With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

History TV network to retell September 11, WWII

Cable network History -- formerly known as the History Channel -- is retelling the stories of World War II and the September 11 attacks from a fresh perspective.

The network has ordered a 10-part series, "WW II HD," for 2009 that will make use of 3,000 hours of restored color archival footage and hundreds of pages of unpublished diaries and journals to create what History said will be one of its most ambitious projects ever.

Meanwhile, the network has compiled amateur and professional footage shot on September 11 for "102 Minutes That Changed America," a 102-minute special that will retell the events of that morning in real time.

"WW II HD," which History said will be "visually astonishing," will follow the experiences of a handful of men as their paths cross throughout the war. Their own words will be read by known talent, though the names will be announced at a later date. The goal is to present the events of the war "not as detached historical facts but rather as profound experiences on the level of a great Hollywood epic," the network said.
Read entire article at Reuters