Trace the history of the American whaling industry from the 17th century, through to its demise in the decades following the American Civil War. [01:20:00] (2010)

The companion site for this PBS profile surveys the life and career of the peanut-farmer-turned-president and peacemaker.

Was it murder, or was it suicide? This documentary [01:30:00] tells the story of Jonestown, The People's Temple, and the over 900 followers of Jim Jones that perished in November 1978.

As part of the American Experience film on General MacArthur, this article explains the plight of the World War I veterans who marched on Washington in 1932 to claim their war bonus--which they needed due to the Great Depression--only to be routed out of the city by the U.S. Army at the command of President Hoover.

Learn about what happened at Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Facility in March of 1979 with this PBS site. A teacher's guide is available.

This resource contains descriptive and educational links about one of our country's most beloved national monuments: Mount Rushmore. Features interesting, little-known facts about the rationale, creation, and completion of the famous "tribute to democracy." Includes a 'Teacher's Guide' for integrated lessons in civics, history, economics, and geography.

The documentary [01:30:00], My Lai, examines the massacre of the village people in the Village of My Lai, Vietnam in 1968 by a company of American Soldiers. It poses the question, "Were they "just following orders" as some later declared? Or, did they break under the pressure of a vicious war in which the line between enemy soldier and civilian had been intentionally blurred?"

This site contains articles about the people who were involved in the China-United States relations in the 70s. It has a biographical sketch on Nixon, and discusses his trip to China in 1972.

This site explores the Cold War race to develop the hydrogen bomb, a weapon that would change the world. Content details all the people who were involved in the race for the H-Bomb, as well as notable events during this time period. Information is supplemented with primary source material, descriptive maps, and a detailed timeline.

Companion website for a documentary film about the life and career of Ronald Reagan, with a virtual tour of the Reagan Presidential Museum and Library, a biographical timeline, excerpts from two biographies, a gallery of Reagan family photographs, and related resources.

Stories of homeless teenagers during the Great Depression who crisscrossed the country by illegally riding on trains. Click on the sidebar for information about the film "Riding the Rails" available from PBS, including a transcript of the film. Special features include stories of some of the "rail riders," hobo songs, and obstacles faced by African Americans. There is a timeline of the Great Depression, maps of the train routes, and a teacher's guide.

An insightful documentary [1:21:00] of the events leading up to the assassination of Martin L. King by James Earl Ray, and the escape and arrest of the killer. The turbulent political and social background of the time is made clear as is the deep reaction around America to King's murder. Can be seen as a 'cautionary tale of how the course of history can be forever altered by the actions of one individual.'

This website, designed in conjunction with the PBS film, explores the Scottsboro Boys trials. Content includes biographies, transcripts, maps, timelines, special features, and a teacher's guide.

PBS documentary about Seabiscuit, the thoroughbred that made history in Depression-era America. Includes a transcript of the movie, biographies of the many players in the Seabiscuit story, and primary source material from the time.

As part of a larger site about American railroads is this informative biography of James J. Hill, who built a rail line across the Northwest without federal assistance.

Short descriptions of important technological innovations produced in America and the date of their introduction.

From the American Experience series on PBS, this is "The Carter Family: Will the Circle Be Unbroken", a comprehensive multi-media look at the early American popular country music group.

Presents a video containing information, expert interpretation, and actual footage of the Stock Market Crash of 1929, and the effects it had on America's economy. [54:24]

PBS provides a detailed look at World War I and its affect on the world at large. Content includes comprehensive interviews with expert historians, an interactive timeline, an interactive gallery complete with detailed maps, and commentary on the overarching effects of the War on the 20th century and beyond.

This great resource from American Experience provides a vast amount of information about the ill-fated Greely Expedition to the high Arctic in 1881. You can watch the video [52:11] online, find an interactive map of the Greely Expedition's journey from Lady Franklin Bay to Cape Sabine, read primary sources which reveal cannibalism, follow a timeline of the expedition, and read biographies of some of the notable members.