- 300 - Darius I, ruler of the Persian empire, was defeated at the battle of Marathon. Seeking to avenge his father's loss, and conquer Greece, Xerxes amassed a huge army including his much-feared Immortals. With King Leonidas in command, a small Greek force - including 300 Spartans - planned to stop Xerxes at Thermopylae. Resisting Xerxes at the Hot Gates - the narrow pass at Thermopylae - would buy time as other Greeks prepared to defend against, or flee from, the coming invasion. The plan worked well until Ephialtes - a Greek traitor - told Xerxes about another way around Thermopylae. Making their last stand, 300 Spartans and several hundred Thespians fought to the death. After Thermopylae fell, Xerxes was able to sack Athens. With Herodotus as a guide, meet Leonidas, his wife Gorgo, the Immortals, Ephialtes and the Great King Xerxes. Take a virtual field trip to Thermopylae, Persepolis, Athens, Marathon, Salamis and Plataea. With explanatory animations, learn about the Spartan form of education for boys - the agoge - command a Greek ship - called a trireme - and experience the battle of Plataea, where the Greeks finally defeated the Persians.
- A Beautiful Mind - The true story of Nobel-Prize-Winner John Nash and his battle with Paranoid-Schizophrenia.
- (The) Alamo - The beginning of the Republic of Texas.
- Alex and Emma - The real story behind this movie is how the Russian author, Fyodor Dostoevsky, met his wife and dictated his novel The Gambler to her within thirty days.
- Amazing Grace - A story of the African-slave trade and how the driving passion of William Wilberforce and his colleagues finally brought it to an end.
- Antwone Fisher - An angry young black man, abandoned by his mother, finds himself - and his own way - in the United States Navy.
- Aviator - The early years of Howard Hughes, including the source of his family's wealth and events which propelled him into the disparate worlds of film and aviation.
- Beowulf - How did a Scandinavian story become Britain's national epic? Were Beowulf and Hrothgar real people? What kind of monsters were Grendel and Grendel's mother? How were long halls, like Heorot, used in the "Dark Ages?" When Angle-Saxon storytellers performed Beowulf, what did they do? How did they sound? Take a trip back in time to find out.
- Black Hawk Down - The story of the 1993 Battle at Mogadishu.
- Bobby - The story of Robert Francis Kennedy.
- Braveheart - The story of William Wallace and Scotland's fight for independence.
- Brotherhood of the Wolf - The true story behind the mid-18th century terror in France.
- Captain Corelli's Mandolin - A fictionalized tale but based on a true story of Italian soldiers who were massacred by Germans on the Greek island of Cephalonia during World War II.
- Catch Me If You Can - The true story of con-man-turned-government-crime-catcher, Frank Abagnale.
- Charlotte's Web - The story behind the movie.
- Chicago - Early 20th Life in America's Second City.
- Cinderella Man - A story about overcoming economic difficulties set in Depression-era America.
- Cold Mountain - The Civil War "Battle of the Crater" at Petersburg.
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age - When Elizabeth Tudor became Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII inherited the throne of a country where Catholics and Protestants were suspicious of each other. Threatened by King Philip II of Spain, and his powerful Armada, Elizabeth and her people - with the help of unseasonable weather - stood firm. History recalls that time of Elizabeth's reign as "The Golden Age." In this story, you will learn some of the reasons why.
- Enemy at the Gates - The likely true story of Soviet and German snipers at odds in the battle of Stalingrad.
- Erin Brockovich - How one woman brought a California utility company to justice.
- Evelyn - The true story of Desmond Doyle's 1955 legal battle with the Irish government to maintain custody of his children.
- Finding Neverland - The story of J.M. Barrie and the creation of Peter Pan.
- Flags of Our Fathers - The story of the battle for Iwo Jima and the famous flag-raising photograph.
- Fly Boys - The story of the Lafayette Escadrille and the first military pilots in France.
- Four Feathers - Fictional story set against the real background of a vicious 19th century battle in the Sudan.
- Gangs of New York - New York City turmoil during the American Civil War.
- Gladiator - The award-winning film depicting Roman gladiators in the arena.
- Gods and Generals - Early Confederate victories in the American War Between the States.
- (The) Great Raid - As Allied forces reclaimed The Philippines, survivors of the Bataan Death March faced likely execution if they were not rescued from the Cabanatuan prisoner of war camp. Henry Mucci, with his Rangers and Alamo Scouts, conceived and carried out the most difficult rescue mission of World War II. Filipino partisans significantly helped to make the "Great Raid," which rescued 512 emaciated prisoners, an unqualified success.
- (The) Hours - A story of the famous author, Virginia Woolf.
- I am David - A child's life in, and escape from, the Soviet Gulag.
- Jesse James (Assassination of) - Still known as one of America's most famous outlaws, Jesse James was shaped by his country's civil war. From Missouri - a border state with slaves - the James family had confederate sympathies. With his brother, Frank James, Jesse and their gang robbed banks and trains. It is said they initially targeted Union interests, but as Civil-war wounds began to heal in Missouri, people in the state (especially government representatives) grew less tolerant of the gang's actions. It was the governor himself who made a deal with Jesse's assassin, Bob Ford.
- Jurassic Park - A closer look at dinosaurs (with lots of video clips and a virtual visit to "Sue" at Chicago's Field Museum).
- K-19 - The first Soviet nuclear submarine developed a serious nuclear problem during its maiden voyage, but the story was suppressed until 1991.
- King Kong - A story of gorillas - including many videos of gorillas in their natural habitat - against the backdrop of the Great Depression
- Kingdom of Heaven - Balien of Ibelin, Saladin, Baldwin the Leper King, Guy de Lusignan, and Sibylla were all historical characters. Learn their stories and "visit" the battle scenes in this account which includes quotes from contemporary Crusader and Muslim chroniclers.
- Knight's Tale - Life in the Middle Ages.
- Legend of Bagger Vance - Background of the Hindu epic and scriptural poem (Bhagavad-Gita) which inspired the book and the movie.
- (The) Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - Provides background of the London Blitz, including audio and video clips of school children fleeing into the countryside.
- Marie Antoinette - The story of the French queen and her husband.
- Men of Honor - The story of Carl Brashear, an African-American who broke the rules to become the U.S. Navy's first black master diver.
- Miss Potter - Several popular "little books," which Beatrix Potter wrote for children, began as illustrated letters for her friends. Who was Beatrix Potter? How did the culture of Victorian Britain influence her work and her life? Meet Norman Warne, her original editor and first fiance. Take an online field trip to Britain's beautiful lake district. Virtually visit the places which inspired Miss Potter as she created the world of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny.
- Murder at the Fair - Called one of the ten events which changed America, Murder at the Fair details what happened when President William McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo during September of 1901. He was succeeded by his new Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt, whose leadership of the country ushered the United States into the modern age.
- (The) Musketeer - The fictional story of D'Artagnan (a real French Musketeer) set against the historical background of 16th century France.
- Night at the Museum - When Larry Daly took a position at New York City's American Museum of Natural History, he wasn't expecting the "exhibits" to "come alive" after hours. That story, of course, if fictional. But there was a time when characters featured in the film were, in fact, alive. So. . .who was T. Rex? Attila the Hun? Sacagawea? If we could meet Vikings and Neanderthals, what would we see? Who were Egyptian mummies when they were alive - and - how are mummies made? What you learn from the primary sources in this story may suprise you.
- (The) Patriot - The stories of Francis Marion ("The Swamp Fox") and Banastre Tarleton which inspired the movie The Patriot.
- Pearl Harbor - The December 7, 1941 Japanese attack.
- (The) Perfect Storm - A true story of a "monster" North Atlantic storm.
- (The) Pianist - A miracle of survival in war-torn Warsaw.
- Pirates of the Caribbean - A look at "The Spanish Main" and Port Royal, the Jamaican base of 17th century pirates of the Caribbean.
- Remember the Titans - A true story of school integration in the 1970s.
- (The) Rookie - True story of Jim Morris' remarkable pitching as "the oldest rookie" with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
- Seabiscuit - The horse which rallied a country.
- Shadow of the Vampire - Many critics believe that Nosferatu, a silent film by F.W. Murnau, remains the most impressive horror film of all time. Shadow of the Vampire is a fictionalized telling of how Nosferatu was made in 1922.
- Snow Falling on Cedars - President Roosevelt issues Executive Order 9066 and Japanese-Americans were ordered into Internment Camps in the United States. The Order was not terminated until 1976, and the country did not apologize to those citizens until 1990.
- Space Cowboys - As a group of aging astronauts are asked to perform a mission impossible, we ask: Who were the first space cowboys, and what did their courage as trail-blazers accomplish?
- Thirteen Days - The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- Titanic - A step-by-step analysis of what went wrong.
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Tombstone - The story of Wyatt Earp and the early years of the Arizona territory.
- Troy - The story of the Trojan War.
- U-571 - The fictionalized story of Britain's capture of U-110 which actually led to breaking the German's U-Boat codes.
- United 93 - Heroic action on Flight 93 avoided another building disaster on September 11.
- We Were Soldiers - The true story of the first major battle of the Vietnam War.
- Windtalkers - The Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allies win the war in the Pacific.
- Wind that Shakes the Barley - A story of the Irish Civil War and the many events which ultimately caused the country to split in two.
- World Trade Center - The story of September 11 and the selfless courage displayed by rescuers.