America Goes to War... Fort Sumter, the First Shot of the Civil War, 1861 The majority of Southern leaders did not believe that their secession from the Union would lead to war - Fort Sumter proved them wrong. The United States Declares War on Spain, 1898 "(The President) broke down and cried like a boy of thirteen." President McKinley reluctantly asks Congress to declare a war that launches America down the path to becoming a world power. President Wilson Decides to Go to War, 1917 "What else can I do?" Today's debate over how to maintain a balance between individual liberty and national security in a time of war is nothing new in American history. President Wilson faced the same dilemma as he prepared to ask Congress to declare war with Germany. Attack on Pearl Harbor - The White House Reaction, Dec. 7, 1941 "My God, there's another wave of Jap planes over Hawaii right this minute." The attack stuns the White House.     Adventure... First to Sail Around the World Alone, 1895-98 Facing pirates, storms and the unknown. Theodore Roosevelt goes on Safari, 1909 The former President treks through the African plains. Doomed Expedition in the Antarctic, 1912 Captain Robert Scott's attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole ends in disaster. Early Adventures with the Automobile Racing, driving and crossing the continent - before our infatuation with the car turned to love. First Woman to Fly the English Channel, 1912 Before Amelia Earhart, there was Harriet Quimby. Lindbergh Flies the Atlantic, 1927 'Which way is Ireland.' The 'Lone Eagle' makes history.     Veterans Day... November 11 - Veterans Day - was originally called Armistice Day and commemorated the end of World War I. Our spotlight on history illuminates some of the major events that closed the "War to End All Wars." Armistice, November 11, 1918 "...at the front there was no celebration." At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month the guns fell silent and the Great War came to an end. Signing the Versailles Treaty, 1919 "Through the few open windows comes the sound of distant crowds cheering hoarsely." The curtain falls on the "War to End all Wars." The Unknown Soldier Comes Home, 1921 The selection and return from France of the soldier honoring America's war dead.    The Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941... The View from the Battleship Arizona "...it seemed as though a bomb struck our quarterdeck. I could hear shrapnel or fragments whistling past me." The View of the Japanese Attackers "...there was a colossal explosion in battleship row. A huge column of dark red smoke rose to 1000 meters." The White House Reaction "My God, there's another wave of Jap planes over Hawaii right this minute." The attack stuns the White House.     American Presidents... The Death of George Washington, 1799 America's first President catches a cold. The Assassination of President Lincoln, 1865 "The giant sufferer lay extended diagonally across the bed, which was not long enough for him." The last hours of the 16th President. The Trial of President Johnson 1868 One vote saves the impeached successor to Lincoln from being thrown out of office. Assassination of President Garfield 1881 Was it the assassin's bullet or his doctors that killed Garfield? Theodore Roosevelt Moves into the White House, 1901 The exuberant Roosevelts take over the White House. President Wilson Suffers a Stroke, 1919 A Presidential crisis the nation knew nothing about. Calvin Coolidge Becomes President, 1923 Calvin Coolidge is sworn in as President by his father in a remote Vermont cabin. Thoughts of a President, 1945 Harry Truman's personal diary reveals his thoughts on the war, General Douglas MacArthur and more.    Life in Colonial America... John Smith is saved by Pocahontas, 1608 "(She) got his head in her arms, and laid her own upon his to save his from death." A young Indian girl saves an English adventurer from execution. The Price of Adultery in Puritan America, 1641 "The woman proved very penitent..." Eighteen-year-old Mary Latham pays the ultimate penalty for violating the moral laws of her Puritan community. Passage to America, 1750 "...during the voyage there is on board these ships terrible misery, stench, fumes, horror, vomiting, many kinds of seasickness, fever, dysentery, headache, heat, constipation, boils, scurvy, cancer, mouth rot, and the like." Captured by Indians, 1758 "On our march that day, an Indian went behind us with a whip, with which he frequently lashed the children, to make them keep up." A young girl and her family are captured by the Iroquois on the Pennsylvania frontier.

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