Season 1

1. First Blood

A look at the origins of modern warfare, when ancient Greek soldiers marched in formations called phalanxes. Also: Alexander the Great's foray into Asia Minor in the 4th century B.C. Narrated by Walter Cronkite..

1998-08-02 • 52 min

2. Empires and Armies

The empires of ancient Rome and China, begun before the birth of Christ, which were hubs of cultural development despite being terribly violent. Also: fighting barbarians at their borders; and the legacies of these empires. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.

1998-08-09 • 52 min

3. Horse Warriors

A look at the impact that horses had on warfare, which enabled Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan to rule over vast territories. Also: building fortifications of stone; and the rise of the samurai in Japan. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.

1998-08-16 • 52 min

4. Gunpowder

"Gunpowder" forever changed the way wars were fought, both in an army's weapons and methods of defense. Also: arming ships with cannons; and the spread of European domination. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.

1998-08-23 • 52 min

5. Revolution

England gains a stronghold in America after the Seven Years' War in 1763, but is eventually challenged, and defeated, by a new nation. Also: revolution in France; and the rise of Napoleon. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.

1998-08-30 • 52 min

6. Blood and Iron

The Industrial Revolution creates more mechanized warfare, as trains and mass-produced weapons are tested in the Crimea and the American Civil War. Also: a united Germany; and war correspondents report from the front. Walter Cronkite narrates.

1998-09-06 • 52 min

7. War Machines

Included: America fulfills its "manifest destiny"; colonialism expands in Africa and India; and World War I spawns the tank and the airplane. Also: the Russo-Japanese War; and World War II rises from the ashes of its predecessor. Walter Cronkite narrates.

1998-09-13 • 52 min

8. The Price of War

"The Price of War" looks at the end of World War II and the atomic bomb, and the tension of the Cold War. Also: fighting communism in Korea and southeast Asia; and the fear of nuclear annihilation. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.

1998-09-20 • 52 min