See how CNN put the history of the Cold War on television. Letter to Viewers By Jeremy Isaacs, Executive Producer Bringing History Alive By Martin Smith, Series Producer >Kenneth Branagh >Carl Davis >Jeremy Isaacs >Pat Mitchell >Producers and Writers >Series Historians >Series Contributors

Honored with the prestigious 1998 George Foster Peabody Award, CNN's landmark COLD WAR series is the first major documentary on the subject.

The concept was proposed by CNN founder Ted Turner, the man celebrated worldwide for his revolutionary approach to news and information technology. In 1994, Turner approached Britain's Jeremy Isaacs -- already famous for his documentary series, "The World at War" -- to lead the project. Isaacs then assembled an acclaimed team of historians, writers and producers, and asked the actor Kenneth Branagh to provide the series' narration.

This sweeping look at nearly five decades of history is the crystallization of a massive, three-year-long effort. The series' production team shot more than 1,000 hours of original footage, and screened 1,500 hours of film reference material.

That archival footage was gathered from all over the world, and includes some historically important -- and often emotionally stunning -- images, many never before seen by an international audience.

The COLD WAR crew traveled to 31 countries, and conducted more than 500 interviews -- many with key players of the time. They also recorded the memories of some of the era's unsung heroes, who through their actions helped to shape modern history.

COLD WAR was hailed by critics in the United States as one of the top television programs of 1998. In awarding the series a Peabody Award judges noted that the series -- and its companion Web site -- are "destined to become the definitive record of this era of global history."