History Detectives Season 5 Episode 10 USS Thresher; Pete Gray Cartoon; Manhattan Project Letter

In season 5, episode 10 of History Detectives, the team takes on three intriguing cases. The first investigation centers around the USS Thresher, a submarine that tragically sank in 1963, claiming the lives of all 129 crew members aboard. The History Detectives team meets with a woman who believes her father, a Navy officer who served on the submarine, may have had a hand in its design. Through careful examination of photographs, documents, and interviews with experts, the team aims to uncover the truth behind the USS Thresher's tragic end.

In the second segment, the team investigates a piece of political memorabilia - a cartoon featuring a disabled baseball player in a San Francisco Seals uniform. The man depicted, Pete Gray, played for the minor league team during World War II, despite having lost his right arm in a childhood accident. The cartoon in question was drawn by a prominent Bay Area artist named Dorman "Dorm" Braman, and the team hopes to discover why Braman chose to feature Gray in his artwork and what the piece may have meant to its original owner.

Finally, the team tackles a mysterious letter related to the Manhattan Project, the top-secret U.S. government program that developed the first atomic bomb during World War II. The letter was sent in 1945 from a researcher at one of the Manhattan Project's facilities to a correspondent in Sweden, and it contains tantalizing hints about the project's progress. The team delves into the project's history and consults with experts on both sides of the Atlantic to uncover the secrets behind this intriguing piece of correspondence.

As with all History Detectives episodes, the team uses a combination of traditional investigative techniques and cutting-edge technology to unearth the truth behind these compelling stories from the past. Viewers can join in the excitement as the team uses their skills and expertise to reveal the hidden histories behind each item.