Helen Plum Library

History is made not only by kings, queens, presidents, and generals, but equally by inventors and the technological powers they unleash. This course explores the inventions that have changed the world from prehistoric times to the 21st century. Along with recounting famous inventions such as the steam engine, airplane, atomic bomb and computer chip, these lectures explore a number of surprising innovations, including beer, pagodas, indoor plumbing...

A collection of five documentaries in 2 videodiscs chronicling the rise of the Mafia, from its birth in Sicily to its proliferation in the United States, focusing on the Genovese family, Lucky Luciano, Bugsy Siegel, and Meyer Lansky

From the E.L. Doctorow novel of 1906 America, a compelling story of human emotions and a reflection of the innocence, excitement and drama of an important time in America's history. It is now an award winning Broadway musical

3000 years ago, in Jerusalem stood King Solomon's Temple - the holiest temple on earth for the Jews. It housed priceless treasures so marvelous that they were considered the most intimate symbols of communication between God and earth.

A U.S. gunboat cruises China's Yangtze River in 1926, witnessing the awakening of a bloody revolution

In an immersive narrative, Burns and Novick tell the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. Features testimony from nearly 100 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides

The re-telling of the valiant story of King Alfred the Great and his desire to unite many separate kingdoms into what would become England. Combining real historical figures and events with fictional characters, it is the story of how a people reclaimed their land from the invading Vikings and built a place they call home

In this landmark series of films, University of Oxford Professor Marcus du Sautoy escorts viewers through the history of this most important of all intellectual disciplines. In a journey that takes him through the ages and around the world, he examines the development of key mathematical ideas and shows how, in a multitude of surprising ways, mathematical ideas underpin the science, technology, and culture that shape our world

If you were impoverished and politically voiceless, ACORN hoped to change your mind. For 40 years, the community-organizing group sought to empower marginalized communities. Its critics, though, believed ACORN exemplified everything wrong with liberal ideals. Fueled by a YouTube video made by two young conservatives who posed as pimp and prostitute in a sting, ACORN's very existence would be challenged. ACORN and the Firestorm goes beyond the 24-hour...

Begin your study journey with the Vivaldi brothers' ill-fated journey to India. What drove the brothers - or drives any explorer - to take a risk and venture into the unknown? Consider that question as you look at theories on how the Pacific islands became populated starting with an epic movement 7,000 years ago.