The Cancer Detectives
The Cancer Detectives tells the untold story of the first-ever war on cancer and the coalition of people who fought tirelessly to save women from cervical cancer: a Greek immigrant, Dr. George Papanicolaou; his intrepid wife, Mary; Japanese-born artist Hashime Murayama; Dr. Helen Dickens, an African American OBGYN in Philadelphia; and an entirely new class of female scientists.
Episodes
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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.
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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.
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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
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The Chinese Six Companies
S34 E4 - 5m 36s
On May 28, 1900, San Francisco policemen formed a perimeter around Chinatown, and set about building an eight-foot high wall around the district using cement blocks and barbed wire. Officials diagnosed bubonic plague in the neighborhood and wanted to quarantine the nearly 20,000 residents. As tensions flared, an influential group of merchants known as the Chinese Six Companies sprang into action.
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Trailer | Plague at the Golden Gate
S34 E4 - 1m 46s
Follow the gripping story of the race against time to save San Francisco and the nation from an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1900.
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Rupert Blue
S34 E4 - 44s
In 1901, Rupert Blue launched a public health campaign that ended a deadly bubonic plague outbreak in San Francisco.
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Ng Poon Chew
S34 E4 - 44s
Ng Poon Chew was a writer, a publisher and an advocate for Chinese American civil rights. He established the first Chinese language daily newspaper in America, the Chung Sai Yat Po. This newspaper was a vital resource for the Chinese community during the plague outbreak in San Francisco.
-
Dr. Joseph Kinyoun
S34 E4 - 44s
Dr. Joseph Kinyoun created the Hygienic Laboratory, the nation’s first federal laboratory of medical bacteriology which later became the National Institutes of Health.
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Chapter 1 | Plague at the Golden Gate
S34 E4 - 8m 50s
Watch a preview of Plague at the Golden Gate.
-
San Francisco’s Bubonic Plague Cover-up
S34 E4 - 3m 58s
As rumor spread of bubonic plague in San Francisco, newspapers couldn't agree if it was a nationwide threat or a plot to destroy the economy. Sound familiar?
-
The War on Rats
S34 E4 - 1m 41s
In 1900, the first case of bubonic plague to ever be confirmed in North America was diagnosed in San Francisco.
Scientists did not understand how the disease was transmitted but had long theorized that rats played a role. -
Chapter 1 | Flood in the Desert
S34 E3 - 10m 34s
Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history.
-
Trailer | Flood in the Desert
S34 E3 - 1m 51s
Flood in the Desert explores the 1928 collapse of the St. Francis Dam and its aftermath, the second deadliest disaster in California history.
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Owens Valley Paiute
S34 E3 - 55s
The Native inhabitants—the Paiute people of the Owens Valley territory in what is now the State of California built sophisticated irrigation canals to channel water runoff from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
-
William Mulholland
S34 E3 - 52s
In 1922, to meet the growing water needs of Los Angeles, William Mulholland began building the St. Francis Dam to create a reservoir for the Los Angeles–Owens River aqueduct.
Schedule
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Image
American Experience
Rachel Carson
Thursday
Apr 18
2 Hours
Scientist Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" and other writings advance the global environmental movement. -
Image
American Experience
Flood in the Desert
Thursday
Apr 18
1 Hour
The March 1928 St. Francis Dam collapse and its aftermath, which included a flood that claimed the lives of more than 400 people. -
Image
American Experience
Rachel Carson
Friday
Apr 19
2 Hours
Scientist Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" and other writings advance the global environmental movement. -
Image
American Experience
Flood in the Desert
Friday
Apr 19
1 Hour
The March 1928 St. Francis Dam collapse and its aftermath, which included a flood that claimed the lives of more than 400 people. -
Image
American Experience
Rachel Carson
Friday
Apr 19
2 Hours
Scientist Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" and other writings advance the global environmental movement. -
Image
American Experience
Rachel Carson
Saturday
Apr 20
2 Hours
Scientist Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" and other writings advance the global environmental movement. -
Image
American Experience
Flood in the Desert
Saturday
Apr 20
1 Hour
The March 1928 St. Francis Dam collapse and its aftermath, which included a flood that claimed the lives of more than 400 people. -
Image
American Experience
Rachel Carson
Saturday
Apr 20
2 Hours
Scientist Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" and other writings advance the global environmental movement. -
Image
American Experience
Rachel Carson
Sunday
Apr 21
2 Hours
Scientist Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" and other writings advance the global environmental movement. -
Image
American Experience
Rachel Carson
Sunday
Apr 21
2 Hours
Scientist Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" and other writings advance the global environmental movement. -
Image
American Experience
Rachel Carson
Sunday
Apr 21
2 Hours
Scientist Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" and other writings advance the global environmental movement. -
Image
American Experience
The Sun Queen
Monday
Apr 22
1 Hour
Biophysicist and inventor Mária Telkes, designer of the first successfully solar-heated modern residence, held more than 20 patents at the time of her death in 1995. -
Image
American Experience
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal
Monday
Apr 22
2 Hours
The 1970s Love Canal disaster and how the battle for justice, led mostly by women, created the basis for the federal Superfund program. -
Image
American Experience
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal
Monday
Apr 22
2 Hours
The 1970s Love Canal disaster and how the battle for justice, led mostly by women, created the basis for the federal Superfund program. -
Image
American Experience
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal
Tuesday
Apr 23
2 Hours
The 1970s Love Canal disaster and how the battle for justice, led mostly by women, created the basis for the federal Superfund program. -
Image
American Experience
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal
Tuesday
Apr 23
2 Hours
The 1970s Love Canal disaster and how the battle for justice, led mostly by women, created the basis for the federal Superfund program. -
Image
American Experience
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal
Tuesday
Apr 23
2 Hours
The 1970s Love Canal disaster and how the battle for justice, led mostly by women, created the basis for the federal Superfund program. -
Image
American Experience
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal
Friday
Apr 26
2 Hours
The 1970s Love Canal disaster and how the battle for justice, led mostly by women, created the basis for the federal Superfund program. -
Image
American Experience
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal
Saturday
Apr 27
2 Hours
The 1970s Love Canal disaster and how the battle for justice, led mostly by women, created the basis for the federal Superfund program. -
Image
American Experience
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal
Saturday
Apr 27
2 Hours
The 1970s Love Canal disaster and how the battle for justice, led mostly by women, created the basis for the federal Superfund program.
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