8.3/107 votesLoading...#1 - Bob Dylan Guitar; Beatles Autographs; Frank Zappa Collage
Season 10 Episode 1 - Aired 7/17/2012
The Season 10 premiere investigates the history of an electric guitar to determine if Bob Dylan played it at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Also: possible Beatle autographs from 1964 Miami Beach; a $5 thrift-store find that may have a Frank Zappa link.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/105 votesLoading...
#2 - New York
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 8/25/2003
Ventriloquist Dummy The Place: Brooklyn, New York Where did ""Sam"" the first black ventriloquist dummy, come from? Did he change the way Americans viewed race in the early 20th century? Home of Lincoln Assassination Plot? The Place: Greenwich Village, New York Did John Wilkes Booth, the infamous assassin of Abraham Lincoln, spend time in this woman's house planning the assassination? 34 Star Flag The Place: Staten Island, New York Did a 34-star Civil War-era flag in the possession of a New York historical society once save a boarding house from being burned down? Legend says it replaced a confederate flag hung at the height of Civil War hysteria.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.6/107 votesLoading...
#3 - Orphan Film Reel; Chinese Opium Scale; Hermann Goering’s Shotgun
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 7/24/2006
Puzzles involve a film reel of 1920s stuntman Eddie Polo; scales used by Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century; and a shotgun that belonged to Nazi henchman Hermann Goering.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.5/106 votesLoading...
#4 - St. Valentine's Day Massacre; Booth Letter; Cemetery Alarm
Season 7 Episode 3 - Aired 7/6/2009
Items include a shotgun believed to have been used by a member of Al Capone's gang during the St. Valentine's Day Massacre; a threatening letter to President Andrew Jackson believed to have been written by John Wilkes Boothe's father; and an alarm which is thought to have been an alarm against grave robbers in a cemetery.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.4/105 votesLoading...
#5 - St.Valentine's Day Massacre; G. Washington Miniature; Stalag 17 Portrait
Season 8 Episode 7 - Aired 8/9/2010
St.Valentine's Day Massacre: Family lore says their shotgun played a role in the Chicago St. Valentine's Day Massacre. G. Washington Miniature: Why is this miniature of Washington more than a piece of art? Stalag 17 Portrait: A portrait sketched in a WWII prison leads to a meeting 65 years later.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.4/105 votesLoading...
#6 - World War II patches; Cheyenne possessions; Lincoln note; Civil War Fabric
Season 10 Episode 4 - Aired 7/31/2012
Whether two patches that feature a symbol of a bird dropping a bomb are from a World War II unit; if a neckpiece and leggings belonged to Chief Black Kettle, a Cheyenne leader; whether a President Lincoln-signed note is authentic. Also: A tattered piece of red fabric is linked to a pivotal moment in the U.S. Civil War.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.3/106 votesLoading...
#7 - WPA Mural Studies; George Washington Miniature; Japanese Balloon Bomb
Season 7 Episode 9 - Aired 8/24/2009
Items look at include six paintings by Thelma Johnson Streat, which may have been mural studies commissioned by the WPA in the 1930s or '40s; a 1790 miniature color portrait of a "G. Washington" which was found stored above a Manhattan tavern in a box of documents; and a scrap of material believed to have come from a Japanese balloon bomb used during WWII.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.2/105 votesLoading...
#8 - Hindenburg Artifact; John Adams Book; Birthplace of Hip-Hop
Season 7 Episode 7 - Aired 8/10/2009
A man from New Jersey claims to have the instrument panel from the Hindenburg in his possession, in which his family lore claims it came from the blimps 1937 crash site. Then, an 18th-century book titled "Trials of Patriots," may contain John Adams signature and an inscription to his son, Charles. And a search is on at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx to see, as legend has it, the origins of hip-hop music.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/105 votesLoading...
#9 - Arthur Szyk's Earliest Cartoons
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 7/18/2005
Arthur Szyk's Earliest Cartoons Professor Lowe's Hot Air Balloon Chemical Warfare Map
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/106 votesLoading...
#10 - Coca-Cola Trade Card; Vicksburg Map; Lawrence Strike
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 7/3/2006
Puzzles involve an 1886 Coca-Cola trade card, a map connected to a Civil War battle and a billy club from a 1912 textile-factory strike in Lawrence, Mass. Included: a trip to Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta to try to verify the trade card info; digging up details pertaining to the 1863 siege of Vicksburg, Miss.; a journey to Lawrence to investigate the Bread and Roses strike.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/105 votesLoading...
#11 - U.S.S. Indianapolis; Highlander Badge; Spirit of St. Louis
Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 7/17/2006
Puzzles concerning items believed to have come from a WWII kamikaze attack; a badge that may have belonged to a British soldier in the Revolutionary War; and two New Jersey brothers who suspect that their uncle built the Spirit of St. Louis's Wright Whirlwind J-5C engine.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/106 votesLoading...
#12 - NC-4: First Across the Atlantic; Howard Hughes Crash; Civil War Balloon
Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 7/30/2007
A square of fabric that may have been part of an NC-4 aircraft, which was the first to fly across the Atlantic; and an altimeter that might have been part of the XF-11 aircraft flown by Howard Hughes in 1946. Also: a piece of material that may have been part of a Civil War-era hot-air balloon designed for the U.S. Army.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/105 votesLoading...
#13 - Bill Pickett Saddle; Hitler Films; McKinley Casket Flag
Season 5 Episode 11 - Aired 9/3/2007
A saddle that may have been owned by cowboy legend Bill Pickett; a flag that might have been draped over the casket of President William McKinley; and film cans that may contain archival footage of Nazi officials.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/105 votesLoading...
#14 - Hindenburg Artifact; Bonus Army Stamp; Dempsey Fight Bell
Season 6 Episode 5 - Aired 7/28/2008
Hindenburg Artifact Was this device snatched from the burning wreckage of the ill-fated zeppelin? Bonus Army Stamp: Is this stamp connected to a moment when the U.S. Army advanced with fixed bayonets against fellow soldiers in the nation’s capital? Dempsey Fight Bell: Is this the bell that sat ringside at the world's first boxing superstar's legendary match?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/106 votesLoading...
#15 - GAR Photograph; Bill Pickett Saddle; Hitler Films
Season 6 Episode 6 - Aired 8/4/2008
GAR Photograph: How did two African Americans come to be part of this photograph of about 20 older white men in Reconstructionist-era America? Bill Pickett Saddle: Did this saddle ride into cowboy history with one of rodeo's most daring innovators? Hitler Films: Could these rusting film canisters contain unknown footage of one of the 20th century's most heinous murderers?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/106 votesLoading...
#16 - Tokyo Rose; Crazy Horse; World War II Diary
Season 7 Episode 5 - Aired 7/20/2009
Items explored include a recording believed to be from the trial of Iva Toguri, better known Tokyo Rose, the Japanese American woman who made propaganda broadcasts for the Japanese during WWII; a possible photograph of the legendary Crazy Horse, the Lakota warrior. Also, a diary written by a pilot during WWII who perished in action is returned to his family.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/106 votesLoading...
#17 - Iwo Jima Map; Copperhead Cane; Theremin
Season 8 Episode 2 - Aired 6/28/2010
Iwo Jima Map - What role did this map play in one of WWII’s fiercest battles? Copperhead Cane - How did this cane inspire a fiery political movement that threatened Lincoln’s presidency? Theremin - How did this strange instrument help spark a rock n’ roll revolution?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.0/106 votesLoading...
#18 - Siberian Bullet; John Brown Pike; Ronald McDonald Costume
Season 9 Episode 3 - Aired 7/5/2011
Rummaging through a box of shells and bullets at a Colorado gun show, a History Detectives fan discovered a World War I vintage cartridge with a curious etching: Leo V. Thompson, CO E 31st Inf., A.E.F. Siberia. Our contributor bought a spear, or pike, from an antique shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He knows abolitionist John Brown lived near Chagrin Falls and wonders if rebels used this blade in John Brown’s famous raid at Harpers Ferry, VA. Have we found the original costume that launched Ronald McDonald? The label credits a well-known costume designer, and the costume looks similar to the suit we see in an early Ronald McDonald commercial: the yellow balloon coverall, red and white striped shirt and long stockings, and red oversized shoes.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.8/106 votesLoading...
#19 - 3D Cuban Missile Crisis; Amos 'n Andy Record; Women's Suffrage Painting
Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 6/25/2007
The fifth season begins with a portable projection screen that may have been used by President Kennedy to view spy photos during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also: an aluminum record that might contain an original recording of the “Amos 'n' Andy” program; and a painting that may have been an original portrait used in the women's suffrage movement.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.8/106 votesLoading...
#20 - Lauste Film Clip; Baker's Gold; Transatlantic Cable
Season 8 Episode 3 - Aired 7/5/2010
A collector who may possess part of the first talking movie; a Cape Cod beachcomber's discovery of what may be a section of the first transatlantic cable. Also: the story behind sketches of five- and eight-pound gold nuggets.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.7/106 votesLoading...
#21 - Amelia Earhart Plane; Fillmore Pardon; Boxcar Home
Season 7 Episode 6 - Aired 7/27/2009
A Honolulu flight mechanic's grandson believes he possesses a piece of Amelia Earhart's airplane but needs help identifying it. Next, the 1851 presidential commutation of a death sentence to life in prison in the case of See See Sah Mah, a Native American who was charged with murdering a a St. Louis trader. Lastly, a home in Colorado which is believed to have been built solely from railroad boxcars.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.6/105 votesLoading...
#22 - Drug Smuggling Doll; Florida Map; Marion Carpenter Camera
Season 9 Episode 8 - Aired 8/30/2011
A camera may have been used to photograph President Truman; Civil War doll may have been used to smuggle medicine; a 15th-century map shows how Europe colonized Florida.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.5/106 votesLoading...
#23 - Japanese Balloon Bomb; Society Circus Program; Camp David Letter
Season 6 Episode 3 - Aired 7/14/2008
Japanese Balloon Bomb: Is this scrap of fabric evidence of a secret wartime attack on the United States' mainland? Society Circus Program: Why are some of New York's wealthiest planning a high society circus at the very depth of the Great Depression? Camp David Letter: Could a box found in a dumpster hold information about the founding of a top-secret Presidential retreat?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.4/106 votesLoading...
#24 - Leopold Medal; Suffrage Pennant; WB Cartoons
Season 9 Episode 10 - Aired 9/20/2011
No description available
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 6.2/105 votesLoading...
#25 - Lost Gold Ship / John Hunt Morgan Saddle / Cesar Chavez Banner
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 9/6/2004
Lost Gold Ship The Place: Alaska Environmentalist Gabriel Scott was working in the Copper River Delta near Cordova, Alaska, when he came across the wreckage of an old ship. According to locals, these are the remains of the SS Portland, the famous steamship that carried 68 miners and nearly two tons of gold from the Klondike River to Seattle harbor and began the great Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. The History Detectives team mixes maritime history and forensic science to reveal the dramatic story of the SS Portland and confirm that the remains are of this legendary ship. John Hunt Morgan Saddle The Place: Paris, Kentucky A Kentucky man owns a beautifully preserved, Western-style saddle, believed to have been used by Confederate General John Hunt Morgan on his audacious raid into Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio in July 1863. History Detective Wes Cowan has a surprising personal connection to the case - his great-grandfather was actually one of ""Morgan's Raiders"" and was captured alongsi
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of History Detectives
Every episode of History Detectives ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of History Detectives!
A group of researchers help people to find answers to various historical questions they have, usually centering around a family heirloom, an old house or...
Genre:Documentary
Network:PBS
Best Episodes Summary
"Bob Dylan Guitar; Beatles Autographs; Frank Zappa Collage" is the best rated episode of "History Detectives". It scored 8.3/10 based on 7 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 7/17/2012. This episode scored 0.5 points higher than the second highest rated, "New York".