The BEST episodes of PBS Specials season 2013

#1 - Split Rock, The Superior Light

Season 2013 - Episode 38 - Aired 11/12/2013

Split Rock, The Superior Light relates the saga of the most visited and most photographed lighthouse on the Great Lakes. From the challenges of construction to the isolated life of the early keepers, Split Rock's story fascinates and delights. With the construction of Highway 61 along the Minnesota North Shore of Lake Superior, the keepers' duties expanded from tending the light station to becoming tour guides for thousands of eager tourists. Today, forty-plus years after decommissioning by the Coast Guard, Split Rock has become one of the most-visited historic sites in Minnesota. 2010 marks the centennial celebration of this landmark on Lake Superior.

#2 - W.L Dow, Architect

Season 2013 - Episode 27 - Aired 8/13/2013

Wallace Dow has been referred to as the "Builder on the Prairie" and was considered the premier architect of South Dakota in the late 19th century. "W.L. Dow, Architect" is a documentary about the man who came to Dakota Territory in 1880 and built a number of iconic structures.

#3 - Devil Clouds: Tornadoes Strike Nebraska

Season 2013 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/28/2013

Easter Sunday 1913 dawned as a spring-like day of celebration. It ended as a day of mourning. With little warning, seven tornados roared through eastern Nebraska, turning this into the deadliest natural disaster in Nebraska’s history. The most devastating tornado cut a seven mile swath through Ralston and Omaha, killing 100 people. All told, the tornado outbreak would be responsible for 168 deaths and nearly $10 million in damage (more than $200 million in today’s dollars). “Devil Clouds: Tornados Strike Nebraska” is a reporting project that tells more than a storm story. Developed in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the event (which took place on March 23, 1913), it’s a story full of heroes and colorful characters; a story of tragedy, but also recovery and resolve; and the story of a city and state in transition, and the impact of a single devastating event on these places. It’s a story so well documented visually that it offers an intriguing glimpse into the disaster, and the lives of 1913 Nebraskans in places like Omaha, Ralston, Yutan and Otoe (called Berlin at the time). The documentary will be told through the use of high quality photographs, newspaper accounts, letters and books, and the perspective of historians and relatives of survivors.

#4 - The Campaign

Season 2013 - Episode 28 - Aired 8/13/2013

The Campaign follows the people behind California’s historic “No on 8″ campaign to defend same-sex marriage, interwoven with the national history of same-sex relationship recognition since the 1950s. It focuses on five characters — Alison, Holli, Richard, Anne and Claudia — as they labor tirelessly to defeat Proposition 8, sacrificing time with the families they are fighting to protect. The film positions their efforts within the context of shifting legal and political landscapes, from Anita Bryant’s “Save our Children,” to the invention of the word “Domestic Partner” in San Francisco, to Pat Buchanan’s declaration of a “culture war,” and to the wave of marriage bans that swept 41 states across the nation. The shocking passage of Prop 8 in seemingly LGBT-friendly California changed the landscape forever, both for the LGBT equality movement, and for the individual activists who dropped what they were doing and threw themselves into the largest social issue campaign the country has ever seen. The Campaign emerges as an unprecedented installment of LGBT social history and a signature documentary on one of the most pressing civil rights issues of our times.

#5 - 10 Buildings That Changed America

Season 2013 - Episode 15 - Aired 5/12/2013

10 Buildings that Changed America presents 10 trend-setting works of architecture that have shaped and inspired our American landscape. These aren’t just historic structures by famous architects. These buildings have dramatically influenced our built environment in many ways – and in one case, for over two centuries.

#6 - The March

Season 2013 - Episode 29 - Aired 8/23/2013

Called the definitive documentary on the 1963 March on Washington, this commemorative special from PBS marks the 50th anniversary of a landmark moment in the civil rights movement. This film tells the story of how the march for jobs and freedom began, and the stories of all the individuals who played a role in it. Drawing upon rare archive footage, 'The March' shows the background stories leading up to the march, including the political indifference of the John F. Kennedy administration, hostility from J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, and the widespread claims that it would incite racial violence, chaos and disturbance. The film follows the unfolding drama as the march reaches its ultimate triumphs, gaining acceptance from the state, successfully raising funds and in the end, organized and executed peacefully - and creating a landmark moment in the struggle for civil rights and racial equality in the United States. Including interviews with some of the key actors: members of the inner circles of the core organizational groups such as Jack O'Dell, Clarence B. Jones, Julian Bond and Andrew Young; Hollywood supporters and civil rights campaigners including Harry Belafonte, Diahann Carroll and Sidney Poitier; Performing artists at the March such as Joan Baez and Peter Yarrow; as well as JFK administration official, Harris Wofford; the CBS Broadcaster who reported from the March, Roger Mudd; Clayborne Carson, the founding director of Stanford's Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute and a participant in the March; as well as those who witnessed the march on TV and were influenced by it, such as Oprah Winfrey, and most of all, the remembrances of the ordinary citizens who joined some 250,000 Americans at the capital on that momentous.

#7 - Bugging Hitler's Soldiers

Season 2013 - Episode 14 - Aired 5/1/2013

Spied upon by MI19 in a bugging operation of unprecedented scale and cunning, 4,000 German POW’s revealed their inner thoughts about the Third Reich and let slip military secrets that helped the Allies win WWII. Based on groundbreaking research conducted by a German historian, the film tells the story of how those conversations were recorded and how they can now reveal, in more shocking detail than ever before, the hearts and minds of the German fighter. In total, more than 100,000 hours of these secret recordings were made. Only now have they all been declassified, researched and cross referenced. They represent a startling new body of evidence with which to revisit events of the war and they show the political divisions between those top generals who supported the Nazi ideology and those that did not. They also demonstrate the complicity of the rank-and-file soldiers in taking part in Nazi war crimes. Now, 60 years later the chilling and totally uncensored thoughts of the Nazi elite will be heard. The documentary includes intense, full-dialogue dramatic reconstructions that use the verbatim transcripts of these bugged conversations to reveal the dark heart of the Nazi regime as never before. Hearing these shocking conversations will be like taking a time machine back into psyche of Hitler’s Germany.

#8 - Brewed in Brooklyn

Season 2013 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/16/2013

Explore the origins of the brewing industry in Brooklyn from early 1800s and meet modern day craft brewers and home brewers who are helping to transform the borough. The film features interviews with historians, brewers and beer lovers alike and includes vintage footage and excerpts of classic beer commercials. The documentary is must see for anyone who loves beer, Brooklyn or history.

#9 - Comet Encounter - ISON's Brush with the Sun

Season 2013 - Episode 42 - Aired 11/20/2013

Comets have fascinated, even terrified us for thousands of years. For scientists though, comets are a great opportunity. This year, 2013, a particularly massive chunk of ice and rock is coming our way, an object that will fascinate billions and should create the space show of the century. Right now Comet ISON, somewhere between one and 10 kilometers in diameter, is just beyond the orbit of Jupiter. As it races past us toward the sun it should develop a tail that will light up the skies brighter than a full moon. Then the comet will slingshot around the back of the sun and could emerge brighter than ever, treating the entire northern hemisphere to an unforgettable sight. In this program, scientists all over the world follow a once-in-a-lifetime event and shoot breathtaking images, spewing its essence into the void. But there is jeopardy too; the comet could evaporate completely or the sun's massive gravity could tear it apart. If the latter happens it will produce a so-called "string of pearls," several much smaller comets arching right across the night sky.

#10 - Skeletons of the Sahara

Season 2013 - Episode 31 - Aired 9/25/2013

Explorer and scientist Paul Sereno made an extraordinary discovery in the middle of the Sahara desert: While prospecting for dinosaur bones, he stumbled across an ancient human cemetery more than 5,000 years older than the Egyptian pyramids. Who were these people and what were they doing in the middle of the desert? How did they live and die? What can this mystery tell us about our planet?

#11 - The Central Park Five

Season 2013 - Episode 12 - Aired 4/16/2013

THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE film explores the story of the miscarriage of justice that engulfed Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise, the black and Latino teenagers from Harlem who were wrongly convicted of the horrific 1989 crime. The brutal beating and rape of a white woman in New York City's Central Park provoked public outrage and sensational headlines during the prosecution and conviction of the five defendants. Less known is the story of the eventual exoneration of the men, who served full prison sentences.

#12 - Natural Beekeeping

Season 2013 - Episode 39 - Aired 11/12/2013

To help promote his all-natural approach, 40 year beekeeper Jerry Dunbar participated in the creation of this video series demonstrating his practices and the life cycle of a healthy colony of bees. Natural Beekeeping follows his narrative, augmented with HD footage of seasonal and hive behavior. Dunbar also introduces products that can be made from the healthy substances found in the hive - including mead, honey straws, propolis tincture and edible lip balm. Natural Beekeeping is perfect for the classroom, library, or daycare center (kids are mesmerized by the honey bees)... and will broaden the horizons of anyone interested in ecological, health, and nutritional matters. Included: - Beekeeping Intro - Hive Tour - Swarm Removal - Bee Package Installation - Adding a Honey Super - Triangular Bee Escape - Hive Jacker - Harvesting Supers - Honey Extraction - Packing Comb - Fall Feeding and Spring Inspection ...and more!

#13 - How Sherlock Changed the World Part 2

Season 2013 - Episode 45 - Aired 12/17/2013

Conclusion. How the investigative techniques used by the fictional Sherlock Holmes influenced real-life criminal investigations. Included: remarks from forensic scientists, including Dr. Henry Lee, and author Anthony Horowitz ("The House of Silk").

#14 - Silent Night

Season 2013 - Episode 43 - Aired 12/13/2013

The Minnesota Opera’s production of Kevin Puts’ Silent Night, a company commission which earned its composer the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Music, recounts a miraculous moment of peace during one of the bloodiest wars in human history.

#15 - Girl Model

Season 2013 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/24/2013

Girl Model strips away the façade of the modeling industry by following two people whose lives intersect because of it. Ashley is a deeply conflicted American model scout, and 13-year-old Nadya, plucked from a remote Siberian village and promised a lucrative career in Japan, is her latest discovery. As the young girl searches for glamour and an escape from poverty, she confronts the harsh realities of a culture that worships youth — and an industry that makes perpetual childhood a globally traded commodity. An Official Selection of the 2011 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Winner, 2011 POV | Alpha Cine Award. Produced in association with American Documentary | POV. On POV's companion website for Girl Model, you can ask a "girl model" about modeling realities, explore the international model supply chain, view a video interview with the filmmakers, download a discussion guide and other viewing resources, and more.

#16 - Cosplay: Crafting a Secret Identity

Season 2013 - Episode 25 - Aired 7/28/2013

#17 - Magic Skies: A History of Fireworks

Season 2013 - Episode 20 - Aired 7/1/2013

Fireworks enchant our senses – for a short but wonderful moment. Old family businesses have saved the tradition of fireworks to the present day. The film shows how this art form has developed over the centuries: Starting in China over a thousand years ago, we journey through the opulent Baroque era in Italy, Germany and France, experience Japanese hanabi artists in action and are also on hand to experience Guy Fawkes’ Night in the UK. We see how fireworks were democratised, becoming something that everyone could enjoy and have access to - before arriving in the present where the art of fireworks is again what it was in its heyday, a celebration of money, power and beauty. Each era is interwoven with contemporary stories and artists from Asia to the United States, because anyone in the 21st century who has dedicated himself to pyrotechnics is working in many similar ways to the artists of several hundred years ago. The film combines gorgeous firework displays of today with the past explaining how the makers are aiming to reconnect with the traditions of their art. Fireworks are and have always been a passion and a lifestyle.

#18 - Pride & Joy: A Southern Foodways Alliance Feature Film

Season 2013 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/14/2013

In this hour-long documentary, director Joe York on behalf of the Southern Foodways Alliance focuses on the tradition-bearers of Southern food culture. The film presents intimate portraits of people and places while asking important questions about our common culture.

#19 - The Illness and the Odyssey

Season 2013 - Episode 32 - Aired 10/5/2013

A medical mystery, THE ILLNESS & THE ODYSSEY tracks the pursuit of a possible clue to a cure for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurological wasting diseases which may be related to a mysterious neurological disease found only among the native people on the remote island of Guam. Lytico-Bodig is a debilitating disease suffered by Guam's Chamorro population. It manifests as a brutal combination of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Because it is found only in an isolated location -- giving medical researchers a narrow set of variables to study and understand -- it is believed that the information learned about Lytico-Bodig could lead to the discovery of a cure for other neurodegenerative diseases that attack the brain. Featuring commentary by noted author and neurologist Dr. Oliver Sachs, THE ILLNESS & THE ODYSSEY follows the work of three scientists, each of whom has dedicated the major portion of their careers to providing an explanation about this medical mystery "whodunit." As the decades-long drama unfolds, the debate among the scientists is intense and passionate, to the point of hostility. With their careers at stake, each tries to discredit the other and claim the legacy of finding the clue that unlocks a cure to these tragic diseases. Based on Dr. Sacks' book The Island of the Colorblind, the film traces the struggle to solve a medical mystery plaguing a native population in Guam.

#20 - Guts With Michael Mosley

Season 2013 - Episode 16 - Aired 5/17/2013

Join British journalist and physician Michael Mosley to uncover the secret life of the human digestive tract in this eye-opening and detailed exploration of a part of the body we seldom see. Enter the strange and mysterious world of the human stomach!

#21 - Modernist Maverick

Season 2013 - Episode 30 - Aired 9/1/2013

American architect William L. Pereira designed structures and places around the world ranging from San Francisco's iconic Transamerica Pyramid to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art: the University of California, San Diego Geisel Library to the master plan for California's Irvine Ranch and the Los Angeles International Airport. Modernist Maverick surveys Pereira's career.

#22 - Cuba's Secret Side: Under the Radar

Season 2013 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/1/2013

Cubans joke that the revolution has had three great successes: education, health care, and social equality; and three failures: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cuba’s Secret Side uncovers the truth behind the revolution by sharing in the day-to-day lives of ordinary Cubans—accompanying a small-town doctor on house calls and investigating food distribution and housing. The films traces the post-revolution economic history of Cuba through the fall of the Soviet Union and subsequent Special Period, the thriving black market, recent legalization of private businesses, introduction of a second currency, and gradual opening to foreign tourism.

#23 - Cuba's Secret Side: The Truth Revealed

Season 2013 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/1/2013

Cuba’s Secret Side also looks at the Cubans themselves for a better understanding of this complicated island. The documentary illustrates Cuban personality through in-depth stories of individuals and their communities, exploring the San Lazaro festival, where devotees drag rocks for six miles to church; Santeria, an imported African religion with a Cuban twist; the art of spear fishing with homemade guns from Styrofoam floats; and a dangerous fireworks competition in a unique village festival. A fast-paced and provocative journey, Cuba’s Secret Side shows that the real story behind this vibrant and often misunderstood country is not what one would expect.

#24 - Last Will. & Testament

Season 2013 - Episode 33 - Aired 10/15/2013

Was Will Shakespeare, the grain dealer from Stratford, really the literary icon we celebrate today?

#25 - Space Shuttle Columbia: Mission of Hope

Season 2013 - Episode 13 - Aired 4/23/2013

Space Shuttle Columbia: Mission of Hope is the untold story of Colonel Ilan Ramon, a fighter pilot and son of Holocaust survivors who became the first and only astronaut from Israel, embarking on a mission with the most diverse shuttle crew ever to explore space. Ramon realized the significance of “being the first” and his journey of self-discovery turned into a mission to tell the world a powerful story about the resilience of the human spirit. Although the seven astronauts of the Columbia perished on February 1, 2003, a remarkable story of hope, friendship across cultures, and an enduring faith emerged. The film premieres in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the disaster and NASA’s annual Day of Remembrance.