The NAACP and Its Architects

American Experience

History Series / 14 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 E3

52m 20s

The Moon’s Lasting Pull

4m 20s

50 years ago, the moon became a symbol of human progress. Long before we could reach its surface, the moon held special meaning for humanity. Today, the moon continues to inspire—in the night sky and in contemporary works of art. Learn how—from sidewalk astronomer Jupiter Joe Martinez, contemporary artist Luke Jerram and author Alexandra Loske.

Space Law, The Next Generation: Chasing the Moon

5m 56s

In 1967, the US, the UK and the Soviet Union signed a treaty that laid out the framework for law in space. Nearly fifty years later, as companies work towards commercial space travel and asteroid mining, those laws will be put to the test.

How NASA Sold Us a Trip to the Moon: Chasing the Moon

6m 6s

Most remember the space race of the 1960s as a moment of rare national unity around the cause of scientific exploration. Public opinion polls from the 1960s show that the majority of Americans approved of Project Apollo, but the nation was deeply divided over the cost of the program. To win the space race, NASA would have to market the moon to the American public.

Ed Dwight: First African American Candidate for Space

1m 9s

Ed Dwight Jr. was the first African American to be trained as an astronaut. In 1962, Dwight was selected for astronaut training at the urging of the Kennedy Administration.

Annie Oakley Preview

30s

She was the toast of Victorian London, New York, and Paris. She was "adopted" by Indian chief Sitting Bull, charmed the Prince of Prussia, and entertained the likes of Oscar Wilde and Queen Victoria. Annie Oakley excelled in a man's world by doing what she loved, and won fame and fortune as the little lady from Ohio who never missed a shot.

Amelia Earhart Preview

30s

The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart was one of America's first celebrities. After only a few years as a pilot she became the best-known female flier in America, not only for her daring and determination but also for her striking looks and outspoken personality. Three weeks before her 40th birthday Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean, and her story became legend.

Wernher Von Braun: Rocket Scientist

1m 27s

In the 1930s, Wernher Von Braun’s rocket work was supported by the Nazi regime. At the end of WWII, the United States government enlisted von Braun’s expertise.. During the Cold War, his rocket work became valuable to America’s new space program.

Poppy Northcutt: Return to Earth Specialist

1m 16s

With other engineers, Frances “Poppy” Northcutt plotted return-to-Earth trajectories for Apollo 8. Northcutt’s team also troubleshot the Apollo 13 oxygen tank explosion emergency. She worked in the Space Program for five years.

The Medical Committee for Human Rights

4m 9s

In June 1964, at the beginning of Freedom Summer, about 100 doctors, nurses and social workers traveled to Mississippi to provide medical care to civil rights workers and local community who couldn't receive adequate medical care in the segregated South. These caregivers were known as the Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR), and they became the medical arm for the civil rights movement.

Sealab: Trailer

30s

In 1969 off the California coast, a US Navy crane carefully lowered a massive tubular structure into the waters. An audacious feat of engineering — a pressurized underwater habitat, designed for an elite group of divers to spend days or even months at a stretch living and working on the ocean floor. The little-known story of the daring program that tested the limits of human endurance.

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