Grant and Lee in War and Peace, at the New-York Historical Society, examines the lives of the generals who led a generation through the Civil War. Enter to win a pair of tickets, an exhibit catalog, and the complete DVD set of Ken Burns’ Civil War. Deadline: Nov. 30.
On this day in 1835, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, popularly known as Mark Twain, was born in Florida, Missouri. Throughout his career, Mark Twain published more than 30 books and hundreds of short stories and essays.
On November 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill officially establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. While it wasn’t until FDR’s declaration that the modern holiday was celebrated nationally, in 1789, President George Washington became the first president to proclaim a “Thanksgiving holiday”, and the tradition of celebrating the holiday on Thursday dates back even further, to the early history of the first U.S. colonies.
Experts also appraise two milestone game baseballs autographed by Milwaukee Braves legend Warren Spahn — one from Spahn’s 327th winning game, in Hour 3 of Antiques Roadshow, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Watch all appraisals from this episode. (Originally aired: 07/29/2006).
When Cooke first arrived in the U.S. in 1932, he began filming his travels. The footage offers a record of the unseen life behind Cooke’s polished words. This special chronicles Cooke’s decades in America, Hollywood friendships, journalism career and years as Masterpiece’s host. Watch it online for a limited time.
It revolutionized media forever…Edison first announced he’d found a way to capture and play back sound on Nov. 21, 1877. His first piece was, of course, the famous recitation of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’. Download mp3s of the earliest recordings and more on PBS sites…
NOVA takes viewers on a fascinating scientific journey that began 3,000 years ago. The 2-hour film presents the latest archeological scholarship from the Holy Land to explore the beginnings of modern religion and the origins of the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament. Watch now.
When is it right to kill? In the midst of war, is it right to refuse? Eight U.S. soldiers, some whom have killed and some who have said no, reveal their inner moral dilemmas. You can watch the film online on P.O.V. until November 30th. The film runs 90 minutes.
On Nov. 19, 1863, at a ceremony opening a national cemetery, President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. While Lincoln’s address lasted just two or three minutes, it is perhaps one of the most memorable speeches in American history. Read more…
Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell took a wild idea – retrace Marco Polo’s entire 25,000-mile, land-and-sea route from Venice to China and back – and spent two incredible years of their lives filming the trip. Watch full documentary. (airs on Thirteen on Dec. 10, 2008 at 8:00 pm).
