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American Experience
A Ring-Side View of the Heavens
Radioing he had "a ring-side view of the heavens" Air Force officer David G. Simons made history in 1957 high aboard his Manhigh II balloon. He rose 101,500 feet above Earth, writing later he could barely comprehend the beauty of the sky. He was celebrated by The New York Times as "The First Space Man." "Space Men" premieres March 1 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.
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A look at the US vice presidency, from constitutional afterthought to position of political import.
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1:53:04
When US inner cities erupted in violence in 1967, LBJ created a commission to investigate.
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The story of housewives who led a grassroots movement to galvanize the Superfund Bill.
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The untold story of the people who fought tirelessly to save women from cervical cancer.
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The lively but neglected history of the women who changed the world while flying it.
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The story of the German American Bund, a pro-Nazi group active across the US in the 1930s.
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Explore the culture war that erupted over the spectacular rise of disco music.
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The story of a Mississippi town’s effort to integrate its public schools in 1970.
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Revisit 1970s Boston, when court-mandated school integration unleashed racial unrest.
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52:22
Unsung scientist Mária Telkes dedicated her career to harnessing the power of the sun.