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American Experience
Malaria and the Silent Spring
In 1963, the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring—which some called the most controversial book of the year—put the nation and world on alert to the dangers of overuse and misuse of chemical pesticides—in particular, Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, better known as DDT.
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1:21:16
The violent 1970 clash between student protestors and construction workers in downtown NY.
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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.
52:20
The story of Edwin Land, whose iconic Polaroid camera let everyone instantly chronicle their lives.
53:00
The dramatic story of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.
1:52:47
The story of one of the most influential yet forgotten civil rights figures, Walter White.
1:51:27
The little-known story of the deadly 1898 race massacre and coup d’etat in Wilmington, NC.
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52:36
A look at the US vice presidency, from constitutional afterthought to position of political import.
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1:53:04
When US inner cities erupted in violence in 1967, LBJ created a commission to investigate.
1:52:30
The story of housewives who led a grassroots movement to galvanize the Superfund Bill.
52:54
The untold story of the people who fought tirelessly to save women from cervical cancer.
1:52:39
The lively but neglected history of the women who changed the world while flying it.
52:51
The story of the German American Bund, a pro-Nazi group active across the US in the 1930s.