Up Next
Back to Show
American Experience
Ripley in Papua New Guinea
Ripley traveled to Papua New Guinea in 1934. In this silent film Ripley observes tribal dances, meets warriors and visits homes. The local man wearing a belt was later featured in Ripley's "Believe It or Not!" cartoon, in which Ripley explains: "The Tanobada tribe of New Guinea wear tight belts to show that they eat little in order to obtain wives more easily. It is a disgrace to be fat in Papua."
Support Provided By
52:54
The untold story of the people who fought tirelessly to save women from cervical cancer.
52:51
The story of the German American Bund, a pro-Nazi group active across the US in the 1930s.
1:47:20
The story of a Mississippi town’s effort to integrate its public schools in 1970.
1:52:38
Revisit 1970s Boston, when court-mandated school integration unleashed racial unrest.
1:36:51
Casa Susanna was a refuge for transgender women and cross-dressing men in the 1950s-60s.
52:22
Unsung scientist Mária Telkes dedicated her career to harnessing the power of the sun.
Unlock with PBS Passport
1:22:39
Discover the story of the 1969 showdown between President Nixon and the antiwar movement.
1:52:23
How a horrific incident of racial violence became catalyst for the civil rights movement.
1:52:47
Part Two examines the mounting dispute over strategies and reveals the pervasive racism.