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American Experience

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

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.

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American Experience Season 36
1:51:27
The little-known story of the deadly 1898 race massacre and coup d’etat in Wilmington, NC.
The American Vice President
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A look at the US vice presidency, from constitutional afterthought to position of political import.
The Riot Report
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1:53:04
When US inner cities erupted in violence in 1967, LBJ created a commission to investigate.
The Environment
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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.
Nazi Town, USA
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The story of the German American Bund, a pro-Nazi group active across the US in the 1930s.
American Experience Season 35
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51:27
Explore the culture war that erupted over the spectacular rise of disco music.
The Harvest: Integrating Mississippi's Schools
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The story of a Mississippi town’s effort to integrate its public schools in 1970.
The Busing Battleground
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Revisit 1970s Boston, when court-mandated school integration unleashed racial unrest.
Casa Susanna
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Casa Susanna was a refuge for transgender women and cross-dressing men in the 1950s-60s.
The Sun Queen
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52:22
Unsung scientist Mária Telkes dedicated her career to harnessing the power of the sun.
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