Oregon Public Broadcasting

World War II was not just the most destructive conflict in humanity, it was also the greatest theft in history: lives, families, communities, property, culture and heritage were all stolen. The story of Nazi Germany's plundering of Europe's great works of art during World War II and Allied efforts to minimize the damage.

Ken Kesey (1935 - 2001) is one of the best-known authors to ever emerge from Oregon. He wrote his two most-acclaimed novels, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962) and Sometimes a Great Notion (1964), when still in his twenties. In his passing, Ken Kesey left behind plenty of good things to read. He convinced countless thousands of people to open the door to new experiences and "new ways to think." He, the Pranksters and the Bus made their own unique marks on popular culture. In this segment, we asked members of his family about his legacy.

In 1981, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, a spiritual leader from India, and thousands of his disciples, set out to build a new city, a utopian community in the desert -- Rajneeshpuram -- on what had been the Big Muddy Ranch in Eastern Oregon. Thousands of people from around the world gathered here to celebrate life and transform the landscape. But by 1986, they were gone.

A look at the modern-day problem of "affluenza," an epidemic of stress, overwork, shopping and debt caused by the pursuit of the American Dream. The history of the condition is explored, as well as the advertising and marketing ploys used to sustain it. Men and women from around the country share their stories of personal debt and suggestions for financial recovery.

With its four operas, seventeen-hour running time and months of rehearsal, Wagner's "Ring Cycle" is a daunting undertaking for any opera company. Jon Else goes backstage to show this rare event entirely from the point of view of union stagehands at the San Francisco Opera.

On 17th April 1961, an invasion force of over 1,200 Cuban exiles - trained, financed, equipped and directed by the US CIA - launched an amphibious invasion of the Cuban mainland. This documentary examines both the tactical and ethical questions surrounding the failed three-day battle, one that the world watched with great apprehension, and features interviews with key participants, archival footage and information obtained through declassified documents.

A camera crew stood on a freeway overpass & picked a car license number at random. This documentary shows what they were able to learn in half a day by searching public records & spending $13: a dossier on two people they'd never met, containing the car owners' names, where they live, their business & its financial status, their religion, the husband's health problems, the names of their grandchildren, the basic floor plan of their home. Program examines rapid exchange of vast amounts of information made possible by computers & bought & sold without the subject's knowledge or permission.

Scholars and eyewitnesses provide a picture of the 75 hours between the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and document the contradictions, interrelationships, and ambiguities of politics and military strategy in time of war.

Meet the crew of the Union Pacific Challenger No. 3985, the largest and most powerful steam engine in the world. This colorful documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at the conductors, engineers and mechanics who keep this fickle train running, an engaging history of steam power, and a scenic tour the Great Plains -- from Cheyenne, Wyo., through Denver and across Nebraska to the Omaha headquarters of the Union Pacific.

In 1887, a gang of horse thieves gunned down as many as 34 Chinese gold miners on the Oregon side of the Snake River near Hells Canyon. Some have called it the country’s worst massacre of Chinese by whites. Though the killers were known, and at least one confessed, no one was ever convicted. In 1995, a Wallowa County clerk discovered hidden trial documents, uncovering the nearly forgotten incident. Why was the story buried? What happened to the killers? Who were the victims?

Two disk documentary presented by Oregon Public Broadcasting about the birds of Oregon. Disk one is an overview of bird species. Disk two is an overview of bird habitats and the people working to conserve and enhance them.

Jerusalem: Center of the World tells the epic story of the world s most incredible city, capturing the rich mosaic of the city s Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities. Covering a sweeping history of over 4,000 years, the film explores the founding of the city; the birth and convergence of the world s three major monotheistic religions; and the key events in Jerusalem s history as described in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, the Talmud, the Hagaddah, the Koran, and the Hadith. Highlights include: Mount Moriah, the site of the First and Second Temples; the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; the Dome of the Rock; and the Western Wall. Directed by Andrew Goldberg, and hosted by Ray Suarez (The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer), the film includes interviews with locals, top scholars and clergy.

Uncovering Boarding Schools: Stories of Resistance and Resilience chronicles present-day efforts by Klamath tribal members to uncover the difficult and often hidden history of Indigenous children forced into government-sanctioned boarding schools—including some religious schools that were previously unknown—in order to bring about community reconciliation and healing.