Man vs. History

Images of the Wild West are inscribed in the American DNA. We've been raised on tales of cowboys with great nicknames dueling it out and then riding off into the sunset. We've consumed so much fiction about the Wild West, it's time to get down to the facts. In search of the truth, Bil Lepp, puts Billy the Kid's famous escape to the test, attempts Annie Oakley's most difficult shot and investigates the validity of the "Tombstone Thunderbird.

Great American folk tales have been passed down for generations, often through word of mouth. While many of the stories snowball into legends over the years, most contain at least a kernel of truth. Bil tries to find that truth as he explores the claim that John Henry out-drilled a steam-powered drill, uncovers if Johnny Appleseed is truly responsible for all our delicious apples, and checks if a mythical cowboy really rode a cougar and wielded a rattlesnake as his lasso.

Daredevils have always captured our imaginations and the stories of their feats have grown into superhuman myths that persist to this day. Incredible stories that we want to believe but seem downright impossible. Bil pursues the truth around America's most iconic stunts by pulling his very own Houdini, testing if it's possible to survive a plunge over Niagara Falls, and investigates daredevil pioneer Bessie Coleman's controversial demise.

Warfare has spawned more myths and legends than just about any other human activity. Battlefield stories are told and retold, and become exaggerated over time, leading many to question their legitimacy. Bil aims to answer why exactly we remember the Alamo, how Davy Crockett really died, and if Civil War soldiers were healed by an angel's glow.

There is no shortage of great American rivalries. Myths are born in the hair-trigger atmosphere of a feud, such that over time it's gets harder and harder to ferret out what the real facts were and how the disagreements even started. Bil gets his hands dirty to figure out what got the Hatfield's and the McCoy's so worked up, if Hamilton really wasted his shot at Burr, and what actually happened at the O.K. Corral.

In 19th century America, the frontier was a challenging place to survive, which meant that the tools and the weapons folks carried often meant the difference between life and death. Not surprisingly, a great many myths have grown up around some of the most iconic tools and weapons. Bil separates fact from fiction surrounding the legendary Bowie Knife, attempts to outshoot Abe Lincoln, and unloads the Colt 45 origin story.

It's often said that necessity is the mother of invention, although no one knows who first said that or when. Which makes sense, because when it comes to inventors, murky origin stories go along with the territory. Bil sheds light on how Ben Franklin really discovered electricity, examines if Edison truly invented the lightbulb, and sorts out if the Wright Brothers were actually first in flight.

The pursuit of American Independence spawned some of the greatest achievements and inspirational moments in the nation's history. Not surprisingly, they've taken on a mythical quality over the course of generations. Bil saddles up to find out what Paul Revere's ride was really like, if the turning point in Revolutionary War was a seemingly impossible sniper shot, and if Betsey Ross was really responsible for Old Glory.