Howard Zinn was an American historian, author and social activist. He taught political science at Boston University and history at Spelman College. Zinn wrote more than 20 books, including his best-known A People’s History of the United States. In this video, Zinn discusses his book A Young People’s History of … Continue reading
Lieutenant Colonel D R Butler was a helicopter pilot with the 229th Aviation Battalion in Vietnam. In this video, Butler discusses why he wanted to become a pilot and the lessons he learned in Vietnam that helped shape his life once he returned home.
John Walker Lindh is an American citizen who was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001 as an enemy combatant. Lindh was brought back to the United States on January 23, 2002 and stood trial in United States federal count in February 2002. Lindh took a plea bargain and was sentenced … Continue reading
Daniel Pearl was a journalist with both American and Israeli citizenship who was kidnapped by Pakistani militants on January 23, 2002, and later murdered by Al-Qaeda. At the time of his kidnapping, Pearl was working as the South Asia Bureau Chief of The Wall Street Journal and was based in … Continue reading
Mary Lou Retton is an American gymnast who won the all-around gold medal in women’s gymnastics at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Retton was coached by Bela Karolyi, who had coached Nadia Comaneci in Romania before defecting to the United States. In this video, both Retton and Karolyi … Continue reading
During World War II, Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish businessman and diplomat, saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews living in Nazi-occupied Hungary. While working as Sweden’s special envoy in Budapest from July to December of 1944, Wallenberg issued protective passports and sheltered Jews in buildings designated as Swedish … Continue reading
Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury on January 21, 1950. Whitaker Chambers, a former Communist Party member, had testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) that Hiss had secretly been a Communist. Hiss denied this allegation. Chambers then produced evidence that he and Hiss had been involved in espionage, … Continue reading
Dolly Parton is an American singer-songwriter known for her numerous country music hits. Parton is the most honored female country performer of all time, and has had 25 songs reach number one on the Billboard Country charts. In this video, Parton speaks of the time that Elvis Presley almost recorded … Continue reading
Junior Seau was a legendary NFL linebacker, known for his exceptional skills and contributions to the game. His tragic death and subsequent diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) shed light on the long-term risks associated with repetitive head trauma in football and other contact sports. CTE is a degenerative brain … Continue reading
Maya Angelou was an American author and poet. She received over 50 honorary degrees, and is best known for her autobiographies that focus on her childhood and early adulthood. In this video, Angelou talks with comedian Dave Chapelle.
