Unlike the other entries in the “Instant Expert” series, this quick guide to The Mayflower starts out with a lengthy re-enactment and even a title page that gives away its origin as a different film: Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower. Although when compared to its fellow films (Instant Expert: The Story of Oil, Instant Expert: Ben Franklin) it contains a similar documentary outline of narration, expert interviews and re-enactments, the extensive period piece re-enactments (complete with accents and awkward sentence structure) weigh heavily on this piece, distracting from the historical recounting and the factual presentation of information

Elected President only to see the nation fracture in two, Lincoln led a confused and frightened people through the most terrible war in their history. At the same time, his own household mirrored the fissures that split the nation: the great emancipator was married to the daughter of a slave owner from Kentucky. Mary Todd Lincoln was an aristocratic southerner who met Lincoln when he was still a backwoods politician lacking in experience and sophistication. Although she remained fiercely loyal to her husband and the Union cause, two of her brothers fought for the South. Their marriage was long and turbulent, and knew many trials, including the loss of two children. Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided weaves together the lives of the two Lincolns, drawing us into their long-vanished world

Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara), a lieutenant in the army, is arrested for the murder of a bartender, Barney Quill. He claims, in his defense, that the victim had raped and beaten up his wife Laura (Lee Remick). Although Laura supports her husband's story, the police surgeon can find no evidence that she has been raped. Manion is defended by Paul Biegler (James Stewart), a rather humble small-town lawyer. During the course of interviews, Biegler discovers that Manion is violently possessive and jealous, and also that his wife has a reputation for giving her favors to other men. Biegler realizes that the prosecution will try to make the court believe that Laura was the lover of the bartender and than Manion killed him and beat her up when he discovered them together. Manion pleads "not guilty" and Biegler, who knows that his case is weak, sets his assistants to try to find a witness who will save Manion

Reporters Woodward and Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Nixon's resignation

Inventor, writer, businessman, scientist, diplomat, and the face gracing the hundred-dollar bill - this stately figure is the Benjamin Franklin history has taught us to remember. Reveals the man behind the myth

A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend

Reviewing facts can be fun with this kid-pleasing, curriculum-based game. Great for pairs or small groups, this resource includes 100 punch-out questions, a game board, and playing pieces. Questions come in multiple choice, true/false, and single answer formats, and have been carefully selected to help students sharpen their critical thinking skills and build their knowledge about American history. Many questions contain additional information that helps students make connections—and remember important facts

The book refers to the work of UNICEF, which aims to bring all of the rights of all children in Kazakhstan

This DVD features unscripted interviews with experts in several fields and street interviews on a variety of topics, providing a great opportunity to practice listening to English spoken at a natural speed and with different accents