Videos Available online from American Experience at pbs.org
Influenza 1918
The worst epidemic in American history killed over 600,000 Americans during World War I. Nicknamed "Spanish influenza," it died out quickly the following winter. (53 min.) Influenza 1918 at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/influenza/player/
Panama Canal at PBS On August 15th, 1914, the Panama Canal opened, connecting the world’s two largest oceans and signaling America’s emergence as a global superpower. American ingenuity and innovation had succeeded where, just a few years earlier, the French had failed disastrously.But the U.S. paid a price for victory. 1:22:11 minutes http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/panama/player/
Triangle Fire: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, New York City. It was the deadliest workplace accident in New York City’s history. A dropped match on the 8th floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory sparked a fire that killed over a hundred innocent people trapped inside. The private industry of the American factory would never be the same. 51.53 minutes
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/triangle/player/
The Crash of 1929: The unbounded optimism of the Jazz Age and the shocking consequences when reality finally hit on October 29th, ultimately leading to the Great Depression 54:21,
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/crash/player/
The Civilian Conservation Corps: One of the most popular New Deal Program, the CCC put three million young men to work in camps across America during the height of the Great Depression. 53:10
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/ccc/player/
Bombing of Germany: During the defining months of the offensive against Germany, American forces faced a moral and strategic dilemma 51:45 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/bombing/player/
Freedom Riders: The story behind a courageous band of civil rights activities called the Freedom Riders who in 1961 creatively challenged segregation in the American South, by the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/watch 1:53:00 Contains strong comments by Southern officials that some might find very offensive today but shows that language and ideas of the time at are at the heart of prejudice.
BIOGRAPHIES
Amelia Earhart: The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, Earhart disappeared in 1937 while she was attempting to circumnavigate the world by airplane. 51:42 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/earhart/player/
Annie Oakley: She was the toast of Victorian London, New York, and Paris. She was "adopted" by Indian chiefSitting Bull, charmed the Prince of Prussia, and entertained the likes of Oscar Wilde and Queen Victoria. Annie Oakley excelled in aman's worldby doing what she loved, and won fame and fortune as the little lady from Ohio who never missed a shot. 50:44 min.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/oakley/player/
Billy the Kid: A fascinating look at the myth and the man behind it, who, in just a few short years transformed him 52:49 min. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/billy/player/
Dolly Madison: She defined the role of the President's wife, became America's first First Lady, and in the process changed the face of the American presidency. 1:23.10 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/dolley/player/
Jimmy Carter: 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.Jimmy Carter, part of AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’s award-winning Presidents series, traces his rapid ascent in politics, dramatic fall from grace and unexpected resurrection. 2:40:08 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/carter/player/
Robert E. Lee, He is celebrated by handsome equestrian statues in countless cities and towns across the American South, and by two postage stamps issued by the government he fought against during the four bloodiest years in American history. Nearly a century and a half after his death, Robert E. Lee, the leading Confederate general of the American Civil War, remains a source of fascination and, for some, veneration. This two-hour film examines the life and reputation of the Confederacy's pre-eminent general, whose military successes made him the scourge of the Union and the hero of the Confederacy during the Civil War, and who was elevated to almost god-like status by his admirers after his death. 1:22:10 at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/lee/player/
Jesse Owens, The most famous athlete of his time, his stunning triumph at the 1936 Olympic Games captivated the world even as it infuriated the Nazis. Despite the racial slurs he endured, Jesse Owens' grace and athleticism rallied crowds across the globe. But when the four-time Olympic gold medalist returned home, he could not even ride in the front of a bus. The story of the 22-year-old son of a sharecropper who triumphed over adversity to become a hero and world champion, Jesse Owens is also about the elusive, fleeting quality of fame and the way Americans idolize athletes when they suit our purpose, and forget them once they don't. 52:10 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/owens/player/