America: The Story of Us

America booms in both population and prosperity. Television brings the world into Americans' living rooms, changing lives and values in unexpected ways. The boom of the 1980s heralds better times, along with a sense of assurance that mirrors the 1920s. The credit card shapes the decade and spurs spending, creating new affluent classes. America reaches once more for the stars and launches the Shuttle into space. A new California Gold Rush ensues when innovation yields the biggest technological advances--the computer and the internet. America's confidence is rocked by 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, but the country remains the world's superpower. less

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brings America into another world war, changing the nation from an isolationist continent to a global player--and ensuring economic prosperity once more. America launches a war effort, and as always, bigger is better. The nation taps into vast manufacturing reserves that have been idle for 10 years: factories, electrical plants, railroads. By 1944, the U.S. is producing 40 percent of the world's armaments--and has developed the Jeep, radar and the Norden bombsight. The might of America's strategy and supplies turns the tide of war. The U.S. Air Force launches pioneering daylight bombing raids over occupied Europe in B-17 bombers. Under the command of General Dwight Eisenhower, D-Day is an astonishing success. In 1945, war in the Pacific is brought to a close by the ultimate piece of technology, the atomic bomb. A new world order has been created--and America has changed forever. less

Between 1929 and 1932, the stock market crashes and the American dream turns into a nightmare. US banks disintegrates and bank closures sweep the nation. Years of intensive ploughing and severe drought dry out the Great Plains. Vast dust storms fill the skies and drive people west. President Franklin D. Roosevelt starts to turn things around. The New Deal and public works projects aim to save America from despair and destitution. The construction of the Hoover Dam and Mount Rushmore employs thousands of men and signals recovery and hope for the future. However, world conflict is brewing in Europe, and it is brought home to Americans by the symbolic boxing match between J Louis and Max Schmeling. less

Oil production in America doubles overnight and cheap fuel prices sets off a chain of events that will turn the nation into a superpower. Henry Ford, a maverick entrepreneur vows to bring the motor car to the masses. As the population becomes more mobile, the entire shape of America changes. Cities grow as centers of industry, creating new opportunities and new challenges. Mass production and job opportunities prompted by the First World War draw African Americans to northern cities like Chicago, but racial conflict follows. A popular campaign to ban alcohol triggers a wave of organized crime. less