Andy Warhol’s prescient remark in 1968 that “everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” has come to encapsulate two aspects of our lives today—our increasingly short attention span, and the power of television to create instant fame around the world. This program looks at the “footnotes to history,” the basically insignificant people in the 20th century who nonetheless helped shape great events, from the Watergate burglars who toppled Nixon, to the secret lovers of famous people. The program also looks at people who achieved instant fame through stunts, such as going over the Niagara Falls in a barrel. (49 minutes)