America 250 | July 2026
Published on
NOVA
Revolutionary War Weapons
Wednesday, July 1, 2026, 8pm
In April 1775, war breaks out in Britain's most troublesome territory. Now the American Colonial Army faces what seems like an impossible challenge--to militarily defeat the world's most powerful nation. We've all heard the stories of pluck and valor, but what really led to Britain's defeat and the birth of the United States? American and British archeologists and historians unpack the real story of technology, innovation and luck that determined the outcome of key battles--from the Massachusetts militias who fired the first shots to the naval clashes between British and American ships of the line. This unique film brings the latest science to bear to reveal the hidden history of the Revolutionary War.
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 07/01/2026 @ 8:00 PM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Thu, 07/02/2026 @ 12:00 AM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Fri, 07/03/2026 @ 3:00 AM
The Spirit of America - USAF Band of Mid America
Friday, July 3, 2026, 5:30pm
Enjoy "The Spirit of America" performed by the United States Air Force Band of Mid America.
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Fri, 07/03/2026 @ 5:30 PM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sat, 07/04/2026 @ 11:00 PM
America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together
Saturday, July 4, 2026, 7pm (live) and 9pm (replay)
Set in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg, this two-hour program pays tribute to America's semiquincentennial with live performance, historic interpretation, music, narration and large-scale visual spectacle that honors the past, engages the present and helps inspire America's future--all from the place where the path to independence truly began. Featuring Ken Burns, Judy Collins, Michael Feinstein, Ryan Speedo Green, Kelli O'Hara, Richard Thomas, Adrienne Warren, Leah Glenn Dance Theatre, Virginia Chorale and more. The evening culminates with a dramatic fireworks and drone display set to a patriotic score performed by the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band.
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sat, 07/04/2026 @ 7:00 PM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sat, 07/04/2026 @ 9:00 PM
Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America
Monday, July 6, 2026, 8pm
FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED: DESIGNING AMERICA tells the story of the man who made public parks an essential part of American life. Known as the father of American landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted was co-designer of Central Park, head of the first Yosemite commission, leader of the campaign to protect Niagara Falls, designer of the U.S. Capitol Grounds, site planner for the Great White City of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, planner of Boston's "Emerald Necklace" of green space as well as designer of park systems in many other cities. To Olmsted, a park was both a work of art and a necessity for urban life. His efforts to preserve nature created an "environmental ethic" decades before the environmental movement became a force in American politics.
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Mon, 07/06/2026 @ 8:00 PM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Tue, 07/07/2026 @ 1:00 AM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 07/08/2026 @ 2:00 AM
Liberty of Conscience: The Founding of Maryland
Tuesday, July 7, 2026, 9pm
At the heart of colonial Maryland is George Calvert's notion of a Liberty of Conscience which represents the freedom of individuals to worship as they choose. This concept of religious tolerance separates the colonial experience in Maryland from all others and lays a cornerstone upon which the United States is founded.
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Tue, 07/07/2026 @ 9:00 PM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 07/08/2026 @ 1:00 AM
American Experience
JFK: Part One
Friday, July 10, 2026, 8pm
Follow JFK's rise to power from his birth to his election as president in 1960--the youngest man ever to be elected to the office. With illuminating interviews from family members including sister Jean Kennedy Smith, niece Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, historian Robert Dallek and author Robert Caro, this episode offers new insight into Kennedy's early years, from his transformation from a sickly youth to Washington's most eligible bachelor to the nation's president.
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Fri, 07/10/2026 @ 8:00 PM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sat, 07/11/2026 @ 12:00 AM
American Experience
JFK: Part Two
Friday, July 17, 2026, 8pm
Follow Kennedy into the White House through his assassination and the unfulfilled promise of his presidency. Offering fresh assessments of the successes and failures of his tenure, this episode features frank appraisals by administration officials, including John Siegenthaler, Thomas Hughes and Harris Wofford, civil rights leaders Andrew Young and Julian Bond, and journalists Evan Thomas and Richard Reeves.
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Fri, 07/17/2026 @ 8:00 PM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Sat, 07/18/2026 @ 12:00 AM
- WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Sun, 07/19/2026 @ 9:00 PM
- WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Mon, 07/20/2026 @ 1:00 AM
- WTVP-WORLD 47.3 - Mon, 07/20/2026 @ 9:00 AM
America the Bountiful
Friday, July 13, 2026, 8pm
The most sacred food of the Anishinaabe people has become a prized ingredient in the upper Midwest and beyond. We'll dig into the history of the "food that grows on water," see how it's harvested and processed, sample decolonized cuisine that includes wild rice at the James Beard award-winning Owamni with Sioux Chef Sean Sherman and even taste how wild rice shows up at the biggest state fair in America, the "Great Minnesota Get Together" where Capri is joined by Andrew Zimmern.
- WTVP-CREATE 47.4 - Fri, 07/03/2026 @ 8:00 PM
- WTVP-CREATE 47.4 - Sat, 07/04/2026 @ 9:00 AM
- WTVP-CREATE 47.4 - Sun, 07/05/2026 @ 11:00 AM
- WTVP-CREATE 47.4 - Sun, 07/05/2026 @ 8:00 PM
- WTVP-CREATE 47.4 - Mon, 07/06/2026 @ 1:00 AM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Mon, 07/13/2026 @ 8:00 PM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Tue, 07/14/2026 @ 1:00 AM
A Hot Dog Program
Monday, July 20, 2026, 8pm
This documentary, narrated and produced by Rick Sebak, is an all-American celebration of what may be the country's most popular food. From Fairfield, Connecticut, to Los Angeles, California, the program visits some of the nation's coolest hot dog places, taking viewers inside a giant hot dog-shaped building, stopping at some crazy late-night stands and looking at how hot dogs are made. The special also considers how and when hot dogs became so popular and the many different ways they are served from region to region.
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Mon, 07/20/2026 @ 8:00 PM
- WTVP-HD 47.1 - Wed, 07/22/2026 @ 4:00 AM