Up Next
Back to Show
American Experience
Alfred Beach's Subway Plan
The first effort to build an experimental subway dates back to the 1850s when inventor Alfred Ely Beach argued that a horse-drawn subway, under Broadway, would put an end to congestion and the filth of New York City’s streets. By the 1860s, Beach had a different idea: a pneumatic subway, pulled by a rope of air. A giant fan would drive a train through a tunnel, as fast as 10 miles per hour.
Support Provided By
Season
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:35
The story of the polygraph, the controversial device that transformed modern justice.
1:51:34
The Iran hostage crisis through the stories of those whose ordeal riveted the world.
1:52:24
The Iran hostage crisis through the stories of those whose ordeal riveted the world.
1:52:39
Discover how bubonic plague in 1900 set off fear and anti-Asian sentiment in San Francisco
Earth Month
52:45
Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history.
52:43
Three Black diplomats who broke racial barriers at the State Department during Cold War.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:39
Discover the fascinating and surprising story of this iconic American garment.
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:52:04
William Randolph Hearst continued his rise to power and expansion into Hollywood.
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:50:14
The life of William Randolph Hearst, who transformed the media’s role in American life.
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:51:28
Discover the story of the Supreme Court’s first female justice - Sandra Day O'Connor.
1:51:41
One of the best-known and most influential religious leaders of the 20th century.
1:52:23
How a horrific incident of racial violence became catalyst for the civil rights movement.