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American Experience

A Ring-Side View of the Heavens

Radioing he had "a ring-side view of the heavens" Air Force officer David G. Simons made history in 1957 high aboard his Manhigh II balloon. He rose 101,500 feet above Earth, writing later he could barely comprehend the beauty of the sky. He was celebrated by The New York Times as "The First Space Man." "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

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Part 2 | The Vote | American Experience
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Part Two examines the mounting dispute over strategies and reveals the pervasive racism.
Part 1 | The Vote | American Experience
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The fiery campaign that led to passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the vote.
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The Eugenics Crusade tells the story of the campaign to breed a “better” American race,
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The woman whose groundbreaking books revolutionized our relationship to the natural world.
American Experience Season 28
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The story of nine young men from Washington who captured gold at the 1936 Olympic Games.
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After attempting to commit the perfect crime, would two boys get the death penalty?
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The Stonewall riots marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement.
My Lai
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The 1968 My Lai massacre and its subsequent cover-up.
The Polio Crusade
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In the 1950's a Polio outbreak swept the U.S., devastating communities nationwide.
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The man behind the atomic bomb is put on trial for suspected communist ties in 1954.
Victory in the Pacific
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1:49:22
The final months of WWII from the vantage points of both the Japanese and the Americans.
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