Also on January 10,
The Real West: The Coming of the Iron Horse
Examines how the building of the railroad changed the frontier. Fortunes were won and lost, entire towns sprung up and disappeared, and legends were made as the old frontier gradually faded away. [TV G]

Special: February 5, "Avalanches: White Walls of Death" (the Wellington Train Disaster)
A look at the terror of high, frozen places, at sudden deaths and hairbreadth rescues from avalanches. For the first time on TV, the granddaddy of them all, the 1910 Wellington Train Disaster is shown. In that tragic event, an avalanche swept two trains off the side of a pass in the Cascade Mountains killing 96.

Also on March 20, Field Trips USA, The Southwest
Our traveling historical field trip covers the Old West, and visits a landmark that traveled from England! We visit: Casa Grande Ruins, Arizona; Stein's Railroad Ghost Town, New Mexico; Fort Concho, Texas; the London Bridge, Arizona; the George Washington Carver Museum, Texas; and The Heard Museum, Arizona.

Friday, March 24, Field Trips USA, The South
A spicy southern jaunt on our traveling historical field trip visits: South Carolina's State House; Ft. St. Jean Baptist in Natchitoches, Louisiana; Nashville's Parthenon; Greenville Cultural Exchange Center in South Carolina;
Savannah Historic Railroad in Georgia; Arkansas' Hot Springs National Park; and W.C. Handy Home in Tennessee.

Saturday, March 25, "History Showcase" A Visit to Dreamsville/The Tecumseh Experience
Two views of Ohio are presented by the Dennison Railroad Museum and the Scioto Society of Chillicothe.

The Coming of the Iron Horse repeated

Sunday, April 9, The History Channel Traveler
All Aboard: A Visit to the National Railroad Museum/The Hixon House: A Step Back in Time. Historic videos from Forrest Video in Green Bay and the University of La Crosse in Wisconsin. [TV G]

Thursday, April 13, The Real West: Notorious Robberies
A look at how the men who robbed stagecoaches, trains, and banks planned and pulled off their crimes. [TV G]

Wednesday, April 19, Field Trips U.S.A: Settlement & Expansion
Our historical field trip tracks U.S. expansion from the Pilgrims' landing to wagon trains crossing from east to west. We'll visit: Pilgrim Hall Museum in Massachusetts; Fort Snelling in Minnesota; Yuma Crossing Museum in Arizona; Rocky Mount Museum in Tennessee; and Horseshoe Bend Military Park in Alabama. [TV G]

Are We There Yet? America on Vacation, June 10
"Are we there yet?" Who hasn't asked that at least once? In a 2-hour survey of the American family vacation, we resurrect some of life's more memorable moments, while looking through a viewfinder at a little-studied aspect of our history--the serious business of having fun!
Matthew Broderick narrates our look at life's lighter side. (cc)

The Real West, June 16, The Coming of the Iron Horse repeated

The Real West, June 19, Empire Builders
"Story of how four obscure men--Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins--found fame and fortune as railroad builders."

The Real West, June 20, Great Cheyenne Nations: Most Feared of All
The Cheyenne Nations' warriors were the most feared American Indians of the 19th century. Split apart by both the fur traders' desire for buffalo hide and the white settlers' westward expansion along the Oregon Trail, their life quickly turned into a perpetual fight for survival."

The Rockies part 4, June 22, Taming the Mountains
"In the final episode, Peter Fonda relates daunting tales of man vs. mountain, including: the building of the scenic Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad; the engineering battle that sired America's most breathtaking highway; and the training of WWII's 10th Mountain Division, created to fight Germany for control of the Alps
The Real West, July 24, The Dalton Gang
The saga of the notorious Dalton boys, who served as lawmen before becoming train robbers. Includes the tale of their violent deaths in 1892--they went down while attempting to rob two banks in the same day.

Great Inventions, August 07
Join us for a survey of the world's greatest inventions in which we examine the wheel, steam engine, railroad, automobile, airplane, printing press, electric light, wireless telegraph, telephone, TV, and computer. Then, travel back in time to the labs, candle-lit offices, and garages to see how these marvels were created.

Field Trips USA
Settlement & Expansion.
Our historical field trip tracks U.S. expansion from the Pilgrims' landing to wagon trains crossing from east to west. We'll visit: Pilgrim Hall Museum in Massachusetts; Fort Snelling in Minnesota; Yuma Crossing Museum in Arizona; Rocky Mount Museum in Tennessee; and Horseshoe Bend Military Park in Alabama

Friday, August 18
History's Crimes and Trials: Body in the Trunk Murders
In a nod to our British cousins, we investigate three true stories of brutal murders that occurred in the 1920s and '30s. In each case, railway personnel opened foul-smelling, unclaimed baggage, and found the remains of females inside. The murders led to an execution, a late confession, and one continuing mystery

The Real West, August 21, The Coming of the Iron Horse repeated

Field Trips USA, August 29, The Southwest repeated

The Real West
Friday, September 1, Empire Builders repeated

Field Trips USA, Monday, September 4, The South repeated

The Wrath of God, Thursday, September 20, 21 & 23
Avalanches: White Walls of Death (see Feb. 5 description)
History's Crimes and Trials
Wednesday, September 27 12:30 PM-1:00 PM, The Great Train Robbery
A look back at one of the largest train robberies ever--the ambush of a mail train in England in 1963, which netted the daring robbers more than one million pounds. Repeated @ 5:30 PM

Field Trips USA
Thursday, September 28 7:00 AM-7:30 AM, Settlement & Expansion
Our historical field trip tracks U.S. expansion from the Pilgrims' landing to wagon trains crossing from east to west. We'll visit: Pilgrim Hall Museum in Massachusetts; Fort Snelling in Minnesota; Yuma Crossing Museum in Arizona; Rocky Mount Museum in Tennessee; and Horseshoe Bend Military Park in Alabama.

The Real West
Thursday, September 28 9:00 AM-10:00 AM, Notorious Robberies
A look at how the men who robbed stagecoaches, trains, and banks planned and pulled off their crimes.

Great Inventions
Sunday, October 1, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Join us for a survey of the world's greatest inventions in which we examine the wheel, steam engine, railroad, automobile, airplane, printing press, electric light, wireless telegraph, telephone, TV, and computer. Then, travel back in time to the labs, candle-lit offices, and garages to see how these marvels were created.

True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai
Saturday, October 14, 9:00 PM-11:00 PM
The film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" dramatized the WWII story of the Thailand-Burma Railway, yet it was largely fictional. Over 65,000 Allied P.O.W.s battled torture, starvation, and disease to hack the 255-mile railway out of harsh jungle for the Japanese. Finishing in only 14 months, many never returned from The Railway of Death.

The Real West
November 14, 7:00-8:00 AM, The Coming of the Iron Horse
Examines how the building of the railroad changed the frontier. Fortunes were won and lost, entire towns sprung up and disappeared, and legends were made as the old frontier gradually faded away

History Channel International Preview
Saturday, November 25, 10:00-10:30 PM
How Did They Build That: Underground Spaces
British engineer Scott Steedman slips underground to explore how spaces can be created beneath our feet. He drops down the Boulby potash mine in England, reputedly the deepest in Europe, to watch tunneling in action. In Norway, Scott visits the Gjovik Mountain Hall, the largest rock cavern in public use, which was used during the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. And, in London, he visits the site of one of Europe's most challenging engineering projects--the new underground railway station in Westminster. Repeated Sunday, November 26, 2:00 AM

The Real West
Wednesday, November 29, 7:00-8:00 AM
Empire Builders
Story of how four obscure men--Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins--found fame and fortune as railroad builders in California.

Thursday, November 30, 6:00-7:00 AM
The Mighty Mississippi: America's River
Rapid changes after the Civil War continued as the South went through Reconstruction. As freed slaves fled to the industrialized North, the river's banks gave birth to the blues. Propeller-driven craft and improved railways signaled a new age. Then, a Depression-era flood led the government to try to tame the mighty Father of Waters (Shown without commercials).

Civil War Journal "Trains at War"
Thursday, March 29, 2000
Trains...both sides needed them, but it was the Union who had the know-how and equipment to make use of this invaluable tool.

"The Most" on Friday, April 13, 9:00 PM
Speed/Destructive Innovations/Symbols/Subterranean
On our list of "mosts" this week are: "speed" (fastest human--Joe Kittinger, fastest winged aircraft--X-15, fastest trains--Japan's Bullet and France's TGV); "destructive innovations" (the crossbow, the Gatling machine gun, Alfred Nobel and dynamite); "symbols" (the Swastika, the Cross, the Scarab); "subterranean" (Vietnam's Cu Chi Tunnels, Moscow's Underground Palace subway, NORAD); and "The Most Moment", the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. Repeated Saturday, April 14 @ 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM

Secrets of World War II
Saturday, May 05 10:00-11:00 AM - Nazi Plunder
The story of the secret regiments, special trains, and top secret hiding places the Nazis set up to loot and conceal millions of dollars worth of paintings, antiques, and other art work stolen from Jewish victims, as well as from museums and stately homes across Europe.

Civil War Journal
Tuesday, May 15 8:00-9:00 AM - Trains at War
Trains...both sides needed them, but it was the Union who had the know-how and equipment to make use of this invaluable tool.

War Trains
Thursday, May 17 10:00-11:00 PM
Examines how the great 19th-century peacetime invention developed into a powerful war machine, forever altering how, when, where, and why battles were fought. Also looks at the brave men and women who kept the military Iron Horses running, often at their own peril. Repeated Friday, May 18 2:00 AM

Classroom (no ads)
Thursday, May 24 6:00-7:00 AM, The Mighty Mississippi: America's River
Rapid changes after the Civil War continued as the South went through Reconstruction. As freed slaves fled to the industrialized North, the river's banks gave birth to the blues. Propeller-driven craft and improved railways signaled a new age. Then, a Depression-era flood led the government to try to tame the mighty Father of Waters.

History's Crimes and Trials
Wednesday, June 6, 12:30-1:00 PM "Body in the Trunk Murders"
In a nod to our British cousins, we investigate three true stories of brutal murders that occurred in the 1920s and '30s. In each case, railway personnel opened foul-smelling, unclaimed baggage, and found the remains of females inside. The murders led to an execution, a late confession, and one continuing mystery. TV PG, repeated at 5:30 PM-6:00 PM

Classroom (no ads), Thursday, June 7, 6:00-7:00 AM
The Rockies: Taming the Mountains
In the final episode, Peter Fonda relates daunting tales of man against mountain, including: the building of the scenic Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad; the engineering battle that sired America's most breathtaking highway; and the training of WWII's 10th Mountain Division, created to fight Germany for control of the Alps. TV G

History's Lost & Found
Thursday, June 7, 1:30-2:00 PM
Elvis Letter to Nixon; Man-Eating Lions of Tsavo
In this half-hour version of our historical scavenger hunt we locate: Elvis Presley's 5-page letter to Richard Nixon volunteering to fight in the war against drugs; the life-like mounts of two male lions who killed and ate nearly 130 workers during construction of the Uganda Railway in 1898; and Madame Mary Ann Hall's classy brothel that catered to the rich and powerful in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War. TV G, repeated at 6:30 PM

Modern Marvels: Then and Now - Transcontinental Railroads
September 29, 5:00 PM
With California finally part of the United States, two rail companies raced to connect the monied East and the promising West. Along the way, fortunes would be made, lives lost, and adversity overcome. This is the story of the largest, most expensive challenge of the 19th century. TV G

Modern Marvels: Then and Now - The Maginot Line
Saturday, October 6, 5:00-6:00 PM
The Maginot Line, a defensive string of forts with enfilading firepower, was built by France between WWI and WWII. Conceived by Minister of War Andre Maginot, it was meant to forestall another German invasion until troops could arrive. But the French began to think of the line as a substitute for manpower. When Belgium declared neutrality and exposed France's flank, Germany was able to sidestep the line. We'll visit the "impregnable" line's forts, observation turrets, and underground railroads.

Time Machine: True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai
Saturday, October 6, 8:00-10:00 PM
The film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" dramatized the WWII story of the Thailand-Burma Railway, yet it was largely fictional. Over 65,000 Allied POWs battled torture, starvation, and disease to hack the 255-mile railway out of harsh jungle for the Japanese. Finishing in only 14 months, many never returned from The Railway of Death. Repeated Sunday, October 7 @ Midnight, and Saturday, October 13 @ 1:00 PM

Save Our History - The Underground Railroad, Pt. 1
Friday, October 12, 7:00-8:00 AM
"So many slaves escaped into freedom along a route that could not be ascertained that the slave owners said there must be an underground railroad under the Ohio River and on to the North." Abolitionist William Cockrum, 1854. Join descendants and scholars as we tell the story of America's first civil rights movement.

Save Our History - The Underground Railroad, Pt. 2
Friday, October 19, 7:00-8:00 AM
The Underground Railroad was neither, in fact. Nor was it a centralized national organization. Instead, it is the symbolic name for the century-long struggle of slaves making the dangerous journey out of bondage, and a secret network of free blacks and whites of conscience that offered solace against the slave-holding South.

Classroom (no ads) The Great Depression: The Great Shake Up
Monday, October 22, 6:00-7:00 AM
When the market crashed and banks failed, hard times hit America, making us all poor immigrants starting over with only a dream. Some grew rootless like James Michener, riding the rails; some escaped in a quirky pastime, Marathon Dancing. The nation turned to FDR for a paycheck, but at a price. Mario Cuomo hosts this in-depth look. Rated PG

History's Lost & Found
Thursday, October 25, 7:00-8:00 AM
Letters of Mary Todd Lincoln; Ben Franklin's Armonica; Jayne Mansfield's Death Car (#118)
This week we search down: an entire museum in a box in Canaan, Maine; six startling letters from Mary Todd Lincoln's "lost years" that shed light on her alleged insanity; the first travel-trailer; a musical instrument invented by Ben Franklin; the Memphis Belle; and Jayne Mansfield's death car.