The following is a sweeping, two-part portrait of the Rockefeller family, a name inextricably linked with immense fortune. The first part charts the ascent of John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937), who in the 1860s discovered his fortune – a meta…

The profile concludes by examining how John D. Rockefeller Jr. achieved what seemed an impossible feat: redeeming his family's reputation, according to narrator David Ogden Stiers. "Junior," who lived from 1874 to 1960, accomplished this th…

According to David McCullough, charting the life of James B. Eads (1820-1887) is akin to tracing the path of one of history's most brilliant engineering minds. Eads conceived, constructed, and funded ironclad river gunboats during the Civil…

In a firsthand account, Vietnam prisoners of war recount their hardships—often with profound emotion—complemented by archival footage from the North Vietnamese conflict. The veterans describe their mission as straightforward yet demanding. …

One can still conjure the image of stainless steel trains traversing the nation with elegance and speed – often exceeding 100 miles per hour throughout the 1930s and 1940s. These streamliners, exemplified by the Union Pacific's "Little Zeph…

Marcus Garvey (1887-1940), the fervent advocate for racial pride, envisioned an Africa governed by its own people – a vision some deemed overly ambitious. His Harlem-based United Negro Improvement Association was more than a civil rights or…

The early years of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd are recounted in this, the first of six installments charting their enduring relationship, beginning with their disparate beginnings and eventual courtship. He hailed from humble origins; she…

In 1861, the arrival of the Lincolns in Washington, D.C., was met with a degree of apprehension; the president-elect was considered inexperienced and viewed with suspicion. Meanwhile, Mary, as the daughter of a Southern slave owner, bore th…

The year 1863 witnessed a growing tide of dissent in the North regarding the Civil War. Some recoiled at the mounting death toll, while others harbored resentment toward the struggle for the liberation of enslaved people. President Abraham …

Seventeen years after the wrongful conviction of nine Black men in Alabama for the rape of two white women in 1931, their arduous fight for freedom is recounted in a compelling collection of archival stills and film clips. Historians offer …

The April of 1927 brought not only floodwaters to Greenville, Mississippi, but also a surge of racial conflict in its wake. LeRoy Percy, the town's most prominent planter, was considered a man of moderate views on race, yet he aligned himse…

This work offers a comprehensive look at Stephen Foster, the composer who embodies a distinctly American spirit. Through conversations with historian Fath Ruffins, biographer Ken Emerson, musicologists Josephine Wright and Dale Cockrell, an…