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American Experience

Henry Ford's Experiments with Auto Design

In early 1907, Henry Ford walled off a corner of his Piquette Avenue factory to be used for automotive development. Ford thought nothing of joining his workers on the factory floor to experiment with new engine ignition designs or suspension systems. Every few months, Ford released another automobile in his alphabet line, each improving upon the last.

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Season
American Experience Season 37
1:22:42
Discover how Kissinger’s anti-Communism would shape U.S. foreign policy, from Vietnam to the USSR.
Part 1 | Kissinger | American Experience
1:22:49
The life of the brilliant foreign policy powerbroker who shaped the world in which we live.
Hard Hat Riot
1:21:16
The violent 1970 clash between student protestors and construction workers in downtown NY.
Clearing the Air: The War on Smog
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52:39
The story of L.A.’s noxious smog problem and the creation of the EPA and Clean Air Act.
Mr. Polaroid
52:20
The story of Edwin Land, whose iconic Polaroid camera let everyone instantly chronicle their lives.
Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act
53:00
The dramatic story of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.
Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP
1:52:47
The story of one of the most influential yet forgotten civil rights figures, Walter White.
American Coup: Wilmington 1898
1:51:27
The little-known story of the deadly 1898 race massacre and coup d’etat in Wilmington, NC.
The American Vice President
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52:36
A look at the US vice presidency, from constitutional afterthought to position of political import.
The Riot Report
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1:53:04
When US inner cities erupted in violence in 1967, LBJ created a commission to investigate.
The Environment
1:52:30
The story of housewives who led a grassroots movement to galvanize the Superfund Bill.
The Cancer Detectives
52:54
The untold story of the people who fought tirelessly to save women from cervical cancer.
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