Back to Show
American Experience
Annie Oakley's Moving Picture
In 1894, the famous gunslinger, Annie Oakley came to Edison’s Black Maria studio in West Orange, New Jersey. Edison wanted to see if his kinetograph – a primitive version of a movie camera – was sensitive enough to capture the smoke from Oakley’s gun. The experiment was a success, as you can see in this short, silent film of “Little Sureshot” demonstrating her marksmanship.
Support Provided By

1:47:20
The story of a Mississippi town’s effort to integrate its public schools in 1970.

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.

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
52:36
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.

1:51:34
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.

1:52:49
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.