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Secrets of the Dead

Ben Franklin's Bones

Season 14 Episode 1 | 54m 41s

When skeletal remains of at least 10 people turned up in the basement of Benjamin Franklin’s British residence, people wondered if the Founding Father might have had a much darker side. Franklin was aware of the bodies in his basement, but they weren’t the victims of violent acts. Rather, they were used for the purposes of an illegal anatomy school that helped shaped modern medicine.

Aired: 01/27/15 | Expires: 02/14/24
SECRETS OF THE DEAD is made possible, in part, by public television viewers.
Extras
Watch • 0:32
Secrets of the Dead
Preview | Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part Two)
Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the post-war life of former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse.
Preview: S22 E6 | 0:32
Watch • 1:46
Secrets of the Dead
How Americans Profited Off Looted Art
With the explosion of American museums in the 1950s, provenance took a backseat.
Clip: S22 E6 | 1:46
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Watch • 54:25
Secrets of the Dead
Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part Two)
Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the post-war life of former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse.
Episode: S22 E6 | 54:25
Watch • 54:50
Secrets of the Dead
Plunderer: The Life and Times of a Nazi Art Thief (Part One)
Historian Jonathan Petropoulos investigates the life of former Nazi art dealer Bruno Lohse.
Episode: S22 E5 | 54:50