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.

52m 54s

The Battle of Chosin, Web clip

1m 11s

With the rising concern over Communist aggression in Asia and beyond, President Harry S. Truman committed American troops in South Korea, stating that involvement in Korea was necessary for America’s security and survival.

The Battle of Chosin, Chapter 1

9m 37s

On Thanksgiving Day 1950, American-led United Nations troops were on the march in North Korea. U.S. Marine and Air Force pilots distributed holiday meals. But soon after that peaceful celebration, American military leaders , including General Douglas MacArthur, were caught off guard by the entrance of the People’s Republic of China, led by Mao Zedong into the five-month-old Korean War.

The Battle of Chosin Preview

30s

American-led United Nations troops were outnumbered and at risk of annihilation at the Chosin Reservoir by the sudden entrance of the People’s Republic of China, led by Mao Zedong, into the five-month-old Korean War. The two-week battle that followed, fought in brutally cold temperatures, is one of the most celebrated in Marine Corps annals.

The Battle of Chosin, Web clip 2

2m 35s

U.S. Marine veterans of the Battle of Chosin during the Korean War recall their efforts to hold the west side of the reservoir during a second night of attacks. "The Battle of Chosin" premieres November 1 at 9/8c on American Experience PBS.

Tesla The Evolution of Invention

4m 21s

The word “inventor” conjures images of a far-off past. Today, inventor Steve Hollinger keeps the spirit of innovation alive in his workshop, just as more than 100 years ago, Nikola Tesla worked in his to revolutionize the electrical age.

Tesla, Chapter 1

6m 59s

Regarded by many as an eccentric genius, Nikola Tesla's system of alternating current is the basis of the electrical grid that makes daily life possible in the 21st century. One hundred years ago, he paved the way toward robots, radio, radar, remote control, and the wireless transmission of messages and pictures. He dreamed of harnessing the wind and the sun to make free energy available for all.

Tesla Preview

30s

Nikola Tesla's technology revolutionized the electrical age of the 20th century. Although eclipsed in fame by Edison and Marconi, it was Tesla's vision that paved the way for today's wireless world. His fertile but undisciplined imagination was the source of his genius but also his downfall, as the image of Tesla as a “mad scientist” came to overshadow his reputation as a brilliant innovator.

The Contract from Tesla

52s

In Nikola Tesla's original contract with George Westinghouse, the inventor was promised a bonus of $2.50 for every horsepower of alternating current sold. But making Tesla's AC motor was expensive, and Westinghouse soon told Tesla he wouldn't be able to pay him what was originally promised.

George Westinghouse from Tesla

1m 7s

During the last part of the 19th century, George Westinghouse had made his fortune through his invention, the railroad air brake. Now a wealthy man, Westinghouse set his sights on the future, and the future was electricity.

Nikola Tesla and Wireless Charging

2m 27s

Wireless power seems cutting edge, but it was actually pioneered over 100 years ago by Nikola Tesla. We teamed up with the Retro Report to explore how Tesla's technology is being used in innovative ways today.

The Columbian Exposition from Tesla

1m 2s

At the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 160,000 light bulbs lit up the evening sky over Chicago. Westinghouse had outfoxed Edison, winning the contract to wire the Exposition with alternating current.

The Triumph of Alternating Current from Tesla

35s

Direct current required thousands of little power plants at every mile, while alternating current allowed one source to power a much larger area. Alternating current transformed daily life in the 20th century, and made Tesla famous.

Coming in Fall 2016

2m 37s

American Experience premieres two new documentaries coming to PBS this fall: Tesla on October 18 and The Battle of Chosin on November 1. Looking ahead to April 2017, we take a sneak peek at The Great War.

The Presidents 2016: HW Bush

30s

The life and career of our 41st president, from his service in World War II and his early career in Texas to his days in the Oval Office, first as vice president to Ronald Reagan, then as the leader who presided over the first Gulf War.

The Presidents 2016: Jimmy Carter

30s

Jimmy Carter's story is one of the greatest dramas in American politics. In 1980, he was overwhelmingly voted out of office in a humiliating defeat. Over the subsequent two decades, he became one of the most admired statesmen and humanitarians in America and the world.

The Presidents 2016: Nixon

30s

Even today, decades after his death, Richard Nixon inspires divided passions in America. Nixon was a self-made man who rose from modest Quaker beginnings in California to the most powerful office in the world. Admired and reviled, loved and hated, the man and his life continue to fascinate us.

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