You may not know their names; you may not know their stories -- but they made America. American history is filled with the stories of influential innovators, whose ideas and entrepreneurial spirit gave birth to commercial milestones like the steamboat and cultural touchstones like the Barbie doll. Twelve of these individuals are profiled in They Made America, a four-part television series from the producers of American Experience. They Made America examines America's evolution over two centuries, from the infancy of the country, to its growth as an industrial power, through its global reach today. The inaugural production of WGBH's History Unit, They Made America features commentary from renowned editor and journalist Harold Evans, author of They Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine -- Two Centuries of Innovation with Gail Buckland and David Lefer (Little, Brown, 2004).
