GAR Photograph - A Civil War enthusiast in Etters, Pennsylvania, owns a striking vintage photograph that depicts about 20 older white men in full dress uniform, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with two black men. In Reconstruction-era America, association between blacks and whites was frequently taboo. What brought them together for this portrait? Their bond, it turns out, was the Grand Army of the Republic, a remarkable fraternal order organized for war veterans. In fact, integration was actually a GAR standard. The reason? The men's common struggle with post traumatic stress transcended race. HISTORY DETECTIVES host Elyse Luray heads to Cazenovia, New York, and Washington, DC, to investigate the first national social group to challenge the color barrier.

Jefferson Pledge - In a forgotten corner of the Washington, DC, Public Library, a photo archivist has discovered what may be a momentous piece of history. It's a list of signatures from public figures of the early 1800s, including President Thomas Jefferson, offering money for a seemingly humble proposal: to build a simple pair of elementary schools. But Jefferson's ultimate goal was far loftier. With this venture, he was quietly floating his plan to launch the nation's first public school system. Eventually he would go broke through such acts of charity, but Jefferson's ideals of public education would transform the nation. Could it all have begun with a modest $200 pledge? Wes Cowan leads HISTORY DETECTIVES to Charlottesville, Virginia, and Washington, DC, to find out.

Dempsey Fight Bell - July 4, 1919, marks the day America found its true calling in a national obsession. Icon Jack Dempsey became the world's first boxing superstar and he did it with the clang of a bell. Now, a contributor in Reno, Nevada, wants to know: Is the bell he's toasted many a night on the wall of his favorite bar the one that was ringside at Dempsey's legendary world heavyweight championship match? The question goes beyond a single fight. Dempsey's bout ushered in the Roaring Twenties, America's fascination with celebrity and the golden age of championship sports. Tukufu Zuberi leads HISTORY DETECTIVES to weigh in on the case in Reno, Nevada, and New York City, sorting truth from myth to determine which clues ring true.