Mr. Polaroid
Long before the iPhone, another inventive device allowed everyone to instantly chronicle their lives — the Polaroid camera. The product, and the company’s unique culture, would launch not only instant photography mania but also become the model for today’s Silicon Valley tech culture. Mr. Polaroid tells the little-known story of the man behind the camera, Edwin Land.
Episodes
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Mr. Polaroid
S37 E3 - 52m 20s
Long before the iPhone, another inventive device allowed everyone to instantly chronicle their lives — the Polaroid camera. The product, and the company’s unique culture, would launch not only instant photography mania but also become the model for today’s Silicon Valley tech culture. Mr. Polaroid tells the little-known story of the man behind the camera, Edwin Land.
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Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act
S37 E2 - 53m
The emotional and dramatic story of the decades-long push for equality and accessibility that culminated in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. A story of courage and perseverance, the film highlights the determined people who literally put their bodies on the line to achieve their goal and change the lives of all Americans. From AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.
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Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP
S37 E1 - 1h 52m
The civil rights movement was set in motion by activists of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. While some of its leaders are familiar, Walter White — NAACP head from 1929 to 1955 and one of America’s most influential Black men — has been all but forgotten. This film traces the fascinating and complex life of this neglected civil rights hero. From AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.
Extras + Features
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The Women of Polaroid
S37 E3 - 3m 8s
At a time when there were few jobs for women in technology, Edwin Land filled the ranks at Polaroid with recent graduates from Smith College, a small women’s liberal arts college in Massachusetts.
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Chapter 1 | Mr. Polaroid
S37 E3 - 9m 18s
Watch a preview of Mr. Polaroid.
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Why do people shake Polaroid pictures?
S37 E3 - 1m 58s
In 2003, Outkast famously told us to "shake it like a Polaroid picture". But what if they—and the rest of us—got it all wrong?
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Trailer | Mr. Polaroid
S37 E3 - 1m 45s
Before the iPhone, the Polaroid camera let people instantly chronicle their lives. Along with instant photo mania, its company culture became the model for Silicon Valley. Mr. Polaroid is the story of Edwin Land, the man behind the camera.
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This 8-year-old girl changed history with one huge climb
S37 E2 - 3m 27s
Meet the protesters who climbed their way into history—and changed how all Americans live.
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How one carrot peeler revolutionized design | ASL | The Curb Cut Effect
S37 E2 - 6m 18s
ASL Did you know that many of the household products we use every day were originally designed by or for people with disabilities? Take OXO's Good Grips vegetable peeler, for example, designed by Sam and Betsey Farber so that Betsey, who had arthritis, could cook without pain.
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Trailer | Extended Audio Description | Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act
S37 E2 - 2m 50s
EXTENDED AUDIO DESCRIPTION The dramatic story of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. The film highlights the determined people who literally put their bodies on the line to pass the legislation that changed the lives of all Americans.
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They Took Sledgehammers to Sidewalks – Here’s Why | Extended Audio Description | The Curb Cut Effect
S37 E2 - 8m 9s
EAD Curb cuts—those small ramps at the edge of sidewalks—are now a standard part of city design, but they didn’t exist until disability rights advocates demanded them. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, students with disabilities at the University of California, Berkeley began organizing for better access to public spaces.
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Audiobooks and the accessibility revolution | The Curb Cut Effect
S37 E2 - 6m 38s
Audiobooks are a billion-dollar industry, a staple of modern entertainment. But what most people don’t realize is that their roots trace back to a community that desperately needed them—the blind.
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Chapter 1 | ASL | Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act
S37 E2 - 9m 17s
ASL Watch a preview of Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act.
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How Captions Went from Niche to Necessity | Extended Audio Description | The Curb Cut Effect
S37 E2 - 8m 33s
EAD For the first three decades of television, there were no captions of any kind, leaving Deaf viewers unable to fully participate in a medium that shaped culture and conversation. The fight for closed captioning was a battle for access and inclusion. Deaf advocates spent decades pushing broadcasters, lawmakers, and technology companies to make television—and later, the internet—accessible.
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They Took Sledgehammers to Sidewalks – Here’s Why | The Curb Cut Effect
S37 E2 - 7m 2s
Curb cuts—those small ramps at the edge of sidewalks—are now a standard part of city design, but they didn’t exist until disability rights advocates demanded them. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, students with disabilities at the University of California, Berkeley began organizing for better access to public spaces.
Schedule
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American Experience
The Riot Report
Monday
Jul 28
2 Hours
President Lyndon B. Johnson appoints the 11-member Kerner Commission to investigate the riots that engulfed Black urban communities across the country in 1967. -
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American Experience
The Riot Report
Monday
Jul 28
2 Hours
President Lyndon B. Johnson appoints the 11-member Kerner Commission to investigate the riots that engulfed Black urban communities across the country in 1967. -
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American Experience
Reagan: Lifeguard
Monday
Jul 28
2 Hours
How Ronald Reagan's opponents underestimated him as he made the transition from acting to public office. -
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American Experience
Reagan: An American Crusade
Tuesday
Jul 29
2 Hours
Actor Ronald Reagan turns to politics, gaining popularity and stirring controversy as president. -
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American Experience
Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History
Tuesday
Jul 29
1 Hour
The story behind the board game Monopoly. -
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American Experience
Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History
Tuesday
Jul 29
1 Hour
The story behind the board game Monopoly. -
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American Experience
Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History
Wednesday
Jul 30
1 Hour
The story behind the board game Monopoly. -
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American Experience
Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History
Wednesday
Jul 30
1 Hour
The story behind the board game Monopoly. -
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American Experience
LBJ: Beautiful Texas
Wednesday
Jul 30
2 Hours
A profile of Lyndon B. Johnson examines his early years in Texas politics, early presidency, and war against poverty and discrimination. -
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American Experience
Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History
Wednesday
Jul 30
1 Hour
The story behind the board game Monopoly. -
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American Experience
Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History
Wednesday
Jul 30
1 Hour
The story behind the board game Monopoly. -
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American Experience
LBJ: My Fellow Americans
Thursday
Jul 31
2 Hours
A profile of Lyndon B. Johnson examines how he pushed through historical social legislation on a scale that rivaled FDR's New Deal before his presidency began to ravel. -
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American Experience
The American Vice President
Thursday
Jul 31
1 Hour
Exploring the period between 1963 and 1976 when America was forced to confront the purpose of the vice president and the succession process that is enacted if a president is unable to serve. -
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American Experience
American Coup: Wilmington 1898
Thursday
Jul 31
2 Hours
The race massacre and insurrection that occured in Wilmington, N.C., in 1898, saw the murder of dozens of Black residents. -
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American Experience
Mr. Polaroid
Thursday
Jul 31
1 Hour
Scientist Edwin Land, inventor of the Polaroid camera, revolutionizes amateur photography in 1948 with a camera that provides pictures instantly. -
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American Experience
The American Vice President
Friday
Aug 1
1 Hour
Exploring the period between 1963 and 1976 when America was forced to confront the purpose of the vice president and the succession process that is enacted if a president is unable to serve. -
Image
American Experience
American Coup: Wilmington 1898
Friday
Aug 1
2 Hours
The race massacre and insurrection that occured in Wilmington, N.C., in 1898, saw the murder of dozens of Black residents. -
Image
American Experience
Mr. Polaroid
Friday
Aug 1
1 Hour
Scientist Edwin Land, inventor of the Polaroid camera, revolutionizes amateur photography in 1948 with a camera that provides pictures instantly. -
Image
American Experience
The American Vice President
Friday
Aug 1
1 Hour
Exploring the period between 1963 and 1976 when America was forced to confront the purpose of the vice president and the succession process that is enacted if a president is unable to serve. -
Image
American Experience
American Coup: Wilmington 1898
Friday
Aug 1
2 Hours
The race massacre and insurrection that occured in Wilmington, N.C., in 1898, saw the murder of dozens of Black residents.
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