John Wayne was 62 years old when he tried to portray a fit Vietnam War Green Beret colonel, but the obvious age gap isn't the only head scratcher in this film. Released in 1968, the film was Lyndon B. Johnson-approved attempt to shift American...
Jan 27
How Soccer Created African and Latin American Nations
National pride often comes from shared heritage—like a common language or ethnic background. Religious Nationalism can be seen in historical Russia, where being part of the Orthodox Church was considered key to being Russian, even if you spoke a different language, whereas Ethnic ... Show More
46m 32s
Jan 22
The Sawmill – Along With Gunpowder and the Printing Press – Created the Modern World
The wind-powered sawmill was invented around 1592 in the Netherlands, immediately transforming the nature of labor and industry. This mechanical marvel replaced slow, muscle-powered sawyers, allowing timber to be cut for shipbuilding and construction up to 30 times faster than ma ... Show More
34m 13s
Aug 2020
Legacies of Vietnam
<p>Today, Alec speaks with two colleagues he’s known for a long time, Brian Delate and Dick Hughes -- both actors whose lives were touched by the Vietnam War. Delate, Alec’s first guest, served in Vietnam after high school. He has performed on stage, in movies and on TV, and he’s ... Show More
47m 24s
Jan 2022
Declaring War on Poverty (Replay)
History repeats itself this week with an episode from the HISTORY This Week archives: January 8, 1964. In his State of the Union address, Lyndon Johnson unveils his War on Poverty, an effort to tackle subpar living conditions and create jobs across the United States. Johnson disc ... Show More
36m 52s
May 2021
John McCain: Prisoner of War | Interview with Doug McCain and Everett Alvarez | 5
<p>John McCain was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years. John's son, Doug McCain, and the longest-held prisoner of war in Hanoi Hilton, Everett Alvarez, discuss the Vietnam War's effects on their lives and those they loved. </p><p>For more reading, we ... Show More
43m 53s
<p>The vast ambition of Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's PBS documentary <em>The Vietnam War</em> has precedents, but most of them are other Burns and Novick documentaries. The two directors' collaborations -- including 1994's <em>Baseball</em> and 2007's <em>The War</em>, about WW2 - ... Show More