Parents' Guide to

Undercover History

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Experts weigh in on long-unsolved mysteries.

TV National Geographic Channel Educational 2006
Undercover History Poster Image

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What's the Story?

UNDERCOVER HISTORY presents an overview of the theories and supporting evidence that surround some of the most famous unsolved mysteries in history, from the death of Julius Caesar to the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Each episode meshes expert and eyewitness opinions, dramatic re-enactments, and archival photos and video clips to build compelling cases from all sides of the mystery in question, encouraging viewers to weigh all the facts and decide for themselves which ones are the most believable. In the Amelia Earhart episode, for example, longtime researchers lay out the cases for their varied theories, which range from her running out of fuel and crashing into the ocean to a secretive plot by the U.S. government to use her landing on a Japanese-controlled island to monitor the happenings there during pre-WWII years. Experts discuss the physical and testimonial evidence that lead them to their separate theories, including eyewitness accounts of Earhart's arrival on an island in the Pacific Ocean to the recovery of metal some believe is wreckage from her plane.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
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Kids say (1 ):

In general, impartial experts are brought in to support or refute selected clues to the given mystery; for the most part, there are no hard-and-fast answers to be found here. But compelling storytelling and fascinating puzzle work make Undercover History an intriguing choice for families with older tweens and teens.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how investigators gather and analyze evidence years after an event. What clues do they follow to uncover information? What kind of evidence do they find? How have recent technological advances helped these investigative efforts? What evidence would it take to put the mysteries to rest once and for all? Which historical mysteries would you like to know more about?

TV Details

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