I give it 3 stars for it's comedic value but it really doesn't belong on any network calling itself "The History Channel"! This is really just one more stage in the dumbing down of what used to be a great network. The episode "Area 51" is largely a dressed up regurgitation of all the rumors, gossip and conspiracy theories circulating around the internet.
Perhaps the most ridiculous is continuing to give airtime to the "fake moon landing" nuts whose claims have been consistently refuted and proved wrong.
This episode also presented claims that the rapid technological developments since the 1950's must be due to "reverse engineering alien technology" because previous development happened much more slowly. But this ignores the reality that throughout history, there are a number of key discoveries which spurred rapid development.
Think of the discovery of fire, the printing press, electricity, the incandescent bulb, internal combustion engines, the electron microscope and the splitting of the atom. These all spawned dramatic change. The 1950's started with German rocketry, jet engines and the computer... the Cold War and the race to the moon. It was those discoveries and projects which have fueled modern technology. All of which was conveniently ignored and dismissed with the flippant "man isn't smart enough to have done all this on his own..." comment.
The History Channel has clearly forgotten its roots and its mission and has chosen to pursue the ratings game of "reality TV" and fantasy. One can only hope that they are no longer being used in our public classrooms as there is no longer anything educational about 80% of their programming.
Perhaps the most ridiculous is continuing to give airtime to the "fake moon landing" nuts whose claims have been consistently refuted and proved wrong.
- "flag waving in the wind" ignores a basic tenant of physics, that a body in motion, remains in motion unless acted upon by an opposite force - in a vacuum, there is no air pressure to dampen the movement created by planting the flag.
- "objects in shadow would be completely black" ignores what anyone who has ever taken a walk on a moonlit night in the snow knows... that light colored surfaces reflect light, making everything much brighter.
This episode also presented claims that the rapid technological developments since the 1950's must be due to "reverse engineering alien technology" because previous development happened much more slowly. But this ignores the reality that throughout history, there are a number of key discoveries which spurred rapid development.
Think of the discovery of fire, the printing press, electricity, the incandescent bulb, internal combustion engines, the electron microscope and the splitting of the atom. These all spawned dramatic change. The 1950's started with German rocketry, jet engines and the computer... the Cold War and the race to the moon. It was those discoveries and projects which have fueled modern technology. All of which was conveniently ignored and dismissed with the flippant "man isn't smart enough to have done all this on his own..." comment.
The History Channel has clearly forgotten its roots and its mission and has chosen to pursue the ratings game of "reality TV" and fantasy. One can only hope that they are no longer being used in our public classrooms as there is no longer anything educational about 80% of their programming.