Examines the events preceding, during, and after the confrontation between the United States and Cuba over the presence of Soviet missiles there.

Details Commodore Matthew Perry's role in opening Japan's closed society to world trade in the 1850s, one of history's most significant diplomatic achievements.

Traces events leading up to and resulting from the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on American battleships at Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into World War II.

Discusses the buildup of the Japanese military, the move of America's Pacific fleet to Hawaii, and relations between the two nations prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, which drew the United States into World War II.

As World War II comes to a close, the United States and the Soviet Union emerge as the two greatest world powers on extreme opposites of the political spectrum. After the United States showed its hand with the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the Soviets refuse to be left behind. With communism sweeping the globe, the two nations begin a neck-and-neck competition to build even more destructive bombs and conquer the Space Race. In their battle for dominance,...

Explores the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict, previous peace plans, and the implications of the historic recent agreement for the future