National Geographic

Celebrates 30 years of televised specials by The National Geographic Society.

This three-part series illuminates unique and bizarre evolutionary journeys that have brought forth some of the world’s most impressive animals. We unearth a 50-million-year-old mystery mammal, discover the missing link between the velociraptor and modern day birds, and find out if a new bear species could be about to evolve before our very eyes.

National Geographic Documentary

Along the coast of British Columbia lies an enchanted wilderness, where bear-hunting wolves take to the sea and grizzlies clash in titanic battles. In this magical, yet forbidding place, wildlife coexists and behaves as nowhere else on earth. As this precious arc of habitat faces an uncertain future, threatened by chainsaws and fish farms, a team of dedicated scientists are racing to prove that it must be protected. National Geographic joins these experts on a 250-mile adventure through remote and unexplored territory, battling nature's most brutal elements and witnessing its breathtaking best. The scientists form a wilderness detective squad, collecting clues that will decipher the secret life of the forest's elusive inhabitants and perhaps even reveal a glimpse of the rare white spirit bear in Great Bear Rainforest.

Was Adolf Hitler influenced and motivated by the occult? Through the years, historians have debated the mysterious connection between the occult, Hitler and the Nazi party, including some who maintain that Hitler killed others to keep his occult beliefs a secret. NGC examines how Hitler's involvement with the German Worker's Party brought him face-to-face with occultists who may have influenced his beliefs.

Via the persona of Clawdette the black cat, Kathleen Turner narrates this not-for-the-squeamish documentary from National Geographic. From a Komodo dragon's virulent bacterial bite to a black widow spider poisoning her victim and a cobra devouring a rat (tail first), viewers get to see skin-crawling close-ups of Mother Nature's creepiest critters. Intriguing tidbits about each creature make the program as enlightening as it is hair-raising.

National Geographic Ultimate Explorer host Lisa Ling examines the consequences of China's two-decades-old "one-child policy," designed to curb the country's exploding population. Due to cultural, social, and economic factors, traditional preference leans toward boys, so girls are often hidden, aborted, or abandoned. As a result, tens of thousands of girls end up in orphanages across China. Today, more than one quarter of all babies adopted from abroad by American families come from China—and nearly all are girls. Ling joins some of these families as they travel to China to meet their new daughters for the first time. Along this emotional journey, she shares in the joy of these growing families and also witnesses firsthand China's gender gap, its roots, and its possible repercussions. Join Ling as she explores the many complex issues surrounding China's attempt to slow its swelling tide of humanity.

It is a truism in most modern societies: Drugs that treat are good; drugs that transport are taboo.

Photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols has a clear philosophy: "I invest a lot of time in a story, but little to make the job easy for me." He spent a year photographing a 330-foot-tall redwood tree with special cameras—no one else had been able to do that before. The resulting film documentation is an impressive testimony to the latest photo technology and an extraordinary passion.

Six years ago, U.S.-led forces drove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan for providing sanctuary to al Qaeda terrorists. Now, these Islamist militants are back.

National Geographic journeys back 15,000 years to trace humankind's incredible journey through time. Beginning with humanity's exodus from the Ice Age and chronicling milestones such as hunter=gatherer, farmer, builder, and city organizer, Birth of Civilization reveals how much humankind managed to survive and conquer the world.

What makes members of the Straight Edge movement unique are their distinct rules that break from typical teenage proclivities: no drinking, no smoking, no drugs. NGC goes Inside Straight Edge to examine how this youth movement has earned a darker reputation as a hard-core gang, capable of malicious beatings and even murder. Is Straight Edge a safe refuge for those pursuing "clean" choices? Or is it a militant subculture that advocates violence?

The world watched in horror as the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded. No stone has been left unturned in the painstaking process of piecing together what happened on that fateful day. The government's official version of events has been consistent: Hijackers commandeered commercial jetliners in a highly coordinated terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon that took the lives of some 3,000 Americans. Theories abound contradicting the official version of events: Did the Twin Towers really collapse from the fires, or did explosives inside cause the buildings to implode? Was the Pentagon hit by a missile, and not a commercial airliner? And why do so many people believe theories like these?