The BEST episodes of PBS Specials season 1981
Every episode of PBS Specials season 1981, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of PBS Specials season 1981!
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American non-profit public broadcasting television service with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. However, its operations are largely funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Its headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is the most prominent provider of programming to U.S. public television stations, distributing series such as PBS NewsHour, Masterpiece, and Frontline. Since the mid-2000s, Roper polls commissioned by PBS have consistently placed the service as America's most trusted national institution. However, PBS is not responsible for all programming carried on public TV stations; in fact, stations usually receive a large portion of their content (including most pledge drive specials) from third-party sources, such as American Public Television, NETA, and independent producers.
#1 - Myths and the Moundbuilders
Season 1981 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/10/1981
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, it was believed that the tens of thousands of earthen mounds that dotted the central United States were engineering feats created by a mysterious, lost race - a race that had been destroyed by the less civilized Indians. By the late 1880s, it was becoming clear that the mounds were actually built by ancestors of the numerous native American groups that still inhabited the central states, such as the Natchez. This film reconstructs the history of ideas associated with the mounds and their builders, from the mid-nineteenth century explorations of curious citizens, to contemporary archaeological research in the Illinois River Valley.
#2 - Brooklyn Bridge
Season 1981 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/8/1981
This documentary explores the history of the Brooklyn Bridge, one of New York City's most iconographic landmarks. The film presents the dramatic details of the bridge's planning and construction, which involved civil engineer John Roebling, as well as his son, Washington, and his wife, Emily. In addition to covering the span's long development, the production looks at the structure's legacy and features input from various notable figures, including writers Kurt Vonnegut and Arthur Miller.