COLUMBUS: THE LOST VOYAGE: A Special Presentation on The History Channel(R)

COLUMBUS: THE LOST VOYAGE: A Special Presentation on The History Channel(R)

Premieres Monday, October 8th at 9:00 PM ET/PT

After His Famed Discovery of the New World, Columbus has Fallen from Grace

Imprisoned in a Caribbean Jail, He Plans One Last Grand Voyage Across the Atlantic to Restore his Name

His Final Voyage Would Become his Most Ambitious, Treacherous, and Dangerous...

The Most Amazing Feat was that He Survived

Journey with The History Channel in Pursuit of the Forgotten Story about Christopher Columbus and his Ill-Fated Voyage Following the Discovery of the New World

**Martin Dugard, New York Times Best-Selling Author and Author of 'The Last Voyage Of Columbus,' is Featured on the Program and Available for Interviews Upon Request.**

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue" -- but the story doesn't end there. Unknown to most people, Christopher Columbus will cross the Atlantic another three times in a tenacious hunt for a passage to the Orient. This is the story most people haven't heard, the story about a man prepared to risk everything in pursuit of the unknown. An eye-opening look at what became of the innovative and controversial explorer, The History Channel delves into the untold story of Christopher Columbus after he accelerated to glory with the discovery of the New World in COLUMBUS: THE LOST VOYAGE, premiering Monday, October 8th at 9:00 PM ET/PT on The History Channel.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051031/HISTORYLOGO )

Less than a decade after his famed voyage, Columbus has fallen from grace. He is named governor of the Hispaniola, today known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic, a territory Columbus himself discovered and colonized. But his brutal and shockingly cruel treatment of both natives and Spaniards lands him in jail, a prisoner in his own colony. He returns to Spain a criminal, eager to restore his name and determined to find a Westward passage to the Orient.

Columbus set sail on his last voyage in 1502, ten years after his initial discovery of the New World, in search of not only the Westward passage, but wealth and rare and exotic resources much desired by the Europeans. But, thanks to his earlier brutality, Columbus is forbidden to land on the colonies he previously founded. So, once again, this is destined to be a voyage into the unknown. His fleets will also have to contend with brutal weather conditions, disease and rotting boats. Columbus does come upon land in his voyage, scaling what is today the Caribbean and South America, but the Westward passage remains elusive. After much frustration, he gives up the hunt for the passage and instead turns to a search for riches. Upon setting out in the region now known as Panama, he is thrilled to find gold, silver, and copper. However, he also alienates the native people there who initially welcomed him. They later became combative as they discovered his exploitive and oppressive intentions. Columbus and his crew flee the region to escape the enraged natives and eventually are shipwrecked after a long, grueling journey lasting over a year and a half.

One of the most fantastic explorers in history, Christopher Columbus' legacy ends with him and his crew marooned on what is today Jamaica. A broken and ailing man, he must rely on other leaders in his fleet to summon rescue, while he prepares to make his way back to Spain empty-handed. Just two years after Columbus began his final voyage, risking everything, the New World is named after Amerigo Vespucci, while the furious Spanish sovereigns struck Columbus' name from any association of his maiden voyage. It would be three hundred years before Columbus would begin to receive recognition for his discoveries.

Capture all the excitement and terror at sea when COLUMBUS: THE LOST VOYAGE airs on The History Channel on Monday, October 8th at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

   Highlights of COLUMBUS: THE LOST VOYAGE include:    -- Captivating reenactments of Columbus and his crew, bringing their      experiences crossing the Atlantic to life.   -- An account of Columbus' initial voyage in 1492, during which he first      discovers the New World and his subsequent return journeys to the New      World later on.   -- A visit to Hispaniola, today known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic,      the notorious site of Columbus' brutal reign of terror as governor of      this territory.   -- A full account of his fourth and last journey at sea in 1502 in a      desperate search for a passage to the Orient.  Though he never      discovered the passage, Columbus managed to circumnavigate the entire      Central American rim, an impressive feat even by today's standards.  He      discovered the region today known as Panama, and stood on the very spot      the Panama Canal would be built three and a half centuries later.   -- A look at Columbus, the man, as well as the parts his brother,      Bartolome, and son, Fernando, played in his final journey.   

COLUMBUS: THE LOST VOYAGE is produced by Lion Television for The History Channel. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Marc Etkind. The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the future. The History Channel has earned four Peabody Awards, three Primetime Emmy(R) Awards, ten News & Documentary Emmy(R) Awards and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more than 95 million Nielsen subscribers. The website is located at www.History.com.

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Source: The History Channel(R)

CONTACT: Catherine Mirra for The History Channel(R), +1-212-210-9760,
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Web site: http://www.history.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment