TV series
History as we generally know it is full of holes or half-truths, and a mother lode of juicy details have been lost, distorted, covered up or simply ignored along the way. Former Naval officer and actor Jamie Kaler is on a mission to set the record straight on the most familiar and beloved stories from our nation's and military's past, filling in the blanks, debunking the occasional myth, and exploring why we sometimes get our own history, well, slightly wrong
Availability
Checked Jul 22, 2026
America: Facts vs. Fiction premiered July 10, 2013. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
History as we generally know it is full of holes or half-truths, and a mother lode of juicy details have been lost, distorted, covered up or simply ignored along the way. Former Naval officer and actor Jamie Kaler is on a mission to set the record straight on the most familiar and beloved stories from our nation's and military's past, filling in the blanks, debunking the occasional myth, and exploring why we sometimes get our own history, well, slightly wrong
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 1
The war waged by America's greatest generation is obscured by myth. Few remember that an American admiral played a pivotal role in showing Japan how to attack Pearl Harbor or that the German army was not the mechanized wonder it's reputed to be.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 2
Myths obscure the real facts about our favorite vices: smoking, drinking and gambling. You won't believe which nation had the first anti-smoking campaign, what those three X's on a jug of moonshine mean, or where our first slot machines appeared.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 3
Myths taint our knowledge of the 4th of July, St. Patrick's Day, and our favorite mini-holiday, the weekend. We should celebrate Independence Day on July 2nd, St. Patrick wasn't Irish, and the idea of a fun weekend is a recent creation.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 4
Much of what we know about the old west is myth, not fact, drawn from movies and TV. Gunfights never started with a quick draw, cowboys weren't all white, and Native Americans feared enemies more menacing than settlers and soldiers.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 5
Much of what we know about America's secret societies is myth, not truth. The Freemasons have no evil agenda, the Mafia took root not in New York, but the South, and Harvard's Skull and Bones does not control a sinister shadow government.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 6
Myths eclipse the real facts about NASA's dramatic rescue of three astronauts aboard the crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft; and Hollywood movies have a hit-and-miss track record of depicting the realties of interstellar exploration.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 7
The real facts of the nuclear age are clouded by myth. Manhattan played a major role in the Manhattan Project; there were closer calls to World War III than the Cuban Missile Crisis; America's nuclear security hinges on a football and a biscuit.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 8
Myths litter the stories of America's most infamous bad guys. Al Capone was a philanthropist as well as a hood; Benedict Arnold was a hero as well as a traitor, Jesse James was no wild west Robin Hood; and we've got Billy the Kid's nickname wrong.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 9
Myths distort the stories of two of America's most renowned rivalries. Before their fateful duel, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were law partners; and the conflict between the Hatfields and McCoys didn't end in the backwoods, but a courtroom.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 10
Myths and misconceptions surround four pivotal historic moments: the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., the Boston Tea Party in 1773, and the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 11
Myths cloud the real facts of America's Civil War. The North's biggest city tried to secede; the Union didn't go to war to end slavery; most deaths weren't caused by battle wounds, and Grant and Lee didn't end the conflict; two other generals did.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 12
America's medical history is infected with myths. George Washington's doctors may have inadvertently killed him; Abraham Lincoln used a toxic remedy that warped his mind; and heroin was once a best-selling cough suppressant.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. Fiction
Episode 13
Profiles of U.S. generals, including Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur. Also: a look at Washington, D.C., landmarks.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode 14
On this special edition of America: Facts vs. Fiction, we explore the myths behind extraterrestrial spacecraft and we learn the truth of two pioneering flights.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode 15
Investigating the nation's most secret vaults to separate fiction from fact.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode 16
Profiles of Lewis and Clark; and Pocahontas. Also: a look at the women's suffrage movement.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode 17
The spotlight is on amusement parks and world's fairs to separate fiction from truth; explore the myths of two of our favorite holidays, Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode 18
The birth of America and the powerful people behind it are featured.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode 19
Hollywood's vision of the old west is explored. Included: the truth behind some of America's renowned rivalries.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode 20
The true stories behind America's most infamous bad guys; and the truths behind America's notorious secret societies are investigated.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode 21
The myths behind World War II are exposed. Delves into the truths that are often forgotten when it comes to America's Civil War.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode 22
The myths surrounding popular favorite vices and the facts behind the most-liked holidays are explored.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode 23
The myths behind some of history's most defining moments are uncovered, as well as revealing facts behind America's space explorations.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode 24
The science in America's history is examined, including its medical history and its nuclear age.
Where to watch America: Facts vs. FictionEpisode information updated Jul 24, 2026
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