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INDEPENDENT LENS

You're Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don't


WATCH A PREVIEW
An powerful first-person documentary about life inside an Alzheimer’s and dementia care unit in California.

Thursday, March 29, at 10pm on WGBH 44
History

Town's Historic Tree May Be Saved


MORE GREATER BOSTON
By Toni Waterman
In Westport, Mass., a 200-year-old linden tree threatened by a sidewalk may yet wave another day (or century). A "Greater Boston" web exclusive.
A DECADE OF STORIES

After The Call, Cape Cod Fighter Pilots Patrolled The Skies


FULL STORY
SEPT. 11: A DAY OF REFLECTION, A DECADE OF STORIES
By Sean Corcoran
Colonel Timothy Duffy was a first-responder on Sept. 11, arriving at the Twin Towers in one of Otis's F-15 Eagles, along with his wingman, Major Daniel Nash. People often ask Duffy if he'd arrived in New York sooner, would he have shot down a hijacked airliner?
Environment

Nature In Balance: The National Seashore Looks Forward


MORE FROM WCAI
By Sean Corcoran
As it celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Cape Cod National Seashore bears the legacy of the agreements that founded it -- which supporters say will help it navigate its future.
NOVA

The Great Inca Rebellion


WATCH PROGRAM
An examination of how human remains found at an ancient cemetery near Lima, Peru, coupled with forensic science and historical documents, may upend the accepted story that a small band of Spanish conquistadors brought down the Inca Empire.
CAPE COD

Nature In Balance: Creating The National Seashore


CAPE COD TIMES SLIDESHOW: NAT'L SEASHORE, THEN AND NOW
By Sean Corcoran
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Cape Cod National Seashore. But its formation was not without controversy. 
Visual Art

Industrial Design in Waltham



By Arthur Smith
Gem-like clocks and watches at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation.
Boston

Bill Russell Statue Planned At City Hall


EARLIER: BOSTON PUSHES FOR BILL RUSSELL STATUE
By WGBH News
A statue honoring Celtics great Bill Russell will be installed in Boston's City Hall Plaza, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced today.
Boston

Timeline: Whitey Bulger's Life In Boston


FULL COVERAGE: WHITEY CAPTURED
By WGBH News
The mobster 'Whitey' Bulger was captured far away from home, but his connection to Boston is fundamental. Here's an expanded timeline of how Bulger's notorious life unfolded, and how it meshed with the life of his hometown — from drugs and gambling to the desegregation busing controversy — over the better part of a century.
Boston

In Boston, Freedom Riders Continue Activism



WGBH PRESENTS FREEDOM RIDERS
By Jess Bidgood
The story of the Freedom Ride is not just a story about the South. Freedom Riders came from and now live all over the country, enriching their communities with the convictions that led them to the Ride and the memories of what they experienced on it. Meet two Freedom Riders who are longtime Boston residents.
History

Soundtrack for a Revolution


WATCH PREVIEW
By American Experience

"Even as we were thrown in jail someone would sing a song," recalls Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) in this history of the civil-rights movement and its freedom music, featuring potent performances by John Legend, the Roots, Wyclef Jean, Angie Stone, Joss Stone.

Movies

A Film Unfinished


WATCH
By Independent Lens

This haunting film about a film examines a classic Nazi propaganda film used by historians for decades to provide insight into the realities of life in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942.

War & Conflict

War Letters


WATCH PREVIEW
By American Experience
Watch War Letters on American Experience. Bringing you letters from the Revolutionary War to the Persian Gulf War. Bringing to life eyewitnessaccounts of famous battles, intimate declarations of love and longing, letters written just moments before the writer was killed, and the heartbreaking "Dear John" leters from home. Airs May 31, 2011
Boston

Dorchester Student Brings Freedom Ride Lessons Home



WGBH PRESENTS FREEDOM RIDERS
By Jess Bidgood
Tariq Meyers says growing up in Dorchester made him who he is. He participated in the 2011 Student Freedom Ride — and he hopes to use lessons from the experience to bring a new activism, steeped in history, to his home neighborhood.
FREEDOM RIDERS

Notes From The Freedom Ride: New Orleans, La.



WGBH PRESENTS FREEDOM RIDERS
VIEW UPCOMING AIRINGS
By Phillip Martin
WGBH's Phillip Martin follows a group of 40 students from around the country as they retrace the path of the original Freedom Riders. 
FREEDOM RIDERS

Students Follow In Freedom Riders' Footsteps



WGBH PRESENTS FREEDOM RIDERS
By Phillip Martin
WGBH's Phillip Martin is following 40 students retrace the path of the Freedom Rides, the 1961 student demonstrations against segregation in the South. We meet student rider Peter Davis, and learn how he has been inspired by original rider Genevieve Houghton.
American Experience

Soundtrack To A Revolution


WATCH A PREVIEW
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.
Boston

Boston Chemist Applies Lessons Of Freedom Ride To Local Activism



WGBH PRESENTS FREEDOM RIDERS
By Jess Bidgood
T he same convictions that Harvard chemist Mike Wolfson on the Freedom Ride in 1961 have led him to engage in activism in Boston for the past 40 years.
Freedom Riders

Freedom Riders: Share Your Story


SHARE YOUR STORY
Did you participate in the Freedom Rides or later actions of the Civil Rights Movement, or did you know anyone who was a Freedom Rider? Do you remember learning about the rides and what you thought of them? Is there any issue today for which you would risk your life?
Freedom Riders

Watch Freedom Riders


WATCH ONLINE
Freedom Riders is the powerful harrowing and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever.
FREEDOM RIDERS

From Lowell To Jackson: One Freedom Rider's Story



WGBH PRESENTS FREEDOM RIDERS
By Jess Bidgood
In July 1961, Lowell native Ellen Ziskind joined the Freedom Ride, spending six weeks in a Mississippi prison after defying the state's segregation rule. 50 years later, she shares her story.
Maria Hinojosa: One-On-One

Skip Gates And Ilan Stavans


WATCH A PREVIEW
In 2003, Latinos surpassed African Americans as the largest minority group in the US. What does the future hold for these two communities? Watch this conversation with leading cultural thinkers, Henry Louis Gates and Ilan Stavans.
FREEDOM RIDERS

Boston-Area Freedom Riders Look Back



WGBH PRESENTS FREEDOM RIDERS
By Jess Bidgood
Check back this month for personal interviews with New Englanders who joined the original Freedom Ride.
FREEDOM RIDERS

Explore The Freedom Riders: Past And Present


LEARN MORE
VIEW ADDITIONAL AIRINGS
In 1961, more than 400 Americans risked their lives for simply traveling together on buses as they journeyed through the Deep South. Freedom Riders from American Experience tells their stories.
PATRIOTS DAY

How - And Why - We Piece Together Patriots Day Reenactements


By Bob Seay
Monday is Patriots Day, and one of the events that will mark the day is the reenactment of the battles of Lexington and Concord. One Redcoat reenactor told Morning Edition how — and why — thousands of volunteers piece together battles centuries old.
American Experience

Recalling The Stonewall Uprising


WATCH THE FULL-LENGTH EPISODE
American Experience's Stonewall Uprising recalls the 1969 riot that erupted after police raided a Greenwich Village gay bar.
American Experience

The Great Famine Tells Of Europe's Worst Disaster


WATCH THE FULL-LENGTH EPISODE
Not since the Black Plague of the Middle Ages has a natural disaster wreaked such destruction on Europe. American Experience tells the story of the massive relief effort championed by the United States. 
María Hinojosa: One-On-One

Julian Castro


WATCH A PREVIEW
In 2009, at age 34, Julian Castro was elected the mayor of San Antonio, the 7th largest U.S. city, and made history by becoming the youngest mayor ever of a top 50 American city. Mayor Castro talks about his family, educating Latino youths, and if he sees himself in the White House someday.

Airs Saturday, April 2, at 6pm on WGBH 2/HD.
BSO on Record

Charles Munch's First BSO Recordings


By Brian Bell
From 1949, the just-appointed conductor leads Beethoven, Berlioz, and Ravel.
Sunday, Mar. 27 at 2pm on 99.5 All Classical
The World

‘My Perestroika’ – The Last Soviet Children


WATCH TRAILER
MY PERESTROIKA WEBSITE
The World's Alex Gallafent reports on My Perestroika, a new documentary about the last generation of Soviet children – kids who grew up in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 80s. Filmmaker Robin Hessman is an alumna of the WGBH Lab.
American Experience

Dolley Madison


WATCH A PREVIEW
Dolley Madison lived through the two wars that established the U.S., was friends with the first 12 Presidents, and watched America evolve from a struggling young republic to the first modern democracy in the world. 

American Experience: Dolley Madison
Monday, March 21 at 9pm | WGBH 2
American Experience

The Fire That Shook The Village


WATCH
American Experience Greenwich Village fire that gave New Yorkers the most comprehensive workplace safety laws in the country.

American Experience: Triangle Fire
Monday, Feb 28 at 9pm | WGBH 2 
Frontline

The Brothers


WATCH
Veteran Middle East correspondent Charles Sennott of GlobalPost lands in Cairo for FRONTLINE to take a hard look at Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood--the most well-organized and powerful of the country's opposition groups--as a new fight for power in Egypt begins to takes shape.
María Hinojosa: One-On-One

Shoshana Johnson: Former POW


WATCH A PREVIEW
After her convoy was ambushed while on patrol in Iraq in March 2003, Shoshana Johnson became the United States’ first black female prisoner of war.

Watch Saturday, February 26 at 6pm on WGBH2/HD.
American Experience

Spend The Weekend With The Presidents


WATCH THE PRESIDENTS ONLINE
Each of our presidents has taken America on a different voyage. Watch American Experience's series of presidential biographies online. 

American Experience: Jimmy Carter
Monday, Feb 21 at 9pm | WGBH 2
99.5 Host Notes

The First Recordings of the Boston Symphony Orchestra


By Brian Bell
Some remarkable music making, from the earliest days of recorded sound.
María Hinojosa: One-On-One

Kevin Bales: Free The Slaves


WATCH
Kevin Bales is one of the world’s leading experts on contemporary slavery. He is the president of Free the Slaves in Washington, D.C. and an advisor to the UN and the US and British governments.  


Hit And Run History

The Columbia Expedition


WATCH THE SERIES
Hit and Run History is a WGBH web series guest-produced by local filmmakers. This series of biographies and shorts tell the stories of the men involved in the Columbia Expedition—the first American voyage around the world.
99.5 Host Notes

For Our Greatest President's Birthday


By James David Jacobs
A musical tribute to Abraham Lincoln...
99.5 Host Notes

Celebrating Jussi Bjorling and Leontyne Price


By James David Jacobs
Two immortal singers with extraordinary qualities, musical and otherwise.
María Hinojosa: One-On-One

Nell Irvin Painter


WATCH A PREVIEW
Noted historian Nell Irvin Painter is an author and professor emerita at Princeton. Her latest book, The History of White People, was featured on The Colbert Report and received rave reviews in the US and England. In this conversation with María Hinojosa, Painter explains what drives her, how the idea of beauty has changed in America, and why she doesn’t believe race exists.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

The Greely Expedition: Epic Story Of Adventure, Abandonment


American Experience's The Greely Expedition tells of an 1881 scientific mission to the Arctic that ended with death and rumors of cannibalism.

THE WORLD

Our Generation’s Sputnik Moment


MORE THE WORLD
By Jeb Sharp
“This is our generation’s Sputnik moment,” President Obama said during last night’s State of the Union address. He was referring to the need to spur innovation and stay competitive in a rapidly-changing world. The World’s Jeb Sharp tells us what Sputnik was and whether the analogy makes sense for today’s challenges.
American Experience

Creating The Panama Canal


WATCH
See how the building of the Panama Canal connected the world's two largest oceans, and signaled America's emergence as a global superpower.
99.5 Host Notes

Two Essential Symphonies


By James David Jacobs
Two composers write for their times and create something eternal.
Sunday, Jan. 23 at 9am on 99.5 All Classical
Kids' Classical Hour

Tchaikovsky Discovers America!


LISTEN
Join Ray Brown for the story of the Russian composer's first visit to this country, with music from The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, the 1812 Overture, and more!
99.5 Host Notes

The Real "Wellington's Victory"


By James David Jacobs
A listener dispels a myth through her request.
Author Interviews

'American Rising': When Slaves Attacked New Orleans


MORE NEWS
By NPR Staff
In January 1811, 500 armed slaves rose up from the plantations and set out to conquer the city of New Orleans. Host Guy Raz speaks with Daniel Rasmussen, author of the new book American Rising: The Untold Story of America's Largest Slave Revolt.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

The Dark Side of Digging For Dinosaurs


WATCH
American Experience tells the story of two men who laid the foundation for modern paleontology and whose rivalry nearly destroyed them both.
Boston

50 Years Later, 'City On A Hill' Speech Resounds


By Sarah Birnbaum
Massachusetts met a new Kennedy on Tuesday, when they gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's "City On A Hill" speech.
Nova

Nova Uncovers Clues From The Deadliest Earthquakes


WATCH A PREVIEW
Haiti's devastation spurs efforts to better forecast and limit the damage of earthquakes.

Premiering Tuesday, January 11 at 8pm on WGBH 2/HD.
Nova

Killer Subs In Pearl Harbor


WATCH ONLINE
Little is known about how the Japanese pulled off the stealth attack of Pearl Harbor. Nova tells the story of the event that sparked America's involvement in WWII.


Hit & Run History

The Columbia Expedition: The Auction


WATCH
With only twenty known to exist, the Columbia and Washington Medal is the rarest American medal. For the series finale, the Hit and Run History crew attends the sale of this national treasure in Philadelphia.
History

Paris: The Luminous Years


SCHEDULES
Key figures in the art world, including Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein, and Langston Hughes, explain what attracted them to the City of Lights. Premieres Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 9pm on WGBH 2.
Hit & Run History

The Columbia Expedition: Joseph Ingraham


WATCH
The crew of Hit and Run History heads to Boston to investigate a son of the North End: Joseph Ingraham. Years before Ingraham was chosen as second officer of the ship Columbia, he experienced the Revolutionary War firsthand, along with the Boston Massacre and Tea Party.
99.5 Host Notes

Requiems, Anniversaries, and Controversies


By James David Jacobs
Sifting the truth to find the music.
Boston

The Filene's Basement Story From Those Who Knew It Best


WATCH A PREVIEW
UPCOMING AIRINGS
GET THE DVD
By Lori Gwyr
Local Boston filmmaker Michael Bavaro talks about his new documentary Voices from the Basement, which tells the story of retail giant and famed Boston institution Filene's Basement as told by the people who worked and shopped there.
Boston

Remember A Retail Legend


UPCOMING SCHEDULES
GET THE DVD OF THIS PROGRAM
ENTER TO WIN A GIFT CERTIFICATE
Once one of Boston’s most well-known shopping destinations, Filene’s Basement is the subject of the new documentary Voices from the Basement, airing today at 4pm on WGBH 44 and tomorrow at 4pm on WGBH 2.
Hit & Run History

The Columbia Expedition: Captain Robert Gray


WATCH
After the end of the slave trade in the Ocean State, Robert Gray was chosen as second-in-command for the first American voyage around the world. The Hit and Run History crew roves across New England in search of Robert Gray, but the Rhode Island native’s personal history is murky—until a meeting with Gray's descendants leads to a startling discovery.
Hit & Run History

The Columbia Expedition: Samuel Brown


WATCH
This webisode of Hit and Run History shows the tenacity it takes for historians to bring the past to light, as the crew tirelessly hunts for details about the life of the elusive Samuel Brown, a merchant from Newport, Rhode Island, and one of the many men involved in the Columbia Expedition—the first ship to circumnavigate the globe.
Art & Design

In New MFA Wing, Period Rooms Unlock History


PART ONE: NEW HEIGHTS FOR MFA
By Jared Bowen
The Museum of Fine Arts new Art of the America officially opens to the public with a free open house on Saturday. But WGBH's sneak preview continues as Jared Bowen tours the new period rooms that make a visit to the MFA even more engaging.
Hit & Run History

The Columbia Expedition: Captain Crowell Hatch


WATCH
This webisode of Hit and Run History takes on a more sinister tone as the crew reveals how Columbia Expedition investor, Captain Crowell Hatch was deeply involved in the dehumanizing, but lucrative business of the slave trade.
Hit & Run History

The Columbia Expedition: John Derby


WATCH
Captain John Derby hailed from a wealthy merchant family in Salem, Mass. He gained fame during the Revolution for delivering news about the war across the Atlantic. This week the Hit and Run History crew tracks down how Derby turned to the profitable service of raiding English shipping fleets as a privateer.
Presidents

Dear John, Dear Abigail: The Adams' Letters


FULL ARTICLE
Historian and author Joseph Ellis' First Family draws from decades of correspondence between John Adams and his wife, Abigail, to reveal the achievements of America's second president, and the sacrifice and influence of his first lady.
Hit & Run History

The Columbia Expedition: Joseph Barrell


WATCH
In their fourth webisode, the crew of Hit and Run History heads down to the Outer Cape to learn about Joseph Barrell, a grocer who made his fortune in the war and then seized upon the idea of global trade that his contemporary, architect Charles Bulfinch, seeded in him.
Hit & Run History

The Columbia Expedition: Charles Bulfinch


WATCH
Architect Charles Bulfinch grew up privileged in British-occupied Boston during the Revolution. The crew of Hit and Run History hits the Massachusetts State House to reveal the role its designer played in the Columbia Expedition.
Hispanic Heritage Month

When Worlds Collide


WATCH

Hispanic Heritage Month continues on WGBH with When Worlds Collide, a vivid exploration of the origins of today’s Latino culture told largely through the untold story of the Americas after Columbus.

POV

Food, Inc.


WATCH
FOOD, INC. WEBSITE

What we eat, how it's produced, and where we are going from here.

Forensics & Investigations

History Detectives


WATCH

America's History Detectives prove that an object found in an attic or backyard might be anything but ordinary. The detectives leave no stone unturned as they travel around the country to explore the stories behind local folklore, prominent figures, and family legends. Watch full-length episdoes online, anytime.

NOVA

Inside NOVA RSS


Inside NOVA takes you behind the scenes of public television’s most-watched science series.

History

The World's How We Got Here


LISTEN TO HOW WE GOT HERE

Each week, The World’s Jeb Sharp looks at the history behind the headlines on the How We Got Here podcast.

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