American Experience: Influenza 1918

Description

From PBS:

As the nation mobilized for war in the spring of 1918, ailing Private Albert Gitchell reported to an army hospital in Kansas. He was diagnosed with the flu, a disease about which doctors knew little. Before the year was out, America would be ravaged by a flu epidemic that killed 675,000 people—more than died in all the wars of this century combined—before disappearing as mysteriously as it began.

This American Experience documentary traces the epidemic.

American Experience: Wyatt Earp

Description

From PBS:

Wyatt Earp has been portrayed in countless movies and television shows but these popular fictions belie the complexities and flaws of a man whose life is a lens on politics, justice, and economic opportunity on the American frontier. He was a caricature of the Western lawman, and after his death in 1929, distressed Americans transformed him into a folk hero: a central figure in how the West was won, a man who took control of his own destiny.

American Experience: The Kennedys

Description

From PBS:

The legendary Kennedys seemed to have it all—money, power, charm, ambition. From Joe Kennedy's rise on Wall Street to the collapse of his last son's presidential hopes in 1980, the compelling tale of the Kennedy dynasty still fascinates Americans. American Experience presents the first comprehensive look at one man's elusive dream for his family and his nation, beginning in triumph and ending in tragedy.

Steinway: The Piano Man

Description

From the Bowery Boys website:

"Henry Steinway, a German immigrant who came to New York in 1850, made his name in various showrooms and factories in downtown Manhattan, enticing the wealthy with his award-winning quality pianos. At their grand Steinway Hall on 14th Street, the family turned a popular concert venue into a clever marketing opportunity. But their ultimate fate would lie outside of Manhattan; the Steinways would graduate from an innovative factory on Park Avenue to their very own company village in Queens, the basis of a neighborhood which still bears their name today. You may not know much about pianos, but you've cross path with this family's influence in the city. Tune in for this short history of Henry Steinway and his sons."

Say Cheese!

Description

From the Kansas Museum of History website:

"A century ago, photography was much more difficult than point-and-shoot. In this podcast we hear about the challenges faced by a pioneering woman photographer. Alice Gardiner Sennrich documented her town—Valley Falls, Kansas—through the lens of a massive camera."

"The Free and Open People's Market": Political Ideology and Retail Brokerage at the New York Stock Exchange, 1913–1933

Description

Julie C. Ott talks about the rise of the stock market and playing the stock market to the center of the American perception of capitalism and the idea of obtaining financial success.

To listen to this presentation, follow the link below, scroll down to "'The Free and Open People's Market': Political Ideology and Retail Brokerage at the New York Stock Exchange, 1913–1933" and click on the title, scroll down to June 2009 and click on the file link "200905.mp3."