https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ – PBS’ premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA programs demystify science and technology and highlight the people involved in scientific pursuits.
Airs 12/26 at 9 p.m.
http://www.onenightinmarch.com/ – tells the story of a historic college basketball game that captured the national imagination, influenced a state and helped redefine a sport. Interviews, rare footage and archival photos transport viewers back to a tumultuous time in United States history, just as the Civil Rights movement began gaining momentum throughout the South. In the late 1950s and early ’60s, Mississippi State University’s powerhouse basketball program earned several conference titles and national rankings. Despite their success, the Bulldogs could not play in the NCAA national championship due to an unwritten rule prohibiting all- white Mississippi collegiate athletic teams from competing against integrated teams. Mississippi State’s president, its head basketball coach and their players ultimately risked their safety and their futures by defying this rule not to mention the governor and state legislature in pursuit of a national championship. This award-winning documentary recounts the 1962-1963 season and the events leading up to the team eventually playing in the tournament against the integrated Loyola University (Chicago) club. ONE NIGHT IN MARCH concludes with a return trip to Loyola, where the former players from those teams reunite and celebrate the landmark game they participated in 50 years earlier.
Airs 12/26 at 3:30 – 4 a.m.
This is the story of Rich Jordan, one of Michigan’s top high school basketball players in the 1960’s. As one of the only Jewish students hailing from the tiny town of Fennville, and with his ability to dunk a basketball despite his 5’7″ stature, Rich touched the lives of everyone he met. Fifty years after his final high school game, and with the original super 8 films depicting the games, Rich and his teammates tell his inspiring story in JordanVille.
Airs 12/26 at 3-3:30 a.m.
https://www.pbs.org/show/iconic-vision-john-parkinson-architect-los-angeles/ – The little-known story of an immigrant whose building designs came to define Los Angeles, as well as other cities across the country.
Airs 12/26 at 2-3 a.m.