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Eleanor Roosevelt

Aired January 10, 2000

Eleanor Roosevelt supported her husband's New Deal and advocated for civil rights, becoming one of the 20th century's most influential women.

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New York: A Documentary Film poster image

This seven-part, 14 and a half hour television event explores New York City's rich history as the premier laboratory of modern life. A sweeping narrative covering nearly 400 years and 400 square miles, it reveals a complex and dynamic city that has played an unparalleled role in shaping the nation and reflecting its ideals. This program was produced before the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

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Fly Girls

Aired May 24, 1999

In the midst of WWII, the call went out: women with flight experience were needed to fly for the military. Women postponed their weddings, put their educations on hold, and quit their jobs to respond.

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MacArthur

Aired May 17, 1999

No soldier in modern history has been more admired — or more reviled. Douglas MacArthur, liberator of the Philippines, shogun of occupied Japan, mastermind of the Inchon invasion, was an admired national hero when he was suddenly relieved of his command. A portrait of a complex, imposing and fascinating American general.

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Lost in the Grand Canyon

Aired April 5, 1999

In the summer of 1869 a one-armed Civil War veteran, John Wesley Powell, led an epic journey down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. It was the last important exploration within the continental United States. Powell wrote a literary classic about his trip, explored the region for another ten years, studied Native American cultures, and used his position as director of the U.S. Geological Survey to argue against the over development of the West.

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Meltdown at Three Mile Island

Aired February 22, 1999

At 4:00 AM on March 28, 1979, a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear power facility near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania suddenly overheated, releasing radioactive gases.

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Rescue at Sea

Aired February 15, 1999

On January 23, 1909, two ships -- one carrying Italian immigrants to New York City, the other, American tourists to Europe -- collided in dense fog off Nantucket Island. In a moment, more than 1,500 lives became dependent on a new technology, wireless telegraphy, and on Jack Binns, a twenty-six-year-old wireless operator on board one of the ships.

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Alone on the Ice

Aired February 8, 1999 | 53 min

Admiral Richard E. Byrd became an American hero for his daring expeditions to the North and South Pole.

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Hoover Dam

Aired January 18, 1999

During the Great Depression, Americans built the Hoover Dam, overcoming technical challenges to erect one of the greatest engineering works in history.

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Race for the Superbomb

Aired January 11, 1999

At the dawn of the Cold War, the United States initiated a top secret program in New Mexico to build a weapon even more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Japan. This program aired in January, 1999.

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America 1900

Aired November 18, 1998

America 1900 presents a comprehensive picture of what life was like in the United States at the turn of the century.

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Riding the Rails

Aired May 23, 2013

At the height of the Great Depression, more than a quarter million teenagers were living on the road in America, many criss-crossing the country by illegally hopping freight trains. This film tells the story of ten of these teenage hobos — from the reasons they left home to what they experienced — all within the context of depression-era America.

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