1 00:00:12,888 --> 00:00:16,098 Narrator: From ritual Maya games played with killer balls 2 00:00:16,225 --> 00:00:19,275 possibly made from human heads... 3 00:00:19,394 --> 00:00:21,944 A captive victim sacrificed against their will. 4 00:00:22,064 --> 00:00:25,534 The person who dies, there is a decapitation involved. 5 00:00:25,609 --> 00:00:27,939 Narrator: ...to fatal gladiator fights... 6 00:00:28,070 --> 00:00:30,910 Joyce Salisbury: Every day was carnage day. 7 00:00:31,031 --> 00:00:35,081 You could see broken limbs, severed limbs. 8 00:00:35,202 --> 00:00:37,622 The crowd wanted blood, and that they got. 9 00:00:37,746 --> 00:00:39,786 Narrator: ...to knights wielding lethal lances... 10 00:00:39,915 --> 00:00:42,675 Shane Adams: A shard came up into the king’s helmet 11 00:00:42,751 --> 00:00:44,921 and entered in through the king’s eye. 12 00:00:45,045 --> 00:00:47,045 Narrator: ...history is full of contests 13 00:00:47,130 --> 00:00:50,630 with players fighting for their very survival. 14 00:00:50,759 --> 00:00:53,089 Aaron Irvin: These are all of the people who we have conquered, 15 00:00:53,178 --> 00:00:55,308 forced to kill each other for your pleasure. 16 00:00:55,430 --> 00:00:57,470 Narrator: Now we explore the dark origins 17 00:00:57,599 --> 00:01:01,769 of the world’s deadliest games. 18 00:01:01,895 --> 00:01:07,475 Not all inventions are made with good intentions. 19 00:01:07,609 --> 00:01:09,319 Unlock the twisted history 20 00:01:09,444 --> 00:01:12,364 behind the world’s darkest marvels. 21 00:01:17,744 --> 00:01:20,414 Chiapas, Mexico, 2020. 22 00:01:22,249 --> 00:01:24,749 While excavating beneath the Temple of the Sun 23 00:01:24,835 --> 00:01:27,465 in the ancient Maya city of Tonina, 24 00:01:27,588 --> 00:01:30,798 a team of researchers discovers a hidden tunnel... 25 00:01:32,301 --> 00:01:36,301 ...and a chamber filled with 400 pots. 26 00:01:36,430 --> 00:01:38,560 Guy Hepp: And among those pots they discovered 27 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:43,140 human cremains, or cremated human bone. 28 00:01:43,270 --> 00:01:44,850 Narrator: Some archaeologists believe 29 00:01:44,980 --> 00:01:47,150 these remains come from players 30 00:01:47,232 --> 00:01:49,152 of the notorious Maya ball game 31 00:01:49,276 --> 00:01:53,196 that originated some 3,000 years ago. 32 00:01:53,322 --> 00:01:56,782 Michael Livingston: It is an incredibly brutal and hard game 33 00:01:56,867 --> 00:02:00,287 that could be at times a battle of life and death. 34 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:04,040 Narrator: Though venues differ, 35 00:02:04,166 --> 00:02:06,576 most games take place at a large stone court 36 00:02:06,668 --> 00:02:08,838 in the center of town. 37 00:02:08,962 --> 00:02:10,882 Michael Livingston: When we’re talking about the Mayan ball game, 38 00:02:11,006 --> 00:02:14,046 we usually associate this with ball courts. 39 00:02:14,176 --> 00:02:16,216 We see variations of the ball game 40 00:02:16,345 --> 00:02:20,395 across Mesoamerican and ancient American cultures. 41 00:02:20,515 --> 00:02:22,725 Unlike our ball courts today, 42 00:02:22,851 --> 00:02:24,521 which are always standardized, right? 43 00:02:24,645 --> 00:02:27,235 A basketball court is always the same size. 44 00:02:27,356 --> 00:02:31,146 These varied incredibly. 45 00:02:31,234 --> 00:02:33,404 Dan Dickrell: The court that the Maya ball game is played on 46 00:02:33,528 --> 00:02:36,408 has a similar layout even though the sizes differ. 47 00:02:36,531 --> 00:02:39,741 It’s a narrow I-shaped field, 48 00:02:39,868 --> 00:02:42,408 and then on the interior there are slanted walls 49 00:02:42,537 --> 00:02:45,747 that keep the ball contained from the people in the stands 50 00:02:45,874 --> 00:02:48,384 or the people that are watching. 51 00:02:48,502 --> 00:02:50,172 Narrator: Teams of two to six players 52 00:02:50,253 --> 00:02:52,013 volley the ball back and forth, 53 00:02:52,089 --> 00:02:54,969 keeping it in the air while trying to gain territory 54 00:02:55,050 --> 00:02:57,840 on their opponent’s side and score in their end zone. 55 00:02:57,928 --> 00:03:01,388 If a player manages to get the ball through a stone ring 56 00:03:01,515 --> 00:03:05,235 mounted high on the wall, he automatically wins the game. 57 00:03:05,310 --> 00:03:07,600 It’s sort of like soccer, but you are not allowed 58 00:03:07,729 --> 00:03:09,559 to touch the ball with your hands or your feet, 59 00:03:09,690 --> 00:03:11,440 but the rest of your body is fair. 60 00:03:11,566 --> 00:03:14,606 Narrator: To the Maya, the ball game is more 61 00:03:14,736 --> 00:03:16,566 than a form of entertainment. 62 00:03:16,697 --> 00:03:19,567 Archaeological records indicate it carries great 63 00:03:19,700 --> 00:03:22,620 religious and political significance. 64 00:03:22,744 --> 00:03:26,584 These games likely took place at calendrically significant times. 65 00:03:26,707 --> 00:03:28,577 I’ve even seen interpretations 66 00:03:28,709 --> 00:03:30,459 that it was kind of a proxy for warfare. 67 00:03:30,585 --> 00:03:32,955 It could be a way to work out intergroup conflicts, 68 00:03:33,088 --> 00:03:35,718 border politics, and those sorts of things. 69 00:03:38,093 --> 00:03:40,763 Narrator: One of the earliest written mentions of the game 70 00:03:40,887 --> 00:03:46,137 comes from a legend in the Maya’s most sacred text, the Popol Vuh. 71 00:03:46,268 --> 00:03:51,018 Guy Hepp: The Popol Vuh tells the story of the hero twins 72 00:03:51,106 --> 00:03:54,976 Hunahpu and Xbalanque growing up and learning 73 00:03:55,110 --> 00:03:58,240 that they are actually ballplayers and not farmers. 74 00:03:58,321 --> 00:04:00,531 And ultimately, they go out to the ball court 75 00:04:00,615 --> 00:04:03,235 and they start to play. 76 00:04:03,326 --> 00:04:05,036 The game is rambunctious, the game is loud, 77 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:06,620 the ball is bouncing off 78 00:04:06,705 --> 00:04:10,005 those sort of galley ways on the side. 79 00:04:10,125 --> 00:04:13,465 And the lords of the underworld Xibalba hear the twins playing, 80 00:04:13,587 --> 00:04:17,297 and they call them to come down to play. 81 00:04:20,385 --> 00:04:22,845 Michael Livingston: In the land of the dead, essentially. 82 00:04:22,971 --> 00:04:25,141 They’re trying to trick these hero twins, 83 00:04:25,223 --> 00:04:27,023 trying to cause them pain, 84 00:04:27,142 --> 00:04:28,982 trying to cause them suffering, trying to kill them. 85 00:04:35,650 --> 00:04:37,740 And ultimately the hero twins win. 86 00:04:37,819 --> 00:04:40,819 They defeat the lords of the underworld in the ball game. 87 00:04:40,947 --> 00:04:43,827 They ultimately ascend to be the sun and the moon, 88 00:04:43,950 --> 00:04:46,120 and this sort of symbolizes the ways 89 00:04:46,203 --> 00:04:49,873 in which the ball game itself is where you can play out 90 00:04:49,998 --> 00:04:52,538 the cycling of life and death 91 00:04:52,667 --> 00:04:55,207 in real time with an audience. 92 00:04:55,337 --> 00:04:59,217 Narrator: Unlike some modern day sporting events, 93 00:04:59,341 --> 00:05:01,881 the ancient Maya games are long. 94 00:05:02,010 --> 00:05:06,220 For those of you who think a tennis game is long, 95 00:05:06,348 --> 00:05:07,888 you’ve never seen a Mayan ball game. 96 00:05:08,016 --> 00:05:10,306 The games were very intense. 97 00:05:10,393 --> 00:05:11,643 Sometimes it would go on for hours, 98 00:05:11,728 --> 00:05:13,898 sometimes even days. 99 00:05:14,022 --> 00:05:17,732 Narrator: They’re also extremely violent. 100 00:05:17,859 --> 00:05:22,159 It was a very deadly game because the amount of injuries that these players endured. 101 00:05:22,239 --> 00:05:27,329 Narrator: Most of which come from the ball itself. 102 00:05:27,410 --> 00:05:29,580 We do have some eyewitness accounts 103 00:05:29,704 --> 00:05:32,004 recorded by the Spanish conquistadors. 104 00:05:32,082 --> 00:05:34,332 There are some discussions of the ball game, 105 00:05:34,417 --> 00:05:36,337 the fact that people might be injured 106 00:05:36,419 --> 00:05:37,919 in just the playing of the ball game. 107 00:05:38,046 --> 00:05:40,086 That they might even die 108 00:05:40,215 --> 00:05:43,765 from the injuries sustained from being hit by the ball. 109 00:05:43,885 --> 00:05:46,755 The ball might vary in size from, you know, 110 00:05:46,888 --> 00:05:50,768 something like a softball to something like a melon, and weigh up to ten pounds. 111 00:05:50,892 --> 00:05:52,352 You know, the weight of a modern bowling ball. 112 00:05:52,435 --> 00:05:56,725 But this is solid natural rubber. 113 00:05:56,857 --> 00:05:59,357 Shane Adams: Just imagine being hit by a sledgehammer. 114 00:05:59,442 --> 00:06:02,572 Well, that’s what it felt like to be hit by this rubber ball. 115 00:06:02,696 --> 00:06:06,116 - It hurts. - Michael Livingston: In some of the imagery we have, 116 00:06:06,241 --> 00:06:09,291 they have thick rubber belts to protect themselves, 117 00:06:09,411 --> 00:06:11,581 because the ball would have hurt so much 118 00:06:11,663 --> 00:06:13,413 and you wanted to have a good game. 119 00:06:13,540 --> 00:06:15,380 Dan Dickrell: The construction of the ball 120 00:06:15,458 --> 00:06:17,538 is like a primitive vulcanized rubber. 121 00:06:17,627 --> 00:06:19,127 So it would bounce. 122 00:06:19,254 --> 00:06:22,094 They found the right number of ingredients 123 00:06:22,173 --> 00:06:25,433 to effectively vulcanize rubber through the introduction 124 00:06:25,510 --> 00:06:29,060 of sulfuric juice from the morning glory 125 00:06:29,139 --> 00:06:31,719 and then sap from a local tree. 126 00:06:31,808 --> 00:06:33,728 Those two together with a combination of heat 127 00:06:33,810 --> 00:06:35,940 would create this material that would make the ball. 128 00:06:36,062 --> 00:06:39,232 Even though it’s heavy, it can bounce, 129 00:06:39,316 --> 00:06:42,276 and they figured this out so long ago. 130 00:06:44,404 --> 00:06:46,204 Narrator: Some archaeologists believe 131 00:06:46,281 --> 00:06:48,491 that the recent discovery of human remains 132 00:06:48,617 --> 00:06:51,117 under the Temple of the Sun in Tonina 133 00:06:51,202 --> 00:06:55,422 suggests the Maya used a grisly alternate source of material 134 00:06:55,498 --> 00:06:57,578 for making the ball. 135 00:06:57,667 --> 00:07:02,837 There is sufficient amount of sulfur in the body of a human 136 00:07:02,964 --> 00:07:06,934 so when that body is converted into ash through cremation, 137 00:07:07,010 --> 00:07:11,680 you introduce it into a heated environment with the rubber, 138 00:07:11,806 --> 00:07:14,016 a certain amount of vulcanization can occur 139 00:07:14,142 --> 00:07:16,482 and creates that bouncy rubber. 140 00:07:16,561 --> 00:07:19,811 You know, if you don’t have the morning glory juice, 141 00:07:19,898 --> 00:07:22,898 human remains are potentially a substitute. 142 00:07:22,984 --> 00:07:26,034 Narrator: But according to other accounts, 143 00:07:26,154 --> 00:07:30,374 human remains might have been used in a different way. 144 00:07:30,492 --> 00:07:33,042 Guy Hepp: In the Popol Vuh, there is a representation 145 00:07:33,161 --> 00:07:36,661 of briefly using an actual human head to play the ball game. 146 00:07:36,748 --> 00:07:39,248 I think it’s probably speculative to say 147 00:07:39,334 --> 00:07:42,254 that a real human head would have been used as a ball. 148 00:07:42,337 --> 00:07:45,257 But some of the famous art, for example, 149 00:07:45,340 --> 00:07:48,890 that shows ballplayers standing over a ball that contains a human skull, 150 00:07:49,010 --> 00:07:52,050 may be kind of symbolically referring to the relationship 151 00:07:52,180 --> 00:07:53,680 between sacrifice in the ball game 152 00:07:53,765 --> 00:07:55,735 and not necessarily showing us 153 00:07:55,850 --> 00:07:58,270 that they’re using an actual human skull as a ball, 154 00:07:58,353 --> 00:08:01,483 though some researchers have speculated that that’s possible. 155 00:08:01,564 --> 00:08:03,444 Michael Livingston: If there’s a sacrifice, 156 00:08:03,525 --> 00:08:06,035 the person who dies, there is a decapitation involved, 157 00:08:06,111 --> 00:08:09,071 and we have some artwork that has survived 158 00:08:09,197 --> 00:08:13,237 that shows that head is actually used as a ball in the game. 159 00:08:15,036 --> 00:08:19,246 It becomes a place where life and death collide, 160 00:08:19,374 --> 00:08:21,504 and that actually does match 161 00:08:21,584 --> 00:08:23,754 what we see in some of the stonework, 162 00:08:23,878 --> 00:08:25,758 which is that this was a game 163 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:29,220 that could have absolutely deadly consequences. 164 00:08:31,052 --> 00:08:32,682 Narrator: This has led some historians 165 00:08:32,762 --> 00:08:35,562 to speculate that after a match, 166 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,020 the defeated team could lose more than their pride. 167 00:08:41,229 --> 00:08:43,059 Larissa Tracy: The suggestion is that the whole idea 168 00:08:43,189 --> 00:08:45,779 of the game itself was a ritual sacrifice. 169 00:08:45,900 --> 00:08:48,570 It’s reenacting the battle of the gods of life 170 00:08:48,653 --> 00:08:50,953 with the gods of death from the Popol Vuh. 171 00:08:51,072 --> 00:08:53,412 And so ritual sacrifice afterwards 172 00:08:53,491 --> 00:08:55,621 would be an honor to those gods. 173 00:08:55,744 --> 00:08:57,754 Guy Hepp: It may be that the person 174 00:08:57,871 --> 00:08:59,461 who is sacrificed on the ball court 175 00:08:59,581 --> 00:09:02,121 is actually sort of the team captain 176 00:09:02,250 --> 00:09:04,290 of either the winning or losing team. 177 00:09:04,419 --> 00:09:07,799 That person may be voluntarily being sacrificed 178 00:09:07,922 --> 00:09:10,632 or they may be a captive victim 179 00:09:10,759 --> 00:09:12,969 who is being sacrificed against their will 180 00:09:13,094 --> 00:09:14,934 in essentially a rigged game. 181 00:09:16,639 --> 00:09:19,519 Michael Livingston: There is a school of thought 182 00:09:19,601 --> 00:09:21,981 that the winners actually were killed. 183 00:09:22,103 --> 00:09:24,363 That by winning this game, 184 00:09:24,439 --> 00:09:29,649 you were becoming a sacrifice for the greater population. 185 00:09:29,778 --> 00:09:32,608 So it was actually something you wanted to achieve. 186 00:09:32,697 --> 00:09:35,317 "I wanna win the game, and I will then die, 187 00:09:35,450 --> 00:09:39,250 but in so doing give life to the population around me," 188 00:09:39,329 --> 00:09:42,329 and that that was a great honor. 189 00:09:42,457 --> 00:09:44,167 Narrator: But the Maya ball game 190 00:09:44,292 --> 00:09:46,172 isn’t the only ancient sport 191 00:09:46,294 --> 00:09:51,884 where humans were sacrificed. 192 00:09:51,966 --> 00:09:55,886 Narrator: From the 8th century B.C. to the 5th century A.D., 193 00:09:55,970 --> 00:09:58,390 Rome is a dominant world power 194 00:09:58,473 --> 00:10:02,853 with an insatiable lust for bloody entertainment. 195 00:10:02,977 --> 00:10:06,107 Rebecca Simon: Ancient Roman culture really loved this bloodsport, 196 00:10:06,189 --> 00:10:08,899 and it was for anybody of any class, including enslaved people. 197 00:10:08,983 --> 00:10:13,203 Everybody went to the games. Everybody went to the arena. 198 00:10:13,321 --> 00:10:18,701 Narrator: Among their most dangerous pastimes is chariot racing. 199 00:10:18,827 --> 00:10:21,247 Aaron Irvin: Chariot races early in Rome’s existence 200 00:10:21,329 --> 00:10:24,919 were connected to the most important festivals, 201 00:10:24,999 --> 00:10:29,089 the most important events that were put on on behalf of the gods. 202 00:10:29,170 --> 00:10:34,220 Shane Adams: People from all over came to watch these chariot races. 203 00:10:34,342 --> 00:10:37,432 They were a very awesome spectacle of entertainment, 204 00:10:37,512 --> 00:10:41,022 and they knew that that’s what the people wanted to see. 205 00:10:43,434 --> 00:10:45,604 Narrator: To create a place for mass spectacle, 206 00:10:45,687 --> 00:10:48,267 King Lucius Tarquinius Priscus 207 00:10:48,356 --> 00:10:53,776 builds Rome’s first stadium in the 6th century B.C. 208 00:10:53,862 --> 00:10:58,452 Known as the Circus Maximus, this vast oval arena 209 00:10:58,533 --> 00:11:01,743 could hold a quarter of Rome’s population. 210 00:11:01,870 --> 00:11:04,960 Aaron Irvin: Because the purpose of the Circus Maximus 211 00:11:05,039 --> 00:11:07,119 was so central to day to day life, 212 00:11:07,208 --> 00:11:09,628 it was built so it could contain 213 00:11:09,711 --> 00:11:14,721 upwards of 250,000 people. 214 00:11:14,841 --> 00:11:18,141 It looks very much like a racetrack, but only larger. 215 00:11:18,219 --> 00:11:20,719 This is an enormous structure that has the capacity 216 00:11:20,847 --> 00:11:23,517 to hold as many people as five Yankee stadiums. 217 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:28,270 Narrator: The Circus Maximus measures the length of 5 1/2 football fields, 218 00:11:28,396 --> 00:11:31,646 and it is 387 feet wide. 219 00:11:31,733 --> 00:11:35,363 The track itself is half a mile long. 220 00:11:35,445 --> 00:11:39,035 It would take 15 minutes for the chariots to go, 221 00:11:39,115 --> 00:11:41,405 and you would have 12 teams. 222 00:11:41,534 --> 00:11:45,004 I can’t imagine the chaos. 223 00:11:45,079 --> 00:11:47,159 Shane Adams: When the spring-loaded gates would drop, 224 00:11:47,248 --> 00:11:49,498 the start of the race would begin, 225 00:11:49,584 --> 00:11:53,054 and that’s where the collisions would start happening. 226 00:11:55,256 --> 00:11:59,966 There were so many horses at high speeds without control, 227 00:12:00,094 --> 00:12:03,014 really without rules. 228 00:12:03,097 --> 00:12:06,767 The chariots themselves had spikes on the wheels, 229 00:12:06,851 --> 00:12:09,191 so if they got in close to another charioteer, 230 00:12:09,270 --> 00:12:12,400 that could destroy a wheel and cause the chariot to flip over. 231 00:12:14,108 --> 00:12:15,608 People are not just gonna come and sit 232 00:12:15,735 --> 00:12:17,945 and watch horses go around in circles. 233 00:12:18,071 --> 00:12:21,701 There has to be some sort of thrill behind it. 234 00:12:21,783 --> 00:12:25,123 There has to be some bloodshed. 235 00:12:25,203 --> 00:12:28,583 Christine Axen: Chariots races were designed to be dangerous. 236 00:12:28,665 --> 00:12:32,845 We’re seeing high-speed of chariot racing up to 40 miles per hour, 237 00:12:32,961 --> 00:12:36,051 and horses drawing an open back chariot 238 00:12:36,130 --> 00:12:38,970 that would have the combatant standing in it. 239 00:12:39,050 --> 00:12:42,340 So people could get dislodged, trampled by horses, 240 00:12:42,470 --> 00:12:44,430 caught in reins, dragged. 241 00:12:44,514 --> 00:12:48,144 Collisions between the chariots were common and purposeful. 242 00:12:50,937 --> 00:12:53,557 Kelly Devries: There’s a lot of destruction because men are being pulled 243 00:12:53,648 --> 00:12:57,318 by horses at a rapid rate. So they could die. 244 00:12:57,443 --> 00:12:59,453 And when they die, the crowd gets excited. 245 00:13:01,155 --> 00:13:02,405 Kind of like NASCAR. 246 00:13:02,490 --> 00:13:04,700 If the car blows up, we love it. 247 00:13:04,826 --> 00:13:08,576 That’s what the Roman chariot races were. 248 00:13:08,663 --> 00:13:13,543 Joyce Salisbury: Of course, every day was carnage day. 249 00:13:13,668 --> 00:13:15,998 You could see broken limbs, severed limbs. 250 00:13:16,129 --> 00:13:18,839 It makes NASCAR look easy. 251 00:13:18,923 --> 00:13:23,093 This was an incredibly devastating sport 252 00:13:23,177 --> 00:13:25,097 if you made a mistake. 253 00:13:25,179 --> 00:13:26,929 Narrator: But the ancient Romans 254 00:13:27,015 --> 00:13:31,605 hold other bloody contests, including beast hunts. 255 00:13:31,686 --> 00:13:34,016 Aaron Irvin: Hunting events were famous 256 00:13:34,147 --> 00:13:38,937 for their destruction of hundreds of animals. 257 00:13:39,027 --> 00:13:41,857 And in fact, some of the earliest events 258 00:13:41,946 --> 00:13:43,856 were leopard hunts, 259 00:13:43,948 --> 00:13:46,158 primarily because Roman territory 260 00:13:46,242 --> 00:13:49,122 was overrun with wild African leopards. 261 00:13:49,203 --> 00:13:54,213 The fiercest animals from all over the empire are presented. 262 00:13:54,292 --> 00:13:58,132 Sometimes it’s hunters fighting the animals, 263 00:13:58,212 --> 00:14:00,342 demonstrating that they can win. 264 00:14:00,423 --> 00:14:03,683 Sometimes they hook animals on animals. 265 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:05,890 Kelly Devries: Hundreds of thousands of animals, 266 00:14:06,012 --> 00:14:08,102 whole species of animals 267 00:14:08,222 --> 00:14:11,732 were taken to various Roman arenas for the games, 268 00:14:11,851 --> 00:14:13,981 and they would face off against each other. 269 00:14:14,062 --> 00:14:17,062 It’s like watching a zoo if the cages were open. 270 00:14:17,190 --> 00:14:19,820 They wanted to see a tiger against a lion. 271 00:14:19,901 --> 00:14:21,861 They wanted to see an elephant against a rhino. 272 00:14:21,944 --> 00:14:25,034 Joyce Salisbury: Some of the most popular and iconic 273 00:14:25,114 --> 00:14:27,284 was an elephant linked to a rhinoceros, 274 00:14:27,408 --> 00:14:30,828 as the two giants would attack each other. 275 00:14:30,912 --> 00:14:34,672 So, by having the animal fights, 276 00:14:34,749 --> 00:14:37,209 people watching are secure 277 00:14:37,293 --> 00:14:40,713 that they are in charge of nature. 278 00:14:40,797 --> 00:14:42,667 The crowd wanted the blood, and that they got. 279 00:14:42,757 --> 00:14:47,507 Narrator: But the animals aren’t always the victims. 280 00:14:47,595 --> 00:14:51,175 In one particularly brutal form of punishment, 281 00:14:51,265 --> 00:14:53,345 damnatio ad bestias, 282 00:14:53,434 --> 00:14:56,314 they are used to execute criminals. 283 00:14:56,437 --> 00:15:00,937 Kelly Devries: They wanted to see criminals being eaten by lions, 284 00:15:01,067 --> 00:15:06,357 criminals eaten by tigers and facing against predators. 285 00:15:06,447 --> 00:15:08,987 Criminals didn’t last long. They didn’t win. 286 00:15:09,117 --> 00:15:13,537 These types of displays were quite deadly indeed. 287 00:15:13,621 --> 00:15:17,541 You know, to watch a human being get mauled by a lion, 288 00:15:17,625 --> 00:15:19,955 it’s gotta say something about the human race 289 00:15:20,086 --> 00:15:22,876 and for those people that actually went there to witness it. 290 00:15:24,465 --> 00:15:27,255 But it wasn’t just criminals. 291 00:15:27,343 --> 00:15:30,723 We’re talking, you know, the Romans throwing Christians 292 00:15:30,805 --> 00:15:35,985 into the arena to get mauled by these lions or other animals. 293 00:15:36,102 --> 00:15:37,732 Joyce Salisbury: There are some examples 294 00:15:37,812 --> 00:15:41,112 of Christians waiting to be sent into the arena. 295 00:15:41,190 --> 00:15:46,400 And one says, "Oh, I hope I get a leopard. They kill quickly." 296 00:15:46,487 --> 00:15:50,817 "I hope I don’t get a bear. They maul us." 297 00:15:50,908 --> 00:15:53,788 Narrator: An early instance of wild animals 298 00:15:53,870 --> 00:15:57,920 used to execute Christians happens under Emperor Nero 299 00:15:57,999 --> 00:16:00,789 when he targets a small group as scapegoats 300 00:16:00,877 --> 00:16:04,667 for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 A.D. 301 00:16:04,797 --> 00:16:07,837 Joyce Salisbury: The Roman emperor Nero 302 00:16:07,967 --> 00:16:11,717 is remembered for being cruel and ruthless. 303 00:16:11,846 --> 00:16:16,596 He tortures Christians in strange and exotic ways. 304 00:16:16,684 --> 00:16:19,064 And when Christians are executed, 305 00:16:19,187 --> 00:16:23,267 it’s to the beasts or the flames. 306 00:16:23,357 --> 00:16:25,107 Narrator: As Christianity spreads, 307 00:16:25,193 --> 00:16:27,443 more accounts begin to surface, 308 00:16:27,528 --> 00:16:30,608 including letters by Ignatius of Antioch, 309 00:16:30,698 --> 00:16:33,278 who is allegedly fed to the lions 310 00:16:33,367 --> 00:16:36,577 and becomes a Christian martyr. 311 00:16:36,704 --> 00:16:39,424 They had people who were willing to die 312 00:16:39,540 --> 00:16:41,000 rather than be converted. 313 00:16:41,083 --> 00:16:44,043 Many of the stories that we have of them today 314 00:16:44,170 --> 00:16:47,380 are probably 90% invented. 315 00:16:47,465 --> 00:16:50,385 Maybe some of them are real people who really died, 316 00:16:50,510 --> 00:16:52,390 but the stories told about them afterwards 317 00:16:52,512 --> 00:16:55,642 are filled with embellishments. 318 00:16:55,723 --> 00:16:58,643 Narrator: But there’s one infamous ancient pastime 319 00:16:58,726 --> 00:17:05,226 where the brutality is undisputed. 320 00:17:05,358 --> 00:17:07,068 Narrator: Directly in the center of Rome 321 00:17:07,151 --> 00:17:10,781 stands the ancient world’s most storied arena, 322 00:17:10,905 --> 00:17:13,875 the Colosseum. 323 00:17:13,950 --> 00:17:17,290 Built in the 1st century, the Colosseum is renowned 324 00:17:17,411 --> 00:17:20,371 for the brutal entertainment that took place there. 325 00:17:23,251 --> 00:17:25,881 Rebecca Simon: The Colosseum is one of the most fantastic marvels 326 00:17:25,962 --> 00:17:27,632 to survive since the ancient period. 327 00:17:27,755 --> 00:17:31,085 It’s still in phenomenal condition in Rome today. 328 00:17:31,175 --> 00:17:33,795 It could hold up to 50,000 people. 329 00:17:33,928 --> 00:17:35,468 It’s unimaginably huge. 330 00:17:35,596 --> 00:17:38,466 And so people were drawn to it from all over, 331 00:17:38,599 --> 00:17:40,929 and it was known to be a massive celebration. 332 00:17:42,853 --> 00:17:44,103 Narrator: When events are held, 333 00:17:44,188 --> 00:17:45,518 they could include anything 334 00:17:45,606 --> 00:17:47,606 from mock battles or beast hunts 335 00:17:47,692 --> 00:17:50,322 to the violent deaths of outlaws. 336 00:17:50,444 --> 00:17:53,864 But the main event is always the same-- 337 00:17:53,948 --> 00:17:57,528 gladiator combat. 338 00:17:57,618 --> 00:17:59,328 Rebecca Simon: People are very drawn to this. 339 00:17:59,453 --> 00:18:01,793 It almost brings out your primal instinct 340 00:18:01,872 --> 00:18:03,872 of watching these fights happen. 341 00:18:03,958 --> 00:18:05,538 Narrator: The practice is first used 342 00:18:05,626 --> 00:18:08,046 as a way to honor the dead. 343 00:18:10,464 --> 00:18:12,724 Christine Axen: Gladiator games kind of emerged from this tradition 344 00:18:12,800 --> 00:18:14,340 kind of like a blood rite, 345 00:18:14,468 --> 00:18:16,718 and they’re brought into the Roman Empire 346 00:18:16,804 --> 00:18:18,604 in 264 Before the Common Era. 347 00:18:18,681 --> 00:18:22,811 Aaron Irvin: Games connected to funerary events 348 00:18:22,935 --> 00:18:25,225 is something that’s actually pretty common 349 00:18:25,313 --> 00:18:27,523 throughout the Indo-European peoples. 350 00:18:27,648 --> 00:18:30,398 These are groups that include the Greeks, 351 00:18:30,484 --> 00:18:33,744 but then also the Hittites, the Persians, 352 00:18:33,821 --> 00:18:37,161 shedding blood on behalf of the deceased. 353 00:18:37,241 --> 00:18:42,501 And it’s with this tradition that we see the starting point 354 00:18:42,580 --> 00:18:46,000 of gladiatorial contests within the Roman world. 355 00:18:46,125 --> 00:18:49,585 Narrator: Rome’s leaders know the political value 356 00:18:49,670 --> 00:18:52,260 of sponsoring such public games, 357 00:18:52,340 --> 00:18:55,680 none more so than Julius Caesar. 358 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:59,390 Shane Adams: Julius Caesar could see the people’s attraction 359 00:18:59,513 --> 00:19:02,433 to this type of violence 360 00:19:02,516 --> 00:19:05,976 and started to use it as a political campaign 361 00:19:06,062 --> 00:19:08,942 to be able to, well, entertain the people. 362 00:19:09,023 --> 00:19:11,733 And if you entertain the people, then you win their votes. 363 00:19:11,859 --> 00:19:14,739 You win their votes, and you retain your leadership 364 00:19:14,862 --> 00:19:16,492 for years and years and years to come. 365 00:19:18,866 --> 00:19:21,906 Aaron Irvin: This opens the door for all Romans 366 00:19:22,036 --> 00:19:24,076 who are ambitious, who are looking for office, 367 00:19:24,205 --> 00:19:26,215 who are looking to gain popularity, 368 00:19:26,332 --> 00:19:30,132 to likewise put on these massive shows. 369 00:19:30,211 --> 00:19:33,921 The Romans come to expect that these massive events are normal. 370 00:19:34,048 --> 00:19:36,338 Narrator: Prized above all, 371 00:19:36,425 --> 00:19:41,305 gladiator games that come with the promise of death. 372 00:19:41,389 --> 00:19:44,309 These gladiators, most of them were slaves. 373 00:19:44,392 --> 00:19:47,232 They were prisoners, and they had a chance 374 00:19:47,311 --> 00:19:50,651 to finally fight for their freedom. 375 00:19:50,731 --> 00:19:56,071 Romans began dressing up the gladiators as peoples that they had conquered. 376 00:19:56,195 --> 00:19:59,735 What the gladiators turned into then 377 00:19:59,865 --> 00:20:03,445 was a representation of Roman dominance. 378 00:20:03,577 --> 00:20:05,827 These are all of the people who we have conquered 379 00:20:05,913 --> 00:20:09,673 forced to kill each other for your pleasure. 380 00:20:09,750 --> 00:20:13,170 Narrator: Gladiators are divided into different archetypes, 381 00:20:13,254 --> 00:20:16,634 each with distinct weapons. 382 00:20:16,757 --> 00:20:19,257 Aaron Irvin: So you had the Hoplomachus, 383 00:20:19,385 --> 00:20:22,515 who was modeled after the Greek hoplite, 384 00:20:22,596 --> 00:20:24,846 armed with a spear, with a shield, 385 00:20:24,932 --> 00:20:26,932 and a small sword at his belt. 386 00:20:27,059 --> 00:20:30,269 You had the Thraex, who was modeled after the Thracians, 387 00:20:30,396 --> 00:20:33,066 with a curved what was called a sika, 388 00:20:33,149 --> 00:20:34,979 a kind of reverse curved blade 389 00:20:35,109 --> 00:20:38,399 that was specially designed to hack off limbs. 390 00:20:39,613 --> 00:20:41,283 Shane Adams: Now, of course, 391 00:20:41,407 --> 00:20:44,327 in the arena, most people think that gladiators 392 00:20:44,452 --> 00:20:48,962 were these massive strong men, killers, 393 00:20:49,039 --> 00:20:52,999 but also they were trained to not necessarily 394 00:20:53,127 --> 00:20:55,087 every strike make a kill strike. 395 00:20:55,171 --> 00:20:57,711 They were trained to be able to just show blood, 396 00:20:57,798 --> 00:20:59,508 to be able to cut flesh in such a way 397 00:20:59,633 --> 00:21:01,053 that the person would still be able 398 00:21:01,135 --> 00:21:02,645 to continue fighting 399 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:03,890 and would be able to survive 400 00:21:03,971 --> 00:21:06,561 for future fights to come. 401 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:09,560 So you can just imagine how the sand 402 00:21:09,643 --> 00:21:12,063 was filled with blood. 403 00:21:12,146 --> 00:21:15,316 Narrator: Ultimately, the fate of gladiators 404 00:21:15,399 --> 00:21:18,649 is in the hands of the Emperor. 405 00:21:20,237 --> 00:21:22,237 Joyce Salisbury: Sometimes, of course, 406 00:21:22,323 --> 00:21:24,243 if someone is pinned down, 407 00:21:24,325 --> 00:21:26,295 the crowd would be involved. 408 00:21:26,368 --> 00:21:28,698 And they would be asked, 409 00:21:28,829 --> 00:21:31,329 "Do I kill him or do I save him?" 410 00:21:31,457 --> 00:21:35,747 Now, Hollywood indicates thumbs up 411 00:21:35,836 --> 00:21:37,586 as a way of saving someone. 412 00:21:37,671 --> 00:21:40,591 But probably the reverse was true. 413 00:21:40,674 --> 00:21:46,054 A thumb up meant, "Put the blade up here and kill him." 414 00:21:46,180 --> 00:21:51,350 Thumb down, meant lay the blade down and he’s saved. 415 00:21:51,435 --> 00:21:56,105 Narrator: Those who survive become legends. 416 00:21:56,190 --> 00:21:58,030 Rebecca Simon: Career gladiators are very similar 417 00:21:58,150 --> 00:21:59,690 to career athletes today. 418 00:21:59,819 --> 00:22:01,819 People will support specific fighters. 419 00:22:01,904 --> 00:22:06,874 You can buy items of clothing. You can buy little figures. 420 00:22:06,992 --> 00:22:12,752 Narrator: One such legend is the notorious gladiator Spartacus. 421 00:22:12,873 --> 00:22:14,373 Spartacus was a slave in attendance 422 00:22:14,458 --> 00:22:15,958 at a gladiatorial school 423 00:22:16,043 --> 00:22:18,213 who started an uprising in southern Italy 424 00:22:18,295 --> 00:22:21,545 that swelled to the thousands upon thousands of people. 425 00:22:21,674 --> 00:22:23,594 Spartacus winds up dying in battle 426 00:22:23,717 --> 00:22:25,587 fighting for his freedom. 427 00:22:25,719 --> 00:22:27,549 And as a result of this kind of treachery, 428 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:32,640 the Romans have 6,000 men crucified along the Appian Way. 429 00:22:32,726 --> 00:22:36,186 Narrator: But not all gladiators are slaves. 430 00:22:36,272 --> 00:22:38,402 In a surprising twist on tradition, 431 00:22:38,524 --> 00:22:41,654 Emperor Commodus steps into the arena. 432 00:22:41,735 --> 00:22:46,615 He has claimed to have 1,000 victories 433 00:22:46,740 --> 00:22:49,410 over other gladiators. 434 00:22:49,493 --> 00:22:52,163 Kelly Devries: Those who were fighting Commodus could not win. 435 00:22:52,246 --> 00:22:53,406 They could not kill the Emperor. 436 00:22:53,497 --> 00:22:56,577 They may have wanted to, but they couldn’t do it. 437 00:22:56,709 --> 00:22:58,749 Commodus knew this. He stacked the deck. 438 00:22:58,836 --> 00:23:03,876 He put men together that he knew he could take. He did all the slaying. 439 00:23:03,966 --> 00:23:06,216 Christine Axen: But we know that he was playing some tricks 440 00:23:06,302 --> 00:23:08,052 and that he would have, you know, 441 00:23:08,137 --> 00:23:10,927 improper weapons for them and special ones for him, 442 00:23:11,056 --> 00:23:13,596 or that they would be throwing fake things at him, 443 00:23:13,726 --> 00:23:15,766 just all for the spectatorship of it 444 00:23:15,895 --> 00:23:17,565 and not at all to prove 445 00:23:17,646 --> 00:23:21,436 his actual skills on the battlefield. 446 00:23:21,567 --> 00:23:23,857 Joyce Salisbury: Commodus doesn’t think of himself as an emperor. 447 00:23:23,944 --> 00:23:27,244 He doesn’t have to adhere to the rules of the games. 448 00:23:27,323 --> 00:23:31,703 He doesn’t realize that he has to listen to the crowd, 449 00:23:31,785 --> 00:23:36,865 that his future depends on how popular he is. 450 00:23:36,957 --> 00:23:38,707 It doesn’t take them long to kill him. 451 00:23:38,792 --> 00:23:41,752 Narrator: Commodus is eventually murdered 452 00:23:41,837 --> 00:23:46,217 by the Roman wrestler Narcissus at the behest of the senate. 453 00:23:46,300 --> 00:23:48,300 Christine Axen: After his death, 454 00:23:48,385 --> 00:23:51,465 it became clear just how much the Roman public hated him. 455 00:23:51,555 --> 00:23:54,465 And as was tradition with an unpopular emperor, 456 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:57,230 they tear down and destroy all the statues of Commodus. 457 00:23:57,311 --> 00:23:59,561 Not a trace remains. 458 00:23:59,647 --> 00:24:01,897 Narrator: Gladiator games start to fall out of favor 459 00:24:01,982 --> 00:24:03,362 by the 3rd century, 460 00:24:03,484 --> 00:24:06,574 due in part to the rise of Christianity. 461 00:24:06,654 --> 00:24:08,244 But a thousand years later, 462 00:24:08,322 --> 00:24:11,742 crowds cheer for a different type of warrior, 463 00:24:11,825 --> 00:24:14,575 the knight in shining armor. 464 00:24:19,166 --> 00:24:20,496 Narrator: While many associate jousting 465 00:24:20,584 --> 00:24:22,964 with chivalrous knights and their adoring maidens, 466 00:24:23,045 --> 00:24:26,675 the reality is much more brutal. 467 00:24:30,094 --> 00:24:33,434 In jousting, the rules are simple. The execution is not. 468 00:24:33,514 --> 00:24:36,684 That is the ultimate thing with the sport of the joust. 469 00:24:36,809 --> 00:24:39,019 It is a very dangerous sport. 470 00:24:39,144 --> 00:24:41,524 Just riding a horse is one thing. 471 00:24:41,647 --> 00:24:45,527 But to ride a horse in a suit of armor upwards of 140 pounds, 472 00:24:45,651 --> 00:24:48,321 that changes riding just on itself. 473 00:24:48,404 --> 00:24:50,494 Then you add a 12-foot-long lance 474 00:24:50,572 --> 00:24:51,702 that’s couched underneath your arm, 475 00:24:51,782 --> 00:24:54,032 but it’s still sticking out in front of you 476 00:24:54,118 --> 00:24:57,158 upwards of nine to 10 feet, that ten-pound lance 477 00:24:57,246 --> 00:24:59,956 now feels like 50-60 pounds at the tip. 478 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:04,340 Narrator: Jousting sprang from 11th century medieval military training 479 00:25:04,420 --> 00:25:06,550 and cavalry exercises, 480 00:25:06,630 --> 00:25:11,130 but quickly becomes a popular form of entertainment. 481 00:25:11,218 --> 00:25:12,548 Shane Adams: In the sport of jousting, 482 00:25:12,678 --> 00:25:14,468 though there are different styles, 483 00:25:14,555 --> 00:25:17,065 it’s basically rounds off to you get points 484 00:25:17,141 --> 00:25:20,101 for striking the target area, points for breaking your lance. 485 00:25:21,895 --> 00:25:23,435 You’re charging in one direction 486 00:25:23,564 --> 00:25:25,694 at upwards of 30 miles an hour, 487 00:25:25,774 --> 00:25:27,574 and then all of a sudden, 488 00:25:27,693 --> 00:25:30,153 you’re finding yourself going backwards 489 00:25:30,237 --> 00:25:32,567 with this 2,000-pound 490 00:25:32,698 --> 00:25:35,118 armored horse landing on top of you, 491 00:25:35,242 --> 00:25:36,122 crushing you into the ground, 492 00:25:36,243 --> 00:25:39,123 which was quite deadly indeed. 493 00:25:40,539 --> 00:25:42,749 It is such a violent impact, 494 00:25:42,833 --> 00:25:46,133 the only way I can describe it is by being hit by a car. 495 00:25:46,253 --> 00:25:50,593 Rebecca Simon: And your armor is only about the width of a coin, 496 00:25:50,674 --> 00:25:52,844 so you have to withstand this blow. 497 00:25:54,470 --> 00:25:57,600 It can have really devastating results. 498 00:25:57,723 --> 00:26:00,523 Larissa Tracy: An early example of a joust that turns deadly 499 00:26:00,601 --> 00:26:02,981 is in the 13th century in Neuss, Germany, 500 00:26:03,103 --> 00:26:04,853 where 80 knights lay dead, 501 00:26:04,938 --> 00:26:08,438 some speared through the chest, some trampled by horses. 502 00:26:08,525 --> 00:26:10,185 Shane Adams: They used actual war lances, 503 00:26:10,277 --> 00:26:12,107 and the lances were not blunted. 504 00:26:12,196 --> 00:26:15,156 They were tipped with spear tips. 505 00:26:15,282 --> 00:26:19,582 So when they jousted, it was a joust to the death. 506 00:26:19,661 --> 00:26:21,451 Narrator: By the 16th century, 507 00:26:21,538 --> 00:26:24,458 jousting evolves into more organized competition, 508 00:26:24,583 --> 00:26:28,883 with formal rules, but it’s still dangerous, 509 00:26:28,962 --> 00:26:31,552 as evident from an infamous face-off. 510 00:26:34,218 --> 00:26:37,758 Narrator: England, 1536. 511 00:26:37,846 --> 00:26:42,596 King Henry VIII enters a jousting competition at Greenwich Palace. 512 00:26:42,684 --> 00:26:46,694 So, Henry VIII was an avid sportsman. 513 00:26:46,814 --> 00:26:48,774 He loved to wrestle. He loved to fight. 514 00:26:48,857 --> 00:26:52,897 He played tennis. He was a real athletic person. 515 00:26:52,986 --> 00:26:56,656 And for the joust, that was the cherry on the top. 516 00:26:56,740 --> 00:27:00,240 It was the most competitive thing that Henry VIII could do, 517 00:27:00,327 --> 00:27:02,997 and he promoted jousting and jousting competitions. 518 00:27:04,873 --> 00:27:06,833 And in this competition, 519 00:27:06,917 --> 00:27:10,167 Henry was going up against one of his friends, 520 00:27:10,295 --> 00:27:13,665 and unfortunately for Henry, he was struck hard enough 521 00:27:13,757 --> 00:27:15,677 that it just unseated him enough, 522 00:27:15,801 --> 00:27:17,681 and when a knight’s in armor. 523 00:27:17,761 --> 00:27:21,101 I myself, I’m 415 pounds in my suit of armor, 524 00:27:21,181 --> 00:27:23,891 and as you start to rock over, that amount of weight 525 00:27:24,017 --> 00:27:25,517 could also bring your horse down. 526 00:27:25,644 --> 00:27:28,694 And unfortunately, that’s what happened to Henry. 527 00:27:28,772 --> 00:27:30,942 Just that inertia took the horse’s feet 528 00:27:31,024 --> 00:27:33,034 from underneath it, and he was crushed. 529 00:27:33,110 --> 00:27:35,530 Basically, not just from the joust, 530 00:27:35,612 --> 00:27:39,122 but from his horse landing on top of him. 531 00:27:39,199 --> 00:27:41,909 Rebecca Simon: His leg is pierced and becomes extremely injured. 532 00:27:42,035 --> 00:27:44,575 In fact, he’s actually unconscious for hours. 533 00:27:44,705 --> 00:27:46,005 It’s believed he might die. 534 00:27:46,081 --> 00:27:49,041 And this is a very, very big deal 535 00:27:49,126 --> 00:27:50,836 because he does not have any sons yet. 536 00:27:50,919 --> 00:27:53,169 So who would possibly succeed the throne? 537 00:27:53,255 --> 00:27:57,385 Larissa Tracy: It’s entirely possible that the injuries he sustains 538 00:27:57,509 --> 00:27:59,509 stay with him for the rest of his life 539 00:27:59,595 --> 00:28:02,725 and potentially caused the neurological problems 540 00:28:02,806 --> 00:28:04,556 that lead him to paranoia. 541 00:28:04,641 --> 00:28:07,061 Now, he had all kinds of other problems. 542 00:28:07,144 --> 00:28:09,524 He had ulcers on his legs that wouldn’t heal because he had gout. 543 00:28:09,605 --> 00:28:12,575 Kelly Devries: Whether the lance had caused the wound on his thigh, 544 00:28:12,649 --> 00:28:15,239 or the horse caused the wound on his thigh, 545 00:28:15,360 --> 00:28:18,360 it creates an ulceration in his leg. 546 00:28:18,447 --> 00:28:20,277 The whole thing is just gross. 547 00:28:20,407 --> 00:28:22,737 I mean, the whole bedchamber must have smelled, 548 00:28:22,826 --> 00:28:25,326 and you can imagine the linen bandages around this 549 00:28:25,412 --> 00:28:29,372 that had to be removed and that had caked with this puss. 550 00:28:29,458 --> 00:28:31,078 Rebecca Simon: It’s constantly festering. 551 00:28:31,168 --> 00:28:33,248 It’s angry, and it’s smelly. 552 00:28:33,378 --> 00:28:34,418 That’s the big thing. 553 00:28:34,504 --> 00:28:37,094 People could smell Henry coming down the hall 554 00:28:37,174 --> 00:28:40,014 from many feet away. 555 00:28:40,093 --> 00:28:43,103 Instead of cauterizing it or keeping it sealed up, 556 00:28:43,180 --> 00:28:45,520 the surgeons actually say he should keep the wound open 557 00:28:45,599 --> 00:28:48,439 and have the air come in and try to have the air heal it, 558 00:28:48,518 --> 00:28:51,098 and also so that the puss can continuously be drawn out. 559 00:28:51,230 --> 00:28:56,070 The leg injury never fully heals, and so as a result, 560 00:28:56,151 --> 00:28:59,111 Henry VIII is unable to participate in sports after this. 561 00:28:59,196 --> 00:29:01,446 So his physicality changes. 562 00:29:01,531 --> 00:29:03,781 He goes from being someone in prime shape 563 00:29:03,909 --> 00:29:05,909 and will eventually start gaining weight 564 00:29:05,994 --> 00:29:08,334 until he becomes extremely obese. 565 00:29:10,374 --> 00:29:12,004 Shane Adams: And it was said because of the stress 566 00:29:12,125 --> 00:29:14,785 of watching her husband get into this wreck 567 00:29:14,878 --> 00:29:17,298 and he himself becoming injured, 568 00:29:17,422 --> 00:29:20,682 Henry’s wife Anne Boleyn, the queen, 569 00:29:20,801 --> 00:29:24,931 was close to giving birth and lost the child, 570 00:29:25,013 --> 00:29:27,223 his potential only heir. 571 00:29:29,142 --> 00:29:30,642 Kelly Devries: After his wound, 572 00:29:30,727 --> 00:29:33,977 I mean, we do see Henry become evil. 573 00:29:34,064 --> 00:29:38,074 Larissa Tracy: And he starts worrying about his line of succession even more, 574 00:29:38,151 --> 00:29:42,491 which drives the events that lead him to behead Anne Boleyn, 575 00:29:42,572 --> 00:29:45,702 marry Jane Seymour, marry Anne of Cleves, 576 00:29:45,826 --> 00:29:47,486 then behead Catherine Howard. 577 00:29:47,577 --> 00:29:49,697 Kelly Devries: Only his last wife, 578 00:29:49,830 --> 00:29:52,830 Catherine Parr, will be in there cleaning the wound every day 579 00:29:52,958 --> 00:29:54,998 till he finally dies. 580 00:29:59,965 --> 00:30:08,685 Narrator: But Henry’s is one of many jousting incidents that influences history. 581 00:30:08,765 --> 00:30:10,765 Narrator: France, 1559. 582 00:30:12,811 --> 00:30:16,481 King Henry II hosts a jousting tournament. 583 00:30:16,565 --> 00:30:19,615 Shane Adams: King Henry II of France had a five-day celebration 584 00:30:19,693 --> 00:30:22,453 for his daughter’s wedding and his sister’s wedding. 585 00:30:22,529 --> 00:30:25,069 He was jousting against a dear friend, 586 00:30:25,198 --> 00:30:27,948 Gabriel de Lorges, Count of Montgomery, 587 00:30:28,035 --> 00:30:29,795 a person that he’d been jousting against 588 00:30:29,870 --> 00:30:32,620 time and time again without any problems. 589 00:30:32,706 --> 00:30:34,456 Both of them professionals. 590 00:30:34,541 --> 00:30:37,591 Michael Young: Henry’s wife Catherine de’ Medici 591 00:30:37,711 --> 00:30:40,961 had urged him not to engage in this joust 592 00:30:41,048 --> 00:30:43,628 because of a prophecy 593 00:30:43,717 --> 00:30:47,887 from the prophet Nostradamus. 594 00:30:47,971 --> 00:30:52,981 Nostradamus had foretold that the younger lion 595 00:30:53,060 --> 00:30:56,400 would defeat the older one in battle. 596 00:30:56,521 --> 00:31:00,731 That he would be wounded in the eye 597 00:31:00,817 --> 00:31:03,737 and that two wounds would become one. 598 00:31:05,906 --> 00:31:08,986 In that joust, the count struck Henry 599 00:31:09,076 --> 00:31:10,866 and almost unseated him. 600 00:31:10,952 --> 00:31:13,372 He came back and regained his balance. 601 00:31:13,455 --> 00:31:17,755 And then even though his wife Catherine de’ Medici 602 00:31:17,834 --> 00:31:20,304 tries to stop him from jousting again, 603 00:31:20,420 --> 00:31:22,550 he gets back on his horse. 604 00:31:22,631 --> 00:31:25,341 Shane Adams: The next pass, the lance hit proper and true, 605 00:31:25,425 --> 00:31:29,255 breaking the lance, and a shard of lance came up into the king’s helmet. 606 00:31:34,518 --> 00:31:39,148 Shane Adams: The king, instead of wearing a proper jousting helm, 607 00:31:39,272 --> 00:31:40,982 was wearing a beston helm, 608 00:31:41,108 --> 00:31:44,778 a helmet that had bigger openings for ocularium 609 00:31:44,861 --> 00:31:46,651 for them to be able to see out of. 610 00:31:46,780 --> 00:31:50,330 Well, that opening allowed a lance to come in through 611 00:31:50,450 --> 00:31:52,700 and entered in through the king’s eye. 612 00:31:55,163 --> 00:31:58,123 The king survived for ten more days. 613 00:31:58,250 --> 00:32:00,460 His surgeons were telling him, you know, 614 00:32:00,585 --> 00:32:03,295 we’re basically just a "wait and see" situation. 615 00:32:03,422 --> 00:32:05,672 Meanwhile, the pressure was building up 616 00:32:05,799 --> 00:32:07,129 on the back of the king’s brain, 617 00:32:07,217 --> 00:32:10,047 and ultimately the king died 618 00:32:10,137 --> 00:32:13,637 because of a hematoma from that injury. 619 00:32:13,723 --> 00:32:15,813 Narrator: A conservative Catholic, 620 00:32:15,892 --> 00:32:19,692 Henry II rigorously suppressed all protestant worship, 621 00:32:19,813 --> 00:32:23,823 and his death ignites years of religious turmoil. 622 00:32:23,900 --> 00:32:27,070 Henry II’s death creates the problems 623 00:32:27,154 --> 00:32:30,574 that France will have for the rest of the 16th century and into the 17th century. 624 00:32:30,657 --> 00:32:33,947 It will create the animosity 625 00:32:34,035 --> 00:32:36,405 between Protestants and Catholics. 626 00:32:36,496 --> 00:32:37,826 Larissa Tracy: And it’s this freak accident 627 00:32:37,956 --> 00:32:39,286 in the noble sport of jousting 628 00:32:39,374 --> 00:32:40,504 that kills a king, 629 00:32:40,625 --> 00:32:43,415 and that affects the lineage 630 00:32:43,503 --> 00:32:46,133 that irrevocably changes 631 00:32:46,214 --> 00:32:50,054 the history of the European monarchy. 632 00:32:50,177 --> 00:32:53,677 Narrator: Jousting proves that even the most skilled competitors 633 00:32:53,805 --> 00:32:57,345 can suffer unlucky consequences. 634 00:32:57,476 --> 00:33:00,346 But there’s another even deadlier game 635 00:33:00,437 --> 00:33:03,977 entirely left up to chance. 636 00:33:04,065 --> 00:33:06,895 Ed O’Donnell: The rules of Russian roulette are actually quite simple. 637 00:33:07,027 --> 00:33:10,857 You take a gun, you pop out all the bullets but one, spin the chamber, 638 00:33:10,989 --> 00:33:13,119 and then the gun is passed from person to person, 639 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:15,950 each one putting it to their head, pulling the trigger, 640 00:33:16,036 --> 00:33:18,866 and with each click, and no gun going off, 641 00:33:18,997 --> 00:33:21,457 that means that the next person now has worse odds. 642 00:33:21,541 --> 00:33:23,211 And so each time the trigger is pulled, 643 00:33:23,293 --> 00:33:26,253 the chances of the gun going off and killing the person rise. 644 00:33:26,379 --> 00:33:31,049 Greg Jackson: This is one of the deadliest games ever conceived of. 645 00:33:31,176 --> 00:33:34,676 Your best odds are five out of six that you’re gonna survive. 646 00:33:34,763 --> 00:33:36,013 Ed O’Donnell: With each pull of the trigger, 647 00:33:36,097 --> 00:33:37,267 the laws of probability indicate 648 00:33:37,390 --> 00:33:38,890 that it gets more likely 649 00:33:38,975 --> 00:33:40,475 that there’s gonna be a fatal shot. 650 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:42,480 So the first person that pulls the trigger 651 00:33:42,562 --> 00:33:45,572 has a 16.7% chance of killing themselves, 652 00:33:45,690 --> 00:33:47,400 The next person, it’s 20%. 653 00:33:47,526 --> 00:33:51,196 The next person, it’s 25%, on up to 100%. 654 00:33:51,279 --> 00:33:56,409 Narrator: The origins of this dangerous game are murky at best. 655 00:33:56,493 --> 00:33:58,703 Ed O’Donnell: The legend of Russian roulette 656 00:33:58,787 --> 00:34:02,167 is that it originates in 19th century Russian prisons 657 00:34:02,249 --> 00:34:04,039 where sadistic prison guards forced prisoners 658 00:34:04,125 --> 00:34:05,415 to play Russian roulette. 659 00:34:05,502 --> 00:34:07,302 But the historical record indicates 660 00:34:07,420 --> 00:34:09,510 that there’s very little evidence for any of this. 661 00:34:09,589 --> 00:34:12,509 Rebecca Simon: The first real description that we come across 662 00:34:12,592 --> 00:34:14,842 about Russian roulette comes from the 1840 novel 663 00:34:14,928 --> 00:34:18,928 "The Hero Of Our Time" by Mikhail Lermontov. 664 00:34:19,057 --> 00:34:21,637 In the final chapter, the two characters place a bet 665 00:34:21,768 --> 00:34:24,518 about whether or not free will or fate exists. 666 00:34:24,604 --> 00:34:26,524 So to prove that there is fate, 667 00:34:26,606 --> 00:34:29,726 one of them picks up a pistol, aims it at his temple, 668 00:34:29,818 --> 00:34:32,738 and presses the trigger, but nothing happens. 669 00:34:32,821 --> 00:34:36,071 He then takes the gun, and he aims it up at the ceiling, 670 00:34:36,157 --> 00:34:38,277 and this time a bullet actually hits the ceiling, 671 00:34:38,368 --> 00:34:40,828 thus proving that fate is real. 672 00:34:40,954 --> 00:34:43,214 Narrator: Lermontov’s novel ties Russia 673 00:34:43,290 --> 00:34:46,790 as the birthplace of this dark concept. 674 00:34:46,876 --> 00:34:51,586 But in the 20th century, the term "Russian roulette" 675 00:34:51,673 --> 00:34:54,223 becomes part of global pop culture, 676 00:34:54,301 --> 00:35:01,061 sometimes with lethal consequences. 677 00:35:01,141 --> 00:35:04,141 Narrator: Austin, Texas, 1938. 678 00:35:04,269 --> 00:35:08,649 At a party to celebrate his 21st birthday, 679 00:35:08,732 --> 00:35:15,992 Thomas H. Markley plays a fatal game of chance. 680 00:35:16,072 --> 00:35:20,912 Greg Jackson: Thomas Markley, a young Texan with a bright future ahead of him. 681 00:35:20,994 --> 00:35:25,374 He’s recently pushed through university, gotten his education. 682 00:35:25,498 --> 00:35:29,498 On his 21st birthday, he plays Russian roulette, 683 00:35:29,586 --> 00:35:31,206 and he loses. 684 00:35:31,338 --> 00:35:32,878 That’s the first death 685 00:35:33,006 --> 00:35:36,836 in the United States from Russian roulette. 686 00:35:36,968 --> 00:35:40,008 Narrator: Markley’s tragic death occurs only one year 687 00:35:40,138 --> 00:35:42,178 after the term Russian roulette 688 00:35:42,265 --> 00:35:46,635 is coined by writer George Surdez in a work of pulp fiction. 689 00:35:46,728 --> 00:35:48,688 Michael Shelden: George Surdez, 690 00:35:48,772 --> 00:35:52,192 in an article for "Collier’s Magazine" in 1937, 691 00:35:52,275 --> 00:35:54,855 actually uses the phrase Russian roulette 692 00:35:54,986 --> 00:35:58,406 to describe exactly what we today think of as Russian roulette. 693 00:35:58,531 --> 00:36:01,121 Even the Oxford English Dictionary cites that 694 00:36:01,201 --> 00:36:05,041 as the first example of the use of that phrase. 695 00:36:05,163 --> 00:36:07,713 Narrator: Before long, the game catches on, 696 00:36:07,791 --> 00:36:11,421 attracting some now famous players. 697 00:36:11,544 --> 00:36:13,924 Greg Jackson: Malcolm X is well-known for his contributions 698 00:36:14,047 --> 00:36:15,917 to the Civil Rights movement. 699 00:36:16,049 --> 00:36:18,969 On his path to coming to some of those ideas though 700 00:36:19,052 --> 00:36:22,642 was a darker phase, the phase that took him ultimately to jail. 701 00:36:22,722 --> 00:36:24,932 Part of what led him to jail was a burglary ring 702 00:36:25,058 --> 00:36:27,728 that he participated in and kind of ran. 703 00:36:27,811 --> 00:36:31,651 Michael Shelden: Malcolm X wanted to impress his fellow burglars. 704 00:36:31,731 --> 00:36:35,401 He wanted them to know that he was one hell of a strong guy, 705 00:36:35,527 --> 00:36:37,737 that he would take risks, 706 00:36:37,862 --> 00:36:40,742 and he used to say that he had played Russian roulette. 707 00:36:40,865 --> 00:36:44,365 Greg Jackson: He describes this in his autobiography. 708 00:36:44,452 --> 00:36:46,502 He mentions using Russian roulette 709 00:36:46,579 --> 00:36:50,419 as a way to demonstrate his prowess, his dominance. 710 00:36:50,542 --> 00:36:54,342 So he picks up the gun, gives it a spin, 711 00:36:54,421 --> 00:36:57,051 puts it up to his head, pulls the trigger. 712 00:36:57,132 --> 00:36:58,592 Nothing. 713 00:36:58,717 --> 00:37:00,587 And then he does it again, and again. 714 00:37:00,677 --> 00:37:02,967 And of course, every single time he’s doing it, 715 00:37:03,096 --> 00:37:04,926 that cylinder’s clicking away. 716 00:37:05,056 --> 00:37:06,676 So those who are watching, 717 00:37:06,766 --> 00:37:09,886 they’re sure that death is just around the corner. 718 00:37:12,439 --> 00:37:14,769 What they don’t know is that he’s actually palmed the round. 719 00:37:14,858 --> 00:37:16,938 Rather than actually loading it in the gun, 720 00:37:17,026 --> 00:37:20,776 he took the bullet and he put it into the palm of his hand. 721 00:37:20,864 --> 00:37:22,494 So he was in no danger, 722 00:37:22,615 --> 00:37:24,195 but had the bullet actually been in there, 723 00:37:24,284 --> 00:37:26,914 he would have been. 724 00:37:26,995 --> 00:37:29,465 Narrator: From there, Russian roulette takes hold 725 00:37:29,581 --> 00:37:31,541 in the entertainment industry. 726 00:37:33,585 --> 00:37:36,005 Greg Jackson: So, in 1954 it was reported 727 00:37:36,129 --> 00:37:38,299 that Johnny Ace-- a blues musician, 728 00:37:38,381 --> 00:37:40,511 celebrated, brilliant musician-- 729 00:37:40,633 --> 00:37:45,973 he decides to give Russian roulette a go, and he loses. 730 00:37:46,097 --> 00:37:48,387 Freddie Prinze in the 1970s, 731 00:37:48,475 --> 00:37:52,235 at that point he’s a young twenty-something comedian, 732 00:37:52,312 --> 00:37:56,652 and he plays it frequently. He doesn’t think much of it. 733 00:37:56,775 --> 00:37:58,155 He’ll call his friends, kind of laugh about it. 734 00:37:58,276 --> 00:38:00,026 He plays in front of his manager, 735 00:38:00,153 --> 00:38:03,493 spins the cylinder, goes for it. 736 00:38:03,615 --> 00:38:04,665 ( gunshot ) 737 00:38:04,741 --> 00:38:06,581 Narrator: While Prinze eventually dies 738 00:38:06,659 --> 00:38:08,449 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound 739 00:38:08,536 --> 00:38:11,826 on January 29th, 1977, 740 00:38:11,956 --> 00:38:14,666 it’s not from Russian roulette. 741 00:38:14,751 --> 00:38:17,171 However, it has been estimated 742 00:38:17,295 --> 00:38:19,415 that well over a thousand people in the U.S. 743 00:38:19,506 --> 00:38:23,376 have died from playing the game. 744 00:38:23,510 --> 00:38:29,100 But perhaps the most famous example of Russian roulette is fictional. 745 00:38:29,182 --> 00:38:32,272 Greg Jackson: Hollywood films over several decades glamorized it. 746 00:38:32,352 --> 00:38:34,272 It’s what made it seem like a way 747 00:38:34,354 --> 00:38:38,024 to demonstrate manliness, bravado, 748 00:38:38,149 --> 00:38:41,189 in an extremely unhealthy, dangerous way. 749 00:38:42,779 --> 00:38:44,699 Narrator: The game plays a major part 750 00:38:44,823 --> 00:38:47,533 in the 1979 Oscar winner for Best Picture 751 00:38:47,659 --> 00:38:50,369 "The Deer Hunter." 752 00:38:50,453 --> 00:38:54,543 Starring Robert de Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep, 753 00:38:54,666 --> 00:38:57,206 the film uses Russian roulette as a metaphor 754 00:38:57,335 --> 00:39:00,545 for soldiers fighting in the Vietnam War. 755 00:39:00,672 --> 00:39:03,592 Michael Shelden: "The Deer Hunter" uses Russian roulette 756 00:39:03,716 --> 00:39:06,046 to great effect and to frightening effect. 757 00:39:06,177 --> 00:39:09,637 It’s always been a kind of desperate resort 758 00:39:09,722 --> 00:39:15,732 for people who felt so downfallen that they didn’t want to live 759 00:39:15,812 --> 00:39:19,072 and wanted to see if they could take a chance and go. 760 00:39:19,148 --> 00:39:22,568 But it’s also been seen as a way of testing your will, 761 00:39:22,652 --> 00:39:26,412 of proving really whether you cared enough 762 00:39:26,531 --> 00:39:28,411 to continue playing or not. 763 00:39:30,034 --> 00:39:31,704 Narrator: These fictitious accounts 764 00:39:31,786 --> 00:39:34,616 keep this adrenaline-fueled deadly game alive 765 00:39:34,747 --> 00:39:38,127 in the popular imagination, 766 00:39:38,251 --> 00:39:41,921 with lethal consequences. 767 00:39:42,046 --> 00:39:44,756 Michael Shelden: It’s common to have copycat crimes, 768 00:39:44,841 --> 00:39:49,141 and I think when Russian roulette is popular in the culture 769 00:39:49,262 --> 00:39:50,602 and people are talking about it, 770 00:39:50,722 --> 00:39:51,972 somebody’s going to be tempted 771 00:39:52,098 --> 00:39:54,768 to try to do that particular act 772 00:39:54,893 --> 00:39:57,943 because we’ll always have bored and depressed 773 00:39:58,062 --> 00:40:01,072 and anxious and desperate people. 774 00:40:01,149 --> 00:40:03,939 If more than a thousand Americans have died 775 00:40:04,027 --> 00:40:06,607 since the 1940s playing this game, 776 00:40:06,738 --> 00:40:08,528 that’s very serious. 777 00:40:08,615 --> 00:40:12,955 Greg Jackson: In my opinion, this grew out of literature. 778 00:40:13,077 --> 00:40:14,867 It grew out of pulp fiction, 779 00:40:14,954 --> 00:40:16,624 and society at large convinced itself 780 00:40:16,748 --> 00:40:18,458 that there was a deeper history to it. 781 00:40:18,583 --> 00:40:21,133 And once society decided that Russian roulette was a thing, 782 00:40:21,210 --> 00:40:24,130 it seeped to existence. 783 00:40:24,255 --> 00:40:26,665 Regardless of its origins, it’s very real now. 784 00:40:26,799 --> 00:40:30,179 It really speaks to the power of the written word, 785 00:40:30,303 --> 00:40:32,303 of literature. 786 00:40:32,388 --> 00:40:34,848 Russian roulette is part of a long historical trend 787 00:40:34,974 --> 00:40:38,394 of people being attracted to not just dangerous games, but deadly games, 788 00:40:38,478 --> 00:40:40,348 games where they might in fact lose their life, 789 00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:42,440 like jousting in the medieval period. 790 00:40:42,523 --> 00:40:44,983 Why would anybody do that? 791 00:40:45,068 --> 00:40:49,318 Narrator: While winning a deadly game could bring bragging rights, 792 00:40:49,447 --> 00:40:51,987 fame, and fortune, 793 00:40:52,075 --> 00:40:57,295 the price for losing could be your life. 794 00:40:57,372 --> 00:41:00,922 ( crowd cheering )