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Private Notes
When the eruption of Mount Vesuvius buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 A.D., it not only froze an ancient civilization, it also preserved the only surviving library from antiquity. For 250 years, scholars have struggled to unroll and read this collection of 1,800 carbonized and crumbling papyrus rolls found in the wealthy Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum.
In the 21st century, promising new technologies--enlisted by the National Library in Naples and Brigham Young University--reveal text that has not been seen for nearly 2,000 years.
As archaeologists examine the partially excavated Villa of the Papyri, a new question emerges: Is there another ancient library still buried at Herculaneum?
For more than 150 years, Fort Niagara protected the strategic point at the mouth of the Niagara River in Youngstown, New York. Four nations struggled to conquer it and thus control that critical water artery. Fort Niagara: The Struggle for a Continent explores the story of the longstanding national landmark. Through rare archival materials, expert commentaries, high-definition videography and re-enactments, viewers can experience the history of Fort Niagara from its beginning through modern times.
An account of the day-to-day explorations and activities of Richard Proenneke, who built a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness and stayed to become part of the country.
1421: The Year China Discovered America? examines the theories outlined by Gavin Menzies in his book "1421: The Year China Discovered the World," which has become a best-seller in the United Kingdom and was released in the United States earlier this week. Mr. Menzies, a British amateur historian and former submarine commander in the Royal Navy, poses an argument that could change the way we perceive global history forever -- that Chinese admirals discovered America and Chinese junks first circled the earth. Travelling across the continents, the film will combine history, science and technology with adventure and exploration, taking viewers on their own voyage of discovery. Note: The original production title was "1421: WHEN CHINA DISCOVERED THE WORLD"
Commemorating the return of the 2004 Summer Olympics to its place of origin in Athens, THE REAL OLYMPICS tells the true story of the original games, comparing the Ancient Greek Olympics to the modern games of today. The series examines the ideals, the events themselves, the stories of the athletes and the politics and financial considerations that were as much a part of the Olympics 2000 years ago as they are now. Appealing to sports fans as well as historians, the series juxtaposes contemporary footage with recreations of the early competitions in all their beauty and occasional savagery.
Examine the past, present and future of the fastest-growing form of entertainment in history, one that brings in billions more dollars each year than the movies. More than half of America plays games regularly, and the average gamer is now thirty years old. Yet Americans who don't play games hardly know they exist. This program features interviews with most of the important designers of games today, including the guys and gals who invented The Sims, Civilization, Dungeon Siege, Pong, Ratchet & Clank, Donkey Kong, Nancy Drew and many others.
Looking back over 40 years television and print journalists recall their stories and memories of reporting the murder of President Kennedy and how it changed the country and changed the way the public gets it's news.
The story of Jewish life in Eastern Europe brought to life by some of the last remaining eyewitnesses. Accompanied by archival films, vintage photographs and traditional cantorial music, the film takes a realistic and enlightening look at this unique and all but vanished way of life. Rural communities often had no running water or electricity. Anti-Semitism was a part of daily life. Crowded conditions and poverty seemed to prevail but through the eyes of the individuals interviewed, Jewish communities were close-knit and often joyous places to live.
A travelogue featuring oddly-shaped buildings (and the folks who live in, work in, own and admire them) located along USA highways.
Consider the Big Duck on Long Island, a duck-shaped structure built in 1930 as a place to sell duck eggs.
Look at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, a civic center decorated every year in massive mosaic murals made of corn.
Stop for lunch at Mammy's Cupboard in Natchez, Mississippi, where you can eat inside the "skirt" of a building, erected in 1940 to attract tourist business to a gas station, in the shape of an African-American mammy.
Fill your prescriptions at Bondurants' Pharmacy in Lexington, Kentucky, a drug store in the shape of a giant mortar and pestle.
Some of the places are icons of American highway history, like the motel rooms in the shape of teepees (there are still three sets of them left in America), while others are new additions to the world of strange structures, like the building in the shape of an upside down building called WonderWorks along International Drive in Orlando, Florida.
Commemorating the return of the 2004 Summer Olympics to its place of origin in Athens, THE REAL OLYMPICS tells the true story of the original games, comparing the Ancient Greek Olympics to the modern games of today. The series examines the ideals, the events themselves, the stories of the athletes and the politics and financial considerations that were as much a part of the Olympics 2000 years ago as they are now. Appealing to sports fans as well as historians, the series juxtaposes contemporary footage with recreations of the early competitions in all their beauty and occasional savagery.
