The BEST episodes of National Geographic Documentaries season 1988

#1 - Australia's Aborigines

Season 1988 - Episode 6 - Aired 6/11/1988

The Gagudju aborigines of northern Australia represent the longest unbroken culture in human history, having passed along their traditions for 40,000 years. Now, however, it seems the Gagudju are experiencing their final generation, as young members of the tribe have gone off to practice the ways of modern civilization.

#2 - The Explorers: A Century of Discovery

Season 1988 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/12/1988

For more than a century National Geographic has participated in and chronicled many of the world's greatest explorations—unlocking the secrets of the oceans, lifting men into the stratosphere, and mapping the very boundaries of the earth, sea, and sky. Now you can relive some of the most significant expeditions in history. Follow Robert E. Peary to the North Pole; join Jane Goodall for her pioneering work with chimpanzees; climb Mount Everest on the first American ascent. Marvel at 100 years of exploration in the Society's official centennial presentation.

#3 - African Odyssey

Season 1988 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/20/1988

Researchers/conservationists Mark and Delia Owens pursue their scientific studies of lions and brown hyenas in the torrid reaches of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana. When forced to abandon their home in the Kalahari Desert, they find a new African work site in a wildlife park in the southern African country of Zambia.

#4 - Australia's Twilight of the Dreamtime

Season 1988 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/10/1988

Many anthropologists believe that Australia's indigenous traditions make up the oldest surviving culture in the world. At the heart of this culture is a robust oral tradition and a belief system based upon reverence for the land, and for the spiritual dimension known as the Dreamtime. Composed of several different groups, each with a distinct set of customs and traditions, the Australian Aborigines are nevertheless linked by many linguistic and cultural similarities. This program ushers viewers into their ancient culture as tribal elders transfer knowledge of the old ways to what may be the last traditional Aboriginal generation

#5 - Inside the Soviet Circus

Season 1988 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/9/1988

Go behind the scenes at Moscow's Circus School and experience the magic and wonder of the performances that delight millions. See lion tamers risk life and limb, trapeze artists glide through the air, of course, the beloved clowns who inspire imagination and fantasy. With laughter as their language, the Soviet Circus bridges the gap between generations, borders, and all peoples of the world.

#6 - Mysteries of Mankind

Season 1988 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/20/1988

Who are we, and where did we come from? Follow a trail of ash-entombed footprints to learn about some of the intriguing clues in one of the greatest mysteries of all time: the origins of the human race.

#7 - The Rhino War

Season 1988 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/28/1988

Since the 1970s, poachers have slaughtered 95 percent of Africa's black rhino population. Demand for valuable rhino horn in the Far East, where it reaches prices of up to $7,000 per pound, perpetuates the killing of these magnificent creatures. In North Yemen, a rhino-handled dagger is the ultimate status symbol, and a fine antique specimen sells for as much as $15,000. In Africa, the war to save the rhino is heading toward a bitter climax. Zimbabwe rangers realize they can only stem the tide of this crisis unless the network of corrupt dealers and middlemen in the illegal wildlife trade is broken. Until then, the desperate battle to save one of the world's oldest surviving land mammals from extinction continues.

#8 - Australia's Improbable Animals

Season 1988 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/15/1988