Ben Howard

Why Are Schools Still Segregated? The Broken Promise of Brown v. Board of Education
The history of racial integration in public schools, and what happened after the buses stopped rolling.

A Barge Full of Garbage Helped to Fuel a Recycling Movement
In the 1980s, rising public awareness about waste was fueled by a bizarre news story about a meandering New York City garbage barge.

Biosphere 2: A Faulty Mars Survival Test Gets a Second Act
NASA isn’t the first organization to experiment with living on Mars – in 1991 eight people sealed themselves inside a giant glass biosphere to practice space living. By the time they emerged two years later, they had “suffocated, starved and went mad.”

Blazes That Damaged Yellowstone Changed Wildfire Strategy
A rapidly growing California wildfire is threatening a grove of giant Sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park, some nearly 3,000 years old. For context, we examine the 1988 fires in Yellowstone National Park that ignited a debate over firefighting tactics and sustainable forestry.

Stealing J. Edgar Hoover's Secrets
Long before Edward Snowden leaked highly classified government secrets, there was the greatest heist you’ve never heard of. On March 8, 1971, a group of eight Vietnam War protesters broke into an F.B.I. field office in Media, Pa., and stole hundreds of government documents containing information that shocked the nation.

Wrongly Accused of Terrorism: The Sleeper Cell That Wasn't
Six days after 9/11, the FBI’s raid on a sleeper cell signaled America’s resolve to fight terrorism. But, despite a celebrated conviction, there was one problem–they were wrong.
For teachers: This video is part of a collection of resources including four short films, each accompanied by a lesson plan and student activity.

GMO Food Fears and the First 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.