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:21,190 Everybody's heard of the Piri Reis map... 397 00:24:21,280 --> 00:24:23,960 ...but they perhaps not heard of the Oronteus Finaeus map... 398 00:24:24,061 --> 00:24:28,643 ...or, or the Mercator maps that show Antarctica in great detail... 399 00:24:28,733 --> 00:24:31,781 ...hundreds of years before Antarctica was even discovered. 400 00:24:33,141 --> 00:24:36,021 One of the most referenced stories of ancient aircraft... 401 00:24:36,141 --> 00:24:39,581 ...is found in a surprising place, the Bible. 402 00:24:40,421 --> 00:24:41,901 In the Book of Ezekiel... 403 00:24:42,021 --> 00:24:44,581 ...the prophet describes a flying chariot... 404 00:24:44,677 --> 00:24:48,621 ...containing wheels within wheels and powered by angels. 405 00:24:50,101 --> 00:24:54,461 Although, Bible historians suggest Ezekiel was speaking symbolically... 406 00:24:54,581 --> 00:24:57,381 ...about the terrifying enemies facing Israel... 407 00:24:57,501 --> 00:25:00,861 ...could this be another example of an alien visitation... 408 00:25:00,981 --> 00:25:04,381 ...and proof that prehistoric aircraft existed? 409 00:25:04,581 --> 00:25:07,621 In the story of Ezekiel's throne chariot... 410 00:25:07,741 --> 00:25:09,061 ...this flying vehicle... 411 00:25:09,181 --> 00:25:11,741 ...that doesn't seem to have any means of propulsion. 412 00:25:11,861 --> 00:25:13,821 If we thought of the word angel... 413 00:25:13,941 --> 00:25:16,821 ...as representing something like celestial energy... 414 00:25:16,941 --> 00:25:20,141 ...it sounds much more like a spacecraft then. 415 00:25:20,261 --> 00:25:22,461 Because some of the angels are going back and forth. 416 00:25:22,981 --> 00:25:25,661 Well, that sounds like flames. That sounds like propulsion. 417 00:25:26,741 --> 00:25:29,741 Some of them are wheel-like. Well, those sound like flying saucers. 418 00:25:33,101 --> 00:25:35,941 Our ancestors weren't idiots. 419 00:25:36,501 --> 00:25:40,341 Ezekiel saw something that was so frightening to him... 420 00:25:40,461 --> 00:25:42,421 ...that he fell to his knees. 421 00:25:42,741 --> 00:25:46,765 Then out of the glory of God, came this being... 422 00:25:46,965 --> 00:25:50,541 ...in these bright clothes that looked like metal... 423 00:25:51,021 --> 00:25:53,021 ...and told Ezekiel... 424 00:25:53,141 --> 00:25:55,701 ..."All right, man, we brought you here. 425 00:25:55,941 --> 00:25:59,541 "We want you to measure this monument, this building." 426 00:25:59,661 --> 00:26:02,821 And Ezekiel asks, "Well, why should I do this?" 427 00:26:02,941 --> 00:26:06,941 And the being says, "That's why we brought you here." 428 00:26:07,501 --> 00:26:09,901 And then, you have 40 pages... 429 00:26:10,021 --> 00:26:12,341 ...in the second part of the book of Ezekiel... 430 00:26:12,461 --> 00:26:15,501 ...with measurement after measurement after measurement... 431 00:26:15,621 --> 00:26:17,541 ...of this gigantic building... 432 00:26:17,661 --> 00:26:21,501 ...in which, by the way, the glory of the Lord landed. 433 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:31,276 In the early 1970s, NASA scientist Josef Blumrich... 434 00:26:31,366 --> 00:26:32,941 ...set out to disprove the theory... 435 00:26:33,061 --> 00:26:35,701 ...that what Ezekiel witnessed was a spaceship. 436 00:26:36,781 --> 00:26:40,981 Josef Blumrich is your proverbial rocket scientist. 437 00:26:41,381 --> 00:26:44,421 He worked on the moon project for NASA. 438 00:26:45,021 --> 00:26:48,381 And from the mind of a rocket engineer... 439 00:26:48,781 --> 00:26:51,301 ...started to look at what was written... 440 00:26:51,421 --> 00:26:54,341 ...in the first part of the Book of Ezekiel. 441 00:26:54,621 --> 00:26:57,301 And after many months of research... 442 00:26:57,421 --> 00:27:00,275 Josef Blumrich came to the conclusion... 443 00:27:00,781 --> 00:27:07,339 ...that what Ezekiel described in his eyewitness report, 444 00:27:08,061 --> 00:27:10,731 it was indeed a type of spacecraft. 445 00:27:13,781 --> 00:27:17,747 Josef Blumrich would go on to write The Spaceships of Ezekiel. 446 00:27:18,501 --> 00:27:19,904 Several years later... 447 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:23,760 ...a German structural engineer named Hans Herbert Beier, 448 00:27:24,021 --> 00:27:26,261 sketched out a blueprint of the second section... 449 00:27:26,381 --> 00:27:27,652 ...of the Book of Ezekiel... 450 00:27:27,901 --> 00:27:30,981 ...where Ezekiel is told to construct an open-topped building... 451 00:27:31,101 --> 00:27:32,730 ...to house the flying chariot. 452 00:27:33,621 --> 00:27:38,004 Ezekiel's space ship fit exactly into the temple, 453 00:27:38,329 --> 00:27:40,461 that Hans Herbert Beier recreated. 454 00:27:42,501 --> 00:27:45,215 So what we have here is a proof by indication. 455 00:27:45,981 --> 00:27:50,006 Here we have a NASA engineer and a structural engineer, 456 00:27:51,141 --> 00:27:52,882 they didn't know of each other's work... 457 00:27:53,741 --> 00:27:56,741 and both pieces fit together like a puzzle. 458 00:27:57,181 --> 00:28:01,457 In any court of law, that's evidence that would hold up. 459 00:28:03,661 --> 00:28:06,144 I think that scientists feel uncomfortable... 460 00:28:06,360 --> 00:28:08,440 ...with the notion of the lost civilization... 461 00:28:08,699 --> 00:28:11,981 ...precisely because the evidence for it is so ambiguous. 462 00:28:12,341 --> 00:28:14,924 It's not so in your face that it's immediately obvious. 463 00:28:15,621 --> 00:28:18,935 And you know, the result is that science has not welcomed this idea. 464 00:28:20,301 --> 00:28:23,057 It will take much more evidence before it's widely accepted. 465 00:28:25,101 --> 00:28:28,648 The God that I believe in doesn't need a vehicle... 466 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:31,600 ...in which to move around from point A to point B. 467 00:28:33,101 --> 00:28:37,662 Whatever was described in the Old Testament wasn't God. 468 00:28:37,901 --> 00:28:42,041 It was a misunderstood flesh and blood extraterrestrial, 469 00:28:42,501 --> 00:28:48,557 whom our ancestor misinterpreted as being divine and supernatural. 470 00:28:49,101 --> 00:28:52,523 And why? Because of misunderstood technology. 471 00:28:53,141 --> 00:28:56,938 And that is the underlying thread that applies... 472 00:28:57,501 --> 00:28:59,413 ...to all of the ancient astronaut theory. 473 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:05,560 But while ancient texts provide tantalizing clues to our past... 474 00:29:05,941 --> 00:29:08,673 ...physical evidence paints an even clearer picture. 475 00:29:09,301 --> 00:29:13,850 But will modern science finally prove the ancient astronaut theory? 476 00:29:14,621 --> 00:29:17,141 Did the ancient civilizations of Earth... 477 00:29:17,261 --> 00:29:19,708 ...have access to advanced technology? 478 00:29:20,421 --> 00:29:23,322 Well, it seems like they had something going on. 479 00:29:30,582 --> 00:29:33,639 Could ancient stories depicting flying carpets, 480 00:29:34,208 --> 00:29:37,477 fiery chariots, and even dragons... 481 00:29:37,808 --> 00:29:40,408 ...really be evidence of an otherworldly presence... 482 00:29:40,528 --> 00:29:43,074 ...here on Earth in the distant past? 483 00:29:44,568 --> 00:29:47,244 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes... 484 00:29:47,568 --> 00:29:51,968 ...and claim that further proof of alien craft traversing our skies... 485 00:29:52,088 --> 00:29:56,259 ...can be found with the countless reports of flying saucers. 486 00:30:01,123 --> 00:30:03,284 Guatemala, Central America. 487 00:30:04,083 --> 00:30:07,500 According to most mainstream scholars and archaeologists, 488 00:30:08,123 --> 00:30:10,416 the earliest human settlements in this region... 489 00:30:10,843 --> 00:30:13,721 date back over 14,000 years. 490 00:30:14,563 --> 00:30:17,473 Here can be found numerous ancient artifacts... 491 00:30:17,763 --> 00:30:23,123 ...and among them is this one the figure of a man lying inside, 492 00:30:23,243 --> 00:30:25,911 what appears to be the shell of a turtle. 493 00:30:26,603 --> 00:30:29,406 And when I asked the local archaeologist there... 494 00:30:30,003 --> 00:30:31,342 "What is this?" 495 00:30:32,123 --> 00:30:34,203 They said, without the flinching of an eye, 496 00:30:34,323 --> 00:30:36,691 "Well, this is, according to legend..." 497 00:30:38,243 --> 00:30:42,882 ..."the giant flying turtles which flew around in Guatemala." 498 00:30:44,403 --> 00:30:47,927 The entire body is aerodynamically fashioned. 499 00:30:48,883 --> 00:30:52,770 The extremities are pressed in an aerodynamic fashion... 500 00:30:53,123 --> 00:30:55,763 ...against the body of this turtle. 501 00:30:56,883 --> 00:30:58,563 And if you look closely... 502 00:31:00,043 --> 00:31:04,723 ...it's as if there's some modern day fighter pilot glasses or goggles. 503 00:31:07,963 --> 00:31:10,603 This right here is from the same culture... 504 00:31:10,723 --> 00:31:12,003 ...from the same region... 505 00:31:12,123 --> 00:31:15,323 ...where they created the turtle in clay. 506 00:31:15,443 --> 00:31:18,443 So they knew exactly what a turtle looked like. 507 00:31:18,563 --> 00:31:20,083 It looks like a snapping turtle. 508 00:31:21,123 --> 00:31:26,403 And what we have here, that is everything but a turtle... 509 00:31:26,523 --> 00:31:28,483 ...it's something else. 510 00:31:29,763 --> 00:31:34,123 In their frame of reference, they were able to use the turtle... 511 00:31:34,243 --> 00:31:38,603 ...as the best example of what they might of seen... 512 00:31:38,723 --> 00:31:41,843 ...that the gods used to fly around in. 513 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:48,400 Halfway around the world, in 329 BC... 514 00:31:48,523 --> 00:31:53,203 ...the Greek ruler Alexander the Great planned the invasion of India. 515 00:31:53,723 --> 00:31:55,603 But according to ancient texts... 516 00:31:55,723 --> 00:32:00,723 ...his army was supposedly thwarted by a strange attack from the skies. 517 00:32:01,216 --> 00:32:03,803 As Alexander's army was getting ready... 518 00:32:03,923 --> 00:32:06,163 ...to cross the Indus and invade India... 519 00:32:06,283 --> 00:32:10,883 ...suddenly, in the sky appeared these flying discs. 520 00:32:11,883 --> 00:32:16,830 And they began dive-bombing at the war elephants... 521 00:32:17,443 --> 00:32:19,683 ...that were part of Alexander's army. 522 00:32:19,803 --> 00:32:24,923 And what these flying discs did was cause stampedes... 523 00:32:25,043 --> 00:32:28,323 ...within Alexander's own war elephants... 524 00:32:28,443 --> 00:32:31,083 ...who then ran amok throughout his army... 525 00:32:31,203 --> 00:32:33,083 ...tearing up the camps and everything. 526 00:32:33,203 --> 00:32:36,810 And after that, Alexander's generals met with him... 527 00:32:36,900 --> 00:32:41,123 ...and they said, "No, we're not going into India." 528 00:32:41,243 --> 00:32:43,563 "This, this is it. We're gonna turn back." 529 00:32:43,683 --> 00:32:46,243 And that was the end of that war campaign. 530 00:32:47,643 --> 00:32:50,763 But whether in ancient times or much more recently... 531 00:32:50,883 --> 00:32:53,563 ...so-called flying saucers are often described... 532 00:32:53,683 --> 00:32:57,723 ...as being unaffected by gravity or the basic laws of physics. 533 00:32:57,923 --> 00:33:00,577 You know, I know that people who have, who have seen... 534 00:33:01,403 --> 00:33:03,603 ...extraterrestrial vehicles in modern times... 535 00:33:03,723 --> 00:33:05,963 ...have said, "How in the world could it be doing that?" 536 00:33:07,043 --> 00:33:09,683 For example, it's moving through the sky... 537 00:33:09,803 --> 00:33:12,283 ...and it's going 20,000 miles per hour... 538 00:33:12,403 --> 00:33:14,963 ...and makes a right hand turn without decelerating. 539 00:33:15,083 --> 00:33:19,311 That isn't possible using normal aerodynamics. 540 00:33:21,266 --> 00:33:25,043 When jets have been scrambled after flying saucers... 541 00:33:25,163 --> 00:33:26,556 ...the saucers are described... 542 00:33:26,646 --> 00:33:30,083 ...as suddenly turning at right angles at super speeds... 543 00:33:30,203 --> 00:33:31,523 ...and just zipping off... 544 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:35,960 ...in what seems like impossible aerobatic maneuvers. 545 00:33:36,643 --> 00:33:40,994 And this can be explained as the kind of technology they're using... 546 00:33:41,084 --> 00:33:43,883 ...which is an... a gravity control. 547 00:33:45,203 --> 00:33:47,363 It's artificial gravity. 548 00:33:47,643 --> 00:33:50,757 So when you're inside of a gravitational field... 549 00:33:50,847 --> 00:33:54,363 ...that you're creating yourself around your craft... 550 00:33:54,483 --> 00:33:58,723 ...the gravity of the Earth doesn't have a force on you. 551 00:34:01,083 --> 00:34:05,363 But although aircraft propulsion by means of gravity manipulation... 552 00:34:05,483 --> 00:34:08,163 ...is beyond the limits of current technology... 553 00:34:08,563 --> 00:34:12,163 ...many scientists claim it is theoretically possible. 554 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:21,040 In Davis, California, inventor Dr Paul Moller... 555 00:34:21,163 --> 00:34:23,803 ...tests the boundaries of real-life science... 556 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:27,360 ...with a recreational flying vehicle called the Neuera. 557 00:34:32,683 --> 00:34:35,323 The Neuera is a very simple device to fly. 558 00:34:38,043 --> 00:34:42,523 It has eight lifting ducted fans, as we call them... 559 00:34:43,163 --> 00:34:44,963 ...each one driven by its own engine. 560 00:34:46,923 --> 00:34:50,283 One of the big advantages of this kind of round shape... 561 00:34:50,403 --> 00:34:54,883 ...is that you end up with the strength in the skin of the vehicle itself... 562 00:34:55,003 --> 00:34:56,824 ...much like the shell of a beetle. 563 00:34:56,984 --> 00:34:58,963 And that gets you a very, very strong design. 564 00:34:59,083 --> 00:35:01,363 This airframes you see over here next to this vehicle... 565 00:35:01,483 --> 00:35:02,878 ...which are similar to this... 566 00:35:02,968 --> 00:35:05,403 ...weigh only 75 pounds apiece, which is incredible. 567 00:35:05,523 --> 00:35:07,123 You get a complete airframe... 568 00:35:07,243 --> 00:35:09,403 ...that's capable of lifting 1,500 pounds... 569 00:35:09,523 --> 00:35:11,397 ...with a 75-pound shell. 570 00:35:13,163 --> 00:35:17,039 But could the inherent design strength of a disc-shaped object... 571 00:35:17,310 --> 00:35:20,403 ...be the key to overcoming the forces of gravity? 572 00:35:21,132 --> 00:35:23,843 And does the prevalence of flying saucer sightings... 573 00:35:23,963 --> 00:35:28,203 ...suggest a connection between anti-gravity technology... 574 00:35:28,323 --> 00:35:30,883 ...and extraterrestrial visitations? 575 00:35:31,883 --> 00:35:35,203 Gravity is one of the most unknown forces in physics today. 576 00:35:35,323 --> 00:35:37,363 And when we do understand it... 577 00:35:37,483 --> 00:35:40,574 ...we'll be able to find out a way to shield ourselves from it... 578 00:35:40,763 --> 00:35:45,003 ...or to provide a device, a method, electromagnetically... 579 00:35:45,123 --> 00:35:47,803 ...but with some... much greater knowledge than we have today... 580 00:35:47,923 --> 00:35:50,843 ...where we eliminate it within the vehicle's operations. 581 00:35:53,683 --> 00:35:56,563 Are flying saucers more than just the product... 582 00:35:56,683 --> 00:35:59,043 ...of overactive imaginations? 583 00:35:59,966 --> 00:36:03,483 Might ancient cultures that wrote of fire-breathing dragons... 584 00:36:03,603 --> 00:36:05,763 ...and angels descending from the heavens... 585 00:36:05,883 --> 00:36:07,843 ...have been witnessing earlier versions... 586 00:36:07,963 --> 00:36:09,963 ...of these alien spacecraft? 587 00:36:10,519 --> 00:36:13,523 Or could there be another explanation? 588 00:36:13,883 --> 00:36:18,243 Perhaps the ultimate answer can be found in the American southwest... 589 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:21,960 ...with a mythological beast called the Thunderbird. 590 00:36:30,559 --> 00:36:33,504 Elizabeth Lake, southern California. 591 00:36:34,099 --> 00:36:36,425 This high desert body of water... 592 00:36:36,625 --> 00:36:39,049 ...sits at the junction of the tectonic plates... 593 00:36:39,139 --> 00:36:42,530 ...that form the powerful San Andreas Fault. 594 00:36:43,160 --> 00:36:47,000 The Mexicans who colonized California in the 1700s... 595 00:36:47,240 --> 00:36:51,640 ...called it Laguna Del Diablo, Lake of the Devil. 596 00:36:52,198 --> 00:36:54,935 And it was said that the devil's own pet... 597 00:36:55,025 --> 00:36:57,679 ...would come into this world through a portal... 598 00:36:57,769 --> 00:36:59,486 ...at the bottom of the lake. 599 00:37:00,084 --> 00:37:02,981 Local legend says that at the bottom... 600 00:37:03,071 --> 00:37:05,040 ...is actually an entrance to the underworld. 601 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:06,876 They call it the Lake of the Devil. 602 00:37:07,076 --> 00:37:10,010 And it is said that in the middle of the 18th century... 603 00:37:10,100 --> 00:37:12,820 ...from up until about 1880 onwards... 604 00:37:12,940 --> 00:37:15,940 ...something was happening there which frightened locals. 605 00:37:17,660 --> 00:37:20,060 Some of the rich landowners built ranches there. 606 00:37:20,180 --> 00:37:21,130 These ranchers claimed... 607 00:37:21,220 --> 00:37:23,170 ...to have been harassed and tormented... 608 00:37:23,260 --> 00:37:27,580 ...by some sort of monstrous beast that would come out of the water... 609 00:37:27,700 --> 00:37:31,180 ...and steal cattle and menace the locals. 610 00:37:33,700 --> 00:37:36,380 The ranchers who claimed to have witnessed this beast... 611 00:37:36,500 --> 00:37:38,580 ...called it, "The Thunderbird." 612 00:37:39,116 --> 00:37:42,260 And their description of it was nearly identical... 613 00:37:42,439 --> 00:37:47,700 ...to that of the giant bird witnessed by cowboys in Tombstone in 1890. 614 00:37:48,327 --> 00:37:51,701 Eventually, one of the landowners, got it in his head... 615 00:37:51,791 --> 00:37:53,780 ...that he was going to hunt this creature down... 616 00:37:53,900 --> 00:37:55,380 ...and sell it to the circus. 617 00:37:55,500 --> 00:37:59,180 So according to the story this rancher was able to actually... 618 00:37:59,300 --> 00:38:00,860 ...fire a few shots at this creature... 619 00:38:00,980 --> 00:38:03,140 ...which seemed to be bullet-proof and metallic. 620 00:38:03,260 --> 00:38:04,130 The bullets bounced off. 621 00:38:04,220 --> 00:38:07,599 And after that encounter, the bird flew east... 622 00:38:07,689 --> 00:38:09,940 ...never to be seen again in California. 623 00:38:11,180 --> 00:38:13,500 Could this so called Thunderbird... 624 00:38:13,620 --> 00:38:15,500 ...really have been the same creature... 625 00:38:15,620 --> 00:38:18,180 ...that cowboys shot at in Tombstone? 626 00:38:18,705 --> 00:38:22,500 And why was it referred to by locals as, "The Devil's Pet"? 627 00:38:22,724 --> 00:38:25,260 They didn't have the vocabulary we have today... 628 00:38:25,660 --> 00:38:28,740 ...so when things happened that they couldn't explain... 629 00:38:28,860 --> 00:38:31,060 ...it was called the Devil's Tower. 630 00:38:31,207 --> 00:38:33,020 It was called the Devil's Lake. 631 00:38:33,225 --> 00:38:36,780 It was called the Devil's this, or the Devil's that. 632 00:38:37,020 --> 00:38:38,250 Take it away from legend... 633 00:38:38,340 --> 00:38:41,580 ...and you might find that this was a portal to another dimension... 634 00:38:41,752 --> 00:38:43,154 ...which the locals knew about... 635 00:38:43,244 --> 00:38:45,071 ...and might have something to do with the fact... 636 00:38:45,161 --> 00:38:47,180 ...that this mysterious entity was present... 637 00:38:47,300 --> 00:38:49,180 ...at that very specific location. 638 00:38:53,926 --> 00:38:57,980 If a portal to another dimension or another part of the universe... 639 00:38:58,100 --> 00:39:01,060 ...does lie at the bottom of Elizabeth Lake... 640 00:39:01,528 --> 00:39:04,420 ...might it also be possible that the Thunderbird... 641 00:39:04,540 --> 00:39:09,500 ...was not really a creature at all, but something even more incredible? 642 00:39:09,871 --> 00:39:11,420 A Thunderbird was enormous. 643 00:39:11,540 --> 00:39:13,380 It made enormous noises... 644 00:39:13,500 --> 00:39:17,020 ...so the thunder part of it could sound like a jet engine. 645 00:39:17,380 --> 00:39:21,700 Its eyes were able to literally pierce and emanate fire. 646 00:39:22,934 --> 00:39:25,260 We have this large flying winged creature... 647 00:39:25,380 --> 00:39:29,527 ...which gives off a thunderous sound and lights fly from its eyes. 648 00:39:29,617 --> 00:39:30,614 That to me says yes... 649 00:39:30,704 --> 00:39:33,060 ...we could be dealing with some sort of craft. 650 00:39:38,396 --> 00:39:43,229 Native Indians in North America, they know, of course, the bird. 651 00:39:43,429 --> 00:39:45,940 But now, something differently arrived. 652 00:39:46,257 --> 00:39:49,967 An object, which could fly, which is bigger than the eagle... 653 00:39:50,067 --> 00:39:52,940 ...but at the same time, makes tremendous noise. 654 00:39:53,102 --> 00:39:55,580 So you have the creation of the Thunderbird. 655 00:39:55,718 --> 00:39:57,580 Even when the airplanes... 656 00:39:57,756 --> 00:40:01,460 ...first started going out up in the sky here in the Southwest... 657 00:40:01,715 --> 00:40:05,820 ...they referred them to as metal birds. 658 00:40:05,914 --> 00:40:07,220 As a matter of fact... 659 00:40:07,387 --> 00:40:10,620 ...when the first fixed wing craft landed in Zuni... 660 00:40:11,463 --> 00:40:13,630 the Indians over there actually went out there... 661 00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:15,791 ...and worshiped the airplane. 662 00:40:16,740 --> 00:40:20,340 It makes me think of a concept called cultural tracking... 663 00:40:20,460 --> 00:40:25,260 ...which is the idea that UFOs can mask themselves... 664 00:40:25,380 --> 00:40:27,825 ...to appear as almost anything. 665 00:40:27,915 --> 00:40:31,220 And you go back to ancient China and they talk about the flying dragons. 666 00:40:31,388 --> 00:40:34,820 You go back to the ancient Egyptians they talk about flying boats. 667 00:40:34,940 --> 00:40:36,457 You go to the Roman times... 668 00:40:36,547 --> 00:40:38,340 ...and they're talking about flying shields. 669 00:40:38,511 --> 00:40:41,020 Perhaps that was just their interpretation... 670 00:40:41,140 --> 00:40:43,557 ...or perhaps that's what they actually saw. 671 00:40:46,239 --> 00:40:50,060 Have alien spacecraft really been darting across our skies... 672 00:40:50,180 --> 00:40:52,140 ...for thousands of years? 673 00:40:52,933 --> 00:40:57,780 And could stories of thunderbirds, dragons and flying chariots... 674 00:40:57,900 --> 00:41:02,180 ...be not mere legends but the proof we have been looking for? 675 00:41:02,508 --> 00:41:04,380 Perhaps when our own technology... 676 00:41:04,500 --> 00:41:07,340 ...allows us to venture further into space... 677 00:41:07,460 --> 00:41:09,700 ...we will be given the final answer. 678 00:41:09,916 --> 00:41:13,620 That aliens and mankind share a common origin... 679 00:41:13,740 --> 00:41:17,340 ...and perhaps a common destiny.