American Experience

Part 2 |Taken Hostage | American Experience

1h 51m

Revisit the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, through stories of those whose ordeal riveted the world.

Episodes

Part 2 |Taken Hostage | American Experience

S34 E6 - 1h 51m

Revisit the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, through stories of those whose ordeal riveted the world.
Part 1 |Taken Hostage | American Experience

S34 E5 - 1h 52m

Revisit the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, through stories of those whose ordeal riveted the world.
Plague at the Golden Gate

S34 E4 - 1h 52m

Discover how an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1900 set off fear and anti-Asian sentiment in San Francisco. This new documentary tells the gripping story of the race against time by health officials to save the city from the deadly disease.
Flood in the Desert

S34 E3 - 52m 45s

Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history. A colossal engineering failure, the dam was built by William Mulholland, who had ensured the growth of Los Angeles by bringing water to the city via aqueduct.
The American Diplomat

S34 E2 - 52m 43s

Discover how three Black diplomats broke racial barriers at the US State
Department during the Cold War. Asked to represent the best of American ideals
abroad while facing discrimination at home, they left a lasting impact on the
Foreign Service.
Riveted: The History of Jeans

S34 E1 - 52m 39s

Riveted: The History of Jeans reveals the fascinating and surprising story of the iconic American garment. They’re more than just a pair of pants — America’s tangled past is woven deeply into the indigo fabric. From its roots in slavery to the Wild West, youth culture, hippies, high fashion and hip-hop, jeans are the fabric on which the history of American ideology and politics are writ large.

Extras + Features

Chapter 1 | Taken Hostage, Part 2

S34 E5 - 10m 34s

Watch a preview of Part Two of Taken Hostage.
Snapshot: America in the 1970s

S34 E5 - 2m 6s

From Jimmy Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" speech to the Hostage Crisis, here's a look at each year from 1970 to 1979.
Ways A Rescue Mission Can Go Wrong

S34 E5 - 3m 40s

On April 24, 1980, after 172 days of captivity, a U.S. Armed Forces operation attempted to rescue the hostages. Colonel James Q. Roberts recalls the details of the failed Iran Hostage rescue mission.
Hilary Brown

S34 E5 - 48s

Hilary Brown was the first female foreign correspondent at ABC News. Her coverage included first-hand reports on the fall of Saigon, the Rwandan genocide, and the Iranian Revolution.
Who's Who

S34 E5 - 1m 3s

Who's who of the Iran Hostage Crisis.
Operation Ajax

S34 E5 - 6m 8s

The secret plan by the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) to overthrow the then-democratically-elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.
The event that held the news hostage

S34 E5 - 3m 55s

On November 4th, 1979, following months of protests and a rapidly developing revolution, a group of Iranian college students stormed the United States embassy in Tehran, taking 63 American citizens hostage. This one event in 1979 changed the modern mediascape forever.
Barry Rosen

S34 E5 - 46s

Barry Rosen was the press attaché at the U.S. embassy in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis. He first visited Iran in 1967 on a two-year Peace Corps mission and fell in love with the country and pursued graduate studies in Iranian language and culture.
Trailer | Taken Hostage

S34 E5 - 3m 14s

Revisit the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, through stories of those whose ordeal riveted the world.
Title Sequence

S34 E5 - 1m 7s

Watch the opening sequence of film, Taken Hostage from American Experience.
The Shah

S34 E5 - 1m

Mohammad Reza Pahlav, the last Shah of Iran consolidated power after a CIA-backed coup in 1953 overthrew Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.
Chapter 1 | Taken Hostage, Part 1

S34 E5 - 10m 7s

Watch a preview of Part One of Taken Hostage.

Schedule

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American Experience

The Pilgrims

Sunday
Nov 27

11:00 pm

2 Hours

The details behind how the pilgrims arrive in the New World; the myths about Thanksgiving.
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American Experience

Sunday
Dec 4

11:00 pm

2 Hours

"American Experience" combines dramatic re-enactments with commentary by historians and authors to present an absorbing look at the personalities, events and resources that have had a profound impact on the shaping of America's past and present. Many of the program's documentaries have received major honors in the broadcasting community, including Emmy, Peabodys and duPont-Columbia University awards.
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American Experience

The Polio Crusade

Wednesday
Dec 7

10:00 pm

1 Hour

Personal accounts from polio survivors about the disease that paralyzed thousands before Jonas Salk introduces a vaccine to guard against it.
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American Experience

The Polio Crusade

Thursday
Dec 8

4:00 am

1 Hour

Personal accounts from polio survivors about the disease that paralyzed thousands before Jonas Salk introduces a vaccine to guard against it.
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American Experience

Thursday
Dec 8

8:00 pm

2 Hours

"American Experience" combines dramatic re-enactments with commentary by historians and authors to present an absorbing look at the personalities, events and resources that have had a profound impact on the shaping of America's past and present. Many of the program's documentaries have received major honors in the broadcasting community, including Emmy, Peabodys and duPont-Columbia University awards.
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American Experience

Friday
Dec 9

2:00 am

2 Hours

"American Experience" combines dramatic re-enactments with commentary by historians and authors to present an absorbing look at the personalities, events and resources that have had a profound impact on the shaping of America's past and present. Many of the program's documentaries have received major honors in the broadcasting community, including Emmy, Peabodys and duPont-Columbia University awards.
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American Experience

Billy Graham

Friday
Dec 9

8:00 pm

2 Hours

The life of Billy Graham, one of the best-known and influential Christian leaders of the 20th century.
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American Experience

Billy Graham

Saturday
Dec 10

1:00 am

2 Hours

The life of Billy Graham, one of the best-known and influential Christian leaders of the 20th century.
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American Experience

Billy Graham

Saturday
Dec 10

9:00 am

2 Hours

The life of Billy Graham, one of the best-known and influential Christian leaders of the 20th century.
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American Experience

Billy Graham

Saturday
Dec 10

3:00 pm

2 Hours

The life of Billy Graham, one of the best-known and influential Christian leaders of the 20th century.
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American Experience

The Polio Crusade

Sunday
Dec 11

5:00 am

1 Hour

Personal accounts from polio survivors about the disease that paralyzed thousands before Jonas Salk introduces a vaccine to guard against it.
Image

American Experience

Sunday
Dec 11

11:00 pm

2 Hours

"American Experience" combines dramatic re-enactments with commentary by historians and authors to present an absorbing look at the personalities, events and resources that have had a profound impact on the shaping of America's past and present. Many of the program's documentaries have received major honors in the broadcasting community, including Emmy, Peabodys and duPont-Columbia University awards.

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