History's turning points: the atomic bomb
Without doubt, the Second World War was the most momentous event in U.S. history. Few single instants have marked so great and historic watershed as 9:15 a.m., August 6, 1945. Traditional war as an instrument of international policy ended completely...
History's turning points: the battle for Canada
In the first half of the 18th century, British and French interests in North America increasingly overlapped. British war minister William Pitt ordered an invasion up the St. Lawrence. Racing winter, British forces scaled the cliffs near Quebec City...
History's turning points: the Battle of Actium
If the battle of Actium had been won by Cleopatra and Antony, there would have been no Roman Empire. Yet Octavius Caesar's victory in 31 BC created an absolute dictatorship that sparked one of the greatest imperial and cultural expansions the world ...
History's turning points: the Great Wall of China
To seal off his empire from marauders, Qin Shi Huang commanded the building of the Great Wall. Three hundred thousand were employed, and thousands, especially the scholars, died and were buried within the wall. Called "the world's longest graveyard,...
History's turning points: the conquest of the Incas
Pizarro and his band of conquistadors conquered the Inca empire, beginning the Spanish domination of South America. But the plunder had only begun. The Spaniards' diseases wiped out 90% of the Incas. History's Turning Points is a thirteen part serie...
History's turning points: the siege of Constantinople
In 1204 crusaders sacked the city, then named Constantinople. For the next thousand years, the Byzantine Kings hid safely behind the massive walls of Constantinople. Then in 1453, with the Turkish Ottoman Empire encircling the city, Sultan Mehmed br...
Space invaders: strategies for life in a crowd
In this program, the need for personal space is explored through the avoidance behaviors people employ to maintain a perceived distance from others, such as falling into a "middle-distance stare" in a crowded subway; the use of a proxy, like a jacke...
History's turning points II: the television explosion
Television exploded into a business and in one generation revolutionized our lives. David Sarnoff, a poor Russian immigrant, was the first person to recognize the financial and commercial potential for television. He had championed the radio mania o...
History's turning points II: the incredible march
In this program, Mao turns defeat into victory and Chinese communism is born. Mao Tse-tung, the leader of China's Communist First Front Army, flees the forces of his arch enemy, the Nationalist leader Chiang Kai Shek. Mao and his one hundred thousa...
History's turning points II: the Battle of Britain
In this program, the RAF defeats the Luftwaffe and democracy is saved. Britain's fighter pilots take to the skies in the summer of 1940 in order to maintain control of the English Channel and stave off Hitler's planned invasion. When German bombers...