March 20, 2018 – Library Media Blog

Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise

Offair Listings

A two-part, four-hour PBS special that looks at the last five decades of African-American history since the major civil rights victories. Join us as executive producer, presenter and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the tremendous gains and persistent challenges of these years, drawing on eyewitness accounts, scholarly analysis and rare archival footage.

The series, paints a complex and comprehensive portrait of black America since 1965, while raising urgent questions about the future of the African-American community — and our nation as a whole.

Part 1 Airs on WXXI-TV April 3, 2018 at 9:00 pm (2 hours long)
Part 2 Airs on WXXI-TV April 4, 2018 at 9:00 pm (2 hours long)

REQUEST THIS RECORDING (Please put a request for each individual part as they air on two separate nights)

Conquistidor with Michael Wood (4 of 4)

Offair Listings

In the last segment, the story shifts to the North American continent.In April 1528, 400 conquistadors, dreaming of gold, land in Florida to begin the exploration and conquest of what is now the southern United States. After terrible months of trekking northward, fighting off hostile Indians in the swamps of Florida, they build boats and try to escape to Mexico. Most are never seen again. This is the tale of four survivors shipwrecked on the shores of Texas and in particular that of Alvar Nunez many years later. Living among the Indians of the coast for five years, Cabeza de Vaca finally rejoins the three others; together they embark on an epic walk across America to the Pacific coast, reappearing in Mexico eight years after they were lost. Riding through the north Mexican desert, sleeping at prehistoric campsites and staying in caves with the Tarahumara Indians in the wild gorges by Copper Canyon, Wood travels to the Pacific along ancient Indian trails walked by the Spaniards and visits the spectacular Native- American city of Casas Grandes. Cabeza de Vaca, in a book recounting his adventures, came to identify with the Indians against his fellow Spanish and Christians. At the end of this episode, Wood considers how the message of people like Cabeza de Vaca awakened the conscience of Europe about the brutality of the conquistadors, the justice of the conquest and the rights of the native peoples of the New World.

Airs on WXXI April 3, 2018 at 2:00 am (1 hour long)
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Museum Access #105

Offair Listings

Leslie Mueller travels from the 12th century world of astronomy to the Apollo XIII launch at the Adler Planetarium. Get a look at rare artifacts from the Webster Institue for the History of Astronomy. We will also see the hands-on NASA control center, take a closer look at the actual 2 man Gemini 12 capsule and meet commander of Apollo 13 mission, Capt. James Lovell. We’ll hear about his journey from a young rocket enthusiast to NASA astronaut orbiting the moon.

Airs on WXXI-TV April 3, 2018 at 1:00 am (1/2 hour long)
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America Revealed: Nation on the Move

Offair Listings

America is a nation of vast distances and dense urban clusters, woven together by 200,000 miles of railroads, 5,000 airports and four million miles of roads. These massive, complex transportation systems combine to make Americans the most mobile people on earth. Accompany host Yul Kwon as he journeys across the continent by air, road and rail, venturing behind the scenes with the workers who get us where we need to go.

At the Federal Aviation Administration command center, listen in on a call with NASA, the secret service, the military and every major airline to learn how our national flight plan works today.Go along as he meets innovators creating ways to propel us farther and faster in years to come; in Las Vegas, he heads out into the wild night to see how transportation analysts are keeping traffic at bay by revolutionizing the use of one basic tool: the traffic light. Uncover the minor miracles and uphill battles involved in moving more than 300 million Americans every day on infrastructure built in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Airs on WXXI-TV April 3, 2018 at 3:00 am (1 hour long)
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Watch Online at PBS