The Bronx Zoo

Description

From the Bowery Boys website:

"New York City's most exotic residents inhabit hundreds of leafy acres in the Bronx at the once-named New York Zoological Park. Sculpted out of the former DeLancey family estate and tucked next to the Bronx River, the Bronx Zoo houses hundreds of different species from across the globe, many endangered and quite foreign to most American zoos. The well meaning attempts of its founders, however, have sometimes been mired in controversy. The highlight of the show—and the institution's lowest moment—is the sad tale of Ota Benga, the pygmy once put on display at the zoo in 1906!

ALSO: We take you on a tour of the zoo grounds, unfurling over 110 years of historical trivia, from the ancient Rocking Stone to the tale of Gunda, the Indian elephant who may also have been a poet."

Madison Square Garden

Description

From the Bowery Boys website:

"Madison Square Garden is certainly the recognizable name in arena entertaining, hosting sports, concerts, even political conventions. But it adopted that reputation from three other buildings which also called themselves 'Madison Square Garden'.

The first, inspired by P.T Barnum and a popular bandleader, staked its claim in the hottest area of New York in the 1870s. The second, a classic designed by the city's most famous architect, featured both trendy new sports and high society events. The third Garden, moving up town, stripped off the glamour and helped make the Garden's sporting reputation.

We'll also tell you about the most famous event to ever happen in any Madison Square Garden -- a shocking and brutal murder which led to the 'trial of the century'."

New York City Hall

Description

From the Bowery Boys website:

"New York City Hall sits majestically inside a nostalgic, well-manicured park, topped with a beautiful old fountain straight out of gaslight-era New York. But its serenity belies the frantic pace of government inside City Hall walls, and disguises a tumultuous, vibrant history. There have actually been two other city halls -- one an actual tavern, the other a temporary seat of national government -- and the one we're familiar with today is a little less than 200 years old. Join us as we explore the unusual history of this building, through ill-executed fireworks, disgruntled architects, and its near-destruction -- to be saved only by a man named Grosvenor Atterbury. PLUS: We look at the park area itself, a common land that once catered to livestock, British soldiers, almshouses and a big, garish post office."

The Final Solution

Description

This animated presentation from The Map as History follows the escalation of Germany's persecution and execution of Jews during World War II as it spread across Germany's European conquests. The locations of each ghetto, prison and execution camp, and deportation route are marked as they are discussed.

American Experience: The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer

Description

From PBS:

J. Robert Oppenheimer's life and legacy are inextricably linked to America's most famous top-secret initiative—the Manhattan Project. But after World War II, this brilliant and intense scientist fell from the innermost circles of American science, and at the height of the Red Scare, the veil of suspicion fell over Oppenheimer. This biography presents a complex and revealing portrait of one of America's most influential scientists.

American Experience: The Living Weapon

Description

From PBS:

Soon after the United States entered World War II, President Roosevelt received information that Germany and Japan were developing biological weapons. In response, the U.S. and its allies rushed to develop their own germ warfare program, enlisting some of America's most promising scientists in the effort. This American Experience program examines the race to develop biological weapons in the 40s and 50s, and the challenges and moral dilemmas the scientists faced.

American Experience: The Crash of 1929

Description

From PBS:

In 1929 there were few critics of the stock market; it seemed to rise without limits. In fact, presidents and economists alike confidently predicted that America would soon enter a "New Era" when everyone could be rich. But when reality finally struck, the consequences of such unbound optimism shocked the world.

This American Experience documentary looks at the stock market crash of 1929 and its repercussions.

American Experience: Hoover Dam

Description

From PBS:

An ambitious engineer turned a ragtag army of unemployed into a celebrated work force to create the Hoover Dam, a colossus rising 700 feet above the Colorado River that became a beacon of hope in dire times, bringing electricity and water to millions in the U.S. west.

This American Experience documentary traces the creation of the Hoover Dam, located between Arizona and Nevada.