1 00:00:08,542 --> 00:00:13,750 [intense music] 2 00:00:13,750 --> 00:00:16,667 - Imagine a pristine valley in Canada 3 00:00:16,667 --> 00:00:19,750 where visitors tend to lose their heads. 4 00:00:21,042 --> 00:00:23,583 - [Dr. Hakeem] This is dangerous territory. 5 00:00:23,583 --> 00:00:27,208 - A search party goes looking for the men. 6 00:00:27,208 --> 00:00:30,375 - And for the fourth time, there's no head. 7 00:00:30,375 --> 00:00:33,208 - Or an island filled with adorable monkeys 8 00:00:33,208 --> 00:00:36,750 carrying a not so adorable surprise. 9 00:00:36,750 --> 00:00:40,000 - It's possibly the highest concentration of herpes B 10 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:41,750 in the entire nation. 11 00:00:41,750 --> 00:00:45,542 - While it is extremely rare, it is also extremely fatal. 12 00:00:46,875 --> 00:00:49,375 - How about a waterfall that spews blood? 13 00:00:49,375 --> 00:00:53,000 - It is a jarring, almost biblical scene. 14 00:00:53,542 --> 00:00:57,333 Those who witness it don't even make it back alive. 15 00:00:58,208 --> 00:01:00,792 - These are the places so unusual, 16 00:01:00,792 --> 00:01:03,667 they are truly unbelievable. 17 00:01:03,667 --> 00:01:10,417 [intense music] 18 00:01:10,792 --> 00:01:15,500 [intense music continues] 19 00:01:16,375 --> 00:01:18,167 Death Valley, California, 20 00:01:18,167 --> 00:01:19,542 Purgatory, Colorado, 21 00:01:19,542 --> 00:01:21,042 Devil's Pass, Alaska, some far-flung locations 22 00:01:22,375 --> 00:01:25,333 carry names so ominous you'd never dare visit. 23 00:01:25,333 --> 00:01:28,208 But one remote valley in Canada 24 00:01:28,208 --> 00:01:30,375 boasts a title so terrifying, 25 00:01:30,375 --> 00:01:32,375 it's got them all beat, 26 00:01:32,375 --> 00:01:34,542 not just because it's gruesome, 27 00:01:34,542 --> 00:01:38,333 but because it actually lives up to the hype of its name. 28 00:01:38,500 --> 00:01:43,125 [daunting music] 29 00:01:43,125 --> 00:01:44,833 - In the Nahanni National Park 30 00:01:44,833 --> 00:01:48,167 in northwest Canada, there's a 200-mile gorge, 31 00:01:48,167 --> 00:01:50,250 referred to as 32 00:01:50,250 --> 00:01:52,458 the Valley of the Headless Men. 33 00:01:53,333 --> 00:01:56,208 - [Dan] No picturesque metaphors here. 34 00:01:56,208 --> 00:01:58,542 The Valley of Headless Men earns its name 35 00:01:59,875 --> 00:02:02,375 starting back in the early 1900s. 36 00:02:02,750 --> 00:02:05,417 [tense music] 37 00:02:05,417 --> 00:02:07,833 - Most of us associate the gold rush 38 00:02:07,833 --> 00:02:10,417 with San Francisco or Deadwood, 39 00:02:10,417 --> 00:02:13,542 but by the late 19th, early 20th century, 40 00:02:13,542 --> 00:02:16,542 if you wanted to go prospecting in the wilderness, 41 00:02:16,542 --> 00:02:19,000 you had to work a little harder to find it. 42 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,375 [suspenseful music] 43 00:02:21,375 --> 00:02:23,875 - People who had been in the gold rush in California 44 00:02:23,875 --> 00:02:25,750 start pouring into Canada. 45 00:02:27,667 --> 00:02:28,708 - They're going out into 46 00:02:28,708 --> 00:02:31,167 the vast reaches of the Canadian wilderness. 47 00:02:31,167 --> 00:02:34,875 There's no stores here, no hospitals. 48 00:02:34,875 --> 00:02:36,792 This is dangerous territory. 49 00:02:37,042 --> 00:02:40,333 [tense music] 50 00:02:40,333 --> 00:02:42,542 - [Dan] In 1904, two brothers, 51 00:02:42,708 --> 00:02:44,375 Willie and Frank McLeod, 52 00:02:44,375 --> 00:02:46,625 are among those looking for their fortune 53 00:02:46,625 --> 00:02:48,667 in the remote Northern Territories. 54 00:02:50,708 --> 00:02:53,042 - The McLeod brothers know they're gonna be venturing out 55 00:02:53,042 --> 00:02:54,958 much farther than other prospectors. 56 00:02:54,958 --> 00:02:59,125 So they stock up on supplies like flour, rifle cartridges. 57 00:02:59,125 --> 00:03:00,375 Then they jump into their canoe 58 00:03:00,375 --> 00:03:03,042 and they paddle down in Nahanni River. 59 00:03:03,042 --> 00:03:05,583 [tense music] 60 00:03:05,583 --> 00:03:07,375 - The conditions are extremely harsh. 61 00:03:07,375 --> 00:03:08,833 Grizzly bears and wolves, 62 00:03:08,833 --> 00:03:11,458 sub-zero temperatures even during the day. 63 00:03:11,458 --> 00:03:13,125 There's many dangers. 64 00:03:13,125 --> 00:03:14,917 - [Dan] While camped out in the nether regions 65 00:03:14,917 --> 00:03:16,542 of the Canadian wilderness, 66 00:03:16,542 --> 00:03:18,708 the prospector's family doesn't expect 67 00:03:18,708 --> 00:03:20,500 regular communication. 68 00:03:20,500 --> 00:03:23,500 But when two years go by without any word, 69 00:03:23,500 --> 00:03:25,583 their loved ones fear the worst. 70 00:03:26,667 --> 00:03:29,167 - Willie and Frank's older brother, Charlie, 71 00:03:29,167 --> 00:03:31,375 pulls together a search party 72 00:03:31,375 --> 00:03:33,208 and goes looking for the men 73 00:03:33,208 --> 00:03:35,583 in their last known camping location. 74 00:03:36,542 --> 00:03:38,042 [dramatic music] 75 00:03:38,042 --> 00:03:40,125 In 1908, 76 00:03:40,125 --> 00:03:42,417 he finds his brothers dead 77 00:03:42,667 --> 00:03:44,833 on the banks of the Nahanni River. 78 00:03:46,875 --> 00:03:48,750 They are fully clothed, 79 00:03:48,750 --> 00:03:51,375 a few personal effects are scattered around them, 80 00:03:51,375 --> 00:03:53,417 but what's truly strange is 81 00:03:53,417 --> 00:03:55,667 both bodies are missing their heads. 82 00:03:58,708 --> 00:04:02,625 Naturally, Charlie is convinced of foul play, 83 00:04:02,625 --> 00:04:06,708 but Canada's Royal Mounted Police are not so sure. 84 00:04:07,708 --> 00:04:11,292 - Canadian Mounted Police have a theory that, 85 00:04:11,292 --> 00:04:13,875 in fact, the brothers probably died of starvation 86 00:04:13,875 --> 00:04:15,583 and then after the fact, 87 00:04:15,583 --> 00:04:19,333 scavenger animals came and removed the heads. 88 00:04:21,417 --> 00:04:23,250 - This story is full of holes though. 89 00:04:23,250 --> 00:04:25,333 It's unlikely that both brothers 90 00:04:25,333 --> 00:04:27,208 would've starved to death at the same place 91 00:04:27,208 --> 00:04:28,583 and the same time. 92 00:04:29,667 --> 00:04:32,042 - And also it just seems unlikely 93 00:04:32,042 --> 00:04:37,208 that if the bodies were found by wolves or grizzly bears, 94 00:04:37,208 --> 00:04:40,375 the animals would make off with just the heads 95 00:04:40,375 --> 00:04:41,792 of both bodies. 96 00:04:44,250 --> 00:04:46,708 - [Dan] Another strange theory arises. 97 00:04:46,708 --> 00:04:50,583 It might have been a warning to other potential prospectors. 98 00:04:50,583 --> 00:04:53,542 - Throughout history, beheadings are very symbolic. 99 00:04:53,542 --> 00:04:55,875 Putting a severed head on a pike 100 00:04:55,875 --> 00:04:59,083 is a clear message to outlaws and intruders. 101 00:04:59,083 --> 00:05:02,458 So it's very unusual that in this case the head is missing. 102 00:05:03,375 --> 00:05:05,958 - [Dan] Could a local legend provide any insight? 103 00:05:05,958 --> 00:05:08,083 [curious music] 104 00:05:08,083 --> 00:05:11,208 - The Dene people settled in the region 8,000 years ago, 105 00:05:11,208 --> 00:05:13,875 but they never put encampments or settlements 106 00:05:13,875 --> 00:05:15,875 in this particular valley. 107 00:05:15,875 --> 00:05:16,792 What do they fear? 108 00:05:18,333 --> 00:05:21,375 - Tribal folklore tells of a race 109 00:05:21,375 --> 00:05:25,208 of man-eating giants, called the Nakani, 110 00:05:25,208 --> 00:05:29,333 which are said to be twice as tall as an ordinary man. 111 00:05:29,333 --> 00:05:32,583 They consume human flesh, so the lore goes, 112 00:05:32,583 --> 00:05:34,417 and they hunt in the valley. 113 00:05:35,458 --> 00:05:37,708 - [Dan] Still, the case remains unsolved 114 00:05:37,708 --> 00:05:39,958 and appears to be an isolated incident. 115 00:05:41,042 --> 00:05:42,750 Until 1917. 116 00:05:43,167 --> 00:05:45,542 [intense music] 117 00:05:45,542 --> 00:05:49,250 - A Swiss prospector named Martin Jorgenson 118 00:05:49,250 --> 00:05:51,083 appears to strike gold. 119 00:05:51,083 --> 00:05:54,958 He sends a letter back home to his family saying, 120 00:05:54,958 --> 00:05:56,792 "I found it, I'm rich." 121 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,500 - But shortly after he sends this letter, 122 00:06:00,500 --> 00:06:03,125 he too is found dead next to his cabin 123 00:06:03,125 --> 00:06:04,542 which has been burned to the ground. 124 00:06:04,542 --> 00:06:06,625 His body's found among the ashes. 125 00:06:06,625 --> 00:06:08,958 Once again, there's no head. 126 00:06:10,167 --> 00:06:13,417 - [Dan] Three headless men found in the same remote place 127 00:06:14,500 --> 00:06:15,875 a decade apart? 128 00:06:17,250 --> 00:06:19,958 Plenty to earn the nickname Valley of the Headless Men. 129 00:06:21,292 --> 00:06:23,958 Sadly, the mysterious headhunting isn't over. 130 00:06:24,875 --> 00:06:27,000 [dramatic somber music] 131 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:29,875 - Decades later in 1945, 132 00:06:29,875 --> 00:06:32,375 there's a body found in a sleeping bag, 133 00:06:32,375 --> 00:06:34,958 and for the fourth time, there's no head. 134 00:06:36,750 --> 00:06:39,250 This is thought to be the body of a missing minor 135 00:06:39,250 --> 00:06:40,542 named Ernest Savard. 136 00:06:41,667 --> 00:06:43,250 Here's the strange thing, 137 00:06:43,250 --> 00:06:45,792 gold mining has been going on in Canada 138 00:06:45,792 --> 00:06:48,750 for decades across vast regions. 139 00:06:48,750 --> 00:06:52,625 So it's unusual that it's only this one little tiny area 140 00:06:52,625 --> 00:06:54,500 that there are missing heads. 141 00:06:56,417 --> 00:06:58,292 Whether you believe these deaths are the result 142 00:06:58,292 --> 00:07:00,750 of some sort of legend or folklore, 143 00:07:00,750 --> 00:07:04,042 or maybe animal attacks or rival prospectors, 144 00:07:04,042 --> 00:07:08,667 simple fact is they remain a mystery until today. 145 00:07:12,042 --> 00:07:13,667 - Not all mysterious locations 146 00:07:13,667 --> 00:07:16,250 have such colorful macabre names, 147 00:07:16,250 --> 00:07:19,000 but there's one small body of water in Central New Jersey 148 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:20,417 that sounds adorable, 149 00:07:20,417 --> 00:07:22,917 Round Valley Reservoir. 150 00:07:22,917 --> 00:07:25,500 But its strange history is anything but. 151 00:07:26,167 --> 00:07:29,167 [tense music] 152 00:07:30,792 --> 00:07:32,875 - If you look at other infamous locations 153 00:07:32,875 --> 00:07:36,833 like the Bermuda Triangle or the Dragon's Sea, these are deep, 154 00:07:36,833 --> 00:07:40,333 expansive natural locations with erratic weather. 155 00:07:40,333 --> 00:07:41,750 What's weird about Round Valley 156 00:07:41,750 --> 00:07:44,958 is that it's comparatively tiny and man-made. 157 00:07:45,875 --> 00:07:47,625 - [Dan] For what it lacks in size, 158 00:07:47,625 --> 00:07:50,875 it more than makes up for in strange disappearances, 159 00:07:50,875 --> 00:07:53,917 earning the nickname the New Jersey Triangle. 160 00:07:54,250 --> 00:07:55,958 [suspicious music] 161 00:07:55,958 --> 00:07:58,375 - The longest unsolved disappearance dates back to 162 00:07:58,375 --> 00:08:01,208 May 4th, 1973, when two men, 163 00:08:01,208 --> 00:08:04,125 Thomas Trimblett and Christopher Zajaczkowski, 164 00:08:04,125 --> 00:08:07,625 are fishing on the reservoir in a 12-foot aluminum boat. 165 00:08:08,708 --> 00:08:10,667 - A few days later, the boat is found capsized 166 00:08:10,667 --> 00:08:12,667 on the eastern shore of the reservoir. 167 00:08:13,625 --> 00:08:16,542 There's two life preservers, an oar, 168 00:08:16,542 --> 00:08:18,667 and a broken fishing rod. 169 00:08:18,667 --> 00:08:21,542 And no sign of bodies. 170 00:08:21,542 --> 00:08:23,333 - [Dan] And this is just the first chapter 171 00:08:23,333 --> 00:08:25,500 in this very disturbing mystery. 172 00:08:25,500 --> 00:08:26,667 - A few years go by. 173 00:08:26,667 --> 00:08:28,375 It's now March of 1977, 174 00:08:28,375 --> 00:08:30,583 and Craig Stier and Andrew Fasanella 175 00:08:30,583 --> 00:08:32,667 are out on the reservoir enjoying themselves, 176 00:08:32,667 --> 00:08:34,875 in their canoe rowing. 177 00:08:34,875 --> 00:08:36,667 - They're last seen paddling their canoe 178 00:08:36,667 --> 00:08:38,875 on the north side heading east. 179 00:08:41,250 --> 00:08:42,667 - And they just disappear. 180 00:08:42,667 --> 00:08:44,542 [dramatic music] 181 00:08:44,542 --> 00:08:46,625 - Just like the previous incident, 182 00:08:46,625 --> 00:08:50,208 their canoe and camping gear is discovered on the shore 183 00:08:50,208 --> 00:08:52,000 a few days later. 184 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,292 The authorities send divers in almost immediately. 185 00:08:55,292 --> 00:08:57,250 They search the area, 186 00:08:57,250 --> 00:08:59,333 and they find no bodies. 187 00:08:59,333 --> 00:09:01,167 [dramatic music] 188 00:09:01,167 --> 00:09:04,125 - Andrew's father is determined to find his son's remains. 189 00:09:04,125 --> 00:09:07,042 And he appeals to the New Jersey State Police, 190 00:09:07,042 --> 00:09:10,417 and they have access to a privately owned submarine 191 00:09:10,417 --> 00:09:12,542 and they bring that to the reservoir. 192 00:09:12,542 --> 00:09:14,708 [tense music] 193 00:09:14,708 --> 00:09:16,708 - Unfortunately, they find no bodies. 194 00:09:16,708 --> 00:09:18,750 And this is a man-made reservoir. 195 00:09:18,750 --> 00:09:20,583 These are fairly calm conditions. 196 00:09:20,583 --> 00:09:23,542 You're not dealing with ocean squalls, 197 00:09:23,542 --> 00:09:26,542 or massive waves, or great white sharks. 198 00:09:26,542 --> 00:09:28,250 [tense music] 199 00:09:28,250 --> 00:09:29,667 - Another decade goes by. 200 00:09:29,667 --> 00:09:31,917 We're now 1989, 201 00:09:31,917 --> 00:09:33,917 John Kubu and Andrew Lawson, 202 00:09:33,917 --> 00:09:35,875 they take a fishing boat out onto the reservoir. 203 00:09:35,875 --> 00:09:38,167 They again go to the eastern side. 204 00:09:39,042 --> 00:09:41,875 - [Dan] You can probably guess how this ends. 205 00:09:41,875 --> 00:09:43,708 - We're on our third time now. 206 00:09:43,708 --> 00:09:45,375 All of their items are accounted for, 207 00:09:45,375 --> 00:09:47,042 they're camping gear, you name it, 208 00:09:47,875 --> 00:09:49,833 but they're nowhere to be found. 209 00:09:49,833 --> 00:09:52,208 It's the same pattern again and again. 210 00:09:52,208 --> 00:09:54,333 [dramatic music] 211 00:09:54,333 --> 00:09:56,833 - [Dan] Conventional searches turn up no signs of 212 00:09:56,833 --> 00:10:00,125 any bodies that have gone missing over the past 15 years. 213 00:10:00,125 --> 00:10:04,375 But in 1993, some hungry fishermen catch something 214 00:10:04,375 --> 00:10:06,167 that finally sheds some light 215 00:10:06,333 --> 00:10:09,542 on this cold case. 216 00:10:09,542 --> 00:10:11,833 - It's the remains of Albert Lawson. 217 00:10:12,542 --> 00:10:15,625 The remains that a submarine could not find 218 00:10:15,625 --> 00:10:17,208 have been caught by fishermen. 219 00:10:18,625 --> 00:10:21,625 John Kubu, his friend, still nowhere to be found. 220 00:10:21,625 --> 00:10:22,875 [dramatic music] 221 00:10:22,875 --> 00:10:24,458 - [Dan] This break leads to a full-scale 222 00:10:24,458 --> 00:10:26,917 search effort in 2006, 223 00:10:27,375 --> 00:10:30,958 when authorities take advantage of unusually low water levels. 224 00:10:32,542 --> 00:10:34,333 - A team of state police, FBI, 225 00:10:34,333 --> 00:10:36,917 and Bergen County sheriff's officers, fan out 226 00:10:36,917 --> 00:10:40,958 on foot and in boats, all across the 180-foot-deep reservoir. 227 00:10:40,958 --> 00:10:43,625 They even bring in another state-of-the-art submarine. 228 00:10:44,375 --> 00:10:46,792 - And yet with all this technology, all this attention, 229 00:10:46,792 --> 00:10:49,208 all these people focused on this objective, 230 00:10:49,208 --> 00:10:50,167 they find nothing. 231 00:10:51,250 --> 00:10:55,000 - [Dan] Six years later, another unexpected clue surfaces. 232 00:10:56,375 --> 00:10:59,958 - In 2012, a fisherman's hook catches on something heavy 233 00:10:59,958 --> 00:11:01,750 that doesn't resist like a fish would. 234 00:11:02,500 --> 00:11:03,750 And he reels it in. 235 00:11:03,875 --> 00:11:06,750 There is a massive boot on the end of that line. 236 00:11:06,750 --> 00:11:08,333 He takes a closer look inside, 237 00:11:08,333 --> 00:11:11,292 and there is what looks like bones and decayed human flesh. 238 00:11:12,542 --> 00:11:14,208 - Unfortunately, due to the amount of time 239 00:11:14,208 --> 00:11:16,125 that the foot has spent underwater, 240 00:11:16,125 --> 00:11:18,125 authorities are unable to use it to determine 241 00:11:18,125 --> 00:11:20,875 any kind of connection to the missing bodies. 242 00:11:22,250 --> 00:11:25,875 As of today, the New Jersey Triangle has claimed 26 lives 243 00:11:25,875 --> 00:11:28,333 and at least six bodies remain undiscovered. 244 00:11:28,333 --> 00:11:30,708 [suspenseful music] 245 00:11:30,708 --> 00:11:33,917 [eerie music] 246 00:11:33,917 --> 00:11:36,333 - As far as the mysterious foot, 247 00:11:36,333 --> 00:11:37,750 that might not belong 248 00:11:37,750 --> 00:11:39,083 to any of the Jersey Triangle's official victims. 249 00:11:39,083 --> 00:11:40,375 to any of the Jersey Triangle's official victims. 250 00:11:40,375 --> 00:11:43,917 At just 50 to 100 miles from Newark or Atlantic City, 251 00:11:43,917 --> 00:11:46,708 a deep lake is a very convenient place 252 00:11:46,708 --> 00:11:49,458 to dump inconvenient people. 253 00:11:49,458 --> 00:11:51,792 That foot could be anybody's. 254 00:11:56,292 --> 00:11:58,292 - Every day, a half million people jam onto the 405 freeway 255 00:11:58,292 --> 00:12:01,708 in Los Angeles just to sit in the world's most brutal traffic. 256 00:12:01,708 --> 00:12:04,417 I'm sure none of these poor tortured commuters 257 00:12:04,417 --> 00:12:06,125 could even imagine a place 258 00:12:06,125 --> 00:12:08,958 where daily travel offers stunning mountain views 259 00:12:08,958 --> 00:12:11,375 and a decent upper arm workout. 260 00:12:11,375 --> 00:12:13,292 If that sounds good to you, 261 00:12:13,292 --> 00:12:17,125 and you don't mind the chance of plummeting to your death, 262 00:12:17,125 --> 00:12:22,208 you might wanna start job hunting in Los Pinos, Colombia. 263 00:12:22,208 --> 00:12:24,542 [curious music] 264 00:12:24,542 --> 00:12:28,042 - There's an area 60 miles south of Bogota, Columbia, and it's 265 00:12:28,042 --> 00:12:31,750 some of the most beautiful sites of terrain you've ever seen. 266 00:12:31,750 --> 00:12:35,083 Mountains, valleys, rivers. 267 00:12:35,083 --> 00:12:38,750 Nestled there is the tiny village of Los Pinos 268 00:12:38,750 --> 00:12:40,333 in the Rionegro valley. 269 00:12:41,333 --> 00:12:43,292 - It is extremely remote. 270 00:12:43,292 --> 00:12:47,042 It is a 2 1/2-hour hike to the neighboring village, 271 00:12:47,042 --> 00:12:49,167 where you can buy supplies or go to work, 272 00:12:49,167 --> 00:12:50,958 or where the kids can go to school. 273 00:12:52,167 --> 00:12:54,167 - But for the last five decades, 274 00:12:54,167 --> 00:12:56,542 locals have figured out a way to cut that commute 275 00:12:56,542 --> 00:12:58,750 down to a fraction of the time. 276 00:12:59,708 --> 00:13:02,208 - Each day, hundreds of residents 277 00:13:02,208 --> 00:13:07,167 zipline 1,200 feet above the ravine below, 278 00:13:07,167 --> 00:13:12,167 speeding along a 2,500-foot steel cable. 279 00:13:13,375 --> 00:13:17,458 - Not surprisingly, accidents do happen there. 280 00:13:17,458 --> 00:13:21,292 Routinely, people break arms and legs from crash landings. 281 00:13:22,875 --> 00:13:24,375 - [Dan] Some might call it risky, 282 00:13:24,375 --> 00:13:27,375 and the 22 people killed doing it might agree. 283 00:13:27,375 --> 00:13:29,583 But that's not keeping the rest of this town 284 00:13:29,583 --> 00:13:33,083 from hopping on the zip line to get groceries, visit family, 285 00:13:33,083 --> 00:13:36,083 and most often send their kids to school. 286 00:13:36,083 --> 00:13:38,417 - I lecture my kids to wear a helmet 287 00:13:38,417 --> 00:13:41,375 if they so much as ride a block on a bicycle, 288 00:13:41,375 --> 00:13:43,500 but it shows that you care about education 289 00:13:43,500 --> 00:13:46,292 if you send your kids down a zip line to get one. 290 00:13:47,292 --> 00:13:49,208 - Obviously, most places in the world 291 00:13:49,208 --> 00:13:53,417 would forbid busing toddlers to school by zip line, 292 00:13:53,417 --> 00:13:54,792 but the more remote you are, 293 00:13:54,792 --> 00:13:56,583 the more you get to make your own rules, 294 00:13:57,125 --> 00:14:01,167 like one unbelievably tiny place with big ambition. 295 00:14:02,167 --> 00:14:04,208 - 6 1/2 miles off the coast of England 296 00:14:04,208 --> 00:14:08,667 is a tiny platform about 60 feet off of the ocean surface. 297 00:14:08,667 --> 00:14:11,917 It looks like, from a distance, maybe that it's an oil rig. 298 00:14:11,917 --> 00:14:13,875 - This small little speck, 299 00:14:13,875 --> 00:14:15,750 about the size of maybe two tennis courts, 300 00:14:15,750 --> 00:14:18,083 is the Principality of Sealand. 301 00:14:20,125 --> 00:14:21,750 Does the United Kingdom, the United States, 302 00:14:21,750 --> 00:14:25,958 or the United Nations recognize this small little micronation? 303 00:14:25,958 --> 00:14:28,958 No, but its royal family and small number of citizens 304 00:14:28,958 --> 00:14:31,375 have fought fiercely for Sealand's independence. 305 00:14:31,375 --> 00:14:32,542 [tense music] 306 00:14:32,542 --> 00:14:35,125 - [Dan] Before asserting its itty-bitty independence, 307 00:14:35,125 --> 00:14:37,458 Sealand served as an anti-aircraft post 308 00:14:37,458 --> 00:14:38,917 during World War II. 309 00:14:38,917 --> 00:14:41,500 There were three others like it called Maunsell Forts. 310 00:14:41,500 --> 00:14:43,708 - Their job was to shoot out of the sky 311 00:14:43,708 --> 00:14:45,542 German Luftwaffe bombers. 312 00:14:45,542 --> 00:14:47,583 [dramatic music] 313 00:14:47,583 --> 00:14:49,042 And they were pretty successful. 314 00:14:49,042 --> 00:14:52,958 They shot down 22 enemy aircraft and 30 V-1 rockets. 315 00:14:54,667 --> 00:14:57,625 - [Dan] After the war ends, the battered British servicemen 316 00:14:57,625 --> 00:15:00,792 leave the post to return to their families back home, 317 00:15:00,792 --> 00:15:02,375 all except one. 318 00:15:02,375 --> 00:15:06,000 - He's a retired major named Patrick Roy Bates. 319 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,042 And he and his family take up permanent residence 320 00:15:09,042 --> 00:15:11,125 on one of these platforms. 321 00:15:11,125 --> 00:15:15,042 - [Dan] Roy isn't just making this a vacation home getaway. 322 00:15:15,042 --> 00:15:18,083 His grand vision, to make this tiny fort 323 00:15:18,083 --> 00:15:21,333 an independent and free nation. 324 00:15:21,333 --> 00:15:22,500 - The reason he's able to do this 325 00:15:22,500 --> 00:15:25,083 is that at this point a nation sovereignty 326 00:15:25,083 --> 00:15:28,208 ends at about three nautical miles out from the coast. 327 00:15:28,208 --> 00:15:30,958 So these forts that have been built 6 1/2 miles out 328 00:15:30,958 --> 00:15:33,875 puts it beyond the reach of the United Kingdom. 329 00:15:33,875 --> 00:15:36,167 That puts Roy in a position to say, 330 00:15:36,167 --> 00:15:38,208 "This is out in international waters." 331 00:15:38,208 --> 00:15:40,375 - [Dan] That might tell us how this retired major 332 00:15:40,375 --> 00:15:43,042 claimed this former fortress for his own, 333 00:15:43,042 --> 00:15:45,083 but it doesn't tell us why. 334 00:15:45,083 --> 00:15:47,208 The answer is pretty unexpected. 335 00:15:47,208 --> 00:15:48,750 - One of Bates' motivations 336 00:15:48,750 --> 00:15:51,250 is that he is a World War II veteran. 337 00:15:51,250 --> 00:15:53,167 He has fought against fascism, 338 00:15:53,167 --> 00:15:55,542 and now 20 years later in the mid-1960s, 339 00:15:55,542 --> 00:15:58,167 he is disgusted with the way the British government 340 00:15:58,167 --> 00:16:01,250 is repressing freedom of expression, freedom of speech, 341 00:16:01,250 --> 00:16:02,833 and even different kinds of music. 342 00:16:02,833 --> 00:16:06,000 - He's dealing with a country that, because of the Cold War, 343 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,583 censors popular culture. 344 00:16:08,250 --> 00:16:10,208 And from his platform 345 00:16:10,208 --> 00:16:12,250 just outside of the international limit, 346 00:16:12,250 --> 00:16:16,083 he will broadcast a pirate radio station. 347 00:16:16,958 --> 00:16:18,583 - Patrick sees the possibilities 348 00:16:18,583 --> 00:16:21,708 beyond just setting up a pirate radio station. 349 00:16:21,708 --> 00:16:25,042 If he's successful in creating his own micronation, 350 00:16:25,042 --> 00:16:27,708 that means creating his own constitution, 351 00:16:27,708 --> 00:16:29,458 issuing his own currency. 352 00:16:29,458 --> 00:16:32,042 The possibilities really are endless. 353 00:16:32,500 --> 00:16:35,375 - The British government is not happy with Bates, 354 00:16:35,375 --> 00:16:37,750 and they jam his radio station. 355 00:16:37,750 --> 00:16:40,208 Bates resists this, and in 1967 356 00:16:40,208 --> 00:16:43,042 decides that he is going to formally announce 357 00:16:43,042 --> 00:16:44,875 the sovereign independence of this nation. 358 00:16:44,875 --> 00:16:47,375 And he names it the Principality of Sealand. 359 00:16:47,375 --> 00:16:50,000 [dramatic music] 360 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:51,917 And he gives himself the title of prince 361 00:16:51,917 --> 00:16:54,917 and his wife the title of princess. 362 00:16:54,917 --> 00:16:56,875 - This is truly a slap in the face 363 00:16:56,875 --> 00:16:58,292 to the British government. 364 00:16:58,292 --> 00:17:01,292 To show Roy and his family that they mean business, 365 00:17:01,292 --> 00:17:03,750 the government has the British Royal Navy 366 00:17:03,750 --> 00:17:07,875 go out and destroy the other three Maunsell Forts. 367 00:17:08,292 --> 00:17:11,583 - [Dan] The Bates family is unfazed by this show of force, 368 00:17:11,583 --> 00:17:14,625 so the British Navy tries a more direct approach. 369 00:17:14,625 --> 00:17:17,292 - The British government decides to send a message 370 00:17:17,292 --> 00:17:20,542 by sailing around the Sealand platform, 371 00:17:20,542 --> 00:17:22,167 harassing the family. 372 00:17:22,167 --> 00:17:24,792 - Roy's 16-year-old son, Michael Bates, 373 00:17:24,792 --> 00:17:27,125 fires a .22 caliber pistol shot 374 00:17:27,125 --> 00:17:28,208 [gun firing] 375 00:17:28,208 --> 00:17:30,333 down at the boat as a warning. 376 00:17:30,333 --> 00:17:34,958 That does not sit well with the British Royal Navy. 377 00:17:34,958 --> 00:17:37,708 - [Dan] You'd think civilian firing upon the British Navy 378 00:17:37,708 --> 00:17:40,625 in broad daylight would be an open-and-shut case, 379 00:17:40,625 --> 00:17:43,542 but the proceedings take an unbelievable turn. 380 00:17:44,833 --> 00:17:48,958 - Michael discharged this gun outside of UK jurisdiction. 381 00:17:48,958 --> 00:17:51,417 Meaning that they can't pursue it. 382 00:17:52,542 --> 00:17:54,375 - The showdown with the Crown government 383 00:17:54,375 --> 00:17:56,042 tracks the attention of a German businessman 384 00:17:56,042 --> 00:17:57,667 named Alexander Achenbach. 385 00:17:57,667 --> 00:18:01,542 He sees potential for an offshore enclave 386 00:18:01,542 --> 00:18:04,917 where money can be parked with no questions asked, 387 00:18:04,917 --> 00:18:07,208 with no taxes being levied. 388 00:18:07,208 --> 00:18:09,708 - Achenbach decides to reach out to Roy 389 00:18:09,708 --> 00:18:13,250 to talk to him about possibly becoming a citizen of Sealand, 390 00:18:13,250 --> 00:18:15,375 maybe even buying the whole place. 391 00:18:15,375 --> 00:18:19,000 And he invites them to meet him in Austria to discuss it. 392 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:20,333 But this is all a trick 393 00:18:20,333 --> 00:18:22,875 because while the prince and princess of Sealand 394 00:18:22,875 --> 00:18:24,625 are on their way to Austria, 395 00:18:24,917 --> 00:18:27,375 Achenbach is flying a helicopter 396 00:18:27,375 --> 00:18:29,708 full of German and Dutch mercenaries 397 00:18:29,708 --> 00:18:32,875 to go invade Sealand while they're gone. 398 00:18:32,875 --> 00:18:36,708 - So Achenbach takes the Bates son, Michael, hostage 399 00:18:36,708 --> 00:18:40,375 and declares himself to be the prime minister of Sealand. 400 00:18:40,375 --> 00:18:45,083 This may be the smallest coup in recorded history. 401 00:18:45,083 --> 00:18:46,542 - [Dan] The coup may be small, 402 00:18:46,542 --> 00:18:49,125 but they're messing with the wrong monarch. 403 00:18:49,125 --> 00:18:50,250 - Let's remember that Achenbach 404 00:18:50,250 --> 00:18:52,375 is a businessman and a scientist 405 00:18:52,375 --> 00:18:55,875 and Roy is a retired major. 406 00:18:55,875 --> 00:18:57,542 - Bates organizes his own force, 407 00:18:57,542 --> 00:19:00,083 which flies in and air assaults onto Sealand 408 00:19:00,083 --> 00:19:01,250 using helicopters. 409 00:19:02,125 --> 00:19:03,833 - Most of Achenbach's men flee. 410 00:19:03,833 --> 00:19:08,417 However, Roy manages to take Achenbach as a prisoner. 411 00:19:08,417 --> 00:19:09,750 - [Dan] Bates allows his prisoner 412 00:19:09,750 --> 00:19:12,375 the proverbial one phone call while in custody 413 00:19:12,375 --> 00:19:15,417 to contact the German embassy in London. 414 00:19:15,417 --> 00:19:18,375 This is where things take another strange turn. 415 00:19:18,375 --> 00:19:21,167 - The German officials contact their British counterparts, 416 00:19:21,167 --> 00:19:22,542 and the British officials say, 417 00:19:22,542 --> 00:19:24,042 "We don't have any jurisdiction there, 418 00:19:24,042 --> 00:19:25,333 so you're on your own." 419 00:19:25,333 --> 00:19:26,875 Now the German government 420 00:19:26,875 --> 00:19:29,708 has to negotiate with this tiny little micronation 421 00:19:29,708 --> 00:19:32,375 over the release of a German citizen. 422 00:19:32,375 --> 00:19:35,917 - Incredibly, this coup d'etat only further demonstrates 423 00:19:35,917 --> 00:19:39,875 the viability and reality of Roy's principality. 424 00:19:40,708 --> 00:19:42,792 - Today, Sealand, like any other country, 425 00:19:42,792 --> 00:19:45,708 has its own currency featuring the royal family, 426 00:19:45,708 --> 00:19:49,208 its own stamps, even its own constitution. 427 00:19:49,208 --> 00:19:52,208 They can also stamp your passport when you visit. 428 00:19:52,208 --> 00:19:56,375 Though be warned, there's not a single decent hotel. 429 00:20:00,667 --> 00:20:02,375 - Tourist attractions come in many forms, places of 430 00:20:02,375 --> 00:20:04,958 natural splendor, sacred spiritual meaning, 431 00:20:04,958 --> 00:20:07,292 or deep historical significance. 432 00:20:07,292 --> 00:20:11,250 So it seems odd that one isolated plane in Missouri 433 00:20:11,250 --> 00:20:13,958 would draw people by the thousands, 434 00:20:13,958 --> 00:20:15,708 even though what's beneath it 435 00:20:15,708 --> 00:20:19,000 would send most people running for their lives. 436 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,625 [tense music] 437 00:20:21,625 --> 00:20:24,000 - In Weldon Springs, Missouri, you'll find this 438 00:20:24,125 --> 00:20:28,167 sloping hill, that's covered in gray stones. 439 00:20:29,083 --> 00:20:31,583 It's very brutalistic in its aesthetic. 440 00:20:32,250 --> 00:20:34,458 - 16,000 people a year 441 00:20:34,458 --> 00:20:37,875 come to walk in what looks like a massive rock garden. 442 00:20:37,875 --> 00:20:39,542 The huge scale of it produces 443 00:20:39,542 --> 00:20:41,667 this calm, meditative state. 444 00:20:42,708 --> 00:20:45,917 - [Dan] What is the name of this curious monument, you may ask 445 00:20:46,708 --> 00:20:49,958 This is known locally as the Nuclear Waste Adventure Trail, 446 00:20:51,250 --> 00:20:53,875 which sounds way more fun than it should. 447 00:20:53,875 --> 00:20:55,792 [dramatic music] 448 00:20:55,792 --> 00:20:59,083 - Beneath these rocks and encased in concrete 449 00:20:59,083 --> 00:21:01,750 is a million and a half cubic yards 450 00:21:01,750 --> 00:21:06,458 of asbestos, mercury, radioactive uranium, 451 00:21:06,458 --> 00:21:11,875 and other toxic byproducts of Cold War era nuclear weapons. 452 00:21:13,917 --> 00:21:17,375 This is the former site of an explosives factory. 453 00:21:17,375 --> 00:21:21,208 The Department of Energy now uses this land as a dump. 454 00:21:21,208 --> 00:21:23,375 It's carefully engineered 455 00:21:23,375 --> 00:21:27,000 to safely contain these nasty products, 456 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:28,542 but it's a dump. 457 00:21:28,542 --> 00:21:31,292 And now it's also a tourist attraction. 458 00:21:31,292 --> 00:21:34,208 [somber music] 459 00:21:34,208 --> 00:21:37,583 - Coming here and seeing this 17,000-acre space 460 00:21:37,583 --> 00:21:39,583 gives you some sense of how huge 461 00:21:39,583 --> 00:21:41,625 the world's nuclear arsenal must be. 462 00:21:41,625 --> 00:21:43,542 I mean, this is just for leftovers. 463 00:21:44,542 --> 00:21:46,208 - So an odd meditative thought 464 00:21:46,208 --> 00:21:48,375 that one might have walking on this trail 465 00:21:48,375 --> 00:21:52,167 is that humanity has the capacity to wipe itself out 466 00:21:52,167 --> 00:21:53,417 a number of times over 467 00:21:53,417 --> 00:21:55,917 and to contemplate and think about 468 00:21:55,917 --> 00:21:58,500 the close calls where we've nearly unleashed 469 00:21:58,500 --> 00:22:00,458 that incredible arsenal on ourselves. 470 00:22:00,458 --> 00:22:03,083 [explosion booming] 471 00:22:04,042 --> 00:22:06,333 - What's more toxic than a tourist attraction 472 00:22:06,333 --> 00:22:08,500 with a radioactive half-life? 473 00:22:08,500 --> 00:22:12,000 How about an island of dirty monkeys? 474 00:22:12,375 --> 00:22:13,708 [dramatic music] 475 00:22:13,708 --> 00:22:16,292 - It is 1930s Florida, and a 476 00:22:16,292 --> 00:22:19,500 tour boat operator named Colonel Tooey 477 00:22:19,500 --> 00:22:23,583 takes people on a boat ride around a small man-made island 478 00:22:23,583 --> 00:22:25,125 in Silver Springs, Florida. 479 00:22:25,208 --> 00:22:27,083 But business isn't great. 480 00:22:28,375 --> 00:22:29,625 - He needs a gimmick. 481 00:22:29,625 --> 00:22:31,625 He needs something to increase interest. 482 00:22:32,083 --> 00:22:33,917 His genius marketing strategy, 483 00:22:33,917 --> 00:22:37,000 release 6 rhesus macaque monkeys on the island. 484 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:40,458 So word will spread about the tour on the island 485 00:22:40,458 --> 00:22:43,083 and the sightings of rare animals it provides. 486 00:22:43,083 --> 00:22:44,667 [monkeys screeching] 487 00:22:44,667 --> 00:22:47,083 - The rhesus macaque is not indigenous to North America. 488 00:22:47,083 --> 00:22:48,958 They shouldn't even be here. 489 00:22:48,958 --> 00:22:50,625 [tense music] 490 00:22:50,625 --> 00:22:52,625 - [Dan] But that doesn't stop Colonel Tooey from setting them 491 00:22:52,625 --> 00:22:54,458 loose in Silver Springs Park 492 00:22:54,792 --> 00:22:57,000 and inviting the world to come see. 493 00:22:58,500 --> 00:22:59,958 - The monkeys are very resourceful. 494 00:22:59,958 --> 00:23:02,542 Macaques can survive in any conditions. 495 00:23:02,542 --> 00:23:04,167 And what do monkeys do well? 496 00:23:04,167 --> 00:23:05,417 Procreate. 497 00:23:05,417 --> 00:23:07,208 They make a lot more monkeys. 498 00:23:07,208 --> 00:23:08,292 [monkeys screeching] 499 00:23:08,292 --> 00:23:09,917 - Eventually, the monkey population in 500 00:23:09,917 --> 00:23:14,833 Silver Springs State Park explodes to over 300. 501 00:23:14,833 --> 00:23:16,292 [monkeys screeching] 502 00:23:16,292 --> 00:23:20,042 And tourists come out in droves to snap photos 503 00:23:20,042 --> 00:23:21,042 [camera shutter clicking] 504 00:23:21,042 --> 00:23:23,000 of these cute little monkeys. 505 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:24,167 [camera shutter clicking] 506 00:23:24,667 --> 00:23:26,667 But before you snap that monkey photo, 507 00:23:26,667 --> 00:23:28,542 there's one thing you might wanna know. 508 00:23:28,542 --> 00:23:30,083 [monkeys screeching] 509 00:23:30,083 --> 00:23:34,208 - Rhesus macaques are common carriers of the herpes B virus. 510 00:23:34,208 --> 00:23:38,458 In monkeys, it causes little more than a cold sore, 511 00:23:38,458 --> 00:23:40,292 but in people, it causes 512 00:23:40,292 --> 00:23:43,208 high fevers and brain swelling. 513 00:23:43,583 --> 00:23:48,500 - Since 1932, there really have only been about 50 cases, 514 00:23:48,500 --> 00:23:51,375 but of those 50 cases, 21 died. 515 00:23:51,375 --> 00:23:55,542 So while it is extremely rare, it is also extremely fatal. 516 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:58,000 - [Dan] It's also very contagious here. 517 00:23:58,000 --> 00:23:59,792 With hundreds of monkeys running wild, 518 00:23:59,792 --> 00:24:02,000 the possibility of transmission is high. 519 00:24:02,375 --> 00:24:04,250 - Even if you're not trying to make contact, 520 00:24:04,250 --> 00:24:07,375 the monkeys have been known to get territorial and attack. 521 00:24:07,375 --> 00:24:09,208 They look cute and cuddly, 522 00:24:09,208 --> 00:24:11,292 but they can be very aggressive. 523 00:24:11,292 --> 00:24:13,542 [monkeys screeching] 524 00:24:13,542 --> 00:24:15,167 The lack of awareness about this place 525 00:24:15,167 --> 00:24:16,792 is a dangerous factor. 526 00:24:16,792 --> 00:24:18,750 People like to think, "Oh, this is a special place where 527 00:24:18,750 --> 00:24:20,958 I can see monkeys," rather than, 528 00:24:20,958 --> 00:24:23,333 "It's possibly the highest concentration of 529 00:24:23,333 --> 00:24:25,542 Herpes B in the entire nation." 530 00:24:25,542 --> 00:24:27,833 [monkeys screeching] 531 00:24:28,333 --> 00:24:29,625 [upbeat classical music] 532 00:24:29,625 --> 00:24:31,500 - I'm speaking for myself here, 533 00:24:31,500 --> 00:24:33,042 but if I know there is a place 534 00:24:33,042 --> 00:24:36,000 where my chances of contracting Herpes B from a feral monkey 535 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:39,417 are, say, any higher than absolutely 0%, 536 00:24:39,417 --> 00:24:41,208 I'm not going there. 537 00:24:45,542 --> 00:24:47,833 - Grave sites serve to memorialize those who've passed, 538 00:24:47,833 --> 00:24:50,667 but there's one in France meant to honor a World War I hero 539 00:24:50,667 --> 00:24:54,000 that actually holds the remains of something else. 540 00:24:55,750 --> 00:24:57,792 - We all know of General George S. Patton's 541 00:24:57,792 --> 00:25:00,042 storied career in World War II, 542 00:25:00,542 --> 00:25:02,083 but well before he was a general, 543 00:25:02,083 --> 00:25:05,000 he was stationed in France at the end of World War I. 544 00:25:06,542 --> 00:25:10,833 - In 1917, he's Captain George S. Patton. 545 00:25:10,833 --> 00:25:12,792 And he's assigned to the Tank Corps 546 00:25:12,792 --> 00:25:14,750 of the American Expeditionary Force 547 00:25:14,750 --> 00:25:17,042 stationed in Bourg, France. 548 00:25:17,042 --> 00:25:20,292 [tense music] 549 00:25:20,292 --> 00:25:22,125 - This is where tank crews are trained 550 00:25:22,125 --> 00:25:23,875 before they head to the front. 551 00:25:23,875 --> 00:25:27,042 So, to avoid any enemy surveillance 552 00:25:27,042 --> 00:25:29,125 of this new technology, 553 00:25:29,125 --> 00:25:31,708 they're stationed far from the front lines. 554 00:25:32,833 --> 00:25:34,208 - Even though these soldiers are operating 555 00:25:34,208 --> 00:25:35,542 very high-tech machinery, 556 00:25:35,542 --> 00:25:37,875 the camp itself was very hastily assembled. 557 00:25:37,875 --> 00:25:39,792 And it's very, very sparse. 558 00:25:39,792 --> 00:25:42,250 There's no running water, there's no heat. 559 00:25:42,250 --> 00:25:43,708 And for bathroom facilities, 560 00:25:43,708 --> 00:25:46,583 basically they have just a huge open latrine 561 00:25:47,458 --> 00:25:50,375 that's dug at the back end of this encampment. 562 00:25:50,375 --> 00:25:54,708 [intense music] 563 00:25:54,708 --> 00:25:57,250 - [Dan] The summer and fall of 1918 sees some of 564 00:25:57,250 --> 00:25:58,542 the most intense fighting 565 00:25:58,542 --> 00:26:00,375 of an already long and brutal war. 566 00:26:00,375 --> 00:26:02,625 [dramatic music] 567 00:26:02,625 --> 00:26:05,042 Patton is sent to the front lines in order to pack up 568 00:26:05,042 --> 00:26:07,542 and shut down Bourg's tank training facility. 569 00:26:08,500 --> 00:26:11,125 - Just as they're ready to get these tanks out to the front, 570 00:26:11,125 --> 00:26:13,917 the mayor of Bourg approaches George Patton. 571 00:26:14,750 --> 00:26:16,333 And he's distraught. 572 00:26:16,792 --> 00:26:18,542 - Patton hears the mayor saying, 573 00:26:18,542 --> 00:26:20,667 "Oh, I'm so sorry that you lost this soldier. 574 00:26:20,667 --> 00:26:23,333 Oh, what a complete shame that this man was lost 575 00:26:23,333 --> 00:26:24,875 not in battle, but in training." 576 00:26:24,875 --> 00:26:27,917 And Patton's first thought is, "What are you talking about?" 577 00:26:29,042 --> 00:26:31,875 - So the mayor takes Patton to the rear of the camp 578 00:26:31,875 --> 00:26:33,667 and to a, what appears to be, 579 00:26:33,667 --> 00:26:35,833 a freshly filled rectangular hole 580 00:26:35,833 --> 00:26:39,000 on which is a cross that reads "Abandoned Rear." 581 00:26:39,375 --> 00:26:42,542 - The mayor thinks that this is the name of a dead soldier 582 00:26:42,542 --> 00:26:45,042 who's buried under that pile of dirt. 583 00:26:46,083 --> 00:26:48,250 - [Dan] It is not the final resting place 584 00:26:48,250 --> 00:26:49,708 of a fallen soldier, 585 00:26:49,708 --> 00:26:52,333 although you could call it a rest stop. 586 00:26:53,958 --> 00:26:55,542 - It absolutely makes sense 587 00:26:55,542 --> 00:26:57,625 why this would look like a grave to the mayor, 588 00:26:57,625 --> 00:26:59,750 but this is just a filled in latrine. 589 00:27:00,708 --> 00:27:04,083 George Patton, he says absolutely nothing to the mayor. 590 00:27:04,083 --> 00:27:06,667 Patton knows that this mayor has seen 591 00:27:06,667 --> 00:27:08,708 so many young Frenchmen already die. 592 00:27:09,458 --> 00:27:11,375 And now he sees these Americans 593 00:27:11,375 --> 00:27:15,000 who are willing to give their lives for France effectively. 594 00:27:15,333 --> 00:27:20,250 And out of charity, Patton doesn't have it in him 595 00:27:20,250 --> 00:27:22,958 to embarrass the mayor in this moment. 596 00:27:23,333 --> 00:27:25,833 [dramatic music] 597 00:27:25,833 --> 00:27:29,083 - During World War II, Patton's once again in France 598 00:27:29,083 --> 00:27:32,417 and he decides to take a little detour to visit Bourg. 599 00:27:33,208 --> 00:27:35,708 - And Patton sees a man who looks pretty familiar, 600 00:27:35,708 --> 00:27:38,667 and he asks him, "Were you here during the last war?" 601 00:27:39,042 --> 00:27:41,375 It's the former mayor of the town, and he says, 602 00:27:41,375 --> 00:27:42,625 "Yes, General Patton, 603 00:27:42,625 --> 00:27:43,958 I was here and so were you. 604 00:27:43,958 --> 00:27:46,542 Back then, you were, of course, Captain Patton." 605 00:27:46,917 --> 00:27:49,167 - [Dan] Then their reunion takes a strange turn 606 00:27:49,167 --> 00:27:52,750 when Patton is brought over to a very unusual memorial. 607 00:27:54,708 --> 00:27:55,958 - The site of the covered latrine 608 00:27:55,958 --> 00:27:57,542 where he stood with the weeping mayor 609 00:27:57,542 --> 00:27:58,708 during the last world war 610 00:27:58,708 --> 00:28:01,375 is now an actual historic grave site. 611 00:28:01,375 --> 00:28:04,125 The locals had decorated it in honor of the man 612 00:28:04,125 --> 00:28:07,083 they thought had died in the training camp. 613 00:28:07,583 --> 00:28:08,875 - We know this story because 614 00:28:08,875 --> 00:28:10,083 Patton wrote about it in his diary 615 00:28:10,625 --> 00:28:12,333 that this great American hero, 616 00:28:12,333 --> 00:28:13,917 Abandoned Rear, was now 617 00:28:13,917 --> 00:28:17,208 the subject of a permanent memorial in the town of Bourg. 618 00:28:18,042 --> 00:28:21,208 - And he writes about how he never told them the truth and 619 00:28:21,208 --> 00:28:24,042 that he will never share this with anyone. 620 00:28:24,042 --> 00:28:26,083 And we probably never would've found out 621 00:28:26,083 --> 00:28:29,583 had he not been killed in that tragic car accident. 622 00:28:29,583 --> 00:28:31,542 And then his diary gets published, 623 00:28:31,542 --> 00:28:35,042 and so the world knows the truth about Abandoned Rear. 624 00:28:36,042 --> 00:28:38,167 - Even after all Patton had seen, 625 00:28:38,167 --> 00:28:41,375 this grave site dedicated to the Abandoned Rear 626 00:28:41,375 --> 00:28:44,042 has got to be one of the most unbelievable places 627 00:28:44,042 --> 00:28:45,958 the general had ever been. 628 00:28:50,167 --> 00:28:52,375 - Nestled between 2 mountain ranges in Romania is a place 629 00:28:52,375 --> 00:28:54,375 many locals have long avoided 630 00:28:54,375 --> 00:28:57,792 for fear of the terrifying secrets hiding within. 631 00:28:57,792 --> 00:29:01,125 [intriguing music] 632 00:29:01,125 --> 00:29:03,875 - Hoia Baciu is a very ancient forest. 633 00:29:03,875 --> 00:29:06,000 The whole place looks like it's something 634 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:08,375 out of a dark fairy tale. 635 00:29:08,375 --> 00:29:10,667 [ominous music] 636 00:29:10,667 --> 00:29:12,667 [ominous music continues] [birds chirping] 637 00:29:12,667 --> 00:29:15,167 - You don't think of trees as inspiring fear, 638 00:29:15,167 --> 00:29:17,625 but when you look at these eerie growth patterns 639 00:29:17,625 --> 00:29:18,958 of the trunks and branches, 640 00:29:19,083 --> 00:29:22,333 it leads you to wonder that something unnatural 641 00:29:22,333 --> 00:29:23,417 might be happening here. 642 00:29:23,417 --> 00:29:25,625 - [Dan] Incidentally, this happens to be in the 643 00:29:25,625 --> 00:29:27,625 Transylvania region of Romania. 644 00:29:27,625 --> 00:29:29,125 Perhaps you've heard of it. 645 00:29:30,333 --> 00:29:31,625 - Because of its presence 646 00:29:31,625 --> 00:29:33,542 in over a century of literature and film, 647 00:29:33,542 --> 00:29:35,917 Transylvania is forever locked in 648 00:29:35,917 --> 00:29:38,333 as the center of vampires and horror stories, 649 00:29:38,333 --> 00:29:41,708 and writers did not choose it randomly as a setting. 650 00:29:41,708 --> 00:29:43,833 - [Dan] Dating back to the Neolithic period, 651 00:29:43,833 --> 00:29:46,917 the forest holds a very long and rich history. 652 00:29:46,917 --> 00:29:48,750 - Settlement in Hoia Baciu 653 00:29:48,750 --> 00:29:52,667 goes back to about 6500 BC, 654 00:29:52,667 --> 00:29:55,625 making it one of the most ancient 655 00:29:55,625 --> 00:29:57,375 settlement sites in Europe, 656 00:29:57,375 --> 00:30:00,208 arguably older than Stonehenge itself. 657 00:30:00,208 --> 00:30:02,375 [tense music] 658 00:30:02,375 --> 00:30:05,583 - In the late 1400s, the area to the south 659 00:30:05,583 --> 00:30:07,542 was controlled by Vlad the Impaler. 660 00:30:07,792 --> 00:30:10,250 This was a famously violent time 661 00:30:10,250 --> 00:30:12,958 that a mass killing would've happened in these woods 662 00:30:12,958 --> 00:30:15,000 is certainly not out of the question. 663 00:30:15,875 --> 00:30:17,708 But there's early folklore 664 00:30:17,708 --> 00:30:19,208 about it being haunted by the souls 665 00:30:19,208 --> 00:30:21,458 of murdered peasants from long ago. 666 00:30:22,500 --> 00:30:24,000 - Legend has it that Hoia Baciu 667 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:25,833 is named after a young shepherd 668 00:30:25,833 --> 00:30:27,792 who, along with his 200 sheep, 669 00:30:27,792 --> 00:30:29,875 went missing in the forest. 670 00:30:30,708 --> 00:30:32,208 And there were no remains, 671 00:30:32,208 --> 00:30:34,583 whether human or animal, ever found. 672 00:30:34,875 --> 00:30:37,375 - Another story tells of a five-year-old girl 673 00:30:37,375 --> 00:30:39,458 who wanders into the forest and gets lost. 674 00:30:39,458 --> 00:30:41,333 And just like the shepherd and the flock, 675 00:30:41,333 --> 00:30:42,458 she completely vanishes. 676 00:30:43,750 --> 00:30:47,000 Then five years later, she shows up, 677 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:48,833 and seemingly unaged. 678 00:30:49,167 --> 00:30:51,417 Obviously, the difference between a child 679 00:30:51,417 --> 00:30:54,458 from the age of 5 to 10 would be significant, 680 00:30:54,458 --> 00:30:56,292 but she looks exactly the same. 681 00:30:56,792 --> 00:30:59,375 - [Dan] Centuries later, in 1960 682 00:30:59,375 --> 00:31:01,708 the forest gains international attention 683 00:31:01,708 --> 00:31:03,708 for an otherworldly reason. 684 00:31:03,708 --> 00:31:07,042 - Alexandru Sift, a biologist who is working in the area, 685 00:31:07,042 --> 00:31:10,000 notices some strange activity in the skies 686 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:11,750 of what he believes is a UFO. 687 00:31:11,750 --> 00:31:13,375 - [Dan] But he is not the only one 688 00:31:13,375 --> 00:31:15,333 to see these mysterious sightings. 689 00:31:15,958 --> 00:31:19,042 - In 1968, another UFO sighting 690 00:31:19,042 --> 00:31:23,208 is reported by a military technician named Emil Barnea 691 00:31:23,208 --> 00:31:26,875 who takes photographs of strange objects 692 00:31:26,875 --> 00:31:28,333 hovering above the forest. 693 00:31:29,333 --> 00:31:30,958 There's now a record 694 00:31:30,958 --> 00:31:33,417 of two people with technical backgrounds 695 00:31:33,417 --> 00:31:36,792 reporting sightings and capturing photographs. 696 00:31:36,792 --> 00:31:38,875 [dramatic music] 697 00:31:39,208 --> 00:31:40,458 - The communist government 698 00:31:40,458 --> 00:31:42,667 considered any sort of paranormal report 699 00:31:42,667 --> 00:31:47,167 to be either complete hogwash or state sabotage. 700 00:31:47,167 --> 00:31:49,417 Barnea actually loses his job 701 00:31:49,417 --> 00:31:51,250 after he makes these sightings public. 702 00:31:52,750 --> 00:31:55,167 - In addition to the UFO sightings, 703 00:31:55,167 --> 00:31:57,208 Emil Barnea's photographs 704 00:31:57,208 --> 00:32:01,708 also point to an area of the forest known as the clearing. 705 00:32:02,542 --> 00:32:06,542 It's an enormous area where nothing grows. 706 00:32:06,542 --> 00:32:10,375 There isn't any apparent anomaly in the soil 707 00:32:10,375 --> 00:32:14,167 and there's no explanation for why the clearing 708 00:32:14,167 --> 00:32:17,167 is barren of trees and other vegetation. 709 00:32:19,083 --> 00:32:21,375 - What is widely known as the mysterious clearing 710 00:32:21,375 --> 00:32:23,083 and the haunting shape of the trees 711 00:32:23,083 --> 00:32:26,917 make the Hoia Baciu Forest unlike anywhere else on earth. 712 00:32:28,125 --> 00:32:31,125 Now it is the absence of trees except for one 713 00:32:31,125 --> 00:32:32,875 that gives this next location 714 00:32:32,875 --> 00:32:35,125 in the otherwise barren Sahara Desert 715 00:32:35,125 --> 00:32:37,542 its unusual appearance. 716 00:32:37,542 --> 00:32:40,792 [suspenseful music] 717 00:32:40,792 --> 00:32:42,500 - When you look at the Tree of Tenere, 718 00:32:42,500 --> 00:32:45,417 you're looking at the only sign of life 719 00:32:45,417 --> 00:32:49,208 in what is this vast desert wasteland of the Sahara. 720 00:32:49,208 --> 00:32:51,917 It is legitimately the only living vegetation 721 00:32:51,917 --> 00:32:54,708 for 250 miles in all directions. 722 00:32:54,708 --> 00:32:57,208 [dramatic music] 723 00:32:57,208 --> 00:32:58,708 - The Tree of Tenere 724 00:32:58,708 --> 00:33:02,542 is regarded as the most isolated tree on the planet. 725 00:33:03,292 --> 00:33:06,208 - If you're traveling from sub-Saharan regions 726 00:33:06,208 --> 00:33:08,875 through Niger to Morocco, 727 00:33:08,875 --> 00:33:10,875 this is one of the few landmarks 728 00:33:10,875 --> 00:33:13,750 that lets people know where they are 729 00:33:13,750 --> 00:33:15,542 and that they're on the right path. 730 00:33:15,542 --> 00:33:18,917 It's like a lighthouse on a sea of sand. 731 00:33:19,042 --> 00:33:21,208 - [Dan] But it wasn't always this bare. 732 00:33:21,208 --> 00:33:24,042 - Many thousands of years ago, 733 00:33:24,042 --> 00:33:26,333 this area was lush and tropical. 734 00:33:26,333 --> 00:33:29,375 We see rock art of giraffes and hippos, 735 00:33:29,375 --> 00:33:33,042 indicating that it was a much more lush, rainy area 736 00:33:33,042 --> 00:33:35,042 than the desert that we see today. 737 00:33:35,042 --> 00:33:37,833 - [Dan] Starting about 6,500 years ago, 738 00:33:37,833 --> 00:33:39,375 weather patterns changed 739 00:33:39,375 --> 00:33:42,500 to turn this area into the desert it is today. 740 00:33:42,875 --> 00:33:44,333 - For over 300 years, 741 00:33:44,333 --> 00:33:48,208 this tree has an incredibly rough life. 742 00:33:48,208 --> 00:33:51,750 It has to dig down deep into the soil 743 00:33:51,750 --> 00:33:54,458 to be able to get what little water is down there 744 00:33:54,458 --> 00:33:55,542 to survive. 745 00:33:56,542 --> 00:33:58,125 - [Dan] But in 1973, 746 00:33:58,125 --> 00:34:02,042 this over 300 year old survivor meets its match. 747 00:34:02,042 --> 00:34:05,333 - In a region where there are very few obstacles, 748 00:34:07,042 --> 00:34:08,750 one drunk driver 749 00:34:09,542 --> 00:34:12,375 manages to plow right into the tree. 750 00:34:13,458 --> 00:34:14,875 [tires screeching] 751 00:34:14,875 --> 00:34:16,417 [car crashes] 752 00:34:17,042 --> 00:34:19,417 [subtle music] 753 00:34:19,417 --> 00:34:22,875 - If you were sober and knew exactly where this tree was, 754 00:34:22,875 --> 00:34:26,042 finding it and hitting it at night would still be difficult. 755 00:34:26,042 --> 00:34:28,250 The fact that this guy was drunk and lost 756 00:34:28,250 --> 00:34:30,750 and just happened to hit it by accident 757 00:34:30,750 --> 00:34:32,500 is almost impressive. 758 00:34:33,375 --> 00:34:35,833 - The remains of the tree are taken to the 759 00:34:35,833 --> 00:34:38,000 National Museum of Niger 760 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:40,500 where they built sort of a monument to it. 761 00:34:40,625 --> 00:34:42,458 - That's a strange place unto itself. 762 00:34:42,458 --> 00:34:44,917 I mean, this is one of the few tombs in the world 763 00:34:44,917 --> 00:34:45,958 built for a tree. 764 00:34:46,042 --> 00:34:48,708 [tense music] 765 00:34:52,875 --> 00:34:54,458 - Some humans are born with a thirst for knowledge and a 766 00:34:54,458 --> 00:34:56,333 passion for risky exploration. 767 00:34:56,333 --> 00:34:59,708 The Antarctic tundra is full of skeletons that prove it. 768 00:34:59,708 --> 00:35:01,208 But one discovery by a group 769 00:35:01,208 --> 00:35:04,375 of early 20th century scientists is so strange, 770 00:35:04,375 --> 00:35:07,667 it might have had them wishing they'd stayed home. 771 00:35:07,667 --> 00:35:09,875 [tense music] 772 00:35:09,875 --> 00:35:11,708 - We're in Antarctica, 773 00:35:11,708 --> 00:35:14,625 and there is a race to get to the South Pole 774 00:35:14,625 --> 00:35:17,208 between the Norwegians and the British. 775 00:35:18,125 --> 00:35:20,708 The British have Robert Falcon Scott, 776 00:35:20,708 --> 00:35:23,000 one of the greatest explorers of all time. 777 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:24,250 As part of his party, 778 00:35:24,250 --> 00:35:27,250 he has a geographer by the name of Taylor. 779 00:35:27,250 --> 00:35:29,708 - Taylor is in this valley in Antarctica, 780 00:35:29,708 --> 00:35:32,208 and he finds something pretty unbelievable. 781 00:35:32,208 --> 00:35:34,292 - Emerging from the glacier 782 00:35:34,292 --> 00:35:38,500 is a five-story frozen waterfall 783 00:35:39,583 --> 00:35:41,333 of deep red. 784 00:35:41,333 --> 00:35:42,958 - This is something that you definitely find 785 00:35:42,958 --> 00:35:44,458 in the Book of Revelations. 786 00:35:45,250 --> 00:35:47,208 - It really stands out. 787 00:35:47,208 --> 00:35:50,708 The entire landscape is blanketed in white snow. 788 00:35:50,708 --> 00:35:53,500 And there's this waterfall that looks like 789 00:35:54,083 --> 00:35:57,125 hundreds of gallons of blood pouring down. 790 00:35:58,375 --> 00:36:02,208 So you've gotta wonder, "What is the cause of this?" 791 00:36:03,458 --> 00:36:07,542 - It is an extraordinarily rare sight. 792 00:36:07,542 --> 00:36:11,042 Not only are these the first Western eyes 793 00:36:11,042 --> 00:36:14,042 that have ever seen this extraordinary sight, 794 00:36:14,042 --> 00:36:17,250 but five of those who witness it don't even make it back 795 00:36:17,250 --> 00:36:20,000 alive from the expedition. 796 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,042 - Thomas Griffith Taylor does make it home 797 00:36:22,042 --> 00:36:24,250 and is one of the few people who has seen 798 00:36:24,250 --> 00:36:26,333 the blood waterfall with his own eyes. 799 00:36:26,750 --> 00:36:27,708 - [Dan] Through the years, 800 00:36:27,708 --> 00:36:29,875 scientists worked to finally uncover 801 00:36:29,875 --> 00:36:31,917 the secret of the falls. 802 00:36:31,917 --> 00:36:33,750 - The mystery of Blood Falls 803 00:36:33,750 --> 00:36:37,292 leads scientists to discover the source of 804 00:36:37,292 --> 00:36:40,292 the water, a lake of salty brine 805 00:36:40,292 --> 00:36:43,542 buried deep beneath the glacier itself. 806 00:36:43,542 --> 00:36:45,083 But why red? 807 00:36:45,083 --> 00:36:47,542 The primary suspect is algae. 808 00:36:47,542 --> 00:36:50,417 There are many species of red algae 809 00:36:50,417 --> 00:36:52,917 that can bloom in numbers high enough 810 00:36:52,917 --> 00:36:54,958 to stain waterways red. 811 00:36:54,958 --> 00:36:56,875 But when they look at the samples, 812 00:36:56,875 --> 00:36:59,333 there's no algae present. 813 00:36:59,708 --> 00:37:03,208 - [Dan] It's not blood, but something far stranger 814 00:37:03,208 --> 00:37:05,292 and almost otherworldly. 815 00:37:06,792 --> 00:37:10,375 - This briny lake has been cut off and trapped 816 00:37:10,375 --> 00:37:14,000 by the glacier for over a million years, 817 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:16,667 but amazingly, it's full of life. 818 00:37:17,375 --> 00:37:20,458 A community of microorganisms 819 00:37:20,458 --> 00:37:23,333 has evolved there in complete darkness, 820 00:37:23,333 --> 00:37:25,625 taking their energy not from sunlight, 821 00:37:25,625 --> 00:37:29,625 but from minerals dissolved in the water itself, 822 00:37:29,625 --> 00:37:31,000 including iron. 823 00:37:31,417 --> 00:37:32,792 Iron provides color, 824 00:37:32,792 --> 00:37:35,833 but the brine is not red beneath the ice. 825 00:37:35,833 --> 00:37:40,167 It only turns red when it oxidizes at the falls, 826 00:37:40,167 --> 00:37:42,333 when it mixes with air. 827 00:37:43,708 --> 00:37:47,542 - Blood Falls is an unbelievable natural phenomenon, 828 00:37:47,542 --> 00:37:52,083 perhaps only to be outdone by an unusual lake in Venezuela. 829 00:37:52,083 --> 00:37:53,625 Whoever coined the phrase 830 00:37:53,625 --> 00:37:56,292 "lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice" 831 00:37:56,292 --> 00:37:59,708 clearly has never visited Lake Maracaibo. 832 00:37:59,708 --> 00:38:01,833 [tense music] 833 00:38:01,833 --> 00:38:03,792 - In 1499, 834 00:38:03,792 --> 00:38:06,292 the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci, 835 00:38:06,292 --> 00:38:08,708 when he first reaches South America, 836 00:38:08,708 --> 00:38:12,208 encounters this strange lake, Lake Maracaibo. 837 00:38:12,208 --> 00:38:15,542 And he sees on this lake a floating city of huts. 838 00:38:15,542 --> 00:38:19,208 And he calls this city Venezuela or Little Venice. 839 00:38:19,208 --> 00:38:21,708 - Today, Lake Maracaibo 840 00:38:21,708 --> 00:38:26,375 supports the livelihood of about 20,000 fishermen, 841 00:38:26,375 --> 00:38:30,375 many of whom still live on these small tin shacks 842 00:38:30,375 --> 00:38:33,542 that sit on stilts above the lake. 843 00:38:33,750 --> 00:38:35,333 - [Dan] This city on the water 844 00:38:35,333 --> 00:38:38,208 also happens to get struck by lightning 845 00:38:38,208 --> 00:38:40,250 more than any other place on Earth. 846 00:38:40,250 --> 00:38:42,250 [thunder roaring] 847 00:38:42,708 --> 00:38:44,542 - Right where the Catatumbo River 848 00:38:44,542 --> 00:38:47,333 empties into South America's largest lake, 849 00:38:47,708 --> 00:38:51,250 lightning storms rage for up to 10 hours a night, 850 00:38:51,250 --> 00:38:53,250 almost 300 nights a year. 851 00:38:53,250 --> 00:38:54,625 [thunder roaring] 852 00:38:54,625 --> 00:38:56,708 - The footage of this place might remind a person 853 00:38:56,708 --> 00:38:59,042 of some sort of Hollywood special effect, 854 00:38:59,042 --> 00:39:00,417 but it's altogether real. 855 00:39:00,417 --> 00:39:02,042 [thunder roaring] 856 00:39:02,042 --> 00:39:03,875 - [Dan] Throughout history, this lightning has also provided 857 00:39:03,875 --> 00:39:06,583 a strategic advantage to the locals. 858 00:39:06,583 --> 00:39:10,833 - In 1597, when Sir Francis Drake tries to sneak attack, 859 00:39:10,833 --> 00:39:13,708 the light from the constant barrage of lightning 860 00:39:13,708 --> 00:39:15,750 actually uncovers his attack 861 00:39:15,750 --> 00:39:18,708 and the inhabitants are able to fight him off. 862 00:39:18,958 --> 00:39:20,958 - In 1823, 863 00:39:20,958 --> 00:39:24,708 during Venezuela's war of independence against Spain, 864 00:39:24,708 --> 00:39:28,500 Spanish ships attempt to descend on the settlement 865 00:39:28,500 --> 00:39:29,958 under cover of night. 866 00:39:29,958 --> 00:39:33,708 But again, they're given away by lightning storms, 867 00:39:33,708 --> 00:39:36,167 and Simon Bolivar's makeshift navy 868 00:39:36,167 --> 00:39:37,833 is able to drive them off. 869 00:39:38,542 --> 00:39:40,542 - [Dan] What exactly is attracting lightning 870 00:39:40,542 --> 00:39:42,500 to this location specifically? 871 00:39:42,958 --> 00:39:45,083 - In order to get lightning storms in the United States, 872 00:39:45,083 --> 00:39:47,458 we generally need to have severe thunderstorms that are 873 00:39:47,458 --> 00:39:49,500 created when cold air comes down 874 00:39:49,500 --> 00:39:50,667 from Canada, and it meets 875 00:39:51,208 --> 00:39:53,208 nice moist air coming up 876 00:39:53,208 --> 00:39:54,458 from the Gulf of Mexico. 877 00:39:54,458 --> 00:39:56,583 But here in Lake Maracaibo, 878 00:39:57,167 --> 00:39:59,042 the conditions are constant. 879 00:39:59,042 --> 00:40:01,167 Every night, we have this battle 880 00:40:01,167 --> 00:40:03,333 of moist air meeting dry air, 881 00:40:03,750 --> 00:40:05,875 and it creates a constant thunderstorm. 882 00:40:07,542 --> 00:40:10,583 - The area receives thousands of strikes per night 883 00:40:10,583 --> 00:40:13,500 and about 1.6 million per year. 884 00:40:13,875 --> 00:40:15,792 This wins it the Guinness World Record 885 00:40:15,792 --> 00:40:18,042 for the location with the highest concentration 886 00:40:18,042 --> 00:40:19,333 of lightning on Earth. 887 00:40:19,333 --> 00:40:20,542 [thunder roars] 888 00:40:20,542 --> 00:40:22,333 - Here in Lake Maracaibo, 889 00:40:22,333 --> 00:40:24,875 recently, a group of researchers discovered 890 00:40:24,875 --> 00:40:27,542 an entirely new kind of lightning, 891 00:40:27,542 --> 00:40:29,958 a lightning that we call dark lightning. 892 00:40:29,958 --> 00:40:31,417 [thunder roaring] 893 00:40:31,417 --> 00:40:34,000 It's a flash of gamma rays. 894 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:35,875 The same kind of radiation 895 00:40:35,875 --> 00:40:38,875 that transformed Bruce Banner into the Hulk 896 00:40:38,875 --> 00:40:42,042 is the kind of radiation that we first identified 897 00:40:42,042 --> 00:40:44,542 here in Lake Maracaibo before we found it out 898 00:40:44,542 --> 00:40:45,750 anywhere else in the planet. 899 00:40:46,583 --> 00:40:48,333 - Despite the frequent storms, 900 00:40:48,333 --> 00:40:51,250 I'd advise against bringing an umbrella, 901 00:40:51,250 --> 00:40:52,958 especially if it's metal. 902 00:40:52,958 --> 00:40:54,833 [upbeat music] 903 00:40:54,833 --> 00:40:57,458 We visited the world's tiniest nation, 904 00:40:57,458 --> 00:40:59,750 and met some very infectious monkeys, 905 00:40:59,750 --> 00:41:02,500 celebrated parks built on nuclear waste, 906 00:41:02,500 --> 00:41:05,250 and monuments dedicated to human waste. 907 00:41:05,250 --> 00:41:06,958 All proof in the end 908 00:41:06,958 --> 00:41:09,417 that our planet is home to some places 909 00:41:09,417 --> 00:41:11,833 that are truly unbelievable.