Today in History; 'The Birth of a Nation' Premieres

1915: The Birth of a Nation was based on the The Clansmen and The Leopard's Spots by Thomas Dixon and was made into a silent film by D.W. Griffith. It premiered on this day in 1915 in Los Angeles and, with its portrayal of a post-Civil War America where the Ku Klux Klan has freed the South of carpetbaggers and "mulattos," was extremely controversial. It was the highest grossing silent film in cinema history, making Griffith a wealthy man. The Birth of a Nation has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.