America Explained
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was one of the worst economic disasters America has ever experienced. But it’s also a period that produced some of the great innovations in US history.
Coast to Coast: America’s First Transcontinental Railroad
The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 was one of the first mass media events in US history.
Cult of Domesticity: Defining Womanhood
The Cult of Domesticity was a school of thought that middle and upper class women should be confined to the home and aspire to be model wives and mothers.
Museum of Artifacts That Made America
The Tobacco Press: Revolutionising Farmers’ Gold
Today we know the risks of smoking tobacco, but over 100 years ago the dangers were less so, and tobacco became a booming business in Kentucky. Its success can in part be credited to the Burley tobacco press.
Civil War Prosthetics: A Step Forward in Battlefield Medicine
James Edward Hanger was hit by shrapnel from a cannonball at the beginning of the American Civil War- he designed the world’s first articulated prosthetic that could bend like a real leg.
The Swivel Chair: How Thomas Jefferson Invented the Office Chair
As one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson’s words helped found a nation. But did you know that he also invented the modern day swivel chair?
Hidden Figures
Ethel Payne: First Lady of the Black Press
How Ethel Payne wielded her first amendment right to ask the tough questions and hold those in power to account.
Roberto Clemente: A True Baseball Hero
He hit 240 home runs. Was a two-time World Series champion. And won the coveted Golden Glove twelve years in a row. But life in America for Puerto Rican All-Star Roberto Clemente was anything but easy.
George Brittain Lyttle: The Bandit Who Couldn’t Ride A Horse
History is full of criminal masterminds – and then there is George Brittain Lyttle, the notorious stagecoach robber who couldn’t ride a horse!
Women and the American Story
Toypurina: The Indigenous Female Freedom Fighter
The story of a Tongva woman named Toypurina who led a rebellion against a Spanish mission in Alta California.
Mary Church Terrell: Bringing Suffrage & Equality Center Stage
Mary Church Terrell was a lifelong activist who advocated for suffrage and equal rights.
Harriet Robinson Scott: How Filing for Freedom Triggered the Civil War
The story of Harriet Robinson Scott who challenged slavery in the highest court in the United States.
Art That Changed America
Indigenous North American Tattoos
To Indigenous North Americans, tattoos aren’t just decorative, they’re also sacred, rich in artistry and meaning, and of huge social, cultural and religious significance.
How Art Saved Yellowstone National Park
The first dedicated National Park anywhere in the world, Yellowstone attracts millions of visitors every year. It was saved for posterity by the work of two pioneering artists.
9/11: Art From Ashes
September 11, 2001 is a day etched into the memories of millions. Art around the world is being used to explore and understand.
Things You Didn’t Know
Epidemics in America: Learning from the Past
They’re diseases that affect people living in a single country or region – but what impact have historic epidemics had on US society?
Mount Rushmore: Carving History and Controversy
It’s one of the most recognisable landmarks in the United States – but what’s the untold story behind Mount Rushmore National Monument?
Bizarre Treatments: When Medicine Did More Harm than Good
Learn about the bizarre and often dangerous medical treatments used in America up until the 20th century.
Academy of American Democracy
The Stonewall Uprising
How the The Stonewall Inn became the focus of the LGBTQ+ community’s fight for rights in the 1960s
Public Spaces and Democracy
Why are public spaces – places that are open to everyone, where people can gather – necessary for democracy?
The Atlantic World
How did the Atlantic World connect the Old World and New World and impact the development of early America?
Speeches That Changed America
George W Bush: Speech After September 11
President George W. Bush delivers a much anticipated speech to a Joint Session of Congress, outlining America’s reaction to the unprecedented atrocity.
Patrick Henry – Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death
Patrick Henry delivers a speech on the rights of the colonies before the Second Virginia Assembly. His words ‘give me liberty or give me death’ would become the war cry of the revolution.
Shirley Chisholm – Equal Rights for Women Speech
Shirley Chisholm, the first African American Woman elected to Congress, addresses the US House of Representatives to argue in support of a controversial women’s rights bill; the Equal Rights Amendment.
Ronald Reagan – Tear Down This Wall
On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan delivers a speech to the people of West Berlin, calling upon the Soviet Union to tear down the wall that divides the city.
Lyndon B Johnson – The Great Society Speech
36th President, Lyndon B. Johnson delivers his famous speech “The Great Society”. See if you can hear any parallels to modern-day America?
William Jennings Bryan – Flag of an Empire Speech
Former U.S. Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan deliver an impassioned speech regarding Imperialism