Drabness and shortages marked the years after World War II, until Dior's New Look arrived. And then a parade of innovations: artificial fibers, separates, casual clothes, stiletto heels and witches' toes, Teddy boys and zoot suits-an example of fashion coming from below and not above. It took 15 years from the introduction of the lady's pantsuit until a woman wearing pants was admitted to a tony London restaurant; meanwhile, Mary Quant arrived with...

In Roman times, London's population numbered 50,000; by the year 1000, the number was down to 20,000. St. Paul had become the city's patron saint, and the language of the Angles and Saxons had become the Vulgate, the language in which William issued the first charter of the city. The signs of the times point backwards-sheriffs replaced consuls-and forwards, with separate law courts for separate causes. This program covers the rebuilding of Westminster...

With the Pragmatic Sanction, the Spanish rule passed to Ferdinand VII's young daughter, Isabella, upon his death-and touched off the Carlist Wars, with Ferdinand's brother Don Carlos pitting himself against Queen Regent Maria Cristina. This program employs dramatizations, artwork, maps, film clips, and footage of palaces and other landmarks to make sense of the complex political and social forces at work during the years of the First and Second Carlist...

The Renaissance led to a period of cultural greatness for the Church, but it also reached a pit of spiritual degradation. This film examines the reign of Pope Alexander VI, the Borgia pope. Despite rampant nepotism on behalf of his seven known children, Alexander is said by some to have gotten a bad rap. Known for his patronage of the arts - Raphael and Michelangelo both worked for him - it was also said that he purchased the job of pope for himself....

Covering the years from the end of the French Revolution to the zenith of Napoleonic power in 1806, this program opens windows of insight into life under Napoleon through the stories of a merchant apprentice, a young nobleman, a beer brewer, a draft dodger, and a war widow. They tell of industrialization, municipal improvements, the standardization of measurements, the new power of mayors to conduct marriages and authorize divorces, and the body of...

Spain's Golden Age is recognized as the most fertile and glorious era in Spanish arts and letters. Miguel de Cervantes, Francisco de Quevedo, Calderon de la Barca, Diego Velazquez, and many others created works of enduring renown.even as their country fell into ruin. This program contrasts the marvels of the Siglo de Oro through dramatizations, film clips, artwork, and visits to important locales with the ineffectiveness of Kings Philip III and IV-a...

By the end of the 18th century, many Enlightenment ideals about society had been put into practice by three remarkable men: Nicolas de Condorcet, who advocated for civil rights, the abolishment of slavery, and gender equality; Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the Declaration of Independence; and Frederick the Great, whose "enlightened absolutism" meant religious tolerance in Prussia. This program profiles their achievements.

In the early 1800s, an extraordinary event occurred in British politics: a small pressure group successfully lobbied against the entrenched, well-moneyed interests of slavery. This program uses dramatic reenactments, readings of Parliamentary minutes, and expert commentary to tell the story of the three men largely responsible for slavery's abolition: William Wilberforce, Granville Sharp, and Thomas Clarkson. Michael Dottridge, the director of Anti-Slavery...

Hungarian revolution

Hungarian uprising