History: Almost as Good as Sports

The History Channel has moved from the top 20 to the top 5 of most-watched US cable channels. In fact, only ESPN draws more middle-aged male viewers. I cite this fact whenever I hear the opinion "no one's interested in history." Of course a lot of THC's programming involves "Pawn Stars" and its spinoffs, but objects have history, too. The success of the channel has facilitated H2--a spinoff with more traditional programming--and the financing of film documentaries. Pretty entertaining stuff.