1 00:00:02,306 --> 00:00:03,481 WILLIAM SHATNER: Hidden churches... 2 00:00:03,525 --> 00:00:06,615 cut from the depths of the earth. 3 00:00:06,658 --> 00:00:10,880 Staircases that defy the laws of physics. 4 00:00:10,923 --> 00:00:14,231 And mansions where visitors become lost 5 00:00:14,275 --> 00:00:16,799 in an endless maze. 6 00:00:19,323 --> 00:00:22,805 Mysterious structures fascinate us because 7 00:00:22,848 --> 00:00:24,850 they're like puzzles... 8 00:00:24,894 --> 00:00:27,679 waiting to be solved. 9 00:00:27,723 --> 00:00:30,595 What appears on the surface to be... 10 00:00:30,639 --> 00:00:33,555 a church... 11 00:00:33,598 --> 00:00:35,818 or a mansion... 12 00:00:38,038 --> 00:00:40,083 ...can actually be more than that. 13 00:00:40,127 --> 00:00:44,653 Could a pyramid have been a power plant, for example? 14 00:00:44,696 --> 00:00:46,742 [chuckling]: Well... 15 00:00:46,785 --> 00:00:50,006 that is what we'll try and find out. 16 00:00:50,050 --> 00:00:51,964 ♪ 17 00:01:03,889 --> 00:01:05,630 [wind whistling] 18 00:01:05,674 --> 00:01:08,111 SHATNER: High in the mountains of Northern Ethiopia, 19 00:01:08,155 --> 00:01:10,287 a mile and a half above sea level, 20 00:01:10,331 --> 00:01:13,421 lies the city of Lalibela. 21 00:01:13,464 --> 00:01:17,077 Each year, tens of thousands of worshippers 22 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,166 make the arduous journey here, 23 00:01:19,209 --> 00:01:21,733 despite its remote location, 24 00:01:21,777 --> 00:01:27,130 to visit 11 of the strangest holy places on Earth. 25 00:01:29,263 --> 00:01:35,878 Lalibela is one of Africa's most mysterious sites. 26 00:01:35,921 --> 00:01:39,360 It's a complex of 11 monolithic churches 27 00:01:39,403 --> 00:01:42,189 that are hewn right out of the bedrock. 28 00:01:42,232 --> 00:01:44,713 Most churches are built on the surface 29 00:01:44,756 --> 00:01:47,455 and they're built from the bottom up. 30 00:01:47,498 --> 00:01:50,936 Whereas, in Lalibela, they're built from the top down. 31 00:01:50,980 --> 00:01:54,723 It's the only place on the Earth that has cathedrals 32 00:01:54,766 --> 00:01:56,942 that are built underground as opposed to being 33 00:01:56,986 --> 00:01:58,596 built on the surface. 34 00:02:01,773 --> 00:02:04,776 ANDREW COLLINS: What makes the Lalibela churches 35 00:02:04,820 --> 00:02:06,561 so unique... 36 00:02:06,604 --> 00:02:10,608 is not just their building construction, 37 00:02:10,652 --> 00:02:13,394 which is unlike anything else in the world. 38 00:02:13,437 --> 00:02:18,486 But also the otherworldly feel of the complexes 39 00:02:18,529 --> 00:02:22,011 where these different monuments can be found. 40 00:02:24,579 --> 00:02:28,409 Entering into the complex of churches 41 00:02:28,452 --> 00:02:32,064 was almost like entering another realm. 42 00:02:35,503 --> 00:02:39,768 Almost as if those who constructed Lalibela 43 00:02:39,811 --> 00:02:43,206 had a ritual function. 44 00:02:43,250 --> 00:02:48,255 And that was to bring themselves closer to God. 45 00:02:50,257 --> 00:02:52,346 STEVE BURROWS: It's an incredible piece of engineering-- 46 00:02:52,389 --> 00:02:56,132 this idea that you build 11 churches below ground. 47 00:02:56,176 --> 00:02:59,309 But it creates its own unique problems. 48 00:02:59,353 --> 00:03:01,137 How do people get down there? 49 00:03:01,181 --> 00:03:04,532 Uh, how did they move all of the rock out and where did it go? 50 00:03:04,575 --> 00:03:07,056 Uh, those are the things that start running through my mind. 51 00:03:09,232 --> 00:03:12,235 SHATNER: Dating back to the 12th century AD, 52 00:03:12,279 --> 00:03:15,717 each of Lalibela's 11 churches was painstakingly 53 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:17,806 carved by hand-- 54 00:03:17,849 --> 00:03:19,938 and from the outside-- 55 00:03:19,982 --> 00:03:22,767 like enormous sculptures. 56 00:03:22,811 --> 00:03:27,032 The complex also includes an extensive system of tunnels, 57 00:03:27,076 --> 00:03:31,167 catacombs all carved out of solid bedrock. 58 00:03:31,211 --> 00:03:33,561 But why? 59 00:03:33,604 --> 00:03:37,304 Why build a magnificent series of structures 60 00:03:37,347 --> 00:03:39,610 in the toughest way possible? 61 00:03:41,090 --> 00:03:43,397 COLLINS: The builder of Lalibela 62 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:48,271 was a king by this very name, Lalibela. 63 00:03:48,315 --> 00:03:51,579 And it is said that in the 12th century, 64 00:03:51,622 --> 00:03:55,409 he was living in Jerusalem 65 00:03:55,452 --> 00:03:58,760 and decided to come back into Ethiopia 66 00:03:58,803 --> 00:04:03,330 and create these monolithic churches. 67 00:04:03,373 --> 00:04:06,071 And it's very clear 68 00:04:06,115 --> 00:04:09,205 that Lalibela, uh, in the design 69 00:04:09,249 --> 00:04:11,903 of these different churches, 70 00:04:11,947 --> 00:04:14,993 was trying to replicate Jerusalem. 71 00:04:15,037 --> 00:04:19,128 Indeed, he was trying to create a new Jerusalem. 72 00:04:19,171 --> 00:04:22,436 So by entering into this complex, 73 00:04:22,479 --> 00:04:26,527 it's almost like you were entering into Jerusalem itself, 74 00:04:26,570 --> 00:04:31,358 which was considered to be the most holy shrine in the world. 75 00:04:31,401 --> 00:04:34,361 MICHAEL GERVERS: It is described that 76 00:04:34,404 --> 00:04:37,189 Lalibela had a dream 77 00:04:37,233 --> 00:04:39,148 and in the dream, he was instructed by God 78 00:04:39,191 --> 00:04:43,587 to go back and make a copy of Jerusalem... 79 00:04:43,631 --> 00:04:45,676 at the site. 80 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:49,376 And in order to fulfill God's request, 81 00:04:49,419 --> 00:04:51,943 King Lalibela and others who were involved 82 00:04:51,987 --> 00:04:55,599 worked night and day for 20 years. 83 00:04:55,643 --> 00:04:58,341 So in their minds, right at the beginning, 84 00:04:58,385 --> 00:05:01,170 they had a three-dimensional structure in mind. 85 00:05:01,213 --> 00:05:05,000 'Cause when they started, it was just a big piece of rock. 86 00:05:05,043 --> 00:05:07,394 And how did they know that if they were going 87 00:05:07,437 --> 00:05:09,831 to go 150 feet down into the ground, 88 00:05:09,874 --> 00:05:11,311 that everything was okay? 89 00:05:11,354 --> 00:05:13,443 Because the worst possible thing would be 90 00:05:13,487 --> 00:05:15,315 that you'd almost finished and then you found 91 00:05:15,358 --> 00:05:17,012 that there was a massive problem at the bottom. 92 00:05:19,101 --> 00:05:21,886 SHATNER: 11 underground churches. 93 00:05:21,930 --> 00:05:25,325 Some over 100 feet deep. 94 00:05:25,368 --> 00:05:28,284 Each carved from a single block of stone 95 00:05:28,328 --> 00:05:30,547 in only 20 years' time. 96 00:05:32,941 --> 00:05:36,336 Archeologists date the churches back nearly a thousand years. 97 00:05:36,379 --> 00:05:39,991 But even with today's modern technology, 98 00:05:40,035 --> 00:05:42,342 such an incredible architectural feat 99 00:05:42,385 --> 00:05:44,561 would be considered impossible. 100 00:05:44,605 --> 00:05:47,390 So how was it accomplished? 101 00:05:47,434 --> 00:05:49,174 TRAVIS TAYLOR: If we go and build 102 00:05:49,218 --> 00:05:51,786 a big structure today, a skyscraper, 103 00:05:51,829 --> 00:05:53,570 we have blueprints, we have engineering 104 00:05:53,614 --> 00:05:56,704 design pathways and we have a construction plan. 105 00:05:56,747 --> 00:05:58,793 It tells us how we would do every step 106 00:05:58,836 --> 00:06:01,361 of the way; where every screw, nut, bolt, 107 00:06:01,404 --> 00:06:03,972 weld, poured concrete goes. 108 00:06:04,015 --> 00:06:07,410 None of that exists for these large, ancient structures. 109 00:06:07,454 --> 00:06:10,065 So we really got to think outside the box 110 00:06:10,108 --> 00:06:13,547 and try to find how they were done, 111 00:06:13,590 --> 00:06:15,418 why they were done 112 00:06:15,462 --> 00:06:17,638 and who built them. 113 00:06:19,509 --> 00:06:21,119 WHITEHEAD: A very curious thing 114 00:06:21,163 --> 00:06:24,340 at Lalibela is that there are some very unique carvings there. 115 00:06:24,384 --> 00:06:25,733 There's very interesting symbols 116 00:06:25,776 --> 00:06:27,430 that are carved into these churches. 117 00:06:27,474 --> 00:06:30,085 Do they mean something if you put them together? 118 00:06:30,128 --> 00:06:34,481 COLLINS: In the church of St. Mary at Lalibela, 119 00:06:34,524 --> 00:06:37,092 there is the Star of David. 120 00:06:37,135 --> 00:06:41,270 And this, along with a number of other mementos 121 00:06:41,313 --> 00:06:44,186 and designs are extremely indicative 122 00:06:44,229 --> 00:06:47,189 of the presence of the Knights Templar. 123 00:06:47,232 --> 00:06:51,106 This has suggested to many 124 00:06:51,149 --> 00:06:54,762 that they may well have been present 125 00:06:54,805 --> 00:06:56,807 during the construction 126 00:06:56,851 --> 00:07:00,420 of the churches at Lalibela. 127 00:07:00,463 --> 00:07:02,683 TOK THOMPSON: Now the Knights Templar were a very interesting 128 00:07:02,726 --> 00:07:05,163 religious order that became 129 00:07:05,207 --> 00:07:07,035 very powerful during the Middle Ages. 130 00:07:07,078 --> 00:07:09,298 But what people don't often realize is 131 00:07:09,341 --> 00:07:11,474 they were very interested in building, 132 00:07:11,518 --> 00:07:15,696 in, uh, geometry, in, uh, numerology. 133 00:07:15,739 --> 00:07:18,263 Uh, and so they were at once very practical 134 00:07:18,307 --> 00:07:21,441 and pragmatic and then also very spiritual and mystic. 135 00:07:21,484 --> 00:07:24,008 WHITEHEAD: The Knights Templar had 136 00:07:24,052 --> 00:07:26,097 a great amount of knowledge in masonry 137 00:07:26,141 --> 00:07:28,926 and architecture and building structures. 138 00:07:28,970 --> 00:07:31,015 Now, it's debated as to whether or not 139 00:07:31,059 --> 00:07:34,236 the Knights Templar would have been in Ethiopia at this time. 140 00:07:34,279 --> 00:07:35,759 But there's some interesting evidence 141 00:07:35,803 --> 00:07:38,501 that an Armenian geographer at the time 142 00:07:38,545 --> 00:07:42,853 documented seeing men with red and white regalia, 143 00:07:42,897 --> 00:07:45,465 blond or reddish hair, long hair, 144 00:07:45,508 --> 00:07:49,294 which could indicate that he's talking about Templars. 145 00:07:49,338 --> 00:07:52,123 So, it could be that the Templars themselves 146 00:07:52,167 --> 00:07:54,561 were the ones that built Lalibela, 147 00:07:54,604 --> 00:07:57,694 or that they helped King Lalibela build the site. 148 00:07:59,957 --> 00:08:01,872 SHATNER: Could Templar stonemasons have 149 00:08:01,916 --> 00:08:05,572 influenced the construction of the churches at Lalibela? 150 00:08:05,615 --> 00:08:09,314 And if so, for what purpose? 151 00:08:09,358 --> 00:08:10,664 COLLINS: If you look around Lalibela, 152 00:08:10,707 --> 00:08:12,753 there are altars there 153 00:08:12,796 --> 00:08:16,626 that have spaces in them that would 154 00:08:16,670 --> 00:08:20,978 precisely fit the Ark of the Covenant, 155 00:08:21,022 --> 00:08:24,982 which was approximately four feet in length, 156 00:08:25,026 --> 00:08:29,378 two feet wide and around two feet in height. 157 00:08:29,421 --> 00:08:33,513 It has been suggested that the rock-cut churches 158 00:08:33,556 --> 00:08:37,734 at Lalibela were built to house the Ark of the Covenant. 159 00:08:39,736 --> 00:08:41,477 SHATNER: The lost Ark of the Covenant, 160 00:08:41,521 --> 00:08:45,437 the gold box which contained the original Ten Commandments-- 161 00:08:45,481 --> 00:08:50,660 could it have been hidden at Lalibela centuries ago? 162 00:08:50,704 --> 00:08:53,054 During the Crusades, we know that the Templars 163 00:08:53,097 --> 00:08:55,143 occupied the Temple of Solomon. 164 00:08:55,186 --> 00:08:57,275 And so, it could be that they were 165 00:08:57,319 --> 00:09:00,104 the keepers of the Ark of the Covenant. 166 00:09:00,148 --> 00:09:02,890 And the more you look at Lalibela, and given the fact 167 00:09:02,933 --> 00:09:05,283 that we see that it's built underground, 168 00:09:05,327 --> 00:09:07,851 you start to think, here we have these churches 169 00:09:07,895 --> 00:09:10,288 that are hewn out of these megalithic rocks. 170 00:09:10,332 --> 00:09:13,335 They're built like defensive structures. 171 00:09:13,378 --> 00:09:16,686 They have all kinds of interesting symbolism there 172 00:09:16,730 --> 00:09:18,775 that indicate Templars. 173 00:09:18,819 --> 00:09:21,038 And you start getting the impression that this is actually 174 00:09:21,082 --> 00:09:23,345 some kind of defensive fortress 175 00:09:23,388 --> 00:09:26,043 to protect... something. 176 00:09:26,087 --> 00:09:29,307 SHATNER: Was Lalibela originally built 177 00:09:29,351 --> 00:09:32,876 to house and hide the Ark of the Covenant? 178 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:36,576 And if so, why only 11 churches? 179 00:09:36,619 --> 00:09:38,621 Jesus had 12 apostles. 180 00:09:38,665 --> 00:09:41,319 So wouldn't it seem likely that there were 181 00:09:41,363 --> 00:09:44,496 12 churches built, one for each of them? 182 00:09:44,540 --> 00:09:46,890 There are many who believe 183 00:09:46,934 --> 00:09:49,545 the answer to that question is yes, 184 00:09:49,589 --> 00:09:53,680 and that the Ark is still hidden in an undiscovered church. 185 00:09:53,723 --> 00:09:55,899 Incredible, you say? 186 00:09:55,943 --> 00:10:00,687 Perhaps not as incredible as a stairway in New Mexico 187 00:10:00,730 --> 00:10:03,907 whose builder wasn't only divinely inspired 188 00:10:03,951 --> 00:10:05,909 but may have actually been sent... 189 00:10:05,953 --> 00:10:08,520 directly from heaven. 190 00:10:12,568 --> 00:10:15,876 SHATNER: February 11, 2019. 191 00:10:15,919 --> 00:10:18,748 Investigative journalist and radio host 192 00:10:18,792 --> 00:10:21,142 David Whitehead travels to the Loretto Chapel 193 00:10:21,185 --> 00:10:23,361 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 194 00:10:23,405 --> 00:10:26,190 WHITEHEAD: I'm here to investigate a really mysterious structure, 195 00:10:26,234 --> 00:10:29,759 the famous Loretto staircase. 196 00:10:29,803 --> 00:10:31,848 We don't know who built it, we don't understand 197 00:10:31,892 --> 00:10:34,416 the physics behind it and we don't even have 198 00:10:34,459 --> 00:10:36,940 a good indication as to what it's made of. 199 00:10:36,984 --> 00:10:38,812 [door creaks open] 200 00:10:41,553 --> 00:10:44,339 Oh, wow. 201 00:10:44,382 --> 00:10:48,386 This place is beautiful. 202 00:10:48,430 --> 00:10:52,129 SHATNER: Meeting with David is chapel curator Richard Lindsley. 203 00:10:52,173 --> 00:10:56,699 -WHITEHEAD: So this is it. -LINDSLEY: Absolutely. 204 00:10:56,743 --> 00:10:58,788 Our miraculous staircase. 205 00:10:58,832 --> 00:11:00,094 I've heard so much about it. 206 00:11:00,137 --> 00:11:02,531 I've read so many theories about it, 207 00:11:02,574 --> 00:11:05,665 and it's amazing to actually be here to see it. 208 00:11:05,708 --> 00:11:09,669 SHATNER: In 1873, the Sisters of Loretto 209 00:11:09,712 --> 00:11:11,714 commissioned the construction of the chapel 210 00:11:11,758 --> 00:11:13,977 for their new girls school. 211 00:11:14,021 --> 00:11:16,371 Officially consecrated five years later, 212 00:11:16,414 --> 00:11:20,462 the Loretto Chapel is a triumph of Gothic Revival design, 213 00:11:20,505 --> 00:11:24,248 with its high spires, soaring buttresses 214 00:11:24,292 --> 00:11:28,209 and enormous stained glass windows. 215 00:11:28,252 --> 00:11:30,646 But as construction was nearing completion, 216 00:11:30,690 --> 00:11:33,649 the project's architect suddenly died, 217 00:11:33,693 --> 00:11:36,173 before he could build what was considered 218 00:11:36,217 --> 00:11:38,567 the most ambitious part of the job: 219 00:11:38,610 --> 00:11:42,832 the staircase leading up to the choir loft. 220 00:11:46,227 --> 00:11:49,360 The mystery of the staircase actually begins 221 00:11:49,404 --> 00:11:51,493 with this mysterious carpenter. 222 00:11:51,536 --> 00:11:55,758 The sisters asked the local carpenters to build one, 223 00:11:55,802 --> 00:11:58,500 but they failed; they didn't know how to do it. 224 00:11:58,543 --> 00:12:01,503 The sisters, they decided to turn to prayer, 225 00:12:01,546 --> 00:12:04,854 and said a nine-day novena, asking St. Joseph, 226 00:12:04,898 --> 00:12:07,117 the patron of carpenters, 227 00:12:07,161 --> 00:12:09,424 to help them with their problem. 228 00:12:09,467 --> 00:12:11,687 At the last day of their prayer, 229 00:12:11,731 --> 00:12:14,603 it's said that a knock came at these doors. 230 00:12:14,646 --> 00:12:17,475 This elderly man was standing there with a donkey 231 00:12:17,519 --> 00:12:18,912 by his side, 232 00:12:18,955 --> 00:12:21,784 and he told the sister that he had come 233 00:12:21,828 --> 00:12:23,873 to build their staircase. 234 00:12:23,917 --> 00:12:26,920 Was it St. Joseph, like the sisters believed? 235 00:12:26,963 --> 00:12:29,444 Some pious people think it was an angel. 236 00:12:29,487 --> 00:12:33,448 But he was very reclusive, and insisted upon 237 00:12:33,491 --> 00:12:36,451 working inside this chapel by himself, 238 00:12:36,494 --> 00:12:40,063 never allowing anyone to see him work on the staircase. 239 00:12:40,107 --> 00:12:43,458 Throughout the, uh, Christian and Catholic world, 240 00:12:43,501 --> 00:12:45,329 we have a tremendous amount of these stories 241 00:12:45,373 --> 00:12:47,854 of miraculous help from saints. 242 00:12:47,897 --> 00:12:50,030 And this is a part of the Catholic belief system. 243 00:12:50,073 --> 00:12:52,249 You can pray to saints, and they're supposed to, 244 00:12:52,293 --> 00:12:54,338 uh, try to help. 245 00:12:54,382 --> 00:12:56,123 So it's a built-in part of the package, 246 00:12:56,166 --> 00:12:58,734 this idea of an intercessory, 247 00:12:58,778 --> 00:13:02,129 closer to people, and yet closer to God. 248 00:13:04,522 --> 00:13:07,525 After three months, the sisters came into the chapel, 249 00:13:07,569 --> 00:13:09,484 and the man was gone. 250 00:13:09,527 --> 00:13:13,096 And when they could not find him to even pay him for his labor, 251 00:13:13,140 --> 00:13:15,925 they went to the only lumber yard in town 252 00:13:15,969 --> 00:13:19,233 and asked them how much they owed for the materials. 253 00:13:19,276 --> 00:13:22,802 And the lumber yard told the sisters that the man 254 00:13:22,845 --> 00:13:26,066 never got any materials from them at all. 255 00:13:28,938 --> 00:13:32,507 So, what material is this staircase made of? 256 00:13:32,550 --> 00:13:34,944 I gave a core sample of the wood 257 00:13:34,988 --> 00:13:38,339 from the inner stringer to a U.S. Naval scientist, 258 00:13:38,382 --> 00:13:40,384 and he determined right away 259 00:13:40,428 --> 00:13:43,866 that it was a form of Picea spruce. 260 00:13:43,910 --> 00:13:47,348 WHITEHEAD: Is this form of spruce local to Santa Fe? 261 00:13:47,391 --> 00:13:50,133 LINDSLEY: The wood in the staircase did not match up 262 00:13:50,177 --> 00:13:53,833 with any other Picea spruce known to science. 263 00:13:53,876 --> 00:13:55,443 This wood does not match up 264 00:13:55,486 --> 00:13:57,793 with any other quite like it on Earth. 265 00:13:59,534 --> 00:14:02,537 The staircase at Loretto Chapel is-is amazing. 266 00:14:02,580 --> 00:14:04,321 It's a double spiral system. 267 00:14:04,365 --> 00:14:06,628 There's no glue, there's no nails, there's no screws. 268 00:14:06,671 --> 00:14:10,371 It's put together in a way that how it's just 269 00:14:10,414 --> 00:14:13,591 sitting on itself is holding it together. 270 00:14:13,635 --> 00:14:15,898 WHITEHEAD: So, Richard, an interesting thing about this design 271 00:14:15,942 --> 00:14:19,510 -is the double helix. -Mm-hmm. 272 00:14:19,554 --> 00:14:22,035 The double helix-- or the double spiral-- 273 00:14:22,078 --> 00:14:24,907 is that it's an incredibly unique design. 274 00:14:24,951 --> 00:14:28,563 LINDSLEY: Well, we had a world-renowned physicist come visit us, 275 00:14:28,606 --> 00:14:32,175 and he was convinced that the double helix design 276 00:14:32,219 --> 00:14:34,961 was integral to its inner strength. 277 00:14:35,004 --> 00:14:36,919 -Mind if I go up? -Please. 278 00:14:36,963 --> 00:14:38,529 Be my guest. 279 00:14:38,573 --> 00:14:40,444 This is a very special privilege. 280 00:14:40,488 --> 00:14:42,446 WHITEHEAD: I definitely feel very privileged. 281 00:14:42,490 --> 00:14:44,100 I've waited for this moment for so long. 282 00:14:50,890 --> 00:14:53,588 Oh, wow, yeah. 283 00:14:53,631 --> 00:14:57,026 It's a unique feeling, just right on that first step. 284 00:14:57,070 --> 00:14:59,768 I almost feel, like, a vibration. 285 00:15:01,596 --> 00:15:03,467 [stairs creaking softly] 286 00:15:06,601 --> 00:15:09,473 Feeling like... I'm floating. 287 00:15:09,517 --> 00:15:11,649 Like there's nothing underneath my feet. 288 00:15:11,693 --> 00:15:13,129 It's truly a remarkable feeling. 289 00:15:14,914 --> 00:15:17,568 Now, how many stairs have we got here? 290 00:15:17,612 --> 00:15:20,441 LINDSLEY: There are 33 steps to the staircase, 291 00:15:20,484 --> 00:15:22,834 which reminded the sisters of our Lord, 292 00:15:22,878 --> 00:15:24,880 because he lived 33 years. 293 00:15:24,924 --> 00:15:27,448 WHITEHEAD: Well, I find it very interesting 294 00:15:27,491 --> 00:15:31,408 that, here we are in this chapel in Santa Fe, 295 00:15:31,452 --> 00:15:34,455 and we're seeing the motif of a sacred number: 33. 296 00:15:34,498 --> 00:15:36,239 And this number is important to the Templars. 297 00:15:39,112 --> 00:15:41,505 SHATNER: 33 steps? 298 00:15:41,549 --> 00:15:43,986 One of the most sacred numbers to the fraternal order 299 00:15:44,030 --> 00:15:45,945 of builders known as Freemasons, 300 00:15:45,988 --> 00:15:49,426 who, in turn, are thought to be the spiritual descendants 301 00:15:49,470 --> 00:15:52,168 of the Knights Templar. 302 00:15:52,212 --> 00:15:56,564 Could this number of steps really provide an important clue 303 00:15:56,607 --> 00:16:01,003 as to who built the stairway, and how? 304 00:16:01,047 --> 00:16:05,573 So the number 33 is a sacred number in Templarism. 305 00:16:05,616 --> 00:16:08,184 So, they would have encoded that number, 306 00:16:08,228 --> 00:16:09,707 whether it be in staircases, 307 00:16:09,751 --> 00:16:13,537 or artwork in the stained glass windows, 308 00:16:13,581 --> 00:16:15,322 or even the mathematical dimensions 309 00:16:15,365 --> 00:16:17,628 of some of these structures. 310 00:16:17,672 --> 00:16:20,457 To the Templars, they don't just see a staircase 311 00:16:20,501 --> 00:16:24,026 or a stained glass window or a layout of a church design. 312 00:16:24,070 --> 00:16:26,898 They see an esoteric number, 313 00:16:26,942 --> 00:16:29,336 the number of a master builder, 314 00:16:29,379 --> 00:16:32,208 the manifestation of the divine on Earth, 315 00:16:32,252 --> 00:16:36,038 and it's very deeply rooted in the entire Templar tradition. 316 00:16:36,082 --> 00:16:38,736 BURROWS: I think the quality of construction and detailing 317 00:16:38,780 --> 00:16:42,088 show that somebody who did it was highly skilled. 318 00:16:42,131 --> 00:16:43,828 And they must have learned that. 319 00:16:43,872 --> 00:16:46,266 So the person who built that staircase 320 00:16:46,309 --> 00:16:48,094 apprenticed with somebody. 321 00:16:48,137 --> 00:16:49,399 They learned some things. 322 00:16:49,443 --> 00:16:52,011 They applied those things later in Santa Fe. 323 00:16:52,054 --> 00:16:54,187 So there's no doubt they could have been working 324 00:16:54,230 --> 00:16:57,059 with a mason, but they were way too skilled 325 00:16:57,103 --> 00:16:59,322 to have been the first time they did something like that. 326 00:17:02,978 --> 00:17:05,154 The construction of the staircase 327 00:17:05,198 --> 00:17:08,679 defies all conventional construction practices-- 328 00:17:08,723 --> 00:17:12,118 any kind of rational, conventional explanation. 329 00:17:12,161 --> 00:17:13,293 Where did the materials come from? 330 00:17:13,336 --> 00:17:16,165 Who built it? 331 00:17:16,209 --> 00:17:19,081 It seems like we just have more questions 332 00:17:19,125 --> 00:17:20,300 than we do answers. 333 00:17:20,343 --> 00:17:21,823 -Yes. -But we do know that 334 00:17:21,866 --> 00:17:23,390 it's a mystery, and... 335 00:17:23,433 --> 00:17:25,653 hopefully one day we'll be able to solve it. 336 00:17:27,611 --> 00:17:30,179 SHATNER: Could the stairway of the Loretto Chapel 337 00:17:30,223 --> 00:17:32,921 really be the product of a miracle... 338 00:17:32,964 --> 00:17:35,445 or is it just the work of a gifted builder 339 00:17:35,489 --> 00:17:38,709 who preferred to keep his identity and his methods 340 00:17:38,753 --> 00:17:40,668 a well-guarded secret? 341 00:17:40,711 --> 00:17:44,715 To millions of the faithful, the answer is clear. 342 00:17:46,761 --> 00:17:49,981 Which is more than can be said for an architectural curiosity 343 00:17:50,025 --> 00:17:53,681 located some 1,000 miles from Loretto Chapel. 344 00:17:53,724 --> 00:17:57,946 One that many believe was not inspired by heaven... 345 00:17:59,687 --> 00:18:02,168 ...but by the fires of hell. 346 00:18:05,997 --> 00:18:07,695 SHATNER: Strange. 347 00:18:09,697 --> 00:18:11,264 Macabre. 348 00:18:12,787 --> 00:18:14,919 Disturbing. 349 00:18:17,531 --> 00:18:20,621 In San Jose, California, stands one of the largest 350 00:18:20,664 --> 00:18:23,754 and most bizarre private residences 351 00:18:23,798 --> 00:18:25,495 in the United States. 352 00:18:25,539 --> 00:18:28,542 Known as the Winchester Mystery House, 353 00:18:28,585 --> 00:18:32,459 this 24,000 square foot Victorian-style mansion 354 00:18:32,502 --> 00:18:36,767 contains an astonishing 160 rooms, 355 00:18:36,811 --> 00:18:40,162 17 chimneys, 356 00:18:40,206 --> 00:18:41,990 47 fireplaces, 357 00:18:42,033 --> 00:18:43,731 two basements, 358 00:18:43,774 --> 00:18:46,734 three elevators, 359 00:18:46,777 --> 00:18:50,651 and more than 10,000 panes of glass. 360 00:18:50,694 --> 00:18:52,609 And those are just the ones we know about. 361 00:18:52,653 --> 00:18:55,308 But why? 362 00:18:55,351 --> 00:18:58,311 MAGNUSON: The Winchester Mystery House is a very special place 363 00:18:58,354 --> 00:19:01,140 that was built with no master plan. 364 00:19:01,183 --> 00:19:03,577 But there are a lot of architectural oddities 365 00:19:03,620 --> 00:19:05,753 that remain a mystery as to why they're here. 366 00:19:05,796 --> 00:19:08,321 BURROWS: Most buildings start with 367 00:19:08,364 --> 00:19:10,801 some drawings, some blueprints, 368 00:19:10,845 --> 00:19:13,674 some documents that say "this is what it's gonna look like" 369 00:19:13,717 --> 00:19:15,371 when it was finished. 370 00:19:15,415 --> 00:19:17,939 That building looks like they made it up as they went. 371 00:19:17,982 --> 00:19:20,550 BOEHME: There are doors that open to 372 00:19:20,594 --> 00:19:22,944 12-foot drops outside. 373 00:19:22,987 --> 00:19:24,685 There's doors that, you step through them, 374 00:19:24,728 --> 00:19:27,209 you'll land in a kitchen sink on the first floor. 375 00:19:27,253 --> 00:19:30,343 It's almost like an Escher picture in some ways. 376 00:19:30,386 --> 00:19:34,564 SHATNER: The mastermind behind this architectural jigsaw puzzle 377 00:19:34,608 --> 00:19:36,958 was Sarah Winchester, 378 00:19:37,001 --> 00:19:39,482 the widow of the man who manufactured 379 00:19:39,526 --> 00:19:41,092 the Winchester repeating rifle. 380 00:19:41,136 --> 00:19:42,137 [gunshot] 381 00:19:42,181 --> 00:19:43,530 It was famously known as 382 00:19:43,573 --> 00:19:45,662 "the gun that won the West" 383 00:19:45,706 --> 00:19:49,362 because it could kill more people faster 384 00:19:49,405 --> 00:19:53,192 than any gun previously invented. 385 00:19:53,235 --> 00:19:56,282 BOEHME: The Winchester rifle was special because it could fire 386 00:19:56,325 --> 00:19:59,023 up to 15 rounds without being reloaded, 387 00:19:59,067 --> 00:20:02,418 which was very different from most of the smooth bores used 388 00:20:02,462 --> 00:20:04,246 in the Civil War, say, which were-- 389 00:20:04,290 --> 00:20:07,554 y-you loaded it, you fired one shot and that was it. 390 00:20:07,597 --> 00:20:09,382 So you can imagine the advantage that you would have 391 00:20:09,425 --> 00:20:11,775 being able to shoot round after round after round 392 00:20:11,819 --> 00:20:13,342 without reloading. 393 00:20:13,386 --> 00:20:17,477 SHATNER: When Sarah's husband died in 1881, 394 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:20,523 she became the heir to his massive fortune. 395 00:20:20,567 --> 00:20:24,397 Three years later, she began construction on a mansion 396 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:28,705 that would take 38 years to complete. 397 00:20:28,749 --> 00:20:31,665 She just added things on as she had a great idea. 398 00:20:31,708 --> 00:20:34,929 So everybody had to listen and say, "Oh, okay. 399 00:20:34,972 --> 00:20:36,974 You want a large ballroom up there?" 400 00:20:37,018 --> 00:20:39,020 And then they'd figure it out as they went. 401 00:20:39,063 --> 00:20:42,153 WHITEHEAD: Even to this day, they're still finding 402 00:20:42,197 --> 00:20:45,156 new rooms and new features to this house. 403 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:47,681 Was Sarah just working off of her whims? 404 00:20:47,724 --> 00:20:50,379 Was she just an eccentric crazy lady? 405 00:20:50,423 --> 00:20:52,990 Or is there some other unknown explanation 406 00:20:53,034 --> 00:20:54,688 that we have yet to understand? 407 00:20:56,733 --> 00:20:58,692 SHATNER: It is suspected that one reason 408 00:20:58,735 --> 00:21:01,129 Sarah kept building and building 409 00:21:01,172 --> 00:21:03,871 around the clock for 38 years 410 00:21:03,914 --> 00:21:05,916 is that she was trying to protect herself 411 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:09,746 from all the dead souls the Winchester rifles had killed. 412 00:21:09,790 --> 00:21:13,141 Perhaps, it was thought, 413 00:21:13,184 --> 00:21:16,187 if the house was built as a giant maze, 414 00:21:16,231 --> 00:21:20,496 the ghosts would never be able to find her. 415 00:21:20,540 --> 00:21:23,325 MAGNUSON: The story is that Sarah Winchester 416 00:21:23,369 --> 00:21:26,285 went through a long period of grief. 417 00:21:26,328 --> 00:21:30,245 She, unfortunately, lost a child, uh, only weeks old, 418 00:21:30,289 --> 00:21:32,769 and she lost her husband to tuberculosis. 419 00:21:32,813 --> 00:21:34,467 And she started wondering, 420 00:21:34,510 --> 00:21:37,034 "Why are all these terrible things happening to me?" 421 00:21:37,078 --> 00:21:39,341 And, uh, what was common at the time 422 00:21:39,385 --> 00:21:42,649 was to seek out a medium or spiritualist for guidance. 423 00:21:42,692 --> 00:21:46,957 And that person said that the karma of this, 424 00:21:47,001 --> 00:21:49,612 the gun that won the West, and all of these terrible things 425 00:21:49,656 --> 00:21:51,701 associated with this firearm, is kind of haunting you. 426 00:21:51,745 --> 00:21:54,095 [gunshot] 427 00:21:54,138 --> 00:21:56,750 BOEHME: This spiritualist medium told her 428 00:21:56,793 --> 00:21:58,839 that in order to pacify these spirits, 429 00:21:58,882 --> 00:22:00,275 who were very offended 430 00:22:00,319 --> 00:22:02,364 at having been killed by Winchester rifles, 431 00:22:02,408 --> 00:22:04,279 she needed to build a house. 432 00:22:04,323 --> 00:22:07,500 And she should never stop building, and the idea also 433 00:22:07,543 --> 00:22:09,763 was that the constant sound of the saws and hammers 434 00:22:09,806 --> 00:22:12,592 would drive the bad spirits away. 435 00:22:12,635 --> 00:22:16,465 MAGNUSON: Some of the design features were specifically built 436 00:22:16,509 --> 00:22:19,773 to confuse evil or malicious spirits. 437 00:22:19,816 --> 00:22:21,252 So if the stairs led to the ceiling, 438 00:22:21,296 --> 00:22:23,124 or if a door led to the outside, 439 00:22:23,167 --> 00:22:27,433 possibly they would be confused and-and leave the property. 440 00:22:30,871 --> 00:22:33,787 SHATNER: Did Sarah Winchester spend nearly 40 years 441 00:22:33,830 --> 00:22:37,660 and the equivalent of more than $60 million 442 00:22:37,704 --> 00:22:41,229 constructing a bizarre labyrinth of stairs, 443 00:22:41,272 --> 00:22:44,319 halls and doors 444 00:22:44,363 --> 00:22:47,844 in order to keep the vengeful dead at bay? 445 00:22:47,888 --> 00:22:49,716 Perhaps. 446 00:22:49,759 --> 00:22:53,546 But some have suggested that she built the house 447 00:22:53,589 --> 00:22:56,287 not to guard against the dead, 448 00:22:56,331 --> 00:23:00,248 but to fool the living. 449 00:23:00,291 --> 00:23:02,946 There's an even deeper mystery in the house, 450 00:23:02,990 --> 00:23:04,818 and that is the numerology. 451 00:23:06,907 --> 00:23:08,778 BURROWS: In the Winchester Mystery House, 452 00:23:08,822 --> 00:23:10,258 there is a number that appears everywhere-- 453 00:23:10,301 --> 00:23:12,652 in, you know, light fittings, in mirrors, 454 00:23:12,695 --> 00:23:15,524 in all sorts of things. And it's the number 13. 455 00:23:15,568 --> 00:23:19,833 WHITEHEAD: We have the number 13 encoded all over the place, 456 00:23:19,876 --> 00:23:24,185 in the walls, in the flooring, in the stairways. 457 00:23:24,228 --> 00:23:28,711 We've got 13 bedrooms. We've got 13 bathrooms. 458 00:23:28,755 --> 00:23:31,410 There are 13 wall panels in some of the rooms; 459 00:23:31,453 --> 00:23:33,324 and on and on we could go. 460 00:23:33,368 --> 00:23:35,501 So there may have been another motive here 461 00:23:35,544 --> 00:23:38,634 for why Sarah built this house this way. 462 00:23:38,678 --> 00:23:42,203 BOEHME: A lot of people have put forth theories 463 00:23:42,246 --> 00:23:43,857 that there was some sort of complex puzzle 464 00:23:43,900 --> 00:23:46,729 going on here, that she was leaving clues. 465 00:23:46,773 --> 00:23:50,472 MAGNUSON: It's possible that the number 13 could be a puzzle 466 00:23:50,516 --> 00:23:54,128 that could possibly unlock some secret as to 467 00:23:54,171 --> 00:23:55,782 why it was so prominently featured 468 00:23:55,825 --> 00:23:57,436 as a design element in the house. 469 00:24:00,264 --> 00:24:02,179 WHITEHEAD: An interesting symbol that you see 470 00:24:02,223 --> 00:24:05,139 all throughout the house is the symbol of the sun. 471 00:24:05,182 --> 00:24:08,011 In astrology and astrotheology, 472 00:24:08,055 --> 00:24:09,883 you have the idea of the zodiac, 473 00:24:09,926 --> 00:24:12,189 which is, you have the 12 houses of the zodiac, 474 00:24:12,233 --> 00:24:14,931 and the number 13 is the sun. 475 00:24:14,975 --> 00:24:17,151 At the front gates of the house, and on each gate, 476 00:24:17,194 --> 00:24:19,109 you have a symbol of the sun. 477 00:24:19,153 --> 00:24:23,549 And the rays of the sun add up to 16 on each sun. 478 00:24:23,592 --> 00:24:26,073 So when you put the 16 and the 16 together, 479 00:24:26,116 --> 00:24:28,815 you have the date that William Shakespeare died. 480 00:24:28,858 --> 00:24:32,427 BOEHME: Two most cryptic windows, stained glass windows 481 00:24:32,471 --> 00:24:34,777 in the house are Sarah's ballroom windows. 482 00:24:34,821 --> 00:24:37,824 They're the only ones that have any text in them, 483 00:24:37,867 --> 00:24:42,002 and they're two quotes from different Shakespearean plays. 484 00:24:42,045 --> 00:24:45,962 And they read, "Wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts." 485 00:24:46,006 --> 00:24:47,790 And then the other one says, "These same thoughts 486 00:24:47,834 --> 00:24:50,445 people this little world." 487 00:24:50,489 --> 00:24:52,621 We don't know exactly what that meant to Sarah. 488 00:24:52,665 --> 00:24:55,015 She took that secret with her to her grave. 489 00:24:55,058 --> 00:24:59,498 MAGNUSON: Sarah Winchester passed away September 1922. 490 00:24:59,541 --> 00:25:02,196 As you can imagine, there was great excitement 491 00:25:02,239 --> 00:25:04,938 to see this incredible home that everyone in the town 492 00:25:04,981 --> 00:25:07,157 had seen being built up over so many years. 493 00:25:07,201 --> 00:25:10,247 All the furnishings were sold anonymously at auction, 494 00:25:10,291 --> 00:25:12,902 but what was left was one large safe 495 00:25:12,946 --> 00:25:14,425 in the grand ballroom. 496 00:25:14,469 --> 00:25:17,951 WHITEHEAD: Sarah put a safe in the grand ballroom, 497 00:25:17,994 --> 00:25:19,909 which is an odd place to put a safe. 498 00:25:19,953 --> 00:25:22,695 And the safe itself is very odd. 499 00:25:22,738 --> 00:25:24,261 It's basically, you open up the safe, 500 00:25:24,305 --> 00:25:26,960 and then you find another safe, 501 00:25:27,003 --> 00:25:28,744 and you have to open up another safe, 502 00:25:28,788 --> 00:25:31,181 and it's a safe within a safe within a safe. 503 00:25:31,225 --> 00:25:33,836 BOEHME: People were kind of just mystified, 504 00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:35,708 like, "What's in the safe?" And they were hoping 505 00:25:35,751 --> 00:25:37,753 for maybe treasure, gold bars or jewelry. 506 00:25:37,797 --> 00:25:41,540 MAGNUSON: After they finally got inside, they found 507 00:25:41,583 --> 00:25:44,586 just two things. No gold, no silver, no diamonds. 508 00:25:44,630 --> 00:25:47,197 A lock of hair from her baby Annie, 509 00:25:47,241 --> 00:25:48,982 who passed away at just a few weeks old, 510 00:25:49,025 --> 00:25:51,201 and the obituary of her husband, 511 00:25:51,245 --> 00:25:53,073 who passed away to tuberculosis very young. 512 00:25:54,901 --> 00:25:58,557 SHATNER: A lock of hair and an obituary? 513 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,864 Are we really to believe that Sarah Winchester 514 00:26:01,908 --> 00:26:03,779 had nothing of value 515 00:26:03,823 --> 00:26:08,610 safely hidden somewhere in the house? 516 00:26:08,654 --> 00:26:13,093 What if it was built as a giant puzzle, 517 00:26:13,136 --> 00:26:15,486 one that protects a vast treasure 518 00:26:15,530 --> 00:26:18,359 that still lies hidden behind one of the house's 519 00:26:18,402 --> 00:26:21,971 hundreds of walls? Something to ponder 520 00:26:22,015 --> 00:26:26,585 while we investigate yet another architectural mystery-- 521 00:26:26,628 --> 00:26:29,675 one whose building method has baffled everyone, 522 00:26:29,718 --> 00:26:34,157 who has not only wondered why, but how. 523 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:40,381 SHATNER: Homestead, Florida. 524 00:26:40,424 --> 00:26:43,602 In this small town, tucked away between Miami 525 00:26:43,645 --> 00:26:45,734 and Everglades National Park, 526 00:26:45,778 --> 00:26:48,955 stands an elaborate stone edifice. 527 00:26:51,261 --> 00:26:55,135 The locals call it "Coral Castle." 528 00:26:55,178 --> 00:26:58,268 Sculpted from massive blocks of coral, 529 00:26:58,312 --> 00:27:01,271 this incredible structure features a five-ton, 530 00:27:01,315 --> 00:27:03,186 heart-shaped table, 531 00:27:03,230 --> 00:27:06,537 a 28-ton obelisk, 532 00:27:06,581 --> 00:27:10,106 and a perfectly balanced nine-ton door 533 00:27:10,150 --> 00:27:13,022 that opens with the touch of a finger. 534 00:27:13,066 --> 00:27:15,851 And even more incredible than this marvel 535 00:27:15,895 --> 00:27:17,940 of design and engineering, 536 00:27:17,984 --> 00:27:22,597 is the fact that it was built by just one man. 537 00:27:22,641 --> 00:27:26,166 And nobody knows how he did it. 538 00:27:26,209 --> 00:27:29,604 R.L. POOLE: Ed Leedskalnin was an immigrant from Latvia 539 00:27:29,648 --> 00:27:32,563 who immigrated to the United States, 540 00:27:32,607 --> 00:27:35,871 and he built the only modern megalithic structure ever known. 541 00:27:37,699 --> 00:27:42,051 The Coral Castle is 1,100 tons of coral bedrock 542 00:27:42,095 --> 00:27:45,185 that he dug out of the property on which it rests. 543 00:27:45,228 --> 00:27:48,492 He was only about five feet tall, but he managed to move 544 00:27:48,536 --> 00:27:50,712 hundreds of tons of coral rock 545 00:27:50,756 --> 00:27:54,803 into this megalithic modern temple. 546 00:27:54,847 --> 00:27:57,588 He had no technology there that could have lifted 547 00:27:57,632 --> 00:27:59,678 these stones or cut the stones. 548 00:27:59,721 --> 00:28:03,029 And yet, it's there to this day. 549 00:28:03,072 --> 00:28:04,726 WHITEHEAD: The story goes that Ed Leedskalnin 550 00:28:04,770 --> 00:28:08,599 built this incredible megalithic site 551 00:28:08,643 --> 00:28:12,473 using only a few pulleys, a tripod; uh, he did it 552 00:28:12,516 --> 00:28:14,736 all by himself, and he worked at night, 553 00:28:14,780 --> 00:28:16,520 and he was very secretive. 554 00:28:16,564 --> 00:28:20,873 GEORGE NOORY: The blocks of stone used to build Coral Castle 555 00:28:20,916 --> 00:28:23,571 are tons and tons, 556 00:28:23,614 --> 00:28:28,750 yet this guy was able to construct this place by himself 557 00:28:28,794 --> 00:28:31,492 without any heavy equipment. 558 00:28:31,535 --> 00:28:36,279 Some kids, years later, watched Edward Leedskalnin 559 00:28:36,323 --> 00:28:38,586 constructing and moving the blocks. 560 00:28:38,629 --> 00:28:41,067 They kind of peaked over and watched him. 561 00:28:41,110 --> 00:28:43,243 He spotted them and chased them away. 562 00:28:43,286 --> 00:28:46,159 But they said he was working all by himself. 563 00:28:46,202 --> 00:28:50,250 SHATNER: From 1923 until 1951, 564 00:28:50,293 --> 00:28:55,298 Leedskalnin perfectly shaped, lifted, fitted, 565 00:28:55,342 --> 00:28:59,563 and stacked over two million pounds of limestone. 566 00:28:59,607 --> 00:29:03,089 For decades, hundreds of the world's top architects 567 00:29:03,132 --> 00:29:05,482 and engineers have come to this place 568 00:29:05,526 --> 00:29:08,268 to solve the mystery of its construction. 569 00:29:08,311 --> 00:29:10,139 The tripods, for instance, 570 00:29:10,183 --> 00:29:12,359 were three pieces of Florida pine, 571 00:29:12,402 --> 00:29:15,057 about the same size as a telephone pole. 572 00:29:15,101 --> 00:29:19,540 He used five-ton chains, he used a-a ten-ton chain hoist, 573 00:29:19,583 --> 00:29:23,979 yet somehow was able to impossibly lift stones 574 00:29:24,023 --> 00:29:27,287 that were wider than the tripod's diameter, 575 00:29:27,330 --> 00:29:29,506 that were taller than the tripod stood, 576 00:29:29,550 --> 00:29:33,293 that weighed more than the chains were rated for. 577 00:29:33,336 --> 00:29:35,556 Well, he didn't lift a, a 20-ton stone 578 00:29:35,599 --> 00:29:38,080 with a five-ton, uh, block and tackle, 579 00:29:38,124 --> 00:29:42,084 but he definitely found a way to lever the stone up. 580 00:29:42,128 --> 00:29:43,825 TAYLOR: There has to be some other technology 581 00:29:43,869 --> 00:29:47,220 being used here, or this is one of the best magic tricks 582 00:29:47,263 --> 00:29:49,178 ever pulled over on mankind. 583 00:29:49,222 --> 00:29:52,181 So, what could it have been? 584 00:29:52,225 --> 00:29:56,185 Did he learn some unique mechanical trick, 585 00:29:56,229 --> 00:29:58,144 or did he learn some new physics? 586 00:29:58,187 --> 00:30:02,017 POOLE: He was found often at the public library, 587 00:30:02,061 --> 00:30:03,932 studying the Egyptians, 588 00:30:03,976 --> 00:30:07,153 studying ancient megalithic structures. 589 00:30:07,196 --> 00:30:09,764 Ed said he knew the secrets of the pyramids. 590 00:30:09,808 --> 00:30:12,288 I believe this to be accurate. 591 00:30:12,332 --> 00:30:15,639 He was able to replicate their accomplishments, 592 00:30:15,683 --> 00:30:17,859 which enabled him to be able to create something 593 00:30:17,903 --> 00:30:21,167 which, by any other standard, you cannot do. 594 00:30:21,210 --> 00:30:25,084 SHATNER: Did Edward Leedskalnin actually crack 595 00:30:25,127 --> 00:30:27,695 the engineering secrets of the Great Pyramids? 596 00:30:27,738 --> 00:30:32,047 There are those who believe the answer is yes, 597 00:30:32,091 --> 00:30:35,572 and that one of the secrets involves magnetism. 598 00:30:37,052 --> 00:30:39,141 One of the most curious things that Ed designed 599 00:30:39,185 --> 00:30:41,274 was called a perpetual motion holder. 600 00:30:41,317 --> 00:30:42,841 You could find a drawing of it 601 00:30:42,884 --> 00:30:45,713 on the cover of his booklet, Magnetic Current. 602 00:30:45,756 --> 00:30:47,671 He created something that is made from 603 00:30:47,715 --> 00:30:50,152 a 1½-inch-thick steel bar, 604 00:30:50,196 --> 00:30:55,679 a mile of coil of copper wire with a bar on top, 605 00:30:55,723 --> 00:30:59,161 and if you lock these coils together with current, 606 00:30:59,205 --> 00:31:01,076 this current will run through this device forever 607 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:02,991 and never leave it. 608 00:31:03,035 --> 00:31:06,952 MICHIO KAKU: Magnetism can in fact levitate very large objects, 609 00:31:06,995 --> 00:31:09,041 but you have to have what is called 610 00:31:09,084 --> 00:31:11,434 superconducting technology. 611 00:31:11,478 --> 00:31:15,090 You have to cool down, cool down helium, 612 00:31:15,134 --> 00:31:17,745 for example, to near, near absolute zero 613 00:31:17,788 --> 00:31:21,140 before you get superconducting magnets. 614 00:31:21,183 --> 00:31:25,405 TAYLOR: Ed claims in his notes that he used reverse energy, 615 00:31:25,448 --> 00:31:27,581 or antigravity. 616 00:31:27,624 --> 00:31:29,713 The question is, what did he mean by this? 617 00:31:29,757 --> 00:31:32,412 The device that Ed used or allegedly used 618 00:31:32,455 --> 00:31:35,241 to move these rocks were an old-school tripod 619 00:31:35,284 --> 00:31:37,808 that had a large black box on top of it. 620 00:31:37,852 --> 00:31:40,246 We don't know what was in that box 621 00:31:40,289 --> 00:31:42,117 and Ed never says what was in that box. 622 00:31:42,161 --> 00:31:44,728 We could speculate that it's some device 623 00:31:44,772 --> 00:31:46,730 that he's created that enables him to lift 624 00:31:46,774 --> 00:31:48,558 more weight than he should be able to lift 625 00:31:48,602 --> 00:31:52,345 with this rudimentary tripod fulcrum and lever system. 626 00:31:52,388 --> 00:31:57,393 But we have no idea what it was he did. 627 00:31:57,437 --> 00:32:00,527 What makes the Coral Castle so unique and mysterious 628 00:32:00,570 --> 00:32:02,659 is that no one has ever been able 629 00:32:02,703 --> 00:32:05,836 to replicate his results using his methods. 630 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:09,666 What this means is that he knew something that we do not know. 631 00:32:13,844 --> 00:32:15,411 SHATNER: Whatever secrets 632 00:32:15,455 --> 00:32:17,979 Edward Leedskalnin used to build Coral Castle, 633 00:32:18,023 --> 00:32:20,982 he took to his grave. But why? 634 00:32:21,026 --> 00:32:24,812 Perhaps the answer can be found 6,500 miles away, 635 00:32:24,855 --> 00:32:29,425 inside the ultimate engineering marvel of all time: 636 00:32:29,469 --> 00:32:32,341 the Great Pyramid at Giza. 637 00:32:37,433 --> 00:32:40,610 SHATNER: Just outside of Cairo, Egypt 638 00:32:40,654 --> 00:32:44,353 stands what is arguably the most famous structure on Earth: 639 00:32:44,397 --> 00:32:47,835 the Great Pyramid of Giza. 640 00:32:47,878 --> 00:32:50,751 481 feet high. 641 00:32:50,794 --> 00:32:54,146 756 feet long on each side. 642 00:32:54,189 --> 00:32:57,279 2.3 million blocks of limestone 643 00:32:57,323 --> 00:33:00,891 and granite weighing 6.5 million tons. 644 00:33:02,502 --> 00:33:06,288 But incredibly, thousands of years after 645 00:33:06,332 --> 00:33:07,942 its first stones were laid, 646 00:33:07,986 --> 00:33:10,945 there's still three important questions 647 00:33:10,989 --> 00:33:13,861 that have yet to be answered: 648 00:33:13,904 --> 00:33:16,559 What was its purpose? 649 00:33:16,603 --> 00:33:18,735 Who built it? 650 00:33:18,779 --> 00:33:21,738 And how? 651 00:33:21,782 --> 00:33:25,133 BURROWS: The Great Pyramid is completely bizarre. 652 00:33:25,177 --> 00:33:28,223 Hundreds and hundreds of brilliant engineers 653 00:33:28,267 --> 00:33:31,226 have made many various attempts with different technologies 654 00:33:31,270 --> 00:33:34,055 to actually uncover its secrets. 655 00:33:34,099 --> 00:33:36,318 And yet, so far, we've been unable to. 656 00:33:36,362 --> 00:33:39,060 SHATNER: Mainstream archeologists have 657 00:33:39,104 --> 00:33:41,541 long maintained that the Great Pyramid was built 658 00:33:41,584 --> 00:33:46,111 some 4,500 years ago as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu. 659 00:33:46,154 --> 00:33:50,289 But that assertion has come under scrutiny in recent years, 660 00:33:50,332 --> 00:33:53,074 owing largely to the fact that no mummy 661 00:33:53,118 --> 00:33:55,033 was ever found in its chambers. 662 00:33:55,076 --> 00:33:58,819 And there are no hieroglyphics to be found 663 00:33:58,862 --> 00:34:01,865 on its massive granite walls. 664 00:34:01,909 --> 00:34:04,259 COLLINS: This extraordinary monument 665 00:34:04,303 --> 00:34:08,872 contains the most profound mathematics and geometry. 666 00:34:08,916 --> 00:34:11,832 Now, why would this be incorporated 667 00:34:11,875 --> 00:34:15,053 in such a structure if it was simply a tomb? 668 00:34:15,096 --> 00:34:17,838 There's obviously more to this story than meets the eye. 669 00:34:21,189 --> 00:34:23,496 NEWMAN: The Great Pyramid on the Giza Plateau 670 00:34:23,539 --> 00:34:26,803 in Egypt is one of the most magnificent sites on the planet. 671 00:34:26,847 --> 00:34:29,154 One of the seven wonders of the world 672 00:34:29,197 --> 00:34:31,721 and I don't believe it's a tomb. 673 00:34:31,765 --> 00:34:33,201 I think it's much more than that. 674 00:34:35,943 --> 00:34:37,814 SHATNER: So could the Great Pyramid 675 00:34:37,858 --> 00:34:41,949 have been built for another, arguably more useful, purpose? 676 00:34:41,992 --> 00:34:44,299 One that would make more sense, 677 00:34:44,343 --> 00:34:49,696 given the size and complexity of its construction? 678 00:34:49,739 --> 00:34:52,742 In a paper published by the Journal of Applied Physics 679 00:34:52,786 --> 00:34:55,615 in 2018, a team of scientists 680 00:34:55,658 --> 00:34:59,184 did some research on the Great Pyramid 681 00:34:59,227 --> 00:35:02,100 and found that electromagnetic energy 682 00:35:02,143 --> 00:35:06,147 was present in some of the chambers when stimulated. 683 00:35:06,191 --> 00:35:09,542 TAYLOR: This experiment used very long wavelength radio waves 684 00:35:09,585 --> 00:35:11,544 and it actually caused these waves 685 00:35:11,587 --> 00:35:13,285 to be focused into certain regions. 686 00:35:13,328 --> 00:35:16,375 They realized that the pyramid's shape 687 00:35:16,418 --> 00:35:20,640 might actually act as a lens or a focusing mechanism 688 00:35:20,683 --> 00:35:23,512 for radio frequency energy. 689 00:35:23,556 --> 00:35:25,427 MICHAEL DENNIN: One of the things that's interesting, 690 00:35:25,471 --> 00:35:28,082 of course, when looking at the Great Pyramid 691 00:35:28,126 --> 00:35:30,780 as a possible coupling to energy sources is to ask, 692 00:35:30,824 --> 00:35:33,000 "Could it have been coupling somehow 693 00:35:33,043 --> 00:35:35,481 to seismic or sound vibrations in the earth?" 694 00:35:35,524 --> 00:35:37,265 I think the real question would be, 695 00:35:37,309 --> 00:35:39,224 what type of energy were they trying to focus 696 00:35:39,267 --> 00:35:40,573 or how would they leverage it? 697 00:35:42,879 --> 00:35:44,316 NEWMAN: The Great Pyramid sits 698 00:35:44,359 --> 00:35:45,969 very close to a fault line. 699 00:35:46,013 --> 00:35:48,885 So almost like it absorbs seismic energy 700 00:35:48,929 --> 00:35:50,974 and then gives it back out again. 701 00:35:51,018 --> 00:35:54,804 So it could have been a generator of Earth energies 702 00:35:54,848 --> 00:35:57,067 that then would spread out through the landscape. 703 00:35:58,591 --> 00:36:00,114 SHATNER: Was the Great Pyramid 704 00:36:00,158 --> 00:36:02,943 constructed to channel power from the Earth? 705 00:36:02,986 --> 00:36:05,337 While the idea may sound fantastic, 706 00:36:05,380 --> 00:36:09,341 it is one that was pursued by a man who is credited 707 00:36:09,384 --> 00:36:11,908 as one of the inventors of modern electricity, 708 00:36:11,952 --> 00:36:14,998 Nikola Tesla. 709 00:36:15,042 --> 00:36:16,957 KAKU: Nikola Tesla is one of the great 710 00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:19,351 geniuses of the last century. 711 00:36:19,394 --> 00:36:22,223 He wanted to create wireless technology. 712 00:36:22,267 --> 00:36:25,183 Not with radio, but through the planet Earth. 713 00:36:25,226 --> 00:36:29,143 And that's why he built this gigantic tower 714 00:36:29,187 --> 00:36:31,014 in Shoreham, Long Island. 715 00:36:31,058 --> 00:36:34,888 Some people think that maybe he got inspiration 716 00:36:34,931 --> 00:36:40,328 for his gigantic antenna from the pyramids of Giza. 717 00:36:40,372 --> 00:36:43,418 There are a lot of parallels between what Nikola Tesla 718 00:36:43,462 --> 00:36:45,115 was doing, uh, at Wardenclyffe 719 00:36:45,159 --> 00:36:46,726 and the Great Pyramids. 720 00:36:46,769 --> 00:36:50,469 The pyramids don't look today the way they did 721 00:36:50,512 --> 00:36:52,775 thousands of years ago when they were first built. 722 00:36:52,819 --> 00:36:56,170 But they had, on the top of the pyramid, 723 00:36:56,214 --> 00:37:00,870 some conductive material that made it shiny on the top. 724 00:37:00,914 --> 00:37:04,439 And that's very much like the Wardenclyffe Tower transmitters, 725 00:37:04,483 --> 00:37:07,921 that you had a conductive surface on the top of the tower. 726 00:37:07,964 --> 00:37:09,705 And it's really interesting that the height 727 00:37:09,749 --> 00:37:11,838 of the pyramid to the base of the pyramid 728 00:37:11,881 --> 00:37:15,407 is the height that Tesla wanted to build his Wardenclyffe Tower. 729 00:37:17,060 --> 00:37:18,975 Well, due to monetary reasons, 730 00:37:19,019 --> 00:37:21,282 he built a scale version of it and he didn't build it as, 731 00:37:21,326 --> 00:37:24,416 as high as he wanted it to and as large as he wanted to. 732 00:37:24,459 --> 00:37:28,289 Tesla wanted it built over a flowing aquifer 733 00:37:28,333 --> 00:37:30,291 and he said this allowed him 734 00:37:30,335 --> 00:37:32,946 to grip the earth in order to transmit 735 00:37:32,989 --> 00:37:35,078 this power from one location to another. 736 00:37:35,122 --> 00:37:39,561 I find it intriguing that the pyramids are very similar. 737 00:37:39,605 --> 00:37:44,044 So it's very likely that if the pyramids were built 738 00:37:44,087 --> 00:37:46,307 for some purpose of absorbing and capturing 739 00:37:46,351 --> 00:37:48,527 and harnessing energy from the Earth, 740 00:37:48,570 --> 00:37:50,790 that that's what Tesla was trying to reproduce. 741 00:37:50,833 --> 00:37:52,879 [electricity crackling] 742 00:37:52,922 --> 00:37:55,273 NOORY: Sometimes we have to look beyond 743 00:37:55,316 --> 00:37:59,625 what might seem like logical and think illogically. 744 00:37:59,668 --> 00:38:02,845 The question is, did Tesla get knowledge 745 00:38:02,889 --> 00:38:05,544 from the pyramids or are the pyramids there 746 00:38:05,587 --> 00:38:07,328 for other purposes? 747 00:38:09,852 --> 00:38:13,116 SHATNER: Ancient Egyptian pyramids 748 00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:15,336 with the ability to harness the raw power 749 00:38:15,380 --> 00:38:16,729 of the Earth itself. 750 00:38:16,772 --> 00:38:18,339 Preposterous? 751 00:38:18,383 --> 00:38:21,037 Perhaps. 752 00:38:21,081 --> 00:38:25,303 But there are other structures whose purpose is so baffling, 753 00:38:25,346 --> 00:38:29,394 we have no idea why they were constructed. 754 00:38:33,789 --> 00:38:35,835 SHATNER: Not all mysterious structures 755 00:38:35,878 --> 00:38:37,402 are as vast as a mansion... 756 00:38:39,142 --> 00:38:42,624 ...or as ingeniously constructed as a pyramid. 757 00:38:42,668 --> 00:38:45,323 Some are much smaller and appear at first glance 758 00:38:45,366 --> 00:38:47,063 to be rather simple. 759 00:38:47,107 --> 00:38:49,370 That is, until you look closely 760 00:38:49,414 --> 00:38:52,547 and realize that sometimes, 761 00:38:52,591 --> 00:38:56,029 the simplest structures can be among the most astounding. 762 00:38:59,641 --> 00:39:02,165 In the Diquís Delta of Costa Rica, 763 00:39:02,209 --> 00:39:05,952 there are over 300 stone spheres of various sizes 764 00:39:05,995 --> 00:39:08,346 scattered across 25 acres of jungle. 765 00:39:09,825 --> 00:39:12,262 Archeological evidence dates the earliest 766 00:39:12,306 --> 00:39:15,309 to approximately 200 BC. 767 00:39:15,353 --> 00:39:19,400 But why they were made and who made them 768 00:39:19,444 --> 00:39:21,359 remains a mystery. 769 00:39:23,665 --> 00:39:26,015 NEWMAN: All of the spheres in Costa Rica 770 00:39:26,059 --> 00:39:28,104 are carved and shaped, um, 771 00:39:28,148 --> 00:39:30,324 created from different types of rock. 772 00:39:32,152 --> 00:39:34,894 Over 300 have been discovered. 773 00:39:34,937 --> 00:39:37,070 These range from the size of a tennis ball 774 00:39:37,113 --> 00:39:40,421 all the way up to nine feet in diameter. 775 00:39:42,902 --> 00:39:46,209 They're very precise, they're very abstract. 776 00:39:46,253 --> 00:39:48,516 They're bizarre in their own right. 777 00:39:51,476 --> 00:39:54,609 The spheres in Costa Rica are, um, fabulous 778 00:39:54,653 --> 00:39:56,045 and fabulously interesting. 779 00:39:56,089 --> 00:39:58,439 They almost sort of demand a-a story. 780 00:39:58,483 --> 00:40:01,311 There-there has to be a story behind it. 781 00:40:01,355 --> 00:40:03,792 And so this of course has caused people 782 00:40:03,836 --> 00:40:06,447 to wonder a great deal about where these come from. 783 00:40:06,491 --> 00:40:08,362 Are they man-made or natural-made? 784 00:40:11,496 --> 00:40:13,323 NEWMAN Some people believe that 785 00:40:13,367 --> 00:40:15,195 the ancient spheres of Costa Rica 786 00:40:15,238 --> 00:40:18,633 are from Atlantis or from other lost civilizations. 787 00:40:20,592 --> 00:40:24,770 Different people say they are navigational tools. 788 00:40:24,813 --> 00:40:29,514 Some people suggest they're even mapping the stars on the ground. 789 00:40:29,557 --> 00:40:31,777 As the stars and the planets moved around, 790 00:40:31,820 --> 00:40:34,736 you'd move the spheres around to match it. 791 00:40:34,780 --> 00:40:38,174 One of the traditions, uh, that goes way, way back 792 00:40:38,218 --> 00:40:41,569 with the Costa Rica stone spheres is the idea that 793 00:40:41,613 --> 00:40:45,007 at the center of the spheres, there's a black stone. 794 00:40:45,051 --> 00:40:48,750 Many of the stones got cracked open to find 795 00:40:48,794 --> 00:40:50,622 that there was nothing in them, but some of them 796 00:40:50,665 --> 00:40:53,059 actually did have a black stone in the center. 797 00:40:54,843 --> 00:40:56,976 How they would know that, how they would know, 798 00:40:57,019 --> 00:40:59,195 indeed, there was a black stone in the center 799 00:40:59,239 --> 00:41:01,197 is another mystery in itself. 800 00:41:04,157 --> 00:41:07,856 SHATNER: Just what are the Costa Rican spheres? 801 00:41:10,119 --> 00:41:13,035 Even with all our knowledge of the past, 802 00:41:13,079 --> 00:41:16,256 all our modern technology... 803 00:41:16,299 --> 00:41:19,520 we still don't know why they were carved 804 00:41:19,564 --> 00:41:22,175 so perfectly in stone. 805 00:41:25,657 --> 00:41:30,792 Were the Costa Rican spheres intended as weapons? 806 00:41:30,836 --> 00:41:35,362 Were the churches at Lalibela carved deep underground 807 00:41:35,405 --> 00:41:38,278 because there were no other building materials available? 808 00:41:38,321 --> 00:41:41,803 And what about the Winchester Mystery House? 809 00:41:41,847 --> 00:41:44,414 Perhaps like the Great Pyramid, they were built in such a way 810 00:41:44,458 --> 00:41:49,463 that their very construction would be considered a miracle. 811 00:41:49,507 --> 00:41:53,946 Bait for mankind's insatiable curiosity. 812 00:41:53,989 --> 00:41:58,298 Something deliberately wondrous and intended to be among... 813 00:41:58,341 --> 00:42:00,300 [whispers]: The UnXplained.