(New York) – They were once some of the most advanced structures and facilities on the planet, standing at the cutting-edge of design and construction. Today they are abandoned, dangerous, some of them even deadly. From uninhabited cities to empty factories, these long-forgotten engineering marvels are scattered around the globe. Science Channel uncovers why some of the world’s most advanced architectural achievements were eventually left behind in the all-new series MYSTERIES OF THE ABANDONED, premiering Thursday, April 20 at 10PM ET/PT.
“There are thriving engineering triumphs all around us, but some of the most spectacular structures have been consigned to oblivion,” said Marc Etkind, General Manager, Science Channel. “MYSTERIES OF THE ABANDONED reveals the original ingenuity behind these projects and the truths to why they were left behind.”
Each of the six, hour-long episodes of MYSTERIES OF THE ABANDONED features stories behind engineering wonders, why they were built and the reasons they were eventually left to crumble. Each story recalls the people who originally designed the structure, their historical significance, and why they were ultimately no longer of use. The premiere episode explores California’s Goat Canyon Trestle railway, known as the ‘Impossible Railroad,’ that required the biggest wooden trestle bridge in the world; Ukraine’s Duga, the notorious anti-ballistic missile radar, known as the ‘Russian Woodpecker,’ that still stands in within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone; and the Grades Goulets Road in the French Alps, an astonishingly narrow and perilous mountain passageway.
Other stories explored this season in MYSTERIES OF THE ABANDONED include: Pennsylvania’s Kinzua Viaduct, a 300-foot-tall, 2,000-foot-long steel bridge built in the late 19th century to transport coal; the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, established in 1945 to test out long range rockets; the Barcroft Observatory in California that was constructed in the 1960’s to study the moon and planets at infrared wavelengths; and Hashima Island, a once thriving and now deserted Japanese island with vast amounts of coal beds beneath it.
MYSTERIES OF THE ABANDONED is produced for Science Channel by Like A Shot. Henry Scott is Executive Producer for Like A Shot. Kyle McCabe serves as Executive Producer for Science Channel.
About Science Channel
Science Channel, a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the home of all things science around the clock, including series such as THROUGH THE WORMHOLE WITH MORGAN FREEMAN, OUTRAGEOUS ACTS OF SCIENCE, WHAT ON EARTH?, HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS, UNEARTHED, and HOW IT’S MADE. Science Channel is the premiere TV, digital and social community for those with a passion for science, space, technology, archeology, and engineering, providing immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment across all Science Channel assets including: Science Channel television network, available in more than 72 million homes in the U.S; complimentary Video On Demand offering; SCI Go app allowing viewers to catch up on full episodes of their favorite shows anytime; deep video, interactive storytelling and virtual reality at www.sciencechannel.com; and conversations on Science Channel’s popular social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat via @ScienceChannel.
About Discovery Communications:
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) satisfies curiosity and engages superfans with a portfolio of premium nonfiction, lifestyle, sports and kids programming brands. Reaching more than 3 billion cumulative viewers across pay-TV and free-to-air platforms in more than 220 countries and territories, Discovery’s portfolio includes the global brands Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. Discovery reaches audiences across screens through digital-first programming from digital content holding company Group Nine Media, Discovery VR, over-the-top offerings Eurosport Player and Dplay, as well as TV Everywhere products comprising the GO portfolio of TVE apps and Discovery K!ds Play. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
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CONTACTS:
Josh Gross, 212-548- 5314
Josh_Gross@discovery.com
Sydney Baldwin, 212-548-5248
Sydney_Baldwin@Discovery.com
Erin Santucci, 212-983-9898
erinm@ferencomm.com
Michelle Tarangelo, 212-983-9898
michellet@ferencomm.com
