American Experience

Watch a preview of Clearing the Air: The War on Smog.

Watch a preview of Clearing the Air: The War on Smog.

Watch a preview of Mr. Polaroid.

The story of Edwin Land, whose iconic Polaroid camera let everyone instantly chronicle their lives.

ASL The dramatic story of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.

EXTENDED AD The dramatic story of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.

The dramatic story of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.

The story of one of the most influential yet forgotten civil rights figures, Walter White.

One of the greatest dramas in American politics.

Watch a preview of American Coup: Wilmington 1898

The little-known story of the deadly 1898 race massacre and coup d’etat in Wilmington, NC.

What happens when the president is unable to serve? Explore the dramatic period between 1963 and 197

When US inner cities erupted in violence in 1967, LBJ created a commission to investigate.

Highlights from our 2012 season.

What happened when the lights went out in New York in 1977? Premieres 7/14 at 9/8c on PBS.

The challenges the Pilgrims faced still resonate centuries later. Premieres 11/24 on PBS.

In 1946, a local police chief savagely beat and permanently blinded a Black army sergeant.

An unprecedented look at the life and legacy of Walt Disney. Premieres 9/14 & 9/15 on PBS.

Walt Disney premieres September 14 & 15, 2015 9/8c. on PBS American Experience.

An unprecedented look at the life and legacy of Walt Disney. Premieres Sep. 14 & 15.

The fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst.

Hailed as a voice that “comes around once in a hundred years” by maestros in Europe.

The fascinating story of the groundbreaking cryptanalyst, Elizebeth Smith Friedman.

A thriving Black community in Tulsa that rebuilt after a 1921 racially-motivated massacre.

Hailed as a voice that “comes around once in a hundred years” by maestros in Europe.

The story of the triumph of the U.S. Men's rowing team at the 1936 Olympics. Premieres 8/2

The international manhunt for the killer of Martin Luther King.

The Great War tells the rich and complex story of World War I.

Executive Producer, Mark Samels talks about our upcoming documentary, "The Boys of '36."

Discover the true story of the most famous outlaw couple in U.S. history-Bonnie and Clyde.

Executive Producer Mark Samels on what's coming to American Experience this January.

"Last Days in Vietnam" premieres April 28 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience.

The heroic efforts to help evacuate 135,000 South Vietnamese during the fall of Saigon.

What drove a company of US soldiers to commit the worst atrocity in US military history?

A heartbreaking story of romance, madness, and medicine. Premieres Feb. 2, 2016 on PBS.

In 1881, President Garfield's presidency was cut short by an assassin. Coming Jan. 2016

Executive Producer Mark Samels on what's coming to American Experience this Feb. & March.

On October 4, 1988. PBS broadcast The American Experience’s first documentary.

Airs Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

Robert Ripley was the wizard of odd. Premieres January 6 on PBS American Experience.

In the 1960s, the Ku Klux Klan reemerged in an unlikely place. Premieres January 13, 2015.

Crowdfunding to preserve stories of Vietnamese-American immigrants and Vietnam veterans.

The 2017 season premieres on Tuesday, January 10, 2017.

Executive Producer Mark Samels on what is coming up on American Experience this winter.

Airs Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

A preview of Geronimo, the controversial Native American leader.

A preview for Hoover Dam, broadcasting April 17 at 9/8c.

From a small-town Texas murder emerged a landmark civil rights case.

Alexander Hamilton was a gifted statesman brought down by fatal flaws.

Airs Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

Airs Monday, May 9, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Check your local listings.

Wyatt Earp came to epitomize the marshal responsible for taming the Wild West.

Andrew Carnegie embodied the American dream: the immigrant who went from rags to riches.

Our 2012 season is announced with a special video from Executive Producer Mark Samels.

The international race to develop biological weapons during the 20th century.

In October 1897, renowned Arctic explorer Robert Peary returned with five polar Eskimos.

The vast economic disparities of the Gilded Age sparked a debate that still rages today.

Singing and riding the bus from Washington, D.C. to Fredericksburg, VA.

"Take no prisoners. Fight to the bitter end." Those were everyday words to combat troops.

The nearly 400-year history of the American whaling industry.

The dramatic story of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.

The dramatic story of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990.

Descubra cómo un brote de la peste bubónica en 1900 desató miedo y sentir antiasiático en San Francisco.

一起來了解1900 年舊金山爆發的淋巴腺鼠疫如何引起恐懼和反亞裔情緒。這部新的紀錄片講述一段令人全神貫注的故事——要在這個致命疾病的威脅之下拯救舊金山，衛生官員必須與時間賽跑。

En 1927, la inundación del río Misisipi dejó a 1 millón de personas sin hogar.