American Experience

From Enrico Caruso to the ordinary San Franciscan, this film presents vivid memories of those trapped in the terrifying event of 1906. Four hundred eighty square blocks were reduced to rubble; thousands were killed, tens of thousands left homeless. Then the heroic struggle to rebuild a city from the ashes began.

The story of atomic bomb research after World War II and how above-ground testing led to the evacuation of a previously-populated atoll in the Pacific Ocean.

The US government attempts to claim lands that have value from Native American dwellers.

Mid 20th century America through the eyes of famous journalist Eric Sevareid.

A treatment of women's contributions to the World War II defense industry including interviews with women who participated.

A visit to working ranches in western Wyoming to examine the lifestyle of modern-day cowboys and compare it to the romantic historical notions.

A profile of the author and photographer Eudora Welty and her impressions of the South after the turn of the 20th century. She recalls her childhood and life in Jackson, Mississippi in a 1987 BBC film based on her 1984 autobiographical work.