Back to Show
American Experience
A New Water System for Chicago
In response to cholera and dysentery epidemics, the Chicago Board of Sewage Commissioners selected Ellis Chesbrough to design a new water system for the city. In Chesbrough's plan, clean water from the lake bottom would pour into intakes under a crib two miles into Lake Michigan, then into an underground tunnel to a water tower. From there, clean water would flow into the city's water mains.
Support Provided By
1:53:12
The Eugenics Crusade tells the story of the campaign to breed a “better” American race,
52:03
After attempting to commit the perfect crime, would two boys get the death penalty?
52:01
In the 1950's a Polio outbreak swept the U.S., devastating communities nationwide.
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:49:38
The man behind the atomic bomb is put on trial for suspected communist ties in 1954.
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:49:22
The final months of WWII from the vantage points of both the Japanese and the Americans.