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- The newly elected president, Abraham Lincoln, and his family are leaving their hometown for the journey to Washington. He bids his friends and neighbors farewell. In their life together we can see that Lincoln gains strength from his family, especially from his sons Tad and Willie. Abraham Lincoln needs all the strength he can find. His great cause-the American Union-is split asunder by civil war. But Mr. Lincoln is no ordinary man. With complete dedication to his cause, he leads his nation through its darkest hour, finding strength and solace where he can. His son Willie reads a poem to the President's cabinet, a poem in honor of a soldier who has died for the Union cause. It is clear that the poem is a reflection of his father's own deep commitment to preserving the Union. Abraham Lincoln struggles with the idea of abolishing slavery. His advisors ask, "How can you fight a war without attacking what started it?" But Lincoln is cautious. He knows that freeing the slaves is not without political and military risk. He is torn by a personal tragedy. His favorite son, Willie, is deathly ill. Despite the efforts of the doctors, Willie dies. Lincoln mourns his loss, believing, "He was too good for this earth." Reflecting on the sorrow and shortness of life, Lincoln comes to know what he must do. He issues the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves. The war drags on and on-hundreds of thousands die. Lincoln is invited to Pennsylvania to help consecrate a military cemetery at Gettysburg. Lincoln's short speech is a meditation on dedication to democratic principles which nobly expresses the reasons for all the bloody and costly struggle of ending civil war. There is celebration in the land when the war finally ends. But Lincoln is not to live to oversee the reunion of the nation he loved. Killed by an assassin's bullet, Lincoln becomes yet one more martyr to the cause he served so well. His was a life of courage, faith and supreme dedication.
- "You have a gem of a great idea, if you can perfect it," Joseph Henry of the Smithsonian Institute tells Alexander Graham Bell when he presents his theory for the invention of the telephone. When Thomas Watson and Bell begin their work for a multiple telegraph, Bell becomes convinced that he can send the complex sounds of human speech over a wire from its vibrations. Mr. Hubbard, the financier of the telegraph project, laughs when Bell first tells him about the idea for the project and says he will not finance it. Frustrated, Bell and Watson begin to work on the telephone while working on the telegraph without Hubbard knowing it. Bell is constantly inspired by his deaf students and longs to teach them to speak and communicate. His first dedication had always been to be a teacher of the deaf. But, as Bell becomes more and more engrossed in making the telephone invention work, he has little time to work with the students. As the inventors experience triumph in transmitting sound while playing with the telegraph, Bell is distressed to learn of a student, David, who is giving up and going home because he is frustrated with his inability to speak. He meets David at the train as he is leaving to convince him to stay and keep trying, but David refuses. Bell is greatly disappointed in his failure to help the boy and in the unsuccessful attempts to make the telephone work. Bell is frustrated and tired. As he rests on a park bench, his spirit is renewed when a mime communicates with him. He realizes he could never fail if he keeps trying. He and Watson continue working on the telephone with great enthusiasm. Finally, the telephone experimenting works as sound is transmitted through a tube. Watson clearly understands Bell when he says, "Watson, come here. I want you." As they share the joys of success, school begins again. Bell is rewarded by the return of David who has practiced all summer and knows he can succeed, too.
- 1991–200530m7.1 (17)TV EpisodeBenjamin Franklin knows that a traveling show "magician" is using an electromagnetic generating machine to perform the "tricks." Intrigued by the possibilities of electricity, Franklin buys the machine. On a wall at his home, hang Franklin's "many hats." He is- or has been - a diplomat, inventor, printer, postmaster and fire chief. Now he contemplates the power of electricity. He doesn't know what to do with it, but he knows it is important. "The power of the future," he says, "the friend of mankind." But right now mankind in Philadelphia is threatened by a series of thunderstorms. With regularity, lightning strikes, setting fires all over the town. Franklin's fire department, although equipped with the latest 18th Century fire-fighting equipment, is helpless against its power. Meanwhile, Franklin continues to play with electricity. He begins to understand how electricity flows from one place to another. Another lightning bolt sets fire to yet another house. Justice Hill declares that lightning is a "judgment from God against our wicked ways." Franklin, a man of deep faith and a man of science, doesn't think so. He observes that lightning tends to strike only the tallest buildings in an area. A short time later, on a night when lightning is setting fires everywhere, Franklin has a revelation. What if lightning were electricity? Then it might be controlled. Franklin conducts his famous experiment. Flying a kite in a thunderstorm, he confines the power of a lightning bolt in a leydon jar, a type of early storage battery. Now he knows how to control electricity. With lightning rods on top of their buildings and iron cables going down to the earth, the people of Philadelphia are protected.
- We first meet Christopher Columbus as an exuberant boy of Genoa, Italy, who wants only one thing - an adventurous life at sea. As he grows into young manhood, he becomes an expert sailor. When King John offers a handsome reward for the captain who can find the fastest route to the treasures of India, Columbus realizes he has found his calling. Columbus is convinced that the most direct route to the Far East is by sailing due west around the globe. But King John only laughs at Columbus. "No one has ever sailed to the west on the great ocean. It cannot be done." Columbus' determination keeps his dream alive. Many years later, in search of support for his voyage of discovery, Columbus is in the court of Queen Isabella of Spain. He tells her, "I have met many men who say it is impossible to sail west. They all have one thing in common - none of them has sailed west." The Queen is intrigued by Columbus' determination, but Spain is at war. She can spare neither ships nor money for such an expedition. She asks her learned men, led by the comic figure of Talavera, to research Columbus' plan. Talavera rejects the idea of sailing west. "It is a child's dream," he declares. But the Queen believes in Columbus. When the war ends, she gives him a commission - three ships, a crew of ninety and money to make his journey. On the voyage Columbus has two strong allies - the great captain Pinson, and the young boy Rodrigo. The trip begins well, but as the days stretch into weeks, the men turn mutinous. Rations run short, and the men are convinced they will perish. Pinson is able to get the crew to agree to only three more days of sailing. Then they will turn back. At the end of the three days, Christopher Columbus kneels in prayer. "Dear God," he says, "There is nothing more I can do. Please help us." Suddenly, from high up in the crows' nest, Rodrigo shouts out, "Land ho!" Columbus has discovered a new world. Back in Spain, Queen Isabella honors Columbus. "I name you Admiral of the Ocean Seas. Your name will live forever. Because of you the world will never be the same."
- Florence Nightingale is the child of wealthy parents in 19th Century England. She is uninterested in marriage, society life and money. She wants to help the poor. When she accepts a job as superintendent at a hospital in the slums of London, he parents threaten to disown her. But Florence knows what she was meant to do. She says that to marry would ruin the life that God intended her to have. War comes to the Crimea and British troops are involved in the action. The British Army hospital in Turkey is full of the wounded and the sick. In an effort to relieve the suffering, Florence and a small group of women are sent to help. At the hospital, Florence and the others face the contempt of the military officials. The head of the hospital, John Hall, does not allow the nurses to care for the sick. But he cannot stop the nurses from showing compassion to the wounded men. Finally, when the situation in the hospital grows desperate, John Hall reluctantly allows Florence and the other nurses to minister to the soldiers. Quickly Florence takes matters in hand. Conditions improve. The death rate falls. When "The Times" of London publishes stories about her work, they call her "The Lady of the Lamp." A woman full of compassion. On a trip to the front lines hospitals, Florence falls ill from exhaustion and seems near death. While still in a fever, she receives a brooch from Queen Victoria inscribed: "Blessed are the Merciful." From her parents she receives a letter expressing how proud they are of her. Florence recovers. She returns to the military hospital where the grateful men salute her.
- The time is 1589 in Pisa Italy. As a professor in a university classroom, Galileo questions the ideas of Aristotle. Knowing that he could be convicted of heresy, he continues to teach that the sun is the center of the universe and not the earth. He proves his theories by improving a toy called the spyglass. With his new invention of the telescope, he discovers Jupiter has moons revolving around it. This was the proof he needs to show that not everything revolves around the earth. Clavius, a friend of Galileos, convinces him to sign a document that says he will not teach that Aristotle is wrong, so he can continue to share his theories. Pope Urban tells Galileo that he can write a book if he presents both his and Aristotles views fairly. Columbe, being jealous of Galileo, finds the document signed by Galileo promising not to teach that Aristole is wrong. Columbe has a forger add to the document that Galileo also promises never to teach his own theories again. Galileo is found guilty of heresy and is sentenced to house arrest. His faithful servant, Sagredo, is at his side as he dies. Sagredo takes the writings of Galileo and smuggles them into Holland where they can be printed.
- The young George Washington has to do much to take care of his family. Good with math and numbers, Washington becomes a surveyor. As a youth, Washington was close to his half-brother Lawrence. When Lawrence dies, George inherits Lawrence's land and home at Mount Vernon. George Washington is elected to the Continental Congress, and when fighting breaks out between England and the colonies at Lexington, the Congress names Washington commander of the new Continental Army. Washington is not sure he is up to the task, but he loyally accepts the Commission. At first the British win easy victories over the colonial army and capture New York City. But Washington turns into a great leader. He rallies his troops, and takes his army across the Delaware River on Christmas Eve, surprising the British and winning important victories. All through the long war, Washington shows discipline, persistence and courage, inspiring his soldiers, even in the desperate days of winter encampment at Valley Forge. At this lowest point he thwarts a plan by Inspector General Conway to have him removed as head of the army and and keeps his men motivated and unified for final victory. That ultimate success is assured by the arrival of troops and equipment from France. The combined French and American forces under General Washington finally defeat the British at Yorktown. The new nation will survive.
- Harriet Tubman has never known what it means to be free. Having been born and raised into slavery, she works hard and does as she is told. However, she longs to be free and hopes to escape to the "promise land." After hearing about an "underground railroad" and learning of a Quaker woman up the river who helps slaves "get on," Harriet tells her father she is escaping. He fears for he life and tells her there isn't really an underground railroad, but she is determined to go. Once at the Quaker woman's home, Harriet learns that the Underground Railroad is a route guided by "conductors" to the North. She goes forward and makes it to the main station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Once there, she is surprised to learn of the many different routes slaves are able to take to freedom. Hearing of her sister and family's proceeding sale, Harriet vows she will never be free until her family is free. Against the stationmaster's warnings, she heads South. Harriet continues to go back and forth from the North to the South and becomes known as the "Moses of her people" with a reward posted for her for $40,000. Harriet is able to successfully rescue her entire family, as well as 300 slaves on 17 dangerous missions to the Confederate South.
- When Helen Keller was a young child, she contracted a high fever that left her sightless and unable to hear. Being the parents of a non-seeing and non-hearing child was a hardship on two loving parents who did all they could but seemed to do it in the wrong way. Out of desperation, they hired a young educator, Anne Sullivan, to teach and train the young Helen. Much to the parent's dismay, Sullivan was a strict and firm disciplinarian with the young, spoiled Keller girl. Sullivan and Helen Keller moved into a house not far down the lane from the main Keller house. There they began to develop a trust and relationship of love and respect for each other. This soon turned into an atmosphere that was ripe for learning without the interference of the Keller parents. Once Helen Keller began to put meaning with the finger spelling that she was doing, she began to learn many words at a rapid rate. Her world began to open and she was able to complete her education and continue advanced training at the university.
- As a young girl, Joan lived in the French countryside. One day, she heard voices from heaven talking to her. The voices told Joan that she was called to help fight for the freedom of France. They also told her that Prince Charles was to be anointed and crowned the rightful king of France. Joan went to see Prince Charles but the Prince said to send her away. The warrior, Le Hire, reminded Charles of a prophesy that said a young maiden would save France. Prince Charles agreed to see Joan but planned to prove that she was a fake. Charles switched clothes with his tailor and hid in the crowd of people when Joan entered the room. He believed if Joan had special powers, she would be able to identify him. Joan was not fooled and she quickly bowed before him. The Prince was convinced so he made her a commander in his army. Under Joan's command new supplies and soldiers made it into Orleans and the English fled. Talbot, the leader of the English military, believed Joan must be a witch because she could not have beat the English in battle without the help of the devil. Joan was captured and tried on the charges of witchcraft and heresy. Cauchon, a bishop of the church, found Joan guilty and sentenced her to death by fire. After Joan's death La Hire and Dunois asked King Charles for control of the army. They wanted to continue what Joan had begun. The war continued for twenty two years before Joan's people were set free. Twenty five years after Joan's death, the trial condemning her was pronounced invalid and her name was cleared.
- A youthful Leonardo da Vinci studies art under his master, Verrochio in Florence, Italy in 1473. While working as an apprentice under Andrea del Verrocchio, Leonardo learns about color, shading, sculpturing, panel painting and painting of altarpieces. Self-discipline is the key to success in Verrochio's opinion. In 1498, Leonardo is under the service of the Duke and Duchess of Milan. He is commissioned to sculpt a statue of the Duke's father and paint " The Last Supper" for the monks in their dining hall. The Duchess of Milan asks Leonardo to produce a play about stars, planets and space. He is obviously not excited about the project because of the time it will take away from his masterpieces. During the play, Leonardo sees a young boy, Salai, steal some money from the stagehands. Salai tells Leonardo that he is homeless and hopes to become an artist like Leonardo some day. Leonardo invites Salai to live with him and tells him that he will teach him how to paint. The city of Milan erupts into fire while at war. Salai and Leonardo escape with all his sketches and return to Milan. Milan is different from what Leonardo remembers. The apprentice school is no longer being used. Leonardo meets a young Michelangelo. It becomes apparent that Michelangelo and Leonardo's thoughts about training in the arts are very different. Passion and creativity versus discipline and rules. Salai becomes reckless and rebellious. Leonardo strives to keep Salai on the path of righteousness. While trying to develop a method to conserve wall paintings, one of Leonardo's paintings begins to melt off the wall. Leonardo is discouraged and decides to return to Milan. Salai decides to stay in Florence with Michelangelo. Leonardo leaves feeling like a failure. Upon his return to Milan, he visits his painting, "The Last Supper," and sees that young apprentices are using his painting as their study. The young apprentices ask to shake the master's hand, Leonardo da Vinci's hand.
- The time is 1860, and cholera is beginning to spread throughout France's chicken population. Louis Pasteur and his assistant, Emile Roux, collect samples and deduce that disease can be transmitted through air. They then draw blood from the chickens and see an unidentified germ in the specimens. While Pasteur and Roux work with the samples of blood, Pasteur has a debilitating stroke. From his bed, he expresses his determination to live, and continues to work with Roux by writing him notes. He tells Roux to inject the chickens with the contaminated blood. The chickens die. When Pasteur finally comes back to the laboratory, they discover the blood has altered from time. When they inject this blood into the chickens again, the cholera germs are killed.They have created a vaccination for the chickens. Meanwhile, sheep begin to die from anthrax. Even though other scientists mock Pasteur's findings, they agree to let him experiment on 25 sheep. They are all surprised to see the vaccine work. Pasteur is determined for vaccinations to work on people. He and Roux continue to experiment for four years until a young boy, Joseph Meister, contracts rabies from a wolf and his father brings him to Pasteur. Although hesitant to experiment on a human. Pasteur agrees to give him the shot. After five long days of waiting and another shot, Joseph Meister recovers and the world's first human vaccination is introduced.
- 1991–200530m7.4 (26)TV EpisodeYoung athletes are engaged in a wrestling match as the story begins. There is competition not only for the title but also for the culture. The Jews are being humiliated by the Greeks as the Greek government tried to overthrow the people and force the Jews to turn to the Greek religion. There is only one thing that a Jew can do. He can bow down and submit to the Greek authorities or he can run and hide and hope not to be caught as he practices the religion of his fathers. Mora is an old woman who has faith that all will be right in the end, and her long time young friend, Huron, gives up his Jewish heritage and pledges his loyalty to the Greeks. Mora and others of her belief run and hide in fear of being found and destroyed or punished. Huron becomes one of the Greek soldiers but cannot turn in the Jews when he has a chance. The Maccabees are leaders in the overthrowing of the Greeks. They take a group of Jews to the mountain to escape from the Greek overthrow of the temple. While in the mountain, they begin to build a retaining wall for the river water. When the Greeks feel threatened by the "mountain encampment" they decide to go up and take the mountain. The talks and negotiations are not successful; in fact, the Greeks are overthrown by the rushing of the water as the Maccabees open the floodgates. The Jews are now free to return to Jerusalem and restore the temple to its original beauty and use as a place of worship. There is not oil enough for the 8-day feast so the candles are lit with just one day supply of oil. The miracle of this victory is that the oil was sufficient to keep the candles burning for the entire 8-day celebration.
- The time is 1296 in Turkey. Marco Polo, his father and his uncle have just returned after a twenty five-year journey of the East. They tell the Duke of Venice about the riches they have found. The Duke of Venice doubts the stories of riches from China. Not long after he returned a war broke out between the cities of Genoa and Venice. Marco went to fight in a war. He met a sailor named Rusticello. Rusticello was also a writer. Marco and his new friend are captured by the Duke and Duchess of Genoa. The Duchess was impressed with Marco Polo's stories and visits him in prison. Marco tells the Duchess about his adventures in China and Kublai Kahn. During this time, Rusticello continues to write about the adventures of Marco Polo. After spending years in prison, the war is over and Marco is released. Rustincello shows him the book he has written about his adventures. Marco doubts that anyone would believe him and asks Rusticello to share his stories. The Travels of Marco Polo became one of the most influential books of the Middle Ages.
- As a young girl, Marie learns things quickly and her family knows she is very bright. Her country, Poland, is ruled by Russia and everyone has to learn Russian in order to attend the university, Marie watches her sister, Bronya, struggle to learn Russian, but for Marie learning the language is easy. The time has come for Bronya to go to the university. Marie accompanies her father and sister to the University of Warsaw. It is there they learn that all universities in Poland have been closed to women. After Marie graduates at the top of her class, she attends a secret university held in a local museum. Marie comes up with a plan that will allow both she and her sister to attend school at the Sorbonne in Paris. Marie works as a governess so she can support Bronya as she goes to school to become a doctor. After working for five years it is Marie's turn to go to Paris to study at the Sorbonne University. She is a top student and earns a masters degree in physics in just two years. The next year Marie earns a masters degree in mathematics. While in Paris, Marie meets and marries Pierre Curie. When Pierre is approached by Professor Lippman and Professor Bouty about becoming a professor at Sorbonne, he declines and says Marie is the best choice for the position. Pierre tells the professors of Marie's many accomplishments, including the discovery of radium. He tells how she demonstrated her love for science and mankind by giving away the secret of radium instead of selling it and becoming wealthy. Pierre tells how Marie is the first woman to receive her doctorate and the Nobel Prize. Because there has never been a woman professor at the Sorbonne, Professor Lippman and Professor Bouty will only allow Marie to work as a chief assistant to Pierre. Marie is thrilled to work with her husband at the university. Two years later, Pierre Curie is killed in an accident with a horse drawn wagon. With a new year about to begin at the Sorbonne, Professor Lippman and Professor Bouty ask Marie to join the school as a Professor of Physics. At first, Marie declines but then remembers a promise she made to Pierre - if one of us dies, the other must go on. Marie accepts the job and becomes the first woman professor at the Sorbonne.
- Pocahontas is a beautiful, young Indian princess traveling with her husband, John Rolfe, and son, Thomas, to London to see John's birthplace. She is awed by the activity and the largeness of London. However, Pocahontas soon falls ill with the plague. Once, when Pocahontas and John are entering their hotel, they are approached by Captain John Smith. Pocahontas is extremely upset, having thought John was dead for a long time. Her husband apologizes on her behalf, explaining she is ill. She asks him to come again. Pocahontas is a young girl at the age of twelve when she first sees the English settlers of Jamestown. Curious and brave, Pocahontas befriends the colony and persuades her father to help them survive through the winter. This act of kindness brings peace between the Indians and the settlers. As food grows scarce for the settlers, they steal from the Indians. The Indians capture Captain John Smith, intending to kill him. Pocahontas saves his life by "claiming him for her own." Captain Smith sails shortly thereafter and is presumed dead. When Pocahontas grows into a young woman, she is captured by members of the Jamestown colony and is held as ransom for supplies from her father. John Rolfe is placed as her guard. As summer turns to fall, and fall turns to winter, John and Pocahontas fall in love. He teaches her to read the books John Smith had given her before he left. When Pocahontas is released to her father again, the settlers demand their supplies. Once again Pocahontas risks her life in order to maintain peace. Both the Indians and the settlers are forced to give in as the "peace of Pocahontas" is known.
- 1991–200530m7.1 (22)TV EpisodeWe enter the world of a century ago, a world lit by gaslight. It is Menlo Park, New Jersey in 1877. Thomas Edison and his team are completing work on a new invention - the phonograph. Edison is a renowned inventor and is hailed as "The Wizard of Menlo Park." He declares that he will invent a practical electric light, a light that will be safer and cleaner than gaslight. He receives financial assistance from the financier J.P. Morgan for the undertaking. There are those who do not want Edison to succeed, but he toils on and on. He knows that the secret of electric light is incandescence - heating a filament with electricity until it glows. But what material should be used for the filament? His men try everything - but in each case, the filament shoots up in flames. The trials go on for months, yet Edison does not give up hope. The Warwick Institute tells the press that the electric light is an impossible dream and calls Edison a scoundrel. Edison declares that on New Year's Eve - only a few months hence, he will light up the area with 2,000 electric lights. The search for the elusive filament goes on and on. Ironically, each time Edison's light bulb fails, he must return to gas light in order to see. His men are ready to give up. "We have tried 1000 different types of filament." Edison says that the trick is to get up the courage to try 1001. At last they achieve success. The successful filament proves to be ordinary cotton thread, coated with carbon. On New Year's Eve Edison ushers in the year 1880 with a spectacular display of electric lights. His men and his supporters cheer.
- 1991–200530m7.7 (32)TV EpisodeIn 1620, John Carver, William Bradford, Captain Standish and 99 pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower toward America in search of religious freedom. As disease and storms hit they are almost forced to return. William Bradford convinces Captain Standish to press on. Before landing, Bradford suggests everyone sign the Mayflower Contract designed to enact their own laws and elect leaders for a free government. John Carver is elected to govern for one year. The land they choose to build on becomes known as "Plymouth". Immediately, the winter sets in and the pilgrims face the harsh effects of the weather, hunger and disease. By the first signs of spring, half of the pilgrims have died. Soon a lone Indian appears on the horizon. Against Captain Standish's wishes, John Carver and William Bradford befriend Samoset of the Wampanoag tribe. Samoset sends the English-speaking Squanto and Chief Massasoit to the pilgrims who make a peace pact. Chief Massasoit offers gifts to seal the deal. Squanto and Samoset live with the pilgrims and teach them how to live off the land. As John Carver falls ill, he makes Bradford Governor of Plymouth. After the first successful crop, Bradford proposes a "Feast of thanksgiving" to honor God and thank him for his many gifts.
- Two bicycle repairmen embark on their dream to fly. With no formal training as either scientists or engineers, they study Lilienthal's diagrams for his glider and learn from experience the keys to controlled flight. As young boys, Wilbur and Orville Wright are full of ideas, enthusiasm and dreams. Above their bicycle repair shop they discover how birds are able to balance by tilting their wings - wing warping. They want to make a glider to do the same thing. "You have a dream, you should do it," their father encourages them. After writing to the "center of knowledge for flight'" Octave Chanute, they learn the best place to glide is Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They tell Chanute about wing warping and make him promise not to tell anyone until they can perfect it. Their first attempts are unsuccessful, however, as they realize that Lilienthal's figures were incorrect. Wilbur and Orville begin experimenting with the figures. Meanwhile, others are beginning to take flight, but only in the beginning stages. Finally, Wilbur and Orville manage a controlled flight. All they need to do is add an engine. Chanute lets the wing-warping idea slip when he is challenged, but the Wright brothers are not worried - the rest of the world doesn't know how it works. After a 59 second flight, Wilbur and Orville take Santos-Durmont, the French flyer, up on his challenge to show the world they can fly in France and on August 8,1908 the Wright brothers demonstrate to the world the power of controlled flight.