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American Experience
The Ford Assembly Line
Inspired by the moving lines used at meat-packing plants, Ford’s factory tested an assembly line in the flywheel magneto department. Rather than having one person build a coil at a time, the supervisor broke down the individual tasks into a sequence driven by a conveyor. The new system reduced the time it took to make a magneto from twenty minutes to thirteen minutes, ten seconds.
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The story of L.A.’s noxious smog problem and the creation of the EPA and Clean Air Act.
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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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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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Explore the culture war that erupted over the spectacular rise of disco music.