American Experience (1988)
American Experience (1988)
TV's most-watched history series brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

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9x05 The Richest Man in the World: Andrew Carnegie

21 January, 1997 5:00 am
A chronicle of the rise of industrialist Andrew Carnegie, his steel empire, and his philanthropy.

9x06 Hawaii's Last Queen

28 January, 1997 5:00 am
In 1893, the last sovereign ruler of Hawaii is removed by forces that want the islands to come under the official jurisdiction of the United States.

9x07 The Telephone

04 February, 1997 5:00 am
The debut of the telephone in 1876 and its subsequent impact on American communication, and even, America's landscape.

9x08 Big Dream, Small Screen

11 February, 1997 5:00 am
How Philo Farnsworth combined his work with other emerging technologies to contribute to the development of television.

9x09 New York Underground

18 February, 1997 5:00 am
Chronicle of the construction of the New York subway and its dramatic impact on the city.

9x10 Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern

15 April, 1997 5:00 am
A story of the realities leading to the vanishing role of the family farm in the United States.

9x11 Around the World in 72 Days

29 April, 1997 5:00 am
Groundbreaking New York reporter Nellie Bly uses all manner of transportation to beat the fictional feat of Verne's Phileas Fogg.

9x12 Gold Fever

13 May, 1997 5:00 am
The story of the last great gold rush in North America, the search in the Yukon and Klondike at the end of the 19th century.

9x13 Vietnam: A Television History (1): The First Vietnam War (1946-1954)

27 May, 1997 5:00 am
This program traces the rise of a pro-American Vietnamese nationalist, Ho Chi Minh, whose Viet Minh guerrillas grab a stunning victory over French colonial forces. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.

9x14 Vietnam: A Television History (2): America's Mandarin

27 May, 1997 5:00 am
The United States is drawn into Vietnam through its support − then abandonment − of South Vietnam's president, Ngo Dinh Diem, who is assassinated in a coup. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.

9x15 Vietnam: A Television History (3): LBJ Goes to War

03 June, 1997 5:00 am
Charging that North Vietnam has attacked American ships in the Gulf of Tonkin, President Lyndon B. Johnson orders bombing raids and sends 200,000 troops into an undeclared war. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.

9x16 Vietnam: A Television History (4): America Takes Charge

10 June, 1997 5:00 am
With the South Vietnamese army in disarray, the U.S. military assumes control of the war, leading to increased American casualties in a country both beautiful and horrific. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.

9x17 Vietnam: A Television History (5): America's Enemy

17 June, 1997 5:00 am
The war Americans seldom saw: the view from North Vietnam, featuring the perspectives of communist leaders, Vietcong guerrillas and American prisoners of war. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.

9x18 Vietnam: A Television History (6): Tet 1968

24 June, 1997 5:00 am
North Vietnam's dramatic offensive on the lunar New Year stuns American military and political leaders, leading to calls for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.

9x19 Vietnam: A Television History (7): Vietnamizing the War

01 July, 1997 5:00 am
As the U.S. turns over the war to the South Vietnamese army, American soldiers and Vietnamese citizens feel the dimming prospects for victory. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.

9x20 Vietnam: A Television History (8): Cambodia and Laos

08 July, 1997 5:00 am
With fighting already spread to neighboring Laos, President Richard Nixon orders a secret bombing campaign against Cambodia, which will soon endure a nightmarish post-war holocaust. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.

9x21 Vietnam: A Television History (9): Peace Is at Hand

15 July, 1997 5:00 am
As President Nixon escalates the bombing of Hanoi and North Vietnamese troops advance, negotiators struggle for four years to sign a peace treaty that will be broken quickly. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.

9x22 Vietnam: A Television History (10): Homefront USA

22 July, 1997 5:00 am
Americans at home divide over a distant war, clashing in the streets as demonstrations lead to bloodshed, bitterness and increasing doubts. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.

9x23 Vietnam: A Television History (11): The Fall of Saigon

29 July, 1997 5:00 am
Ten years after American ground troops arrived in South Vietnam, communists seize Saigon in a lightning attack that brings the war to a startling conclusion. An edited re-broadcast of the 1983 series Vietnam: A Television History.

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