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American Experience
Construction of the World Trade Center
The foundations themselves presented the first challenge. They would have to descend through 70 ft. of water-logged landfill before reaching bedrock. The greatest challenge by far, however, lay in the engineering of the towers themselves. The solution, developed by the structural engineers John Skilling & Leslie Robertson in the mid-1960s, was to re-conceive the basic structure of tall buildings.
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52:20
The story of Edwin Land, whose iconic Polaroid camera let everyone instantly chronicle their lives.
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The dramatic story of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.
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The story of one of the most influential yet forgotten civil rights figures, Walter White.
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The little-known story of the deadly 1898 race massacre and coup d’etat in Wilmington, NC.
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A look at the US vice presidency, from constitutional afterthought to position of political import.
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When US inner cities erupted in violence in 1967, LBJ created a commission to investigate.
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The story of housewives who led a grassroots movement to galvanize the Superfund Bill.
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The untold story of the people who fought tirelessly to save women from cervical cancer.
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The lively but neglected history of the women who changed the world while flying it.
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The story of the German American Bund, a pro-Nazi group active across the US in the 1930s.
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51:27
Explore the culture war that erupted over the spectacular rise of disco music.
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The story of a Mississippi town’s effort to integrate its public schools in 1970.