The DNA of Human History

Before Europeans arrived, what happened in North America? Who were the great conquerors? What events transpired?

Four centuries ago, Pilgrims and English settlers met Algonquian peoples on the Atlantic coast of North America. Algonquians had been on the East Coast for millennia—or had they? Tune in to discover a new account of the Algonquian peoples, from the Blackfeet to the Mohicans.

For many Americans, the Rio Grande separates, not just two modern countries, but two entirely different worlds of Native American peoples. I grew up seeing a fundamental disconnect: How could the Sioux, Cheyenne, Choctaw, Shoshoni, and so many other tribes in what is now the USA have had any connection to the peoples of Mesoamerica—nations like the Aztecs, Mayans, Olmecs, and others? Their art styles, architecture, and cultures seemed so different. Or were they? Tune in to discover some shocking links between the two sides of the divide, and to learn about the biggest empire (that no one’s heard of) north of the Rio Grande.

What if the Pilgrims had landed, not in 1620, but centuries earlier? Who would have hailed them on the shores of Cape Cod or Plymouth? If your answer is any one of the many Algonquian tribes who ruled the Eastern Seaboard at the time of European contact, such as the Narragansetts or Massachusetts, you would be wrong. In AD 1000 the residents of what is now New England and New Jersey and Washington DC weren't Algonquians or Europeans, but someone else. Their identity has been a mystery...until now.

Have Native Americans always been in America? It’s obvious that they’ve been here for a long time—long before Europeans arrived. But did their ancestors ever live somewhere else? It’s a much more contentious question than many people realize, and one with answers you’ve probably never guessed.

What happened in North America before Europeans arrived? What kingdoms rose and fell? Where are their ruins? What are the final mysteries to be solved, and how can we solve them? 2:29—start of executive summary 6:50—start of 1st recommendation 14:46—start of 2nd recommendation 17:15—start of 3rd recommendation 26:17—start of 4th recommendation 31:18—start of 5th recommendation 34:41—start of 6th recommendation 35:53—start of 7th recommendation

How does your family tree connect to Noah's? Are you the descendant of Shem? Ham? Japheth? How can you know?

Who gave rise to modern Europe? What's the ancestry of modern Europeans? Can anyone trace their ancestry back to the ancient Romans? The answers might surprise you!

What happened in the Americas before Europeans arrived? Were the Americas settled just once? Several times? Was there an active relationship between the Old and New Worlds long before Columbus set foot on American shores?

"Race": Biologically and genetically, is this fixed and unalterable? Might some blond and blue-eyed Scandinavians have had dark-skinned Nubian ancestors? Might dark-skinned African-Americans have had olive-skinned Central Asian ancestors?