The Digital Bystander
Live-streaming apps like Facebook Live and Periscope give us a voyeuristic peek into the lives of others. But what is our obligation when we encounter digital violence?
The Back Story on Trump and Medicaid
Mini Docs
During his campaign, Donald Trump vowed not to cut to entitlements, including Medicaid. But now he’s reversing himself and additionally plans to turn more control of the program over to the states. We take a look at what happened to another entitlement, welfare, when the states took over.
Polio: An Elusive Finish Line
The polio virus is almost completely wiped off the face of the earth, thanks to a global effort to exterminate the crippling disease, but eliminating it entirely has been a challenge.
Politics and Plagues
What do the CIA and Nigerian imams have to do with the fight to end polio? Retro Report examines how the worlds of politics and public health can collide.
Conspiracy’s Grip
Retro Report explores decades of conspiracy theories – from the John F. Kennedy assassination to Pizzagate – and what they can tell us about how we view the world today.
The Back Story on Bad Forensic Science
Mini Docs
With the Trump administration’s move to end a commission investigating flaws in forensic science, Retro Report looks at the history of one now-challenged method: hair analysis.
Mr. Pilates
Mini Docs
Did you know, the origins of the Pilates workout stem from WWI? Learn more about the fitness regimen Joseph Pilates developed in a British internment camp in our most recent collaboration with PBS, American Experience.
First, Do No Harm
From the 1930s to the 1950s a radical surgery – the Lobotomy – would forever change our understanding and treatment of the mentally ill.
Lies, Leaks and Consequences
Taking a page from Nixon, President Trump is waging his own battle against leaks, which threatens to damage Americans’ right to know.
Grilling Gorsuch: Why He Won’t Answer
As the country prepares for the confirmation hearings of Judge Neil Gorsuch, Retro Report explores how the bitter hearings over Judge Robert Bork changed how nominees answer questions.
You’ve Just Sued the President
Mini Docs
With the release of Donald Trump’s new travel ban, a brief look at a Yale group that fought the original ban.
Trump and the Battle over Sanctuary
As deportations begin to rise under President Trump, churches and cities are declaring themselves sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants. It’s the latest chapter of a movement with a long history.
Forever Prison
Guantanamo Bay has become a symbol of the war on terror, but its story actually begins a decade before, when it was first used to detain thousands of Haitians outside the reach of U.S. law. This story was created in collaboration with NPR and PBS, FRONTLINE.
Malaria and the Silent Spring
Author Rachel Carson’s strike against the pesticide DDT turned her into both an environmental hero and a foil for those who believe regulation has gone too far. That fight is more relevant than ever.
The Malaria Warriors
The West African country of Burkina Faso, an epicenter of the world’s malaria epidemic, is also a thriving research hub where scientists have been embedded within local villages for years, looking for new solutions to combat malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
The Back Story on Trump and Vaccines
Mini Docs
Vaccine critic, RFK, Jr., says that Donald Trump has asked him to “chair a commission on vaccination safety and scientific integrity.” Our latest mini documentary looks at Donald Trump and the back story on the MMR vaccine conspiracy theories.
Signal Repair
Mini Docs
“The equipment ranges from the early 1900s to up to date present time.” Our latest collaboration with PBS, American Experience takes a look at the Boston “T” – the oldest subway in America.
Could You Patent the Sun?
Decades after Dr. Jonas Salk opposed patenting the polio vaccine, the pharmaceutical industry has changed. What does that mean for the development of innovative drugs and for people whose lives depend on them?
The Fight to Save the Amazon
In 1988, the murder of Chico Mendes fueled a movement of activists, celebrities and indigenous peoples that helped to make the rainforest a household name. But what happens now?
Activating a Generation
Thirty years after “Live Aid” changed the face of charity fundraising, clicktivism has taken center stage. If you share, re-tweet and like, are you making the world a better place?
Defusing War’s Perfect Soldiers
In 1997, Princess Diana brought public attention to land mine victims. But, almost two decades after her death, how much progress has been made in the worldwide fight against leftover munitions?
Tesla
Mini Docs
Wireless power seems cutting edge, but it was actually pioneered more than 100 years ago by Nikola Tesla. We’ve teamed up with the American Experience to explore how Tesla’s technology is being used today.
Prop 13: Mad As Hell
In 1978, voters passed Proposition 13, lowering taxes for millions of California homeowners. Decades later, what has it meant for California?
Unraveling Zero Tolerance
Over the last 30 years, schools across the country have enacted tough new discipline policies. Some of those schools say they went too far.
The Great Debate: Style or Substance?
The moments we remember from political debates are embedded in our political folklore, from the knockout lines to the losing gaffes. But does media coverage often miss the real lessons they offer?
Fair Housing
Mini Docs
Has the government done enough to stop housing discrimination?
Where Does the American Dream Live?
How a little-known public housing program from the 1970s is changing housing policy today.
“On Account of Sex”
When Phyllis Schlafly fought the Equal Rights Amendment, which called for equality of rights “on account of sex,” it kicked off a battle that continues to influence political debate today.
Life After Welfare
Mini Docs
Twenty years ago, welfare reform was signed into law, promising needy families a path out of poverty. This is the story of Tianna Gaines-Turner, a former welfare recipient, who still struggles to make ends meet.
Conventional Wisdom
We’ve partnered with Politico for an eight-part series titled “Conventional Wisdom,” telling the stories behind some of the most memorable political conventions in U.S. history – and how they have impacted today’s political climate.
The Split (1860): Conventional Wisdom
Mini Docs
Some issues are too fundamental for a party to withstand, and the consequences can last for a generation.
The Speech (2004): Conventional Wisdom
Mini Docs
Sometimes the most important speech at the convention isn’t delivered by the nominee.
A Broken Party (1924): Conventional Wisdom
Mini Docs
Immigration has been a defining issue in a campaign before, and the consequences transformed the Democratic Party.
The Modern Primary (1912): Conventional Wisdom
Mini Docs
In 2016, some Bernie Sanders supporters have said the delegate process isn’t fair. In 1912, a battle over the primary process transformed American politics.
How It Started (1831): Conventional Wisdom
Mini Docs
In 1831, a radical third party had a new idea for selecting a presidential candidate, and it’s still in use today: the national nominating convention.
The Outsider Republican (1964): Conventional Wisdom
Mini Docs
Donald Trump’s candidacy isn’t the first time the Republican Party has been split by an outsider declaring war on the establishment elite.
The Mess In Chicago (1968): Conventional Wisdom
Mini Docs
There are important lessons to be learned from the Democrats’ 1968 Chicago convention.
The Power of the Delegate (1976): Conventional Wisdom
Mini Docs
In 1976, Ronald Reagan found owning the soul of a party isn’t the same as taking home its nomination.
Image Makers
From Lyndon Johnson’s “Daisy” to Hillary Clinton’s “It’s 3 am,” Image Makers goes behind the scenes of some of our most historically influential political ads with the people who made them. This series of mini docs was created by Matthew Spolar in collaboration with NBC News.
Smoking Man: Political Ads That Changed the Game
Mini Docs
In the 2012 Republican primary, Herman Cain’s campaign produced an unusual video featuring Cain’s chief of staff, Mark Block, giving a pep talk while smoking a cigarette.
The Rock: Ads That Changed the Game
Mini Docs
In 2007, long-shot Democratic candidate Mike Gravel released one of the strangest ads in political history.
Willie Horton: Ads That Changed the Game
Mini Docs
The infamous Willie Horton ad placed a nail in the coffin of Michael Dukakis’ 1988 presidential run.
Morning in America: Political Ads That Changed the Game
Mini Docs
Future warm and fuzzy ads can trace their lineage to this one. For his reelection campaign, Ronald Reagan employed a team of advertising all-stars, resulting in one of the most famous catchphrases in American politics.
It’s 3:00 am: Political Ads That Changed the Game
Mini Docs
After a string of critical losses in the 2008 Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton’s campaign put out a hard-hitting ad that questioned Barack Obama’s readiness for the White House.
Daisy: Political Ads That Changed the Game
Mini Docs
Perhaps the most famous political ad of all time, this early television spot ran on air just once, but generated enough media coverage to become a real factor in the 1964 presidential election.
The Mommy Wars
The Mommy Wars were billed as the nastiest fight in American parenting, and actually fueled by a decades-old blunder. This story was produced in collaboration with Quartz.
The Outrage Machine
In the digital age, where everyday people can suddenly become public enemy number one, how do we strike the balance between keeping free speech alive online and preventing a cyber mob from taking over?
Atomic Vets
The story of the veterans who witnessed secret atomic testing and how their decades-long struggle for recognition affects soldiers today. This story is a coproduction with Reveal, from The Center for Investigative Reporting.
LSD and Cats
Mini Docs
The early science of hallucinogens in the 1950s and ’60s was kind of a Wild West free-for-all. For more info on the science of spiders and drugs, visit www.drpeterwitt.com.
The Long, Strange Trip of LSD
In the 1960s, mind-altering drugs like LSD helped fuel the counter-culture. Today, psychedelics are turning on a new generation – of scientists.
Life After Welfare
Tianna Gaines-Turner, a former welfare recipient, still struggles to make ends meet with her family in Philadelphia.
Welfare and the Politics of Poverty
Bill Clinton’s 1996 welfare reform was supposed to move needy families off government handouts and onto a path out of poverty. Twenty years later, how has it turned out?
Growing up Gygax
Mini Docs
Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax’s son explains what life was like in a household where D&D took center stage.
Junot Díaz and the D&D Revolution
Mini Docs
Why Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Junot Díaz says playing Dungeons and Dragons was a revolution.
D&D: Lessons from a Media Panic
Dungeons and Dragons was once accused of leading children to Satanism, but today the game looks more like a solution to a problem plaguing modern parenting.
Remembering Kitty
Mini Docs
More than 50 years after Kitty Genovese’s murder became a symbol of urban apathy, her partner, Mary Ann Zielonko remembers Kitty’s life and impact.
Nuclear Winter
Carl Sagan and other Cold War scientists once feared that a nuclear war could plunge the world into a deadly ice age. Three decades later, does this theory still resonate?
A Change of Heart
The artificial heart became a media sensation in the 1980s as it both raised hopes and spread controversy. Today its impact on medical science is still playing out in surprising ways.
Why Teaching Robots to do Easy Stuff is Still Hard
Mini Docs
The robotics team from M.I.T recovers from disaster at the robot Olympics. #RobotsAreComing
Machine trains self to beat humans at world’s hardest game
Mini Docs
Hillary Clinton and the Superpredator
Mini Docs
Wondering what the Hillary Clinton/superpredator brouhaha is all about? Here’s the cliff notes…
The Terminator and the Washing Machine
What the legendary match between a supercomputer and chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov reveals about today’s artificial intelligence panic.
After Bush v. Gore
The dramatic controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election led to sweeping voting reforms, but opened the door to a new set of problems that continue to impact elections today.
Runaway Plane
For decades the United States has been on a quest to perfect stealth technology, but development of the F-35 fighter jet shows just how complicated dreams can become.
When Dreams Fly
Mini Docs
More than 40 years ago, Pierre Sprey set out to build the ultimate fighter jet.
Fighting Fat
Thirty-five years after the first dietary guidelines, how much do we really know about the science behind a healthy diet?
The Unexpected Science of Exercise
Mini Docs
Does exercise really make you lose weight? One scientist went to Africa and found an unexpected answer.
The Bliss Point
Mini Docs
How did food companies get us to crave their products? They discovered the bliss point.
Is it All in Your Gut?
Mini Docs
Is there a hidden cause of obesity? A professor at Stanford thinks the answer might lie with the 100 trillion microbes living in our bodies.
Being in the Bubble
Mini Docs
The curious origin of a political metaphor.
The Boy in the Bubble
In the early 1970s, an unusual boy captivated the nation. Now, decades later, his story continues to unfold in remarkable ways.
Surviving Heroin
After surviving four heroin overdoses, Heather Wetzel hopes she can stay clean for her daughter.
Surviving Heroin
Mini Docs
Heroin and the War on Drugs
In the 1970s, frustration over heroin related, urban crime led to the War on Drugs. Today, heroin is back. But the users, and the response, are very different.
A Tale of Two Boxers
Mini Docs
For many boxers, once the punches stop, the real fight starts. Former world champions Iran Barkley and Wilfred Benitez live that battle every day.
Chris Borland: The Man Who Walked Away
Mini Docs
He’s been called the most dangerous man in football. Not for what he’s doing on the field – but what he’s saying off of it. A new series of original Retro Report short docs produced for Facebook.
Blood and Sport
In 1982, boxing fans tuned in for a fight the sport wouldn’t soon forget. Today, with concerns about the toll of football on the rise, is America’s favorite game nearing its own inflection point?
When Pinball was Illegal…
Mini Docs
A panic over Pinball? Really? A new series of original Retro Report short docs produced for Facebook.
The General Sleaziness
Mini Docs
WARNING: The following content may contain elements that are not suitable for some politicians. But you might like it. A new series of original short docs produced for Facebook.
MAD Man
Mini Docs
Cartoonist Al Jaffee has been causing mischief at MAD Magazine for decades and at 94-years-old, he’s as irreverent as ever. A new series of Retro Report short docs produced for Facebook.
Sex, Drugs and Gore
Offended by lyrics they deemed too sexual and violent, Tipper Gore and Susan Baker campaigned to put warning labels on albums in 1985. Years later, warning labels have ended up in some unexpected places.
Your Sisters Are Looking For You
Mini Docs
Flavia Battistiol has turned to social media in hopes of being reunited with the sibling who disappeared in 1977, when the military junta ruled Argentina.
A Stolen Life
Mini Docs
The story of one man’s search for his identity after his parents disappeared during Argentina’s military dictatorship.
Where is my Grandchild?
Estela de Carlotto has spent nearly four decades searching for her grandson, one of the estimated 500 babies who disappeared after their mothers were taken by the military regime in Argentina in the 1970s.
Haunted by Columbine
The killing of twelve students and a teacher at Columbine High School in 1999 continues to shape how we view and understand school shootings today.
The Student
Mini Docs
Sean Graves was told he would never walk again after being shot during the attack at Columbine High School. This is the story of what happened next.
A Syndrome on Trial
In 1997, a young British nanny charged with murder brought shaken baby syndrome into the national spotlight, and raised a scientific debate that continues to shape child abuse cases today.
The Lawyer
Mini Docs
A mini-doc about the anatomy of a shaken baby case from the perspective of defense attorney Adele Bernhard.
The Doctor
Mini Docs
The pediatric neurosurgeon who first identified shaken baby syndrome has a surprising take on the very syndrome he’s credited with discovering.
SWAT: Mission Creep
SWAT teams were created in the 1960’s to combat violent events. Since then, the specialized teams have morphed into a force increasingly used in routine policing, most often to serve drug warrants,sometimes with disastrous results. Which raises the question – are we too militarized?
Napster: Culture of FREE
In 1999, a file-sharing program created in a Boston dorm room sent shockwaves across the music industry and served notice that a major cultural shift was underway.
Faces of Treatment
A photo essay by Sarah Weiser detailing the difficult path to recovery faced by pregnant addicts at New York City’s Non-profit Center for Comprehensive Health Practice, one of the oldest centers in New York City to offer such treatment.
From Crack Babies to Oxytots: Lessons Not Learned
In the 1980s, many government officials, scientists, and journalists warned that the country would be plagued by a generation of “crack babies.” They were wrong. More than 25 years later, the media is sounding a similar alarm.
The Shadow of Waco
22 years ago, federal agents raided the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, and generated a legacy that continues to shape antigovernment groups today.
Transforming History
Transgender issues today are rooted in a decades-long struggle for inclusion.
The Story of Sasha and Olympia
Transgender issues today are rooted in a decades-long struggle for inclusion.
The Population Bomb?
In the 1960s, fears of overpopulation sparked campaigns for population control. But whatever became of the population bomb?
A Journey through India: The Legacy of Population Fears
The Evolution of Modern Food Safety
Chasing Outbreaks: How Safe Is Our Food?
A 1993 E. coli outbreak linked Jack in the Box hamburgers sickened 700 people and acted as a wake up call about the dangers of food-borne illness. More than 20 years later, how far have we come?
Safety on Fire
There are over 80,000 chemicals in use today. The story of TRIS, removed from children’s pajamas in the 1970s, illustrates just how hard it is to regulate chemicals, or to even know if they’re safe.
The Public Debate About Torture
Poll graph created by Britney Dennison, Lisa Hale, Codi Hauka, and Peter W. Klein
Anatomy of an Interrogation
The story of the first and only interrogator connected to the CIA to be convicted in a torture-related case.
Pets Gone Wild
Burmese pythons, often released into the wild by well-meaning pet owners, have infested the Florida Everglades and created a reptilian nightmare in the ecosystem.
A Right to Die?
Should doctors be allowed to help suffering patients die? Twenty-five years ago, with his homemade suicide machine, Dr. Jack Kevorkian raised that question. It’s an issue Americans still struggle with today.
The Ferry: A Civil Rights Story
Weeks before Selma’s Bloody Sunday in 1965, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. urged residents of Gee’s Bend, Ala., to vote, and fed a continuing fight over a small ferry that would last for decades.
Talking About Race
Searching for Better Answers
Mini Docs
On the heels of a national measles scare, Google announced that it is refining its search results for hundreds of medical conditions to show only vetted resources and web sites.
Vaccines: An Unhealthy Skepticism
An outbreak of measles that started at Disneyland turned a spotlight on those who choose not to vaccinate their children. Watch this Emmy-nominated backstory on how vaccinations became one of our country’s most contentious topics.
Remembrance of a Massacre — El Mozote
Photographs by Susan Meiselas / Magnum Photos Introduction by Raymond Bonner
Making Music in the Digital Age - Part Four - Tommy Emmanuel
Mini Docs
Making Music in the Digital Age - Part Three - David Lowery
Mini Docs
Making Music in the Digital Age - Part Two - Amanda Palmer
Mini Docs
Making Music in the Digital Age - Part One - Ingrid Michaelson
Mini Docs
Power Line Fears
News media coverage in the 1980s and early 1990s fueled fears of a national cancer epidemic caused by power lines and generated a debate that still lingers today.
Sybil: A Brilliant Hysteric?
In the 1970s, the TV movie “Sybil” introduced much of the nation to multiple personality disorder and launched a controversy that continues to resonate.
‘A Dingo’s Got My Baby:’ Trial by Media
In 1982, an Australian mother was convicted of murdering her baby daughter. She was later exonerated, but soon fell victim to a joke that distracted the world from the real story.
A Search for Justice
The murder of four American churchwomen focused attention on the United States’ involvement in El Salvador. Nearly 35 years later, the case continues to take surprising turns.
Wolves at the Door
In the 1990s, the federal government reintroduced the gray wolf to Yellowstone National Park. It was considered a big success. And that’s when the real fight began.
Ruby Ridge: American Standoff
When armed suspects stand off against the law today, one event continues to cast a shadow on both sides of the police line: the 1992 siege at Ruby Ridge.
The Cost of Campaigns
The Watergate campaign finance scandals led to a landmark law designed to limit the influence of money in politics. Forty years later, some say the scandal isn’t what’s illegal, it’s what’s legal.
Curt Flood: Rebel Without a Clause
When baseball star Curt Flood rejected a trade in 1969, he challenged America’s pastime and helped spark a revolution that rippled beyond the game. This newly updated Retro Report documentary explores free agency in the age of LeBron James and DeAndre Jordan.
The Mystery of the Missing Bees
The mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder has pushed honeybees into the public eye. But the story of their plight – and its impact – is much more complicated.
Revolution in a Capsule
When Prozac was introduced in 1988, the green-and-cream pill to treat depression launched a cultural revolution that continues to echo.
The Promise of the Air Bag
How did cars become “computers on wheels,” so automated that some are about to start driving themselves? The story begins forty-five years ago with a quest to make cars safer and the battle over the air bag.
Go or no Go: The Challenger Legacy
On January 28, 1986, seven astronauts slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God. America’s space program was never the same.
How DNA Changed the World of Forensics
Before DNA testing, prosecutors relied on less sophisticated forensic techniques, including microscopic hair analysis, to put criminals behind bars. But how reliable was hair analysis?
Agent Orange: Last Chapter of the Vietnam War
The use of the defoliant Agent Orange during the Vietnam War continues to cast a dark shadow over both American veterans and Vietnamese citizens.
Picking a Winner: The 1998 NFL Draft
After the 1998 NFL draft produced one of the greatest busts in history, what have we learned about the science of evaluating human talent – on and off the field?
Three Mile Island: Lessons from the Nuclear Dream
More than three decades after the accident at Three Mile Island cast a shadow on the atomic dream, is America again ready to give nuclear energy a chance?
The Enduring Legacy of Terri Schiavo
The controversy over Terri Schiavo’s case elevated a family matter into a political battle that continues to frame end-of-life issues today.
Shaky Ground
The 1989 earthquake that shook San Francisco sent out a wake up call that continues to echo across the country.
The Superpredator Scare
In the mid-1990s, after a decade of soaring juvenile crime, some social scientists warned the violence would only get worse. Reality proved otherwise.
Lessons from the Nuclear Dream
A photo essay by Sarah Weiser
The Shame of the Church
Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church has been making headlines for years. Some priests have been punished, but what about the bishops who shielded them?
Baby M and the Question of Surrogacy
The custody battle over Baby M was the first time a court considered surrogacy. Today’s families are created in many different ways. But have we resolved the question of surrogacy?
Fly Wars: Battling The Medfly
In the summer of 1981, the Mediterranean fruit fly spread through California’s Santa Clara Valley, infesting backyard fruit trees and threatening the state’s $14 billion agricultural industry.
McMartin Preschool: Anatomy of a Panic
The nightmare began in 1983 when a 39-year-old mother called the police department in Manhattan Beach, California and accused a teacher at the McMartin Preschool, Raymond Buckey, of molesting her two and a half-year old son.
When a Bridge Falls
At the height of rush hour on August 1, 2007 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a bridge carrying eight lanes of I-35W over the Mississippi River suddenly collapsed, sending cars trucks plunging into the water below.
Stealing J. Edgar Hoover’s Secrets
On March 8, 1971, a group of eight Vietnam War protestors broke into a Federal Bureau of Investigation field office in Media, Pennsylvania and stole hundreds of government documents that shocked a nation.
Exxon Valdez: In the Wake of Disaster
On a cold March night in 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground off the coast of Southern Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil into the waters of Prince William Sound and creating one of the worst oil spills in American history.
Crime and Punishment: Three Strikes and You’re Out
After the 1993 murder of a California child, many states passed laws to lock up repeat offenders for life, but today those laws are raising new questions about how crime is handled in America.
Love Canal: A Legacy of Doubt
In 1978, toxic chemicals leaking from an old landfill thrust an upstate New York community called “Love Canal” into the national headlines, and made it synonymous with “environmental disaster.”
The Sleeper Cell That Wasn’t
Six days after 9/11, the FBI’s raid on a Detroit sleeper cell signaled America’s resolve to fight terrorism. But, despite a celebrated conviction, there was one problem — they’d gotten it wrong.
The Day the Lights Went Out
In 2003, a blackout crippled areas of the U.S. and Canada, leaving some 50 million people in the dark. Ten years later, we are still grappling with concerns over the vulnerability of our power grid.
The Long War on Cancer
Forty-two years ago when President Richard Nixon vowed to make curing cancer a national crusade, many anticipated quick results.
In the Shadow of Katrina
Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, and Louisiana’s troubled housing recovery has shaped the response to every major disaster since, including Hurricane Sandy.
Taking the Lid Off the McDonald’s Coffee Case
In 1992, Stella Liebeck spilled scalding McDonald’s coffee in her lap and later sued the company, attracting a flood of negative attention. It turns out, there’s more to the story.
Dolly the Sheep
In 1997, Scottish scientists announced they had cloned a sheep and named her Dolly, and sent waves of future shock around the world that continue to shape frontiers of science today.
Richard Jewell: The Wrong Man
The 1996 Olympics in Atlanta were rocked by a bomb that killed one and injured more than 100. In the rush to find the perpetrator, one man became a target. There was only one problem. He was innocent.
Walter Reed: The Battle for Recovery
In 2007, the scandalous treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center shocked the nation. Today, after major reforms, what’s changed for America’s injured soldiers?
The Shadow of Thalidomide
In the 1950s, thalidomide cut a wide swath of destruction across the world, leaving behind thousands of deformed infants, but that was only the beginning of the story.
Freeing Willy
In the wake of the 1993 hit movie Free Willy, activists and fans campaigned to release the movie’s star – a captive killer whale named Keiko – and launched a story Hollywood couldn’t invent.
The Battle For Busing
A story of America’s school integration and what happened when the buses stopped rolling.
Summer of Fire
The lessons learned from the summer of 1988 when fires burned nearly one third of Yellowstone National Park continue to shape the way we fight wildfires raging across the West today.
Test Tube Tomato
In the 1990s, a bunch of gene jockeys brought the first genetically engineered food to market. The business crashed but biotech science has flourished far beyond the produce aisle.
Wild Horse Wars
The decades-long quest to save wild horses has run amok, creating a problem that even swooping helicopters, aging cowboys, camera-savvy activists, and millions of dollars can’t solve.
Biosphere 2: An American Space Odyssey
With dreams of one day colonizing space, eight people sealed themselves inside a giant glass biosphere in the Arizona desert in 1991. By the time they emerged two years later, they had suffocated, starved and went mad.
The Tawana Brawley Story
In 1988, the nation learned the truth about the alleged crimes against Tawana Brawley, but the shocking story was far from over.
Y2K: Much Ado About Nothing?
The Y2K bug threatened to wipe out computers and disrupt modern society at the end of the 20th century. We all remember the doomsday hype, but what really happened?
The Legacy of Tailhook
Military sexual assault is not a new phenomenon. A second look at the Tailhook scandal in 1991 reveals what happened then. And what it all means now.
Voyage of the Mobro 4000
The 1987 voyage of a barge loaded with New York garbage became a sensational fiasco, but it ended up fueling the modern recycling movement.
