Best History Movies of 2009

NOTORIOUS is the story of Christopher Wallace. Through raw talent and sheer determination, Wallace transforms himself from Brooklyn street hustler (once selling crack to pregnant women) to one of the greatest rappers of all time; THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. Follow his meteoric rise to fame and his refusal to succumb to expectations - redefining our notion of "The American Dream."

Newly elected President Nelson Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match.

A psychological, heart-wrenching love story that provides a unique and inside look at Charles Darwin. Torn between faith and science, he struggles to finish his legendary book "On the Origin of the Species," which goes on to become the foundation for evolutionary biology.

BBC miniseries adaptation. During World War II, a teenage Jewish girl named Anne Frank and her family are forced into hiding in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.

A documentary on the life and career of Victor Fleming, director of such iconic movies as The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind.

Documentary about personal lide of Herbert Hoover's and his governmental career, profiles the former head of state's political philosophy, memorable election campaigns, Great Depression policies and more. Through interviews with scholars such as David Kennedy, Robert Reich and Tim Egan, this biography sheds new light on the underappreciated president's difficult tenure and enduring legacy.

Against a backdrop of global catastrophe, the 6-hour paleontology-based documentary miniseries "Animal Armageddon" brings to life an unprecedented vision of ancient Earth. From the very beginning, the course of evolution has been dramatically altered by catastrophe. Numerous mass extinction events have devastated the Animal Kingdom. Each time disaster has struck, nature has shown remarkable resiliency. Animals have rebounded with with amazing biological innovation and vast increases in diversity. Humans have always had a stake in this. From tiny flatworms to the first amphibians, our own DNA had to survive for us to evolve into what we are now: the first species that can trigger its own extinction.

President John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination in Dallas has sparked decades of questions and controversy. The "lost" JFK recordings made available for this documentary -- including local TV and radio reports -- shed new light on the tragedy. The rarely seen material has been organized to capture the drama as it unfolded, including the shocked reactions of Dallas citizens, many of whom were caught up directly in the sweep of events.

The beautiful and dangerous slave trader Druscilla practises all the customs of Ancient Rome - everything in Excess. But even excess can have its limits and the punishments can be very severe if she crosses the line with Flavius and risks falling out of favor.