Ken Burns
(b. 1953)

One 11-hour event glued millions of viewers' eyes to their television screens over the course of five days in 1990. The event was the airing of the documentary The Civil War by young director Ken Burns. In this groundbreaking documentary, Burns created a new style out of the basic materials used by historians—primary documents such as letters from soldiers and period photographs. He combined these with expert interviews with noted Civil War historians. The final product was presented with period music and present-day footage of battle sites.

The results were dramatic. The Civil War won two Emmy awards, earning the praise of viewers and critics alike. The series also created a whole new audience for Burns's documentaries.

Before Ken Burns became a household name with The Civil War in 1990, he had perfected his documentary style on many other television projects. Burn's background in documentary filmmaking went back to his studies at Hampshire College. There, he learned a way of filming still photographs that seemed to give their subjects movement. Burns combined these insights from college with a love of American history to produce documentaries on such diverse topics as the Brooklyn Bridge, controversial Louisiana governor Huey Long, and the Shakers, an early religious group. He collaborated on these films with other filmmakers and historians, such as his brother Ric and historian Geoffrey C. Ward, who helped write and produce the pieces.

Burns's success with The Civil War allowed him to turn his camera on other historical subjects—baseball, the American West, and jazz. Each film was an extensive examination of a topic in American history whose importance is often overlooked. The documentary about baseball, for instance, was shown in nine two-hour parts ("innings") to simulate a real game of baseball. The film looked at a wide variety of topics, such as race relations and leisure time, through the lens of baseball. By producing films like Baseball and The Civil War, Ken Burns has reshaped the way we look at key events and traditions of our nation's past.

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