"Mysteries at the Museum" Incredible Crimes: Special

1 00:00:01,990 --> 00:00:03,990 A daring heist in the heart of London. 2 00:00:04,090 --> 00:00:07,960 The media called this the perfect crime. 3 00:00:10,330 --> 00:00:12,700 A desperate hunt 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,130 for a missing masterpiece. 5 00:00:15,230 --> 00:00:18,700 This was one of the most controversial art thefts ever known. 6 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,410 And a plot to steal one of the most valuable 7 00:00:21,510 --> 00:00:23,540 objects on the planet. 8 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,340 Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but moon rocks 9 00:00:26,450 --> 00:00:29,080 are the ultimate prize. 10 00:00:29,180 --> 00:00:31,780 These are the mysteries at the museum. 11 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:39,420 London, England. 12 00:00:39,530 --> 00:00:41,490 This city's history can be traced back 13 00:00:41,590 --> 00:00:43,690 to the first century A.D. 14 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,100 when it was a thriving outpost of the Roman Empire. 15 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,730 Today, fragments of the city's ancient walls 16 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,000 can be found in the center of the financial district. 17 00:00:53,110 --> 00:00:56,770 And just a stone's throw away is an institution dedicated 18 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:01,110 to this layered past -- The Museum of London. 19 00:01:03,450 --> 00:01:08,450 The collection includes a gilded carriage from 1757, 20 00:01:08,550 --> 00:01:12,920 ceramic cups decorated with images of King Charles II 21 00:01:13,030 --> 00:01:16,030 and clothes worn at a royal garden party. 22 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:21,400 But there's one magnificent item here 23 00:01:21,500 --> 00:01:23,100 that outshines the rest. 24 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:27,270 This object is 2 1/2 inches tall. 25 00:01:27,370 --> 00:01:31,010 It's pear-shaped, multidimensional. 26 00:01:31,110 --> 00:01:33,840 It weighs about 40 grams. 27 00:01:33,950 --> 00:01:36,510 It is perfect in every detail. 28 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:42,520 As former Scotland Yard detective John Shatford 29 00:01:42,620 --> 00:01:43,950 knows firsthand, 30 00:01:44,060 --> 00:01:46,190 this dazzling artifact was at the center 31 00:01:46,290 --> 00:01:47,720 of an audacious crime 32 00:01:47,830 --> 00:01:49,730 that rocked an entire nation. 33 00:01:49,830 --> 00:01:53,360 This object was pivotal in one of the biggest heists 34 00:01:53,470 --> 00:01:55,530 that Britain has ever seen. 35 00:02:01,510 --> 00:02:03,270 It's the year 2000. 36 00:02:03,380 --> 00:02:07,180 London is in the throes of the millennium celebration. 37 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:09,250 And the centerpiece of the festivities 38 00:02:09,350 --> 00:02:11,010 is a brand-new arena on the banks 39 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:12,580 of the River Thames. 40 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,020 It's called The Millennium Dome. 41 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:17,390 The massive event space 42 00:02:17,490 --> 00:02:20,220 is hosting an exhibition of precious stones, 43 00:02:20,330 --> 00:02:23,230 showcasing more than $500 million 44 00:02:23,330 --> 00:02:25,860 worth of gems from around the world. 45 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:27,160 And the highlight of the show 46 00:02:27,270 --> 00:02:32,400 is a 203-carat diamond dubbed The Millennium Star. 47 00:02:33,710 --> 00:02:37,470 The Millennium Star is a perfect diamond 48 00:02:37,580 --> 00:02:38,940 without a flaw 49 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,410 that is the most expensive diamond in the world. 50 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:47,850 The gem show is the talk of London. 51 00:02:47,950 --> 00:02:51,050 But one man is interested in the world's most valuable gem 52 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,490 for an entirely different reason. 53 00:02:53,590 --> 00:02:56,530 He's a 40-year-old thief named Ray Betson. 54 00:02:56,630 --> 00:02:59,400 Ray Betson was a very shrewd 55 00:02:59,500 --> 00:03:02,100 and a very clever career criminal. 56 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:06,600 Over the previous decade, Betson and his gang 57 00:03:06,710 --> 00:03:10,210 had committed a string of brazen robberies. 58 00:03:10,310 --> 00:03:13,880 Now, he wants to pull off the biggest heist of his life. 59 00:03:13,980 --> 00:03:17,680 Betson was plotting the biggest robbery 60 00:03:17,780 --> 00:03:19,120 in criminal history, 61 00:03:19,220 --> 00:03:22,420 stealing the Millennium Diamond. 62 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,290 Betson cases the arena for two months, 63 00:03:25,390 --> 00:03:28,660 meticulously planning his crime. 64 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:30,630 He learns that the Millennium Star 65 00:03:30,730 --> 00:03:33,500 is under 24-hour video surveillance 66 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:37,270 and protected by a phalanx of security guards. 67 00:03:37,370 --> 00:03:41,710 And the precious gem is encased behind bulletproof glass. 68 00:03:41,810 --> 00:03:43,540 For all intents and purposes, 69 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,740 this was as secure as the Crown Jewels 70 00:03:46,850 --> 00:03:48,780 at the Tower of London. 71 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:50,410 Betson knows he and his men 72 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:52,980 cannot steal the diamond without being seen. 73 00:03:53,090 --> 00:03:55,950 So he decides to embrace the challenge 74 00:03:56,050 --> 00:03:57,820 and use it to his advantage. 75 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:02,990 He'll execute an old-fashioned smash-and-grab. 76 00:04:03,100 --> 00:04:05,560 Betson and his gang will steal a bulldozer 77 00:04:05,660 --> 00:04:07,130 from a nearby warehouse 78 00:04:07,230 --> 00:04:09,500 and use it to barrel through the entrance gates, 79 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:12,340 straight into the dome. 80 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,040 In the chaos, they'll smash the display case, 81 00:04:15,140 --> 00:04:16,270 grab the diamond 82 00:04:16,380 --> 00:04:19,880 and escape via a speedboat on the River Thames. 83 00:04:22,010 --> 00:04:26,480 They had planned everything down to the detail. 84 00:04:26,590 --> 00:04:28,750 They were absolutely confident 85 00:04:28,850 --> 00:04:31,690 they were going to get away with this. 86 00:04:31,790 --> 00:04:34,520 At 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 7th, 87 00:04:34,630 --> 00:04:36,090 Betson and his accomplices 88 00:04:36,190 --> 00:04:39,160 put their audacious plot into motion. 89 00:04:39,260 --> 00:04:41,870 In a flash, they drive the stolen bulldozer 90 00:04:41,970 --> 00:04:43,430 through the arena gates 91 00:04:43,540 --> 00:04:46,270 and crash it through the dome's glass exterior. 92 00:04:48,340 --> 00:04:52,080 Once inside, they break through the diamond's display. 93 00:04:52,180 --> 00:04:53,610 It was working. 94 00:04:53,710 --> 00:04:54,810 They were so close, 95 00:04:54,910 --> 00:04:57,880 they could reach out and grab the diamond. 96 00:04:57,980 --> 00:05:02,490 But then, the gang's plan blows up in their faces. 97 00:05:02,590 --> 00:05:07,190 They were confronted by a very loud explosion. 98 00:05:07,290 --> 00:05:11,460 A stun grenade went off in their midst. 99 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:12,730 As the smoke clears, 100 00:05:12,830 --> 00:05:15,170 Betson and his men are surrounded by a group 101 00:05:15,270 --> 00:05:18,700 of what looks like dome staff armed with guns. 102 00:05:20,310 --> 00:05:22,570 And then it dawns on Betson. 103 00:05:22,670 --> 00:05:25,110 It's the police in disguise. 104 00:05:25,210 --> 00:05:27,810 The dome staff was replaced 105 00:05:27,910 --> 00:05:30,150 by armed police officers 106 00:05:30,250 --> 00:05:32,320 dressed up as cleaners, 107 00:05:32,420 --> 00:05:36,350 hostesses and, indeed, tourists. 108 00:05:36,460 --> 00:05:40,120 Betson and his gang are arrested immediately. 109 00:05:40,230 --> 00:05:43,860 So how did the police get the jump on them? 110 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:45,060 As it turns out, 111 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:47,360 Betson's repeated visits to the Millennium Dome 112 00:05:47,470 --> 00:05:51,170 aroused the suspicion of arena staff, 113 00:05:51,270 --> 00:05:55,210 who notified Scotland Yard that something was afoot. 114 00:05:55,310 --> 00:05:59,210 The case was assigned to Detective John Shatford. 115 00:05:59,310 --> 00:06:03,150 We knew that Betson and his gang were planning something. 116 00:06:03,250 --> 00:06:04,810 And all of a sudden, 117 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,620 it started to point towards this diamond. 118 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:12,890 To catch Betson red-handed, 119 00:06:12,990 --> 00:06:16,430 Shatford and his men orchestrated a massive sting. 120 00:06:16,530 --> 00:06:18,860 More than 100 officers laid in wait 121 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:21,530 as the gang moved in on the diamond. 122 00:06:21,630 --> 00:06:23,170 And unbeknownst to the robbers, 123 00:06:23,270 --> 00:06:26,070 the real stone was never in harm's way. 124 00:06:26,170 --> 00:06:29,310 We'd swapped the real Millennium Star 125 00:06:29,410 --> 00:06:33,940 for this absolute perfect glass replica. 126 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:40,580 And the criminals had no way of knowing 127 00:06:40,690 --> 00:06:43,550 that the diamond they thought they were going to steal 128 00:06:43,660 --> 00:06:46,290 was not the diamond at all. 129 00:06:48,460 --> 00:06:50,360 In February 2002, 130 00:06:50,460 --> 00:06:52,860 Betson and his accomplices are found guilty 131 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,830 and sentenced to 18 years in prison. 132 00:06:55,930 --> 00:06:58,840 Trying to steal the Millennium Diamond 133 00:06:58,940 --> 00:07:01,500 was almost insane. 134 00:07:01,610 --> 00:07:05,680 And yet they nearly got away with it. 135 00:07:08,010 --> 00:07:10,010 Today, this glass replica 136 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:11,710 of the Millennium Star Diamond 137 00:07:11,820 --> 00:07:13,480 used in the sting operation 138 00:07:13,590 --> 00:07:16,490 is on display at the Museum of London. 139 00:07:16,590 --> 00:07:19,560 It's a shimmering reminder of a criminal caper 140 00:07:19,660 --> 00:07:22,160 that crashed and burned. 141 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:28,160 Nestled in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains 142 00:07:28,270 --> 00:07:30,730 is the charming town of Culpeper, 143 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,500 home to the Library of Congress' 144 00:07:33,610 --> 00:07:36,310 Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation. 145 00:07:36,410 --> 00:07:39,340 Here the largest collection of movie, television, 146 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:44,080 and sound items in the country line over 90 miles of shelves. 147 00:07:44,180 --> 00:07:47,080 And among the mountainous stacks 148 00:07:47,190 --> 00:07:51,350 are two spools of 16-millimeter celluloid. 149 00:07:51,460 --> 00:07:53,560 They're each about 800 feet long 150 00:07:53,660 --> 00:07:57,390 representing roughly 30 minutes of running time. 151 00:07:57,500 --> 00:07:59,560 Together, these reels comprise 152 00:07:59,660 --> 00:08:03,530 one of TVs most notorious episodes. 153 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:08,100 So, what infamous show was recorded on these reels? 154 00:08:08,210 --> 00:08:11,440 And how did it change television programming forever? 155 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:17,380 It's 1956. 156 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:19,620 TV has replaced radio 157 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:21,990 as the entertainment staple of America, 158 00:08:22,090 --> 00:08:25,790 and topping the ratings charts are a host of new programs 159 00:08:25,890 --> 00:08:28,960 in a compelling new format -- quiz shows. 160 00:08:30,460 --> 00:08:32,360 On Wednesday, September 10th, 161 00:08:32,460 --> 00:08:35,230 NBC debuts their latest offering, 162 00:08:35,330 --> 00:08:37,930 a program called "Twenty-One." 163 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:40,840 "Twenty-One" was a game of skill. 164 00:08:40,940 --> 00:08:44,270 You get two contestants, and they're asked 165 00:08:44,380 --> 00:08:48,950 some relatively difficult trivia questions. 166 00:08:49,050 --> 00:08:53,150 The show is the brainchild of Dan Enright, 167 00:08:53,250 --> 00:08:56,120 one of the most successful producers in the industry. 168 00:08:57,390 --> 00:09:01,220 But his latest production has a rocky premiere. 169 00:09:01,330 --> 00:09:04,660 The first show, by all accounts, was a disaster. 170 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:09,170 The initial contestants couldn't answer most of the questions. 171 00:09:10,070 --> 00:09:12,740 And with "Twenty-One" facing cancellation, 172 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:17,110 Enright must come up with an idea to right the sinking ship. 173 00:09:17,210 --> 00:09:21,410 Enright said, "We got to build up the drama in the show. 174 00:09:21,510 --> 00:09:23,980 We can't rely on it to happen naturally." 175 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:27,720 Enright determines that the most effective way 176 00:09:27,820 --> 00:09:30,490 to heighten the drama is to give the contestants 177 00:09:30,590 --> 00:09:33,620 the answers to each question in advance, 178 00:09:33,730 --> 00:09:37,560 instructing them exactly when to provide the correct response 179 00:09:37,660 --> 00:09:39,630 and when to lose. 180 00:09:39,730 --> 00:09:42,770 But Enright's clandestine machinations 181 00:09:42,870 --> 00:09:45,840 will also prove to be his downfall. 182 00:09:47,110 --> 00:09:51,140 On October 17th, Enright brings on a nebbishy college student 183 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:56,210 named Herb Stempel for his first appearance on "Twenty-One." 184 00:09:56,310 --> 00:09:58,350 Stempel is carefully groomed 185 00:09:58,450 --> 00:10:01,480 to garner sympathy from the television audience. 186 00:10:01,590 --> 00:10:05,920 He wore very thick glasses. He looked like a nerd. 187 00:10:06,020 --> 00:10:10,330 And that's what they wanted him to look like -- a brainiac. 188 00:10:10,430 --> 00:10:14,760 Enright sets Stempel on a 6-week winning streak, 189 00:10:14,870 --> 00:10:16,930 and "Twenty-One's" ratings soar 190 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:21,000 as the manufactured drama captivates American households. 191 00:10:21,110 --> 00:10:23,610 But by the end of November, 192 00:10:23,710 --> 00:10:27,410 viewers begin to tire of the bookish contestant. 193 00:10:27,510 --> 00:10:29,550 So on November 28th, 194 00:10:29,650 --> 00:10:32,880 Enright pits the champion against a new opponent, 195 00:10:32,980 --> 00:10:36,920 a handsome professor named Charles Van Doren. 196 00:10:37,020 --> 00:10:40,490 He was tall, had matinee-idol good looks, 197 00:10:40,590 --> 00:10:44,660 very well spoken, very charming man. 198 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:49,370 Audiences took to Van Doren immediately. 199 00:10:49,470 --> 00:10:52,370 Van Doren and Stempel play 200 00:10:52,470 --> 00:10:54,540 to a series of carefully engineered ties 201 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:57,970 over four episodes, ensuring the return of viewers 202 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:02,310 eager for a resolution to this nail-biting drama. 203 00:11:02,410 --> 00:11:05,950 Finally, Enright decides to end their epic battle 204 00:11:06,050 --> 00:11:10,890 and instructs Stempel to lose on the December 5th show. 205 00:11:10,990 --> 00:11:14,660 But one day before his final scheduled appearance, 206 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:18,060 Herb Stempel pays a visit to Enright's office 207 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:20,230 and makes a strange request. 208 00:11:20,330 --> 00:11:23,870 Stempel offers to refund a portion of his winnings 209 00:11:23,970 --> 00:11:26,140 if he is allowed to play honestly. 210 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:28,570 But Enright refuses, telling the contestant 211 00:11:28,670 --> 00:11:32,140 that he must cede the championship. 212 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,180 At 10:30 p.m. on December 5th, 213 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:39,120 15 million Americans tune in to the latest face-off. 214 00:11:39,220 --> 00:11:44,350 Five questions into the program, Stempel leads 16-0 215 00:11:44,460 --> 00:11:49,260 and prepares to take the next question, worth $100,000. 216 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:55,260 What motion picture won the Academy Award for 1955? 217 00:11:55,370 --> 00:11:57,170 Stempel knew this. 218 00:11:57,270 --> 00:12:00,770 It was a film called "Marty" with Ernest Borgnine. 219 00:12:00,870 --> 00:12:04,270 But Dan Enright has given Stempel a strict order 220 00:12:04,380 --> 00:12:05,980 to throw the game. 221 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:08,710 So, what will Stempel do? 222 00:12:13,620 --> 00:12:16,820 It's December 5, 1956. 223 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:19,150 On the popular game show "Twenty-One," 224 00:12:19,260 --> 00:12:21,790 a contestant named Herb Stempel 225 00:12:21,890 --> 00:12:25,690 has just been asked a question worth $100,000. 226 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:29,130 But what viewers don't know 227 00:12:29,230 --> 00:12:32,030 is that he's been instructed by the show's producer, Dan Enright, 228 00:12:32,140 --> 00:12:34,840 to throw the game. 229 00:12:34,940 --> 00:12:36,610 So, will he play along? 230 00:12:38,180 --> 00:12:41,280 Before a captivated audience of 15 million, 231 00:12:41,380 --> 00:12:43,880 Stempel gives his answer. 232 00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:48,820 No, I'm sorry, the answer is "Marty." 233 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:50,420 "Marty." 234 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:53,760 This incorrect answer, captured on these reels, 235 00:12:53,860 --> 00:12:56,360 now archived at the Library of Congress, 236 00:12:56,460 --> 00:12:58,830 seals Stempel's fate. 237 00:12:58,930 --> 00:13:02,360 As planned, Charles Van Doren unseats the champion 238 00:13:02,470 --> 00:13:05,300 and embarks on his own winning streak. 239 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:09,300 Van Doren stayed on "Twenty-One" for another four months 240 00:13:09,410 --> 00:13:12,840 and wound up winning $128,000 -- 241 00:13:12,940 --> 00:13:14,940 by far, the largest amount of money 242 00:13:15,050 --> 00:13:19,210 anybody had ever won on a game show to that point. 243 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:22,650 As Van Doren's star rises, 244 00:13:22,750 --> 00:13:26,160 Herb Stempel sinks into obscurity. 245 00:13:26,260 --> 00:13:28,890 Herb Stempel was bitter, 246 00:13:28,990 --> 00:13:33,300 especially as he saw Van Doren become such a celebrity. 247 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:36,230 That really began to stick in Stempel's craw. 248 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:39,870 In August of 1958, 249 00:13:39,970 --> 00:13:42,200 Herb Stempel takes his full account 250 00:13:42,310 --> 00:13:44,870 of "Twenty-One's" show fixing to the press, 251 00:13:44,980 --> 00:13:48,840 launching the first major scandal of the television age, 252 00:13:48,950 --> 00:13:53,220 and NBC yanks "Twenty-One" from the airwaves. 253 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:56,520 In the wake of the fiasco, Congress passes regulations 254 00:13:56,620 --> 00:14:00,390 outlawing the fixing of televised quiz shows, 255 00:14:00,490 --> 00:14:02,690 and the controversy has a chilling effect 256 00:14:02,790 --> 00:14:05,830 on the once-popular form of entertainment. 257 00:14:05,930 --> 00:14:11,500 It essentially drove game shows off the air for quite some time. 258 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:14,270 And today at the Library of Congress' 259 00:14:14,370 --> 00:14:17,510 Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation, 260 00:14:17,610 --> 00:14:18,910 these two film reels 261 00:14:19,010 --> 00:14:22,410 preserve images and sound of the infamous show 262 00:14:22,510 --> 00:14:25,650 that brought an end to television's innocence. 263 00:14:28,550 --> 00:14:30,090 Oslo, Norway. 264 00:14:30,190 --> 00:14:31,950 This idyllic capital city 265 00:14:32,060 --> 00:14:35,560 was once the site of a large Viking settlement. 266 00:14:35,660 --> 00:14:41,030 Today, it has a more cultured air as a major hub for the arts. 267 00:14:41,130 --> 00:14:44,300 And one of its most beloved institutions 268 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:47,370 is the National Museum. 269 00:14:47,470 --> 00:14:49,670 It boasts the largest public collection 270 00:14:49,770 --> 00:14:52,910 of paintings, drawings, and sculptures in Norway. 271 00:14:55,810 --> 00:14:58,380 But even amid this vast archive, 272 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:00,850 one piece stands apart. 273 00:15:00,950 --> 00:15:03,590 It sits in a beautiful gilded frame, 274 00:15:03,690 --> 00:15:06,960 which sets off the swirling colors of the piece. 275 00:15:07,060 --> 00:15:10,290 You can see a haunted, cartoon-like figure 276 00:15:10,390 --> 00:15:14,560 which is against a very dramatic and dark backdrop. 277 00:15:14,670 --> 00:15:17,330 This is Edvard Munch's "The Scream." 278 00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:23,610 This masterpiece was at the heart 279 00:15:23,710 --> 00:15:26,880 of a sensational crime that stunned the world. 280 00:15:26,980 --> 00:15:29,580 This was one of the most daring heists 281 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:32,110 and one of the most controversial art thefts 282 00:15:32,220 --> 00:15:33,450 ever known. 283 00:15:38,020 --> 00:15:42,820 Oslo, Norway -- February 11, 1994, 284 00:15:42,930 --> 00:15:44,690 6:30 a.m. 285 00:15:46,230 --> 00:15:48,500 An alarm is going off on the second floor 286 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:51,870 of the city's National Gallery. 287 00:15:51,970 --> 00:15:53,970 When security guards arrive on the scene, 288 00:15:54,070 --> 00:15:55,970 they make a shocking discovery. 289 00:15:58,140 --> 00:16:01,210 Edvard Munch's "The Scream" had disappeared. 290 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:07,420 Painted in 1893, 291 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,220 "The Scream" is one of the most important pictures 292 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:12,990 in the history of modern art. 293 00:16:13,090 --> 00:16:16,060 This particular painting has become iconic. 294 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:18,160 Even if you know nothing about Edvard Munch, 295 00:16:18,260 --> 00:16:21,700 you will know this picture. 296 00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:26,070 Norwegian police waste no time beginning their investigation. 297 00:16:26,170 --> 00:16:29,500 But it seems the robbers have left few clues. 298 00:16:29,610 --> 00:16:32,070 At the scene, there is just a broken window 299 00:16:32,180 --> 00:16:34,180 and a set of wire cutters. 300 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:35,940 These thieves had literally 301 00:16:36,050 --> 00:16:38,550 let themselves in through the window, taken the painting, 302 00:16:38,650 --> 00:16:40,180 and gone out of the window again. 303 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:42,750 So simple. 304 00:16:42,850 --> 00:16:46,120 Investigators scour security camera footage 305 00:16:46,220 --> 00:16:50,690 but are unable to get any clear shots of the thieves. 306 00:16:50,790 --> 00:16:52,030 With each passing hour, 307 00:16:52,130 --> 00:16:56,230 it seems as if "The Scream" might be gone for good. 308 00:16:56,330 --> 00:16:59,900 They had very little to go on, and they'd hit a brick wall. 309 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:03,640 They needed help, and they needed help fast. 310 00:17:03,740 --> 00:17:06,880 Norwegian officials turn to an expert for help, 311 00:17:06,980 --> 00:17:10,650 a detective from Scotland Yard named Charlie Hill. 312 00:17:10,750 --> 00:17:14,950 Hill made an entire career of solving art thefts. 313 00:17:15,050 --> 00:17:17,320 And he tracked down millions of pounds worth 314 00:17:17,420 --> 00:17:20,120 of stolen pieces of art. 315 00:17:20,220 --> 00:17:21,860 Hill believes the burglars 316 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:25,490 will want to unload the famous painting as quickly as possible. 317 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:27,730 And so, posing as a shady art dealer 318 00:17:27,830 --> 00:17:29,400 under an assumed name, 319 00:17:29,500 --> 00:17:31,030 the detective spreads the word 320 00:17:31,140 --> 00:17:33,270 that he's looking to buy "The Scream," 321 00:17:33,370 --> 00:17:35,640 no questions asked. 322 00:17:35,740 --> 00:17:38,540 He had to infiltrate the inner circles 323 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:41,410 of these art thieves. 324 00:17:41,510 --> 00:17:44,880 After 2 months of intense undercover work, 325 00:17:44,980 --> 00:17:46,780 he gets a bite. 326 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:49,720 He gets a phone call from a man called Johnson, 327 00:17:49,820 --> 00:17:52,190 who claims that he knows the people 328 00:17:52,290 --> 00:17:54,260 who stole the painting. 329 00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:57,830 Johnson offers to connect Hill to the thieves 330 00:17:57,930 --> 00:18:00,330 and tells him that "The Scream" is for sale 331 00:18:00,430 --> 00:18:01,930 for a whopping sum, 332 00:18:02,030 --> 00:18:05,600 nearly $800,000. 333 00:18:05,700 --> 00:18:09,100 The two men agree to meet at a local hotel. 334 00:18:09,210 --> 00:18:11,970 The plan was to meet this Johnson character 335 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:14,840 who would lead him to this missing painting, 336 00:18:14,950 --> 00:18:16,850 then make an arrest. 337 00:18:19,980 --> 00:18:23,150 On May 5th, the operation begins. 338 00:18:23,250 --> 00:18:25,190 Detective Hill heads to the hotel 339 00:18:25,290 --> 00:18:29,390 carrying a suitcase filled with cash. 340 00:18:29,490 --> 00:18:31,060 But when he enters the lobby, 341 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:34,130 his plan comes to a screeching halt. 342 00:18:34,230 --> 00:18:38,130 He'd just walked in to a convention of police officers. 343 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:39,940 This was a massive problem. 344 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:43,710 The place was crawling with cops. 345 00:18:43,810 --> 00:18:45,940 Sure enough, when Johnson arrives, 346 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:47,940 their conversation is brief. 347 00:18:50,250 --> 00:18:51,880 He'd picked up on the fact 348 00:18:51,980 --> 00:18:53,920 that the room was full of police officers. 349 00:18:54,020 --> 00:18:58,090 He turned to Hill and said, "Yeah. I'm leaving." 350 00:18:58,190 --> 00:19:00,690 The undercover cop watches helplessly 351 00:19:00,790 --> 00:19:04,460 as his one link to the priceless painting walks away. 352 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:05,930 He had to ask himself 353 00:19:06,030 --> 00:19:08,330 if "The Scream" was lost forever. 354 00:19:13,470 --> 00:19:16,410 It's 1994 -- Oslo, Norway. 355 00:19:16,510 --> 00:19:18,510 Edvard Munch's iconic painting, 356 00:19:18,610 --> 00:19:21,210 "The Scream," has been stolen. 357 00:19:21,310 --> 00:19:24,080 Charged with recovering the priceless work of art 358 00:19:24,180 --> 00:19:27,750 is Scotland Yard's Detective Charlie Hill. 359 00:19:27,850 --> 00:19:29,990 But just as Hill closes in on the culprit, 360 00:19:30,090 --> 00:19:34,760 his plan unravels before his very eyes. 361 00:19:34,860 --> 00:19:36,690 In the wake of the failed hand-off, 362 00:19:36,790 --> 00:19:39,730 the detective returns to his hotel room. 363 00:19:39,830 --> 00:19:42,700 Charlie Hill was just so close 364 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:47,170 and yet watched his one chance slip through his fingers. 365 00:19:47,270 --> 00:19:50,340 But that night, just when all seems lost... 366 00:19:52,940 --> 00:19:54,840 ...Hill receives a phone call. 367 00:19:54,950 --> 00:19:56,080 It's Johnson. 368 00:19:56,180 --> 00:19:59,580 He says he still wants the deal to go ahead. 369 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:03,150 It looked like the plan was on again. 370 00:20:03,250 --> 00:20:06,960 The following morning, Hill and Johnson meet once more. 371 00:20:07,060 --> 00:20:10,360 The undercover police officer opens the bag of cash 372 00:20:10,460 --> 00:20:12,830 but is told that, to reclaim the painting, 373 00:20:12,930 --> 00:20:15,260 he must leave the money at the hotel 374 00:20:15,370 --> 00:20:17,100 and travel with Johnson's driver 375 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:20,270 to an isolated location outside of Oslo. 376 00:20:22,570 --> 00:20:25,510 Hill, at this point, had no idea if this was a setup 377 00:20:25,610 --> 00:20:26,710 or if this was for real 378 00:20:26,810 --> 00:20:28,510 and what on earth awaited him 379 00:20:28,610 --> 00:20:31,680 within the next hour of his life. 380 00:20:31,780 --> 00:20:35,120 Hill arrives at an abandoned cottage. 381 00:20:35,220 --> 00:20:40,390 There, he's handed a rectangular bundle cloaked in a blue sheet. 382 00:20:40,490 --> 00:20:42,960 Slowly, he unwraps the package. 383 00:20:46,860 --> 00:20:49,200 He is delighted. 384 00:20:49,300 --> 00:20:50,970 There it was in front of him, 385 00:20:51,070 --> 00:20:53,400 Norway's most treasured possession. 386 00:20:56,770 --> 00:21:00,380 With the painting secured, Hill makes his exit. 387 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,450 Johnson and three accomplices were arrested. 388 00:21:07,250 --> 00:21:10,390 "The Scream" is eventually restored to its rightful place 389 00:21:10,490 --> 00:21:12,820 at the National Museum in Oslo. 390 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:18,060 It remains one of Norway's most prized cultural treasures 391 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:19,930 as well as a harrowing reminder 392 00:21:20,030 --> 00:21:22,900 of the hunt that brought this masterpiece home. 393 00:21:27,670 --> 00:21:29,970 The English county of Gloucestershire 394 00:21:30,070 --> 00:21:32,880 is renowned for its rolling hills, 395 00:21:32,980 --> 00:21:36,140 verdant woodlands, and quaint villages. 396 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:42,150 But in the small town of Cinderford is an institution 397 00:21:42,250 --> 00:21:45,550 dedicated to the dark side of British history -- 398 00:21:45,660 --> 00:21:47,420 the Littledean Jail Museum. 399 00:21:47,530 --> 00:21:49,930 The collection here includes a knife 400 00:21:50,030 --> 00:21:53,400 used by British commandos in World War II, 401 00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:57,000 a pair of Nazi handguns, 402 00:21:57,100 --> 00:22:01,870 and a noose used in more than 400 executions. 403 00:22:01,970 --> 00:22:05,970 But hidden among these sinister relics is an artifact 404 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:09,110 with the strangest story to tell. 405 00:22:09,210 --> 00:22:11,680 This item measures 5 inches long 406 00:22:11,780 --> 00:22:13,450 and 2 inches thick. 407 00:22:13,550 --> 00:22:16,150 It's made of metal, and hidden inside 408 00:22:16,250 --> 00:22:18,920 is a complex, internal mechanism. 409 00:22:21,890 --> 00:22:24,730 This device recalls a daring robbery committed 410 00:22:24,830 --> 00:22:27,100 by an unlikely group of thieves. 411 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:29,000 This lock holds the key 412 00:22:29,100 --> 00:22:30,900 to one of the most ambitious heists 413 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,540 in Britain's history. 414 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:41,410 April 7th, 2015 -- London, England. 415 00:22:42,910 --> 00:22:45,910 Police are summoned to one of the most secure locations 416 00:22:46,020 --> 00:22:49,480 in the city's lucrative diamond district -- 417 00:22:49,590 --> 00:22:52,450 the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company. 418 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:54,960 It held millions of dollars worth 419 00:22:55,060 --> 00:22:58,730 of gems and jewelry owned by private citizens and jewelers. 420 00:22:58,830 --> 00:23:00,930 When the officers arrive, 421 00:23:01,030 --> 00:23:03,470 they are met by an astonishing sight. 422 00:23:06,170 --> 00:23:08,070 A massive hole had been drilled through 423 00:23:08,170 --> 00:23:10,810 the thick concrete wall of the vault. 424 00:23:10,910 --> 00:23:13,610 Inside, dozens of safe deposit boxes 425 00:23:13,710 --> 00:23:15,080 were smashed open, 426 00:23:15,180 --> 00:23:18,350 emptied, and strewn across the floor. 427 00:23:18,450 --> 00:23:20,320 When the losses are tallied, 428 00:23:20,420 --> 00:23:24,120 it's one of the largest jewel heists in British history. 429 00:23:24,220 --> 00:23:25,950 The offenders got away with around 430 00:23:26,060 --> 00:23:29,290 $300 million worth of loot. 431 00:23:31,460 --> 00:23:33,100 Tasked with solving the case 432 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:38,170 is Detective Chief Inspector Paul Johnson of Scotland Yard. 433 00:23:38,270 --> 00:23:40,770 Johnson was amazed. He'd never seen anything 434 00:23:40,870 --> 00:23:44,240 like this before in his entire career. 435 00:23:44,340 --> 00:23:46,910 The criminals were somehow able to break into a building, 436 00:23:47,010 --> 00:23:49,240 take out all the security cameras, 437 00:23:49,350 --> 00:23:52,880 then lower themselves down an elevator shaft 438 00:23:52,980 --> 00:23:54,350 into the basement, 439 00:23:54,450 --> 00:23:56,420 where they're then able to drill through 440 00:23:56,520 --> 00:24:00,620 a 2-foot-thick concrete wall into the vault. 441 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:07,560 Johnson's team combs the crime scene for clues. 442 00:24:07,670 --> 00:24:08,960 But despite their efforts, 443 00:24:09,070 --> 00:24:12,000 investigators come up empty-handed. 444 00:24:12,100 --> 00:24:15,700 The detective then checks the area for possible witnesses. 445 00:24:15,810 --> 00:24:18,040 But he's unable to find a single person 446 00:24:18,140 --> 00:24:22,110 who saw anything suspicious. 447 00:24:22,210 --> 00:24:24,550 With so little evidence left behind, 448 00:24:24,650 --> 00:24:28,720 this looked to be the work of a very professional outfit. 449 00:24:28,820 --> 00:24:31,790 The media call this the perfect crime. 450 00:24:35,490 --> 00:24:37,860 With the case rapidly growing cold, 451 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:41,630 Johnson and his team expand their search. 452 00:24:41,730 --> 00:24:44,470 And they get their first solid lead. 453 00:24:44,570 --> 00:24:46,540 A neighboring store believed 454 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:47,970 that their security cameras 455 00:24:48,070 --> 00:24:51,810 had video that could help identify the offenders. 456 00:24:51,910 --> 00:24:54,010 When Johnson studies the footage, 457 00:24:54,110 --> 00:24:55,710 he finds what he's looking for. 458 00:24:55,810 --> 00:24:59,250 The images on this videotape would make or break this case. 459 00:25:05,990 --> 00:25:08,660 It's 2015 in London. 460 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:12,330 Detective Chief Inspector Paul Johnson of Scotland Yard 461 00:25:12,430 --> 00:25:14,800 is investigating one of the biggest diamond heists 462 00:25:14,900 --> 00:25:16,230 in British history. 463 00:25:16,330 --> 00:25:17,630 His only clue -- 464 00:25:17,730 --> 00:25:20,540 surveillance footage from a neighboring business. 465 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:23,040 And what it reveals will cast this caper 466 00:25:23,140 --> 00:25:24,940 in a whole new light. 467 00:25:26,940 --> 00:25:30,780 Johnson scans the footage and spots a vital clue. 468 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:34,020 He found blurry images of seven men dressed 469 00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:35,780 in construction outfits 470 00:25:35,890 --> 00:25:38,190 letting themselves into the building. 471 00:25:38,290 --> 00:25:40,090 The men are not wearing masks 472 00:25:40,190 --> 00:25:43,490 and the video offers clear shots of their faces. 473 00:25:43,590 --> 00:25:45,060 So Johnson has the images 474 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,830 run through state-of-the-art facial recognition software. 475 00:25:51,270 --> 00:25:53,840 And, unbelievably, there was a match, 476 00:25:53,940 --> 00:25:55,840 and then another and another, 477 00:25:55,940 --> 00:25:59,870 until he had identified six of the seven thieves. 478 00:26:03,010 --> 00:26:04,410 There's one thing about the thieves 479 00:26:04,510 --> 00:26:06,710 that surprises Johnson. 480 00:26:06,820 --> 00:26:10,290 They are almost all senior citizens. 481 00:26:10,390 --> 00:26:12,090 London's diamond district 482 00:26:12,190 --> 00:26:16,160 had been had by a bunch of old geezers. 483 00:26:16,260 --> 00:26:18,830 The suspects are almost all in their 60s 484 00:26:18,930 --> 00:26:23,160 and 70s and are career criminals with lengthy rap sheets. 485 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:28,040 The robbers are tracked down and arrested. 486 00:26:28,140 --> 00:26:29,970 But when they're all in custody, 487 00:26:30,070 --> 00:26:32,410 Johnson gets another surprise. 488 00:26:32,510 --> 00:26:35,310 These men were all plagued with various illnesses. 489 00:26:35,410 --> 00:26:38,810 One was incontinent, one was blind in one eye, 490 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:40,950 and one walked with a cane. 491 00:26:41,050 --> 00:26:43,280 But they wanted to relive their glory days 492 00:26:43,390 --> 00:26:46,390 by pulling off one last big heist. 493 00:26:48,790 --> 00:26:50,790 At trial, the men plead guilty, 494 00:26:50,890 --> 00:26:54,160 and all are given lengthy prison terms. 495 00:26:57,300 --> 00:26:59,130 And although the seventh member of the gang 496 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:00,770 is never identified, 497 00:27:00,870 --> 00:27:03,640 Johnson recovers much of the stolen loot. 498 00:27:07,780 --> 00:27:10,750 Today, this lock from a safety deposit box 499 00:27:10,850 --> 00:27:13,920 is on display at the Littledean Jail Museum. 500 00:27:14,020 --> 00:27:16,050 It recalls a heist that proved that, 501 00:27:16,150 --> 00:27:17,520 for some criminals, 502 00:27:17,620 --> 00:27:19,520 age is just a number. 503 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:24,660 Cambridge, Massachusetts-- 504 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:26,590 this New England town is home to some 505 00:27:26,700 --> 00:27:29,530 of the nation's most prestigious universities, 506 00:27:29,630 --> 00:27:33,230 including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 507 00:27:33,340 --> 00:27:36,040 and at the M.I.T. Museum, 508 00:27:36,140 --> 00:27:39,110 great wonders of computer engineering are on display, 509 00:27:39,210 --> 00:27:42,640 from giant robots to high-tech roadsters, 510 00:27:42,750 --> 00:27:45,650 But one of the most innovative objects here 511 00:27:45,750 --> 00:27:48,450 is confined to a tiny box. 512 00:27:48,550 --> 00:27:52,220 It consists of a small, clear, plastic case, 513 00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:55,020 and packed inside of this tiny case 514 00:27:55,130 --> 00:27:57,660 are lots of electronic components. 515 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:01,760 It is the world's first wearable computer. 516 00:28:03,730 --> 00:28:06,830 This is not an MP3 player or a GPS, 517 00:28:06,940 --> 00:28:09,840 but something far more extraordinary. 518 00:28:09,940 --> 00:28:12,110 It was used in one of the most audacious 519 00:28:12,210 --> 00:28:14,240 gaming schemes in history, 520 00:28:14,340 --> 00:28:16,980 conceived by two geniuses who risked it all 521 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:19,950 and never got caught. 522 00:28:20,050 --> 00:28:21,980 So what is this computer, 523 00:28:22,090 --> 00:28:24,290 and how did it help two cunning mathematicians 524 00:28:24,390 --> 00:28:27,020 beat seemingly impossible odds? 525 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:32,190 1960, Cambridge, Massachusetts-- 526 00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:35,800 two young and ambitious M.I.T. professors, 527 00:28:35,900 --> 00:28:39,770 Edward Thorp and Claude Shannon, have set themselves the goal 528 00:28:39,870 --> 00:28:42,340 of solving one of the greatest mathematical mysteries 529 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:44,670 of all time. 530 00:28:44,770 --> 00:28:48,340 Can the casino game of roulette be beaten? 531 00:28:48,450 --> 00:28:50,880 The game consists of 532 00:28:50,980 --> 00:28:53,650 38 numbered slots on a wheel. 533 00:28:53,750 --> 00:28:57,250 A croupier launches a ball up on a track 534 00:28:57,350 --> 00:28:59,790 spinning in the opposite direction, 535 00:28:59,890 --> 00:29:03,560 and it settles into a numbered cup. 536 00:29:03,660 --> 00:29:07,100 If players bet on the right number, they can win big. 537 00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:09,960 Conventional wisdom suggests 538 00:29:10,070 --> 00:29:12,570 that where the ball lands is random 539 00:29:12,670 --> 00:29:15,670 and picking the right number is based on luck, 540 00:29:15,770 --> 00:29:19,310 but Shannon and Thorp think it might actually be possible 541 00:29:19,410 --> 00:29:22,180 to predict the outcome of this game of chance. 542 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:25,880 They were convinced that the game was, in fact, beatable. 543 00:29:25,980 --> 00:29:29,320 Thorp has already written a comprehensive treatise 544 00:29:29,420 --> 00:29:31,650 on how to count cards at blackjack, 545 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:34,360 but never before has anyone attempted to decode 546 00:29:34,460 --> 00:29:36,320 the game of roulette. 547 00:29:36,430 --> 00:29:38,990 They were a couple of mathematical geniuses 548 00:29:39,100 --> 00:29:42,930 chasing the Holy Grail of mathematical prediction 549 00:29:43,030 --> 00:29:46,030 in terms of game playing and solving puzzles 550 00:29:46,140 --> 00:29:48,740 that have been unsolved for hundreds of years. 551 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:52,670 The two start by installing a regulation roulette wheel 552 00:29:52,780 --> 00:29:54,240 in Shannon's basement, 553 00:29:54,340 --> 00:29:57,010 and they quickly get to work analyzing the game. 554 00:29:57,110 --> 00:30:00,350 They collect hundreds of hours of information 555 00:30:00,450 --> 00:30:03,480 on how fast the ball slows down. 556 00:30:03,590 --> 00:30:06,220 When the ball begins to drop down towards the numbers, 557 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:09,490 how much does it scatter? How much does it spread? 558 00:30:09,590 --> 00:30:11,460 How much is it randomized? 559 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:14,800 And after months of research, Shannon and Thorp determine 560 00:30:14,900 --> 00:30:18,000 that the final resting point of the ball on the roulette wheel 561 00:30:18,100 --> 00:30:19,870 can indeed be predicted. 562 00:30:19,970 --> 00:30:23,540 But in order to make the prediction, 563 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:26,070 they need three key pieces of information-- 564 00:30:26,180 --> 00:30:29,040 the speed of the ball, the speed of the wheel, 565 00:30:29,150 --> 00:30:31,450 and where the ball enters the wheel. 566 00:30:31,550 --> 00:30:35,450 Thorp knows the only way to calculate these three values 567 00:30:35,550 --> 00:30:38,050 is with a computer. 568 00:30:38,150 --> 00:30:39,990 Thorp has to build a predictive device 569 00:30:40,090 --> 00:30:41,790 that's fast enough to play the game 570 00:30:41,890 --> 00:30:43,490 before the game is finished. 571 00:30:43,590 --> 00:30:47,960 And that's not all-- the computer has to be small. 572 00:30:48,060 --> 00:30:51,100 So small, in fact, that it can be concealed under clothing 573 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:53,900 so that it won't be detected by casino security. 574 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:57,140 But unlike their modern-day counterparts, 575 00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:01,640 computers in the 1960s often fill entire rooms, 576 00:31:01,750 --> 00:31:04,780 and at their smallest are the size of radios. 577 00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:07,420 Shannon and Thorp were the first people to realize 578 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,850 that a computer could be shrunk to the size of something 579 00:31:10,950 --> 00:31:13,290 that could be worn by a human being. 580 00:31:13,390 --> 00:31:15,660 For months, they toil away, 581 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:18,590 designing and engineering a pocket-sized computer 582 00:31:18,700 --> 00:31:21,360 that is truly revolutionary. 583 00:31:21,460 --> 00:31:23,970 Worn on the waist, the apparatus is connected 584 00:31:24,070 --> 00:31:26,270 by wires to a series of switches 585 00:31:26,370 --> 00:31:28,440 which run down the pant leg to the shoe, 586 00:31:28,540 --> 00:31:31,040 where the user can easily input data 587 00:31:31,140 --> 00:31:32,870 while playing at the roulette table. 588 00:31:32,980 --> 00:31:34,640 And their toes would click 589 00:31:34,740 --> 00:31:37,350 every time the ball passed a fixed point, 590 00:31:37,450 --> 00:31:39,910 and their toes would click every time the numbers spun 591 00:31:40,020 --> 00:31:41,520 past a fixed point. 592 00:31:41,620 --> 00:31:44,550 The plan is that Shannon will wear the device 593 00:31:44,650 --> 00:31:47,490 and tap his toes to trigger calculations, 594 00:31:47,590 --> 00:31:50,530 and the resulting data will then be transmitted 595 00:31:50,630 --> 00:31:53,430 wirelessly in the form of a series of beeps 596 00:31:53,530 --> 00:31:56,360 to a receiver in an earpiece worn by Thorp 597 00:31:56,470 --> 00:31:59,430 telling him where to place the bet. 598 00:31:59,540 --> 00:32:03,470 It's a novel idea, but will it work? 599 00:32:07,110 --> 00:32:10,240 It's 1961, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 600 00:32:10,350 --> 00:32:13,580 Mathematicians Ed Thorp and Claude Shannon 601 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:17,220 have invented a machine to beat the odds 602 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:20,150 at the casino game roulette. 603 00:32:20,260 --> 00:32:23,660 It's a pocket-sized computer that calculates 604 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:26,730 where the ball will land once it's launched. 605 00:32:26,830 --> 00:32:30,000 It's an amazing idea, 606 00:32:30,100 --> 00:32:32,400 but will it work? 607 00:32:32,500 --> 00:32:35,340 When they conduct practice runs in their basement, 608 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:37,710 the computer seems to perform well, 609 00:32:37,810 --> 00:32:42,140 but the real test will be in the live casinos. 610 00:32:42,250 --> 00:32:44,880 So in June 1961, 611 00:32:44,980 --> 00:32:47,720 Thorp and Shannon head to the mecca of gambling-- 612 00:32:47,820 --> 00:32:49,220 Las Vegas. 613 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:52,490 As they step onto the casino floor, 614 00:32:52,590 --> 00:32:55,060 tensions are running high. 615 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:57,220 They have to pretend not to know each other. 616 00:32:57,330 --> 00:33:00,230 They have to stand next to the roulette wheel 617 00:33:00,330 --> 00:33:03,730 looking like average, everyday players, 618 00:33:03,830 --> 00:33:06,070 while in fact, they're scientists. 619 00:33:06,170 --> 00:33:09,400 At the roulette table, the two watch anxiously 620 00:33:09,510 --> 00:33:12,710 as the ball is released. 621 00:33:12,810 --> 00:33:14,440 Shannon taps his toe to trigger the computer 622 00:33:14,540 --> 00:33:16,840 to begin its calculations. 623 00:33:16,950 --> 00:33:20,280 The wireless receiver starts bleeping in Thorp's ear, 624 00:33:20,380 --> 00:33:21,820 and the mathematician 625 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:25,390 lays down his chips accordingly. 626 00:33:25,490 --> 00:33:27,960 The clandestine team holds their breath 627 00:33:28,060 --> 00:33:30,990 as the ball stops in the exact spot 628 00:33:31,090 --> 00:33:33,590 that the computer predicted it would, 629 00:33:33,700 --> 00:33:35,500 and they win. 630 00:33:37,570 --> 00:33:39,770 Thorp calmly collects his chips 631 00:33:39,870 --> 00:33:42,900 and the two continue on a winning streak, 632 00:33:43,010 --> 00:33:47,680 but then, Thorp notices a woman staring at him in shock. 633 00:33:47,780 --> 00:33:49,780 At one point, the little earpiece 634 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:51,510 works its way out of his ear canal, 635 00:33:51,610 --> 00:33:53,580 and the woman who's standing next to him 636 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:55,150 thinks that some strange creature 637 00:33:55,250 --> 00:33:58,490 is crawling up his neck, and she screams 638 00:33:58,590 --> 00:34:01,090 and turns away from the table, 639 00:34:01,190 --> 00:34:03,390 and it's at that point that Thorp realizes 640 00:34:03,490 --> 00:34:05,090 he needs to excuse himself. 641 00:34:05,190 --> 00:34:08,860 Thorp and Shannon make a swift exit out of the casino, 642 00:34:08,970 --> 00:34:12,300 fortunately without arousing any suspicion from security. 643 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:15,640 Although the sum of their total winnings that day 644 00:34:15,740 --> 00:34:17,840 remains a mystery, they declare the experiment 645 00:34:17,940 --> 00:34:20,710 to be an unqualified success. 646 00:34:20,810 --> 00:34:24,280 It was a very exciting moment, 647 00:34:24,380 --> 00:34:28,820 proving that roulette could be beaten. 648 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:33,120 But the two vow never to use this computer again. 649 00:34:33,220 --> 00:34:37,090 These two cunning calculators had achieved their goal 650 00:34:37,190 --> 00:34:38,990 by building a revolutionary device 651 00:34:39,100 --> 00:34:41,200 and cracking a mathematical puzzle 652 00:34:41,300 --> 00:34:43,730 that was thought to be unsolvable. 653 00:34:43,830 --> 00:34:47,900 As for betting big, they'd rather not 654 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,270 gamble on getting caught. 655 00:34:50,370 --> 00:34:53,270 Nearly a decade after its debut in Vegas, 656 00:34:53,380 --> 00:34:55,740 Thorp and Shannon donate their roulette computer 657 00:34:55,850 --> 00:34:58,080 to the M.I.T. Museum. 658 00:34:58,180 --> 00:35:00,780 A predecessor to the iPod, pedometer, 659 00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:03,650 and other wearable computers of today, 660 00:35:03,750 --> 00:35:05,620 this revolutionary device is on show, 661 00:35:05,720 --> 00:35:09,290 an example of a concept years ahead of its time. 662 00:35:13,730 --> 00:35:16,960 Space Center Houston in Houston, Texas, 663 00:35:17,070 --> 00:35:18,800 is the official repository 664 00:35:18,900 --> 00:35:21,340 for many of NASA's greatest treasures, 665 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:24,970 including the "Apollo 17" command module 666 00:35:25,070 --> 00:35:28,010 and the "Gemini 5" space capsule. 667 00:35:31,150 --> 00:35:33,810 But of all this museum's treasures, 668 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:35,880 perhaps its most priceless 669 00:35:35,990 --> 00:35:37,990 are a small cluster of rocks 670 00:35:38,090 --> 00:35:40,390 kept deep in its back vaults. 671 00:35:40,490 --> 00:35:43,790 They are about 2 pounds to 5 pounds each, 672 00:35:43,890 --> 00:35:45,330 about the size of a softball. 673 00:35:45,430 --> 00:35:48,800 They're gray in color with black-and-white tones. 674 00:35:50,470 --> 00:35:53,070 These rocks may look ordinary, 675 00:35:53,170 --> 00:35:54,740 but in fact, 676 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:57,910 they're among the most precious objects on the planet. 677 00:35:58,010 --> 00:36:00,370 They are moon rocks. 678 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:02,880 Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, 679 00:36:02,980 --> 00:36:07,080 but moon rocks are the ultimate prize. 680 00:36:07,180 --> 00:36:10,520 All 842 pounds of moon rock 681 00:36:10,620 --> 00:36:12,990 that Americans have brought back to Earth 682 00:36:13,090 --> 00:36:15,190 are owned by the U.S. Government. 683 00:36:15,290 --> 00:36:18,890 They're worth $50,000 per gram, 684 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:21,160 making them a highly valued 685 00:36:21,260 --> 00:36:23,130 and guarded national treasure. 686 00:36:25,670 --> 00:36:28,170 The moon rocks held here are in a vault 687 00:36:28,270 --> 00:36:30,970 more secure than all the gold in Fort Knox. 688 00:36:31,070 --> 00:36:34,310 So how could $32 million worth 689 00:36:34,410 --> 00:36:35,980 of NASA moon rocks 690 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:39,280 be at the heart of one of the greatest heists in history? 691 00:36:41,850 --> 00:36:44,120 July 2002, 692 00:36:44,220 --> 00:36:46,350 Johnson Space Center, 693 00:36:46,460 --> 00:36:48,420 Houston, Texas. 694 00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:51,830 25-year-old Thad Roberts is on his way to work 695 00:36:51,930 --> 00:36:54,830 to begin his third internship at NASA. 696 00:36:54,930 --> 00:36:57,530 He had a desire to be an astronaut, 697 00:36:57,630 --> 00:37:00,700 and people around him said that he was a go-getter 698 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:02,900 and seemed to have the "right stuff" 699 00:37:03,010 --> 00:37:05,110 to be able to do that. 700 00:37:05,210 --> 00:37:08,910 But there is a dark secret side to Thad's life. 701 00:37:09,010 --> 00:37:11,410 He is a risk-taker 702 00:37:11,510 --> 00:37:14,380 who wants to do something no one thinks is possible, 703 00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:16,920 something he can brag about, 704 00:37:17,020 --> 00:37:20,390 like stealing some of the rarest items on Earth. 705 00:37:20,490 --> 00:37:22,890 Roberts got it in his head, 706 00:37:22,990 --> 00:37:25,560 what if he could get ahold of some moon rocks? 707 00:37:25,660 --> 00:37:27,190 Could he sell them? 708 00:37:27,300 --> 00:37:29,430 But the moon rocks 709 00:37:29,530 --> 00:37:31,970 are held in ultra-protected vaults, 710 00:37:32,070 --> 00:37:34,300 so how will he get to them? 711 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:36,740 While Roberts tries to figure out a way 712 00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:38,870 to get past NASA's rigid security, 713 00:37:38,970 --> 00:37:42,480 he discovers that a NASA scientist named Everett Gibson 714 00:37:42,580 --> 00:37:45,280 might provide a simpler road to riches. 715 00:37:45,380 --> 00:37:48,120 Everett Gibson had a safe in his office 716 00:37:48,220 --> 00:37:50,350 that he used to hold lunar rocks 717 00:37:50,450 --> 00:37:53,050 and even Martian meteorite samples 718 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:55,890 for public demonstration and education. 719 00:37:55,990 --> 00:37:58,390 Roberts decided that that would be the safe 720 00:37:58,490 --> 00:38:00,890 that he would target for theft. 721 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,660 Determined to steal the moon rocks 722 00:38:03,770 --> 00:38:05,170 from Gibson's safe, 723 00:38:05,270 --> 00:38:07,870 Roberts enlists the help of his girlfriend, 724 00:38:07,970 --> 00:38:11,610 22-year-old fellow intern, Tiffany Fowler. 725 00:38:11,710 --> 00:38:14,170 This was Thad's retirement plan. 726 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:16,710 Um, they would be able to sell the moon rocks 727 00:38:16,810 --> 00:38:18,410 and hit the road. 728 00:38:19,980 --> 00:38:22,420 Even before trying to steal the moon rocks, 729 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:25,550 Roberts starts posting on internet message boards, 730 00:38:25,650 --> 00:38:28,660 offering the stolen goods for sale. 731 00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:31,560 It's not long before he gets an e-mail 732 00:38:31,660 --> 00:38:33,430 from an interested buyer, 733 00:38:33,530 --> 00:38:35,530 a prominent Belgian rock collector 734 00:38:35,630 --> 00:38:37,930 by the name of Axel Emmermann. 735 00:38:38,030 --> 00:38:42,240 Finally, on Saturday, July 13th, 736 00:38:42,340 --> 00:38:44,870 after weeks of meticulous planning, 737 00:38:44,970 --> 00:38:47,840 the big night arrives. 738 00:38:47,940 --> 00:38:50,710 Roberts and Fowler use their NASA IDs 739 00:38:50,810 --> 00:38:54,210 to quietly enter the Johnson Space Center. 740 00:38:56,750 --> 00:38:59,190 But once they get the safe into their car, 741 00:38:59,290 --> 00:39:02,960 they're able to drive off property past guards, um, 742 00:39:03,060 --> 00:39:05,560 off to a local motel. 743 00:39:08,030 --> 00:39:10,430 But when they get to their motel hideout, 744 00:39:10,530 --> 00:39:13,700 they realize that opening a 600-pound safe 745 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:16,300 is no easy task. 746 00:39:16,410 --> 00:39:18,670 They get hold of a saw, 747 00:39:18,770 --> 00:39:21,480 and they start sawing away at it. 748 00:39:23,710 --> 00:39:26,180 And eventually, persistence pays off, 749 00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:29,520 and they're able to open the door to the safe. 750 00:39:29,620 --> 00:39:33,190 Eureka. When the safe door flies open, 751 00:39:33,290 --> 00:39:36,960 Roberts and Fowler believe they are staring at their ticket 752 00:39:37,060 --> 00:39:38,890 to endless riches. 753 00:39:38,990 --> 00:39:42,330 In total, these kids had stolen moon rocks 754 00:39:42,430 --> 00:39:44,670 worth over $32 million. 755 00:39:44,770 --> 00:39:47,730 On Saturday, July 20th, 756 00:39:47,840 --> 00:39:49,600 one week after the robbery, 757 00:39:49,710 --> 00:39:52,440 Roberts and Fowler drive their haul 758 00:39:52,540 --> 00:39:54,940 to meet their Belgian contact at a restaurant 759 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:57,480 in Orlando, Florida. 760 00:39:57,580 --> 00:40:00,280 But when Thad and Tiffany sit down for dinner, 761 00:40:00,380 --> 00:40:03,050 things take an unexpected turn. 762 00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:11,130 It's 2002 in Houston, Texas. 763 00:40:11,230 --> 00:40:14,760 $32 million worth of precious moon rocks 764 00:40:14,860 --> 00:40:17,530 have been stolen from Johnson Space Center. 765 00:40:17,630 --> 00:40:21,340 The robbers, two promising NASA interns. 766 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:24,310 When they try to fence their loot, 767 00:40:24,410 --> 00:40:27,040 they experience a rude awakening. 768 00:40:30,310 --> 00:40:32,210 They meet at a local restaurant in Orlando 769 00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:36,050 and sit down to enjoy a meal, talk together, 770 00:40:36,150 --> 00:40:38,490 and then do business. 771 00:40:38,590 --> 00:40:42,460 But quickly, the dinner takes a shocking turn. 772 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:45,230 As soon as Thad brings out the moon rocks 773 00:40:45,330 --> 00:40:47,130 to show them what he has, 774 00:40:47,230 --> 00:40:49,300 the authorities surround the place. 775 00:40:49,400 --> 00:40:52,270 Everyone in the restaurant turns out to be an undercover agent, 776 00:40:52,370 --> 00:40:54,370 and they're arrested. 777 00:40:54,470 --> 00:40:56,640 Unbeknownst to Thad, 778 00:40:56,740 --> 00:40:58,970 Axel Emmermann has been working hand in hand 779 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:01,040 with the FBI. 780 00:41:01,140 --> 00:41:04,580 He contacts the internet fraud division of the FBI, 781 00:41:04,680 --> 00:41:06,410 and from that point on, 782 00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:08,720 every e-mail that Thad receives from Axel 783 00:41:08,820 --> 00:41:12,850 is really an e-mail being directed through the FBI. 784 00:41:12,960 --> 00:41:15,060 For Thad Roberts, 785 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:17,430 his life is utterly transformed. 786 00:41:17,530 --> 00:41:19,990 One minute, he has the right stuff. 787 00:41:20,100 --> 00:41:23,630 The next, he's doing time in a federal penitentiary. 788 00:41:23,730 --> 00:41:26,030 For her part, 789 00:41:26,140 --> 00:41:28,340 Tiffany testifies against Thad 790 00:41:28,440 --> 00:41:30,940 and receives probation, home arrest, 791 00:41:31,040 --> 00:41:33,770 and community service. 792 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:35,780 Evidence of their crime 793 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:38,780 remains on view at Space Center Houston, 794 00:41:38,880 --> 00:41:42,620 reminding us of one of the most reckless and daring robberies 795 00:41:42,720 --> 00:41:44,950 of the 21st century. 796 00:41:47,120 --> 00:41:49,020 From a disastrous diamond heist 797 00:41:49,130 --> 00:41:51,330 to a game show scam. 798 00:41:51,430 --> 00:41:53,530 A stolen masterpiece 799 00:41:53,630 --> 00:41:56,100 to an out-of-this-world robbery. 800 00:41:56,200 --> 00:41:58,370 I'm Don Wildman, and these are 801 00:41:58,470 --> 00:42:00,130 the mysteries at the museum.