Up Next
Back to Show
American Experience
Alaska Pipeline: Thompson Pass
One of the biggest challenges during the construction of the Alaska Pipeline was when workers reached Thompson Pass. There, welders and laborers had to scale a near-vertical 2800-foot mountain wall to install pipe. The solution was to develop a tower and cable system that would fly the 80-foot pipe sections into place. On December 6, 1976, the last piece of pipe was laid at Thompson Pass.
Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By
1:52:38
Revisit 1970s Boston, when court-mandated school integration unleashed racial unrest.
1:36:51
Casa Susanna was a refuge for transgender women and cross-dressing men in the 1950s-60s.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:22
Unsung scientist Mária Telkes dedicated her career to harnessing the power of the sun.
1:22:39
Discover the story of the 1969 showdown between President Nixon and the antiwar movement.
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:17
Discover the unexpected history behind Monopoly, America’s favorite board game.
1:52:24
The influential author and anthropologist whose work reclaimed and honored Black life.
52:45
The story of the polygraph, the controversial device that transformed modern justice.
1:52:49
The Blinding of Isaac Woodard with Spanish subtitles.
1:52:23
How a horrific incident of racial violence became catalyst for the civil rights movement.
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:52:47
Part Two examines the mounting dispute over strategies and reveals the pervasive racism.
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:52:42
The fiery campaign that led to passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the vote.
1:53:12
The Eugenics Crusade tells the story of the campaign to breed a “better” American race,