Podcasts about pennsylvania cable network

Philadelphia is famous for its colonial and revolutionary buildings and artifacts, but Philadelphia existed long before the Liberty Bell was first rung, and its history extends well beyond the American Revolution.This book presents a comprehensive portrait of the city, from the region's original Lenape inhabitants to the myriad of residents in the twenty-first century. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

This book provides a comprehensive examination of the Keystone State's formal and informal political institutions and players, past and present, and elucidates the place each holds in governing the commonwealth today. Covering a period of more than three hundred years, this volume presents a clear and succinct overview of the commonwealth's political history, culture, and geography. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

In 1918, Bethlehem Steel started the world's greatest industrial baseball league. Appealing to Major League Baseball players looking to avoid service in the Great War, teams employed "ringers" like Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, and Shoeless Joe Jackson in what became scornfully known as "safe shelter" leagues. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Beginning in the early 1990s, Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood began to transform from the post-industrial morass it had been suffering for the last few decades. Artists began to rent empty apartments, what were once shot-and-a-beer bars became hip dive bars and entrepreneurs found inexpensive real estate to follow their visions. It was in this landscape that the Beehive Coffeehouse began to attract a new 90s alternative crowd. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

In 1917, at the start of World War I, among global war and a global pandemic, Harrisburgers stepped up and served. The city experienced tribulations as residents feared espionage, suspected foreigners and demanded loyalty. Hospitals struggled with the 1918 flu at their doorstep. Join author Rodney Ross as he charts the World War I era and the Harrisburg home front. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

George Washington has frequently been criticized for his first military campaign, which sparked the French and Indian War. While his campaign failed to meet its objectives, Washington experienced his first taste of military command, dealing with situations that ultimately proved beyond his control, and learned lessons that made him into the man who led the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Irving College was the first college to offer degrees in the arts and sciences to women and that two of its buildings still stand to this day. Named after famed author Washington Irving, this college for women was part of a nationwide trend in the nineteenth century to finally educate women, but a trend that was always fraught with opposition. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Of the more than seventy sites associated with the Civil War era that the National Park Service manages, none hold more national appeal and recognition than Gettysburg National Military Park. In "On a Great Battlefield," Jennifer M. Murray chronicles the administration of the National Park Service and how it educates the public about the battle and the Civil War as a whole since it acquired the site in August 1933. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Shawn McLain creates characters that are not always all-powerful, nor are they perfect. He works toward the relatable, even when delving into fantasy, horror and his other interests. In "Thorn," McLains kicks off a new series in which a young elf seeks adventure, but also, freedom in a world where elves and men are segregated due to prejudice. A chance meeting with a half-elf girl leads to a quest to stop an evil witch from world destruction. Through their interactions, acceptance is learned, as well as Magic, they must also consider a dark secret.  McLain draws on zombies, elves, trolls and a love for both Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons for the worlds he has created. He joins Lawrence Knorr on the Sunbury Press Books Show to tell of "Thorn" and his other books, including "Respect the Dead" and the "Grey Girl" Trilogy. He writes promotional copy and materials for the Pennsylvania Cable Network.  

The British Army in North America conducted two campaigns in 1777. John Burgoyne led one army south from Canada to seize control of the Lake Champlain-Hudson River corridor resulting in the battle of Saratoga. Rather than assist Burgoyne's campaign, William Howe led his army from New York City on the Philadelphia campaign. Although Howe captured Philadelphia, the events of 1777 led to the French Alliance and ultimately American victory in the American Revolution. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

The first installment (June 3-22, 1863) carried the armies through the defining mounted clash at Battle of Brandy Station, after which Lee pushed his corps into the Shenandoah Valley and achieved the magnificent victory at Second Winchester on his way to the Potomac. Caught flat-footed, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker used his cavalry to probe the mountain gaps, triggering a series of consequential mounted actions. The current volume (June 23-30) completes the march to Gettysburg and details the actions and whereabouts of each component of the armies up to the eve of the fighting. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

In 1777, Congress labeled Quakers who would not take up arms in support of the War of Independence as "the most Dangerous Enemies America knows" and ordered Pennsylvania and Delaware to apprehend them. In response, Keystone State officials sent twenty men-seventeen of whom were Quakers-into exile, banishing them to Virginia, where they were held for a year. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Historic Philadelphia has long yielded archaeological treasures from its past. Excavations required by the National Historic Preservation Act have recovered pottery shards, pots, plates, coins, bones, and other artifacts relating to early life in the city. This updated edition of Digging in the City of Brotherly Love continues to use archaeology to learn about and understand people from the past. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Historian and author Brady Crytzer joins Tim to talk about his latest book on one of the lesser known stories of early America…the Whiskey Rebellion. Brady is the author of “The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis.” It comes along at a time when our newly formed republic was still in its infancy. Well not quite infancy. If the Civil War was America's rebellious teen years, then the Whiskey Rebellion was our country's Terrible Twos. https://traffic.libsyn.com/forcedn/shapingopinion/Brady_Crytzer_-_Whiskey_Rebellion_auphonic.mp3 It's probably not an overstatement to say that a good number of Americans today never heard of Alexander Hamilton until the hit Broadway musical called Hamilton hit the stage in 2015. They may not even realize that he's the face they see on the front of the ten-dollar bills they spend. And even they do know of Alexander Hamilton, some think he was one our first presidents. Such is life in America in 2023. But the fact that we're still talking about the man says something of the impact he had on the shaping of the nation. We're going to talk about a piece of his legacy, and that of George Washington and others, in the context of a true insurrection. In March of 1791, U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed a domestic tax that sent shockwaves through the Western Frontier and sparked an insurrection. At that time, the Western frontier was western Pennsylvania, an area known in Philadelphia as the Ohio Territories. Kentucky, Virginia and Maryland. What Hamilton proposed was an excise tax on whiskey. His goal was to balance America's national debt in the wake of the Revolutionary War and the country's battle for independence. The law he sponsored was called the Whiskey Act, and it penalized famers in the backcountry, while playing favorites with large distillers. It's may be hard for Americans to understand today, but ultimately the controversy centered on imposing federal authority over frontier settlers. American history author Brady Crytzer says to understand why this didn't go over well, you need to understand more about the western frontier and the times in which they lived. Links The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis, by Brady Crytzer (Amazon) Brady Crytzer Website 'The Whiskey Rebellion' Review: A Young Nation, Suddenly Tested, Wall Street Journal Whiskey Rebellion, History Channel About this Episode's Guest Brady Crytzer Brady J. Crytzer teaches history at Robert Morris University. His book The Whiskey Rebellion: A Distilled History of an American Crisis was listed as one of “Ten Books to Read” by the Wall Street Journal in 2023. A specialist in Frontier History Crytzer is the host of the weekly hit podcast "Dispatches: The Podcast of the Journal of the American Revolution." Crytzer has appeared on Sirius/XM and on the hit cable series Into the Wild Frontier on NBC Peacock as a narrator and consultant. He is the host of the Telly Award winning series Battlefield Pennsylvania on the Pennsylvania Cable Network. Crytzer is the winner of the Donna J. McKee and Donald S. Kelly Awards for Outstanding Scholarship and Service in History. His work has been featured in the Journal of the American Revolution, American History Magazine, American Frontiersman Magazine, The Journal of the Early Republic, Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine, Game News, and Muzzleloader Magazine. His work has been reviewed in The Wall Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, The Journal of Southern History, The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, and The Journal of Military History.

George Marshall was one of America's most significant statesmen during the mid twentieth century. He was born and raised in Uniontown, PA and attended VMI before earning a commission in the U.S. Army in 1902. During World War II he led the Army as Chief of Staff and after the war served as Secretary of State where he initiated the Marshall Plan for the recovery of Europe. In this episode, Army War College professor Tom Bruscino joins us to talk about Marshall's memoir of his service as a staff officer with the American forces in Europe during World War I. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

George Nakashima began his furniture business as a reactionary movement against the practice of 20th century "modern" architecture, design, and art. With a solid background in architectural history and design, engineering and building practice, George turned towards a simpler life in which direct contact with materials, tools, clients, and craftsmen was more important than the imposed egoism of the modern world. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

In March 1791 Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton shocked the western frontier when he proposed a domestic excise tax on whiskey to balance America's national debt. As the months passed however the people of Western Pennsylvania grew restless with the inadequacy of the government's response and they soon turned to more violent means of political expression. Take a journey through Western Pennsylvania, following the routes of both the rebels and the U.S. Army to place this important event into context. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Given the news media's focus on national issues and debates, voters might be expected to make decisions about state and local candidates based on their views of the national parties and presidential candidates. The editors and contributors of this book examine the 2020 elections in six Pennsylvania districts to explore the level of nationalization in campaigns for Congress and state legislature. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

The sniper killings of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, policemen William Davis and Richard Posey shocked the American public in November 1972 and garnered national coverage on the major news networks at the time. Fifty years later, this book, the first to cover the slayings, details the cold-blooded ambush of the two small-town law enforcement officers by a member of the murderous Johnston gang. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

A memoir about a 330-mile walk from Washington, D.C., to New York City - an unforgettable pilgrimage to the heart of America across some of our oldest common ground. Neil King Jr.'s desire to walk from Washington, D.C., to New York City began as a whim and soon became an obsession as he was determined to rediscover what matters in life and to see our national story with new eyes. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

In October 1948, a seemingly average fog descended on the tiny mill town of Donora, Pennsylvania. With a population of fewer than fifteen thousand, the town's main industry was steel and zinc mills—mills that continually emitted pollutants into the air. The six-day smog event left twenty-one people dead and thousands sick. Even after the fog lifted, hundreds more died or were left with lingering health problems. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

George Washington and his Continental Army braving the frigid winter at Valley Forge form an iconic image in the popular history of the American Revolution. Exploring the inner workings of the Continental Army through the prism of its encampments, this book is the first to show how camp construction and administration played a crucial role in Patriot strategy during the war. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

During the memorable summer of 1941, no sports story loomed larger than Joe Louis versus Billy Conn, the hard-hitting heavyweight champion, Detroit's "Brown Bomber," battling the stylish and cocky "Pittsburgh Kid." Considered one of the greatest matches in boxing history, the fight saw the underdog Conn well ahead on points until Louis knocked him out in the 13th round. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

The Delaware River defenses played a crucial role for the Americans in Philadelphia during the American War of Independence in 1777. Maintaining the integrity of the river defenses involved an attritional campaign waged by an intrepid group of defenders which brought together the efforts of the Continental Army, the Continental Navy and the Pennsylvania State Navy. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

The remarkable and inspiring story of William Still, an unknown abolitionist who dedicated his life to managing a critical section of the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia. Learn the full range of Still's life and accomplishments. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Although Philadelphia's Black community lived in a free city in a free state, they faced constant threats to their personal safety and freedom. The political and physical conflicts that arose over fugitive slave removals and the kidnappings of free Black people forced Philadelphians to confront the politics of slavery. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Until the 1970s, if you suffered a medical crisis, your chances of survival were minimal. But that all changed with Freedom House EMS in Pittsburgh, a group of Black men who became America's first paramedics. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

In this major new history of the Continental Army's Grand Forage of 1778, award-winning military historian Ricardo A. Herrera uncovers what daily life was like for soldiers during the darkest and coldest days of the American Revolution: the Valley Forge winter. Here, the army launched its largest and riskiest operation to feed itself and prevent starvation or dispersal. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Chicago Civil War Round Table Meeting for December 2022: Garry Adelman on “Midwest Civil War Photo Extravaganza” For more info: WWW.ChicagoCWRT.ORG Join American Battlefield Trust Chief Historian Garry Adelman for a lively photography presentation covering all manner of Midwestern events, people, and places. While the Midwest proper hosted a limited number of battles and campaigns, the Midwest states hosted hospitals, supply deports, manufacturing hubs, prisons, camps, railroads, and more! Midwesterners themselves played an outsized role in the conflict ... and where they went, so went photographers capturing images on glass and metal for a public hungry for this relatively new technology! Combining then-and-now photographs, details, maps, and other media, Mr. Adelman will tell the story of the Civil War Midwest mainly through the revolutionary wet-plate photography process, the truly unique individuals involved in the birth of photojournalism and more. From Wilson's Creek to Johnson's Island, from Wood Lake to Cairo, Mine Creek, Milwaukee, Crown Point, Keokuk, Ann Arbor, and the Wigwam, come to understand the 1860s Midwest in a manner available nowhere else! A graduate of Michigan State University and Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, Garry Adelman is the award-winning author, co-author, or editor of 20 books and 50 Civil War articles. He is the vice president of the Center for Civil War Photography and has been a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg for 27 years. He has conceived and drafted the text for wayside exhibits at ten battlefields, has given thousands of battlefield tours at more than 70 American Revolution and Civil War sites, and has lectured at hundreds of locations across the country including the National Archives, the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian. He has appeared as a speaker on the BBC, C-Span, Pennsylvania Cable Network, American Heroes Channel, and on HISTORY where he was a chief consultant and talking head on the Emmy Award-winning show Gettysburg (2011), Blood and Glory: The Civil War in Color (2015), and Grant (2020). He works full time as Chief Historian at the American Battlefield Trust.

On today's episode we have the pleasure of speaking with Jared Frederick author of Fierce Valor: The True Story of Ronald Speirs and His Band of Brothers.Links from the show:Fierce Valor: The True Story of Ronald Speirs and his Band of BrothersHang Tough: The WWII Letters and Artifacts of Major Dick WintersBand of Brothers - BookBand of Brothers - ShowVanguard of the Crusade: The 101st Airborne Division in World War IIConnect with JaredReel HistoryGettysburg Museum of HistoryConnect with RyanAbout my guest:Jared Frederick has a lifelong passion for American History. Prior to his career in academia, Frederick served as a park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.Frederick has long been involved in the world of Public and Digital History, including historical interpretation and development at numerous cultural sites. As an active reenactor and historical presenter, he firmly believes the past can be taught in spheres beyond the traditional classroom.Frederick has appeared on C-SPAN, PBS, the Pennsylvania Cable Network, WW2TV, National Park Service productions, and various online documentaries. In 2019, he acted as a guest host on Turner Classic Movies for the channel's 25th anniversary. He is also the host of the popular YouTube series "Reel History."In addition to teaching a variety of courses pertaining to United States History at the Altoona campus, Frederick is currently completing his doctoral dissertation in the American Studies program at Penn State Harrisburg. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dispatchesfromthewarroom.substack.com

Originally released on December 11, 2019 on our Patreon feed. Lieutenant General James Longstreet is one of the more controversial figures of the war and, especially, the Battle of Gettysburg. But does the blame for the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg really rest on his shoulders? Author Cory M. Pfarr has had enough of Longstreet getting a bad rap, so he set out to set the record straight in his new book "Longstreet at Gettysburg: A Critical Reassessment".  In this episode, Cory and I break down some of the points of contention about General Longstreet so that you can decide for yourself if he is the traitor his former cohorts made him out to be in the postwar years.    Cory M. Pfarr works for the Department of Defense and is an American History author whose main interests span America's Revolutionary to Civil War years. He is the author of "John Quincy Adams's Republicanism: 'A Thousand Obstacles Apparently Stand Before Us'" (Massachusetts Historical Society, 2014) and Longstreet at Gettysburg: A Critical Reassessment (McFarland Publishers, 2019). He has also written articles for North & South Magazine and Gettysburg Magazine, and has appeared on the Pennsylvania Cable Network and C-SPAN American History TV. He lives in Pikesville, Maryland with his wife and three kids.   We hope you enjoyed this free Patreon episode and decide to join us as a patron. Patrons get these episodes upon release and don't have to wait up to a year. Plus, they get to take part in decisions pertaining to the direction of the show and more! So, come and be a part of the Addressing Gettysburg Community today! Click here

Lieutenant General James Longstreet is one of the more controversial figures of the war and, especially, the Battle of Gettysburg. But does the blame for the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg really rest on his shoulders? Author Cory M Pfarr has had enough of Longstreet getting a bad rap, so he set out to set the record straight in his new book "Longstreet at Gettysburg: A Critical Reassessment".  In this episode, Cory and I break down some of the points of contention about General Longstreet so that you can decide for yourself if he is the traitor his former cohorts made him out to be in the postwar years.    Cory M. Pfarr works for the Department of Defense and is an American History author whose main interests span America's Revolutionary to Civil War years. He is the author of "John Quincy Adams's Republicanism: 'A Thousand Obstacles Apparently Stand Before Us'" (Massachusetts Historical Society, 2014) and Longstreet at Gettysburg: A Critical Reassessment (McFarland Publishers, 2019). He has also written articles for North & South Magazine and Gettysburg Magazine, and has appeared on the Pennsylvania Cable Network and C-SPAN American History TV. He lives in Pikesville, Maryland with his wife and three kids.

This week Joel Moore and I will be joined by Civil War expert and author Bruce Mowday. Bruce E. Mowday is an award winning author and newspaper reporter. He has authored more than 16 books on history, sports, business and true crime. Bruce has appeared on the Discovery ID channel, C-SPAN, the Pennsylvania Cable Network and Philadelphia and local television shows. He is a contributing editor with Business 2 Business magazine. Bruce has hosted his own radio shows and was chairman of the Chester County Historical Society and president of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates. He is a board member of the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau and the Valley Forge Park Alliance. He is a frequent speaker at various civic and historical groups.

Bruce E. Mowday is an award winning author and newspaper reporter. He has authored more than 16 books on history, sports, business and true crime. Mowday was appeared on the Discovery ID channel, C-SPAN, the Pennsylvania Cable Network and Philadelphia and local television shows. He is a contributing editor with Business 2 Business magazine. Mowday has hosted his own radio shows and was chairman of the Chester County Historical Society and president of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates. He is a frequent speaker at various civic and historic groups. For more information on Mowday, his books and his schedule of events, see www.mowday.com.

John Grogan, a metropolitan columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer, and his wife, Jenny, were newlyweds when they brought home an irresistible yellow Labrador retriever puppy and named him after a mellow reggae star. But Marley soon would grow into a 97-pound powerhouse of nervous, pulsating intensity and mischief. Marley, the incorrigible, excitable, destructive, and intensely loyal creature that graced the Grogan home for thirteen years, was not the mellow, well-behaved pet his owners had envisioned. His slobber was legendary, his manners appalling, and his fear of thunderstorms expensive. He decimated walls, screen doors, car upholstery, and dinner parties. Evan as the Grogans tried everything to mold him to their will, Marley, with his utter devotion and unharnessed zeal for life, helped shape them into the family they would become. He was kicked out of obedience training, and the veterinarian prescribed tranquilizers to no effect. But his heart was pure. As he crashed through life, he taught two newlyweds about faithfulness and commitment, two parents about patience and perseverance, and a five-person family about the greatest gift of all- the gift of unconditional love. Award-winning journalist John Grogan is a columnist with the Philadelphia Inquirer and former metropolitan columnist and urban-sprawl reporter for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He is also a former editor of the magazine Organic Gardening. He lives with his family in Pennsylvania.

The legend of W. C. Fields has persisted for more than half a century—the gin-guzzling misanthrope about whom Leo Rosten famously said, “Any man who hates dogs and babies can’t be all bad.” But there was another Fields, the man behind the character of the red-nosed card sharp, who wrote, directed, and performed in some of the most enduring comedies of all time, including "It’s a Gift", "My Little Chickadee", and "The Bank Dick". Fields’ career spanned the whole of the 20th Century—first in burlesque, then vaudeville, the legitimate stage, silent pictures, talkies, radio, books, and recordings, and only death prevented him from moving into the promising medium of television, where he found an entirely new audience in the turbulent 1960s and 70s. He was one of the cultural icons surrounding The Beatles on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and in 1980 he was honored with his own postage stamp. Now James Curtis reveals the man behind the myth, telling the story of Fields’ life and work as it’s never been told before. With exclusive and unrestricted access to the Great Man’s papers and manuscripts, he shows us the passion and intellect that fueled Fields’ creative drive, and the broken family that gave such a bitter edge to his comedy. Drawing from interviews with over 50 friends and co-workers, as well as the comedian’s own recently-rediscovered notes for his autobiography, Curtis vividly details Fields’ Philadelphia childhood, his first tentative steps as a performer, his arduous climb to the very pinnacle of show business, and his struggle to regain his footing once talking pictures had seemingly put an end to his career. He also shows the evolution of one of the world’s most recognizable figures, whose nasal voice and shifty mannerisms helped make him, in the words of James Agee, “the toughest and most warmly human of all screen comedians.” Published in hardcover by Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. Softcover edition published by Back Stage Books, 2004. Now available as an eBook at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Inscribed hardcover copies are available for sale via jamescurtis.net.

For more than 25 years as a reporter with the Philadelphia Inquirer George Anastasia has made tracking the American Mafia his regular beat, writing investigates pieces, profiles and slices of underworld life. Mobfiles is a compilation of his best work -- stories told from street level and often based on insights and access provided by investigators, prosecutors and the mobsters themselves. Mobfiles provides the true stories around which classics like The Godfather and The Sopranos have been built. George Anastasia, a veteran reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, is the grandson of Sicilian immigrants who settle in South Philadelphia. He is the author of five books of nonfiction, including Blood and Honor, which Jimmy Breslin called the "best gangster book ever written." He has won many awards for investigative journalism and magazine writing.

In 1776, acclaimed historian David McCullough tells the intensely human story of the Revolutionary War during the nation’s tumultuous beginning, and the ragtag army on whose shoulders the fate of the war and the revolution rested. It is a story of all-too-few victories, of sustained suffering, disease, hunger, desertion, cowardice, disillusionment, defeat, terrible discouragement, and fear. It is also a story of phenomenal courage, bedrock devotion, unparalleled sacrifice, and perseverance on the brink of disaster. David McCullough has twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Truman and John Adams, and twice received the National Book Award, for The Path Between the Seas and Mornings on Horseback.

In every band of brothers, there is always one who looks out for the rest. For the Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Army Airborne, the legendary fighting unit of World War II, the one man every soldier in Easy Company looked up to was Major Richard D. Winters. “Biggest Brother” is the story of an ordinary man who became an extraordinary hero-from Winters' childhood in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, through the war years in which his natural skill as a leader elevated him through the ranks in combat, to now, decades later, when he may finally be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on D-Day. Larry Alexander has been a journalist and columnist for the Intelligencer Journal newspaper in Lancaster, PA for more than a decade, winning numerous awards for excellence in journalism. He grew up on the same street in the same town as Major Dick Winters, three decades later.

On New Year's Eve 1972, following eighteen magnificent seasons in the major leagues, Roberto Clemente died a hero's death, killed in a plane crash as he attempted to deliver food and medical supplies to Nicaragua after a devastating earthquake. David Maraniss now brings the great baseball player brilliantly back to life in Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero. Anyone who saw Clemente, as he played with a beautiful fury, will never forget him. He was a work of art in a game too often defined by statistics. During his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he won four batting titles and led his team to championships in 1960 and 1971, getting a hit in all fourteen World Series games in which he played. His career ended with three-thousand hits, the magical three-thousandth coming in his final at-bat, and he and the immortal Lou Gehrig are the only players to have the five-year waiting period waived so they could be enshrined in the Hall of Fame immediately after their deaths. David Maraniss is an associate editor at The Washington Post and the author of two critically acclaimed and bestselling books, When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi and First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton. He lives in Washington, D.C., and Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife, Linda.

In June 1863, Harrisburg braced for an invasion. The Confederate troops of Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell steadily moved toward the Pennsylvania capital. Capturing Carlisle en route, Ewell sent forth a brigade of cavalry under Brigadier General Albert Gallatin Jenkins. After occupying Mechanicsburg for two days, Jenkins’s troops skirmished with Union militia near Harrisburg. Jenkins then reported back to Ewell that Harrisburg was vulnerable. Ewell, however, received orders from army commander Lee to concentrate southward—toward Gettysburg—immediately. Left in front of Harrisburg, Jenkins had to fight his way out at the Battle of Sporting Hill. The following day, Jeb Stuart’s Confederate cavalry made its way to Carlisle and began the infamous shelling of its Union defenders and civilian population. Running out of ammunition and finally making contact with Lee, Stuart also retired south toward Gettysburg.

William Hogeland is one of my all-time favorite guests on PA Books. In “Founding Finance” he tells how America’s early economic system was established. It’s a lot more interesting than it sounds. Hogeland writes about the little-remembered election of May 1776 in which Pennsylvanians elected a General Assembly that was anti-independence and how, between then an July 4, mobs in Philadelphia overthrew the elected government and installed a pro-independence assembly. Without that coup, Pennsylvania might not have supported independence. It’s a fascinating story. Hogeland has also appeared on PA Books for “The Whiskey Rebellion” and “Declaration,” both fascinating books.

John S.D. Eisenhower modestly explains General Ike as "a son's view of a great military leader -- highly intelligent, strong, forceful, kind, yet as human as the rest of us." It is that, and more: a portrait of the greatest Allied military leader of the Second World War, by the man who knew Ike best. General Ike is a book that John Eisenhower always knew he had to write, a tribute from an affectionate and admiring son to a great father. John chose to write about the "military Ike," as opposed to the "political Ike," because Ike cared far more about his career in uniform than about his time in the White House. A series of portraits of Ike's relations with soldiers and statesmen, from MacArthur to Patton to Montgomery to Churchill to de Gaulle, reveals the many facets of a talented, driven, headstrong, yet diplomatic leader. Taken together, they reveal a man who was brilliant, if flawed; naïve at times in dealing with the public, yet who never lost his head when others around him were losing theirs. Above all, General Ike was a man who never let up in the relentless pursuit of the destruction of Hitler. Here for the first time are eyewitness stories of General Patton showing off during military exercises; of Ike on the verge of departing for Europe and assuming command of the Eastern Theater; of Churchill stewing and lobbying Ike in his "off hours." Faced with giant personalities such as these men and MacArthur, not to mention difficult allies such as de Gaulle and Montgomery, Ike nevertheless managed to pull together history's greatest invasion force and to face down a determined enemy from Normandy to the Bulge and beyond. John Eisenhower masterfully uses the backdrop of Ike's key battles to paint a portrait of his father and his relationships with the great men of his time. General Ike is a ringing and inspiring testament to a great man by an accomplished historian. It is also a personal portrait of a caring, if not always available, father by his admiring son. It is history at its best.

Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions examines in detail three of the campaign’s central cavalry episodes. The first is the heroic but doomed legendary charge of Brig. Gen. Elon J. Farnsworth’s cavalry brigade against Confederate infantry and artillery. The attack was launched on July 3 after the repulse of Pickett’s Charge, and the high cost included the life of General Farnsworth. The second examines Brig. Gen. Wesley Merritt’s tenacious fight on South Cavalry Field, including a fresh look at the opportunity to roll up the Army of Northern Virginia’s flank on the afternoon of July 3. Finally, Wittenberg studies the short but especially brutal July 3 cavalry fight at Fairfield, Pennsylvania. The strategic Confederate victory kept the Hagerstown Road open for Lee’s retreat back to Virginia, nearly destroyed the 6th U.S. Cavalry, and resulted in the award of two Medals of Honor. Eric Wittenberg is an accomplished American Civil War cavalry historian and author. An attorney in Ohio, Wittenberg has authored over a dozen books on Civil War cavalry subjects, as well as two dozen articles in popular magazines such as North&South, Blue&Gray, America's Civil War, and Gettysburg Magazine. His first book, Gettysburg's Forgotten Cavalry Actions (Thomas Publications, Gettysburg Pa, 1998) won the prestigious 1998 Bachelder-Coddington Literary Award. Wittenberg is a favored speaker at Civil War Roundtables, and conducts tours of cavalry battlefields and related sites. He was instrumental in saving important battlefield land at Trevilian Station, Virginia, and wrote the text for the historical waysides located there. He lives in Columbus with his wife Susan and their beloved dogs. Wittenberg is the CEO of Ironclad Publishing Inc.

Composer of more than 100 jazz pieces, three-time Grammy nominee, and performer on more than 125 albums, saxophonist Jimmy Heath has earned a place of honor in the history of jazz. Over his long career, Heath knew many jazz giants, such as Charlie Parker, and played with other innovators, including John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and especially Dizzy Gillespie. Along the way, Heath won both their respect and their friendship. In his autobiography, the legendary Heath creates a “dialogue” with musicians and family members. As in jazz, where improvisation by one performer prompts another to riff on the same theme, I Walked with Giants juxtaposes Heath’s account of his life and career with recollections from jazz giants about life on the road and making music on the world’s stages. His memories of playing with his equally legendary brothers, Percy and Albert (aka “Tootie”), dovetail with their recollections. Heath reminisces about a South Philadelphia home filled with music and a close-knit family that hosted musicians performing in the city’s then thriving jazz scene. Milt Jackson recalls, “I went to their house for dinner. . . . Jimmy’s father put Charlie Parker records on and told everybody that we had to be quiet till dinner because he had Bird on. . . . When I [went] to Philly, I’d always go to their house.” Jimmy Heath, an NEA Jazz Master, is widely recognized as one of the greats in jazz. A saxophonist, composer, arranger, and educator, Heath grew up in Philadelphia with his renowned brothers, Percy, the longtime bassist with the Modern Jazz Quartet, and Albert (“Tootie”), a highly respected drummer. The three formed the Heath Brothers Band in the ’70s. Jimmy Heath directed the Jazz Studies master’s degree program in performance at Queens College (CUNY).

At the peak of his power, in the 1940s and 1950s, William Francis Gibbs was considered America’s best naval architect. His quest to build the finest, fastest, most beautiful ocean liner of his time, the S.S. United States, was a topic of national fascination.

The following broadcast was recorded live by the Pennsylvania Cable Network and is distributed weekly on PCNtv.com. In the year 1758, in the midst of the first global war in world history, the empire of Great Britain vanquished their longtime French enemies on the frontiers of North America. To signify their victory and the consolidate their power, they began to construct the largest fortification on the continent that would give them sole possession of this new and uncharted land. “Fort Pitt: A Frontier History” is in stores now. Remember, an all new season of wartime begins on February 28th.

"Telling of the Anthracite" explores the various ways in which anthracite history has been represented and remembered since 1960, the chosen date for the start of the "posthistorical" era coinciding approximately with the Knox mine disaster (1959) and the beginning of the Centralia mine fire (1962-), two cataclysmic and fateful events that symbolize the beginning of the end for wide scale deep anthracite mining in northeastern Pennsylvania. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

In late 1975 and early 1976, at the height of the Cold War, two of the Soviet Union's long-dominant national hockey teams traveled to North America to play an eight-game series against the best teams in the National Hockey League. The culmination of the "Super Series" was reigning Soviet League champion HC CSKA Moscow's face-off against the defending NHL champion Flyers in Philadelphia on January 11, 1976. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

The September 11, 1777, battle of Brandywine, a defeat for General George Washington, is too often forgotten by historians. Brandywine was one of the most important engagements of the war, also the largest land battle. Lafayette began his rise to an American hero that afternoon when he shed his blood for American freedom. Artist Karl J. Kuerner and author Bruce E. Mowday grew up near the main battlefield. Karl received instructions by world-renowned artist Andrew Wyeth. Karl uses his artistic talents to depict Brandywine landscape and Bruce writes about the history. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Turbulent rapids and wild shorelines of the Youghiogheny River highlight natural wonders of the Appalachian Mountains, and midway on the stream's revealing path, Ohiopyle State Park is a showcase of beauty and has become a recreational hotspot where the river thunders over its iconic falls and cascades through the wooded gorges of Pennsylvania. Now, in this revised and expanded edition of his classic narrative on this special landscape and its people, athor, Tim Palmer, revisits the river, addresses the changes that have occurred since the book was first published, and poses the question: What will happen to this historic and cherished place? pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com

Gathering a treasure trove of powerful, rare, and haunting original documents, New York Times bestselling author and award-winning historian Allen C. Guelzo presents a uniquely readable and intimate oral history of the Civil War's turning point. We hear from a Union staff officer, a Confederate amputee, artilleryman, a sympathetic Northern woman, a Union prisoner-of-war, Union colonels and Confederate generals, a drummer boy, a fearful college student, those who orchestrated the Battle of Gettysburg, those who survived it, and those who would perish. pcntv.com/donate pcntv.com/membership-signup pcntv.com