The Lost Tapes - Episode Guide

The 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor with a detailed account taken straight from original sources captures moment by moment. President Roosevelt called December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy," a quote that would become one of the most famous in American history. In fact, the attack on Pearl Harbor inspired several powerful public statements, but many of them have never been heard before, until now. Take an unprecedented look at this tragic day entirely through news reports, public statements, recently declassified documents, and footage recorded in the days before, during, and after the event that shook the world.

The city of Los Angeles erupted into chaos on April 29, 1992, after four white LAPD officers were acquitted for beating African American motorist Rodney King. Over the next six days, television and radio reports, home video, and police footage captured the turmoil that led to 54 deaths, nearly 12,000 arrests, and over $1 billion in damages. Using these recordings, we take a look at one of the biggest periods of civil unrest in American history as if it were all unfolding in real time.

For more than a year, a serial killer known as "Son of Sam" terrorized New York City, killing six people and critically wounding seven others. On July 29, 1976, David Berkowitz began a murder spree that left law enforcement baffled and the public afraid to leave their homes. Forty years after his arrest, the latest installment of Smithsonian Channel's immersive and critically acclaimed series THE LOST TAPES uses rare footage to set the scene for what would become a national media frenzy in search of an elusive murderer.

On February 4, 1974, 19-year-old Patricia "Patty" Hearst was kidnapped from her Berkeley, California apartment. Because she was the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, Patty's kidnapping left authorities confounded and the American public glued to its television screens watching the saga of an abducted American heiress unfold. The Lost Tapes: Patty Hearst tells the inside story, without interviews or narration, utilizing Hearst's own voice recordings, footage of her first interview following her release and first-hand audio tapes of the kidnappers. In addition, rediscovered news footage allows viewers to experience all of the confusion, fear and absurdity that held a nation in thrall for 19 months.

In 1959, a 33-year-old minister from the Nation of Islam gains notoriety with his fiery rhetoric and keen intellect. His name is Malcolm X and over the next five years, this influential yet highly controversial civil rights leader will become an ideological hero to some and a dangerous enemy to others. A historic voice in the 1960s civil rights movement, Malcolm X was and continues to be a fascinating yet controversial figure. During his life, he gave voice to the anger and frustration that African Americans experienced during the tumultuous 1950s and 60s in the United States, gaining a reputation for his fiery rhetoric and spellbinding speeches. This episode relives the pivotal years of this trailblazing activist using rarely seen footage and audio tapes, including never-before-seen footage of Nation of Islam rallies and recordings made at the Audubon Ballroom on the day of his assassination. Malcolm X willingly put his life at risk to bring change and equality to black America.

From the start of his run for the presidency through his eight years in office, Bill Clinton was dogged by scandals, none more consequential than his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Their relationship, exposed in detail in the Starr Report, captivated the nation and led to the first impeachment of a U.S. president since the years just after the Civil War. Revisit the story of betrayal, political ploys, and media madness, as told by news reports, investigative documents, and secret recordings, many of which have not been broadcast since 1999.

In the few years since U.S. combat forces entered Vietnam, the Tet New Year usually brought with it an informal ceasefire. But in January 1968, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers launched a massive countrywide attack throughout South Vietnam. This began a two-month string of battles that would kill more than 15,000 troops and trigger fierce anti-war protests across the U.S. The event shocked and horrified the American public and put a devastating face to the Vietnam War. This is the story of the Tet Offensive, told through rare media reports and combat footage, much of which has never been seen or has not been broadcast since 1968.

Nine months after Neil Armstrong makes "one giant leap for mankind," Apollo 13 launches from Cape Kennedy, Florida for NASA's third moon landing mission in April 1970. But 55 hours after takeoff on April 14, a catastrophic in-flight explosion of an oxygen tank causes serious damage to the spacecraft and puts the crew in mortal danger. In a frantic attempt to get the astronauts safely home, mission control must use every resource at their disposal. What follows is a tense and chaotic three days for the Apollo crew members, Mission Control, and the American people. Witness the events as they unfolded, told through rare news reports, mission control audio, and original NASA newsreels.

A year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, there is still widespread fear that there will be another attack on U.S. soil. That fear is soon realized in October 2002 when an unseen gunman in the Washington D.C. area begins shooting residents for no apparent reason killing 10 total, triggering one of the most intense and complicated manhunts in American history. This is the story of the D.C. sniper's three-week reign of terror and the nation grappling with a different kind, told through police audio and video, plus local and national media reports, most of which have not been broadcast since 2002.

A powerful cold front over the American plains joined a warm air mass from the south on April 3, 1974, creating the perfect conditions for an 18-hour catastrophe now known as the Tornado Super Outbreak. Revisit the epic disaster that swept from Michigan to Alabama, powered by 148 tornadoes, 30 of them category F4 or F5. Through local news broadcasts, stunning audio recordings, and eyewitness home movies, look back on one of the most violent natural disasters in history.