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{{Infobox television channel
| name = History
| logo = History (2021).svg
| logo_size = 150px
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| website = {{URL|www.history.com}}
| online_serv_1 = Service(s)
| online_chan_1 = [[Philo (company)|Philo]], [[Frndly TV]], [[Sling TV]], [[DirecTV Stream]], [[Hulu|Hulu + Live TV]], [[Vidgo]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://support.history.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500004654261-I-don-t-have-a-TV-package-Can-I-subscribe-directly-to-HISTORY-|title=I don't have a TV package. Can I subscribe directly to HISTORY? – HISTORY|access-date=December 14, 2023|archive-date=December 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204161901/https://support.history.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500004654261-I-don-t-have-a-TV-package-Can-I-subscribe-directly-to-HISTORY-|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
'''History''' (stylized in [[all caps]]), formerly and commonly known as the '''History Channel''', is an American [[pay television]] [[television network|network]] and [[flagship channel]] owned by [[A&E Networks]], a [[joint venture]] between [[Hearst Communications]] and [[The Walt Disney Company]]'s General Entertainment Content Division.
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The network was originally focused on history-based, social/science documentaries as well as the news. During the late 2000s, the History Channel pivoted into [[reality television]] programming. In addition to this change in format, the network has been criticized by many scientists, historians, and skeptics for broadcasting [[pseudo-documentaries]] and [[pseudoscientific]], unsubstantiated, sensational investigative programming.
{{As of|2023|11}}, History is available to approximately 63,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2011 peak of 99,000,000 households.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wrestlenomics.com/u-s-cable-network-households-universe-1990-2023-nielsen-data/|title=U.S. cable network households (universe), 1990 – 2023|website=wrestlenomics.com|date=May 14, 2024|access-date=July 28, 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=December 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231073226/https://wrestlenomics.com/u-s-cable-network-households-universe-1990-2023-nielsen-data/}}</ref> International localized versions of the History Channel are available, in various forms, in India, Canada, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
== History ==
===20th century===
[[File:The History Channel logo.png|thumb|upright=1.1|The History Channel's original logo used from January 1, 1995, to February 15, 2008. In the station's early years, the red background was not there, and later it sometimes appeared blue (in documentaries), light green (in biographies), purple (in sitcoms), yellow (in reality shows), or orange (in short form content) instead of red.]]
The company indicated that plans for a history channel were in the works in 1993, it purchased the Lou Reda Productions documentary library and long-term rights for the Hearst Entertainment documentaries archive. The History Channel was launched on January 1, 1995,
During the 1990s, the History Channel was jokingly referred to as "The [[Hitler]] Channel" for its extensive coverage of [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schone |first1=Mark |title=Media Circus: All Hitler all the time |url=https://www.salon.com/test/1997/05/08/media_90/ |access-date=May 27, 2020 |work=Salon |date=May 8, 1997 |language=en |archive-date=August 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801164928/https://www.salon.com/test/1997/05/08/media_90/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Since then, much of its military-themed programming has been shifted to its sister network [[Military History (TV channel)|Military History]].
A&E Networks considered the History Channel to be the driver in international expansion due to a lack of international rights to A&E international co-productions. As expected, the History Channel led A&E's overseas expansion in Brazil with TVA (April 1996), the Nordic and Baltic regions with Modern Times Group (1997), and in Canada (1997).<ref name=idc/>
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[[File:History Logo 2008-2015.svg|thumb|upright=1.1|History's logo used from February 16, 2008, to May 31, 2015: The second logo does not have the triangle on the side of the H.]]
[[File:History Logo.svg|thumb|upright=1.1|History's third logo used from June 1, 2015, to December 6, 2021]]
On February 16, 2008, a new logo was launched on the U.S. network as part of a rebranding effort. While the trademark "H" was kept, the triangle shape on the left acts as a play button for animation and flyouts during commercials and shows. On March 20, 2008, as part of that same rebranding effort, the History Channel dropped "The" and "Channel" from its name to become simply "History".<ref>International Herald Tribune [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/20/arts/TV-History-Channel.php Television's The History Channel Drops 'The' and 'Channel' from Its Name, Keeps History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804054616/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/20/arts/TV-History-Channel.php |date=August 4, 2008 }} March 20, 2008</ref>
In 2012, half of A&E would be purchased by [[The Walt Disney Company]] and the other half by [[Hearst Communications]], also putting History under their joint ownership.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lakritz |first=Talia |title=14 companies you didn't realize Disney owns |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-disney-owns |access-date=2024-02-17 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US |archive-date=February 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216050818/https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-disney-owns |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 2015, the channel would undergo another rebranding, this time by Joseph Kiely. The slogan of this rebranding was "Make Your Mark". The logo was slightly changed, but retained the golden letter 'H' that had become synonymous with the channel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History Channel global rebrand & manifesto |url=https://kielydesign.com/portfolio/history-channel-rebrand-manifesto/ |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=KIELY DESIGN |language=en-US |archive-date=February 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217210059/https://kielydesign.com/portfolio/history-channel-rebrand-manifesto/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The "History 100" documentary initiative was announced in March 2018 that would produce 100 documentaries covering major events and notable figures from last 100 years.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Littleton |first1=Cynthia |title=History Sets 'History 100' Docu Film Series, Evel Knievel Stunt Special |url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/history-100-evel-knievel-documentary-films-werner-herzog-1202727441/ |access-date=May 27, 2020 |work=Variety |date=March 15, 2018 |language=en |archive-date=July 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716210418/https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/history-100-evel-knievel-documentary-films-werner-herzog-1202727441/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
On December 7, 2021, History received a major rebrand for the first time since February 16, 2008. The logo still kept the golden letter 'H' that had been used since its launch in 1995.
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== Criticism and evaluations ==
Initially, the network received mixed reviews. In an article from the American Historical Association released about a year into the channel's lifespan, the channel's historical consultant Libby Haight O' Connell noted that professional historians have been enlisted to work on the channel's programs and many letters have come in from viewers both pointing out historical errors and opening up discussion with the channel creators about the events portrayed in the channel's programs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History Channel and History Education {{!}} Perspectives on History {{!}} AHA |url=https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/october-1995/the-history-channel-and-history-education |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.historians.org |archive-date=February 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217210057/https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/october-1995/the-history-channel-and-history-education |url-status=live }}</ref>
However, in recent years the network has been criticized for having a bias towards [[history of the United States|US history]]. Another former sister network, [[Vice on TV|History International]], more extensively covered history outside the US until 2011, when it was re-branded as [[H2 (American TV channel)|H2]] and started broadcasting more material that had to do with US history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/guide03/explore1.html|title=Time traveler's guide to the Roman Empire|publisher=Channel4.com|quote=The History Channel: The website of the American cable channel has a bias towards American history, as evidenced by Extreme History with Roger Daltrey|access-date=August 4, 2007|archive-date=December 30, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091230162415/http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/guide03/explore1.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Stanley Kutner criticized the network for the series ''[[The Men Who Killed Kennedy]]'' in 2003. Kutner was one of three historians commissioned to review the documentary, which the channel disavowed and never aired again.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hnn.us/articles/4504.html|title=Why the History Channel Had to Apologize for the Documentary that Blamed LBJ for JFK's Murder|first=Stanley|last=Kutner|publisher=History News Network|date=July 4, 2004|access-date=August 4, 2007|quote=The History Channel has made a start in the right direction as it has totally disavowed the program and publicly promised it never will be shown again.|archive-date=August 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830105854/http://hnn.us/articles/4504.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Programs such as ''[[Modern Marvels]]'' have been praised for their presentation of detailed information in an entertaining format.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=28158|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729141847/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=28158|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 29, 2012|title=Modern Marvels: Technology|first=Scott|last=Weinberg|work=DVD Talk|date=May 29, 2007|access-date=August 4, 2007|quote=If you're trying to throw your kids a little education, but in a fast-paced and colorful presentation, these "Modern Marvels" series come pretty highly recommended. Then again, I'm a mid-30s guy and I'm learning tons of new stuff from these programs.}}</ref>
Some of the network's series, including ''[[Ice Road Truckers]]'', ''[[Ax Men]]'', and ''[[Pawn Stars]]'', garnered increased viewership ratings in the United States, while receiving criticism over the series' [[Channel drift|nonhistorical nature]]. US Senator [[Chuck Grassley]] is a critic of the channel and its lack of historical or educational programming, showing particular disdain for the latter two programs.<ref>Malone, Noreen (March 20, 2012). [http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/03/brief-history-of-chuck-grassleys-history-with-the-history-channel.html A brief history of Chuck Grassley's history with the History Channel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322225624/http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/03/brief-history-of-chuck-grassleys-history-with-the-history-channel.html |date=March 22, 2012 }}. ''New York'' magazine. Retrieved April 2, 2012.</ref>
Professor Jeremy Stoddard, in his article published in 2010, raised the concern that the productions of the network presented value-laden perspectives which may mislead audiences, a phenomenon he termed "the History Channel effect".<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Stoddard |first=Jeremy D. |date=2010 |title=The History Channel Effect |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/003172171009100420 |journal=Phi Delta Kappan |language=en |volume=91 |issue=4 |pages=80 |doi=10.1177/003172171009100420 |s2cid=143989861 |issn=0031-7217 |access-date=July 5, 2022 |archive-date=July 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705224428/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/003172171009100420 |url-status=live }}</ref> Stoddard also claimed that the History Channel did not contribute to this phenomenon alone, but rather, it was caused by the misperception that [[Documentary film|documentaries]] are "objective sources of history".<ref name=":1" />
In 2011, ''[[Forbes]]'' staffer Alex Knapp wrote, "The History Channel shouldn't run stuff like this 'ancient astronaut' nonsense."<ref name="Knapp">[https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2011/09/19/an-archaeologist-watches-the-history-channel-and-questions-the-part-about-the-aliens/#7ab97e483e65 An archaeologist watches the History Channel and questions the part about Ancient Aliens] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825212211/https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2011/09/19/an-archaeologist-watches-the-history-channel-and-questions-the-part-about-the-aliens/#7ab97e483e65 |date=August 25, 2021 }}, ''[[Forbes]]'', Alex Knapp, September 19, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2017.</ref> ''Forbes'' contributor Brad Lockwood criticized the channel's addition of "programs devoted to monsters, aliens, and conspiracies", attributing a perceived intent of boosting ratings to the network's decision to focus on [[pseudoarchaeology]] instead of documented facts.<ref name="Forbes">{{cite news|last=Lockwood|first=Brad|title=High Ratings Aside, Where's the History on History?|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradlockwood/2011/10/17/high-ratings-aside-wheres-the-history-on-history/|work=Forbes|access-date=March 21, 2012|archive-date=October 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019222158/https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradlockwood/2011/10/17/high-ratings-aside-wheres-the-history-on-history/|url-status=live}}</ref> Knapp refers readers to the ''Bad Archaeology'' website's founder Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews who comments, "I find it incredible and frightening that a worldwide distributed television channel ...can broadcast such rubbish as ''[[Ancient Aliens]]''."<ref name="Knapp" /> Archaeologist [[Kenneth Feder]], author of ''Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology'',<ref>Feder, K. (1990). ''Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology''. New York, McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages {{ISBN|978-0078116971}}</ref> called the channel's hosting the [[Ancient astronauts|ancient astronaut]] theory "execrable bullshit".<ref>"[http://www.skeptic.com/podcasts/monstertalk/11/07/27/transcript/ Ancient Alien Astronauts: Interview with Ken Feder] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831113940/https://www.skeptic.com/podcasts/monstertalk/11/07/27/transcript/ |date=August 31, 2019 }}." Retrieved July 17, 2017.</ref>
In his book ''2012: It's Not the End of the World'', Peter Lemesurier describes the channel's ''[[Nostradamus]]'' series, in which he was invited to participate, as "largely fiction" and "lurid nonsense".<ref name="Lemesurier2011">{{citation|first=Peter|last=Lemesurier|title=2012: It's Not the End of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fi_QygAACAAJ|date=July 2011|publisher=Derwen Publishing|isbn=978-1-907084-15-7|page=91|access-date=January 17, 2020|archive-date=June 6, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606003323/https://books.google.com/books?id=Fi_QygAACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> He also lists numerous allusions made in its films to the alleged Mayan "end of the world" and the "rare" galactic alignment that was supposed by [[John Major Jenkins]] to accompany it in [[2012 Phenomenon|2012]],<ref name="Lemesurier2011" /> while Jenkins himself has described ''[[Decoding the Past]]'' as "45 minutes of unabashed doomsday hype and the worst kind of inane [[sensationalism]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alignment2012.com/historychannel.html|title=How Not to Make a 2012 Documentary|date=
In December 2011, [[Politifact]] gave the History Channel's claim that the [[United States Congress]] stayed open on [[Christmas Day]] for most of its first 67 years of existence a "pants on fire" rating, the lowest of its ratings, noting that its own research showed that both the [[United States Senate|Senate]] and the [[United States House|House]] had only convened once in those 67 years on a Christmas Day. It noted that because one-in-seven Christmases falls on a Sunday (when Congress does not meet to allow members to attend church), the claim is "ridiculous".<ref name="Pf">{{cite web|title=Comic Jon Stewart says Congress met most Christmas Days in its early years|url=http://www.politifact.com/rhode-island/statements/2011/dec/09/jon-stewart/comic-jon-stewart-says-early-congress-met-most-chr/|publisher=[[Politifact]]|access-date=January 21, 2012|date=December 11, 2011|archive-date=January 21, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121193402/http://www.politifact.com/rhode-island/statements/2011/dec/09/jon-stewart/comic-jon-stewart-says-early-congress-met-most-chr/|url-status=live}}</ref> The claim had first been broadcast on the History Channel program ''Christmas Unwrapped – The History of Christmas'' before being subsequently picked up by the [[American Civil Liberties Union]]'s website on the "Origins of Christmas" and by the [[Comedy Central]] series ''[[The Daily Show]]''.<ref name="Pf" /> ''Daily Show'' host [[Jon Stewart]] responded the next day by stating it was their fault for trusting the History Channel and satirized a clip from the History Channel about UFOs and Nazis by stating, "The next thing you know we'll all find out the Nazis did not employ alien technology in their quest for world domination."<ref name="HP">{{cite news|title=Jon Stewart Fires Back At Politifact Over War On Christmas|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/jon-stewart-politifact-war-on-christmas_n_1146118.html|work=Huffington Post|access-date=January 21, 2012|date=December 13, 2011|first=Katherine|last=Fung|archive-date=June 6, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606003407/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jon-stewart-politifact-war-on-christmas_n_1146118|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Daily">{{cite web|last=Stewart|first=Jon|title=War on Christmas - Historical Fact-Checking|url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-december-12-2011/war-on-christmas-historical-fact-checking|work=[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]|publisher=[[Comedy Central]]|access-date=March 24, 2013|date=December 12, 2011|archive-date=June 6, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240606003340/https://www.cc.com/shows/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah|url-status=live}}</ref>
The History Channel was also singled out in a post for ''[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]]'' magazine. Science writer Riley Black took issue with the show ''[[Ancient Aliens]]'' for postulating the "idea that aliens caused the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event|extinction of non-avian dinosaurs]]."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Black|first=Riley|date=2012-05-11|title=The Idiocy, Fabrications and Lies of Ancient Aliens|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-idiocy-fabrications-and-lies-of-ancient-aliens-86294030/|access-date=2021-05-24|website=[[Smithsonian Institution|Smithsonian]]|archive-date=May 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517220721/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-idiocy-fabrications-and-lies-of-ancient-aliens-86294030/|url-status=live}}</ref> The online magazine ''[[Cracked.com|Cracked]]'' also lampooned the channel for its strange definition of history. ''Cracked'' singled out the programs ''[[UFO Hunters]]'' and ''Ancient Aliens'' as being the very definition of non-history by presenting [[pseudoscience]] and [[pseudohistory]].<ref>{{cite web |last=West |first=Zach |date=June 30, 2010 |title=The History Channel |url=http://www.cracked.com/funny-5720-the-history-channel/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126040750/https://www.cracked.com/funny-5720-the-history-channel/ |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |access-date=March 13, 2016 |website=Cracked}}</ref> In 2015, skeptic [[Brian Dunning (author)|Brian Dunning]] listed it at #2 on a "Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites" list.<ref>{{Skeptoid|id=4495|number=495|title= Updated: Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites |access-date=October 23, 2020|date=December 1, 2015|quote=2. History.com (...promoting flagrant pseudohistory...)}}</ref>
=== Amelia Earhart documentary controversy ===
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In 2017, a History Channel documentary, ''[[Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence]]'', proposed that a photograph in the National Archives of [[Jaluit Atoll]] in the [[Marshall Islands]] was actually a picture of a captured [[Amelia Earhart]] and [[Fred Noonan]]. The picture showed a Caucasian male on a dock who appeared to look like Noonan and a woman sitting on the dock, but facing away from the camera, who was judged to have a physique and haircut resembling Earhart's. The documentary theorizes that the photo was taken after Earhart and Noonan crashed at [[Mili Atoll]]. The documentary also said that physical evidence recovered from Mili matches pieces that could have fallen off an Electra during a crash or subsequent overland move to a barge. ''The Lost Evidence'' proposed that a Japanese ship seen in the photograph was the ''Koshu Maru'', a Japanese military ship.
''The Lost Evidence'' was soon discredited after Japanese blogger Kota Yamano found the original source of the photograph in the archives in the [[National Diet Library]] Digital Collection.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/07/amelia-earhart-lost-photograph-discredited-spd/| title=Amelia Earhart 'Lost Photograph' Discredited| last=Greshko| first=Michael| website=nationalgeographic.com| date=July 11, 2017| access-date=August 14, 2018|url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223131301/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/07/amelia-earhart-lost-photograph-discredited-spd/| archive-date=December 23, 2017}}</ref> The original source of the photo was a Japanese travel guide published in October 1935, implying that the photograph was taken in 1935 or before, thus it would be unrelated to Earhart and Noonan's 1937 disappearance. Additionally, the researcher who discovered the photo also identified the ship in the right of the photo as another ship called ''[[Kōshū (survey ship)|Koshu]]'' seized by [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] Japanese forces in World War I and not the ''Koshu Maru''.<ref name="nprdebunk">{{cite news|last1=Domonoske|first1=Camila|title=Japanese Blogger Points Out Timeline Flaw In Supposed Earhart Photo|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/07/11/536620463/japanese-blogger-points-out-timeline-flaw-in-supposed-earhart-photo|access-date=July 11, 2017|publisher=NPR|language=en|archive-date=July 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711162559/http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/07/11/536620463/japanese-blogger-points-out-timeline-flaw-in-supposed-earhart-photo|url-status=live}}</ref>
Researcher [[Ben Radford]] performed a detailed analysis of the mistakes made by ''The History Channel'' in building their documentary on bad photographic evidence. In his ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' article "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Emmys: An Amelia Earhart Special (Non) Mystery Post-Mortem," critiquing the network's lack of professionalism, Radford said: "Given that the photograph's provenance was established and thus the key premise of the show discredited in about half an hour of Google searching, it will be interesting to see what world class expertise... the History Channel will bring to their reinvestigation of Earhart's disappearance."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Radford|first1=Ben|author-link1=Benjamin Radford|title=A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Emmys: An Amelia Earhart Special (Non)Mystery Post-Mortem|url=https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/an_amelia_earhart_special_mystery |website=Csicop.org|publisher=CFI|access-date=December 9, 2017|archive-date=December 9, 2017|date=July 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209222238/https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/an_amelia_earhart_special_mystery|url-status=live}}</ref> On episode 82 of his ''Squaring the Strange'' podcast, released January 4, 2019, Radford reminded listeners that in excess of 18 months had passed without an apology or explanation from the History Channel as to "how their research went so horribly wrong."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Radford |first1=Ben |author-link=Ben Radford |title=Episode 82 - Grab Bag 2018 |url=http://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/8129540/tdest_id/607796 |publisher=Libsyn |access-date=January 12, 2019 |archive-date=February 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207072548/https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/8129540/tdest_id/607796 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="csicop-robpalmer">{{cite web |last1=Palmer |first1=Rob |title=Squaring the Skeptic with Celestia Ward (Part 2) |url=https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/squaring_the_skeptic_with_celestia_ward_part_2 |website=Skeptical Inquirer |date=January 25, 2019 |publisher=Committee for Skeptical Inquiry |access-date=February 5, 2019 |archive-date=January 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129032708/https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/squaring_the_skeptic_with_celestia_ward_part_2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Military History Channel ==
{{Infobox television channel
| name = Military History
| logo = Mhistory.png
| logo_size = 100px
| logo_caption =
| logo_alt =
| image =
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2005|01|05|mf=yes}}
| closed_date =
| picture_format = [[480i]] ([[Standard-definition television|SDTV]])<br />(most current-day programming presented in widescreen [[letterboxing (filming)|letterbox]])
| owner = [[A&E Networks]]
| country = United States
| language = English
| area = Nationwide<br>International
| headquarters = [[New York, New York]]
| former_names = Military History Channel (2005–08)
| replaced =
| replaced_by =
| sister_channels = {{Unbulleted list|History|History en Espanol}}
| timeshift_service =
| online_serv_1 = Service(s)
| online_chan_1 = [[Hulu|Hulu + Live TV]], [[Frndly TV]], [[Philo (company)|Philo]]
| website =
}}
'''Military History''' is a niche spin-off network of History that features reruns of programs about the [[military history|history of the military]] and significant combat events. The channel's main competitor is Warner Bros. Discovery's [[American Heroes Channel]], formerly the Military Channel.<ref name=vty/>
===History===
'''Military History''' was launched on January 5, 2005 after demand for more military history programs. Beginning on March 27, 2004, a military-history programming block started on now defunct network [[History International]] as a prologue. The launch was an open preview, or soft launch, as no cable operators were signed up. Dan Davids, president of the History Channel USA, planned to push for digital basic level cable carriage. Its initial programming library drew from A&E and History's programs. The channel's initial prime time shows were under an umbrella banner of “Battle History”, which consisted of five documentary miniseries featuring each of the US military services. In the second quarter of 2005, the channel had its hard launch.<ref name=vty>{{cite news|last1=Dempsey|first1=John|title=Joining cable ranks|url=https://variety.com/2005/scene/markets-festivals/joining-cable-ranks-1117915595/|access-date=July 15, 2017|work=Variety|date=January 2, 2005}}</ref>
Like its parent channel, the channel dropped the word "Channel" from its name on March 20, 2008.
Carriage is very limited and often offered in add-on cable/satellite/streaming packages.
===Programming===
{{Main|List of programs broadcast by the History Channel}}
Military History features programs that focus on historical battles and wars, as well as programs that profile key individuals such as generals, soldiers and spies. It also airs documentaries and series that provide insight into how these wars were fought and the lives of those who served in them.
Its programming library draws from A&E and History's program libraries<ref name=vty/> with an emphasis on [[World War II]].
== Other media ==
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* ''Dogfight: Season 1'' DVD set
* ''The Great Depression'' DVD collection
* ''The Making of Trump'' 2015 DVD<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5239180/|title=The Making of Trump (TV Movie 2015) - IMDb|via=www.imdb.com|access-date=March 20, 2021|archive-date=March 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308062124/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5239180/|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Video serials===
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* ''[[The History Channel: Battle for the Pacific]]'' (2007)
* ''[[History Civil War: Secret Missions]]'' (2008)
* ''History: Great Empires – Rome'' (2009)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Naser |first1=Bodo |title=Test: Great Empires: Rome |url=https://www.4players.de/4players.php/dispbericht/NDS/Test/17493/64178/0/Great_Empires_Rome.html |website=[[4Players]] |access-date=3 March 2023 |language=German |date=19 June 2009 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306170340/https://www.4players.de/4players.php/dispbericht/NDS/Test/17493/64178/0/Great_Empires_Rome.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=Lucas M. |title=History's Great Empires: Rome Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/07/01/historys-great-empires-rome-review |website=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |access-date=3 March 2023 |date=1 July 2009 |archive-date=February 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214070529/https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/07/01/historys-great-empires-rome-review |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''History: Ice Road Truckers'' (2010)<ref>{{cite web |title=HISTORY Ice Road Truckers |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/history-ice-road-truckers-psp-minis-release-involving-taking-18-wheelers-into-the-arctic-circle |website=[[GamesIndustry.biz]] |publisher=[[Gamer Network]] |access-date=5 March 2023 |date=11 March 2010 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305124559/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/history-ice-road-truckers-psp-minis-release-involving-taking-18-wheelers-into-the-arctic-circle |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=History -- Ice Road Truckers |url=http://psp.gamespy.com/playstation-portable/history-ice-road-truckers/ |website=[[GameSpy]] |publisher=[[IGN Entertainment]] |access-date=5 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910004142/http://psp.gamespy.com/playstation-portable/history-ice-road-truckers/ |archive-date=10 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* ''History: Egypt – Engineering an Empire'' (2010)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moreno |first1=Jim H. |title=HISTORY Egypt: Engineering an Empire – PC Game Review |url=http://armchairgeneral.com/history-egypt-engineering-an-empire-pc-game-review.htm |website=[[Armchair General (magazine)|Armchair General]] |publisher=[[Weider History Group]] |access-date=5 March 2023 |date=16 September 2010 |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305122726/http://armchairgeneral.com/history-egypt-engineering-an-empire-pc-game-review.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=HISTORY™ Egypt : Engineering an Empire |url=http://www.slitherine.com/games/EEaE_ipad |website=Slitherine Software |access-date=5 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110412001357/http://www.slitherine.com/games/EEaE_ipad |archive-date=12 April 2011}}</ref>
* ''History: Great Battles – Medieval'' (2010)<ref>{{cite web |title=History Great Battles Medieval Gets a New Partner and an October UK Release Date |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/09/17/history-great-battles-medieval-gets-a-new-partner-and-an-october-uk-release-date |website=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |access-date=6 March 2023 |date=17 September 2010 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306132508/https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/09/17/history-great-battles-medieval-gets-a-new-partner-and-an-october-uk-release-date |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=History Great Battles Medieval is Headed to Android |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/04/25/history-great-battles-medieval-is-headed-to-android |website=[[IGN]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |access-date=6 March 2023 |date=25 April 2011 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306125530/https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/04/25/history-great-battles-medieval-is-headed-to-android |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Schilling |first1=Chris |title=Great Battles Medieval |url=https://www.pocketgamer.com/great-battles-medieval/great-battles-medieval/ |website=[[Pocket Gamer]] |publisher=Steel Media |access-date=6 March 2023 |date=3 July 2013 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306125717/https://www.pocketgamer.com/great-battles-medieval/great-battles-medieval/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
== International ==
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Beginning in the late 2000s, several History (US) shows were acquired for Canadian broadcast on History Television. On May 30, 2012, then-parent company [[Shaw Media]] announced that it would rebrand History Channel as a Canadian version of the US History channel in the fall of 2012, through a licensing agreement with A+E Networks.<ref>[http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/shaw-media-and-a-e-to-launch-two-new-specialty-channels/1001418951/ Shaw Media and A&E to Launch Two New Specialty Channels] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121210161801/http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/shaw-media-and-a-e-to-launch-two-new-specialty-channels/1001418951/ |date=December 10, 2012 }}, ''Broadcaster Magazine'', May 30, 2012.</ref> History Television would be relaunched on August 12, 2012, with another Shaw-owned specialty channel relaunched as a [[History2 (Canadian TV channel)|Canadian version of H2]] soon after.
On October 21, 2014, [[Corus Entertainment]] reached an agreement to acquire [[Canadian French]]-language rights to History programming for its own channel, [[Historia (TV channel)|Historia]]. On March 9, 2015, the network was relaunched under History's logo and branding, although the network still carries the Historia name.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.corusent.com/home/Corporate/PressReleases/tabid/1697/Default.aspx?Id=2936 |title=Historia: new logo, new look, new shows! |publisher=Corus Entertainment |date=March 9, 2015 |access-date=March 9, 2014 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402205215/http://www.corusent.com/home/Corporate/PressReleases/tabid/1697/Default.aspx?Id=2936 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Historia was previously owned as a joint venture between Shaw and [[Astral Media]], which made it a sister to History; Corus purchased the network in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.corusent.com/home/Corporate/PressReleases/tabid/1697/Default.aspx?Id=2455|title=Corus Entertainment Expands Interests in French-language Specialty Television Market through Major Deals with Bell and Shaw Media|author=Corus Entertainment|author-link=Corus Entertainment|date=March 4, 2013|access-date=March 31, 2013|archive-date=March 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323074811/http://www.corusent.com/home/Corporate/PressReleases/tabid/1697/Default.aspx?Id=2455|url-status=dead}}</ref>
On April 1, 2016, Corus Entertainment merged with Shaw Media, and as a result, now holds the [[Canadian English]] and French-language rights to History programming.{{Citation needed|date=October 2017}}
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==== Benelux ====
The Dutch version launched on May 1, 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2007/04/05/history-channel-comes-to-benelux/|title=History Channel comes to Benelux|date=April 5, 2007|publisher=Broadband TV News|first=Robert|last=Briel|access-date=February 1, 2012|archive-date=June 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625180640/http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2007/04/05/history-channel-comes-to-benelux/|url-status=live}}</ref> This version is distributed by A&E Networks Benelux. In January 2008, History HD was launched in the Netherlands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2007/11/14/history-channel-hd-to-launch-in-holland/|title=History Channel HD to launch in Holland|date=November 14, 2007|publisher=Broadband TV News|first=Robert|last=Briel|access-date=February 1, 2012|archive-date=June 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625123751/http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2007/11/14/history-channel-hd-to-launch-in-holland/|url-status=live}}</ref> It is available on cable providers [[Telenet]] and [[Ziggo]]. It is also available on the IPTV service [[KPN]].
==== Poland ====
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=== Asia ===
==== India ====
The History Channel started its operations in [[India]] in late 2003 with [[21st Century Fox]]'s [[Star India|STAR TV]] as its sales partner, managed by [[National Geographic Channel|National Geographic]] until November 21, 2008.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.indiantelevision.com/interviews/y2k3/executive/zubin.htm | title = Indiantelevision.com's interview with NGC India managing director (South Asia) Zubin Jehanbux Gandevia | date = December 20, 2003 | access-date = October 15, 2007 | publisher = Indiantelevision.com | archive-date = June 4, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604034505/http://www.indiantelevision.com/interviews/y2k3/executive/zubin.htm | url-status = live }}</ref> [[History TV18|The History Channel India]] closed down on November 21, 2008. In 2011, History was granted permission to relaunch services in India. A joint venture of A&E Networks and TV18 relaunched [[History TV18]] in India in eight languages in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historyindia.com/contact-us|title=Contact Us - History TV18 India|author=History TV 18|access-date=January 11, 2016|archive-date=April 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407103937/https://www.historyindia.com/contact-us|url-status=live}}</ref>
==== Southeast Asia ====
{{Main|History (Southeast Asian TV channel)}}
A joint venture of AETN and [[Astro Malaysia Holdings|Astro All Asia Networks]] launched [[History (Southeast Asian TV channel)|the History Channel]] in [[Singapore]], [[Hong Kong]], [[Thailand]], the [[Philippines]], [[Malaysia]], [[Indonesia]], [[Vietnam]], and [[Brunei]] in the second and third quarters of 2007, and in [[Taiwan]] and [[China]] by the end of the year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aetninternational.com/news.jsp?id=17683138|title=A&E Television Networks & Astro Form Joint Venture|date=April 16, 2007|access-date=June 8, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070522150853/http://www.aetninternational.com/news.jsp?id=17683138|archive-date=May 22, 2007}}<br />{{cite web|url=http://www.aetninternational.com/news.jsp?id=9992256|title=The History Channel Expands Through Asia|date=February 10, 2003|access-date=June 16, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060106090500/http://www.aetninternational.com/news.jsp?id=9992256|archive-date=January 6, 2006}}</ref> Some other Asian countries, such as [[Kuwait]], [[Israel]], and [[Japan]], have their own versions of the network. On September 1, 2008, History Channel Asia was officially launched in Singapore and Hong Kong followed by the Philippines.<ref>[http://www.medianewsline.com/news/146/ARTICLE/4477/2009-05-05.html History HD channel launched on SkyLife in Korea] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714064859/http://www.medianewsline.com/news/146/ARTICLE/4477/2009-05-05.html |date=July 14, 2011 }} retrieved via medianewsline.com May 5, 2009</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090511150702/http://www.skycable.com/packages.aspx?id=11&pkg=HD&pg=Description&subid=1&cid=40 History Channel Asia HD launched on SkyCable Philippines] retrieved via skycable.com September 6, 2009</ref><ref>[http://www.aetninternational.com/news.jsp?id=35483863 The History Channel HD to launch in Singapore and Hong Kong] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130063424/http://www.aetninternational.com/news.jsp?id=35483863 |date=January 30, 2009 }} retrieved via aetninternational.com August 26, 2008</ref>
==== South Korea ====
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