In 1900, the first case of bubonic plague to ever be confirmed in North America was diagnosed in San Francisco. Scientists did not understand how the disease was transmitted but had long theorized that rats played a role.
Rupert Blue was a physician in the Marine Hospital Service, the precursor to the modern U.S. Public Health Service. In 1901 he launched a public health campaign that ended a deadly bubonic plague outbreak in San Francisco.
Dr. Joseph Kinyoun was a leader in the diagnosis and prevention of infectious diseases in America. He created the Hygienic Laboratory, the nation’s first federal laboratory of medical bacteriology which later became the National Institutes of Health.
Historian and author Tanisha Ford and Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design Ben Barry speak with fashion historian Cassidy Zachary about how fashion has contributed to many of the most influential social movements in American history.
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the U.S. Department of State Gina Abercrombie Winstanley and former U.S. diplomat Christopher Richardson speak with historian Adriane Lentz-Smith about the history and present day diversity problem in the State Department.
