Discover how the ancestors of business mogul Richard Branson and architects Maya Lin and Frank Gehry took audacious risks to create opportunities, and how their luck, ingenuity and chutzpah was passed on to these three visionaries.

When you think of America's immigration story, you think of Ellis Island New York... right? Think again, because over 2,500 miles away is Angel Island, where immigrants coming into the West Coast were processed for entry to the US, but it was an experience that was anything but welcoming.

In 1960, four Black students staged a sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina to protest against racial segregation in the United States. The stools they sat on are the most visited artifacts at the International Civil Rights Center and Museum.

Muhammad Ali shocks the world by defeating George Foreman, winning back the heavyweight title and becoming the most famous man on earth. After retiring in 1981, he travels the world spreading his Islamic faith and becomes a symbol of peace.

Criticism of the 99th's overseas combat record was instantaneous and virulent. After only a few months in combat, the Commander of the 12th Air Support Command assailed the performance of the Black pilots. "Officers of all professions” he said, felt that "the Negro type has not the proper reflexes to make a first-class fighter pilot.” Time magazine questioned the 99th's performance and asked: "Experiment Proved?" After a stateside controversy...

This program takes a look at the early 1940s for Blacks in film. Many black roles took on a more dignified humanitarian trend, spearheaded by the NAACP. The War Department during this pre-war period funneled thousands of dollars into the production of films that displayed the dedication and character of the black soldier. Unfortunately, for the black independent film industry, the pre-war rationing of film to the larger companies, coupled with the...

Dixieland, swing, bebop, modal, free, avant-garde, these were some of the terms critics used during the 1960s to categorize the diverse manifestations of jazz music. As for the artists themselves, many were desperate for work and headed for Europe, including bebop saxophone master Dexter Gordon. At home, jazz sought relevance. During the Civil Rights struggle it became a voice of protest, while avant-garde explorer John Coltrane reached for a higher...

Abolitionist and social reformer Frederick Douglass believed that the U.S. could become the greatest nation in history – if it accepted the defining principles set out in his speech, Composite Nation.

Determined to avenge his defeat to Joe Frazier, Ali builds a rustic training camp in Deer Park, PA, and goes on to defeat a parade of contenders – Jimmy Ellis, George Chuvalo, Floyd Patterson – before breaking his jaw and losing to Ken Norton in 1973. The loss jeopardizes a Frazier rematch, but a recommitted Ali beats Norton in a second bout, setting up an encore with Frazier, who was dethroned by George Foreman earlier that year. This time, Ali...