The Travel Channel: Mysteries at the Museum, Vols. 11 and 12

Linda Banche here. This week, a special treat for all you avid fans of Mysteries at the Museum. On Tuesday, January 11th, beginning at 8 pm E/P, The Travel Channel will air two back-to-back episodes of Mysteries at the Museum, Volumes 11 and 12. Tune in to learn about a crime of horrendous sacrilege, the "War of the Currents", the fantastic voyage of a golf club and many more.

Mysteries at the Museum: Volume 11 (Tuesday, January 11th at 8E/P)

Sterling Memorial Library: An old letter, accidentally discovered in Yale University’s Sterling Memorial Library, describes a crime of horrendous sacrilege, purportedly carried out by a group of Yale students in the days of World War One. What unspeakable scandal does this letter describe and did the members of this Nation’s most powerful secret society actually pull it off?

Museum of Science and Industry: Inside the Museum of Science, a mechanical relic is also at the center of a shocking story. It’s a prototype of an early electric motor and it sparked a war between two of the world’s greatest inventors, each racing to become the FIRST to distribute electricity to millions of homes across America. Who won “the war of the currents”? And how did this motor utterly transform our world?

National Automobile Museum: One of the coolest cars at the National Automobile Museum of America, is an ultramodern sports car best remembered for its starring role in the 1985 Hollywood blockbuster, Back to the Future. But the real-life story of the DeLorean is more dramatic than any movie. How did one of the most anticipated, most hyped become one of the biggest blunders in automotive history?

Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum: The most interesting exhibits inside The Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum are related to this legendary warships own service at sea. In its collection are 4 mysterious objects. At first glance, they look like mere mechanical debris, but these are actually the twisted remains of one of the most dreaded weapons of World War Two -- one that nearly destroyed this very ship.

Museum of History and Industry: The Museum of History and Industry tells the story of Seattle’s rise to prominence. Of the numerous items on display, a simple 120 year-old pot played a bigger role in shaping Seattle’s history than any other -- but, in doing so, it had to destroy the city first.

The Henry Ford Museum: In Dearborn, Michigan, the Henry Ford Museum specializes in trains, planes and automobiles of all kinds. But one of the most important machines on display is an old wooden airplane called a Curtiss JN4. How did this primitive plane launch one of the most bizarre chapters in aviation history and help revolutionize air transportation along the way?


Mysteries at the Museum: Volume 12 (Tuesday, January 11th at 9E/P)

USGA Museum: Among the trophies and memorabilia at the USGA is an amazing artifact that took the sport of golf into a whole new orbit. A forty year old, one-of-a-kind club went on a fantastic voyage. Why did a NASA astronaut decide to pull off an extraterrestrial tee shot and how did a simple stunt become one of the defining moments for a space program in crisis?

National Museum of Crime and Punishment: A holster that once belonged to America’s best known outlaw, Jesse James, is in the Museum of Crime and Punishment. It is made of hand stitched leather and harkens back to a time of when gunslingers and desperados ruled the wild west.

National World War I Museum: In a desperate bid to end the deadlock in WWI, British engineers developed a revolutionary new kind of weapon – the armored tank. With the help of modern forensics, the museum can finally reveal the truth behind their star artifact: a battered tank which fought and fell in one of the most important battles in modern military history.

Museum of Flight: Amidst the legends of the air at the Museum of Flight, one plane soars above all the rest. The world’s first and only supersonic commercial jet, capable of transporting passengers at twice the speed of a standard aircraft is here. So what turned the aircraft of the future into an artifact from the past?

Fort East Martello Museum: Since his arrival at the Fort East Martello Museum in 1994, Robert has been associated with some very spooky phenomena and the strangest of these stories are from people who insist that this antique, inanimate doll is actually - alive!

Newseum: A sleek, high-tech facility chronicles the nation’s important headlines, yet one bizarre artifact on display here speaks of a story in which the news media itself played a critical role. A one room cabin, outfitted with a collection of shelves and cubby holes, is stained with the soot and grime from years of habitation. How did the occupant of this rundown shack strike terror into the hearts of an entire nation?

The Travel Channel: Mysteries at the Museum

Linda Banche here. Today we have something a little different. Instead of history in books, this post talks about history on television, specifically, in museums across the United States.

The Travel Channel premieres a new historical program called Mysteries at the Museum next week.

In this show, the Travel Channel takes a look at the strange and curious remnants of America's past, often accompanied by scandal, mystery, and intrigue. The first episode, airing November 2nd at 9 E/P, features some of the nation’s most revered museums.

For a preview, see the sneak peak below:





If the video is not working correctly, link to the sneak peek here.

Additional information about each of the mysteries in this first volume is below.

Mysteries at the Museum: Volume 1

Alcatraz:
Our journey first takes us to the most inhospitable museum on the
planet: Alcatraz. In 1962 three notorious convicts conquered the
impossible--they escaped. With the help of newspapers, rain jackets, a
spoon handle, and real human hair, how did Alan West, Frank Morris, John
and Clarence Anglin conquer a masterful plan of deception? Did they
even survive?

National Museum of the U.S. Navy:
The National Museum of the U.S. Navy houses The Enigma Machine. It
resembles a typewriter, but was actually a cutting edge, top-secret
machine used to the Nazi’s advantage in the 1940s. Why did the fate of
the free world fell on solving the Enigma’s puzzle?

Mead Art Museum:
Amongst fine art and world artifacts, Amherst College holds one of the
world’s most disgusting looking creatures: The Feejee Mermaid. The
origin of these skeletal remnants are still unknown, but it’s head of a
monkey, body of a fish, sharp teeth, and nasty claws make for a
tantalizing sight.

NASA Space Center:
The Space Center in Houston, Texas is dedicated to the history of
NASA’s space program and holds a lifesaving piece of technology. On
April 11, 1970, NASA launched its third mission to land on the moon, but
two days later, the unthinkable happened. A large oxygen tank on the
space craft exploded, causing the Apollo 13 crew’s oxygen supply to leak
into space. How did a single grey canister save the lives of the crew
of this crippled spaceship?

Henry Ford Museum:
Can you imagine a house able to withstand an earthquake, is flood
resistant, and fire proof? The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan
holds the Dymaxion House that does just that. Coining the term
“sustainable living”, this “futuristic” home could have significantly
impacted how we live today, so why did it fail?

Walter’s Art Museum:
Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is one of history’s most enduring
masterpieces. For generations, rumors have circulated that Walter’s Art
Museum in Baltimore, Maryland is where the original painting hangs
today, as opposed to the Musée du Louvre in Paris. As part of one of
the most shocking art thefts in history, was a copy of the famous
painting actually switched with the stolen original?

Find out the answers to these questions and more by tuning in to the
premiere of Mysteries at the Museum on Tuesday, November 2nd at 9 E/P.

Enjoy the stories, and the secrets that will be revealed!