Uncle Sam Is Born (1852)

For the sixteenth installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go, for the first time to the Cold War. It’s April 1961, and the US is concerned about Cuba’s new leftist leader, Fidel Castro. The US has a new leader of its own, JFK, who adopts - and adapts - a plan from Eisenh ...  Show more

For our "Sunday Context" episode, we look at how the Confederacy scrambled to draft a constitution as Civil War broke out in 1861. Plus, a quick follow up and correction about the founder of baseball.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest n ...  Show more

Tons of people have a soft spot for their favorite cartoon or comic strip -- yet few have attained the social status of the legendary artist Thomas Nast, the caricaturist often referred to as the "Father of the American Cartoon." In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, No ...  Show more

Sam picks Batman Begins because they've been out of practice for a while and both Sam and Taylor felt like watching it. It's not particularly important to him, but it's a fun time and a really good ep of This Is Important To Me. 

Sam Elliott plays a lot of tough guys - cowboys, bikers, soldiers - who can (and often do) beat people up. But in reality, Sam says the only guy he beats up is himself. Sam and Marc talk about how he came to terms with some of the things in his life that were really doing a numbe ...  Show more

Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano (born March 12, 1945) is an American gangster who became the underboss of the Gambino crime family. This is his story. Directed by James Carroll. For the next several episodes we rewind a bit and tell the stories of the final years before the hi ...  Show more