The last few days the students I teach American history to have been learning right from Commander Adama himself.
Back in the late 60s, when Lorne was starring on "Bonanza" he narrated a magnificent NBC documentary "The Journals Of Lewis And Clark." It's a great overview of this important expedition that marked the last chapter in the 300 year process of discovery in the Western Hemisphere and opened up America to a bold new era of settlement (along with its attendant problems caused by the uneasy contact with the Indian tribes, as well as the environmental ramifications). In the early 90s, this and other vintage documentaries were released on VHS, and I've found it to be a worthwhile teaching tool in the classroom whenever I cover the age of Thomas Jefferson, since I think students need to get a full appreciation of just how an important event this was in our history.
Strangely appropriate that Commander Adama, who led the Colonial people into the unknown domains of space, would be narrating a fascinating tale of 30 men setting out on a 16 month trek across the North American continent through all kinds of obstacles and not knowing what they would encounter.
