bbaggins8286 Fundamentally, the programme seemed to provide a dumb-ed down version of previous History Channel (now plain "History," according to my Wikipedia glance) programming on the same subjects. As an example, I'll cite the "Ku Klux Klan" episode. History did a fairly thorough show about the Klan years ago. The "Book of Secrets" episode recycled some footage from the older show--some charming Klansmen yelling about having all non WASP types using colourful language. The "Book of Secrets" Klan programme also used a lot of archival footage having nothing to do with the actual group. There were "God Hates Obama" signs clearly designed by the Westboro Baptist Church. Similarly, the programme used generic footage from right-wing groups who I think would be appalled to be cited as Klansmen. Also, the narrator/narration had an irritating habit of rhetorically asking whether X had a more sinister/secret/special reason for occurring. As an example, using the Klan episode, the narrator asked about why the FBI only investigated Klan-linked murders starting in 2007. However, the show then moved on past this apparent triviality.

amazon-fan Yes, it would be relatively easy to quickly and significantly increase America's average Intelligence Quotient. Here it is. Select people by finding if any person believes in ONE item presented on the H2 series America's Book of Secrets. A supposed fact, a conspiracy theory, any one thing at all. Belief in anything involving extraterrestrials counts as especially qualifying. Take these people and periodically deport them to Cuba, a sort of Marielista Exodus in reverse. But instead of getting criminals, perverts, and psychopaths like those sent here by Fidel, they'd get persons of proved idiocy! I would not be vindictive, I'd limit the minimum age of deportees to 13yo. But you young folks reaching the teen years had better beware! Oh, and make the port of embarkation Area 51 in Nevada... That would be so ironically appropriate, wouldn't it?

ThomasJeff Occasionally they have good stuff about cults etc. But then they go right back around and make some stuff up just for the ratings.They continue to talk about conspiracy theories that have been debunked like "Fake moon landing" and "freemasons" and "Gold conspiracies" and EVEN BIGFOOT. I MEAN SERIOUSLY?!?! Bringing up nut cases like Ron Paul. Talking about Fort Knox conspiracies. It's just things they don't know so they make up a story behind it.It's so easy when someone doesn't give you access to something so these people make up stories about these things for fun and there's always an audience to believe in it. Just gotta find the right audience.These theories and ideas accomplish nothing. It's like Nostradamus predictions. Even if Nostradamus got one thing right so what? He made thousands of guesses--you're bound to get SOMETHING right just by GUESSING.But you don't guess for entertainment, that's just pointless waste of everyone's time if you turn out to be wrong.

skyking-14 I give it 3 stars for it's comedic value but it really doesn't belong on any network calling itself "The History Channel"! This is really just one more stage in the dumbing down of what used to be a great network. The episode "Area 51" is largely a dressed up regurgitation of all the rumors, gossip and conspiracy theories circulating around the internet.Perhaps the most ridiculous is continuing to give airtime to the "fake moon landing" nuts whose claims have been consistently refuted and proved wrong."flag waving in the wind" ignores a basic tenant of physics, that a body in motion, remains in motion unless acted upon by an opposite force - in a vacuum, there is no air pressure to dampen the movement created by planting the flag."objects in shadow would be completely black" ignores what anyone who has ever taken a walk on a moonlit night in the snow knows... that light colored surfaces reflect light, making everything much brighter.This episode also presented claims that the rapid technological developments since the 1950's must be due to "reverse engineering alien technology" because previous development happened much more slowly. But this ignores the reality that throughout history, there are a number of key discoveries which spurred rapid development.Think of the discovery of fire, the printing press, electricity, the incandescent bulb, internal combustion engines, the electron microscope and the splitting of the atom. These all spawned dramatic change. The 1950's started with German rocketry, jet engines and the computer... the Cold War and the race to the moon. It was those discoveries and projects which have fueled modern technology. All of which was conveniently ignored and dismissed with the flippant "man isn't smart enough to have done all this on his own..." comment.The History Channel has clearly forgotten its roots and its mission and has chosen to pursue the ratings game of "reality TV" and fantasy. One can only hope that they are no longer being used in our public classrooms as there is no longer anything educational about 80% of their programming.