Proof that the past provides a prologue to our contemporary drama can be found on tonight’s “American Experience” presentation of “The Alaska Pipeline” (8 p.m., PBS).

Although the pipeline was completed a generation ago, the reasons for its construction and the controversy surrounding it could be ripped from today’s headlines.

Atlantic Richfield Co. struck oil in Prudhoe Bay in 1968. The decision to pipe oil over 800 miles of pristine wilderness coincided with the birth of the modern environmental movement. And the tenor and language of the resulting debate – including the term “extremist” to describe any critic of the oil industry – may sound familiar to contemporary ears. The debate was ultimately settled after the 1973 oil embargo resulted in gas shortages and the quadrupling of oil prices.

In the end, the pipeline provided far more oil than originally projected, but the project did not succeed in freeing America of foreign-oil dependence.

Filled with period news footage and now-and-then interviews with key engineers, reporters, native Alaskan spokesmen and critics of the project, “Pipeline” offers a balanced look at the impact of the giant construction project.

¢ If you believe the hype, then America is neatly divided into two camps. You’re either obsessing about “The Da Vinci Code” or waiting for the Rapture. Tonight, one cable station caters to both sides, with “Is it Real: Da Vinci Code” (7 p.m., National Geographic) and later, “Doomsday: Book of Revelation” (9 p.m.).

¢ “What the Ancients Knew” (8 p.m., Science) looks at scientific advances of the ancient Greeks. Future installments of this weekly series will examine the contributions of ancient Japan and India.

Tonight’s other highlights

¢ Lincoln discovers the secret behind his setup on “Prison Break” (7 p.m., Fox).

¢ A meddling mother trades spaces with an aloof careerist on “Wife Swap” (7 p.m., ABC).

¢ The 2006 miniseries “Elizabeth I” (7 p.m., HBO), starring Helen Mirren, concludes.

¢ Teams promote New York City tourism on “The Apprentice” (8 p.m., NBC).

¢ Bauer follows more leads, and Logan’s stories unravel on “24” (8 p.m., Fox).

¢ Tantrum-throwing triplets trigger terror on “Supernanny” (8 p.m., ABC).

¢ A victim’s desperate phone call reaches a very wrong number on “CSI: Miami” (9 p.m., CBS).

¢ Scanlon’s past returns with a vengeance on “Medium” (9 p.m., NBC).

¢ Brian helps Marjorie move on “What About Brian” (9 p.m., ABC).

Cult choice

A foreign bounder (George Sanders) exploits women (Yvonne De Carlo, Zsa Zsa Gabor) on his path to success in the 1956 drama “Death of a Scoundrel” (4 a.m., early Tuesday, TCM). Sanders was briefly married to Gabor and called his autobiography “Memoirs of a Professional Cad” (Scarecrow, 1992).