Documentary / Biography

The life-or-death situations where an armed assailant is holding innocent people hostage are among the most difficult in all of law enforcement. THE HOSTAGE TAKERS focuses on several prominent cases, revealing the unique forces involved. From the Hanafi siege of three Washington D.C. buildings...

A delightful visit to the grand palaces of cinema built to showcase the first of the great motion pictures. Includes New York City's legendary New Amsterdam Theater and Hollywood's famous Chinese Theater.

They are masterpieces of Old World craftsmanship transplanted to American soil. With sweeping buttresses, soaring towers and exquisite details, they stand as testaments to faith and to the skill of the hands that built them. This special AMERICA'S CASTLES visits three of the most...

His name adorns everything from underwear to perfume. His stylish designs and business acumen built a fashion empire. When Brooke Shields went on national TV and cooed "nothing comes between me and my Calvins," a young designer from New York became a fashion icon....

She found love and riches in the Gold Rush, and international fame for her courage during the Titanic disaster. Molly Brown lived a storybook life. Born to a large, poor family in Missouri, she traveled west with her brother at 19 and soon struck...

For years, the brain was terra incognito for surgeons, but recent advances have made it possible to correct many brain disorders through surgery. THE STORM WITHIN ventures inside the operating theater where pediatric surgeon Dr. Ben Carson corrects a rare brain disease that causes...

In this hour, we examine a massive oil tanker explosion that killed nine; a subway tunnel cave-in that swallowed part of Hollywood Boulevard; a freighter plane crash that destroyed an 11-story apartment building; an historic molasses flash flood; and a freeway ramp collapse that...

Some of the most exciting tales of human determination and survival can be found in the chronicles of shipwrecks. Hold your breath and go below the watery surface to view some of the historic shipwrecks that scatter California's coastline, many of which have created...

Sought by Western intelligence for over 20 years, his name was synonymous with political terrorism in the 1970s. Mastermind behind the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, his most infamous feat was the 1975 kidnapping of 11 OPEC ministers meeting...

Join us on an out-of-this-world exploration of the history of long-duration life in space--from the first Soviet station to Skylab to Mir to the International Space Station. Experience what it is like to live in space, as well as the monumental obstacles engineers and...

A brief montage comprised of archive news film and still photographs highlighting the many dramatic assassinations and political murders which left a deep impact upon this century. Included are the murders which were allegedly committed by the avowed anarchists, Sacco and Vanzetti. The political...

Reveals exciting and controversial military campaigns that have all but faded from American history--a showdown with Britain that began over a pig; a war in Korea fought in 1871, not 1950; and a U.S. citizen's attempt to seize control of Nicaragua! Covers little-known invasions...

In World War I, soldiers huddled in their trenches as primitive but deadly mortar shells rained on them from above. In World War II, Londoners lived in fear of the Nazi "buzzbombs" and, later, the dreaded V-2. In the Gulf War, precision-guided "smart" bombs...

Only the Model T and the VW Beetle remained as true to their original design as the Morgan. Originally designed in the fifties, but with roots going back still farther, the Morgan is an anachronism that nevertheless enjoys astonishing success today. Simple and sporty,...

When Hawaii police officer Kenneth Mathison is suspected of killing his wife, authorities let him off with only a slap on the wrist. But after outraged citizens demand a thorough investigation, Mathison ends up facing kidnapping and murder charges.

He made the find of the 20th century and discovered the most spectacular treasure the world had ever seen. For over 30 years, Howard Carter searched the Egyptian desert, seeking the ultimate prize. Then, in November 1922, with his money, luck, and time running...

The Pioneers. A look at the homes of the men who helped turn sleepy villages into bustling towns. Includes Brigham Young's "Beehive House,"; Harvey Vaile's mansion in Independence, Missouri; and Charles Conrad's mansion in the Rocky Mountains of Montana.

<html>They are massive estates dedicated to the pursuit of a pastime that, for many, symbolizes the high life. In this private tour, AMERICA'S CASTLES visits three of the nation's most exquisite and important equestrian centers. Designed by noted Washington, D.C. architect Benjamin Henry...

To many people it is a disgrace to justice. Others say that anything that might help break a case is justified. More and more police departments occasionally turn to psychics for assistance on cases that have gone cold. But is there any real evidence...

On December 17, 1944, at the height of the Battle of the Bulge, 115 American POWs were shot down senselessly by a Nazi tank detachment. It was one of the most blatant and brutal of all Nazi war crimes. OUR CENTURY takes a hard...

Perhaps one of the greatest expressions of weapons, naval guns first encouraged nations to develop the concept of "sea power". From sail, to steam, to steel, the warships of the world exist for one purpose--to overpower the enemy at sea. Step aboard as we...

In the jungles of Vietnam, soldiers decorated palm trees and gave makeshift gifts to comrades. In the bitter chill of Valley Forge, Washington's men wrote longing letters home to family and loved ones who prayed for their safe return. In the blistering sands of...

The young, mystical Sioux leader Crazy Horse (Tasunka Witko) personifies Native-American resistance to white advancement westward. His leadership in the 1876 defeat of Custer's 7th Cavalry at Little Big Horn made him the most famous Indian warrior in America. Ironically, Crazy Horse is a...

In Milwaukee, 104 died after drinking contaminated tap water. At Texas A&M, a tradition turned tragic when a pile of bonfire logs collapsed onto its builders. Thousands of U.S. soldiers expired in known WWII deathtraps--Sherman Tanks. In 1973, 14 men working on a 26-story...

He was the last Japanese ruler to uphold the Shinto idea of imperial divinity. His rule saw his nation transformed from an ancient society to a modern powerhouse and ravaged by war. Emperor Hirohito ruled for over 60 years. He led his nation into...

For 24 years, he ruled his country with an iron hand. But the waves of freedom that swept Europe in 1989 cost him his life. Nicolae Ceausescu will be remembered as much for his sudden death as his long tenure as dictator of Rumania....

Their Italian ancestors crushed grapes with their toes to make wine for the family. 100 years later, two brothers ran the largest winery in the world.Earnest and Julio Gallo are the best-known and most successful vintners in America. But the masters of the worldwide...

One of the holiest sites of ancient Greece, Delphi was the pre-eminent shrine of Apollo. Cradled by Mount Parnassos and a valley of olive groves, it was also sacred to Dionysus, who was supposedly buried there. But Delphi is chiefly known for its legendary...

Many Americans hold the misguided idea that the AIDS crisis has largely passed, that the disease is now manageable and a cure is coming. Unfortunately, it is just this belief that is fueling a new wave of cases as the epidemic spreads. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS...

A look at the growing debate over whether parole boards are too quick to release dangerous criminals. Features the cases of a parolee who raped and killed a coed and an ex-inmate who was released "cold turkey" because of prison overcrowding and then murdered...

No one would have believed that the tinkering of a plumber would turn into the foundation of the world's largest corporation. But it did. David Dunbar Buick invented a process to adhere porcelain to tubs and other bathroom fixtures. But the Scottish immigrant dreamed...

Success was anything but assured. In fact, before the invasion even began, Dwight Eisenhower had already penned this message to the Allied leaders: "Our landings have failed and I have withdrawn the troops." It was never sent. The D-Day landings signaled the beginning of...

The once majestic SS Marine Electric lies 134 feet beneath the Atlantic off New Jersey's coast. While hauling coal on the night of February 12, 1983, she suddenly capsized and sank in a savage winter storm. With no time to launch lifeboats, 34 men...

Some of the most horrific killers of all are found not guilty. They are the criminally insane, driven to commit crimes by psychoses and obsessions beyond their control. Instead of prison, they are committed to mental hospitals for treatment and some are eventually released....

Join us for an explosive hour as we see why Alfred Nobel's invention of dynamite took on earth-shattering dimensions as his product blasted out the natural resources that have built our modern world. We also examine its impact on construction of the roads, tunnels,...

Ancient wonders like Stonehenge, Easter Island, Machu Picchu, Chaco Canyon, Jerusalem and the Pyramids still inspire awe. When they were constructed centuries ago, the world was a mysterious and magical place. It was a world that merged new religious beliefs with the cycles of...

They were trained in specialized combat and sent on the most dangerous missions. They paved the way for some of the most dramatic German victories of World War II and introduced new tactics, strategies and even whole new ways of warfare to the world....

Everything about the job is dangerous. The mines can cave in. Poisonous gasses can leech from the rock and suffocate miners, or ignite in horrific explosions. Deep beneath the earth, coal miners risk their lives to extract the fuel that powers the industrial colossus...

When opened on October 25, 1931, the George Washington Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Today, standing as a main traffic artery between Manhattan and New Jersey, the bridge referred to by locals as the "GW", is the busiest in the...

In the eyes of a pimp, nothing is more valuable than a teenager - the younger, the better. INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS: CHILD SEX TRADE reports that each year more than 300,000 kids are bought, sold, exploited and enslaved by child sex rings from California to...

On Friday, November 13, 1942 a Japanese torpedo struck the cruiser, USS JUNEAU at Guadalcanal in the Pacific. On board the ship were perhaps the most famous sailors in the Navy: the five Sullivan brothers who came to personify America's commitment to winning the...

When the legendary American commanders of World War II are listed, his name rarely comes up. But his accomplishments are second to none--he spearheaded the Navy's push across the Pacific Ocean, leading the campaigns at Iwo Jima, Okinawa and in the Gilbert and Marshall...

Su nombre pertenece al dios Azteca de la guerra. Su historia esta escrita en la sangre de la conquista. Mijico se encuentra conflictmvamente entre el viejo y nuevo mundo. De las ruinas de Teotihuacan que besan el cielo hasta el castico corazsn de la...

Brittany was born five years after the brutal rape and murder of her 9-year-old sister, Terry. Brittany struggled with the pressure to live up to her mother's perfect image of Terry. At 12, Brittany was molested, and she began taking drugs and sneaking out...

Dan, 40, lives on a stunning Hawaiian Island. He is the proud father of a beautiful baby girl Ava, and has a loving, devoted wife Sarah. He is a sensitive, insightful man who writes poetry, loves music, and works on a whale watching boat....

As a former clean-cut track star, John's life used to revolve around athletics. Now, after a leg injury ended his running career, John spends his time abusing his body with alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy and hallucinogenic drugs. He believes he is living a charmed life...

DENISE - Denise McLain was a Dollar Store Manager in Jacksonville Carolina, who had to fight for her life with two knife-wielding robbers in a store hold-up. She was stabbed dozens of times, and had her wrist slashed as they stole money and forced...

Britain's most notorious gangsters of all time were East-end duo, identical twin brothers Ronnie and Reggie Kray. They went from rags to riches and became legends in their own time. But the two brothers' lives were tragically intertwined. Throughout the Swinging Sixties, the Kray...

When a crew of international terrorists hijack a commercial airliner and intentionally plunge it into the Pacific Ocean, passengers are forced to struggle to survive. On board is a computer micro-board that controls the National Defense satellite Nova One, capable of launching nuclear weapons...

The "red-rose" city of Petra stands as one of the most glorious and mysterious archaeological sites on earth. Created over 2,500 years ago, the ornate Petra cityscape was literally carved into the rose-colored walls of Jordan's Shara Mountains. The builders of Petra, the Nabataeans,...