# The History Channel- Do They Do Any Research At All? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2007, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290 "2007-11-30T10:30:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/21 "2007-12-02T03:32:46Z")
> [@Wendell Wagner](#): > > Is the History Channel shown in Australia the same as the one shown in the U.S.? Can’t you guys create your own junk? As has been mentioned in a number of threads on the SDMB, the various documentary channels on American cable aren’t very good. They buy pretty much anything halfway presentable that producers make for them. The documentaries aren’t well researched and are sometimes about silly supernatural subjects. DirecTV used to come with a channel called Link that showed some interesting documentaries on obscure topics. I don’t know if it still does. In a not-quite-related issue, I never thought one person could be so deathly boring in print and so very interesting in conversation until I saw Jared Diamond interviewed. I mean, that guy is cool. You watch his interview and think, “Wow! I bet he’s got a lot of cool stuff to say in his book!” And then you read the book and realize that somehow in the process of writing he becomes about as exciting as a three-year-old classified ads section. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/22 "2007-12-02T03:58:44Z")
I imagine it might be a matter of accuracy vs. access. If, for example, the HC wanted to show how Ma Barker was largely an invention of J. Edgar Hoover’s propaganda machine, the FBI would be less than accomodating to HC producers. Not an unrealistic expectation, considering that author J. Robert Nash visited the FBI museum as an ordinary tourist to surreptuously research the serial number on the gun taken off John Dillinger’s body and discovered that it was manufactured after Dillinger’s death. (BTW, my paternal grand-uncle as a FBI agent in the Kansas City office at the time of the [Kansas City Massacre](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Massacre). According to him, Hoover’s FBI _was_ half PT Barnum, half Scotland Yard, but, seeing as the US was already run by political bosses and crime bosses, what was wrong with having a police boss? ---
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/23 "2007-12-02T04:01:16Z")
[QUOTE=jtgain] And what about airing The Men Who Killed Kennedy crap? On the History Channel??? I watched that thinking it would be a good story on the Kennedy assassination (yes, I admit I should have read “Men” plural) but it turned out to have the wildest, most ridiculous bullshit conspiracy theories imaginable. Not just that Oswald was hired by the mafia, or the fatal shot came from the grassy knoll. No. This story had FBI and CIA agents stealing Kennedy’s body aboard Air Force One and altering his wounds. I lost a lot of respect for the History Channel after that.. [/QUOTE] That’s strange; I watched an HC documentary on the Kennedy assassination just this spring that systematically demolished most of the conspiracy theories behind the assassination. Their Modern Marvels: Pirate Tech and Blackbeard productions were quite well done also; they got fooled by one of the experts on the Pirate Tech program, but the others mostly knew what they were talking about. I’ve never watched the Nostradamus or UFO stuff that HC runs, but I’m hardly surprised to find people reporting they’re crap. Such programs are normally aimed at the less-than-skeptical. I think the HC is well worthwhile, so long as you’re selective about what you watch. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/24 "2007-12-02T04:14:14Z")
Yes, the HC lacks rigor and often times taste. But the thing that annoys me the most is when they force otherwise awesome shows into 30-minutes lengths and thus destroy them. The two cases I can remember of this are Peter Woodwards _Conquest_ and _Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives_. Great premeses with passionate and knowledgable hosts. But the network would force them to put a subject that could fill several hours into a 30-minute soundbite. Peter Woodward was especially annoyed by this. I remember hearing him talk about how fast he had to speak in order to stuff as much learning as possible into each episode. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/25 "2007-12-02T04:15:13Z")
No offense intended, Danimal, but thank you for reminding me. In their drama of Blackbeard’s life, where the French captain picks up a box about twice the size of a car battery and hands it to Blackbeard, shown to be filled with gold dust: I’m pretty sure they hadn’t done their research, or else they’d have shown six guys struggling to lift it. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/26 "2007-12-02T04:47:57Z")
[QUOTE=Hypno-Toad] Yes, the HC lacks rigor and often times taste. But the thing that annoys me the most is when they force otherwise awesome shows into 30-minutes lengths and thus destroy them. The two cases I can remember of this are Peter Woodwards _Conquest_ and _Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives_. Great premeses with passionate and knowledgable hosts. But the network would force them to put a subject that could fill several hours into a 30-minute soundbite. Peter Woodward was especially annoyed by this. I remember hearing him talk about how fast he had to speak in order to stuff as much learning as possible into each episode. [/QUOTE] Heh, one of the things I liked about Conquest was his machine gun lecturing. That and watching people dress up as knights and clobber the shit out of each other. I was highly entertained to see that he was on the History Channel, as up until that point, I had only seen him playing a Technomage on Crusade. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/27 "2007-12-02T05:07:35Z")
[QUOTE=Danimal] I think the HC is well worthwhile, so long as you’re selective about what you watch. [/QUOTE] That was very much my point. If it is truly a channel with documentaries about history, then there is no need to be “selective” in what I watch. I know that if, say, the documentary was about the Franco-Prussian war, and if I couldn’t give two shits about the Franco-Prussian war, I could tune out, but that isn’t what you mean. You mean I should be selective because, while they have lunatic shows about UFOs, conspiracies, alien contact, ghosts, and telepathy, they have some good shows that I should watch. That goes beyond what a channel that claims it is about “history” should make me decide between.. ---
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/28 "2007-12-02T05:08:10Z")
[QUOTE=Slithy Tove] No offense intended, Danimal, but thank you for reminding me. In their drama of Blackbeard’s life, where the French captain picks up a box about twice the size of a car battery and hands it to Blackbeard, shown to be filled with gold dust: I’m pretty sure they hadn’t done their research, or else they’d have shown six guys struggling to lift it. [/QUOTE] Well OK, they blew that, unless the box wasn’t full or the gold dust had lighter material underneath it. But they did describe the events of Blackbeard’s career pretty accurately; the only major problem was omitting Ben Hornigold’s part as his mentor. And they accurately showed Blackbeard using small single-masted sloops before he captured the _Queen Anne’s Revenge_. ---
**Author:** ![EsotericEnigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e274bd/32.png) [@EsotericEnigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EsotericEnigma)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/29 "2007-12-02T05:10:43Z")
There was a thread not too long ago about THC, in which I replied in defense of some of their shows (which I find entertaining and informative). I said that I didn’t fault them for trying to air stuff that’s more “entertainment.” They’re trying to reach a wider audience, after all, I don’t mind that. A quick interjection here. You probably know if you’re not going to be entertained by the UFO or psychic or conspiracy theorist shows. If you still tune in, you can’t really bitch about how bad it was. Don’t watch if you already know you’re going to hate it! Or, did you somehow convince yourself you would find reason and evidence in a UFO show? :rolleyes: That said… jesus some of these shows are terrible. I find myself watching less and less of this channel as they add more fluff nonsense. It’s getting hard to defend the dreck they air. ---
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/30 "2007-12-02T05:12:23Z")
[QUOTE=jtgain] That was very much my point. If it is truly a channel with documentaries about history, then there is no need to be “selective” in what I watch. I know that if, say, the documentary was about the Franco-Prussian war, and if I couldn’t give two shits about the Franco-Prussian war, I could tune out, but that isn’t what you mean. You mean I should be selective because, while they have lunatic shows about UFOs, conspiracies, alien contact, ghosts, and telepathy, they have some good shows that I should watch. That goes beyond what a channel that claims it is about “history” should make me decide between.. [/QUOTE] No argument. In an ideal world, you would be able to rely on most things that the History Channel shows. I agree it falls well short of what it should be. I still wouldn’t want to go without it, but YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/31 "2007-12-02T05:14:50Z")
> [@EsotericEnigma](#): > > I had come into that thread defending THC, that a lot of their shows were informative and entertaining and that I couldn’t fault them for trying to air stuff thats less historical and informative but more entertaining. THC is _totally_ informative and entertaining. For example, I learned all about the beatific wonder that is Reese’s ice cream on THC. Far out! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/32 "2007-12-02T05:18:51Z")
The other thing that bugs me about the History Channel is that it is a shill for the right wing. Bush administration is pushing confrontation with Iran? Count on the History Channel to run a few programs on the nefarious Iranian government, and how they just might be building BOMBS THAT WILL KILL US ALL! ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/33 "2007-12-02T05:19:19Z")
I was flipping through the channels early this morning. Apparently everything that happened in the Young Indiana Jones series is now historical fact. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/34 "2007-12-02T05:25:58Z")
All of their Bible Code nonsense is pretty ridiculous, but the History Channel always seems to know when I have had a rough night and programs a nice _Wild West Tech_ marathon for me to nurse my resulting hangover to. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/35 "2007-12-02T05:29:53Z")
I think the whole premise is great. It is what they could be and what they are not that disappoints me. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/36 "2007-12-02T06:46:45Z")
[QUOTE=jtgain] That was very much my point. If it is truly a channel with documentaries about history, then there is no need to be “selective” in what I watch. I know that if, say, the documentary was about the Franco-Prussian war, and if I couldn’t give two shits about the Franco-Prussian war, I could tune out, but that isn’t what you mean. You mean I should be selective because, while they have lunatic shows about UFOs, conspiracies, alien contact, ghosts, and telepathy, they have some good shows that I should watch. That goes beyond what a channel that claims it is about “history” should make me decide between.. [/QUOTE] This does remind me of one of my rants a few years back, when the Sci-Fi channel was cancelling a bunch of their sci-fi shows and airing back-to-back episodes of “Crossing Over With John Edwards”. Man, I couldn’t stand that shit. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/37 "2007-12-02T14:10:40Z")
[QUOTE=Lust4Life] Oh yes…?Iwould suggest that you’re talking too much. Its not a problem everyone, Smithy is on medication and what has been said is ludicrous …and just you remember that OK? [/QUOTE] Moderator interjects: **Lust** , please go to the thread [Forum Rules: PLEASE READ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=343601) and note especially Post #3. Personal insults are not permitted in this forum, and making comments/guesses about a person’s state of being is included in “personal insults” … to say nothing of telling someone to shut up. You’ve been around long enough to know this. Please desist. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/38 "2007-12-02T17:51:15Z")
[QUOTE=C K Dexter Haven] Moderator interjects: **Lust** , please go to the thread [Forum Rules: PLEASE READ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=343601) and note especially Post #3. Personal insults are not permitted in this forum, and making comments/guesses about a person’s state of being is included in “personal insults” … to say nothing of telling someone to shut up. You’ve been around long enough to know this. Please desist. [/QUOTE] Um, Dex? Woosh. Lust4Life wasn’t being insulting. He was parodying how someone in on the Conspiracy would respond to someone’s exposing the Conspiracy. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/39 "2007-12-02T18:06:42Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] Um, Dex? Woosh. Lust4Life wasn’t being insulting. He was parodying how someone in on the Conspiracy would respond to someone’s exposing the Conspiracy. [/QUOTE] That would, of course, assume there WAS such a thing as a “Conspiracy”, which is all silly crazy talk, of course. 😉 Carry on, Human Citizens. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290/40 "2007-12-02T18:27:25Z")
Bah. **C K Dexter Haven** , you foolish and pathetic human, I violate your _forum rules_ with contempt. Soon, **I** shall make the rules. Soon, the mother ship will return, and you and your moderator cohorts shall be my slaves. Just watch the special airing next month on the History Channel for full details. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-history-channel-do-they-do-any-research-at-all/428290.md?page=3)