Is It True That...?

E1 Episode 1: ...The principle of "an eye for an eye" used to apply?

• Now playing
• 23m
• Jan 7, 2026

E2 Episode 2: ...Raw materials really make countries richer?

• 22m
• Jan 14, 2026

E3 Episode 3: ...Witch hunts began as early as the Middle Ages?

• 25m
• Jan 21, 2026

E4 Episode 4: ...Only silk was transported on the Silk Road?

• 24m
• Feb 18, 2026

E5 Episode 5: ...The Past Was Less Violent?

• 21m
• Feb 25, 2026

Destruction, terror, war: It seems that there has never been more violence than in the world today. But what can we learn from history? Was there really less violence in the past?

E6 Episode 6: ...There was less paperwork in the past?

• 20m
• Mar 4, 2026

E7 Episode 7: ...Slavery was abolished for moral reasons?

• 25m
• Mar 11, 2026

E8 Episode 8: ...Global trade does make us richer?

• 24m
• Mar 18, 2026

E9 Episode 9: ...The dog has always been man's best friend?

• 24m
• Mar 25, 2026

E10 Episode 10: ...humans have always experienced intoxication?

• 25m
• Apr 1, 2026

Is drug-induced intoxication a new phenomenon – emerging in a pleasure-seeking society that knows no bounds? Discoveries of drug artifacts thousands of years old raise doubts. Intoxication seems to have been used in many cultures for spiritual insights and social rituals. Why, then, are most drugs illegal today?

E11 Episode 11: ...Columbus was the first to cross an ocean?

• 24m
• Apr 8, 2026

To this day, Columbus is considered the first person to have crossed an ocean. But archaeology, genetics, and indigenous knowledge systems tell a different story: Polynesians, Vikings, and even early humans reached distant continents long before him. Why do we remember Columbus—and not them?

E12 Episode 12: ...dirndls and lederhosen are quintessentially Bavarian?

• 24m
• Apr 15, 2026

Traditions seem ancient—but many are invented, politically dictated, or shaped by modern tourism. This documentary traces the origins of traditions from Bavaria through France to Georgia, showing how customs create identity, secure power, or foster community. And it asks: If traditions are invented, why don't we simply create new ones ourselves?

E13 Episode 13: ...all African countries were European colonies?

• 25m
• Apr 22, 2026

Africa is often considered a continent entirely colonized by Europeans – although large parts of it remained independent until the 19th century. So what was it really like? This documentary tells the story of Leopold II's reign of terror in the Congo, of African-American colonizers in Liberia, and of the Ethiopian victory at Adwa. It shows just how multifaceted Africa's history truly was.

E14 Episode 14: ...there is no progress without war?

• 26m
• Apr 29, 2026

GPS, space travel, industrial fertilizer production: they all arose under military pressure. Wars accelerate decisions, pool resources, and drive innovation. But they also destroy knowledge, societies, and lives. Is it possible, then, to achieve progress without extreme violence?

E15 Episode 15: ...the modern age began with the printing press?

• 22m
• May 6, 2026

The myth sounds seductive: Johannes Gutenberg invents printing – and suddenly the Reformation, the scientific revolution, and the Enlightenment begin. A single machine is said to have triggered an entire era. But historical reality is far more complex. From Chinese prototypes to conservative early printing presses, to Luther and global knowledge networks, it was the interplay of many forces that gave the printed word its historical power.

E16 Episode 16: ...tourism was invented thanks to the railway?

• 21m
• May 13, 2026

Did tourism originate with the railway? Pilgrimages were important precursors – but it was romantic notions of nature and the expansion of infrastructure that created the necessary conditions. Politics and media staging ultimately shaped mass travel as we know it: tourism arises when longing finds structure.

E17 Episode 17: ...The Gap Between Rich and Poor Has Never Been Bigger?

• 23m
• May 20, 2026

Are the rich today richer than ever? This episode shows how the gap between rich and poor has developed over the millennia: From the first states, through the slave trade and industrialisation, to globalised trade and neo-liberal politics. How did the rich get richer? And can the trend be reversed?

E18 Episode 18: ...we have always been addicted to sugar?

• 26m
• May 27, 2026

E19 Episode 19: ...the super-rich have made the world a better place?

• 26m
• Jun 3, 2026

E20 Episode 20: ...we have always enjoyed gaming?

• 23m
• Jun 10, 2026

E21 Episode 21: Have secret messages changed history?

• 25m
• Jun 17, 2026

From Caesar’s cipher to the Enigma machine, from Renaissance intrigue to today’s online payments, the art of encoding and decoding information has evolved for centuries. Wars, conspiracies, and revolutions - the hidden science of cryptology has shaped history far more than most people realize.

E22 Episode 22: Do true geniuses exist?

• 25m
• Jun 24, 2026

Michelangelo, Newton, Einstein - some individuals have achieved extraordinary things. But are “true geniuses” real, or have we invented them because we want to believe in someone exceptional? Experts from four countries explore how the idea of genius emerged and what lies behind the enduring “cult of genius.”

E23 Episode 23: Did People Have Drinking Water in the Past?

• 23m
• Jul 17, 2026

Clean drinking water is often seen as a hallmark of modernity. But could humans have survived for millennia if water had always been undrinkable? From antiquity to the present day, it becomes clear that technology is only part of the story. What matters is how societies manage water and who has access to it. Water is not just a question of nature, but also of power and inequality.

E24 Episode 24: Why Did Monogamy Become the Norm?

• 24m
• Aug 5, 2026

Some believe monogamy is deeply rooted in our genes, while others see it as a cultural invention. History shows that human relationships have always evolved, and that monogamy has often been just one option among many. So why did it become so dominant in Europe, while other cultures followed different paths?

E25 Episode 25: ...There Was More Free Speech in the Past?

• 26m
• Aug 12, 2026

Many people believe that, in the past, people were able to express themselves more freely. But the history of freedom of expression has always been fraught with contradictions: even in ancient Athens, freedom of expression and censorship coexisted.

E26 Episode 26: ...In the Past Surnames Did Not Exist?

• 24m
• Aug 19, 2026

Surnames seem to have always existed, but their history is surprisingly recent. This episode traces their history, from the trading towns of the Middle Ages to 20th-century Turkey and shows that surnames have never merely served as a means of identification.

E27 Episode 27: ... In The Past We Were Never Alone?

• 26m
• Aug 26, 2026

Having somewhere to be alone is taken for granted today, but that was not always the case. From Ancient Greece and Rome to 17th century England, this episode shows how privacy is closely linked to power, technology, social inequality and freedom.

E28 Episode 28: Is Life Really Getting Faster?

• 26m
• Sep 2, 2026

Why do we feel more rushed than ever despite time-saving technology? This episode explores how acceleration has transformed daily life since industrialization, and how it can also steal our time - from the steam locomotive to the smartphone, from the shock of the medieval plague to today's 47-second attention span.

E29 Episode 29: Was the Future Once Brighter?

• 25m
• Sep 9, 2026

Why have we lost faith in a better future? Once seen as blueprints for progress, utopias are now often dismissed as unrealistic dreams, while dystopian visions thrive. This episode traces the history of utopian thought from Thomas More to today and asks why our hopes have faded - and whether we should rediscover them.

E30 Episode 30: Did Sigmund Freud invent psychotherapy?

• 21m
• Sep 16, 2026

Although many of Freud's theories are now considered disproven, he is still widely seen as the father of modern psychotherapy. Why does his legacy endure? This episode explores how the roots of modern psychotherapy actually predate Freud by centuries.

E31 Episode 31: Were we all cavemen?

• 25m
• Sep 23, 2026

The cliché of Stone Age humans living in caves is challenged by discoveries of ancient huts. In the Middle Ages, millions of cave dwellings provided homes for poor farmers. So what did our ancestors really live in? And why do some Finns still spend part of their lives underground today?

E32 Episode 32: Did killing tyrants make the world better?

• 23m
• Sep 30, 2026

Is tyrannicide ever justified for the greater good, or does it undermine a just society? This episode explores how such acts have been legitimized, who carried them out and why - from Caesar and Hitler to assassinations targeting today's authoritarian regimes.

E33 Episode 33: Did Islam spread through conquest?

• 26m
• Oct 7, 2026

Islamic empires expanded through military campaigns, but the spread of Islam itself often took different paths. Trade, migration, scholarship, and cultural exchange played important roles in bringing Islam to new regions and communities. Why, then, does the image of Islam as a “religion of the sword” persist?

E34 Episode 34: Have we ever been this exhausted?

• 23m
• Oct 14, 2026

Burnout is often seen as a defining condition of our time. But were earlier generations really less exhausted? This episode traces the history of fatigue from burnout and industrial-era neurasthenia back to the Renaissance and Middle Ages, while exploring other cultures for clues to the cultural roots of exhaustion.