Boom turns to bust when the stock market crashes. The Great Depression and the dust bowl blanket the nation in darkness. Roosevelt's New Deal signals recovery. Hope for the American future collides with world conflict; the attack on Pearl Harbor brings war. American innovation and manufacturing might invigorate the Allies in Europe. In the Pacific, the ultimate piece of technology ends the war; a new global superpower takes the stage.

America becomes a global superpower; the economy and population boom. In the jet age and the space age, pioneers conquer new frontiers and run headlong into Cold War. The Challenger disaster and 9/11 are tragedies that challenge the nation. From the television to the credit card and the personal computer, technology drives America into the 21st Century.