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Is It True That...?
Season 2 • Episode 11 • ...that Columbus was the first to cross an ocean?
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Is It True That...? Season 2, Episode 11: ...that Columbus was the first to cross an ocean?
To this day, Columbus is considered the first person to have crossed an ocean. But archaeology, genetics, and indigenous knowledge systems tell a different story: Polynesians, Vikings, and even early humans reached distant continents long before him. Why do we remember Columbus—and not them? Watch Is It True That...? Season 2, Episode 11 ...that Columbus was the first to cross an ocean? in HD free online. Enjoy high-quality streaming of Is It True That...? Season 2, Episode 11 and share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Episodes
17 episodes
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Destruction, terror, war: It seems that there has never been more violence than in the world today. But what can we learn from history? Was there really less violence in the past?
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...Global trade does make us richer?
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...The dog has always been man's best friend?
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...that humans have always experienced intoxication?
Is drug-induced intoxication a new phenomenon – emerging in a pleasure-seeking society that knows no bounds? Discoveries of drug artifacts thousands of years old raise doubts. Intoxication seems to have been used in many cultures for spiritual insights and social rituals. Why, then, are most drugs illegal today?
25 min
...that Columbus was the first to cross an ocean?
To this day, Columbus is considered the first person to have crossed an ocean. But archaeology, genetics, and indigenous knowledge systems tell a different story: Polynesians, Vikings, and even early humans reached distant continents long before him. Why do we remember Columbus—and not them?
24 min
...that dirndls and lederhosen are quintessentially Bavarian?
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24 min
...that all African countries were European colonies?
Africa is often considered a continent entirely colonized by Europeans – although large parts of it remained independent until the 19th century. So what was it really like? This documentary tells the story of Leopold II's reign of terror in the Congo, of African-American colonizers in Liberia, and of the Ethiopian victory at Adwa. It shows just how multifaceted Africa's history truly was.
25 min
...that there is no progress without war?
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25 min
...that the modern age began with the printing press?
The myth sounds seductive: Johannes Gutenberg invents printing – and suddenly the Reformation, the scientific revolution, and the Enlightenment begin. A single machine is said to have triggered an entire era. But historical reality is far more complex. From Chinese prototypes to conservative early printing presses, to Luther and global knowledge networks, it was the interplay of many forces that gave the printed word its historical power.
22 min
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21 min