“The U.S. and the Holocaust” (PBS)

History lessons may recall that the U.S. helped liberate Nazi concentration camps after defeating Germany in World War II, but the entire story is far more complicated.

This undated image provided by the U.S. Navy shows sailor Herbert “Bert” Jacobson, from Grayslake, Ill. The 21-year-old is to be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022 — more than 80 years after he was killed in the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor. (U.S. Navy via AP)

Members of Herbert “Bert” Jacobson’s family have waited all their lives to attend a memorial for the young man they knew about but never met. Jacobson was among the more than 400 sailors and Marines killed on the USS Oklahoma during the Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 

Britain’s Princess Elizabeth aged 16 at an unidentified event, April 7, 1942. During World War II, young Princess Elizabeth briefly became known as No. 230873, Second Subaltern Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor of the Auxiliary Transport Service No. 1. (AP Photo, File)

Elizabeth often gave the impression of a serious demeanor, and many have noted her “poker face,” but those who knew her described her as having a mischievous sense of humor and a talent for mimicry in private company.

World War II reenactors gather on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Normandy,France Monday, June 6, 2022, the day of 78th anniversary of the assault that helped bring an end to World War II. (AP Photo / Jeremias Gonzalez)

As several dozen D-Day veterans — now all in their 90s — set foot on the sands that claimed so many colleagues, they are thankful for the gratitude and friendliness of the French toward those who landed here on June 6, 1944.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia, Feb. 1, 2022. (Yuri Kochetkov / Pool Photo via AP, File)

The Holocaust, World War II and Nazism have been important tools for Putin in his bid to legitimize Russia’s moves in Ukraine, but historians see their use as disinformation and a cynical ploy to further the Russian leader’s aims.

Pearl Harbor survivor Herb Elfring, center, speaks with National Park Service workers in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)

A few dozen survivors of Pearl Harbor are expected to gather Tuesday at the site of the Japanese bombing to remember those killed in the attack that launched the U.S. into World War II. They will observe a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the same minute the attack began decades ago.

President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron greet veterans as they arrive to a ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day at The Normandy American Cemetery, Thursday, June 6, 2019, in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon)

“You are the pride of our nation, you are the glory of our republic and we thank you from the bottom of our heart,” President Trump said, of the “warriors” of an “epic battle” engaged in the ultimate fight of good against evil.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth, England Wednesday, June 5, 2019. (AP Photo / Matt Dunham)

President Donald Trump read from a prayer delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he joined other world leaders and veterans Wednesday in marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

George Takei (Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons)

The actor and activist hosts a screening and discussion of the film “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” this weekend. We caught up with him to talk “Trek,” Trump and more.

Peter Hayes

For 36 years, professor Peter Hayes sought to understand and explain the Holocaust to students at Northwestern University. He joins us to discuss his new book. 

From Ukraine to Syria, a former foreign policy adviser to President George H. W. Bush sees a “World in Disarray.”

(Courtesy of CityFiles Press)

A new book and a Chicago-area survivor recall the infamous internment of Japanese-Americans that took place 75 years ago.

Grant Wood, “American Gothic,” 1930. (Friends of American Art Collection. The Art Institute of Chicago)

It has been said that the Great Depression was the best thing that ever happened to American artists. A new exhibition looks at how artists of the 1930s applied their diverse visions to the American dream during this time of immense change.

On Saturday, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize-winner Elie Wiesel died. He was 87 years old. In 2002, host Phil Ponce spoke with the author and activist about his widely acclaimed book "Night." Watch the full interview.

A new documentary tells the amazing story of World War II aviators who earned their wings aboard makeshift aircraft carriers on Lake Michigan.

US Infantry advancing through a hole blasted in the Siegfried Line, or Westall, in October 1944. (Viking Penguin)

In December 1944 Hitler and the German army were desperate. Losing the war on two fronts, they launched a last great offensive in a desperate gamble to split the Western Allies. The fighting was ferocious, with atrocities on both sides, and the outcome shaped history. It's a story told in acclaimed author Antony Beevor's latest book "Ardennes 1944: The Battle of the Bulge."