The earthquake that hit the northern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011, was recorded at magnitude 9.0 - the worst ever recorded in Japan. It generated an unprecedented tsunami, obliterating coastal villages and towns in a matter of minutes. In some areas, the tsunami climbed above 100 feet in height and traveled miles inland. Amazingly, amateur and professional photographers captured it all on video, including remarkable tales of human survival, as ordinary citizens became heroes in a drama they never could have imagined. As the waves rush in, a daughter struggles to help her elderly mother ascend their rooftop to safety; a man climbs onto an overpass just as the wave overtakes his car. These never-before-seen stories are captured in video and retold after the fact by the survivors who reveal what they were thinking as they made their life-saving decisions. Their stories provide lessons for how we should all act in the face of life-threatening disasters.

NOVA Season 39 Episodes...

• s39e01 - Engineering Ground Zero
• s39e02 - Surviving the Tsunami
• s39e03 - Finding Life Beyond Earth: Are We Alone?
• s39e04 - Iceman Murder Mystery
• s39e05 - The Fabric of the Cosmos - What is Space?
• s39e06 - The Fabric of the Cosmos - The Illusion of Time
• s39e07 - The Fabric of the Cosmos - Quantum Leap
• s39e08 - The Fabric of the Cosmos - Universe or Multiverse?
• s39e09 - Deadliest Volcanoes
• s39e10 - Bombing Hitler's Dams
• s39e11 - 3D Spies of WWII
• s39e12 - Mystery of a Masterpiece
• s39e13 - Ice Age Death Trap
• s39e14 - Separating Twins
• s39e15 - Cracking Your Genetic Code
• s39e16 - Hunting the Elements
• s39e17 - Deadliest Tornadoes
• s39e18 - Why Ships Sink
• s39e19 - Secrets of the Sun

NOVA Show Summary

Seen in more than 100 countries, NOVA is the most watched science based television series in the world and the most watched documentary series on PBS. It is also one of television's most acclaimed series, having won many major television awards, most of them many times over.