Father's Day Gift Ideas For History Buffs and Couch Potatoes

My House Loves The History Channel.

We watch a lot of the specials featured on The History Channel and I was fortunate enough to receive a shipment of some awesome DVD's to review.

About 2 weeks ago, I got the heaviest FedEx package ever from one of the coolest PR connections I know.

The first one I watched was Cities of The Underworld Season 3

If you haven't checked out out this show yet, you don't know what you are missing. This is a 4 disc set and The History Channel Shop has it for 20% off. Order it here.
Host Don Wildman takes us underground to inspect the secrets and mysterious foundations our cities sit on. There are passageways, bunkers, mafia escapes and archaeological finds that we pass over as we go about our daily lives without even knowing it. I seriously love this show!

DISC 1:

• CITY OF BLOOD--Many think of London as one of the most civilized cities in the world, but Don explores its past to unearth a time when body snatchers, Jack the Ripper, occult clubs, and pagan rituals were the order of the day.


• TUNNELS OF HELL--One of the bloodiest battles of World War II was fought beneath the city of Okinawa, in a web of combat tunnels and caves in which Japanese soldiers and civilians faced off against American forces.


• REAL MAFIA UNDERGROUND--In Sicily, the birthplace of the Mafia, Don wends his way through an ancient waterway used as a mob escape route, and discovers an eerie bone crypt dating back thousands of years--part of the region’s violent past.


• SECRET SIN CITY--Modern-day Las Vegas couldn’t exist without the underground vaults and mechanics that protect the casinos’ cash and let visitors tour the world--in just a few blocks.
  

DISC 2:

• HITLER’S TRENCHES--The bloody tunnels and trenches of World War I made it the deadliest war the world had seen, and set the stage for the rise of Adolph Hitler.


• BARBARIANS’ LAIR--From the immense quarries of the Knights Templar to torture chambers and the tunnels of medieval “ghost knights,” Don tracks down the secrets of Europe during its 1,000 years of darkness.


• LAND OF MANSON--The Los Angeles underground hid the evils of Charles Manson, corrupt cops who secretly ran the city, and, amazingly, the world’s largest subway system, which still lies in waste.
  

DISC 3:

• GLADIATORS: BLOOD SPORT--Don inspects ancient crypts, subterranean chambers used for pagan worship, and the school that taught gladiators such as Spartacus how to wage bloody combat for the amusement of the Roman masses.


• SECRET HOLY LAND--Clues to Ethiopia’s lost Christian legends can be found in its remarkable underground cathedrals, the buried Palace of the Queen of Sheba, and the possible resting place of the Ark of the Covenant.


• UNDER THE ROCK--Famous for its peace-loving hippies of the 1960s, San Francisco has a darker side as well: it hides the biggest ammunitions depot on the West Coast and at one time was a Cold War arsenal for nuclear missiles.
  

DISC 4:

• TOMB OF THE LOST MUMMIES--Don inspects tunnels underneath Egypt’s first pyramid, decodes the first written language in history, examines the remains of Muslim and Roman fortresses, and encounters hundreds of Egyptian mummies.


• GODS OF WAR--Zeus and Poseidon face off, as the Turkish landscape conceals the mysterious legends of the Trojan War and the evidence of a king’s scheme to erect one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World--on desecrated ground.


• ALCATRAZ DOWN UNDER--Sydney’s startling underground history comes to life as Don reveals a 19th-Century prison, a complex of caves that sheltered an outlaw gang, a secret World War II chemical weapons stash, and more.


• BONUS FEATURE: Additional Footage

The second one up for review is:
I had heard this was on The History Channel but missed it when it aired so I was thrilled to be able to review it.

Can you imagine that a bunch of people actually were conspiring to steal Lincoln's body and hold it for ransom for $200,000.00. It's ridiculous!!

A paid informant told the newly formed Secret Service. When both the police and the criminals showed up at the cemetery on the appointed night, the scheme was foiled.

This president was loved and taken so violently, that it is just appealing that people would even consider such a thing.

Very interesting and informative.

The History Channel also has this on sale for 20% off.

I recommend these DVD's for all the history buffs in your life.

Next up:

The Prehistoric Collection: From Dinosaurs to the Dawn of Man DVD Set

The Universe: The Complete Season 3 DVD Set

America At War MegaSet DVD Set

Come back next week for the reviews.

Head over to The History Channel Shop for 20% off some of their most popular titles.