The NAACP and Its Architects

American Experience

History Series / 15 Seasons

American Experience, TV's most-watched history series, brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

Watch Latest: S37 E1

1h 52m / TV-14

Ripley: Believe It or Not, Chapter 1

7m 9s

LeRoy Robert Ripley rose to fame during the Great Depression, transforming himself from a skinny, buck-toothed boy into an entertainer who mesmerized the nation with his razzle-dazzle blend of homespun Americana, colorful exotica and freakish oddities. Americans not only loved his bizarre fare, but were fascinated by the man himself.

Coming in Winter 2015

2m 59s

Watch a short video about what is coming to American Experience this January and February, with a message from Executive Producer Mark Samels. The season kicks off on January 6 with "Ripley: Believe It or Not," followed by "Klansville U.S.A.," "Edison," "The Big Burn," and "The Forgotten Plague."

Khrushchev's American Journey

32m 49s

In 1959, Nikita Khrushchev was the first Soviet leader to visit the United States. This archival film from the United States Information Service details Khrushchev's twelve day tour from Washington DC to New York, California, Iowa, and Pennsylvania.

Beyond the Doc: Khrushchev

3m 45s

In September 1959, Nikita Khrushchev was the first Soviet leader to visit the United States. His family, including his 22-year-old son, Sergei, accompanied the Soviet premier on his American tour. Sergei reflects on the whirlwind, cross-country trip and his impressions of America and its people. "Cold War Roadshow" premieres November 18 on PBS American Experience.

Khrushchev Takes Manhattan

11m 11s

Sergei Khrushchev documented his father's 1959 American visit from behind the lens of his camera. Take a tour of 1950s New York City through the eyes of a 22-year-old Soviet visitor in this silent film clip.

Cold War Roadshow, Chapter 1

8m

In 1959, Nikita Khrushchev became the first Soviet premier to visit the United States. Both Khrushchev and President Dwight Eisenhower hoped the visit would ease Cold War tensions between their two nations. "Cold War Roadshow" premieres November 18, 2014 on American Experience PBS.

A Popular Communist

1m 54s

Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev tries his first American Hot dog during on his 1959 visit to the US, and the American public sees him as a more lovable, huggable type of guy. "Cold War Roadshow" premieres November 18 on American Experience PBS.

Khrushchev Goes to Hollywood

3m 32s

During his trip to America in 1959, Nikita Khrushchev stopped by 20th Century Fox studios in Los Angeles to mingle with some of Hollywood's biggest stars. While there, he ranted about his canceled trip to Disneyland, met Marilyn Monroe, and watched the filming of a scene from "Can-Can." "Cold War Roadshow" premieres November 18, 2014 on American Experience PBS.

Cold War Roadshow Preview

31s

For twelve days in September 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev traveled the United States from coast to coast, creating a media circus as hundreds of reporters followed his every move. Americans were fascinated by the communist leader and the trip served to ease Cold War tensions -- if only for a short time. "Cold War Roadshow" premieres November 18, 2014 on American Experience PBS.

Touring D.C. With Khrushchev

1m 2s

Sergei Khrushchev documented his father's 1959 American visit from behind the lens of his camera. In this silent film clip, Khrushchev and his entourage tour the monuments and landmarks of Washington, DC.

Khrushchev Visits IBM

1m 22s

During his American tour in 1959, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev toured the IBM factory in San Jose, California. While visiting, the innovation Khrushchev was most fascinated by was not the computers, but rather the company's cafeteria. "Cold War Roadshow" premieres November 18 on American Experience PBS.

Inside Khrushchev's Airplane

3m 38s

Sergei Khrushchev documented his father's 1959 American visit from behind the lens of his camera. In this soundless video clip, we see Khrushchev and his advisors and family on his plane to America. See more in our video gallery on the "Cold War Roadshow" website.

Train to NYC

3m 41s

Sergei Khrushchev documented his father's 1959 American visit from behind the lens of his camera. This silent film clip shows the towns and landscape as their train passes through en route to New York. Sergei later remarked, “It was some shock because when I look from the window from the train I foundthat Americans mostly live like any other people.”

Khrushvhev on the Farm

1m 45s

Sergei Khrushchev documented his father's 1959 American visit from behind the lens of his camera. In this silent film clip, the Soviet premier visits the Agricultural Experiment Station in Beltsville, Maryland, where he was unimpressed with the small turkeys. “In Russia,” he says, “we try to make our turkeys bigger and bigger.” The press was out in full force that day as well.

Butterflies & the Cold War

1m 17s

In this silent film clip, Sergei Khrushchev collects butterflies during his 1959 trip to the US with his father Nikita. Sergei explained, “The secret service came to me and told, ‘We will accompany you.’ And they brought me to the outskirts of DC... So I run around. I came there with my butterfly net and all other equipment trying to find some place and time to catch American butterflies."

Beyond the Doc: Wildfires

2m 5s

In 1910, a wildfire burned an area the size of Connecticut and killed at least 78 firefighters in just 36 hours. How have policies and resources around wildfire fighting changed in the century since the Big Burn?

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