The BEST episodes of Secrets of the Dead season 1

Every episode of Secrets of the Dead season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Secrets of the Dead season 1!

Sometimes the truth gets carried to the grave. The techniques of modern forensic science are used to investigate a historical mystery to find proof of what really happened.

Last Updated: 7/24/2025Network: PBSStatus: Continuing

9.21

39 votes

#1 - Catastrophe! Part 1: The Day the Sun Went Out

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/15/2000

An exploration of the theory of David Keys that a "catastrophe" in the mid sixth century caused major changes in the world's weather for the next several years.

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8.00

3 votes

#2 - What Happened to the Hindenburg

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/15/2000

An examination of what really caused the explosion of the Hindenburg zeppelin.

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7.75

4 votes

#3 - The Lost Vikings

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/16/2000

This program trys to discover why a colony of Vikings, after nearly four hundred years of settlement, would disappear suddenly from the coast of Greenland.

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7.25

8 votes

#4 - Catastrophe! Part 2: How the World Changed

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/15/2000

Could a violent volcanic eruption of Krakatoa be responsible for the climatic cataclysm that hit Earth in 535 A.D., causing two years of darkness, famine, drought and disease, and did this lead to emergence of new nations and religions?

Watch Now:Apple TV

5.25

4 votes

#5 - Cannibalism in the Canyon

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/17/2000

The Anasazi people of the American Southwest were once thought to be a model society, but now it seems they may have practiced ritual cannibalism. This program explores the evidence for how they lived and why they disappeared.

Watch Now:Apple TV