The laying of the transatlantic telegraph cable — an underwater communications link between North America and Europe — is a remarkable story of mid-19th century ingenuity and perseverance, even though the cable failed on Sept. 1, 1858. See a timeline from the immense, groundbreaking project. Read the transcript of the episode about the Cable.

The documentary “The Judge and the General” follows the investigation into the brutal murders of thousands of Chileans during the 1970s-80s. You can watch the film online on P.O.V. until September 2nd. The producers also did a Q&A on NewsHour’s Insider Forum.

What is the relationship between gesture and time, mediality and performativity, and appropriation and activism? How has the role of performance art in society changed over the last three decades? In this panel, art historians discuss their research on performance from the 1960s to the 1980s and the place of performance art in the contemporary cultural landscape.

This film profiles political painter Leon Golub, whose massive canvases depict startling tragedies. His artistic journey was shared with his wife and studio partner of 50 years, the prominent anti-war and feminist artist, Nancy Spero. Originally aired as just ‘Golub’ in 1990, the film was updated and lengthened in 2004. Watch now.

On this day in 2003, a major outage knocked out power across the Northeast U.S. and parts of Canada. Beginning at 4:10 p.m. ET, 21 power plants shut down in just three minutes, and 50 million people were left without electricity. Many in NYC spent the night sleeping outside, unable to return home. Airlines canceled 400 flights.