Wednesday, February 1
7-8 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science and American History

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Modern Marvels: Alaska Pipeline"

When American had it's first big oil crisis at the time foreign suppliers cut shipments in 1973, construction began on an 800-mile pipeline to get oil from Alaska. This documentary examines this technical feat, built over impenetrable mountains and tundra, where temperatures drop to 75 below zero. It also reports on that pipeline's on Alaska's fragile ecological system.???? TVG

Wednesday, February 1
9-11 p.m. ET, 2-3 p.m. PT

PBS

Subjects: American History

Middle and High School

"African American Lives"

Airing in observance of Black History Month, this is a broadcast of the initial two episodes of an historical miniseries about African Americans. (The final two episodes air in this timeslot February 8.) Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., W.E.B. DuBois professor of the Humanities and chair of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University, takes Alex Haley's Roots saga to a whole new level. Using genealogy and DNA science, he tells the personal stories of eight accomplished African Americans - a neurosurgeon, a TV host, an astronaut, a music entrepreneur, a sociologist, a movie star, a minister and a comedian - tracing their roots through American history and back to Africa.?? In the first episode, entitled "Discovering Roots," Gates begins to piece together the family histories of four of the participants, taking them on a journey through the lives of their recent ancestors. In doing so, the episode explores the post-World War I "Great Migration" of African-American families from the South to northern cities such as Detroit and Chicago, as well as the experiences of those families who stayed in the South during the period of Jim Crow segregation. Regardless of geography, each African-American family, as relatives tell Gates, saw struggles and achievements that held their families together and put their children in a position to succeed. The participants express a heightened appreciation for the influence their families have had on their lives, and are eager to learn more. Gates also begins to examine his own family's past, recounting the discovery of a box of photographs and heirlooms that sparked an obsession with his ancestry. "The Promise of Freedom" -- Episode two travels back from the early 20th century to the end of the Civil War to look at how African Americans defined their freedom after slavery; how, in a lifetime, one goes from being property to owning property. Historians explain how the notion of "40 acres and a mule" - the compensation promised to freed slaves to help them start new lives - went largely unrealized, and how the institution of slavery, though formally abolished, amounted to a generations-long assault on African-American families. Once living memory fades, the quest for ancestry must turn to written records. Gates learns that courthouse records of land acquisitions, documents from the Freedmen's Bureau and the 1870 census - the first in which African Americans were counted as citizens, not property - all prove important resources for tracing the participants' lineage through the Reconstruction Era. "The Promise of Freedom" also explores the importance of education, specifically literacy, for African Americans in that period, and the opportunities that participants' ancestors had to become educated - and to educate others. Gates' personal story continues as he seeks genealogical confirmation of a family legend - whether a white slaveholder is one of his 19th-century ancestors.??TVPG. Parts three and four air in this time slot February 8.

Log on: http://www.pbs.org/aalives

Thursday, February 2
8-9 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science and Ancient

Middle and High School

"Ancient Marvels: Galen, Doctor to the Gladiators"

This documentary contains a report about sports medicine combined with combat medicine. It examines ancient inventions once believed to have been created in modern times, and it tests the wits of ancient inventors against some of the world's great modern inventors. Then it uncovers the revolutionary work of Galen, the great Roman doctor to the gladiators, who was performing brain surgery 2,000 years ahead of his time - and explores the sophistication of Roman medicine and compare it to modern techniques.???? TVPG.

Friday, February 3
8-11 p.m. E/P

Discovery Channel

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"Grizzly Man"

This is an inside look at the life of Timothy Treadwell, as documented by filmmaker, Werner Herzog. Treadwell spent 13 summers in Alaska living with grizzly bears. He spoke their "language," knew their moods, and lived unarmed among them. (But, after the filming of this Oscar-nominated documentary Treadwell was killed by a rouge bear in 2003 - there are no images of that occurrence in the movie.) Rated TV-14.

Log on: http://imdb.com/title/tt0427312

Saturday, February 4
12-1 p.m. ET, 9-10 a.m. PT

Ovation - The Arts Channel

Subjects: American History and Arts

Middle and High School

"Speak Of Me As I Am - Paul Robeson"

The life and career of the world-famous African-American actor, singer and political activist is explored in this documentary. Both close friends and long-time fans discuss his groundbreaking career and controversial political sympathies. TVPG.

For further information log on: http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njh/PaulRobeson

Sunday, February 5
12-2 p.m. EP

A&E Channel

Subjects: American History

Middle and High School

"Flight 93"

This is a movie based on the story of the passengers and crew aboard United Airlines Flight 93 who fought back against terrorists who hijacked their plane on September 11, 2001.?? The courageous revolt ultimately led to the crash of the plane in a Shanksville, Pennsylvania field, just 20 minutes from the White House.?? This dramatization is based on fully annotated facts from the public record, including extraordinary documented conversations between Flight 93 passengers and family and friends on the ground, discussions between various flight control centers and other pilots in the air, and communications between the United States government and military officials.

Sunday, February 5
7-8 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science and American History

Middle and High School

"Digging For The Truth"

In 1539, Hernando de Soto's Conquistadors landed in Florida in search of new lands and treasure for the Spanish Crown. Three years later, they were run off the continent by Native American warriors that lived on enormous, earthen pyramids along the Mississippi River. Who were these people? And how did they defeat one of the world's most powerful armies? In this documentary, host Josh Bernstein as he paddles down the bayous; builds his own earthen pyramid with modern equipment; and scuba-dives the cold, dark waters of Wisconsin to solve the mystery of America's pyramid builders.??TVPG.

Monday, February 6
9-10 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: American History

Middle and High School

"American Experience: Jesse James"

This is a documentary about Jesse James. His story remains one of America's most cherished tales . . . and one of its most fictitious. James, so the legend goes, was a western outlaw, though, in fact, he never went west; America's own Robin Hood, though he robbed from the poor as well as the rich; a gunfighter, though his victims were almost always unarmed. Less heroic than brutal, James was a member of a vicious band of Missouri guerrillas during the Civil War. With a life steeped in violence and bloodshed, he met what was perhaps the most fitting end. ??TV-PG-V.

Log on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex

Tuesday, February 7
7-8 p.m. EP

History Channel

Subjects: Science and World History

Elementary, Middle and High School

"Modern Marvels: Paint"

Often taken for granted, paint is actually a really important scientific invention. From the Impressionist artworks to the Space Shuttle . . . from customized hotrods to the brilliant orange hue of the Golden Gate Bridge or tiny electronic devices -- paint is one of our most widely used products. And paint adds more than just pigmentation. It's a crucial engineering element, protecting ships from water corrosion, stovetops from heat, and the Stealth Bomber from radar detection. In homes and businesses, it provides a balanced spectrum of light and protects surfaces from wear. This documentary shows how this combination of chemistry and engineering is made, and how it is applied. TVPG.