In 1936, nine working-class young men from the University of Washington took the rowing world and America by storm when they captured the gold medal at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Their unexpected victory gave hope to a nation struggling to emerge from the depths of the Great Depression. The Boys of '36 premieres August 2 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

Radioing he had "a ring-side view of the heavens" Air Force officer David G. Simons made history in 1957 high aboard his Manhigh II balloon. He rose 101,500 feet above Earth, writing later he could barely comprehend the beauty of the sky. He was celebrated by The New York Times as "The First Space Man." "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

Project Manhigh was woefully underfunded and undervalued, but Dr. John Paul Stapp and his Air Force team were certain of the project's success. Using spare parts and ingenuity, they assembled a capsule that attached to a newly-invented balloon they hoped would carry a man to heights over 100,000 feet about Earth's surface. "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

Beginning in 1783, balloonists risked their lives trying to view the Earth from a brand new vantage point. But rather than deter aerial exploration, these new and dangerous heights lured explorers ever higher into the clouds. "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

U.S. Air Force aviation doctor, John Paul Stapp, tested the limits of human physiology both on the ground and in near-space. Not satisfied with the accepted belief that 18 G's -- or 18 times the pull of gravity -- could kill a person, he set out to prove humans could survive acceleration and deceleration at rapid speeds and from dizzying heights. "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS.

In the mid-20th century, a small band of high-altitude pioneers exposed themselves to the extreme forces of the space age long before NASA's acclaimed Mercury 7 would make headlines. In California, a young Army doctor named John Paul Stapp tested the limits of human endurance in order to keep up with the rapid developments in rocket and aircraft technology. "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c.

On the morning of May 22, 1924, the body of 14-year-old Bobby Franks was found in a culvert outside of Chicago. A pair of glasses found at the crime scene would lead police to an unlikely suspect. "The Perfect Crime" premieres February 9 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

The shocking story of Richard Leopold and Nathan Loeb, two wealthy college students who murdered a 14-year-old boy in 1924 to prove they were smart enough to get away with it. Their trial, with famed defense attorney Clarence Darrow and Cook County Prosecutor Robert Crowe, set off a national debate about morality and capital punishment. Premieres Feb 9, 2016 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

After Leopold and Loeb confessed to the murder of Bobby Franks, their families hired famed defense attorney, Clarence Darrow to try to save the boys from the hangman's noose. Darrow was no fan of capital punishment and accepted the case, believing it would provide him with a national platform in his crusade against the death penalty. "The Perfect Crime" premieres February 9 at 9/8c on PBS.

Although Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb came from similar backgrounds, they were very different young men. Loeb was sociable and handsome, while Leopold was quiet and brooding. Despite these differences, the two became fast friends and were soon plotting small crimes which would lead to something much larger. "The Perfect Crime" premieres February 9 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

In May 1924, police only had a few clues to point them towards the murderer of 14-year-old Bobby Franks. A pair of glasses found at the scene led them to 19-year-old Nathan Leopold. An intelligent young man from an influential family, Leopold was not a likely suspect -- at first. "The Perfect Crime" premieres Feb. 9 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

In July 1881, James Garfield was shot by an assassin at a railroad station in Washington, DC. Over the next two months, his doctors tried to save him, though many would later blame the president's death on their lack of proper sanitary measures. Based on the bestselling book, "Destiny of the Republic" by Candice Millard, "Murder of a President" premieres Feb. 2, 2016 on PBS American Experience.

Factions in the Republican party were breeding corruption, so Garfield worked to nominate James Blaine to combat the machine politics of the Stalwarts. But when Garfield delivered his speech to the Republican Convention to back Blaine, the crowd chanted that it was Garfield they wanted for president instead.

The death of their three-year-old daughter and Garfield's affair in New York threatened to tear Lucretia and James apart. But the future First Lady's steadfastness and unwavering moral compass showed Garfield how to be a better man.

In the only major speech of his presidential campaign, Garfield spoke to 50,000 in New York on the issue closest to his heart: the fate of ex-slaves in the South. Many Northerners felt they had sacrificed enough for African Americans but Garfield believed that every man in America, no matter his color, had a say in the government.

James Garfield joined the Union Army in 1861, shortly after the start of hostilities. When he came face to face with slavery during his time fighting in the south, Garfield's belief in the cause of abolition and freedom was strengthened. "This is my hope," he wrote, "that when we shall return to civil life, there shall go up an unrelenting cry for freedom."

Despite Lincoln's assassination in 1865, there were no new safeguards put in to protect the president from would-be assassins. Lincoln's murder had been seen as an anomaly.

Garfield knew he had to secure New York to win the presidency - but that meant negotiating with Roscoe Conkling and the Stalwarts. Avoiding any specific promises, Garfield met with Conkling's underlings to try and clinch their support.

Watch a short video about the documentaries coming to American Experience this February and March on PBS. Executive Producer Mark Samels introduces three new films: "Murder of a President" premiering February 2, "The Perfect Crime" premiering February 9 and "Space Men" premiering March 1. Check your local listings!

President James Garfield was only four months into his presidency when he was shot by a deranged office seeker. The President was bedridden for two months while doctors probed for the assassin's bullet with unsterilized instruments. When Garfield died in September, the entire nation joined his widow, Lucretia in mourning the late President. Premieres February 2 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.