Why the Pap smear almost never saw the light of day | What the History?!
What do guinea pigs, eugenics and Japanese incarceration during WWII have in common? They all play a role in the story of the Pap smear.
Trailer | The Cancer Detectives
The Cancer Detectives tells the untold story of the first-ever war on cancer and the coalition of people who fought tirelessly to save women from cervical cancer: a Greek immigrant, Dr. George Papanicolau; his intrepid wife, Mary; Japanese-born artist Hashime Murayama; Dr. Helen Dickens, an African American OBGYN in Philadelphia; and an entirely new class of female scientists.
The surprising reason why women were included in the 1964 Civil Rights Act | What The History?!
Did you know that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 wasn’t supposed to include job protections for women? Title VII—the section that covers job discrimination—included race, color, religion and national origin. Gender? That was a late addition. Find out how it got there in this latest installment of What The History?!
Civil Rights in the Sky: The woman who paved the way for Black flight attendants
The struggle for equal opportunity in the airline industry was turbulent—but one Black woman’s challenge opened the doors for change. Learn how Pat Banks Edmiston broke barriers in the sky and paved the way for those who came after her.
Trailer | Fly with Me
Fly With Me tells the story of the pioneering women who became flight attendants at a time when single women were unable to order a drink, eat alone in a restaurant, own a credit card or get a prescription for birth control. The job offered unheard-of opportunities for travel and independence. These women were on the frontlines of the battle to assert gender equality and transform the workplace.
Trailer | Nazi Town, USA
Nazi Town, USA tells the story of the German American Bund, a pro-Nazi group which in the 1930s had scores of chapters across the country, representing what many believe was a real threat of fascist subversion in the United States. They held joint rallies with the KKK and ran summer camps for children centered around Nazi ideology and imagery, melding patriotic values with virulent anti-Semitism.
Where did disco come from?
Turns out disco music has a surprising heritage, starting all the way back in... France? Take a few minutes to learn What the History behind that toe-tapping sound.
From the Vault: Henri Belolo
French music producer Henri Belolo tells the origin story behind the iconic disco group the Village People.
Trailer | The Harvest: Integrating Mississippi's Schools
The story of a Mississippi town’s effort to integrate its public schools in 1970.
Chapter 1 | The Harvest: Integrating Mississippi's Schools
Watch a preview of The Harvest: Integrating Mississippi's Schools.
The Battle for Bilingual Education
Most histories about the integration of Boston’s schools in the 1970s focus on the tension between the city’s Black and white residents—but there’s another narrative that goes beyond black and white. This is the little-known story of how Latino and Asian activists took on the education system, and won.
After Brown v. Board
Twenty years after the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, most schools across the country hadn't integrated. Then the courts stepped in, again.
The Busing Battleground: Who's Who
In September 1974, Boston schools prepared to integrate via a court-mandated busing plan. The figures facing the moment - activists, agitators, politicians, and students - each had particular interests in mind, and were preparing for the worst.
From the Vault: Bill Russell
On June 18, 1963, Boston Celtics star and Civil Rights activist Bill Russell addressed the thousands of students who gathered to protest educational inequality and segregation.
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