Season 5
24 episodes · Jan 21, 2017
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S5E1World War 2
Jan 21, 201722mThe war waged by America's greatest generation is obscured by myth. Few remember that an American admiral played a pivotal role in showing Japan how to attack Pearl Harbor or that the German army was not the mechanized wonder it's reputed to be.
S5E2Smoking, Drinking and Gambling
Jan 21, 201722mMyths obscure the real facts about our favorite vices: smoking, drinking and gambling. You won't believe which nation had the first anti-smoking campaign, what those three X's on a jug of moonshine mean, or where our first slot machines appeared.
S5E3Liberty, Leprechauns and Lounging
Jan 28, 201722mMyths taint our knowledge of the 4th of July, St. Patrick's Day, and our favorite mini-holiday, the weekend. We should celebrate Independence Day on July 2nd, St. Patrick wasn't Irish, and the idea of a fun weekend is a recent creation.
S5E4The Real West
Jan 28, 201722mMuch of what we know about the old west is myth, not fact, drawn from movies and TV. Gunfights never started with a quick draw, cowboys weren't all white, and Native Americans feared enemies more menacing than settlers and soldiers.
S5E5Secret Societies
Feb 4, 201722mMuch of what we know about America's secret societies is myth, not truth. The Freemasons have no evil agenda, the Mafia took root not in New York, but the South, and Harvard's Skull and Bones does not control a sinister shadow government.
S5E6Space: The Final Frontier
Feb 4, 201722mMyths eclipse the real facts about NASA's dramatic rescue of three astronauts aboard the crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft; and Hollywood movies have a hit-and-miss track record of depicting the realties of interstellar exploration.
S5E7The Atomic Age
Feb 11, 201722mThe real facts of the nuclear age are clouded by myth. Manhattan played a major role in the Manhattan Project; there were closer calls to World War III than the Cuban Missile Crisis; America's nuclear security hinges on a football and a biscuit.
S5E8American Villains
Feb 11, 201722mMyths litter the stories of America's most infamous bad guys. Al Capone was a philanthropist as well as a hood; Benedict Arnold was a hero as well as a traitor, Jesse James was no wild west Robin Hood; and we've got Billy the Kid's nickname wrong.
S5E9Famous Feuds
Feb 18, 201722mMyths distort the stories of two of America's most renowned rivalries. Before their fateful duel, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were law partners; and the conflict between the Hatfields and McCoys didn't end in the backwoods, but a courtroom.
S5E10Moments That Changed History
Feb 25, 201722mMyths and misconceptions surround four pivotal historic moments: the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., the Boston Tea Party in 1773, and the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
S5E11The Civil War
Mar 4, 201722mMyths cloud the real facts of America's Civil War. The North's biggest city tried to secede; the Union didn't go to war to end slavery; most deaths weren't caused by battle wounds, and Grant and Lee didn't end the conflict; two other generals did.
S5E12Bad Medicine
Mar 11, 201722mAmerica's medical history is infected with myths. George Washington's doctors may have inadvertently killed him; Abraham Lincoln used a toxic remedy that warped his mind; and heroin was once a best-selling cough suppressant.
S5E13Bonus Round: Vote for the Truth
Jan 21, 201722mProfiles of U.S. generals, including Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur. Also: a look at Washington, D.C., landmarks.
- S5E14
Bonus Round: Fire in the Sky
Jan 28, 201722mOn this special edition of America: Facts vs. Fiction, we explore the myths behind extraterrestrial spacecraft and we learn the truth of two pioneering flights.
- S5E15
Bonus Round: Secret Vaults and Final Journeys
Feb 4, 201722mInvestigating the nation's most secret vaults to separate fiction from fact.
- S5E16
Bonus Round: The Truth Will Set You Free
Feb 11, 201722mProfiles of Lewis and Clark; and Pocahontas. Also: a look at the women's suffrage movement.
- S5E17
Bonus Round: America Celebrates
Feb 18, 201722mThe spotlight is on amusement parks and world's fairs to separate fiction from truth; explore the myths of two of our favorite holidays, Christmas and New Year's Eve.
- S5E18
Bonus Round: Patriots and Presidents
Feb 20, 201722mThe birth of America and the powerful people behind it are featured.
- S5E19
Bonus Round: Cowboys vs. Hollywood
Jul 29, 201722mHollywood's vision of the old west is explored. Included: the truth behind some of America's renowned rivalries.
- S5E20
Bonus Round: No Liars Allowed
Aug 5, 201722mThe true stories behind America's most infamous bad guys; and the truths behind America's notorious secret societies are investigated.
- S5E21
Bonus Round: Yankees, Rebels and World War II
Aug 12, 201722mThe myths behind World War II are exposed. Delves into the truths that are often forgotten when it comes to America's Civil War.
- S5E22
Bonus Round: Vices and Vacations
Aug 19, 201722mThe myths surrounding popular favorite vices and the facts behind the most-liked holidays are explored.
- S5E23
Bonus Round: Monumental Realities
Oct 12, 201722mThe myths behind some of history's most defining moments are uncovered, as well as revealing facts behind America's space explorations.
- S5E24
Bonus Round: Science or Sci-Fi?
Oct 19, 201722mThe science in America's history is examined, including its medical history and its nuclear age.