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American Experience
The Forgotten Plague, Chapter 1
By the dawn of the 19th century, tuberculosis had killed one in seven of all people that had ever lived. Doctors believed it was hereditary, but had begun to observe that fresh air and outdoor living could sometimes change the course of the illness. Physician and TB patient Edward Trudeau was convinced the clean mountain air was like medicine for the lungs.
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The Eugenics Crusade tells the story of the campaign to breed a “better” American race,
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After attempting to commit the perfect crime, would two boys get the death penalty?
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In the 1950's a Polio outbreak swept the U.S., devastating communities nationwide.
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1:49:22
The final months of WWII from the vantage points of both the Japanese and the Americans.