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From the producers of Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg, the weekly PBS program on ideas, comes The First Measured Century, a 3-hour PBS special, a reference volume entitled The First Measured Century: An Illustrated Guide to Trends in America, 1900-2000, by Theodore Caplow, Louis Hicks and Ben J. Wattenberg, published by the American Enterprise Institute Press, and this companion website. The First Measured Century project presents a unique look at American History, using data to show us where we've been and where we might be going.

Take a Look at our Numbers!
America's Vanishing Frontier Line

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Funding for The First Measured Century was provided by, T. Rowe Price, Pfizer Inc., The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, The John M. Olin Foundation, The Bernard and Irene Schwartz Foundation, The Smith Richardson Foundation, The D & D Foundation, PBS and The Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Companion Volume

Funding for The First Measured Century: An Illustrated Guide to Trends in America, 1900-2000 was provided by the William H. Donner Foundation, Inc.

New River Media is an independent company based in Washington, DC that specializes in the production and distribution of documentary, series and educational television. The company also provides a range of consulting and video production services to corporate and institutional clients.

Photo Credits
Top: In 1926, Mrs. Ida Zahler and her eleven children arrived in New York City from Switzerland. They continued their journey to a farm in North Canton, Ohio, where they joined Mr. Zahler. Courtesy of UPI/Corbis-Bettman.
Lower left: Franz Boas. Copyright American Philosophical Society.
Lower center animation (car): The New Ford Cabriolet. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Lower right: Miss Ruth Clark, Exhibit Asst. in the U.S. Children's Bureau. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

PBS Program | Trends of the Century | Viewer's Voices | Interactivity | Teacher's Guide | Web Credits