By the spring and summer of 1940, the Hitler-Stalin Pact was under real strain. Go inside the strategic decision making behind Hitler's decision to break his non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union and to ignite Operation Barbarossa in a grand (and flawed) effort to invade and conquer Stalin's Russia.

First, explore the development of submarine warfare and the typical stages of a submarine encounter in the Atlantic. Then, examine how German U-boats caught the United States off guard and how British intelligence helped ships avoid German "wolf packs." Lastly, take a closer look at the strategy of the Battle of the Atlantic, where the Allied struggle was finally won.

First, learn how the Seljuk sultans created an Islamic Turkish Anatolia, which would become the heartland of future Ottoman sultans. Then, explore Seljuk developments in architecture, decorative art, and religion - including domed mosques, medresses (religious schools), and "whirling dervishes."

This powerful video features a comprehensive examination of one of the most important, yet little-understood episodes in modern history - the several months leading up to the atomic bombings of Japan, which both ended World War II and shaped the world's geo-political landscape for the next 50 years.. To compel Japan's unconditional surrender, President Truman threatened a "rain of ruin," culminating in the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.. RAIN...

Two American 101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles) medics caught in a church in Normandy, France during the opening hours of D-Day. Outside a savage battle raged all around them. The church changed hands several times with American and German forces over-running the village of Angoville-au-Plain. Inside the small church the wounded wore both Allied and Axis uniforms and civilian clothing. The American medics, Robert Wright and Kenneth Moore of the 2nd...

Directed by a former ABC network news executive producer, In My Lifetime provides a comprehensive look at the full scope and impact of the nuclear age from its beginnings to the present day, including the international efforts by citizens, scientists and political leaders to reduce or eliminate the nuclear threat.. Through archival footage and contemporary interviews, In My Lifetime portrays the history of the nuclear era and the complex search for...

Though it entered the First World War enthusiastically, the Ottoman Empire was not prepared for total war. In this lecture, focus on the empire's offensives against the Russian Caucasus Army and the Suez Canal, as well as its struggle against an impending British invasion in the Dardanelles.

Embracing the spirit of the counterculture revolution during the Summer of Love, wealthy Marin County businessman Don McCoy transforms his life from conservative entrepreneur to beneficent hippie dropout, using his family inheritance to lease Rancho Olompali, a 700-acre estate north of San Francisco, to start a commune. He invites a couple dozen like-minded friends and families to join him in his dream of creating a community where they can live without...

Shot in 1959, Michael Blackwood’s first film, Broadway Express, is a portrait of the people of New York City, as experienced in the city’s lively subways. Blackwood’s camera captures the beautiful and chaotic choreography of the commuters. Accompanied by a sparse musical score driven by punchy snare drums and rumbling piano notes that emulate the rhythmic, pacing pounding of the subway cars, this short film pulses with a frenetic energy that...

This documentary investigates what our ancient ancestors looked like and what would have happened when we met them. It turns out that what we thought we knew about them is wrong. They weren’t hunched, grunting, knuckle-dragging ape-men at all. In a reconstructed, imaginary confrontation, we discover they were faster, smarter, better looking and much more like us than we ever thought.