From assailing meteorites to the beginning of life on Earth, travel through the tumultuous 4.5 billion year history of our planet.

From a seething ocean of radioactive, molten rock to a refuge for life as we know it, Earth has undergone a staggering series of cataclysmic transformations in its long and epic history. Assailed relentessly for millions of years by meteorites, our once toxic and hostile planet has been covered in water and in ice, and seen the rise and sundering of continents, the creation of an atmosphere, and, ultimately, the beginning of life.

How The Earth Was Made plots the twisting course of Earth's amazing journey. Using groundbreaking special effects and traveling to remote locations where our planet still bears the scars of its violent history, this compelling documentary tells a story of unimaginable timescales, world-shattering forces, radical climates, and mass extinctions.

The History Channel journeys back in time to show the creation of Earth's land masses, the birth of the first complex creatures, and devastating extinctions - before speculating on the future when all life becomes extinct.