After the St. Francis Dam disaster of 1928, engineers applied lessons learned to expansive dam projects in the American West.

The Native inhabitants—the Paiute people of the Owens Valley territory in what is now the State of California built sophisticated irrigation canals to channel water runoff from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history.

In 1922, to meet the growing water needs of Los Angeles, William Mulholland began building the St. Francis Dam to create a reservoir for the Los Angeles–Owens River aqueduct.

Flood in the Desert explores the 1928 collapse of the St. Francis Dam and its aftermath, the second deadliest disaster in California history.

Watch a preview of Zoot Suit Riots.

In August 1942, the murder of a young Mexican-American man ignited a firestorm in the City of the Angels. In no time at all, ethnic and racial tensions that had been building up over the years boiled over.

Discover how three Black diplomats broke racial barriers at the US State Department during the Cold War. Asked to represent the best of American ideals abroad while facing discrimination at home, they left a lasting impact on the Foreign Service.

Edward R. Murrow, head of the United States Information Agency began producing a documentary about the upcoming March on Washington. But as the project neared completion, Murrow was losing a battle with cancer. And the film’s political opponents wanted to make sure it would never be seen. President Lyndon B. Johnson tasked a groundbreaking diplomat, Carl Rowan, with seeing the project through.

Discover how three Black diplomats broke racial barriers at the US State Department during the Cold War. Asked to represent the best of American ideals abroad while facing discrimination at home, they left a lasting impact on the Foreign Service.

Carl Rowan was one of the highest ranking African American in the history of the State Department during the 20th century. In 1964 Lyndon Johnson appointed Rowan as director of the U.S. Information Agency.

Terence Todman’s diplomatic career spanned four decades: he was a U.S. ambassador to six nations and achieved the prestigious rank of career ambassador.

Edward Dudley saw that Black foreign service officers were restricted to the “Negro Circuit,” serving in just a handful of countries while white officers were transferred all over the world.

American Experience celebrates Black History.

Take a minute and picture the cowboy. He’s got on his hat and boots, maybe a gun on each hip, and, of course, his well-worn blue jeans.

Riveted: The History of Jeans reveals the fascinating and surprising story of the iconic American garment. They’re more than just a pair of pants — America’s tangled past is woven deeply into the indigo fabric. From its roots in slavery to the Wild West, youth culture, hippies, high fashion and hip-hop, jeans are the fabric on which the history of American ideology and politics are writ large.

You might think that Levi Strauss invented jeans. In reality he is the man who brought them to market and made millions.

Denim is the quintessential American fabric. Yet its possible origins are spread across the globe.

Over the fourth of July weekend in 1947, 4,000 motorcycle riders, wearing leather jackets and blue jeans roared into Hollister, California for a three-day rally. The small town woke to motorcyclists in an unusual uniform: leather jackets and blue jeans.

Discover the fascinating story of this iconic American garment. From their roots in slavery to the Wild West, hippies, high fashion and hip-hop, jeans are the fabric on which the history of American ideology and politics is writ large.