Fifty years ago, America’s space program achieved its greatest triumph, when Apollo Eleven put the first men on the moon.
The Apollo program was a remarkable success story. But as NASA was sending men to the moon, they were engaged in another, less celebrated project — one even more important than the moon landings to humanity’s potential future in space. T ... Show More
Oct 2019
Electric Chair | War of the Currents | S21-E1
<p>On August 6, 1890, a prisoner named William Kemmler became the first man executed in the electric chair. It was designed to be a more humane form of execution, but the gruesome scene in the death chamber that day revealed the device to be anything but. </p><p>Still, the c ... Show More
44m 52s
Nov 2019
The Modern Ambulance | S22-E1
<p>Today, if you or someone you know experiences a medical emergency, you dial 9-1-1 and a squad of trained medical professionals arrives at your door. But just 55 years ago, that was not the case.</p><p>Emergency calls were generally dispatched to funeral homes simply becau ... Show More
43m 17s
Nov 2019
Kodak Roll Film: As Convenient as a Pencil | S23-E1
<p>Today, if we want to take a photo, we unlock our phone, aim, and click. It can be done on a whim, without a second thought. We document everything from new haircuts to latte art, cute cats to baby’s first smile. But prior to the 1900s, photography was the exclusive d ... Show More
35m 48s
Jul 2023
Apollo 13 | "Houston, We’ve Had a Problem." | 1
<p>On April 11th, 1970, NASA launched Apollo 13, its third manned mission to the Moon. But two days into its journey, an explosion wiped out a major source of oxygen, limiting the ship’s water and power supplies. The three astronauts onboard found themselves stranded in a cripple ... Show More
48m 38s
May 2018
The Space Race | Taking the Lead | 3
<p>In times of crisis, Americans had always put their confidence in their country’s superiority in power, technology and leadership. America had never failed them. And in 1961, hope and faith in their country burned brighter than ever as NASA prepared to launch the first man ... Show More
39m 12s
Jun 2020
Encore: The Space Race | Photo Finish | 4
<p>JFK said that nothing in the 1960s was "...more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space..." than getting a man to the moon and back safely. As the Apollo 11 flight neared, the entire nation waited, enraptured. But back in the USSR, the ... Show More
39m 45s
Dec 2023
Space Policy Edition: Was the Space Shuttle a policy failure?
<p>Was the Space Shuttle a successful program? In many ways, yes: it endured for 30 years, launched hundreds of astronauts into space, and built the International Space Station. But, according to the goals of lower costs, rapid reusability, and reliability NASA stated at its conc ... Show More
59m 28s
Dec 2022
Apollo 8 Goes to the Moon
December 21, 1968. Apollo 8, the first crewed spacecraft to successfully orbit the Moon and return to Earth, launches from the Kennedy Space Center.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
16m 35s