Stephen Hawking is the most famous scientist on the planet. His popular science book A Brief History of Time was a publishing sensation, staying at the top of the bestseller lists longer than any other book in recent history. But behind the public face lies an argument that has been raging for almost 30 years.Hawking shot to fame in the world of physics when he provided a mathematical
It’s one of the greatest stories ever told. The legend of Helen of Troy has enchanted audiences for the last three thousand years. In May this year a Hollywood film staring Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom will be launched in Britain. But is there any reality to the myth? Horizon has unprecedented access to the scientist with the answers.Since 1988 Professor Manfred Korfmann has been excavating the
Engineer Jem Stansfield looks back through the Horizon archives to find out how scientists have come to understand and manipulate the materials that built the modern world. Whether it's uncovering new materials or finding fresh uses for those we've known about for centuries, each breakthrough offers a tantalising glimpse of the holy grail of materials science - a substance that's cheap to produce
Nature's Weirdest Events Chris Packham presents this documentary investigating unusual natural events, with the help of eyewitness accounts, scientists and footage of the occurrences. The phenomena he explores include a storm that turned Sydney crimson, moths that cocooned a car in Holland, a case of exploding toads and disturbing plagues of mice and locusts.In the first program of this two-pa
Using rare and, in some cases, never before seen color footage, this documentary examines World War II from the perspective of the Japanese. The film also utilizes original letters and diary entries written by Japanese soldiers and civilians during the war. Japan's War in Color looks to present both the innocent and the guilty parties involved in what was culturally touted as a Holy War, and exami
Family violence has reached epidemic levels in Papua New Guinea, the South Pacific's largest nation.Two out of three women experience domestic violence and 50 per cent of women have experienced forced sex or gang rape in the South Pacific's biggest country.In PNG's Western Highlands Provinces, 97 per cent of women surveyed by an NGO said they had been attacked by male family members. From
The West says Iran is making a nuclear bomb. Tehran says they're treating cancer. This compelling investigation gets right to the heart of the maelstrom, interrogating facts, falsehoods and shocking allegations.Global diplomatic tensions are rapidly mounting around Iran's nuclear ambitions. This compelling investigation gets right to the heart of the maelstrom, interrogating facts, falsehoods an
Summer 2005: federal agents and police record over a thousand hours of surveillance footage inside a crack house in Rockford Illinois. For six weeks the gang smoke weed, play with guns and sell crack and heroin, unaware that their every move is being filmed. The customers come and go with no clue that their secret lives would be exposed. This is an intimate portrait of the rise and fall of a crack
Almost 70 years ago, Europe found itself at war with one of the most sinister figures in modern history: Adolf Hitler. When the last bullet of World War II was fired, over 50 million people were dead, and countless countries were both physically and economically devastated. Hitlers bloody struggle sought to forge the world anew, in the crucible of Nazi values. How could such a disaster occur? How