THE SONGS THAT SAVED THE WHALES
Humpbacks had been singing since forever but no one heard until Roger Payne — and Judy Collins — made the world listen.
CALDER -- AT PLAY IN THE FIELDS OF ART
B.C. (Before Calder) sculpture was set in stone. Then “Sandy” began to have fun.
WE SIDEWALK SURFERS, WE SKATEBOARD PIONEERS
The first skateboards were skates nailed to a board. By kids like me. But today the sky’s the limit.
LITTLE MISS SURE SHOT -- ANNIE OAKLEY
Legends of the Old West were hard, tough men. But then there was Annie Oakley.
THE PREACHER, THE SLAVE, AND THE VAXX
When smallpox ravaged Boston, Cotton Mather turned to science to stop this “Destroying Angel.” American medicine was never the same.
DEMOCRACY FOR A DIME
Books were no bargain until a century ago when the Little Blue Books were born. A half billion books later. . .
GOOSING THE GRIM REAPER
Death may be final but mocking the Grim Reaper is an old American tradition
ALEX HALEY AND THE "ROOTS" REVOLUTION
It was another night in prime time, 1977, and then “Roots” broke the bonds of denial. (As seen in “Roots.”)
JOHN CAGE AND THE SOUND OF SILENCE
John Cage heard music in everyday sounds. His 4’33” taught audiences to hear that music, too.
THE ART OF REBUILDING A NEIGHBORHOOD
As a potter, Theaster Gates learned to shape clay. Now he is reshaping a Chicago neighborhood — and lives.
ANNIE AT THE CREEK
Her first book made her the “true heir” to Thoreau. But Annie Dillard found new wonders to explore.
THE FALL OF 'THE GREAT WHITE HOPE'
JULY 4, 1910
When Jack Johnson fought Jim Jeffries on the Fourth, white supremacy took a stunning blow.
"LUCKIEST MAN" -- THE GRACE OF LOU GEHRIG
When the “bad break” ended his career — and soon his life — he stepped up to the plate and showed true class. (As seen in “The Pride of the Yankees.”)
ELLA BAKER -- HOW TO GROW A MOVEMENT
Everyone knows Rosa and Martin, but there would have been no deep Civil Rights Movement without Ella.
THE MAN ON THE FLYING CARPET
Swimming the Panama Canal, flying to Timbuktu, crossing the Alps on an elephant, Richard Halliburton enthralled a housebound America.
THE WOMAN WHO 'GOT' VIETNAM
Male reporters wrote about troops and body counts but “Frankie” FitzGerald saw two clashing cultures and a tragedy unfolding.