The Lost Tapes
Encounter the Pearl Harbor attacks, the L.A. riots, the Son of Sam murders and Patty Hearst's kidnapping the way they unfolded on TVs and radios across America. We present these shocking events from the 20th century, not through traditional journalistic reportage, but in real-time, as they were covered by national and local news broadcasts. This footage, much of which has not been seen in decades, gives an intimacy and immediacy to stories we thought we knew but will now rediscover through a unique perspective.
Episodes
In 1959, a 33-year-old minister from the Nation of Islam gains notoriety with his fiery rhetoric and keen intellect. His name is Malcolm X and over the next five years, this influential yet highly controversial civil rights leader will become an ideological hero to some and a dangerous enemy to others. Presented entirely through his speeches, newscasts, and rarely seen archival footage, The Lost Tapes: Malcolm X tells the story of the man who, by any means necessary, willingly put his life at risk to bring change and equality to black America.
From the start of his run for the presidency through his eight years in office, Bill Clinton was dogged by scandals, none more consequential than his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Their relationship, exposed in detail in the Starr Report, captivated the nation and led to the first impeachment of a U.S. president since the years just after the Civil War. Revisit the story of betrayal, political ploys, and media madness, as told by news reports, investigative documents, and secret recordings, many of which have not been broadcast since 1999.
In the few years since U.S. combat forces entered Vietnam, the Tet New Year usually brought with it an informal ceasefire. But in 1968, Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers launched a massive countrywide attack throughout South Vietnam. This began a two-month string of battles that would kill more than 15,000 troops and trigger fierce anti-war protests across the U.S. This is the story of the Tet Offensive, told through rare media reports and combat footage, much of which has never been seen or has not been broadcast since 1968.
Nine months after Neil Armstrong makes "one giant leap for mankind," Apollo 13 launches from Cape Kennedy, Florida for NASA's third moon landing mission in April 1970. But 55 hours after takeoff, a catastrophic in-flight explosion causes serious damage to the spacecraft and puts the crew in mortal danger. In a frantic attempt to get the astronauts safely home, mission control must use every resource at their disposal. Witness the events as they unfolded, told through rare news reports, mission control audio, and original NASA newsreels.
A year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, there is still widespread fear that there will be another attack on U.S. soil. That fear is seen realized when an unseen gunman in the Washington D.C. area begins shooting residents for no apparent reason, triggering one of the most intense and complicated manhunts in American history. This is the story of the D.C. sniper's three-week reign of terror, told through police audio and video, plus local and national media reports, most of which have not been broadcast since 2002.
A powerful cold front over the American plains joined a warm air mass from the south on April 3, 1974, creating the perfect conditions for an 18-hour catastrophe now known as the Tornado Super Outbreak. Revisit the epic disaster that swept from Michigan to Alabama, powered by 148 tornadoes, 30 of them category F4 or F5. Through local news broadcasts, stunning audio recordings, and eyewitness home movies, look back on one of the most violent natural disasters in history.
