The BEST episodes of Discovery Channel Documentaries season 2011

#1 - Pompeii: Back From The Dead

Season 2011 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/18/2011

As Vesuvius rained destruction on the the Roman town of Pompeii, 74 men, women and children took refuge in a dark cellar. There, they waited, while their friends and neighbors fell victim to the heat and ash that swallowed the city. They thought they had survived the worst - instead, they became the last people to die in the disaster. The discovery of their bones - perfectly preserved - reveals much about the way the people of Pompeii lived - and died.

#2 - Bermuda Triangle Exposed

Season 2011 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/21/2011

Examine the Bermuda Triangle by layer to reveal what's beneath the 440, 000 square miles of ocean in the deadly marine graveyard. Freak waves, magnetic anomalies, giant whirlpools and more have been blamed for its mysterious plane and boat disappearances.

#3 - Secrets of Seal Team 6

Season 2011 - Episode 32 - Aired 7/10/2011

For three decades, the elite government operatives of SEAL TEAM VI have existed under the radar, but now, their cover is blown. We'll uncover the classified information the government doesn't want you to know and discover the SECRETS OF SEAL TEAM 6.

#4 - iGenius: How Steve Jobs Changed the World

Season 2011 - Episode 53 - Aired 10/16/2011

Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman host a retrospective look and celebration of the life of Steve Jobs.

#5 - King's of Construction: Ski Dubai

Season 2011 - Episode 26 - Aired 2/27/2008

Ski Dubai has 5 runs that vary in difficulty, height and gradient, the longest run being 400 meters with a fall of over 60 meters. Test your skills on the worlds first indoor black run or practice your turns on the gentle beginner slopes. Skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels will enjoy these various slopes and snowboarders can also practice their stunts in the Freestyle Zone. Kids and parents alike will have fun in the huge interactive Snow Park, which at 3000 square meters is the largest indoor snow park in the world.

#6 - 9/11: The Towers and the Pentagon

Season 2011 - Episode 65 - Aired 9/11/2011

The attack of 9/11 resulted in the total collapse of the Twin Towers, but the Pentagon withstood it. Forensic engineers study the structural consequences of the attacks and explain why the results were so different.

#7 - Man Made Marvels: Ultimate Casino

Season 2011 - Episode 27 - Aired 5/22/2011

The world's ultimate casino, The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel will be the largest inhabited building on earth. Off the coast of China, on islands of Macau, this entertainment super structure will be the centerpiece of the Asian Las Vegas.

#8 - Surviving D-Day

Season 2011 - Episode 28 - Aired 6/4/2011

By forensically analyzing war records and real testimony, SURVIVING D-DAY reveals that the difference between life and death for American soldiers hung on such details as what they ate for breakfast, the interpretation of a weather forecast, or the design of a buckle strap. Yet despite ingenious and creative tactical devices and strategies, the most powerful weapons of warfare were still leadership and bravery. The special tells these incredible stories -- many told by Omaha Beach veterans themselves -- to examine this historic day and reveal who survived... and why

#9 - Dino Gangs

Season 2011 - Episode 31 - Aired 6/26/2011

A groundbreaking discovery reveals that T-Rex may have been more deadly than we ever imagined. Many times more deadly. In the Gobi Desert, scientists unearth the remains of 68 Tyrannosaurus Rexes, packed closely together. For dino hunter Dr. Phil Currie, it's a find that leads him to a disturbing conclusion: T-Rex lived and hunted in bloodthirsty gangs, capable of taking down anything that crossed their path, and tearing their unlucky prey to shreds in a rapacious frenzy. Dr. Currie journeys to some of the most remote and inhospitable places on the planet in search of evidence that may reveal how just how brutally the tyrant lizard king lorded over their domain, and why their reign of terror lasted so long

#10 - Who Survives?

Season 2011 - Episode 33 - Aired 7/27/2011

After two hikers are stranded alone in the wilderness, they push themselves to their physical and emotional limits in an attempt to make it out of the wild alive.

#11 - Monsters and Mysteries in Alaska

Season 2011 - Episode 35 - Aired 8/15/2011

Alaska: could its uninhabited frontier be hiding monsters and mysteries? For the first time, witnesses tell the stories of their encounters with the unknown Bigfoot, lake monsters and UFOs - all under the scrutiny of a top microexpressions expert.

#12 - 9/11: Heroes of the 88th Floor

Season 2011 - Episode 50 - Aired 9/4/2011

9/11: HEROES OF THE 88th FLOOR is told through first-hand testimonials from survivors, recounting the 102 minutes before the North Tower collapsed. This program puts the spotlight on the extraordinary rescue work of construction manager Frank De Martini and construction inspector Pablo Ortiz, who both worked with the Port Authority on the 88th floor. Armed only with a flashlight, a crowbar and walkie talkies, the two men selflessly worked to rescue survivors from behind jammed doors on the upper floors of the North Tower. Sadly, both Frank and Pablo died in the terror attack--but their acts of heroism and courage saved the lives of 77 people and touched many more. Their bravery and sacrifice inspired those around them to step up and help others as they exited the towers, which in turn saved many more lives. Through archival footage and dramatic recreations, audiences relive their terrifying struggle for survival and discover what it was like to be trapped in the midst of this tragic day.

#13 - Extreme Drug Smuggling

Season 2011 - Episode 51 - Aired 9/15/2011

An inside look at the extreme lengths cartels and drug traffickers will go to import millions of tons of cocaine, marijuana, and heroin into the US each year.

#14 - Alaskan Monster Hunt: Hillstranded

Season 2011 - Episode 52 - Aired 7/19/2011

#15 - Life On A Wire

Season 2011 - Episode 55 - Aired 6/22/2011

Nik Wallenda comes from seven generations of daredevils and famous circus family 'The Flying Wallendas'. Nik is a daredevil for the 21st Century and along with his dad, who supervises the rigging and safety, he performs death-defying stunts. We follow his whole family (mom, dad, wife, kids) as they engineer and execute their life's passion.

#16 - Jack the Ripper: Prime Suspect

Season 2011 - Episode 56 - Aired 5/9/2012

Featuring the latest news and theories in the 120-year-old worldwide quest to identify the person dubbed Jack the Ripper responsible for the murder of 5 common prostitutes around the seedy district of Whitechapel in London's notorious East End between 31 August 1888 and 9 November 1888. Will this serial killer's identity ever be revealed through DNA or other - as yet unrevealed - evidence?

#17 - Raising Big Blue

Season 2011 - Episode 57 - Aired 5/30/2011

Scientists uncover a buried skeleton of a Blue Whale in an attempt to put it back together for display in a prominent museum. But it's not as simple as it seems, first they need to locate the buried whale, develop a method to clean the appalling stench from the bones and put all the pieces together.

#18 - The Supernaturalist

Season 2011 - Episode 60 - Aired 6/29/2011

The Supernaturalist with Dan White Dan White performs mind-blowing magic: manipulating physical objects, performing surprising card tricks and making items appear from seemingly thin air. All of this, he admits, is merely an illusion. White has a mission: to find REAL magic. White travels to a remote corner of the planet and finds himself in a place where magic isn't just tricks. It is believed to be very real... and even dangerous. Locals in the Himalayan country of Nepal believe there are monks within its borders who use their powers to harm anyone who crosses their path. White relies on his talents as an illusionist to open doors normally closed to outsiders in an attempt to find one of these feared monks and - hopefully - witness his true magic. White's mission will introduce him to many people, each getting him one step closer to the men in the mountains.

#19 - Shark City

Season 2011 - Episode 62 - Aired 8/1/2011

Chief Shark Officer Andy Samberg takes us on a tour of a mysterious underwater world in the protected waters of the Bahamas, where it's shark-eat-shark, and shark-eat-pretty much everything else too. Join him as he explores the marvels of... Shark City!

#20 - Taxidermy USA

Season 2011 - Episode 63 - Aired 3/29/2011

From the exotic to the downright bizarre, Taxidermy USA follows three unique families of taxidermists as they stuff and mount everything from African Lion and American Alligator to Canadian Black Bear and Domestic House Cat.

#21 - King's of Construction: Tung Chung Hong Kong's New Cable Car

Season 2011 - Episode 22 - Aired 8/24/2011

On Hong Kong's mountainous Lantau Island a team of experts are building one of the most impressive cable cars ever: the Ngong Ping 360.

#22 - King's of Construction: Gotthard Base Tunnel (Switzerland)

Season 2011 - Episode 21 - Aired 8/17/2011

The Gotthard Base Tunnel is actually two main parallel tunnels measuring a record-breaking 57km each, served by a maze of access tunnels, shafts and passages. In total there will be 153.5 km of tunnel through the Swiss Alps. The project has been conceived to solve the problem of heavy European road traffic on this major route through the Alps, while simultaneously developing Europe’s high-speed rail network. The existing tunnel, much higher up, can only handle three-truck freight trains of up to 2,000 tons. The new tunnel will take 4,000 ton heavy freight trains – carrying entire trucks on board - effortlessly through the heart of the mountains. Passenger trains will be able to travel at speeds of up to 250kmph, resulting in a train journey time between Zurich and Milan of just two hours and 40 minutes – a third less than at present.

#23 - In Search of the King's Head

Season 2011 - Episode 18 - Aired 5/26/2011

The story of a skull recently discovered in an attic in France, which was revealed to be the head of king Henry IV of France – decapitated by French revolutionaries in 1789.

#24 - Tornado Rampage

Season 2011 - Episode 17 - Aired 5/22/2011

With nearly 200 tornados recorded and over 300 lives lost in just a single day, weather history was made on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 in the worst tornado outbreak since 1974. Discovery Channel's STORM CHASERS were filming that day in the center of the action and now present never-before-seen footage, recount their harrowing stories and put into both scientific and human context the overwhelming tragedy in the all new special TORNADO RAMPAGE 2011. STORM CHASERS' Reed Timmer, Sean Casey and Tim Samaras were all filming with their chase teams on Wednesday, April 27th for the new season of their series when they become caught up in unprecedented multiple tornados. Their exclusive, never-before-seen footage combined with meteorlogical expertise and years of chasing experience helps piece together a day that saw so much destruction and loss of life. Tornados are one of Mother Nature's most mystifying, deadly forces. When conditions are just right what starts as a breeze can becomes a mass of spinning energy as loud as a jet engine and as strong as a freight train. All three chase teams witnessed the storms from different locations across the South allowing Discovery to offer a comprehensive, 360° look at this unimaginable tragedy. "In all my years of chasing tornados, this was hands down the most unforgettable day. The intensity of the storm activity and the sheer number of tornados that touched down is overwhelming and heartbreaking. By studying this historic day we hope to learn more information for our research and help better predict tornados and save lives," said STORM CHASERS' meteorologist Reed Timmer TORNADO RAMPAGE 2011 is produced for Discovery Channel by Darlow Smithson. Tom Brisley and Guy Davies are executive producers. For Discovery Channel, Stephen Reverend is executive producer.

#25 - Killing bin Laden

Season 2011 - Episode 16 - Aired 5/15/2011

Examining how Osama bin Laden was brought down from intelligence-gathering that exposed his location to the military operation conducted by Seal Team 6, and the terrorist leader's May 2011 burial at sea.