Did Mitt Romney's failed bid for the presidency effectively end the "Mormon Moment"? No, because he was not solely responsible for creating it. Indeed, his 2012 candidacy was but the last in a series of events that gave Mormonism unprecedented prominence in the United States--and gave unprecedented acceptance to a religion that has been described as the most vilified and persecuted in American history. The earlier events included:

· The national broadcast, in the spring of 2007, of Helen Whitney's 4-hour PBS series, "The Mormons," that was viewed by a record audience.