Special Features
- Timeline: The Modern Environmental Movement
- Interview: Barry Commoner
- Interview: Norman Borlaug
- Photo Gallery: Earth Day across America
- Preview: Earth Days Preview
- Bonus Video: PBS Newshour Conversation on Earth Days
The inspiring story of the modern environmental movement.
My American Experience
Share Your Story
Do you remember the first Earth Day in 1970? When did you first become aware of environmental issues in your community or in your life? Share your story with AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.
Series Blog
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Picks Up Another International Prize
This week the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE staff received word that Earth Days had been awarded the Maeda Prize in theJapan Prize awards honoring international educational media. You can visit the awards website here. Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK), Japan’s national public broadcaster, hosts the Japan Prize awards, which have been held annually since 1965.
This isn’t our first film in the past year to gain international acclaim. In November, The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer will vie for a Grierson Award for “Best Science Documentary.” The documentary was broadcast in the UK on BBC 4 in 2009, shortly after it aired on PBS. Similarly, other AMERICAN EXPERIENCE programs have enjoyed extensive exposure overseas airing on the BBC and Channel 4 in the UK, RTE in Ireland, Arte in France and Germany, the ARD and Spiegel TV in Germany,Sveriges Television in Sweden, NRK Norway, YLE Finland, DR in Denmark, RAI in Italy, TVE and TV3 in Spain, NHK in Japan,EBS in Korea, SBS and ABC in Australia to name a few. So what explains AMERICAN EXPERIENCE appeal to overseas audiences?
Lost in the Grand Canyon
John Wesley Powell's epic journey into the unknown Grand Canyon was filled with adventure as his team mapped the Colorado River for the first time.
Film Details
Stephen Foster
America's first great songwriter, Stephen Foster, wrote 200 songs but died a penniless alcoholic at 37.
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The Pill
The story behind the development of the oral contraceptive that put women in control of birth control.
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The Orphan Trains
Between 1854 and 1929 more than 100,000 abused or orphaned children were sent by train to the Midwest to begin new lives in foster families.
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Lindbergh
The first man to fly across the Atlantic, Charles Lindbergh was unprepared for the attention, particularly after his son was kidnapped.
Film Details
Journey to America
Between 1890 and 1920, 12 million people emigrated from Europe arriving in New York Harbor and Ellis Island.
Film Details
Soundtrack for a Revolution
The story of the American civil rights movement is told through its powerful music -- the freedom songs that protesters sang on picket lines, in mass meetings, in police wagons, and in jail cells as they fought for justice and equality.
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