Produced by the History Channel and televised April 9-13, 2006, in 10 episodes, each 60 mins.
NEW YORK, March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The History Channel is proud to present
the highly anticipated special event, 10 DAYS THAT UNEXPECTEDLY CHANGED
AMERICA, premiering on Sunday, April 9, 2006 at 9pm ET/PT. The series is
comprised of 10 films, each created by a different award-winning documentary
filmmaker or filmmaking team, spotlighting 10 historic events that triggered
seismic shifts in America's political, cultural or social landscape. Using a
range of storytelling techniques including re-creations, animation,
interviews, archival footage and historical artifacts, the series offers
viewers a fresh perspective on well-known historical incidents while also
shining a light on the tremendous impact of less frequently cited events. 10
DAYS THAT UNEXPECTEDLY CHANGED AMERICA will air for five consecutive days with
two programs premiering each night from Sunday, April 9 through Thursday,
April 13 at 9-11pm ET/PT.
The 10 films are listed below in the order in which they premiere on The
History Channel, Sunday-Thursday, April 9-13:
Antietam (September 17, 1862)
Directed by Michael Epstein (Final Cut, The Battle over Citizen Kane),
Emmy and Peabody Award winner and Oscar nominee. Narrated by Jeffrey Wright.
Focuses on the bloodiest battle in American history and its momentous military
and political implications, including Lincoln's issuing of the Emancipation
Proclamation.
Premieres on The History Channel on Sunday, April 9 at 9pm ET/PT
Massacre at Mystic (May 26, 1637)
Directed by James Moll (The Last Days, Price for Peace), Oscar(R),
Emmy(R), Peabody and Christopher Award winner. Narrated by Walter Woodward.
Tells the story of the Pequot War, the first significant clash between the
English and Native Americans.
Premieres on The History Channel on Sunday, April 9 at 10pm ET/PT.
Einstein's Letter (July 16, 1939)
Directed by Barak Goodman (Scottsboro: An American Tragedy, The Fight),
Emmy, Peabody, duPont winner and Oscar nominee, and John Maggio (The Fight,
Kinsey). Narrated by Campbell Scott. Explores the events that led to the great
scientist and ardent pacifist's decision to urge Franklin Roosevelt to develop
an atomic bomb, a decision that propelled America into the nuclear age and
which Einstein later came to regret.
Premieres on The History Channel on Monday, April 10 at 9pm ET/PT
Murder at the Fair: The Assassination of President McKinley (September 6,
1901)
Directed by Joe Berlinger (Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Brother's
Keeper), Emmy, Peabody, DGA, Sundance and Independent Spirit Award winner.
Narrated by Terry Kinney. Recounts the dramatic events surrounding the
shooting of the 25th President by a young anarchist at a pivotal moment at the
dawn of the 20th century, an act which paved the way for the rise of Theodore
Roosevelt and ushered in a new age in American politics.
Premieres on The History Channel on Monday, April 10 at 10pm ET/PT
When America Was Rocked (September 9, 1956)
Directed by Bruce Sinofsky (Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Good Rockin'
Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records), Emmy, Peabody, Sundance and Independent
Spirit Award winner. Examines the cultural fallout of Elvis Presley's
groundbreaking appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Premieres on The History Channel on Tuesday, April 11 at 9pm ET/PT
Gold Rush (January 24, 1848)
Directed by Jeffrey Friedman & Rob Epstein (The Celluloid Closet,
Paragraph 175), Oscar, Emmy, Peabody and Sundance winners. Narrated by Zachary
Drake. Looks at the Gold Rush and its impact on the explosive development of
California and America's westward expansion.
Premieres on The History Channel on Tuesday, April 11 at 10pm ET/PT
Scopes: The Battle Over America's Soul (July 21, 1925)
Directed by Kate Davis (Southern Comfort, Jockey) and David Heilbroner
(Transgender Revolution, Life after Death Row), Emmy and Sundance winners.
Narrated by John Sherlis. Reexamines the fierce legal battle between two
larger-than-life personalities - William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow -
over the teaching of evolution, a controversy that continues to divide
Americans today.
Premieres on The History Channel on Wednesday, April 12 at 9pm ET/PT
The Homestead Strike (July 6, 1892)
Directed by Rory Kennedy (American Hollow, The Farm), Emmy, Sundance and
Independent Spirit winner and Oscar nominee. Narrated by Martin Sheen.
Chronicles the deadly showdown between striking workers and armed guards at
Andrew Carnegie's steel mill and its devastating effect on the U.S. labor
movement.
Premieres on The History Channel on Wednesday, April 12 at 10pm ET/PT
Freedom Summer (June 21, 1964)
Directed by Marco Williams (Two Towns in Jasper, I Sit Where I Want: The
Legacy of Brown vs. Board of Education), Peabody and duPont winner. Narrated
by Joe Morton. Recounts the national attention garnered by the killings of
civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney, which
helped spur Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Premieres on The History Channel on Thursday, April 13 at 9pm ET/PT
Shays' Rebellion: America's First Civil War (January 25, 1787)
Directed by R.J. Cutler (A Perfect Candidate, The War Room), Emmy winner
and Oscar and Independent Spirit Award nominee. Narrated by Hector Elizondo
with animation by two-time Oscar nominee Bill Plympton. Chronicles the post-
Revolutionary War rebellion that helped inspire the drafting of the
Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Premieres on The History Channel on Thursday, April 13 at 10pm ET/PT
10 DAYS THAT UNEXPECTEDLY CHANGED AMERICA is produced by The History
Channel in association with @radical.media. Supervising Producers for
@radical.media are Greg Schultz and Sidney Beaumont. 10 DAYS THAT UNEXPECTEDLY CHANGED AMERICA is sponsored by the new 2006
Lincoln Zephyr. Lincoln. Reach Higher.
@radical.media is a global commercial production company with an
entertainment division which has produced numerous award-winning feature films
and television programs including the Academy Award-winning The Fog of War,
the Grammy Award-winning Concert for George, and the critically acclaimed
Court TV drama The Exonerated as well as Joe Berlinger's Metallica: Some Kind
Of Monster.
The History Channel(R) is one of the leading cable television networks
featuring compelling original, non-fiction specials and series that bring
history to life in a powerful and entertaining manner across multiple
platforms. The network provides an inviting place where people experience
history in new and exciting ways enabling them to connect their lives today to
the great lives and events of the past that provide a blueprint for the
future. The History Channel has earned six News and Documentary Emmy(R) Awards
and received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences for the network's Save Our History(R) campaign dedicated to
historic preservation and history education. The History Channel reaches more
than 89 million Nielsen subscribers. The website is located at
http://www.History.com.