Trailer | Flood in the Desert
Flood in the Desert explores the 1928 collapse of the St. Francis Dam and its aftermath, the second deadliest disaster in California history.
American Experience, TV's most-watched history series, brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.
American Experience Episodes

S34 Ep4 | 1h 52m 39s
Discover how bubonic plague in 1900 set off fear and anti-Asian sentiment in San Francisco

S34 Ep3 | 52m 45s
Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history.

S34 Ep2 | 52m 43s
Three Black diplomats who broke racial barriers at the State Department during Cold War.

Part 2 |Citizen Hearst | American Experience
S33 Ep44 | 1h 52m 4s
William Randolph Hearst continued his rise to power and expansion into Hollywood.

Part 1 |Citizen Hearst | American Experience
S33 Ep43 | 1h 50m 14s
The life of William Randolph Hearst, who transformed the media’s role in American life.

Sandra Day O'Connor: The First
S33 Ep6 | 1h 51m 33s
Discover the story of the Supreme Court’s first female justice - Sandra Day O'Connor.

S33 Ep5 | 1h 51m 41s
One of the best-known and most influential religious leaders of the 20th century.

S33 Ep4 | 1h 52m 52s
The life and times of L. Frank Baum, creator of the beloved The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

S33 Ep3 | 1h 52m 49s
How a horrific incident of racial violence became catalyst for the civil rights movement.

S33 Ep2 | 1h 40m 16s
The life of singer Marian Anderson and her triumphant 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial

S33 Ep1 | 52m 49s
The fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst.

S15 Ep12 | 53m 1s
Emmett Till's murder and the acquittal of his killers mobilized the Civil Rights Movement.

Part 2 | The Vote | American Experience
S32 Ep10 | 1h 52m 58s
Part Two examines the mounting dispute over strategies and reveals the pervasive racism.

Part 1 | The Vote | American Experience
S32 Ep9 | 1h 52m 53s
The fiery campaign that led to passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the vote.

S23 Ep9 | 1h 21m 4s
The Stonewall riots marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement.

S34 Ep4 | 1h 52m 39s
Discover how bubonic plague in 1900 set off fear and anti-Asian sentiment in San Francisco

S34 Ep3 | 52m 45s
Explore the 1928 dam collapse, the second deadliest disaster in California history.

S34 Ep2 | 52m 43s
Three Black diplomats who broke racial barriers at the State Department during Cold War.

S33 Ep1 | 52m 49s
The fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst.

S33 Ep2 | 1h 40m 16s
The life of singer Marian Anderson and her triumphant 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial

S33 Ep3 | 1h 52m 49s
How a horrific incident of racial violence became catalyst for the civil rights movement.

S33 Ep4 | 1h 52m 52s
The life and times of L. Frank Baum, creator of the beloved The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

S33 Ep5 | 1h 51m 41s
One of the best-known and most influential religious leaders of the 20th century.

Sandra Day O'Connor: The First
S33 Ep6 | 1h 51m 33s
Discover the story of the Supreme Court’s first female justice - Sandra Day O'Connor.

Part 1 |Citizen Hearst | American Experience
S33 Ep43 | 1h 50m 14s
The life of William Randolph Hearst, who transformed the media’s role in American life.

Part 2 |Citizen Hearst | American Experience
S33 Ep44 | 1h 52m 4s
William Randolph Hearst continued his rise to power and expansion into Hollywood.
American Experience Extras

San Francisco’s Bubonic Plague Cover-up
S34 Ep4 | 3m 58s
Word spreads of a bubonic plague outbreak in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

S34 Ep4 | 44s
Ng Poon Chew was a writer, a publisher and an advocate for Chinese American civil rights.

S34 Ep4 | 44s
Dr. Joseph Kinyoun was a leader in the diagnosis and prevention of infectious diseases.

Trailer | Plague at the Golden Gate
S34 Ep4 | 1m 46s
How the bubonic plague in 1900 set off fear and anti-Asian sentiment in San Francisco.

S34 Ep3 | 55s
The Paiute people built sophisticated irrigation canals to channel water in California.

S34 Ep3 | 52s
In 1922, Mulholland began building the St. Francis Dam to meet the needs of Los Angeles.

Reframing The March on Washington
S34 Ep2 | 9m 47s
President Johnson tasked Carl Rowan to oversee the documentary on March on Washington.

Trailer | The American Diplomat
S34 Ep2 | 1m 46s
Explores the lives and legacies of three African American ambassadors.

S34 Ep2 | 53s
Terence Todman's diplomatic career achieved him the prestigious rank of career ambassador.

Black Cowboys on the Silver Screen
S34 Ep1 | 6m 39s
The real cowboys were (and still are) way more diverse than what people saw in the movies.

Chapter 1 | Riveted: The History of Jeans
S34 Ep1 | 11m 41s
Watch a preview of Riveted: The History of Jeans

San Francisco’s Bubonic Plague Cover-up
S34 Ep4 | 3m 58s
Word spreads of a bubonic plague outbreak in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

S34 Ep4 | 44s
Ng Poon Chew was a writer, a publisher and an advocate for Chinese American civil rights.

S34 Ep4 | 44s
Dr. Joseph Kinyoun was a leader in the diagnosis and prevention of infectious diseases.

Trailer | Plague at the Golden Gate
S34 Ep4 | 1m 46s
How the bubonic plague in 1900 set off fear and anti-Asian sentiment in San Francisco.

S34 Ep3 | 55s
The Paiute people built sophisticated irrigation canals to channel water in California.

S34 Ep3 | 52s
In 1922, Mulholland began building the St. Francis Dam to meet the needs of Los Angeles.

Reframing The March on Washington
S34 Ep2 | 9m 47s
President Johnson tasked Carl Rowan to oversee the documentary on March on Washington.

Trailer | The American Diplomat
S34 Ep2 | 1m 46s
Explores the lives and legacies of three African American ambassadors.

S34 Ep2 | 53s
Terence Todman's diplomatic career achieved him the prestigious rank of career ambassador.

Black Cowboys on the Silver Screen
S34 Ep1 | 6m 39s
The real cowboys were (and still are) way more diverse than what people saw in the movies.

Chapter 1 | Riveted: The History of Jeans
S34 Ep1 | 11m 41s
Watch a preview of Riveted: The History of Jeans

William Friedman: Cryptologist
S33 Ep1 | 1m 14s
A Jewish immigrant from Russia, William F. Friedman became a codebreaker for the U.S.

Elizebeth Friedman: Cryptanalyst Pioneer
S33 Ep1 | 1m 6s
Friedman’s codebreaking in WWII enabled the US to win the “Battle of the Atlantic”.

Extended Trailer | The Codebreaker | American Experience
S33 Ep1 | 1m 25s
The fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst.

Trailer | The Codebreaker | American Experience
S33 Ep1 | 30s
The fascinating story of the groundbreaking cryptanalyst, Elizebeth Smith Friedman.

Trailer | Goin’ Back to T-Town | American Experience
S33 Ep0 | 30s
A thriving Black community in Tulsa that rebuilt after a 1921 racially-motivated massacre.

S33 Ep0 | 1m 19s
Greenwood in Tulsa became a thriving business district known as “Black Wall Street.”

Extended Trailer | Voice of Freedom | American Experience
S33 Ep2 | 1m 40s
Hailed as a voice that “comes around once in a hundred years” by maestros in Europe.

S33 Ep2 | 1m 9s
The New York Times hailed Marian Anderson as “one of the great singers of our time.”

Trailer | Voice of Freedom | American Experience
S33 Ep2 | 30s
Hailed as a voice that “comes around once in a hundred years” by maestros in Europe.

Trailer | Blinding of Isaac Woodard | American Experience
S33 Ep3 | 30s
In 1946, a local police chief savagely beat and permanently blinded a Black army sergeant.

Extended Trailer | Blinding of Isaac Woodard
S33 Ep3 | 2m
How a horrific racial violence became a powerful catalyst for the civil rights movement.

S33 Ep3 | 1m 7s
Judge Waring became an unexpected civil rights champion with rulings on pivotal cases.

Chapter 1 | The Blinding of Isaac Woodard
S33 Ep3 | 10m 31s
Watch a preview of The Blinding of Isaac Woodard.

Extended Trailer | American Oz
S33 Ep4 | 1m 50s
The life and times of L. Frank Baum, creator of the beloved The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

S33 Ep4 | 1m 15s
An actor, businessman and writer, L. Frank Baum published The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.