A history of nuclear armament. Included: the creation of the atom bomb during World War II; the arms race during the Cold War; the threat of nuclear proliferation as a result of the collapse of the former Soviet Union.

An examination of the drug policies of six different Presidents over a 30-year period, beginning with Richard Nixon's election in 1968 through the administrations of Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton.

Examining the legacy of apartheid in South Africa, from the legalized separation of the races in 1948 to the end of Nelson Mandela's presidency in June 1999.

Examining the current state of NASA. Included: the history of the U.S. space program, beginning with the 1969 Apollo moon landing. Also: NASA administrator Dan Goldin discusses the U.S. space program's future.

Chronicling efforts to fight cancer in America. Included: the medical advancements made since the National Cancer Act of 1971 was signed into law by President Richard Nixon.

Recounting the story of NASA's aborted Apollo 13 mission. Included: Cdr. Jim Lovell and crew members Fred Haise and Jim Swigert struggle to survive after an oxygen tank in the spaceship explodes on April 13, 1970.

Examining risks involved in hiring nannies to care for children. Included: Swiss au pair Olivia Riner, who was charged with arson and murder after the 1991 death of three-month-old Kristie Fischer. Also: British au pair Louise Woodward, who was convicted of manslaughter in the Feb. 9, 1997, death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen.

Examining various cons, scams and swindles. Included: television marketing ploys; insurance and credit-card deceits; used-car tricks; and “sweetheart swindles.” Also: Chuck Whitlock, an investigative reporter who has written about fraud, is interviewed.

A look at the history of UN peacekeeping missions, a means of maintaining unity and security worldwide since 1948. Included: the Security Council; actions in Bosnia in the 1990s.

Recounting the events of May 4, 1970, at Kent State University in Ohio, where four anti-Vietnam War demonstrators were killed when National Guardsmen opened fire on student protesters.

Examining the history of the Special Forces branch of the U.S. Army, which utilizes guerilla tactics in contemporary revolutionary and political developments around the world.

The program describes disasters at sea. Included: the sinking of the British luxury liner Titanic in 1912, the burning of the Morro Castle cruise ship off the New Jersey coast in 1934 and the hijacking of the Achille Lauro by Arab terrorists in 1985.

Four amazing rescues are described. Included: survivors of the Andrea Doria wreck of July 25, 1956; the raid against Palestinian hijackers in Entebbe, Uganda in 1976; the rescue of Air Force pilot Scott O'Grady, who was shot down over Bosnia in 1995; and the dramatic recovery of 18-month-old Jessica McClure from a well in Midland, Texas in 1987.

Observing the Kennedys through the 1960s, from JFK's 1961 Inaugural Ball to the death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick in 1969.

A look at the increase of violent acts in the workplace, at home and on the road.

A look at homosexuals in the military. Included: Leonard Matlovich, who was discharged from the Air Force in 1975; Allen Schindler, who died at the hands of fellow Navy officers in 1992; and Barry Winchell, who died as a victim of an anti-gay attack in July 1999. Also: President Clinton's 1993 “don't ask, don't tell” policy.

Examining military blunders committed by U.S. spy agencies. Included: the U-2 affair of 1960 and the Chinese Embassy bombing in 1999.

The unpredictable weather of 1999 is recalled. Included: meteorologists comment on global warming.

A discussion of the Independent Counsel Law, passed in 1978 in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal; includes controversial cases, among them: Kenneth W.Starr's investigation of President Clinton. Also: the expiration of the law in 1999. Participants include Samuel Dash, Robert Bork and James McKay.

An examination of the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Included: the scandals and the trial.

The Nation's increased watchfulness of the U.S. police forces following the 1991 beating of Rodney King is examined. Included: racial profiling.

A retrospective of the 1991 Persian Gulf War reexamines the major issues and the debate surrounding the end of the war.

A retrospective of the 1991 Persian Gulf War examines Saddam Hussein's biochemical-weapons threat and its validity.

An examination of situations where technological advances have led to disaster. Included: a 1976 chemical plant explosion in Seveso, Italy; the 1986 Chernobyl disaster; a 1984 accident at a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India.

A chronicle of religious issues in which the U.S. Government became involved, beginning with the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925.