Featured Documentary

The Years of Steam

The Years of Steam explores the rise and fall of America’s steam trains from the glory days of the 1920s through their final twilight in the 1970s.

THE GOLDEN AGE In this chapter, we look at classic American steam trains from the 1920s through the 1940s. Journey on such historic railroads as the Central Railroad, the Reading Railroad, the Delaware and Hudson, and the Ontario and Western, exploring the legacy of the golden age of steam.

THE YEARS OF TRANSITION, PART 1 We look at steam engines in the transitional years of the 1950s as we journey on some fourteen different railroads throughout North America, including the Canadian Pacific, Pennsylvania Railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio, and the New York Central.

THE YEARS OF TRANSITION, PART 2 This section further examines the great steam trains of America during their years of transition in the 1950s. Included are some of the historic lumber trains of the far west, the iron ore trains of the Messabi Range in Minnesota, Canadian steam in western Canada, and many others.

TWILIGHT OF STEAM During the 1960s, steam trains began to disappear from the American landscape, and by the early 1970s they were virtually extinct. In this chapter, we look at the twilight of steam as the history of American steam trains comes to a close. Color/B&W. Approx run time: 4 hours 5 minutes.

 

The Battle of Gettysburg

The turning point of the American civil war! · The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-July 3, 1863), fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, marked the decisive turning point of the American Civil War. It represented the northernmost penetration of the Army of Northern Virginia and was the bloodiest battle of the war. Over 51,000 Americans died during the three-day battle, the highest American casualty count of any battle. At Gettysburg, the Union General George Meade and the Army of the Potomac decisively defeated the Confederate forces of Robert E. Lee. The battle ended Lee’s second and final invasion of the North. This is the story of that critical battle, the battle that ended the myth of Lee’s invincibility. This program, narrated by Michael Leighton, features expert analysis, magnifi cent battle re-enactments, genuine period imagery and photographs, dramatized “eyewitness” accounts, and 3-D mapping illustrations. Also features expert comment and analysis by John M. Fuss of the Gettysburg National Park. Narrated by Michael Leighton.

Approx running time: 55 min, color.

Scene Selection
Introduction · After the Battle of Brandy Station · Oak Hill · Cemetery Ridge · Little Round Top · The Battle is Lost · Fall Back to Virginia

Special Features
Test Your Knowledge · Picture Gallery · Interactive Menus

 

Space Race

In Volume 2, we start with the history of Skylab, America’s first orbiting space station; go on to the era of deep space exploration with the Mariner, Viking, and Voyager planetary probes; and culminate with the creation and successful launch of America’s space shuttle fleet. This volume also contains a special bonus episode on the official results of NASA’s inquiry into the Challenger disaster. This is the story of the Space Race—from the launch of the Soviet’s Sputnik I on October 4, 1957 to the successful completion of the first phase of the Space Shuttle program in 1983. These twenty-five years have witnessed triumph and tragedy as the Soviet Union and the United States battled for control of outer space. Based entirely on the official NASA archives and filmed in stunningly cinematic detail, this series recounts one of the most glowing achievements in the history of human exploration. Approx run time 2 hours, 38 minutes.

CHAPTERS
Years of Skylab
The Exploration of Deep Space
The Space Shuttle Takes Flight
The Challenger Disaster