1 00:00:01,668 --> 00:00:03,545 On this episode of "Expedition Files." 2 00:00:03,670 --> 00:00:04,880 [intriguing music plays] 3 00:00:05,005 --> 00:00:09,259 [Josh] In 1934, legendary inventor Nikola Tesla claims 4 00:00:09,343 --> 00:00:12,012 he's built a ray gun capable of obliterating 5 00:00:12,137 --> 00:00:13,555 anything in its path. 6 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,015 [power voltage buzz] 7 00:00:18,018 --> 00:00:21,188 [Josh] But the super weapon is never discovered. 8 00:00:21,313 --> 00:00:24,566 Nearly a century later, newly declassified documents 9 00:00:24,691 --> 00:00:26,485 finally reveal the truth 10 00:00:26,568 --> 00:00:29,321 behind Tesla's most mysterious invention -- 11 00:00:29,404 --> 00:00:30,656 the death ray. 12 00:00:32,491 --> 00:00:37,371 Then, in 1676, a Sicilian nun says she's overtaken 13 00:00:37,454 --> 00:00:39,039 by a mysterious force, 14 00:00:39,164 --> 00:00:41,917 writing 14 lines of cryptic symbols 15 00:00:42,042 --> 00:00:43,877 that no one can understand. 16 00:00:43,961 --> 00:00:45,796 The church believes it's the work 17 00:00:45,879 --> 00:00:47,172 of the Devil himself. 18 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,886 Today, cutting-edge technology decodes the sinister message. 19 00:00:55,222 --> 00:00:56,974 And in ancient Greece, 20 00:00:57,057 --> 00:00:59,851 people would visit the Oracle of Delphi -- 21 00:00:59,935 --> 00:01:02,771 a priestess who claimed to communicate with the gods 22 00:01:02,896 --> 00:01:04,522 and reveal the future. 23 00:01:05,566 --> 00:01:08,402 Now, scientists believe they've uncovered 24 00:01:08,527 --> 00:01:12,823 a startlingly real explanation for her otherworldly powers. 25 00:01:15,325 --> 00:01:16,910 [mysterious music plays] 26 00:01:16,994 --> 00:01:18,412 In the corridors of time 27 00:01:20,789 --> 00:01:23,500 are mysteries that defy explanation. 28 00:01:25,377 --> 00:01:28,755 Now, I'm traveling through history itself 29 00:01:31,466 --> 00:01:33,009 on a search for the truth. 30 00:01:35,554 --> 00:01:36,763 New evidence. 31 00:01:38,473 --> 00:01:39,765 Shocking answers. 32 00:01:41,685 --> 00:01:42,686 I'm Josh Gates. 33 00:01:44,021 --> 00:01:45,021 And these... 34 00:01:47,274 --> 00:01:49,067 are my "Expedition files." 35 00:01:52,613 --> 00:01:55,949 People often ask me if I believe in the supernatural. 36 00:01:56,033 --> 00:01:59,620 I always say I'm a born skeptic with a very open mind. 37 00:01:59,745 --> 00:02:02,956 And after the many, many things I've seen on my adventures, 38 00:02:03,081 --> 00:02:05,626 I've learned that the so-called impossible 39 00:02:05,709 --> 00:02:07,252 can be all too possible. 40 00:02:07,336 --> 00:02:10,380 So tonight, check your skepticism out the door 41 00:02:10,464 --> 00:02:14,343 as we explore three shocking stories of the supernatural. 42 00:02:14,468 --> 00:02:16,595 Searching beneath the sensationalism 43 00:02:16,678 --> 00:02:19,514 to discover what actually lives up to the billing 44 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:21,391 of strange but true. 45 00:02:21,475 --> 00:02:23,226 So, let's begin 46 00:02:23,310 --> 00:02:27,189 on January 9th, 1943, in Manhattan. 47 00:02:28,482 --> 00:02:30,567 The city is covered by winter clouds, 48 00:02:30,651 --> 00:02:33,153 but inside the Hotel New Yorker, 49 00:02:33,236 --> 00:02:35,155 it's more a blanket of secrecy. 50 00:02:35,238 --> 00:02:37,449 Two days earlier, the famed inventor 51 00:02:37,531 --> 00:02:38,659 Nikola Tesla 52 00:02:38,742 --> 00:02:40,702 died in this very suite, 53 00:02:40,827 --> 00:02:43,622 and these guys aren't here to make up the room. 54 00:02:43,704 --> 00:02:46,166 They're government agents on a mission to secure 55 00:02:46,291 --> 00:02:47,709 Tesla's belongings, 56 00:02:47,834 --> 00:02:50,462 because the safety of America may depend on it. 57 00:02:50,545 --> 00:02:52,881 Somewhere in this room, there's supposed to be 58 00:02:53,006 --> 00:02:54,591 a hidden super weapon, 59 00:02:54,675 --> 00:02:56,343 or at least the plans for it. 60 00:02:56,468 --> 00:03:00,555 A death ray so strong it can obliterate anything in its path. 61 00:03:00,681 --> 00:03:03,183 But does it actually exist? 62 00:03:03,308 --> 00:03:06,019 The question of whether Tesla succeeded in creating 63 00:03:06,103 --> 00:03:10,482 this deadly device will be fiercely debated for 80 years. 64 00:03:10,565 --> 00:03:13,193 That is, until declassified documents 65 00:03:13,318 --> 00:03:15,779 emit a burning beam of truth. 66 00:03:22,869 --> 00:03:24,704 ♪♪ 67 00:03:24,829 --> 00:03:26,581 [Josh] These days, when you hear the name "Tesla," 68 00:03:26,707 --> 00:03:28,542 you probably think of an electric car 69 00:03:28,667 --> 00:03:29,835 with annoying door handles. 70 00:03:29,918 --> 00:03:30,836 [sliding effect] 71 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:34,047 But our story begins 152 years earlier 72 00:03:34,131 --> 00:03:36,966 with the man the car is named after. 73 00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:38,593 [voltage buzzing] 74 00:03:38,719 --> 00:03:39,636 [thunder roars] 75 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,764 [Josh] Born during a lightning storm in 1856 76 00:03:42,889 --> 00:03:44,349 in what is now Croatia, 77 00:03:46,017 --> 00:03:49,771 Nikola Tesla is a prodigy in mathematics and physics, 78 00:03:49,896 --> 00:03:52,441 obsessed with creating electric motors. 79 00:03:52,566 --> 00:03:54,692 -[ticking] -[soft music plays] 80 00:03:56,445 --> 00:03:58,905 [Josh] After pioneering success in Europe, 81 00:03:59,030 --> 00:04:01,867 in 1884, Tesla moves to the U.S. 82 00:04:01,950 --> 00:04:04,119 to work for America's greatest inventor -- 83 00:04:04,244 --> 00:04:05,328 Thomas Edison. 84 00:04:05,412 --> 00:04:07,748 ♪♪ 85 00:04:07,873 --> 00:04:10,876 Edison is already famed for creating the light bulb 86 00:04:10,959 --> 00:04:13,253 and the first sound recorder. 87 00:04:13,378 --> 00:04:14,755 To power his inventions, 88 00:04:14,838 --> 00:04:17,841 he uses direct current, or DC. 89 00:04:17,923 --> 00:04:19,885 A one way flow of electricity 90 00:04:19,968 --> 00:04:22,888 that works well over short distances. 91 00:04:22,971 --> 00:04:25,640 But DC has a major limitation -- 92 00:04:25,766 --> 00:04:28,435 it can't travel far without losing power. 93 00:04:29,603 --> 00:04:34,065 Tesla sees that flaw and turns to alternating current, or AC, 94 00:04:34,149 --> 00:04:36,193 which can be transmitted at high voltage 95 00:04:36,276 --> 00:04:37,778 over long distances, 96 00:04:37,903 --> 00:04:41,198 and then reduced to safe levels for everyday use, 97 00:04:41,281 --> 00:04:43,909 making it far more efficient. 98 00:04:43,992 --> 00:04:46,912 With his characteristic monomaniacal focus, 99 00:04:46,995 --> 00:04:49,831 Tesla quits working for Edison after just a year 100 00:04:49,956 --> 00:04:52,584 and goes out on his own to make AC work. 101 00:04:55,629 --> 00:04:58,006 And in 1888, he succeeds. 102 00:04:59,090 --> 00:05:01,259 [inspiring music plays] 103 00:05:01,343 --> 00:05:04,596 Tesla invents an induction motor that runs on AC 104 00:05:04,679 --> 00:05:06,890 to operate machines, tools, 105 00:05:06,973 --> 00:05:08,558 even entire factories. 106 00:05:12,896 --> 00:05:16,691 In 1893, Tesla becomes a household name 107 00:05:16,817 --> 00:05:19,152 as his AC generator system 108 00:05:19,236 --> 00:05:21,404 lights up the Chicago World's Fair, 109 00:05:21,488 --> 00:05:23,073 dazzling millions. 110 00:05:23,156 --> 00:05:25,367 The so-called war of the currents 111 00:05:25,492 --> 00:05:28,745 between DC and AC is officially over. 112 00:05:28,829 --> 00:05:30,664 Edison may have invented the light bulb, 113 00:05:30,789 --> 00:05:34,417 but Tesla invented something much, much bigger -- 114 00:05:34,501 --> 00:05:37,587 the entire electrical grid used to power it. 115 00:05:37,671 --> 00:05:38,880 In other words, 116 00:05:39,005 --> 00:05:41,132 you couldn't be watching me on that screen right now 117 00:05:41,216 --> 00:05:42,634 without Nikola Tesla. 118 00:05:45,345 --> 00:05:46,513 [Tesla] Behold. 119 00:05:49,182 --> 00:05:52,477 [Josh] And Tesla's inventions don't stop with the AC generators. 120 00:05:52,561 --> 00:05:53,603 [buzzing] 121 00:05:53,687 --> 00:05:56,982 In 1891, he invents the Tesla coil, 122 00:05:57,065 --> 00:06:00,777 proving electricity can transmit wirelessly through the air, 123 00:06:00,861 --> 00:06:03,238 laying the groundwork for things like radio, 124 00:06:03,363 --> 00:06:05,240 radar, and wireless charging. 125 00:06:06,449 --> 00:06:08,577 He also helps birth X-ray technology 126 00:06:08,702 --> 00:06:10,328 and fluorescent lighting. 127 00:06:13,206 --> 00:06:15,083 But for all his brilliance in the lab, 128 00:06:15,208 --> 00:06:17,878 Tesla proves to be a poor businessman. 129 00:06:17,961 --> 00:06:20,213 Just like his beloved AC current, 130 00:06:20,297 --> 00:06:22,549 his fortunes swing wildly. 131 00:06:22,674 --> 00:06:24,384 At times, he has millions. 132 00:06:24,467 --> 00:06:26,469 At others, he's nearly penniless. 133 00:06:27,721 --> 00:06:29,764 He gives away valuable patents, 134 00:06:29,890 --> 00:06:31,892 picks public fights with rivals, 135 00:06:31,975 --> 00:06:36,396 and chases ideas so ambitious they scare off investors. 136 00:06:36,479 --> 00:06:39,107 And no idea is more bold or scary 137 00:06:39,232 --> 00:06:41,985 than an invention he calls Teleforce. 138 00:06:43,528 --> 00:06:46,072 In 1934, at 78 years old, 139 00:06:46,197 --> 00:06:49,576 Tesla announces he's devised a particle beam weapon 140 00:06:49,659 --> 00:06:52,120 that could destroy tanks, ships, 141 00:06:52,245 --> 00:06:54,915 even aircraft from hundreds of miles away. 142 00:06:56,750 --> 00:07:00,128 It soon earns a more sensational nickname in the press -- 143 00:07:00,253 --> 00:07:01,338 the Death Ray. 144 00:07:02,547 --> 00:07:04,633 This new weapon, Tesla claims, 145 00:07:04,758 --> 00:07:07,427 could slice through metal like a hot knife through butter. 146 00:07:11,139 --> 00:07:13,850 He also believes it could act as an invisible shield, 147 00:07:13,934 --> 00:07:17,270 protecting a country with a wall of energy so powerful 148 00:07:17,395 --> 00:07:19,689 that war itself would become pointless. 149 00:07:21,483 --> 00:07:24,694 Tesla insists he's even tested the revolutionary weapon, 150 00:07:24,778 --> 00:07:27,364 but never shares any details of those experiments. 151 00:07:28,490 --> 00:07:30,951 [voltage buzzing] 152 00:07:37,916 --> 00:07:40,877 Still, he pitches the idea to multiple governments, 153 00:07:40,961 --> 00:07:44,047 U.S., the U.K., and the USSR, 154 00:07:44,130 --> 00:07:46,883 despite never publicly demonstrating it. 155 00:07:46,967 --> 00:07:49,636 Most potential buyers turn him down, 156 00:07:49,761 --> 00:07:52,347 and by 1935, Tesla is in debt 157 00:07:52,472 --> 00:07:54,766 and unable to pay his bills. 158 00:07:54,849 --> 00:07:58,770 [military chanting] 159 00:07:58,853 --> 00:08:01,648 [Josh] Then, a company connected to the Soviet government 160 00:08:01,773 --> 00:08:05,694 pays him $25,000 for plans and blueprints. 161 00:08:05,819 --> 00:08:08,530 But a working prototype is not part of the deal. 162 00:08:11,157 --> 00:08:13,034 [bomb explosions] 163 00:08:13,159 --> 00:08:15,829 [Josh] Before the deal can be completely sealed, 164 00:08:15,954 --> 00:08:17,580 World War II ignites. 165 00:08:18,999 --> 00:08:21,334 But Tesla's supposed super weapon does not 166 00:08:21,459 --> 00:08:22,585 enter the battlefield. 167 00:08:29,509 --> 00:08:32,846 Flash forward to January 7th, 1943. 168 00:08:32,971 --> 00:08:35,974 Tesla is living in a room at the Hotel New Yorker 169 00:08:36,057 --> 00:08:37,267 and heads off to bed. 170 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:42,022 But he'll never wake up. 171 00:08:42,105 --> 00:08:44,649 He passes away in his sleep from a blood clot. 172 00:08:47,944 --> 00:08:51,740 By now, Tesla was broke and has no fortune to leave behind. 173 00:08:51,865 --> 00:08:53,324 But almost immediately, 174 00:08:53,408 --> 00:08:56,578 rumors begin to circulate about a locked wooden trunk 175 00:08:56,703 --> 00:08:58,872 amidst his personal effects. 176 00:08:58,997 --> 00:09:01,041 Hotel staff claim Tesla told them 177 00:09:01,124 --> 00:09:04,461 that the box contains the fabled Teleforce prototype. 178 00:09:07,213 --> 00:09:09,841 Suddenly, there's a rush to lock down everything 179 00:09:09,924 --> 00:09:11,217 belonging to Tesla. 180 00:09:11,301 --> 00:09:14,345 The U.S. government is at war and realizes the risk of 181 00:09:14,429 --> 00:09:17,891 a potential super weapon falling into enemy hands. 182 00:09:17,974 --> 00:09:20,560 They dispatch the FBI to Tesla's hotel room 183 00:09:20,643 --> 00:09:22,854 to secure the scene. 184 00:09:22,937 --> 00:09:25,565 The feds lock down his papers and possessions, 185 00:09:25,690 --> 00:09:27,358 but they will have to fight to keep them. 186 00:09:29,486 --> 00:09:32,072 Tesla's nephew, a Yugoslavian diplomat 187 00:09:32,155 --> 00:09:34,824 named Sava Kosanovic, enters the picture. 188 00:09:34,908 --> 00:09:36,743 He argues that Tesla's possessions 189 00:09:36,868 --> 00:09:37,952 are the rightful property 190 00:09:38,078 --> 00:09:41,039 of his family and his homeland, Yugoslavia. 191 00:09:42,957 --> 00:09:45,085 After eight years of back and forth, 192 00:09:45,168 --> 00:09:48,421 in 1952, Tesla's nephew finally gets permission 193 00:09:48,505 --> 00:09:51,424 to ship his uncle's estate to Europe. 194 00:09:51,508 --> 00:09:53,885 The 60 cases and their contents, 195 00:09:53,968 --> 00:09:56,471 as well as Tesla's personal papers, 196 00:09:56,596 --> 00:09:58,098 are now under lock and key 197 00:09:58,181 --> 00:10:00,975 in the Nikola Tesla Archives in Belgrade, Serbia. 198 00:10:03,394 --> 00:10:07,190 But do those papers contain any proof of Tesla's death ray? 199 00:10:07,273 --> 00:10:10,110 Was he really able to construct a prototype? 200 00:10:10,193 --> 00:10:12,445 And if so, what happened to it? 201 00:10:12,529 --> 00:10:15,198 For over 60 years they're silenced, 202 00:10:15,281 --> 00:10:17,075 until, in 2016, 203 00:10:17,158 --> 00:10:19,994 a remarkable breakthrough changes everything. 204 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:21,454 What follows unfolds 205 00:10:21,579 --> 00:10:24,374 like a real-life Cold War spy thriller. 206 00:10:33,091 --> 00:10:35,301 Famed inventor, Nikola Tesla, died in 1943, 207 00:10:35,385 --> 00:10:37,637 but before he did, he claimed to have created 208 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:40,557 a death ray called, the Teleforce. 209 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:43,309 For decades, any proof of Tesla's super weapon 210 00:10:43,393 --> 00:10:45,061 remained elusive. 211 00:10:45,145 --> 00:10:48,940 Then, in 2016, a Freedom of Information Act request 212 00:10:49,065 --> 00:10:52,402 forces the release of classified U.S. government documents 213 00:10:52,527 --> 00:10:53,778 about Tesla. 214 00:10:53,903 --> 00:10:56,573 Historian, Stephen Kotowych, studied the files 215 00:10:56,698 --> 00:10:58,199 and their shocking revelations. 216 00:10:58,283 --> 00:11:00,410 [mysterious music plays] 217 00:11:00,535 --> 00:11:03,079 The 2016 release of the classified files was 218 00:11:03,163 --> 00:11:05,540 a game changer for Tesla research. 219 00:11:05,623 --> 00:11:07,917 We finally, for the first time, understood all of 220 00:11:08,042 --> 00:11:09,586 the behind the scenes scramble 221 00:11:09,711 --> 00:11:12,297 to get to hold of Tesla's materials after his death. 222 00:11:12,422 --> 00:11:16,092 One of the things we learned is that in January of 1943, 223 00:11:16,217 --> 00:11:20,013 the National Defense Research Committee tasks Dr. John Trump 224 00:11:20,096 --> 00:11:22,473 with sorting through Tesla's belongings 225 00:11:22,599 --> 00:11:25,602 in search for any weapons technology 226 00:11:25,727 --> 00:11:27,437 that might be useful for the Allied war effort. 227 00:11:28,563 --> 00:11:30,315 You heard right, Trump. 228 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:34,152 Dr. John G. Trump was the future U.S. president's uncle. 229 00:11:34,277 --> 00:11:36,946 At the time, Dr. Trump was a professor at MIT, 230 00:11:37,071 --> 00:11:39,324 an expert in electrical engineering. 231 00:11:39,449 --> 00:11:41,326 Trump reviewed Tesla's notes 232 00:11:41,451 --> 00:11:43,244 and concluded there was, quote. 233 00:11:43,328 --> 00:11:45,121 "Nothing of significant value." 234 00:11:45,205 --> 00:11:48,374 No new sound, workable principles or methods. 235 00:11:48,458 --> 00:11:49,959 But Stephen Kotowych suspects 236 00:11:50,043 --> 00:11:52,086 this statement was a smokescreen. 237 00:11:53,171 --> 00:11:54,964 [Stephen] If there was nothing in these files, 238 00:11:55,048 --> 00:11:56,841 then why would the United States fight so hard 239 00:11:56,966 --> 00:11:58,176 to keep hold of them? 240 00:11:58,301 --> 00:12:00,637 The United States government goes on for nearly a decade 241 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:04,557 to fight the release of Tesla's belongings to his next of kin 242 00:12:04,641 --> 00:12:07,310 and to the museum in Belgrade. 243 00:12:07,393 --> 00:12:10,563 One of the big revelations was the issue of many crates were 244 00:12:10,647 --> 00:12:11,856 in Tesla's possession 245 00:12:11,981 --> 00:12:14,984 and how many of those crates made their way to Belgrade. 246 00:12:15,068 --> 00:12:16,486 [Josh] According to the FBI, 247 00:12:16,569 --> 00:12:18,905 Tesla reported that he had 80 cases 248 00:12:18,988 --> 00:12:22,659 containing transcripts and plans concerning his experiments. 249 00:12:22,784 --> 00:12:26,663 But only 60 cases arrived in Europe in 1952, 250 00:12:26,788 --> 00:12:28,248 and it gets stranger. 251 00:12:29,415 --> 00:12:30,458 The question becomes, 252 00:12:30,541 --> 00:12:32,752 what happened to that missing 20 cases? 253 00:12:32,835 --> 00:12:36,464 The most logical explanation is that 80 cases that were 254 00:12:36,547 --> 00:12:38,925 half-full were condensed down into 60 cases 255 00:12:39,008 --> 00:12:42,303 that were completely full, just to make it easier to ship. 256 00:12:42,387 --> 00:12:46,182 But people have fixated on these missing 20 cases. 257 00:12:46,266 --> 00:12:48,434 Does the U.S. government still have hold of them, 258 00:12:48,518 --> 00:12:49,644 and for what reason? 259 00:12:50,895 --> 00:12:52,438 There could be anything in them, which is why 260 00:12:52,522 --> 00:12:54,524 I think speculation about them has been so tantalizing 261 00:12:54,649 --> 00:12:55,650 for researchers. 262 00:12:56,985 --> 00:12:58,820 [Josh] And what about that particular trunk, 263 00:12:58,903 --> 00:13:02,115 rumored by Tesla himself to contain his death ray? 264 00:13:02,198 --> 00:13:05,201 Thanks to these newly released documents, we have an answer. 265 00:13:06,786 --> 00:13:08,204 -[Dr. Trump] Is that the case? -[employee] Yeah. 266 00:13:08,288 --> 00:13:10,290 The staff of the Hotel New Yorker 267 00:13:10,373 --> 00:13:12,709 take Dr. Trump down to the basement. 268 00:13:12,792 --> 00:13:15,712 They point out the crate that Tesla has left there. 269 00:13:15,795 --> 00:13:17,714 When he left the crate, Tesla said, 270 00:13:17,839 --> 00:13:19,215 "No one is to disturb this." 271 00:13:19,299 --> 00:13:20,883 [employee] That one right there. 272 00:13:20,967 --> 00:13:22,510 [Stephen] "The contents are very dangerous. 273 00:13:22,593 --> 00:13:25,305 "If anyone unauthorized tries to open it, it will explode. 274 00:13:25,388 --> 00:13:26,973 It could destroy the hotel." 275 00:13:27,056 --> 00:13:30,101 Dr. Trump says, "All right, I will open this crate. 276 00:13:30,226 --> 00:13:32,103 Everybody can step back." 277 00:13:32,228 --> 00:13:34,355 Dr. Trump opens the crate, 278 00:13:35,982 --> 00:13:37,984 and it's a big letdown. 279 00:13:38,067 --> 00:13:39,444 [employee] What is it? 280 00:13:42,071 --> 00:13:44,782 [Stephen] The only thing in it is an old piece of lab equipment, 281 00:13:44,907 --> 00:13:46,326 a resistance box, 282 00:13:46,409 --> 00:13:47,994 and there's certainly no prototype 283 00:13:48,077 --> 00:13:50,621 for the Teleforce device. 284 00:13:50,747 --> 00:13:53,665 [Josh] Historians now suspect Tesla exaggerated the value 285 00:13:53,750 --> 00:13:57,628 of the box, making it sound far more important than it was, 286 00:13:57,754 --> 00:14:00,590 so he could use it as collateral with hotel staff, 287 00:14:00,673 --> 00:14:04,218 as he was more than $400 behind on rent at the time. 288 00:14:05,303 --> 00:14:08,097 In other words, a ruse concocted by Tesla 289 00:14:08,181 --> 00:14:09,766 to help pay off his debts. 290 00:14:12,268 --> 00:14:15,271 So although we can seemingly rule out the existence of 291 00:14:15,355 --> 00:14:17,106 a death ray prototype, 292 00:14:17,190 --> 00:14:20,777 evidence from elsewhere in the declassified FBI files 293 00:14:20,860 --> 00:14:23,946 suggests there may still be much more to this story 294 00:14:24,030 --> 00:14:25,907 than the U.S. government declared. 295 00:14:27,367 --> 00:14:30,286 Because even if a working prototype was never built, 296 00:14:30,411 --> 00:14:32,622 the idea itself was real. 297 00:14:32,747 --> 00:14:35,750 Tesla designed a system that would fire a concentrated 298 00:14:35,833 --> 00:14:37,668 stream of charged particles, 299 00:14:37,794 --> 00:14:39,545 essentially a beam of energy, 300 00:14:39,629 --> 00:14:41,964 that could potentially disable aircraft 301 00:14:42,048 --> 00:14:44,008 and act as a defensive shield. 302 00:14:45,676 --> 00:14:48,471 Newly declassified FBI files show 303 00:14:48,596 --> 00:14:50,264 that back in 1945, 304 00:14:50,348 --> 00:14:52,683 the U.S. government was working to find out 305 00:14:52,809 --> 00:14:56,020 what Tesla's Teleforce could actually do. 306 00:14:56,145 --> 00:14:58,398 The U.S. government launched Project Nick 307 00:14:58,481 --> 00:15:00,650 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. 308 00:15:00,775 --> 00:15:04,570 This was a top secret project that was designed to investigate 309 00:15:04,654 --> 00:15:08,616 how Tesla's Teleforce could be used as a defensive measure 310 00:15:08,699 --> 00:15:11,160 to protect the United States against nuclear attack 311 00:15:11,285 --> 00:15:12,537 by the Soviet Union. 312 00:15:14,580 --> 00:15:17,166 [Josh] Among those involved was Bloyce Fitzgerald, 313 00:15:17,250 --> 00:15:19,752 a young electrical engineer who had known Tesla 314 00:15:19,836 --> 00:15:21,838 and corresponded with him during his life. 315 00:15:23,423 --> 00:15:25,716 A strong believer in Tesla's Teleforce, 316 00:15:25,842 --> 00:15:27,718 Fitzgerald worked with the government 317 00:15:27,844 --> 00:15:30,680 to analyze Tesla's notes and help determine 318 00:15:30,763 --> 00:15:32,181 whether a practical version 319 00:15:32,265 --> 00:15:34,350 of the particle beam weapon could be built. 320 00:15:36,227 --> 00:15:39,605 While there's no evidence a working system was ever created, 321 00:15:39,689 --> 00:15:43,234 the ideas themselves continued to shape future research. 322 00:15:47,071 --> 00:15:50,074 [Stephen] Tesla's ideas have really laid the foundation for a lot of 323 00:15:50,199 --> 00:15:53,077 modern research into directed energy weapons. 324 00:15:53,202 --> 00:15:56,164 In 1983, President Ronald Reagan announced 325 00:15:56,247 --> 00:15:58,040 the Strategic Defense Initiative, 326 00:15:58,124 --> 00:16:00,042 which was nicknamed "Star Wars." 327 00:16:00,126 --> 00:16:02,879 Proceeding boldly with these new technologies, 328 00:16:03,004 --> 00:16:05,339 we can significantly reduce any incentive 329 00:16:05,423 --> 00:16:07,383 that the Soviet Union may have 330 00:16:07,467 --> 00:16:11,262 to threaten attack against the United States or its allies. 331 00:16:11,387 --> 00:16:15,975 It was the idea of using ground- based and space-based lasers 332 00:16:16,058 --> 00:16:18,853 and particle beam weapons to help defend against 333 00:16:18,936 --> 00:16:20,980 the potential for nuclear attack 334 00:16:21,063 --> 00:16:22,857 by intercontinental ballistic missiles 335 00:16:22,940 --> 00:16:25,443 and enemy satellites in space. 336 00:16:25,568 --> 00:16:27,904 It was similar to the idea that Tesla had had 337 00:16:28,029 --> 00:16:29,655 50 or 60 years earlier. 338 00:16:29,739 --> 00:16:32,325 Where he envisioned Teleforce using directed energy 339 00:16:32,408 --> 00:16:35,828 as a defensive mechanism to protect a country. 340 00:16:35,912 --> 00:16:37,580 And that's very much what Tesla had in mind 341 00:16:37,705 --> 00:16:39,081 with his Teleforce weapon. 342 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,461 Despite the government's claims there was nothing of value 343 00:16:43,586 --> 00:16:45,129 in Tesla's files, 344 00:16:45,254 --> 00:16:47,798 Stephen Kotowych thinks the declassified documents 345 00:16:47,924 --> 00:16:51,844 could suggest there were powerful scientific insights, 346 00:16:51,928 --> 00:16:55,056 insights used to shape America's own top secret 347 00:16:55,139 --> 00:16:56,891 energy weapons development. 348 00:16:56,974 --> 00:16:58,768 As for that "Star Wars" program, 349 00:16:58,893 --> 00:17:01,395 it didn't pan out because it was limited by cost 350 00:17:01,479 --> 00:17:04,357 and the technology available in the 1980s. 351 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:06,275 Like much of Tesla's work, 352 00:17:06,358 --> 00:17:10,070 it seems a particle super weapon remained ahead of its time. 353 00:17:10,154 --> 00:17:12,365 And as a fan of the movie "Star Wars," 354 00:17:12,448 --> 00:17:13,950 and the planet Alderaan, 355 00:17:14,075 --> 00:17:15,451 let's hope it stays that way. 356 00:17:19,121 --> 00:17:21,374 [church bells] 357 00:17:22,875 --> 00:17:26,503 [Josh] It's August 11th, 1676. 358 00:17:26,628 --> 00:17:28,464 I'm in the Benedictine convent 359 00:17:28,589 --> 00:17:31,133 of Palma di Montechiaro in Sicily. 360 00:17:31,259 --> 00:17:33,302 This young nun, Sister Maria, 361 00:17:33,386 --> 00:17:35,388 is performing her evening prayers. 362 00:17:35,471 --> 00:17:38,015 But things are about to get seriously unholy. 363 00:17:38,140 --> 00:17:39,267 -[gagging] -[neck cracking] 364 00:17:39,350 --> 00:17:42,645 Maria senses powerful, evil energy engulfing her, 365 00:17:42,728 --> 00:17:46,691 and then begins to write as if under its control, 366 00:17:46,816 --> 00:17:50,653 scrawling out 14 cryptic lines in a strange language 367 00:17:50,736 --> 00:17:52,613 that she can't understand. 368 00:17:52,697 --> 00:17:56,409 She believes this letter is dictated by Satan himself. 369 00:17:56,492 --> 00:17:58,286 For the next three centuries, 370 00:17:58,369 --> 00:18:00,329 no one will be able to crack the code 371 00:18:00,454 --> 00:18:02,164 of this strange document. 372 00:18:02,290 --> 00:18:05,751 That is, until groundbreaking technology claims to solve 373 00:18:05,835 --> 00:18:08,838 the diabolical riddle of the Devil's Letter. 374 00:18:08,963 --> 00:18:11,090 -[church bells] -[ominous music plays] 375 00:18:14,802 --> 00:18:17,346 -[church bells] -[ominous music plays] 376 00:18:20,182 --> 00:18:23,811 [women screaming] 377 00:18:23,894 --> 00:18:26,188 [eerie whispers] 378 00:18:28,107 --> 00:18:30,276 [Josh] After hearing screams of distress, 379 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:32,528 the mother Abbess, the leader of the convent, 380 00:18:32,653 --> 00:18:36,907 finds 31-year-old Sister Maria writhing on her chamber floor 381 00:18:37,033 --> 00:18:39,160 in the midst of what looks like a seizure. 382 00:18:39,243 --> 00:18:40,828 [screams] 383 00:18:42,872 --> 00:18:44,665 Her face is smeared with ink. 384 00:18:46,292 --> 00:18:48,711 And her hand clutches the sheet of paper scrawled 385 00:18:48,836 --> 00:18:50,212 with strange writing. 386 00:18:54,925 --> 00:18:57,094 -[liturgical music plays] -[gasps] 387 00:18:57,219 --> 00:18:59,639 [Mother Abbess] Oh, my goodness! Oh, Sister! 388 00:18:59,722 --> 00:19:02,224 [Josh] When she comes out of her trance, 389 00:19:02,350 --> 00:19:05,269 Sister Maria claims she was forced to write the message, 390 00:19:05,394 --> 00:19:09,065 that it was dictated to her by the fallen angel, Lucifer, 391 00:19:09,190 --> 00:19:10,775 also known as Satan. 392 00:19:10,900 --> 00:19:12,902 [ominous music plays] 393 00:19:13,027 --> 00:19:14,278 [Josh] In the aftermath of 394 00:19:14,403 --> 00:19:16,364 Sister Maria's harrowing experience, 395 00:19:16,447 --> 00:19:19,367 church officials closely inspect the letter. 396 00:19:20,618 --> 00:19:22,620 Yeah, the Sister was found... 397 00:19:22,745 --> 00:19:24,705 [Josh] It's a 14-line jumble 398 00:19:24,789 --> 00:19:27,083 of enigmatic symbols and characters. 399 00:19:27,166 --> 00:19:29,418 Some appear to be archaic script. 400 00:19:29,543 --> 00:19:31,045 [Mother Abbess] ...speaking in tongues. 401 00:19:31,128 --> 00:19:33,255 [Josh] Some, almost, otherworldly. 402 00:19:33,381 --> 00:19:35,591 And despite all their efforts to understand it, 403 00:19:35,675 --> 00:19:37,385 the clergy are confounded. 404 00:19:41,764 --> 00:19:45,601 Sister Maria swears she doesn't know how to decipher it either. 405 00:19:45,685 --> 00:19:48,562 Church authorities believe the incident is a sinister 406 00:19:48,646 --> 00:19:52,692 attempt by Satan to corrupt Sister Maria, and pull her 407 00:19:52,775 --> 00:19:54,568 and others away from God. 408 00:19:55,945 --> 00:20:00,324 If so, why did the Devil choose Sister Maria as his pawn? 409 00:20:00,449 --> 00:20:02,702 Well, curiously, this wasn't the first time 410 00:20:02,785 --> 00:20:04,787 she experienced disturbing visions. 411 00:20:06,789 --> 00:20:11,627 Born Isabella Tomasi in 1645 to Sicilian nobility, 412 00:20:11,711 --> 00:20:14,296 she enters the convent at age 15, 413 00:20:14,422 --> 00:20:19,385 taking the name Sister Maria Crocifissa Della Concezione. 414 00:20:19,468 --> 00:20:22,179 While immersing herself in daily prayer, 415 00:20:22,304 --> 00:20:24,098 she's also a keen student, 416 00:20:24,181 --> 00:20:26,308 learning Latin, Greek, Arabic, 417 00:20:26,434 --> 00:20:28,978 and even ancient Germanic runic script. 418 00:20:31,147 --> 00:20:34,859 Around 1672, Sister Maria claims to experience 419 00:20:34,984 --> 00:20:37,820 a potent vision of the Madonna Adolorata, 420 00:20:37,945 --> 00:20:39,697 the Mother of Sorrows. 421 00:20:39,822 --> 00:20:42,032 [speaking Italian] 422 00:20:42,158 --> 00:20:44,618 [Josh] A depiction of Mary, mother of Jesus, 423 00:20:44,702 --> 00:20:46,162 grieving at his death, 424 00:20:46,287 --> 00:20:48,372 often shown with seven swords 425 00:20:48,497 --> 00:20:51,500 piercing her heart to symbolize her deep suffering. 426 00:20:53,169 --> 00:20:57,298 The Mother of Sorrows informs Maria that she too will suffer 427 00:20:57,381 --> 00:21:00,426 and that hardships, both physical and spiritual, 428 00:21:00,509 --> 00:21:02,094 will define her existence. 429 00:21:03,387 --> 00:21:05,139 Never a pleasant thing to hear, 430 00:21:05,222 --> 00:21:08,434 especially for a pious 17th-century nun. 431 00:21:08,517 --> 00:21:11,479 So Sister Maria begins to prepare for the worst. 432 00:21:13,856 --> 00:21:15,816 In the years before the Devil's Letter, 433 00:21:15,900 --> 00:21:18,110 she isolates herself from the rest of the convent 434 00:21:18,194 --> 00:21:19,403 more and more. 435 00:21:21,197 --> 00:21:23,157 Engaging in self-punishment 436 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:25,034 to prove her devotion to God. 437 00:21:28,621 --> 00:21:32,541 But her extreme piety doesn't seem to bring peace. 438 00:21:34,001 --> 00:21:35,753 Rather, she claims to be hounded 439 00:21:35,878 --> 00:21:38,964 by evil spirits bent on corrupting her soul. 440 00:21:39,048 --> 00:21:40,758 [indistinct prayers] 441 00:21:42,843 --> 00:21:45,638 [screams] 442 00:21:45,721 --> 00:21:50,643 [Josh] Then, on that fateful afternoon of August 11th, 1676, 443 00:21:50,726 --> 00:21:53,229 it all builds to a terrifying crescendo. 444 00:21:53,354 --> 00:21:55,356 No... Go away! 445 00:21:55,439 --> 00:21:57,566 Leave me! 446 00:21:57,691 --> 00:21:58,567 [gasps] 447 00:21:58,692 --> 00:22:00,319 [grunts] 448 00:22:00,402 --> 00:22:02,738 [Josh] It's a scene straight out of a horror film. 449 00:22:02,822 --> 00:22:04,990 [tense music plays] 450 00:22:07,660 --> 00:22:11,247 [Josh] The only thing she claims to remember is Lucifer. 451 00:22:11,372 --> 00:22:12,248 [church bell] 452 00:22:12,373 --> 00:22:14,667 Threatening her with eternal damnation 453 00:22:14,750 --> 00:22:17,253 if she didn't sign the letter by name. 454 00:22:18,712 --> 00:22:20,965 Maria did sign the letter, in a way. 455 00:22:22,591 --> 00:22:25,553 It's the only decipherable word on the page. 456 00:22:25,636 --> 00:22:26,679 Ohimè, 457 00:22:26,762 --> 00:22:29,014 an Italian word meaning "alas," 458 00:22:29,098 --> 00:22:30,808 expressing regret and sorrow. 459 00:22:32,768 --> 00:22:34,311 Some read it as a sign of submission 460 00:22:34,436 --> 00:22:35,938 to the Devil's power. 461 00:22:36,063 --> 00:22:39,233 Others, including the Mother Abbess, say that by refusing 462 00:22:39,316 --> 00:22:41,110 to sign with her own name, 463 00:22:41,235 --> 00:22:44,321 it was an act of desperate defiance against Satan. 464 00:22:46,156 --> 00:22:48,492 Even after her horrifying experience, 465 00:22:48,617 --> 00:22:51,161 Sister Maria's faith did not falter. 466 00:22:51,287 --> 00:22:53,205 It is said that she spends the rest of her life 467 00:22:53,289 --> 00:22:55,624 at the convent, devoutly worshiping God 468 00:22:55,708 --> 00:22:58,627 and resisting Satan to the very end. 469 00:22:58,752 --> 00:23:01,255 On October 16th, 1699, 470 00:23:01,338 --> 00:23:04,174 just before passing away at the age of 54, 471 00:23:04,300 --> 00:23:05,634 she reportedly whispers -- 472 00:23:05,759 --> 00:23:10,222 Santo! Santo! Santo... 473 00:23:10,306 --> 00:23:13,601 Italian for "Holy, holy, holy." 474 00:23:16,395 --> 00:23:17,771 In the centuries that follow, 475 00:23:17,855 --> 00:23:21,275 Sister Maria's Devil's Letter is studied by generations 476 00:23:21,358 --> 00:23:24,904 of priests and historians in the hopes someone might be able 477 00:23:24,987 --> 00:23:26,238 to decipher it. 478 00:23:26,322 --> 00:23:27,489 None succeed. 479 00:23:29,366 --> 00:23:32,119 The contents of Sister Maria's letter appeared destined 480 00:23:32,202 --> 00:23:34,163 to remain a mystery forever. 481 00:23:34,246 --> 00:23:37,041 But even Satan is no match for technology. 482 00:23:37,166 --> 00:23:40,169 In 2017, researchers made a breakthrough, 483 00:23:40,294 --> 00:23:42,504 finally unlocking the Devil's Letter 484 00:23:42,588 --> 00:23:44,757 using secret spy software. 485 00:23:52,306 --> 00:23:54,850 In 1676, a cryptic letter allegedly dictated 486 00:23:54,934 --> 00:23:57,394 by Satan himself to Italian nun, 487 00:23:57,478 --> 00:23:59,939 becomes an incomprehensible mystery. 488 00:24:00,022 --> 00:24:01,857 For 300 years, 489 00:24:01,941 --> 00:24:05,319 scholars tried and failed to decode the message. 490 00:24:05,444 --> 00:24:07,404 But, finally, in 2017, 491 00:24:07,488 --> 00:24:10,908 experts from Sicily's Ludum Science Center decided to run 492 00:24:10,991 --> 00:24:12,493 the writings through state-of-the-art 493 00:24:12,618 --> 00:24:14,078 decryption software. 494 00:24:14,161 --> 00:24:17,247 And to their great shock, a message began to emerge. 495 00:24:18,749 --> 00:24:23,963 The Ludum Science Center is headed up by Daniele Abete. 496 00:24:24,088 --> 00:24:27,925 And they were able to access the original document 497 00:24:28,008 --> 00:24:30,511 that had been written by Sister Maria 498 00:24:30,636 --> 00:24:33,389 some 341 years earlier. 499 00:24:33,472 --> 00:24:37,726 And they applied new software that they were using, 500 00:24:37,810 --> 00:24:40,729 originally developed by intelligence agencies, 501 00:24:40,813 --> 00:24:43,148 to help them break codes. 502 00:24:43,273 --> 00:24:48,070 As the software worked to solve the mystery of this letter, 503 00:24:49,113 --> 00:24:51,240 the researchers were stunned. 504 00:24:51,323 --> 00:24:55,536 There was a hidden message embedded in the Devil's Letter. 505 00:24:57,162 --> 00:24:58,956 [Josh] Once translated, the letter revealed 506 00:24:59,039 --> 00:25:01,041 a series of ominous statements, 507 00:25:01,166 --> 00:25:04,003 including, "God thinks he can free mortals," 508 00:25:05,379 --> 00:25:07,339 "the system works for no one," 509 00:25:07,464 --> 00:25:10,384 and, "The Holy Trinity are dead weights." 510 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,471 This is especially blasphemous coming from the pen 511 00:25:14,555 --> 00:25:18,100 of Sister Maria, a devoted servant of God. 512 00:25:18,183 --> 00:25:20,019 It is a stunning discovery, 513 00:25:20,144 --> 00:25:22,146 and it's one that may have you asking, 514 00:25:22,229 --> 00:25:23,689 is this the real deal? 515 00:25:23,814 --> 00:25:27,192 Did someone or something actually channel a message 516 00:25:27,317 --> 00:25:28,736 through Sister Maria? 517 00:25:28,861 --> 00:25:31,363 Well, the answer lies in how the researchers 518 00:25:31,447 --> 00:25:32,948 decoded the letter. 519 00:25:33,032 --> 00:25:36,702 [Roy] The team at Ludum recognized that there were certain 520 00:25:36,827 --> 00:25:38,537 repeating symbols, 521 00:25:38,620 --> 00:25:41,874 which they supposed might be vowels. 522 00:25:41,957 --> 00:25:45,711 In addition, some of the characters appeared to be 523 00:25:45,836 --> 00:25:48,756 drawn from languages that would've been known 524 00:25:48,881 --> 00:25:50,591 to Sister Maria. 525 00:25:50,716 --> 00:25:54,386 Italian, Arabic, Latin, Greek, 526 00:25:54,511 --> 00:25:57,639 even Germanic runic characters. 527 00:25:57,723 --> 00:25:59,558 Taking this information, 528 00:25:59,683 --> 00:26:05,606 they then, primed the software to try to decipher the text. 529 00:26:05,731 --> 00:26:10,861 The researchers discovered the software was able to reveal 530 00:26:10,944 --> 00:26:14,907 a message that had been embedded in this mishmash 531 00:26:14,990 --> 00:26:16,992 of characters and symbols. 532 00:26:19,078 --> 00:26:21,914 [Josh] The experts had revealed something shocking. 533 00:26:21,997 --> 00:26:25,584 Even though Sister Maria was likely unable to translate 534 00:26:25,709 --> 00:26:26,710 what she'd written, 535 00:26:26,794 --> 00:26:29,046 all of the characters were from languages 536 00:26:29,129 --> 00:26:30,506 she already knew. 537 00:26:30,589 --> 00:26:33,217 In other words, the creator of the secret code 538 00:26:33,300 --> 00:26:37,429 in The Devil's Letter is none other than Sister Maria herself. 539 00:26:37,513 --> 00:26:39,098 But how did she do it? 540 00:26:41,058 --> 00:26:44,561 [Roy] Today, most people would understand that 541 00:26:44,645 --> 00:26:48,232 what Sister Maria was experiencing was probably 542 00:26:48,315 --> 00:26:51,443 some kind of undiagnosed mental illness -- 543 00:26:51,527 --> 00:26:55,322 schizophrenia or severe depression. 544 00:26:55,447 --> 00:26:56,782 For Sister Maria, 545 00:26:56,865 --> 00:26:59,576 this type of experience would've been understood 546 00:26:59,660 --> 00:27:02,621 within their own religious worldview 547 00:27:02,746 --> 00:27:04,957 as a demonic attack. 548 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:08,127 Remember, folks like Sister Maria 549 00:27:08,252 --> 00:27:14,341 in these convents are in a crucible of wrestling 550 00:27:14,466 --> 00:27:19,847 with deep existential questions around the meaning of life, 551 00:27:19,972 --> 00:27:21,348 the presence of evil, 552 00:27:21,473 --> 00:27:23,475 the question of God. 553 00:27:23,559 --> 00:27:28,272 Combine that with very intense spiritual practices, 554 00:27:28,355 --> 00:27:32,192 extended fasting, deep periods of prayer, 555 00:27:32,317 --> 00:27:34,987 meditation, isolation, 556 00:27:35,112 --> 00:27:37,739 and you have the perfect conditions, 557 00:27:37,823 --> 00:27:41,910 which we know can affect people's perception of 558 00:27:41,994 --> 00:27:45,706 the world and generate visions. 559 00:27:45,831 --> 00:27:50,794 These extreme destabilizing conditions might be exactly 560 00:27:50,878 --> 00:27:52,921 what we're seeing in the Devil's message. 561 00:27:53,005 --> 00:27:55,132 For 350 years, 562 00:27:55,215 --> 00:27:58,802 the Devil's message was mostly dismissed 563 00:27:58,886 --> 00:28:02,431 as a jumble of chaos. 564 00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:07,352 But now, instead, we have a portrait 565 00:28:07,477 --> 00:28:11,690 of a deeply devout, complicated woman -- 566 00:28:11,773 --> 00:28:12,774 Sister Maria. 567 00:28:14,776 --> 00:28:17,529 By blending the languages she studied at the convent, 568 00:28:17,613 --> 00:28:21,700 Sister Maria did something equal parts impressive and terrifying. 569 00:28:21,783 --> 00:28:25,120 She unconsciously created a code so devilish 570 00:28:25,204 --> 00:28:28,081 that it was credited to Satan himself. 571 00:28:28,207 --> 00:28:29,708 Now, three centuries later, 572 00:28:29,791 --> 00:28:31,710 we can breathe a sigh of relief 573 00:28:31,793 --> 00:28:35,422 as this unholy mystery has finally been solved. 574 00:28:35,547 --> 00:28:36,798 Amen to that. 575 00:28:41,803 --> 00:28:44,139 [ominous music plays] 576 00:28:44,223 --> 00:28:48,560 I'm inside the most sacred site in all of ancient Greece, 577 00:28:48,644 --> 00:28:51,730 the Temple of Apollo in the city of Delphi. 578 00:28:51,855 --> 00:28:55,150 And behind me is a woman who shapes the fate of empires. 579 00:28:55,234 --> 00:28:58,904 She's one of a long line of priests known as Pythia, 580 00:28:58,987 --> 00:29:02,241 who's said to communicate directly with the gods, 581 00:29:02,366 --> 00:29:04,660 and through them, can see the future. 582 00:29:04,743 --> 00:29:06,161 To learn their fates, 583 00:29:06,245 --> 00:29:09,081 kings and commoners alike bring gifts, 584 00:29:09,164 --> 00:29:10,499 gold and treasure, 585 00:29:10,582 --> 00:29:12,751 hoping the gods will be kind to them. 586 00:29:12,834 --> 00:29:16,088 Then, as Pythia enters a powerful trance, 587 00:29:16,171 --> 00:29:18,548 she shares her divine message. 588 00:29:18,632 --> 00:29:21,969 These strange powers will become the stuff of legend, 589 00:29:22,094 --> 00:29:24,429 but nearly 2,000 years from now, 590 00:29:24,554 --> 00:29:28,308 modern science will finally reveal the stunning truth 591 00:29:28,433 --> 00:29:31,520 behind the so-called, Oracle of Delphi. 592 00:29:40,445 --> 00:29:42,906 Perched high in the mountains of central Greece, 593 00:29:42,990 --> 00:29:44,616 the ruins of Delphi hint 594 00:29:44,700 --> 00:29:46,785 at its once extraordinary importance. 595 00:29:48,161 --> 00:29:50,706 According to myth, Zeus released two eagles 596 00:29:50,789 --> 00:29:52,541 from opposite ends of the Earth. 597 00:29:53,792 --> 00:29:56,586 And where they met marked the center of the world -- 598 00:29:56,670 --> 00:29:57,921 Delphi. 599 00:29:59,631 --> 00:30:01,425 In the 7th century BC, 600 00:30:01,508 --> 00:30:05,429 the people of Delphi establish a formal sanctuary here, 601 00:30:05,512 --> 00:30:08,473 building a temple dedicated to Apollo, 602 00:30:08,557 --> 00:30:09,725 the son of Zeus, 603 00:30:09,808 --> 00:30:12,811 and transforming the site into one of the most important 604 00:30:12,936 --> 00:30:15,147 religious centers in the ancient world. 605 00:30:16,815 --> 00:30:18,108 [wind blowing] 606 00:30:18,191 --> 00:30:21,570 Apollo is one of the most revered Olympians. 607 00:30:21,653 --> 00:30:22,988 [mellow playing] 608 00:30:23,071 --> 00:30:26,033 He is the god of music, poetry, archery, 609 00:30:26,158 --> 00:30:28,493 and above all, prophecy. 610 00:30:28,618 --> 00:30:30,245 To share that divine knowledge, 611 00:30:30,329 --> 00:30:31,997 he speaks through a mortal woman 612 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:34,207 chosen to serve as his voice, 613 00:30:34,333 --> 00:30:37,336 delivering prophecies to those who journey to Delphi 614 00:30:37,461 --> 00:30:40,339 in search of answers about the future. 615 00:30:40,464 --> 00:30:42,549 She is known as the Pythia, 616 00:30:42,674 --> 00:30:44,551 the Oracle of Delphi. 617 00:30:44,676 --> 00:30:46,219 Not a single individual, 618 00:30:46,345 --> 00:30:49,556 but a sacred role that passes on over generations, 619 00:30:49,681 --> 00:30:52,434 with one woman succeeding another. 620 00:30:52,517 --> 00:30:54,061 [Pythia] Apollo, come to me! 621 00:30:54,186 --> 00:30:56,813 [Josh] Candidates are selected by the temple priests, 622 00:30:56,897 --> 00:31:00,025 usually from local women of good reputation. 623 00:31:00,108 --> 00:31:03,236 Many are older and removed from family obligations. 624 00:31:04,780 --> 00:31:08,575 Once selected, the Pythia leaves her ordinary life behind 625 00:31:08,700 --> 00:31:11,078 and enters the service of the temple, 626 00:31:11,203 --> 00:31:13,413 taking on a role that is both an honor 627 00:31:13,538 --> 00:31:18,085 and a lifelong obligation with little choice to step away. 628 00:31:18,210 --> 00:31:21,213 Her prophecies, often spoken in riddles, 629 00:31:21,296 --> 00:31:23,215 are used to determine everything -- 630 00:31:23,298 --> 00:31:25,550 from where a farmer plants his crop 631 00:31:25,675 --> 00:31:27,844 to when an empire declares war. 632 00:31:30,514 --> 00:31:32,808 On every day of prophecy, it's recorded that 633 00:31:32,891 --> 00:31:36,311 the Oracle of Delphi ritualistically prepares herself 634 00:31:36,395 --> 00:31:39,231 with water from sacred springs. 635 00:31:39,314 --> 00:31:42,317 Then, inside the temple's inner sanctum, 636 00:31:42,401 --> 00:31:46,405 she sits on the sacred tripod and chews laurel leaves 637 00:31:46,488 --> 00:31:48,657 plucked from Apollo's sacred tree. 638 00:31:50,075 --> 00:31:52,411 Soon after, she enters an ecstatic, 639 00:31:52,536 --> 00:31:53,912 euphoric state. 640 00:31:53,995 --> 00:31:56,123 Some ancient accounts describe her trembling 641 00:31:56,248 --> 00:31:58,166 or speaking wildly. 642 00:31:58,250 --> 00:32:00,419 [indistinct mumbling] 643 00:32:00,544 --> 00:32:02,921 [Josh] Others suggest a calmer trance... 644 00:32:03,004 --> 00:32:04,256 [Pythia] Apollo come to me! 645 00:32:04,381 --> 00:32:05,549 [Josh] ...with her voice changing 646 00:32:05,632 --> 00:32:07,175 as Apollo speaks through her. 647 00:32:07,259 --> 00:32:10,929 [speaking ancient Greek] 648 00:32:11,054 --> 00:32:13,098 [Josh] For each prophetic ceremony, 649 00:32:13,223 --> 00:32:14,808 a priest is at her side, 650 00:32:14,933 --> 00:32:17,060 translating and recording the messages. 651 00:32:18,437 --> 00:32:21,273 People travel for weeks and spend their life savings 652 00:32:21,398 --> 00:32:23,442 for the chance to reach Delphi 653 00:32:23,567 --> 00:32:26,236 and receive their own message. 654 00:32:26,319 --> 00:32:29,489 The ancient Greeks believed that the Oracle of Delphi is 655 00:32:29,614 --> 00:32:32,659 speaking directly on behalf of a god. 656 00:32:32,784 --> 00:32:34,619 But skeptics have long questioned 657 00:32:34,744 --> 00:32:37,247 whether those messages were truly divine 658 00:32:37,330 --> 00:32:39,624 and really foretold the future. 659 00:32:39,749 --> 00:32:41,710 I have a prophecy of my own, 660 00:32:41,793 --> 00:32:45,338 that the truth behind the Oracle is about to be revealed. 661 00:32:52,554 --> 00:32:53,889 For centuries, thousands journeyed to visit 662 00:32:54,014 --> 00:32:56,224 ancient Greece's Oracle of Delphi, 663 00:32:56,349 --> 00:32:59,978 seeking a glimpse of the future bestowed by the gods. 664 00:33:00,061 --> 00:33:01,897 How her messages are interpreted 665 00:33:02,022 --> 00:33:05,108 can lead to great triumph or terrible disaster. 666 00:33:05,233 --> 00:33:07,360 [Pythia speaking in trance] 667 00:33:07,444 --> 00:33:09,738 [Josh] Just ask King Croesus of Lydia, 668 00:33:09,821 --> 00:33:13,033 who consults with the Oracle before going to war with Persia. 669 00:33:14,493 --> 00:33:18,497 Her vision, transcribed and declared by her priest, reads, 670 00:33:18,580 --> 00:33:20,707 "If you cross the Halys River, 671 00:33:20,790 --> 00:33:23,376 you will destroy a great empire." 672 00:33:23,460 --> 00:33:26,129 The king believes this is a message of victory, 673 00:33:26,254 --> 00:33:28,215 but, important disclaimer, 674 00:33:28,298 --> 00:33:29,841 prophecies can be deceiving. 675 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:33,887 Confident in the oracle's words, 676 00:33:33,970 --> 00:33:36,014 Croesus crosses the Halys River 677 00:33:36,097 --> 00:33:39,017 and launches his invasion of Persia. 678 00:33:39,100 --> 00:33:40,101 And sure enough, 679 00:33:40,185 --> 00:33:42,354 the oracle's prophecy comes true. 680 00:33:42,437 --> 00:33:45,106 A great empire is destroyed. 681 00:33:45,190 --> 00:33:46,525 Just not Persia, 682 00:33:47,609 --> 00:33:49,402 but rather, the army of Croesus. 683 00:33:49,486 --> 00:33:51,196 [unsettling music plays] 684 00:33:55,534 --> 00:33:57,577 Years later, when the Persian Empire 685 00:33:57,661 --> 00:33:58,995 threatens Greece again, 686 00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:01,039 this time targeting Athens, 687 00:34:01,122 --> 00:34:04,709 the Athenians once more turn to the oracle for guidance. 688 00:34:04,793 --> 00:34:09,505 Though all else will be taken, 689 00:34:09,630 --> 00:34:13,592 Zeus grants that the wooden wall alone shall not fall. 690 00:34:13,677 --> 00:34:17,054 [Josh] She seems to suggest that while everything else will fall, 691 00:34:17,138 --> 00:34:20,766 something made of wood will be what saves them. 692 00:34:20,850 --> 00:34:24,478 Some believe the message refers to a literal wooden barrier, 693 00:34:24,603 --> 00:34:27,482 a wall that could protect the city. 694 00:34:27,565 --> 00:34:31,610 But Greek general Themistocles believes it means wooden ships, 695 00:34:31,695 --> 00:34:33,487 a reference to the Greek navy, 696 00:34:33,612 --> 00:34:37,367 rather than the old wood fortifications of the Acropolis. 697 00:34:37,492 --> 00:34:42,371 He leads Athens to a fight at sea and wins a decisive victory, 698 00:34:42,496 --> 00:34:44,248 saving Greece from destruction. 699 00:34:45,917 --> 00:34:49,170 Once again, the oracle's words appear to shape the course 700 00:34:49,254 --> 00:34:53,132 of history, but that raises a deeper question. 701 00:34:53,216 --> 00:34:56,011 What is the secret of the oracle's power? 702 00:34:56,094 --> 00:34:59,347 How does she enter her strange trance-like state? 703 00:34:59,472 --> 00:35:01,349 Well, there have long been rumors that the answer 704 00:35:01,433 --> 00:35:04,019 might lie beneath Apollo's temple itself. 705 00:35:05,770 --> 00:35:09,983 During the first century AD, a priest of the Oracle of Delphi 706 00:35:10,066 --> 00:35:11,693 is the renowned Greek philosopher, 707 00:35:11,776 --> 00:35:12,777 Plutarch. 708 00:35:14,404 --> 00:35:16,531 In his writings, he mentions a legend 709 00:35:16,656 --> 00:35:20,076 that the Oracle's ability to channel Apollo's prophecies 710 00:35:20,201 --> 00:35:24,039 comes from sacred vapors with mystical powers. 711 00:35:24,164 --> 00:35:26,291 By Plutarch's time, the Oracle's sway 712 00:35:26,374 --> 00:35:29,210 over the ancient world is already fading. 713 00:35:29,294 --> 00:35:31,838 He writes of fewer prophecies 714 00:35:31,921 --> 00:35:34,257 and long silences between sessions. 715 00:35:34,382 --> 00:35:37,469 Could it be, he wonders, that her power is fading 716 00:35:37,552 --> 00:35:40,263 because the source of those vapors is drying up? 717 00:35:42,057 --> 00:35:43,892 Then, in the fourth century AD, 718 00:35:43,975 --> 00:35:45,769 as Christianity rises, 719 00:35:45,894 --> 00:35:49,314 the Oracle of Delphi is said to deliver a final prophecy. 720 00:35:50,774 --> 00:35:55,070 Foretelling the end of Apollo's temple and her own voice. 721 00:35:55,195 --> 00:35:58,114 Soon after, pagan practices are outlawed. 722 00:35:58,239 --> 00:36:02,118 The oracle falls silent, and Delphi fades into history. 723 00:36:03,828 --> 00:36:05,955 Fast forward to the 19th century, 724 00:36:06,081 --> 00:36:08,917 when European scholars seek to excavate Delphi 725 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:10,669 and reveal its secrets. 726 00:36:10,752 --> 00:36:12,295 Unfortunately, at this point, 727 00:36:12,420 --> 00:36:14,839 it's buried under the Greek village of Kastri, 728 00:36:14,923 --> 00:36:17,217 perched on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. 729 00:36:19,761 --> 00:36:22,430 Determined to uncover the ancient sanctuary, 730 00:36:22,555 --> 00:36:25,350 a team of French archaeologists strikes a deal 731 00:36:25,433 --> 00:36:26,643 with the Greek government, 732 00:36:26,768 --> 00:36:31,606 and by 1893, the entire village of Kastri is relocated, 733 00:36:31,690 --> 00:36:33,858 clearing the way for a historic breakthrough. 734 00:36:33,942 --> 00:36:36,653 In addition to uncovering ancient foundations, 735 00:36:36,778 --> 00:36:41,449 archaeologists find inscribed stones and bronze objects, 736 00:36:41,574 --> 00:36:45,036 all confirming that this was the Temple of Apollo, 737 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:48,873 buried for centuries and now exposed to the world. 738 00:36:50,333 --> 00:36:53,002 French archaeologists also examine the bedrock 739 00:36:53,128 --> 00:36:57,298 beneath the temple, looking for a fissure or vent that might 740 00:36:57,424 --> 00:37:01,553 explain Plutarch's strange account of sacred vapors rising 741 00:37:01,636 --> 00:37:04,139 from the floor, but no such feature is found. 742 00:37:05,974 --> 00:37:08,810 Like so many stories of the oracle itself, 743 00:37:08,935 --> 00:37:11,479 the ancient belief that the Pythia's wisdom came 744 00:37:11,563 --> 00:37:16,568 from divine fumes is dismissed, as nothing more than a myth. 745 00:37:16,651 --> 00:37:18,778 Then, nearly 100 years later, 746 00:37:18,862 --> 00:37:22,365 scientists uncover a clue that changes everything. 747 00:37:22,490 --> 00:37:24,951 The source of the oracle's power is finally 748 00:37:25,034 --> 00:37:26,327 bubbling to the surface. 749 00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:34,919 Scientists investigating 750 00:37:35,044 --> 00:37:37,046 the ruins of ancient Greece's Temple of Apollo 751 00:37:37,130 --> 00:37:38,673 have uncovered new evidence 752 00:37:38,757 --> 00:37:41,593 that explains how its oracle was able to enter 753 00:37:41,676 --> 00:37:45,263 strange trances and supposedly predict the future. 754 00:37:45,346 --> 00:37:49,392 Historian and author, Phil Cousineau, explains. 755 00:37:49,476 --> 00:37:54,105 In 1980, the United Nations commissioned a delegation of 756 00:37:54,230 --> 00:37:58,401 scientists to go to the area around Delphi to explore 757 00:37:58,485 --> 00:37:59,944 geological activity. 758 00:38:00,028 --> 00:38:03,114 Jelle De Boer led this team of geologists 759 00:38:03,239 --> 00:38:04,616 and found two fault lines. 760 00:38:04,741 --> 00:38:07,660 Where they met was directly 761 00:38:07,786 --> 00:38:09,496 underneath the Temple of Apollo, 762 00:38:09,621 --> 00:38:12,499 and specifically, underneath this small area 763 00:38:12,624 --> 00:38:13,625 called the Adyton, 764 00:38:13,708 --> 00:38:16,795 where the Delphic Oracle prophesied to the world. 765 00:38:18,463 --> 00:38:21,925 De Boer's discovery suggests real seismic activity was 766 00:38:22,008 --> 00:38:24,511 happening right beneath the oracle's feet. 767 00:38:24,636 --> 00:38:28,431 The earth itself was stirring directly under Apollo's temple. 768 00:38:29,641 --> 00:38:31,518 But it's not until the mid 1990s, 769 00:38:31,643 --> 00:38:34,479 when archaeologist John Hale teams up with De Boer, 770 00:38:34,604 --> 00:38:36,481 that things get really interesting. 771 00:38:38,191 --> 00:38:40,610 [Phil] Hale was looking for the finer details. 772 00:38:40,693 --> 00:38:44,364 He noticed small cracks in the stone itself, 773 00:38:44,489 --> 00:38:47,158 which is what had been created by the water, 774 00:38:47,283 --> 00:38:52,580 the series of springs that had been bubbling up 775 00:38:52,664 --> 00:38:54,165 for many, many centuries. 776 00:38:55,416 --> 00:38:59,087 When Hale and De Boer analyzed the rock, 777 00:38:59,170 --> 00:39:05,176 they discovered traces of methane, ethane, and ethylene, 778 00:39:05,260 --> 00:39:07,428 which is an intoxicating gas 779 00:39:07,512 --> 00:39:11,683 that can bring about the trance state. 780 00:39:11,808 --> 00:39:15,144 [Josh] Once used as a surgical anesthetic, ethylene is more 781 00:39:15,228 --> 00:39:17,397 potent than nitrous oxide. 782 00:39:17,522 --> 00:39:20,608 It can induce intense psychoactive states, 783 00:39:20,692 --> 00:39:24,529 just like the power of euphoria of the oracle's trance. 784 00:39:24,612 --> 00:39:29,367 The recent scientific studies suggest that the ethylene that 785 00:39:29,450 --> 00:39:34,789 was released underneath the Temple of Apollo could have 786 00:39:34,873 --> 00:39:36,708 sent the oracle into a trance. 787 00:39:36,833 --> 00:39:41,546 What it sets up is a picture that the Delphic Oracle was 788 00:39:41,629 --> 00:39:43,882 leaning over the fissure 789 00:39:44,007 --> 00:39:45,008 [breathes in] 790 00:39:45,091 --> 00:39:47,510 and breathing in some of these gases, 791 00:39:47,594 --> 00:39:50,430 and then going into a trance. 792 00:39:53,224 --> 00:39:56,895 So, the gases rising from below the temple may have eased 793 00:39:57,020 --> 00:39:58,813 the oracle into a trance. 794 00:39:58,897 --> 00:40:00,857 But that might not be the only ingredient 795 00:40:00,940 --> 00:40:02,609 in this ancient recipe, 796 00:40:02,734 --> 00:40:04,736 because some scholars think the oracle 797 00:40:04,819 --> 00:40:07,322 may have been boosting the mind-altering effects 798 00:40:07,405 --> 00:40:10,241 with something even more potent. 799 00:40:10,325 --> 00:40:14,746 When ancient writers visited the oracular site, 800 00:40:14,871 --> 00:40:20,376 they described the oracle as chewing a sprig of laurel, 801 00:40:20,460 --> 00:40:23,421 probably as a salute to Apollo. 802 00:40:23,504 --> 00:40:26,424 It is possible, however, that she was actually chewing 803 00:40:26,507 --> 00:40:31,304 oleander, which is both hallucinogenic and toxic. 804 00:40:32,972 --> 00:40:38,102 It can cause hallucinations, facial tremors, 805 00:40:38,227 --> 00:40:40,021 and altered consciousness. 806 00:40:40,104 --> 00:40:45,818 All three changes echo the reports of what happened 807 00:40:45,944 --> 00:40:48,529 to the Pythia, to the Oracle, 808 00:40:48,613 --> 00:40:51,699 when she took your questions and went into trance. 809 00:40:51,783 --> 00:40:54,786 The Oracle of Delphi was one of the most potent 810 00:40:54,911 --> 00:40:57,330 spiritual figures in the ancient world. 811 00:40:57,455 --> 00:41:01,292 But now, the mystical vapors of Apollo's temple have cleared, 812 00:41:01,376 --> 00:41:03,878 revealing the true source of her powers. 813 00:41:03,962 --> 00:41:07,423 In the end, the trances and prophecies weren't divine. 814 00:41:07,507 --> 00:41:08,967 They were chemistry, 815 00:41:09,092 --> 00:41:11,177 intoxicating ethylene gas 816 00:41:11,302 --> 00:41:13,513 combined with hallucinogenic leaves. 817 00:41:13,638 --> 00:41:16,849 And though we now know that the Oracle's true voice 818 00:41:16,975 --> 00:41:18,434 rose not from the heavens, 819 00:41:18,518 --> 00:41:20,353 but from the bowels of the Earth, 820 00:41:20,478 --> 00:41:23,398 her prophecies still influenced empires 821 00:41:23,481 --> 00:41:25,483 and shaped the course of history. 822 00:41:25,566 --> 00:41:28,444 A testament to the strongest magic of all, 823 00:41:28,528 --> 00:41:30,154 the power of belief. 824 00:41:30,238 --> 00:41:33,449 I'm Josh Gates, and I'll see you on the next expedition.