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Viking Berserkers used highly effective weaponry to compliment their exceptional battlefield aggression. In the hands of the fearsome Vikings the Dane axe and double-sided sword hacked their way through opponents throughout a large swath of Europe.
03:05
Ancient Assassins
The Viking Axe and Sword Dole Out Death
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Using techniques that are only known in Japan, it is claimed that the Japanese sword is the best instance of metalworking in the world.
02:00
Ancient Assassins
The Japanese Samurai Sword is a Masterpiece of Technology
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The elite units of the Byzantine Army, the Varangian Guard, served as personal bodyguards to the Byzantine Emperors, and originated primarily from Scandinavia and England. Along with the prowess in combat they wielded highly effective weapons.
01:50
Ancient Assassins
Varangian Guard Weapons and Tactics
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Eagle Warriors were the elite shock troops of the mighty Aztec Empire and they fought war the Aztec way - trained not to kill but capture their enemies. Their main weapon was the ingenious macuahuitl, which used obsidian to tear through flesh.
02:12
Ancient Assassins
The Aztec Eagle Warriors and Their Awesome Macuahuitl
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Just as the US Navy Seals have their super-elite Team 6, so the Spartans have their own best of the best, the Krypteia, or Secret Operations Force. As part of their initiation they must stealthily and successfully assassinate an unsuspecting target.
03:26
Ancient Assassins
The Spartan Elite Must Assassinate as Part of Their Initiation
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The Ninja, or Shinobi warrior, developed a unique set of tactics that the samurai could not employ because of their honor code. Ninjas were free to conduct what today would be described as black ops, such as assassinations, spying, and sabotage.
02:44
Ancient Assassins
Ninjas Were the First to Conduct Black Ops
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An elite warrior class, the Koa, emerged in Hawaii amid constant warfare between the islands and its leaders. The Koa practiced a punishing martial art called Lua and sought to enrich themselves through their vanquished enemies' life force.
03:22
Ancient Assassins
The Elite Hawaiian Koa Feed Off Their Enemy
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The elite special forces of ancient Germany, the ‘Ghost Warriors’, had an effective array of weapons when fighting, including the spear, the club, the slingshot, and javelin.
03:03
Ancient Assassins
Ancient and Effective Germanic Weapons
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A dagger experts explains the three different types of daggers: the stabber, the slasher, and combo slasher/stabber. Watch demonstrations of each type.
01:03
Ancient Assassins
Differences in Daggers
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The Janissaries of the Ottoman Empire were highly trained killers taken from their homes at a young age as part of a blood tax, who distinguished themselves in battle, notably during the siege of Constantinople of 1453.
03:04
Ancient Assassins
Janissaries Were the Ottoman Empire's Elite Shock Troops
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In his drive to expand his empire towards India Alexander the Great's biggest obstacle is keeping his supply lines traversing Afghanistan secure. US and British forces today face the same challenges.
03:16
Ancient Assassins
The United States and Alexander the Great Face the Same Challenges in Afghanistan
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At the beginning of the Battle of Shinohara in late 12th century Japan each side selects their champion for a one-on-one duel, and to the surprise of the vanquished champion his opponent reveals that she is a woman.
03:32
Ancient Assassins
Tomoe Gozen the Legendary Female Samurai Champion
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The Roman invasion of present-day Great Britain was similar to that of the Normandy invasion in terms of the relative scale and risks involved in an amphibious assault across the English Channel.
02:06
Ancient Assassins
The Roman Empire's D-Day Invasion
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While the Scottish were greatly outnumbered by the English army, Sir William Wallace used the Scottish terrain to his advantage.
02:21
Ancient Assassins
William Wallace Maximizes the Advantages of Scottish Terrain
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It is posited that 9th century Vikings conquering the kingdoms of England had the upper edge in battle because they believed that the more they killed the better their standing would be in Valhalla.
02:36
Ancient Assassins
The More The Vikings Kill The Better Their Standing in Valhalla
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The Kung Fu Nun imitates nature to develop a figthing style that is designed to take down a bigger, stronger, and faster opponent.
02:17
Ancient Assassins
Nature as Inspiration for a New Fighting Style
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While the Scottish were greatly outnumbered by the English army, Sir William Wallace used the Scottish terrain to his advantage.
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Ancient Assassins
William Wallace Maximizes the Advantages of Scottish Terrain
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The Articles of Confederation proved to be more trouble than help, with individual states all pushing their interests and agendas, to the point of threatening the country as a whole.
02:49
America: Facts vs. Fiction
Facts vs. Fiction:Articles of Confederation
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Our vision of Paul Revere's midnight ride is all wrong, especially how it concludes.
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America: Facts vs. Fiction
Facts vs. Fiction:The Truth About Paul Revere
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Such were his powers of organization and logistics, Dwight Eisenhower was always kept away from combat because he made others better and more well-prepared for it.
02:27
America: Facts vs. Fiction
Eisenhower Had How Much Combat Experience?
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Paul Revere has been billed as America?s first action hero after his famous "Midnight Ride" but as truth would have it, he was part of a network.
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America: Facts vs. Fiction
Facts vs. Fiction:It Wasn't Just Paul Revere
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There are many misconceptions surrounding our understanding of General George Armstrong Custer and his final campaign against the Plains Indians but the actual facts are more compelling than the fiction.
02:59
America: Facts vs. Fiction
Facts vs. Fiction (Season 2):The Real General Custer and What Really Happened at Little Bighorn
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George Washington was preceded by several other Presidents of the United States.
02:42
America: Facts vs. Fiction
Facts vs. Fiction:George Washington Not our First President
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In 1932 Rear Admiral Harry Yarnell mounted a simulated attack on Pearl Harbor utilizing carrier-based airplanes to expose how vulnerable it was to a carrier-borne attack. The Japanese took notice.
03:02
America: Facts vs. Fiction
The Pearl Harbor Attack of 1932
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A small anecdote from the crossing of the Mayflower to America reveals that an indentured servant, John Howland was swept off the deck of the ship during a storm, and that had he not been saved US history would have taken a different turn.
01:40
America: Facts vs. Fiction
Facts vs. Fiction:The Mayflower and What May Not Have Been
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There were actually two boats of Pilgrims that left England for the US, and Plymouth Rock was not the first place the Mayflower disembarked.
02:51
America: Facts vs. Fiction
Facts vs. Fiction:What Really Happened with the Mayflower
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Witness how childhood boredom escalated into the mass hysteria that led to the Salem Witch Trials.
02:24
America: Facts vs. Fiction
Facts vs. Fiction:Salem Witch Craft Hysteria
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When one thinks of America's first amusement ride Coney Island comes to mind, but another ride in Pennsylvania was attracting large crowds of thrill-seekers a decade before.
02:48
America: Facts vs. Fiction
The Truth About America's First Amusement Rides
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The negative characterization of Edgar Allan Poe as a paranoid drug addict with the darkest of minds can be traced back to one man who was a rival of Poe's. There is no proof of drugs and his "darkness" is only inferred because of the scary stori ...
02:51
America: Facts vs. Fiction
Facts vs. Fiction:The Real Edgar Allan Poe
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Halloween in the early-to-mid-20th century was not a sweet nor pleasant holiday, but an excuse for pranks and general mischief.
02:36
America: Facts vs. Fiction
Facts vs. Fiction:How Halloween Has Changed
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There are several facts and fictions associated with New York City's Empire State Building, like that one about a penny dropped from the top having the ability to kill someone on the sidewalk.
02:09
America: Facts vs. Fiction
What Happens When a Penny is Dropped From the Empire State Building?
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Just as with their flags there are many misconceptions about pirates and how they operated.
02:34
America: Facts vs. Fiction
Facts vs. Fiction (Season 2):Pirates and Their Flags Aren't As They Seem
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