Original subtitles

THEY ARE THE TOOLS

OF HUMAN CONFLICT AND SURVIVAL.

INGENIOUS,

POWERFUL,

DESTRUCTIVE.

FROM THE ANCIENT

TO THE MODERN,

WAR WEAPONS COMPRISE AN EVER-EVOLVING ARSENAL

THAT'S TRANSFORMED COMBAT,

HELPED BUILD EMPIRES,

DESTROY THEM,

AND DETER AGGRESSION.

THIS SERIES HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF THE WORLD'S

MOST IMPORTANT AND INNOVATIVE WEAPONS,

THROUGH UNIQUE EXPERIMENTS.

Machnau: I'M READY TO FIRE.

WE EXPLORE HOW AND WHY THEY WORK.

IT'S LIKE A NUCLEAR WEAPON.

WHAT PROBLEMS THEY SOLVE ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

IF THAT GOES OFF, THIS COULD BE SERIOUS.

AND GIVE FRESH INSIGHT.

LET'S GO!

INTO THEIR ROLE IN HISTORY.

YOU'RE IN A MINEFIELD, STOP!

ALMOST EVERY WAR

CLAIMS THE LIVES OF INNOCENT PEOPLE.

TRAGICALLY, SOME WEAPONS ARE DEVELOPED

EXACTLY FOR THIS PURPOSE.

THE TREBUCHET WAS THE WONDER WEAPON OF THE MIDDLE AGES.

IT SEALED THE FATE OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

FOR CENTURIES, HIGH CASTLE WALLS

ARE A NEAR -INSURMOUNTABLE BARRIER.

ONE OF THE EARLIEST METHODS OF BREACHING

THE STONE WALLS ARE SIEGE TOWERS.

IT BASICALLY TAKES THE ATTACKERS

UP TO THE SAME LEVEL AS THE CASTLE WALL

ON A ROLLING PLATFORM THAT CAN BE PUSHED UP

AGAINST THE CASTLE WALL AND THE ATTACKERS

CAN THEN GO ACROSS A DRAWBRIDGEONTO THE TOP OF THE CASTLE.

BUT SIEGE TOWER STRIKES RESULT

IN CONSIDERABLE LOSSES FOR THE ATTACKERS

EVEN IF THEY OUTNUMBER THE DEFENDERS.

IT'S NOT A PLACE WHEREMEN WILL WILLINGLY GO,

A LARGE WOODEN TOWER WITH PEOPLEFIRING FIRE ARROWS AT YOU.

IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD.

SO THEY'RE NOT HUGELY SUCCESSFUL.

ATTACKS FROM A DISTANCE

WITH CATAPULTS ARE FAR LESS PERILOUS.

THEY ARE TIME-CONSUMING,

BUT ULTIMATELY RESULT IN FEWER CASUALTIES.

IN THE 12TH CENTURY, A NEW CATAPULT TECHNOLOGY

FROM ASIA DOMINATES THE BATTLEFIELDS.

IT'S CALLED THE TREBUCHET.

THIS IS A RECONSTRUCTION INBECKDORF, LOWER SAXONY, GERMANY.

WEAPONS EXPERT MIKE LOADES IS CAPTIVATED.

IT'S THE MOST IMPOSING AND THE MOST ICONIC

OF ALL MEDIEVAL SIEGE ENGINES.

AND IN AN AGE BEFORE GUNPOWDER,

THIS WAS THE HEAVY ARTILLERY.

WHAT MAKES THE TREBUCHET

SO EXCEPTIONAL IS ITS POWER.

AND ON THE END OF THAT BEAM IS, IN FACT,

A SLING AND THE STONE SITS IN THE SLING.

THE PRINCIPLE OF A SLING IS THAT IT MAKES

THE LEVERS OF YOUR ARM LONGER AND SO IT THROWS FURTHER.

IF YOU WERE TO PUT THAT SLING ON THE END OF A LONG STICK,

YOU WOULD HAVE AN EVEN LONGER SYSTEM OF LEVERS,

WHICH IS WHAT WE HAVE HERE.

THE TROUBLE IS, THE BEAM IS SO BIG AND SO HEAVY,

THAT YOU NEED A MACHINE TO OPERATE IT.

SO YOU CAN THINK OF THE STONE AS THE AMMUNITION,

THE SLING IS THE WEAPON, AND THE BIG WOODEN TREBUCHET

IS SIMPLY THE ENGINE THAT POWERS THAT WEAPON.

Narrator: BUILDING A TREBUCHET

WITH MEDIEVAL TOOLS IS A REAL CHALLENGE.

SO IS TRANSPORTING IT.

IT'S SIMPLY NOT POSSIBLE TO MOVE IT.

A FULLY ERECTED TREBUCHET, YOU CAN'T MOVE IT.

ATTACKERS PUT THE INDIVIDUAL PARTS

ON OXCARTS AND TRANSPORT THEM,

THEN ASSEMBLE THE TREBUCHET ON SITE.

SO YOUR MILITARY ENGINEERS WOULD COME

AND MAKE THE MACHINE AND USE IT

IN THE PLACE WHERE THEY MADE IT.

SO, PART OF THE SIEGE WOULD BE WATCHING THE ENEMY

BUILD THE TREBUCHETS THAT WOULD KNOCK HIS WALLS DOWN

AND YOU WOULD HOPE THAT HE WOULD SAY,

"OKAY, I SURRENDER NOW."

YOU KNOW WHAT'S COMING AND IT'S VERY BIG

AND IT'S GOING TO KNOCK THE WALL DOWN.

SO THERE'S A PSYCHOLOGICAL ELEMENT

AS WELL AS A PHYSICAL ELEMENT.

THE TREBUCHET FLOURISHES.

ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 12TH AND 13TH CENTURY

DEPICT IT IN ALL CORNERS OF THE KNOWN WORLD.

1311, BECKDORF, GERMANY.

ROBBER BARON HEINRICH VON BORCH

IS HIDING OUT AT LAKE DANNSEE.

THE NORTH GERMAN BISHOPS WANT TO CAPTURE HIM.

IRON HEINRICH, AS HE IS ALSO KNOWN, MANAGES TO ESCAPE.

BACK THEN, BISHOPS WERE CLERICAL

AND POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVES.

IT WAS THEIR DUTY TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE ABIDED BY THE RULES.

THEY WANT TO FORCE IRON HEINRICH OUT OF HIS HIDEOUT

BUT IT'S SURROUNDED BY WATER

AND PROTECTED BY A WOODEN FENCE.

THEY SET UP TWO TREBUCHETS ALONG THE LAKESHORE.

THE PLAN IS TO DESTROY THE FORTIFICATION FROM A DISTANCE.

IT'S A MACHINE WITH DESTRUCTIVE POWER.

THE COUNTERWEIGHT BOX DROPSAND LIFTS THE LONG THROWING ARM

RELEASING THE SLING WITH THE STONE.

IN ORDER TO GET THAT ACCURACY YOU NEED

TO MAKE STONES OF THE SAME SIZE, SHAPE AND WEIGHT.

AND THESE ARE ACTUAL TREBUCHET STONES

THAT HAVE BEEN CHISELED BY CRAFTSMEN,

BY A MASON, WITH A HAMMER AND CHISEL

TO MAKE THEM ALMOST IDENTICAL.

ALMOST 1,000 OF THESE STONES

WERE USED TO BOMBARD IRON HEINRICH.

WE WANT TO FIND OUT

HOW EFFECTIVE THE TREBUCHET REALLY IS.

WE SET UP A PALISADE OF TREE TRUNKS

JUST LIKE HEINRICH HAD AROUND HIS CASTLE.

IT'S 13 FEET HIGH AND 20 FEET WIDE.

THE TRUNKS HAVE BEEN PLACED THREE FEET DEEP IN THE GROUND.

WILL THE TREBUCHET BE ABLE TO HIT

THE PALISADE FROM 500 FEET AWAY?

THIS HAS SOME MOVEMENT,IT HAS SOME ELASTICITY.

I THINK THAT MIGHT PROVE QUITE A CHALLENGE FOR OUR STONES.

IT TAKES A WHOLE TEAM

TO OPERATE THE MEDIEVAL SIEGE WEAPON.

FIRING THE TREBUCHET REQUIRES AT LEAST

ONE TRAINED SPECIALIST AND AS MANY

HARD-WORKING ASSISTANTS AS POSSIBLE.

THEY HAVE TO FILL THE COUNTERWEIGHT BOX WITH STONES.

AND THEY HAVE TO GREASE THE CHANNEL

THAT WILL GUIDE THE PROJECTILE

FOR THE FIRST PART OF THE THROW.

Man: ONE STOP.

A STONE TAKEN FROM THE SIEGE OF LAKE DANNSEE

IN THE YEAR 1311 WILL SERVE AS THE AMMUNITION.

FIRE AWAY.

WOW, THAT WAS SO CLOSE.

AND IT FLEW TRUE, LET'S GO AND SEE.

THE STONE ISBURIED DEEP IN THE GROUND.

GOOD GRIEF.

I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT STONE IS.

IT'S GONE DOWN THERE LIKE SOME MONSTER RABBIT.

I CAN'T EVEN FEEL IT.

IT'S A WORTHY ATTEMPT, BUT A MISS.

WHAT'S NEXT?

THE TEAM IS PREPARING FOR THE SECOND ROUND

OF THE TREBUCHET EXPERIMENT.

THE FIRST SHOT WAS A MISS SO THEY'LL

HAVE TO CORRECT THE AIM.

THE TREBUCHET CAN'T BE MOVED, BUT THE HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT

CAN BE ADJUSTED WITH THE SLING GLIDE.

MIKE LOADES DISCUSSES THIS CRUCIAL DETAIL

WITH HIS EXPERIENCED TREBUCHET ASSISTANT, PATRICK.

AND THEN YOU CAN MOVE THE WHOLE LINE LEFT AND RIGHT.

GOING TO THERE, I ONLY NEED TO MOVE

THAT A LITTLE BIT, AND OVER DISTANCE.

VERY SMALL.

VERY SMALL CAN MAKE SEVERAL METERS DIFFERENCE.

OF COURSE.

YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, ONE CENTIMETER HERE

IS ABOUT TWO METERS BEHIND THERE.

I HOPE WE CAN DO IT.

YOU ARE THE RIGHT HANDS.

WE WILL TRY IT AGAIN.

THANK YOU.

WIND BACK THE THROWING ARM,

LOAD THE SLING WITH A FRESH STONE, AND RELEASE.

THIS TIME THE PROJECTILE TRAVELS TOO FAR.

THEY REMOVE A COUPLE OF STONES FROM THE COUNTERWEIGHT BOX.

THIS REDUCES THE VELOCITY, AND CONSEQUENTLY THE RANGE.

THAT'S THE ONE!

YEAH!

WILL IT WORK THIS TIME?

A CLEAR HIT.

THE STONE GOES STRAIGHT INTO THE WOODEN PALISADE.

WE HAVE A HIT!

AND LET'S SEE WHAT IT'S DONE.

JUST LOOK AT THIS.

IT'S JUST GONE DOWN LIKE MATCHSTICKS,

AS IF THESE GREAT TIMBERS WERE NOTHING,

THEY'RE JUST SHATTERED.

HERE'S THE REAL DAMAGE, HERE ON THIS ONE.

HERE, THIS IS WHERE THE STONE MUST HAVE STRUCK

AND IT'S JUST SPLINTERED THIS TIMBER.

THE WALLS ARE NOW BREACHED

AND THE OPPOSING ARMY WILL BE ON ITS WAY.

OUR TREBUCHET HAS HIT THE TIMBER,

EIGHT INCHES THICK, AND DESTROYED IT.

JUST LIKE IT DID 700 YEARS AGO.

BACK THEN, THE NORTH GERMAN TROOPS

MANAGED TO PENETRATE THE PALISADE

OF IRON HEINRICH WITH TWO TREBUCHETS.

THE ROBBER BARON WAS THROWN INTO THE DUNGEON.

BUT DESTRUCTION IS NOT ALWAYS THE OBJECTIVE OF SIEGES.

YOU ACTUALLY WANT THE CASTLE

BECAUSE IT'S A USEFUL STRATEGIC TOOL.

SO, IF YOU CAN PERSUADE THEM TO SURRENDER

BY FRIGHTENING THEM, THAT'S MUCH BETTER.

IN 1346, TARTARIAN TROOPS MAKE USE

OF A PARTICULARLY VILE TACTIC.

THEY'RE BESIEGING THE CITY OF KAFFA IN CRIMEA

AND WANT TO UNLEASH PLAGUE INSIDE THE CITY WALLS.

HOW ARE THEY ABLE DO THIS WITHOUT INFECTING THEMSELVES?

THEY UNDERSTOOD IT WASA CONTAGIOUS DISEASE,

SO THEY PROTECTED THEIR HANDS, FOR EXAMPLE.

THAT MEANS THEY COULD TRANSPORT THE DEAD BODIES

OF PLAGUE VICTIMS TO A TREBUCHET

BASICALLY WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM,

WITHOUT PUTTING THEMSELVES IN DANGER.

USING TREBUCHETS, THE BESIEGERS LOB

INFECTED CORPSES OVER THE CITY WALLS.

THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR.

SURRENDER NOW OR WE'LL KILL YOU ALL.

THIS IS CLASSIC SIEGE WARFARE.

SO, IT'S PSYCHOLOGICAL, IT'S BIOLOGICAL,

AND ULTIMATELY, IT'S REMARKABLY BARBARIC.

BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS

HAVE EXISTED SINCE ANTIQUITY,

AND ATTEMPTS TO OUTLAW THEM PROBABLY GO BACK JUST AS FAR.

GREECE, 6TH CENTURY BC.

THE ORACLE OF DELPHI IS THE GREEKS'

MOST IMPORTANT SACRED SITE,

ATTRACTING PILGRIMS AND GUIDANCE-SEEKERS ALIKE.

FOR THE COASTAL TOWN OF KIRRA,

THE TRAVELING PILGRIMS ARE AN ECONOMIC BOOM,

BUT AN ALLIANCE OF ATHENS WANTSTO CONFISCATE THE PROFITS.

THEY ATTACK KIRRA.

ACCORDING TO HISTORICAL REPORTS,

THE INVADERS USE A HOME-GROWN WEAPON.

THEY THROW HELLEBORE ROOTS INTO

THE PLEISTOS RIVER THAT RUNS THROUGH KIRRA.

AN ATTACK WITH SERIOUS REPERCUSSIONS.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF A HELLEBORE POISONING,

VOMITING, NAUSEA, VERTIGO, AND OF COURSE DIARRHEA.

AND EVERYONE KNOWS THAT VOMITING AND DIARRHEA

CAUSE DEHYDRATION AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME,

AND THE BODY WILL BECOME VERY WEAK DUE TO THIS.

IN NO TIME,

HALF OF THE RESIDENTS OF KIRRA ARE BEDRIDDEN.

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO DEFEND THEIR CITY.

THE ATTACKERS KILL ALL OF THEM AND DESTROY IT.

ANY MEANS OF GETTING AN ADVANTAGE,

AND ANYTHING THAT WOULD DISABLE THE ENEMY,

DEMORALIZE THEM, WEAKEN THEM,

THESE ARE ALL GOOD THINGS BECAUSE WINNING

IS THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS.

ONCE YOU'VE WON, NOBODY MINDS HOW YOU'VE WON.

IN 1267, THE MONGOLS BESIEGE

THE CHINESE CITY OF XIANGYANG.

THE CHINESE FIGHT TOOTH AND NAIL USING A WEAPON

THEY CALL "FEN PHAO KUAN FA",

WHICH MEANS FECES-THROWING BOMB.

CONTAINING A PRIMARY INGREDIENTOF DRIED HUMAN EXCREMENT,

THE BOMB IS SET ON FIRE AND THROWN AT THE ENEMY.

THE HORRID ODOR IS DEBILITATING.

BUT IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE TO OVERWHELM

THE ENEMY WITH STENCH ALONE?

MEDIEVAL CHINESE DOCUMENTS DESCRIBE

HOW SUCH STINK BOMBS WERE MANUFACTURED.

WEAPONS EXPERT MIKE LOADES WANTS TO TRY OUT THE RECIPE.

THE FIRST EVIDENCE WE'VE GOT FOR THE STINKPOT

COMES FROM CHINA IN 1044, IT'S RECORDED USE.

AND WE HAVE A NUMBER OF RECIPES,

ALL SORTS OF ACIDS AND PLANTS.

HERE IS ONE THAT WAS COMMONLY USED, ACONITE.

AND IT'S THE ROOTS THAT ARE DEADLY POISONOUS.

IF YOU INGEST THOSE ROOTS,

THEN IT CAUSES STOMACH HEMORRHAGING,

YOUR STOMACH BLEEDS, YOUR INTESTINES BLEED,

IT CAUSES TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE SUFFERING.

AND ANOTHER COMMON INGREDIENT WAS THE HELIOCOPRIS BEETLE,

THESE NASTY LITTLE FELLOWS.

IT FEEDS ON WASTE, AND IT ABSORBS POISON

AND SO WHEN CUT APART THERE ARE ALL SORTS

OF POISONOUS PROPERTIES WITH THAT.

TUNG OIL, DEADLY POISONOUS FROM THE TUNG TREE

IN SOUTHEAST ASIA, IN CHINA.

LIME, BASIC CHALK, BUT WHEN THAT'S HEATED

TO VERY HIGH TEMPERATURES,

THAT ITSELF BECOMES A DEADLY SUBSTANCE.

IF IT MIXES WITH THE MOIST PARTS OF THE BODY,

LIKE THE TEARS OF THE EYE OR MUCUS IN THE NOSE

OR IF YOU GET IT MIXED WITH THE SALIVA IN THE THROAT,

THAT BECOMES A DEADLY BURNING ACID.

SO, THESE ARE ALL VERY NOXIOUS SUBSTANCES

AND THEY'RE ALL MIXED TOGETHER,HOVERIZED WITH HUMAN FECES.

I'M HAPPY TO SAY THE PRODUCERS

HAVE GIVEN ME HORSE DUNG TO DEMONSTRATE WITH,

AND THIS IS THE FUEL.

WHEN DRIED THIS BECOMES A UNPLEASANT

SMELLING FUEL THAT WILL BURN.

AND IT WAS THE BURNING EXCREMENTTHAT CREATED THE SMOKE,

THE SMOKE THAT CARRIED THETOXIC SUBSTANCES FROM THE PLANTS

AND THE BEETLES AND THAT ISWHAT GOT INTO THE ENEMIES' EYES,

IT GOT INTO THEIR LUNGS, IT GOT INTO THEIR STOMACHS

AND IT MADE THEM RUN OUT OF THE BUILDINGS,

RUN OUT OF THE SHIPS.

THE PURPOSE OF THE STINKPOT WAS TO GET PEOPLE

OUT OF THE PLACE WITHOUT DESTROYING THE PLACE.

A HORRIBLE, DISGUSTING, COWARDLY,

SHAMEFUL CHEMICAL WARFARE.

THE RECIPES VARY.

BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WARFARE BEGIN

WITH MANY SMELLY EXPERIMENTS.

SO THEY'VE GOT A CLEARADVANTAGE OVER THEIR ENEMY,

WHO IS A LESS SOPHISTICATED SOCIETY

WITH LESS KNOWLEDGE OF THESE TECHNIQUES.

SO, IT GIVES THEM AN EDGE AND THAT'S WHAT

THEY'RE LOOKING FOR, THAT'S WHY THEY USE IT.

FOR CENTURIES, WARLORDS CONTINUE

TO COMMISSION NEW EXPERIMENTS WITH DEADLY CHEMICALS.

BUT NO ONE COULD HAVE PREDICTED

THAT THE WORST BIOLOGICAL ATTACK

IN HISTORY WAS UNPLANNED AND UNFORESEEN.

THE MOST FAR-REACHING BIOLOGICAL ATTACK

IN HISTORY WAS ACTUALLY AN ACCIDENT.

IN 1492, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS MISTAKENLY

DISCOVERS A WHOLE NEW CONTINENT.

FOR THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION THIS MARKS

THE BEGINNING OF A CATASTROPHE.

THROUGHOUT THE 16TH CENTURY AN EVER-GROWING NUMBER

OF EUROPEANS SET OUT FOR AMERICA.

THEY CARRY BACTERIA AND VIRUSES

THAT LARGE POPULATIONS OF INDIGENOUS AMERICANS

HAD NEVER BEEN EXPOSED TO.

WITHIN A FEW DECADES, AS MANY AS 15 MILLION

NATIVE AMERICANS DIE FROMDISEASES SUCH AS MEASLES OR FLU.

BUT IN SOME CASES, EUROPEAN CONQUERORS

INTENTIONALLY USE VIRUSES AS A WEAPON.

IN PENNSYLVANIA IN 1763, NATIVE AMERICAN

TRIBES ARE ATTACKING FORT PITT.

SOME OF THE BRITISH COLONISTS INSIDE

THE FORT SUFFER FROM SMALLPOX.

THEIR COMMANDER-IN- CHIEF, JEFFREY AMHERST,

KNOWS OF THE DISASTROUS EFFECTS

OF SMALLPOX ON NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES.

THEY INTENTIONALLY GAVE BLANKETS

USED BY PEOPLE WITH SMALLPOX TO FIRST NATION TRIBES

WHO DIDN'T HAVE ANY ANTIBODIES AGAINST THIS DISEASE,

WITH A DISASTROUS IMPACT ON THEIR

ABILITY TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.

SUMMER, 1914.

WORLD WAR I INITIATES ENTIRELY NEW FORMS

OF WARFARE ON ALL LEVELS.

GERMAN CHEMIST FRITZ HABER INTRODUCES

POISONOUS GAS TO THE BATTLEFIELD.

ON APRIL 22, 1915, A PALE YELLOW CLOUD

DRIFTS OVER THE BATTLEFIELD TOWARD

THE FRENCH FRONT LINES IN FLANDERS, BELGIUM.

UNDER THE OBSERVING EYES OF HABER HIMSELF,

GERMAN TROOPS RELEASE 150 TONS OF CHLORINE GAS.

Haäusser: CHLORINE GAS WAS ACTUALLY JUST A BYPRODUCT

OF THE SYNTHETIC DYE-MAKING PROCESS,

AND THEN THEY FOUND OUT IT CAN SERVE OTHER PURPOSES, TOO.

IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS WEAPON

THAT CAN CAUSE DEATH BY SUFFOCATION.

MORE THAN 1,000 FRENCH SOLDIERS DIE.

SEVERAL THOUSANDS ARE INJURED.

THE GERMANS WERE THE FIRST, BUT THE BRITISH

AND FRENCH WERE QUITE HAPPY TO RETALIATE.

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION MAKES

LARGE-SCALE GAS WARFARE POSSIBLE.

THOUSANDS OF TONS ARE PRODUCED,

BUT ALSO MILLIONS OF GAS MASKS.

THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECTTHE SOLDIERS FROM CHLORINE GAS.

BUT IN 1917 THE GERMANS DEPLOY A NEW AGENT,

YPERITE, ALSO KNOWN AS MUSTARD GAS.

Haäusser: MUSTARD GAS WAS EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE

BECAUSE IT REACTS UPON CONTACT WITH THE HUMAN SKIN.

IT CAUSES BLISTERS AND BURNS.

WHAT WAS REALLY VICIOUS ABOUT THIS WEAPON

WAS THAT GAS MASKS WERE USELESS AGAINST IT.

IT WAS ABOUT CONTACT WITH SKIN.

THE FEAR OF DEADLY GAS CLOUDS

HAUNTS AN ENTIRE GENERATION.

POISON GAS KILLS ABOUT 100,000 PEOPLE IN WORLD WAR I

AND LEAVES MORE THAN ONE MILLION INJURED.

U.S. NURSE SHIRLEY MILLARD WRITES ABOUT

EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE GAS WAR IN HER DIARY.

"THEY JUST STRUGGLE FOR BREATH, NOTHING CAN BE DONE.

"THEIR LUNGS ARE GONE, LITERALLY BURNED OUT.

"SOME WITH THEIR EYES AND FACES

"ENTIRELY EATEN AWAY BY THE GAS."

FOLLOWING WORLD WAR I A NEW WORLD ORDER IS CREATED

TO PREVENT THE BLOODSHED OF MILLIONS

FROM EVER HAPPENING AGAIN.

IN 1920, 32 COUNTRIES FORM THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

IN 1925, THEY AGREE ON BANNING THE USE

OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS.

BUT BY THE MID-'30S, IT BECOMES INCREASINGLY CLEAR

THAT THE WORLD IS ON THE BRINK OF YET ANOTHER MAJOR WAR.

IN THE 1930S AND '40S JOINT TREATIES PROMOTE

THE BANNING OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

BUT NOT ALL COUNTRIES HONOR THE AGREEMENTS.

NAZI GERMANY BEGINS MANUFACTURING CHEMICAL WEAPONS

LIKE SARIN OR TABUN DESPITE THE SANCTIONS.

WHAT I IMAGINE IS THE CASE IS THAT HAD GERMANY

STARTED USING THESE WEAPONS AGAINST BRITAIN,

THE BRITISH WANTED TO BE IN

A POSITION TO RETALIATE IMMEDIATELY.

BUT DURING WORLD WAR II,

NEITHER SIDE USES CHEMICAL AGENTS.

AND IN THE SECOND WORLDWAR NOBODY USES POISON GAS,

NOT BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE IT,

BUT BECAUSE THERE'S NO PARTICULAR UTILITY

IN USING SOMETHING EVERYBODY HAS.

IT WON'T ADVANTAGE ANYBODY STRATEGICALLY.

GERMANY IS DEFEATED WITH CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS.

HOWEVER THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHEMICAL

AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS PERSISTS AFTER 1945.

SO, TOO, DOES THE FEAR OF AN ATTACK.

IN THE LATE '50S, SCIENTISTS COMMISSIONED

BY THE U.S. OFFICE OF CIVIL AND DEFENSE MOBILIZATION

DEVELOP A BIO WEAPON MASK.

IT IS DESIGNED TO FILTER AIR BEFORE INHALATION.

ITS USER-FRIENDLY DESIGN IS DEMONSTRATED

TO PEOPLE EVERYWHERE BUT THE MASKS ARE NEVER USED.

THE DANGER, HOWEVER, REMAINS REAL.

DURING THE COLD WAR, BOTH SIDES DEVELOP

EVEN DEADLIER WARFARE AGENTS

DESPITE ALL INTERNATIONAL TREATIES.

THE NERVE AGENT VX IS ONE SUCH EXAMPLE.

DEVISED AS AN INSECTICIDE, IT IS 20 TIMES

MORE POISONOUS THAN THE TOXIC SUBSTANCE

SARIN PRODUCED DURING WORLD WAR II.

IN THE '60S, TRAINING FILMS PREPARE

U.S. SOLDIERS FOR EMERGENCIES.

UPON CONTACT WITH A NERVEAGENT, AN ANTIDOTE IS INJECTED,

BUT IT HAS TO BE THE RIGHT ONE.

MARCH 16, 1988.

THE IRAQI AIR FORCE UNDER SADDAM HUSSEIN

DROPS POISONOUS GAS BOMBS OVER THE CITY OF HALABJA.

THE DICTATOR SUSPECTS THAT THE KURDS

ARE DEFECTING AND MUST BE PUNISHED.

3,000 TO 5,000 PEOPLE LOSE THEIR LIVES,

MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

NEW YORK, 2001, ONE WEEK AFTER THE 9/11 TERROR ATTACKS.

NEWSPAPER AGENCIES, BROADCASTING COMPANIES,

AND U.S. SENATORS RECEIVELETTERS WITH A SINISTER MESSAGE.

"YOU CAN NOT STOP US.

"WE HAVE THIS ANTHRAX.

"YOU DIE NOW.

"ARE YOU AFRAID?

"DEATH TO AMERICA.

"DEATH TO ISRAEL.

"ALLAH IS GREAT."

THE LETTERS CONTAIN ANTHRAX SPORES.

22 PEOPLE ARE INFECTED.

FIVE OF THEM DIE.

FOLLOWING THE ATTACK, U.S. PRESIDENT

GEORGE W. BUSH GOES ON THE OFFENSIVE.

President Bush: THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

NEED TO GO ABOUT THEIR LIVES.

WE CANNOT LET THE TERRORISTS LOCK OUR COUNTRY DOWN.

BUT EVERYTHING IS NOT AS IT SEEMS.

THE FBI BELIEVES THE SPORES CAME

FROM A LABORATORY IN MARYLAND.

THE SCIENTIST BRUCE EDWARDS IVINS

BECOMES THEIR PRIME SUSPECT.

BUT BEFORE THEY CAN QUESTION HIM, HE COMMITS SUICIDE.

IF, OR WHY, HE SENT THE ANTHRAXLETTERS REMAINS A MYSTERY.

SINCE 2013, POISON GAS HAS ALSO

BEEN USED IN THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR.

WESTERN STATES ACCUSE DICTATOR BASHAR AL-ASSAD

OF ATTACKING REBEL STRONGHOLDS WITH POISONOUS GAS.

ASSAD AND HIS ALLIES DISMISS THE ALLEGATIONS AS PROPAGANDA.

BUT INDEPENDENT EXPERTS, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION,

AND DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS CONFIRM SUSPICIONS.

BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS

ARE NOT THE MOST LETHAL MEANS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

FOR THE GREAT POWERS OF THE MODERN ERA.

THE MOST EFFECTIVE OF ALL WEAPONS PRODUCES UNTHINKABLE

LEVELS OF DESTRUCTION, THE ATOMIC BOMB.

JULY 16, 1945, THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST.

SCIENTISTS WANT TO TEST THE PROTOTYPE OF A NEW BOMB.

THE CODE NAME OF THE EXPERIMENT IS TRINITY.

IT'S THE FIRST NUCLEAR BOMB IN HISTORY,

AND THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA.

LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO.

TOP RESEARCHERS HAVE WORKED RELENTLESSLY

ON THE BOMB SO THE U.S. WOULD HAVE IT BEFORE GERMANY.

THE BASIC PRINCIPLE, PHYSICS.

Haäusser: URANIUM-235 FOR EXAMPLE

HAS QUITE A LARGE NUCLEUS

CONTAINING 235 OF THESE SMALL ATOMS.

ANOTHER PART OF THE NUCLEUS ARE NEUTRONS.

IF YOU SHOOT A NEUTRON AT THIS NUCLEUS, IT CAUSES A FISSION,

THE NUCLEUS SPLITS INTO TWO SMALLER NUCLEI.

THIS RELEASES ENERGY.

NOT A WHOLE LOT, BUT ENOUGH TO BE MEASURED,

SETTING FREE THREE NEUTRONS.

IF THESE THREE NEUTRONS HIT ANOTHER URANIUM NUCLEUS,

THEY WILL PRODUCE THE SAME EFFECT AGAIN.

THIS CAN SET OFF A CHAIN REACTION.

AND IF A CRITICAL MASS IS ACHIEVED,

THAT MEANS WHEN THERE ARE ENOUGH URANIUM NUCLEI

PACKED TOGETHER, THIS CHAIN REACTION SELF-PERPETUATES.

THAT ALONE IS ALREADY PERILOUS.

BUT IF I WERE TO INCREASE THE MASS,

I CAN ACHIEVE WHAT IS CALLED A SUPERCRITICAL MASS,

AND THEN THE CHAIN REACTION NOT ONLY SUSTAINS ITSELF,

IT INCREASES EXPONENTIALLY,

RELEASING AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF ENERGY.

THE FIRST NUCLEAR BOMB USES PLUTONIUM.

IT IS SURROUNDED BY A NORMAL EXPLOSIVE.

ONCE THE EXPLOSIVE IS IGNITED, THE PLUTONIUM IS COMPRESSED.

THIS PRODUCES A FISSION REACTION.

THE BOMB HAS EXPLOSIVE CAPABILITIES

EQUIVALENT TO 20,000 TONS OF CONVENTIONAL EXPLOSIVES.

THE U.S. MILITARY HAD IDENTIFIED VARIOUS TARGETS

FOR A NUCLEAR ATTACK IN GERMANY.

BUT IN MAY 1945, THE WAR IN EUROPE COMES TO AN END.

THE GERMANS ARE SPARED THE ATOMIC BOMB.

IN THE PACIFIC HOWEVER, THE FIGHTING CONTINUES.

THE JAPANESE ARMY HAS BASICALLY BEEN DEFEATED,

BUT IS UNWILLING TO SURRENDER.

IN WORLD WAR II THE JAPANESE ARE CONVINCED

THAT SURRENDERING IS DISHONORABLE.

THEY THINK THEY OWE IT TO THEIR EMPEROR

TO FIGHT UNTIL THE BITTER END

AND TO SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES IF NECESSARY.

OF COURSE, THIS MAKES IT REALLY, REALLY HARD

TO BRING A STATE LIKE JAPAN TO ITS KNEES.

DESPERATE TO END THE WAR,

PRESIDENT HARRY S. TRUMAN

AGREES TO DROP NUCLEAR BOMBS ON JAPAN.

UNLIKE THE TRINITY TEST, THE BOMB LITTLE BOY

CARRIES A URANIUM BULLET.

IN ORDER TO REACH THE SUPERCRITICAL MASS OF URANIUM,

THE BULLET CONTAINS ANADDITIONAL URANIUM CYLINDER.

LITTLE BOY WEIGHS JUST 141 POUNDS,

BUT HAS THE EXPLOSIVE POWER OF 15,000 TONS OF TNT.

AUGUST 6, 1945.

AN AMERICAN B-29 BOMBER LEAVES THE PACIFIC ISLAND OF TINIAN.

AT 8:15 A.M., LITTLE BOY ANNIHILATES HIROSHIMA.

THREE DAYS LATER, THE PLUTONIUM BOMB

FAT MAN EXPLODES OVER NAGASAKI.

THE HEAT AND BLAST WAVES OF THE BOMBS ARE DEVASTATING,

FOLLOWED BY THE RADIATION.

MORE THAN 160,000 PEOPLE DIE INSTANTLY.

THE JAPANESE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SIGNS THE SURRENDER DOCUMENTS ON SEPTEMBER 2, 1945.

WITH THE ATOMIC BOMB, THE U.S. EMERGES

AS THE VICTOR OF WORLD WAR II ON TWO FRONTS.

THE AMERICANS HAD TO HAVE A KNOCKOUT.

THEY HAD TO FINISH THE WAR WITH SOMETHING

REALLY BIG AND QUITE SPECTACULAR.

THE JAPANESE KNOW THEY'VE LOST,

BUT THE AMERICANS DON'T REALIZE

THEY'VE WON UNTIL THOSE BOMBS GO OFF

AND THEN THEY KNOW THEY'VE WON THE WAR.

ALL THAT IS LEFT OF HIROSHIMA

AND NAGASAKI ARE CONTAMINATED RUINS.

IN THE MONTHS AND YEARS FOLLOWING THE ATTACKS

TENS OF THOUSANDS DIE FROM LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES.

THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF DEATH IS ACUTE RADIATION SYNDROME.

NUCLEAR RADIATION AFFECTS CELL PROLIFERATION.

YOU START BLEEDING, FROM THE NOSE, FROM THE ORAL MUCOSA.

IT AFFECTS THE BOWEL TISSUE,

THE ENTIRE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT.

THE RADIATION IS MOST HARMFUL TO THE BLOOD ITSELF.

THE NUMBER OF RED BLOOD CELLS DROPS

AND SO DOES THE NUMBER OF PLATELETS.

IN THE END THE ENTIRE BONE MARROW BASICALLY

DISSOLVES OR CAN NO LONGER REGENERATE.

AND WITHOUT THE BONE MARROW,

OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM FAILS COMPLETELY.

THE DOCTORS ARE HELPLESS.

YOU CAN TRY AND STABILIZE THE BLOOD COUNT,

YOU CAN TRANSPLANT BONE MARROW,

BUT THE OVERALL SYMPTOMS AND PROGRESSION

DEPEND ON HOW HIGH THEORIGINAL RADIATION EXPOSURE WAS

AND HOW LONG YOU WERE EXPOSED TO IT.

MORE PEOPLE DEVELOP CANCER

IN HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI THAN IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS HAVE ONLY BEEN USED ONCE

BUT THE HORRORS THEY CREATED CHARACTERIZE AN ENTIRE ERA.

ON JULY 25, 1946, THE U.S. MILITARY CONDUCTS

ANOTHER NUCLEAR TEST WITH THE BOMB BAKER.

AT THE TIME, FEW PEOPLE KNOW

THAT THE NUCLEAR ARMS RACE IS STILL ON.

THE SOVIET UNION RESPONDS.

ON AUGUST 29, 1949 THE FIRST COMMUNIST

ATOMIC BOMB IS SUCCESSFULLY TESTED.

A THIRD, NUCLEAR WORLD WARSEEMS TO BE A REAL POSSIBILITY.

IN THE EAST AND WEST EVEN CHILDREN PREPARE

FOR THE WORST CASE SCENARIO.

♪ HE DID WHAT WE ALL MUST LEARN TO DO ♪

♪ YOU, AND YOU, AND YOU, AND YOU ♪

♪ DUCK AND COVER

Nixon: I REMEMBER BEING A CHILDAND HAVING BEEN SHOWN VIDEOS

AT SCHOOL OF WHAT TO DO IN A CASE OF ATOMIC BOMB.

AND SO THEREFORE, WE HAD THIS FEAR.

WE DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND IT,BUT WE WERE TERRIFIED OF IT.

PROTESTS, LIKE THIS ONE IN NEW YORK IN 1960,

UNITE NUCLEAR OPPONENTS FROM ALL CORNERS

OF THE WESTERN WORLD,

DEMANDING THE BANNING OF ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

Nixon: PEOPLE DON'T THINK, "OH, IT'S THEM

"OVER THERE FIGHTING THE WAR."

IT CAN ACTUALLY DESTROY EVERYBODY.

IT CAN DESTROY CIVILIZATION.

IT'S ALMOST BECOME THIS ULTIMATE FEAR FACTOR.

BUT THE DEMONSTRATIONS ARE FUTILE.

PEOPLE BECAME ALARMED AND THEY STARTED TO THINK

ABOUT DISARMAMENT, THEY STARTED TO THINK ABOUT PEACE,

THEY STARTED TO THINK ABOUT WAYS

THEY COULD AVOID THE RISK OF WAR.

THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE PEOPLE WHO WERE THINKING

ABOUT THIS THE MOST CLEARLY WERE OF COURSE

THE MILITARY AND THE POLITICIANS,

AND THEY'D WORKED OUT THAT THE BEST WAY

TO STOP WAR WAS TO BE SO POWERFUL

THAT NOBODY WOULD DARE TO START ONE.

THE SUPER POWERS CONTINUE TO ARM THEMSELVES.

THEY DEVELOP HYDROGEN BOMBS, ALSO KNOWN AS H-BOMBS,

THAT ARE 1,000 TIMES MORE POWERFUL

THAN THE NUCLEAR BOMBS DROPPED ON JAPAN.

MANKIND IS NOW ABLE TO ERADICATE ITSELF COMPLETELY.

TWO HYDROGEN ISOTOPES COMBINE AND FORM A SINGLE NEW ATOM.

THIS PROCESS, RELEASING VAST AMOUNTS

OF ENERGY, IS CALLED FUSION.

FUSION IS ONLY POSSIBLE AT EXTREME TEMPERATURES,

ONES GENERATED BY THE DETONATIONOF A NORMAL NUCLEAR BOMB.

THE FISSION CAUSES THE FUSION OF THE HYDROGEN CYLINDER.

IN THE 1980S, THE SOVIET UNION AND THE USA

HAVE AN ARSENAL OF MORE THAN 70,000 NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

U.S. PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN JUSTIFIES THE ENORMOUS COST.

President Reagan: THAT BUDGET IS MUCH MORE

THAN A LONG LIST OF NUMBERS.

FOR BEHIND ALL THE NUMBERS LIES AMERICA'S ABILITY

TO PREVENT THE GREATEST OF HUMAN TRAGEDIES

AND PRESERVE OUR FREE WAY OF LIFE

IN A SOMETIMES DANGEROUS WORLD.

THE ENEMIES CAN ANNIHILATE EACH OTHER

SEVERAL TIMES OVER WITH THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS THEY POSSESS.

BUT EVENTUALLY, THE SUPERPOWERS COME AROUND.

TWO RATIONAL ACTORS REALIZE THAT THEY HAVE

NOTHING TO GAIN BY EXCHANGING NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

AT THE LAWRENCE LIVERMORE

LABORATORY IN CALIFORNIA, THE NUCLEAR TESTS

OF THE PAST CAN BE SEEN TO THIS VERY DAY.

EVERY TEST CONDUCTED BY THE U.S.

WAS FILMED AND STORED AS TOP-SECRET ARCHIVES.

NUCLEAR PHYSICIST GREG SPRIGGS

AND FILM TECHNICIAN JIM MOYE WANT TO CHANGE THIS.

DECLASSIFYING THE VALUABLEFILMS IS ONE PART OF THEIR JOB.

Spriggs: ALL OF THE FILMS THAT WE HAVE DECLASSIFIED

WILL BE POSTED ON OUR LIVERMORE YOUTUBE SITE

SO THE PEOPLE CAN THE THE FILMS

AND CAN SEE WHAT WE'RE SEEING.

THE EXPLOSIONS WERE DOCUMENTED,

AND IN SURPRISING DETAIL CONSIDERING

THE TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES OF FILM PRODUCTION AT THE TIME.

JIM MOYE HAS ALREADY DIGITIZED

MORE THAN 4,000 REELS FROM OVER 210 NUCLEAR TESTS.

Moye: THEY RECORDED A LOT.

I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY COULD EVEN HAVE FORESEEN

HOW THIS WOULD BE USED IN THE FUTURE.

ONCE THE IMAGES ARE DIGITIZED,

GREG SPRIGGS' WORK BEGINS.

INFORMATION ON THE RECORDINGS,

LIKE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE CAMERA

AND THE DETONATION CENTER, OR THE SIZE OF THE BOMB,

PROVIDE A GREAT DEAL OF INSIGHT

INTO THE STATE OF RESEARCH BACK THEN.

THE TWO TIMES NUCLEAR BOMBS WERE USED AGAINST PEOPLE

DATE BACK MORE THAN 70 YEARS.

BUT THE ENSUING ETHICAL DISCUSSION

IS STILL RELEVANT TO THIS VERY DAY.

Spriggs: YEAH, THEY KILLED A LOT OF PEOPLE THERE.

BUT SOMEONE COULD ARGUE THAT IT SAVED A LOT OF LIVES

IN THE END BECAUSE IT ENDED THE WAR SOONER.

BECAUSE WHO KNOWS HOW LONG THE JAPANESE WOULD HAVE FOUGHT

WITHOUT HAVING A WEAPON LIKE THIS AIMED AGAINST THEM.

GREG SPRIGGS IS CONVINCED THAT WE CAN ONLY

IMPROVE NUCLEAR BOMBS

BY LEARNING MORE ABOUT THEIR EFFECTS.

Spriggs: WE NEED TO BE ABLE TOTELL THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE,

THIS IS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IF YOU DROP

THIS SIZED WEAPON ON THIS PARTICULAR TARGET.

AND IF SOMEBODY HAPPENS TO BOMB US,

WE'RE GOING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE EFFECT IS

AND IF WE HAVE TO RETALIATE AGAINST THEM

THEY SHOULD KNOW THAT WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA DESTROY THEM.

PEACE THROUGH DETERRENCE.

TO THIS DAY,

THE U.S. IS A FIERCE ADVOCATE OF THIS STRATEGY.

IN 2017, AMERICA MAINTAINS AN ARSENAL

OF 6,800 ATOMIC WARHEADS.

IT HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE, UNTIL NOW.

NOW THEY'VE FALLEN TO THE HANDS OF IRRATIONAL ACTORS

WHO HAVE DIFFERENT AGENDAS AND IT DOES POSE A PROBLEM.

THERE IS NO CASE STUDY WE CAN MAKE TO SEE HOW THAT WORKS.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT HEAVILY-ARMED ROGUE STATES

IN THE PAST IS THAT THEY END UP STARTING WARS

AND WE HAVE TO HOPE THAT THESE ONES DON'T.

IT'S A BALANCING ACT

WITH DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES.

ALMOST 15,000 NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN NINE COUNTRIES

ARE SUPPOSED TO MAKE OUR PLANET A SAFE PLACE.

WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT PHILOSOPHY WILL PREVAIL.

BUT IN THE MEANTIME, NEW WEAPONS EXIST

THAT CAN TERRORIZE ENTIRE NATIONS

WITH FATAL REPERCUSSIONS FOR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.

THE DIGITAL AGE HAS REACHED NEARLY EVERY SPHERE OF LIFE.

THIS ALSO APPLIES TO THE WEAPONS INDUSTRY.

IN 2009, AN ATTACK IS LAUNCHED

ON IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES

IN THE FORM OF A DIGITAL WEAPON.

THE COMPUTER VIRUS STUXNET BRINGS THE CENTRIFUGES

USED TO ENRICH URANIUM TO A STANDSTILL.

THE IRANIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS SABOTAGED.

THIS IS THE KIND OF WARFARE THAT'S BEEN

PRACTICED SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME.

INTELLIGENCE DOMINANCE EQUALS BLACKOUT,

EQUALS IGNORANCE, EQUALS DEFEAT.

STATE SECRETS CAN ALSO

FALL VICTIM TO DIGITAL ATTACKS.

COUNTRIES ARE RE-ARMING THEMSELVES AGAIN,

BUT THIS TIME NOT WITH TANKS AND RIFLES.

CYBER SECURITY IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY CRUCIAL.

CYBER WARFARE CAN HAVE FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES,

NOT ONLY IN THE DIGITAL WORLD

BUT ALSO IN THE WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE.