History

American Experience

American Experience, TV's most-watched history series, brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

The Cancer Detectives

52m 54s

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

  • Plague at the Golden Gate: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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

  • William Mulholland: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    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.

  • Trailer | The American Diplomat: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Trailer | The American Diplomat

    S34 E2 - 1m 46s

    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.

  • Chapter 1 | The American Diplomat: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Chapter 1 | The American Diplomat

    S34 E2 - 10m 49s

    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.

  • Terence Todman: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Terence Todman

    S34 E2 - 53s

    Terence Todman’s diplomatic career spanned four decades: he was a U.S. ambassador to six nations and achieved the prestigious rank of career ambassador.

  • Edward Dudley: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Edward Dudley

    S34 E2 - 45s

    Edward Dudley saw that Black foreign service officers were restricted to the “Negro Circuit,” serving in just a handful of countries while white officers were transferred all over the world.

  • Reframing The March on Washington: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Reframing The March on Washington

    S34 E2 - 9m 47s

    Edward R. Murrow, head of the United States Information Agency began producing a documentary about the upcoming March on Washington. But as the project neared completion, Murrow was losing a battle with cancer. And the film’s political opponents wanted to make sure it would never be seen. President Lyndon B. Johnson tasked a groundbreaking diplomat, Carl Rowan, with seeing the project through.

  • Carl Rowan: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Carl Rowan

    S34 E2 - 52s

    Carl Rowan was one of the highest ranking African American in the history of the State Department during the 20th century. In 1964 Lyndon Johnson appointed Rowan as director of the U.S. Information Agency.

  • Trailer | Riveted: The History of Jeans: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Trailer | Riveted: The History of Jeans

    S34 E1 - 1m 45s

    Discover the fascinating story of this iconic American garment. From their roots in slavery to the Wild West, hippies, high fashion and hip-hop, jeans are the fabric on which the history of American ideology and politics is writ large.

  • Origins of Denim: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Origins of Denim

    S34 E1 - 54s

    Denim is the quintessential American fabric. Yet its possible origins are spread across the globe.

  • When Blue Jeans Got a Bad Name: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    When Blue Jeans Got a Bad Name

    S34 E1 - 7m 14s

    Over the fourth of July weekend in 1947, 4,000 motorcycle riders, wearing leather jackets and blue jeans roared into Hollister, California for a three-day rally. The small town woke to motorcyclists in an unusual uniform: leather jackets and blue jeans.

  • Black Cowboys on the Silver Screen: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Black Cowboys on the Silver Screen

    S34 E1 - 6m 39s

    Take a minute and picture the cowboy. He’s got on his hat and boots, maybe a gun on each hip, and, of course, his well-worn blue jeans.

  • Chapter 1 | Riveted: The History of Jeans: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Chapter 1 | Riveted: The History of Jeans

    S34 E1 - 11m 41s

    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.

Schedule

  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Vote

    Friday
    Mar 29

    1 Hour

    The campaign waged by American women for the right to vote results in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Vote

    Friday
    Mar 29

    1 Hour

    The campaign waged by American women for the right to vote results in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
  • Image
    American Experience: The Cancer Detectives: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Cancer Detectives

    Friday
    Mar 29

    1 Hour

    The fight against cervical cancer and three people whose work helped slash death rates from the disease by more than 60 percent.
  • Image
    American Experience: The Cancer Detectives: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Cancer Detectives

    Friday
    Mar 29

    1 Hour

    The fight against cervical cancer and three people whose work helped slash death rates from the disease by more than 60 percent.
  • Image
    American Experience: The Cancer Detectives: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Cancer Detectives

    Saturday
    Mar 30

    1 Hour

    The fight against cervical cancer and three people whose work helped slash death rates from the disease by more than 60 percent.
  • Image
    American Experience: The Cancer Detectives: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Cancer Detectives

    Saturday
    Mar 30

    1 Hour

    The fight against cervical cancer and three people whose work helped slash death rates from the disease by more than 60 percent.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Vote

    Saturday
    Mar 30

    1 Hour

    The campaign waged by American women for the right to vote results in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space

    Saturday
    Mar 30

    2 Hours

    Author Zora Neale Hurston's anthropological work challenges assumptions about race, gender and cultural superiority that had been defined by the field in the 19th century.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Vote

    Saturday
    Mar 30

    1 Hour

    The campaign waged by American women for the right to vote results in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
  • Image
    American Experience: The Cancer Detectives: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Cancer Detectives

    Saturday
    Mar 30

    1 Hour

    The fight against cervical cancer and three people whose work helped slash death rates from the disease by more than 60 percent.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    2 Hours

    Author Zora Neale Hurston's anthropological work challenges assumptions about race, gender and cultural superiority that had been defined by the field in the 19th century.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Vote

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    1 Hour

    The campaign waged by American women for the right to vote results in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Vote

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    1 Hour

    The campaign waged by American women for the right to vote results in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
  • Image
    American Experience: The Cancer Detectives: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Cancer Detectives

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    1 Hour

    The fight against cervical cancer and three people whose work helped slash death rates from the disease by more than 60 percent.
  • Image
    American Experience: The Cancer Detectives: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Cancer Detectives

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    1 Hour

    The fight against cervical cancer and three people whose work helped slash death rates from the disease by more than 60 percent.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Vote

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    1 Hour

    The campaign waged by American women for the right to vote results in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Vote

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    1 Hour

    The campaign waged by American women for the right to vote results in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Vote

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    1 Hour

    The campaign waged by American women for the right to vote results in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Vote

    Sunday
    Mar 31

    1 Hour

    The campaign waged by American women for the right to vote results in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
  • Image
    American Experience: TVSS: Iconic

    American Experience

    The Vote

    Monday
    Apr 1

    1 Hour

    The campaign waged by American women for the right to vote results in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.

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