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WILLIAM SHATNER:
Hidden churches...

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cut from the depths
of the earth.

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Staircases that defy
the laws of physics.

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And mansions
where visitors become lost

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in an endless maze.

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Mysterious structures
fascinate us because

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they're like puzzles...

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waiting to be solved.

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What appears
on the surface to be...

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a church...

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or a mansion...

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...can actually be
more than that.

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Could a pyramid have been
a power plant, for example?

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[chuckling]:
Well...

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that is what we'll try
and find out.

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♪

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[wind whistling]

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SHATNER:
High in the mountains
of Northern Ethiopia,

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a mile and a half
above sea level,

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lies the city of Lalibela.

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Each year, tens of thousands
of worshippers

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make the arduous journey here,

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despite its remote location,

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to visit 11 of the strangest
holy places on Earth.

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Lalibela is one of Africa's
most mysterious sites.

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It's a complex
of 11 monolithic churches

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that are hewn right out
of the bedrock.

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Most churches are built
on the surface

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and they're built from
the bottom up.

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Whereas, in Lalibela,
they're built from the top down.

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It's the only place on the Earth
that has cathedrals

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that are built underground
as opposed to being

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built on the surface.

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ANDREW COLLINS:
What makes the Lalibela churches

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so unique...

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is not just
their building construction,

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which is unlike anything else
in the world.

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But also the otherworldly feel
of the complexes

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where these different
monuments can be found.

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Entering into the complex
of churches

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was almost like entering
another realm.

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Almost as if those
who constructed Lalibela

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had a ritual function.

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And that was to bring themselves
closer to God.

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STEVE BURROWS:
It's an incredible piece
of engineering--

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this idea that you build
11 churches below ground.

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But it creates
its own unique problems.

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How do people get down there?

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Uh, how did they move all of the
rock out and where did it go?

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Uh, those are the things that
start running through my mind.

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SHATNER:
Dating back
to the 12th century AD,

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each of Lalibela's 11 churches
was painstakingly

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carved by hand--

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and from the outside--

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like enormous sculptures.

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The complex also includes
an extensive system of tunnels,

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catacombs all carved
out of solid bedrock.

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But why?

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Why build a magnificent series
of structures

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in the toughest way possible?

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COLLINS:
The builder of Lalibela

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was a king by this very name,
Lalibela.

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And it is said
that in the 12th century,

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he was living in Jerusalem

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and decided to come back
into Ethiopia

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and create
these monolithic churches.

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And it's very clear

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that Lalibela, uh, in the design

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of these different churches,

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was trying
to replicate Jerusalem.

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Indeed, he was trying
to create a new Jerusalem.

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So by entering
into this complex,

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it's almost like you were
entering into Jerusalem itself,

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which was considered to be the
most holy shrine in the world.

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MICHAEL GERVERS:
It is described that

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Lalibela had a dream

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and in the dream,
he was instructed by God

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to go back and make
a copy of Jerusalem...

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at the site.

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And in order
to fulfill God's request,

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King Lalibela and others
who were involved

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worked night and day
for 20 years.

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So in their minds,
right at the beginning,

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they had a three-dimensional
structure in mind.

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'Cause when they started,
it was just a big piece of rock.

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And how did they know
that if they were going

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to go 150 feet down
into the ground,

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that everything was okay?

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Because the worst
possible thing would be

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that you'd almost finished
and then you found

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that there was a massive
problem at the bottom.

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SHATNER:
11 underground churches.

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Some over 100 feet deep.

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Each carved from
a single block of stone

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in only 20 years' time.

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Archeologists date the churches
back nearly a thousand years.

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But even with today's
modern technology,

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such an incredible
architectural feat

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would be considered impossible.

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So how was it accomplished?

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TRAVIS TAYLOR:
If we go and build

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a big structure today,
a skyscraper,

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we have blueprints,
we have engineering

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design pathways and we have
a construction plan.

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It tells us how
we would do every step

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of the way; where every
screw, nut, bolt,

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weld, poured concrete goes.

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None of that exists for
these large, ancient structures.

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So we really got
to think outside the box

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and try to find
how they were done,

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why they were done

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and who built them.

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WHITEHEAD:
A very curious thing

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at Lalibela is that there are
some very unique carvings there.

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There's very interesting symbols

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that are carved
into these churches.

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Do they mean something
if you put them together?

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COLLINS:
In the church of St. Mary
at Lalibela,

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there is the Star of David.

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And this, along with a number
of other mementos

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and designs are extremely
indicative

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of the presence
of the Knights Templar.

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This has suggested to many

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that they may well
have been present

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during the construction

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of the churches at Lalibela.

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TOK THOMPSON:
Now the Knights Templar
were a very interesting

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religious order that became

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very powerful during
the Middle Ages.

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But what people
don't often realize is

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they were very interested
in building,

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in, uh, geometry,
in, uh, numerology.

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Uh, and so they were
at once very practical

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and pragmatic and then
also very spiritual and mystic.

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WHITEHEAD:
The Knights Templar had

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a great amount of knowledge
in masonry

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and architecture
and building structures.

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Now, it's debated
as to whether or not

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the Knights Templar would have
been in Ethiopia at this time.

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But there's some
interesting evidence

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that an Armenian geographer
at the time

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documented seeing men with
red and white regalia,

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blond or reddish hair,
long hair,

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which could indicate that
he's talking about Templars.

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So, it could be that
the Templars themselves

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were the ones
that built Lalibela,

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or that they helped
King Lalibela build the site.

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SHATNER:
Could Templar stonemasons have

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influenced the construction
of the churches at Lalibela?

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And if so, for what purpose?

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COLLINS:
If you look around Lalibela,

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there are altars there

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that have spaces
in them that would

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precisely fit
the Ark of the Covenant,

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which was approximately
four feet in length,

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two feet wide and around
two feet in height.

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It has been suggested
that the rock-cut churches

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at Lalibela were built to house
the Ark of the Covenant.

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SHATNER:
The lost Ark of the Covenant,

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the gold box which contained
the original Ten Commandments--

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could it have been hidden
at Lalibela centuries ago?

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During the Crusades,
we know that the Templars

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occupied the Temple of Solomon.

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And so, it could be
that they were

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the keepers
of the Ark of the Covenant.

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And the more you look
at Lalibela, and given the fact

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that we see that
it's built underground,

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you start to think,
here we have these churches

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that are hewn out of these
megalithic rocks.

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They're built like
defensive structures.

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They have all kinds
of interesting symbolism there

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that indicate Templars.

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And you start getting the
impression that this is actually

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some kind of defensive fortress

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to protect... something.

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SHATNER:
Was Lalibela originally built

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to house and hide
the Ark of the Covenant?

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And if so, why only 11 churches?

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Jesus had 12 apostles.

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So wouldn't it seem likely
that there were

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12 churches built,
one for each of them?

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There are many who believe

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the answer
to that question is yes,

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and that the Ark is still hidden
in an undiscovered church.

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Incredible, you say?

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Perhaps not as incredible
as a stairway in New Mexico

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whose builder wasn't
only divinely inspired

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but may have
actually been sent...

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directly from heaven.

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SHATNER:
February 11, 2019.

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Investigative journalist
and radio host

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David Whitehead travels
to the Loretto Chapel

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in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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WHITEHEAD:
I'm here to investigate
a really mysterious structure,

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the famous Loretto staircase.

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We don't know who built it,
we don't understand

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the physics behind it
and we don't even have

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a good indication
as to what it's made of.

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[door creaks open]

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Oh, wow.

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This place is beautiful.

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SHATNER:
Meeting with David is
chapel curator Richard Lindsley.

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-WHITEHEAD: So this is it.
-LINDSLEY: Absolutely.

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Our miraculous staircase.

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I've heard so much about it.

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I've read so many theories
about it,

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and it's amazing to actually
be here to see it.

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SHATNER:
In 1873, the Sisters of Loretto

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commissioned the construction
of the chapel

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for their new girls school.

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Officially consecrated
five years later,

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the Loretto Chapel is a triumph
of Gothic Revival design,

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with its high spires,
soaring buttresses

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and enormous
stained glass windows.

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But as construction was
nearing completion,

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the project's architect
suddenly died,

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before he could build
what was considered

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the most ambitious part
of the job:

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the staircase leading up
to the choir loft.

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The mystery of the staircase
actually begins

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with this mysterious carpenter.

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The sisters asked the local
carpenters to build one,

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but they failed; they didn't
know how to do it.

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The sisters, they decided
to turn to prayer,

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and said a nine-day novena,
asking St. Joseph,

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the patron of carpenters,

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to help them
with their problem.

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At the last day of their prayer,

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it's said that a knock came
at these doors.

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This elderly man was
standing there with a donkey

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by his side,

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and he told the sister
that he had come

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to build their staircase.

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Was it St. Joseph,
like the sisters believed?

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Some pious people think
it was an angel.

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But he was very reclusive,
and insisted upon

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working inside this chapel
by himself,

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never allowing anyone to see him
work on the staircase.

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Throughout the, uh, Christian
and Catholic world,

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we have a tremendous amount
of these stories

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of miraculous help from saints.

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And this is a part
of the Catholic belief system.

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You can pray to saints,
and they're supposed to,

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uh, try to help.

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So it's a built-in part
of the package,

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this idea of an intercessory,

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closer to people,
and yet closer to God.

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After three months, the sisters
came into the chapel,

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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.

814
00:42:00,343 --> 00:42:02,476
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