Buried Secrets

DNA technology is unlocking secrets from a past once considered closed forever. From the identity of America's Unknown Soldier to the manner of Napoleon's death - five tantalising mysteries are solved in this hour of breathtaking discovery

The grave is no longer a secret place. DNA taken from a hair or shred of skin from an exhumed corpse can reveal hidden truths about an individual's life and death. Buried Secrets: Digging For DNA covers five mysteries of the past, showing not only the scientific techniques used, but the human dramas that emerge as the truth is uncovered:

* Who was the Vietnam Unknown Soldier? We reveal his identity and meet his family.

* Did Napoleon Bonaparte die of cancer - or was he murdered by an agent of the French king?

* Is there any truth in the legend that Jesse James staged his own death to escape the law?

* Did Thomas Jefferson father his slave's children? And if so, where are their descendants today?

* Can the innocence of Dr Sam Sheppard - imprisoned and then released for murdering his own pregnant wife - be proved once and for all?

Join The History Channel to find the answers.