Friday, July 20
8:30-9 p.m. E/P (check local listings)

PBS

Subjects: US History

Middle and High School

"NOW"

This news and commentary program uses documentary segments and interviews with original thinkers to go beyond the noisy churn of the "news cycle" to provide viewers with access to a larger world. This edition has two reports: A showdown between California and the Feds on global warming; and why improving math literacy adds up to a better community

For more information log on http://www.pbs.org/now

Saturday, July 21
Noon-1:15 p.m. ET, 9-10:15 p.m. PT (check local listings)

CSPAN-2 Channel

Subjects: US History

Middle and High School

"Harlem Book Fair: A History of America"

This live broadcast from the 2007 Harlem Book Festival features a conversation between historian and author Howard Zinn and author Walter Mosley on a history of America. Howard Zinn is a historian, author, and activist who has taught at Spelman College and Boston University. He is the author of numerous books including, "A People's History of the United States, 1492 - Present" and "You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train". Walter Mosley is the author of 28 books which include mysteries, science fiction, young adult fiction, and political and social commentary. His latest publication is "This Year You Write Your Novel" Program repeats Sunday, July 22 at 10:30 p.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. PT

For more information, including podcast and streaming video availability log on http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=8457&SectionName=&PlayMedia=No

Saturday, July 21
7-8 p.m. ET, 4-5 p.m. PT

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: Science and US History

High School

"World's Most Dangerous Drug"

Methamphetamine or meth for short is considered one of the hardest addictions to quit. Across the United States, its abuse is ravaging rural communities and cities alike and spreading its tentacles to major metropolitan areas and around the globe. What makes this drug so powerful, addictive and destructive? In this documentary correspondent Lisa Ling explains why many are calling meth the Worlds Most Dangerous Drug TV-14 L (for strong language)

Saturday, July 21
9-11 p.m. E/P

Discovery Channel

Subjects: World History

Middle and High School

"Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen"

More powerful than Cleopatra or Nefertiti, Hatshepsut was Egypt's greatest female ruler. And then she disappeared. In this documentary Egypt's preeminent archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, investigates several mummies that may well be the remains of this powerful queen. TV-PG

Sunday, July 22
6-7 p.m. E/P

Sundance Channel

Subjects: World History

High School

"Sophie Scholl - In Defiance of All Powers"

In 1943, German student Sophie Scholl was arrested and executed by the Nazis for distributing anti-war flyers as part of the White Rose non-violent resistance movement. Combining first-hand interviews, family photographs and previously unavailable documents, filmmaker Marieke Schroeder present a documentary portrait of Scholl that explores her upbringing - from brief membership in the Hitler Youth through friendships with fellow philosophy students at the University of Munich - and sheds light on the motivation behind her heroic actions. TV-14 - Adult Content

Monday, July 23
9-10 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: US History

Middle and High School (see ratings below)

"History Detectives"

The first report in this program looks into "Great Mexican War Posters" ??? A man from San Francisco discovered a stash of strange and colorful posters announcing the "Great Mexican War." They appear to be early 20th-century advertising for news films of the Mexican Revolution. The posters indicate that a man named Charles Pryor made the films. If the posters prove to be authentic, does it mean that this mystery cinematographer was an eyewitness to the Mexican Revolution? In the second, "Nora Holt Autograph Book," Mayme Agnew Clayton of Los Angeles, California, was an avid collector of African-American memorabilia. Upon her passing in 2006, she left a garage full of the material she had carefully assembled over a 40-year period, which has attracted a great deal of attention from scholars. Amid the collection is a curious small green leather autograph book that belonged to a woman named Nora Holt, a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance and an associate of author Theodore Dreiser and photographer Carl Van Vechten, among others. Mysteriously, these artists' names appear in the book alongside the signatures of Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, neither of whom was involved in the Harlem Renaissance. The detective follows the path of this liberated woman who participated in one of the most significant artistic flowerings of the 20th century. (The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum website is www.wsbrc.org) In the "Muhlenberg Robe" report ??? George Washington's cherry tree, Betsy Ross' flag, Paul Revere's ride . . . now Muhlenberg's robe may be added to the list of debatable Revolutionary War legends. The story goes that in January 1776, Lutheran minister Peter Muhlenberg turned his pulpit into a recruiting station for revolutionary fighters. During a fiery sermon, he tore his robe from his shoulders to reveal a uniform and at once rallied 300 able-bodied congregates to the patriotic cause. A woman in Philadelphia wants to know: Is the robe that's on display at the nearby Lutheran Theological Seminary the cloak that bore witness to this event? The detective checks out rare, period accounts from Muhlenberg's family, friends and contemporaries to find the truth behind the story of the reverend???s famous robe. TV-G

Log on to test your sleuthing skills in our online game; follow the clues to solve the mystery - how old is this house? http://www.pbs.org/historydetectives

Tuesday, July 24
8-9 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"NOVA Science"

This science magazine presents viewers with new soft tissue findings in ancient dinosaur fossils, plus the thought-provoking field of epigenetics, plus the coded sculpture Kryptos that stands in the courtyard of the CIA headquarters, and finally a personal profile on Arlie Petters, a professor of mathematics and physics at Duke who battled against the odds and went from being a poor kid in Belize to one of the premier researchers in the field of gravitational lensing.

For further details find out what all the hoopla is about epigenetics and slowed-down aging, at least in yeast. http://www.pbs.org/nova/sciencenow

Tuesday, July 24
9-10 p.m. E/P

History Channel

Subjects: Science

Middle and High School

"The Universe Saturn-Lord of the Rings"

Are the rings of Saturn a real celestial phenomenon or merely an illusion? Technology allows the experts to get closer to the furthest planet visible to the naked eye. Old questions are answered and new ones arise. Does Saturn hold the key to Earth's weather and will one of its moons supply us with all the oil we'll ever need? In this documentary cutting-edge computer graphics are used to show what life would be like on other planets and to imagine what kinds of life forms might evolve in alien atmospheres. Rating: TV-PG

Wednesday, July 25
9-10 p.m. E/P

CNBC

Subjects: Economics and Geography

Middle and High School

"Big Mac: Inside the McDonald's Empire"

This documentary goes behind-the-scenes at McDonald's -- the world's largest and most successful food service business. It visits McDonald's headquarters, test kitchens and labs, providing a close look at the immense testing and research behind every product. It travels to China where McDonald's currently has 780 restaurants and is moving aggressively to expand and eclipse rival Yum Brands, which owns KFC and Pizza Hut. It explores the highly-debated criticism McDonald's has received regarding its contribution to obesity in Americans. It profiles one McDonald's store introducing its owner/franchisee, managers, employees and customers. Each of the 30,000 stores contributes to McDonald's bottom line. Running a McDonald's store is more than just flipping burgers.

Wednesday, July 25
9-10 p.m. E/P

PBS

Subjects: US History and Science

Middle and High School

"American Masters John James Audubon - Drawn From Nature"

This documentary presents the dramatic, contradictory story of the man who is synonymous with the American wilderness and conservation movement. Yet, he emerges as the man who probably killed more birds than anyone else in history. Energetic, gifted and vain, Audubon was self-taught and self-made, the illegitimate son of a French sea captain and Haitian servant girl. From the Caribbean and the French countryside, he eventually settled in the American South at age 19 and, after failed business efforts and bankruptcy, pursued his true passion - finding, shooting and drawing birds - ultimately realizing his dream of publishing The Birds of America, the monumental collection of 435 life-size prints, now each fetching more than $100,000 at auction. The National Audubon Society has more than a half-million members today, and his legacy is ever relevant. TV-PG

Log on http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/audubon_j_STUB.html

Thursday, July 26
8-10 p.m. E/P

Animal Planet Channel

Subjects: Science

Elementary, Middle and High School

"The Real Lost World"

This documentary follows five explorers as they journey to Roraima, the mysterious jungle plateau that was the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle's novel, "The Lost World." At this location where the borders of Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela touch, scientists seek out unusual animals and explore caves that contain strange creatures.

For views of this place log on http://www.answers.com/topic/mount-roraima

Thursday, July 26
9-11 p.m. E/P

National Geographic Channel

Subjects: World History

Middle and High School

"Engineering Egypt"

Powerful and mysterious the ancient Egyptian empire lasted for more than two thousand years, leaving behind the symbols of its greatness written in stone. More than a feat of engineering brilliance, it is a story of primitive technology, sweat and toil of thousands and a powerful supernatural belief that man can survive death. This documentary gets inside hearts and minds of two of the greatest pharaohs as they stop at nothing to build their way toward immortality and it shows the story behind one of Seven Wonders of the World: the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Friday, July 27
7:45-8:15 p.m. E/P

Sundance Channel

Subjects: US History

High School

"Buried In The Backyard"

In this documentary filmmakers Monica Bigler and Sarah Prior present a report about how some Americans are confronting their fears in a world containing weapons of mass destruction. The film profiles the owners of backyard bomb shelters intended to withstand the next terrorist attack. Like the fallout shelters constructed during the height of the Cold War, these updated emergency bunkers often contain as much as a year's supply of food and are located across the country from Massachusetts to Arizona. TV-PG. (adult content)

Saturday, July 26
10-midnight p.m. ET, 7-9 p.m. PT

TCM

Subjects: Literature

Middle and High School

"Member Of the Wedding"

This is an Oscar-nominated movie based on the classic Carson McCullers novel which she also adapted into a widely performed play. It's a story about a high strung young girl who's struggling to fit in and/or learn her place in the world. Cast: Julie Harris, Ethel Waters, Brandon de Wilde. Fred Zinneman ("High Noon") directed. The novel is out in paperback and the movie is available on video.