EVERY THURSDAY American History

Land of the free and home of the brave. See the stories of bold visionaries who set a course for the new world and helped to build the American Experiment.

THURSDAY ON STORY

January 2, 2025

All times Eastern
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8:00A

4:00P

12:00A

Story Feature

Roanoke: A Mystery Carved in Stone

For centuries, the disappearance of 117 colonists from Roanoke Island has been this country's oldest mystery. Now, stonework experts Jim and Bill Vieira will use cutting-edge technology to take a deeper look at a mysterious inscription, which could finally lead to the truth about the lost colony.

9:00A

5:00P

1:00A

Story Feature

Return to Roanoke: Search for the Seven

Stonework experts Jim and Bill Vieira continue their hunt for the Lost Colony of Roanoke by analyzing the inscription on the mysterious Dare Stone against the 400-year-old historical record. By lining up passages on the stone with clues left behind by Captain John Smith of Jamestown, the Vieiras set out on a search for evidence that could reveal the location of the Lost Colony, and change American history.

11:00A

7:00P

3:00A

Digging for the Truth

Roanoke: The Lost Colony

In 1587, over 100 settlers landed in the New World to establish England's first permanent colony. Three years later, they had vanished... Josh Bernstein is on the trail of America's oldest missing-persons case. He flies high above Roanoke Island in a powered para-glider; climbs and cores a cypress tree to study the climate conditions the settlers faced; participates in an American-Indian powwow; and learns to cook as the local 16th-century natives once did. Finally, Josh travels back to England to trace the roots of a family that could be descendants of the Roanoke colony. Using DNA science, he makes a groundbreaking discovery--and, amazingly, it suggests that one of the 1587 lost colonists may have survived.

12:00P

8:00P

4:00A

Cowboys and Outlaws

Frontier Hitman

The notorious Tom Horn, hanged for a murder of a 14-year-old boy in 1903, is a pivotal figure in the taming of the Old West. A cowboy-turned-range-detective for big ranchers, he built a fearsome reputation as a professional hit man. Was he a cold-hearted assassin or a framed innocent man?

1:00P

9:00P

5:00A

Investigating History

Billy the Kid

He was the Old West's most infamous desperado, yet we actually know little about his short life--and more important--his death. Now, New Mexico has reopened the investigation into Billy the Kid's crimes and mysterious death in 1881. Did Sheriff Pat Garrett kill him or fake the death and allow his friend to escape? We talk to those involved in the investigation, including Governor Bill Richardson, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist N. Scott Momady, and historian Robert M. Utley to unravel the mystery.

2:00P

10:00P

6:00A

Investigating History

Mountain Meadows Massacre: Who's to Blame?

In 1857, the Fancher Wagon Train camped in the Utah Territory and awoke to an attack by what they believed to be Paiute Indians. The pioneers defended their position for five days, until approached by Major John D. Lee and his local Mormon militia.

3:00P

11:00P

7:00A

The Real West

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The real-life adventures of the man who considered himself the smartest, funniest, and most popular outlaw in the West, and his ladies' man sidekick.

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