SOME UNTOLD STORIES FROM AMERICA'S PAST.
Wes: THIS WEEK: DID THIS FADED SCREEN ONCE DISPLAY THE PHOTOS THAT BROUGHT AMERICA TO THE BRINK OF NUCLEAR WAR?
[ explosion ] Tukufu: DO THE SCRIBBLED NAMES AMOS AND ANDY MAKE THIS DISC A LOST PIECE OF ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY?
Man on record: Well, I can handle that situation all right.
Gwendolyn: AND DID THIS ODD PAINTING INSPIRE WOMEN TO TAKE TO THE STREETS DEMANDING THE RIGHT TO VOTE?
Elvis Costello: ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♪ ♪ I GET SO ANGRY WHEN THE TEARDROPS START♪ ♪ BUT HE CAN'T BE WOUNDED 'CAUSE HE'S GOT NO HEART♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♪ ♪ IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♪ Tukufu: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO LOCAL PBS STATIONS BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU.
Wes: OUR FIRST STORY EXAMINES A STRANGE PROJECTION SCREEN THAT MAY HAVE PLAYED A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS.
OCTOBER 14, 1962.
AN AMERICAN U-2 RECONNAISSANCE JET TAKES PICTURES OF WHAT LOOK LIKE SOVIET MISSILES IN CUBA.
PHOTO INTERPRETERS IN WASHINGTON THINK THEY'RE NUCLEAR MISSILES THAT CAN HIT CITIES DEEP INSIDE THE U.S.
THE INTERPRETERS RECHECK THEIR MEASUREMENTS AND COMPARE THEIR DATA TO EVERYTHING THEY KNOW ABOUT THE RUSSIAN ARSENAL.
THE IMPLICATION OF THESE IMAGES IS TERRIFYING.
IF THESE ARE SOVIET MISSILES, THE WORLD MAY BE ON THE BRINK OF NUCLEAR WAR.
BUT ONE CRITICAL QUESTION LOOMS LARGE: HOW CAN PRESIDENT KENNEDY BE SURE THE PHOTOS ARE ACCURATE?
A WOMAN IN PORTLAND, OREGON, THINKS SHE'S GOT JUST THE THING THAT HELPED JFK MAKE UP HIS MIND.
ANNIE DUBINSKY IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE 3-D CENTER OF ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY, A MUSEUM DEDICATED TO 3-D, OR STEREO, IMAGERY.
LOOKS LIKE A REALIST SCREEN, IS THAT WHAT IT IS?
CORRECT.
AN EARLY 1950s STEREO REALIST 6'x 6' SILVER SCREEN.
ANNIE SAYS THE MUSEUM WAS GIVEN THE SCREEN FROM AN ANONYMOUS DONOR IN 2007.
THAT DONOR GOT IT FROM THE DAYTON, OHIO, STEREO CAMERA CLUB, A LOCAL GROUP OF 3-D ENTHUSIASTS.
OKAY, THIS IS A GREAT 1950s SCREEN, BUT SO WHAT?
I MEAN, WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT IT?
WELL, WE HAVE THIS LETTER THAT CAME WITH THE DONATION.
THE LETTER FROM A CLUB MEMBER SAYS IN 1962 THEY WERE APPROACHED BY SOMEONE FROM NEARBY WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE TO BORROW THE SCREEN.
THE REASON?
"WE LATER LEARNED IT WAS USED AT THE WHITE HOUSE "TO PROJECT STEREO VIEWS OF THE RUSSIANS LANDING MISSILES IN CUBA FOR JFK."
NOW, THAT'S A GREAT STORY.
SO, I GUESS WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO IS TO FIND OUT, IS THE STORY TRUE?
WAS THIS THE SCREEN USED IN 1962 IN THE WHITE HOUSE TO PROJECT STEREO IMAGES FOR PRESIDENT KENNEDY?
BEFORE I GET STARTED, WE TAKE IT FOR A SPIN.
3-D WORKS BY MIMICKING THE WAY WE REALLY SEE.
YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE, I GUESS, DON'T KNOW THAT IF YOU WANT TO PROJECT STEREOSCOPIC SLIDES, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE A SCREEN THAT'S MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT.
CORRECT.
SO HOW DOES THIS PARTICULAR SCREEN WORK?
BECAUSE YOU NEED TO SEPARATE THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT IMAGES, IF YOU'RE GOING TO PROJECT A STEREO PAIR AND SEPARATE THEM, YOU NEED TO USE DIFFERENT POLARIZATIONS.
WE HAVE TO SORT OF CROSS THE IMAGES TO MAKE THEM APPEAR 3-D, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS SCREEN DOES, CORRECT?
THE SCREEN PLUS THE GLASSES THAT WE WEAR.
OH, AND I FORGOT THE GREAT GLASSES.
THE SCREEN IS TOO BIG TO TAKE WITH ME, SO SOME REGULAR 2-D SHOTS WILL HAVE TO DO.
I CAN'T IMAGINE, THOUGH, THAT THE PENTAGON WOULD HAVE TO ASK A 3-D CLUB TO BORROW THE SCREEN TO TAKE TO WASHINGTON TO SET UP IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
I MEAN...I'M SKEPTICAL.
I HEAD TO A COFFEE SHOP WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION TO REFRESH MY MEMORY OF THE CRISIS.
EVEN THOUGH I WAS JUST A KID IN 1962, I REMEMBER THE TENSIONS BETWEEN KENNEDY AND CASTRO WERE REALLY RUNNING HIGH.
I HAVE DIRECTED THE ARMED FORCES TO PREPARE FOR ANY EVENTUALITY.
AMERICANS WERE STUNNED WHEN KENNEDY WENT ON LIVE TV TO WARN THAT THE RUSSIANS HAD PUT NUCLEAR MISSILES IN CUBA.
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AMERICANS SCRAMBLED TO PREPARE FALLOUT SHELTERS.
THE FEAR OF NUCLEAR WAR SUDDENLY BECAME A TERRIFYING POSSIBILITY.
CASTRO CAME TO POWER IN 1959, AND ALTHOUGH HE HAD CRUSHED THE CIA-SPONSORED CUBAN REBELS AT THE BAY OF PIGS IN 1961, HE REMAINED CONVINCED THE U.S. ITSELF WOULD INVADE CUBA, SO HE WELCOMED WHAT HE CLAIMED WERE SHIPMENTS OF DEFENSIVE WEAPONS, RUSSIAN TANKS AND ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS.
THEN ON OCTOBER 15, 1962, KENNEDY SAW HIGH-ALTITUDE PHOTOS TAKEN BY A U-2 RECONNAISSANCE JET OF WHAT APPEARED TO BE SOVIET NUCLEAR MISSILES CAPABLE OF HITTING THE U.S.
IT SEEMED CERTAIN THAT CASTRO AND THE RUSSIANS HAD LIED.
HERE'S SOME GREAT STUFF ON THE NATIONAL SECURITY ARCHIVE WEBSITE FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY.
MISSILE TRAILERS, LAUNCHERS, TENTS.
THIS IS CURIOUS.
IT SEEMS THE U-2 CAMERAS WERE TAKING PICTURES THAT COULD BE VIEWED IN 3-D. ON THE FACE OF IT, OUR STORY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
IF THE CIA WAS TAKING 3-D PICTURES, YOU'D THINK THEY'D HAVE ALL THE TOOLS THEY NEEDED TO VIEW THEM.
WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD THE AIR FORCE WANT TO BORROW A VIEWING SCREEN FROM A LOCAL STEREO CLUB?
I'M GOING TO LOOK AT THAT LETTER AGAIN.
"THE LOCAL WRIGHT-PATT AIR FORCE BASE "CONTACTED OUR CLUB PRESIDENT IN 1962 REQUESTING A LOAN OF IT FOR UNSPECIFIED PURPOSES."
HUH.
MAYBE SOMEONE AT WRIGHT-PATTERSON CAN HELP ME GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS.
I'M LUCKY ENOUGH TO LOCATE BEN JACOBOWSKI, AND I HEAD TO DAYTON, OHIO.
BEN WAS ACTING DIRECTOR OF RECONNAISSANCE ENGINEERING AT WRIGHT-PATTERSON DURING THE MISSILE CRISIS.
WE MEET AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ON THE WRIGHT-PATT BASE.
YOU MUST BE BEN.
HE TELLS ME THAT EVEN THOUGH THE U-2 IMAGES HAD FIRST WARNED PRESIDENT KENNEDY THAT THE RUSSIANS WERE LYING, THOSE IMAGES HAD A PROBLEM.
SO THE CAMERAS IN THE U-2 WERE HIGH-ALTITUDE, UP TO 70,000 FEET, AND SO THE DETAIL IS EXTREMELY SMALL.
AND WHEN YOU HAD WEATHER -- CLOUDS, AND STORMS, AND FOG, AND SO ON -- IT WAS NOT A GOOD SOLUTION TO GET DETAILED PHOTOGRAPHY.
PRESIDENT KENNEDY WANTED SOME LOW-ALTITUDE PHOTOGRAPHY SO THERE WOULD BE NO QUESTION THAT THE INSTALLATIONS IN CUBA WERE MISSILE INSTALLATIONS BUILT BY THE RUSSIANS.
BEN SHOWS ME A SECRET STAR OF THE MISSILE CRISIS WHICH HELPED SOLVE THOSE PROBLEMS FOR KENNEDY.
WHAT WAS THE SOLUTION, THEN?
WELL, THE SOLUTION WAS LOW-ALTITUDE PHOTOGRAPHY TAKEN BY A PLANE LIKE THIS, AN RF-101, THE VOODOO.
WE GOT A CALL FROM THE PENTAGON, AND THEY SAID THAT THE PARAMETERS OF OPERATION WOULD BE AT 500 FEET AT 600 KNOTS.
THAT'S GOING PRETTY FAST AND PRETTY LOW.
BY FLYING AT TREETOP LEVEL, THE VOODOO WAS ABLE TO GET UNDER CUBA'S CLOUD COVER.
BUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM.
BY FLYING FAST TO EVADE ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE, AT THIS ALTITUDE, THEIR PICTURES WOULD BE BLURRED.
TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF GENERAL CURTIS LeMAY REACHED OUT TO A MAN KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY.
GENERAL LeMAY SAID THERE'S ONLY ONE SOLUTION TO THIS, AND THAT'S TO CALL IN GENERAL GEORGE GODDARD.
BRIGADIER GENERAL GEORGE GODDARD WAS A PIONEER AND INNOVATOR IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY THROUGH THREE DECADES.
FOR MUCH OF HIS CAREER HE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC LABORATORY AT WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE.
WELL, NOW WAIT A MINUTE.
GENERAL GODDARD, HE WAS A WORLD WAR II GENERAL, RIGHT?
I MEAN, HE WAS RETIRED BY THIS POINT, RIGHT?
GENERAL GODDARD NEVER RETIRED FROM PHOTOGRAPHY.
HE TOLD KENNEDY AND LeMAY THAT THERE'S ONLY ONE CAMERA THAT WILL DO THE JOB THAT YOU WANT, AND THAT'S A LOW-ALTITUDE STEREO STRIP CAMERA.
SO THE VETERAN PHOTO EXPERT GODDARD REACHED INTO HIS BLACK BAG OF HIGH-TECH CAMERA TRICKS THAT WERE NOW SOME 20 YEARS OLD.
YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THE BRASS WANTED YOU GUYS TO PUT ANTIQUE CAMERAS IN THIS PLANE?
TO DO THE JOB THAT PRESIDENT KENNEDY WANTED, THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT WAS USING THESE TYPES OF CAMERAS.
I TELL BEN ABOUT ANNIE'S SCREEN.
AND HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THAT STORY?
NO, I HAD NOT.
UH-UH.
BUT BEN SAYS THERE'S A GUY STILL AROUND WHO MIGHT KNOW MORE.
BOB BALCOM, WHO LIVES NEARBY, IS A 3-D COLLECTOR AND WAS A PHOTO INTERPRETER AT WRIGHT-PATT DURING WORLD WAR II.
I ARRANGED TO MEET HIM ON THE BASE AT THE OLD FILM VAULT BUILDING.
THIS IS THE SAME TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS USED FOR THE RF-101 FLIGHT.
WE HAVE SIDE-BY-SIDE IMAGES: ONE IS FOR THE LEFT EYE, AND ONE FOR THE RIGHT EYE.
AND YOU'LL NOTICE HERE THAT WE HAVE A CONTINUOUS IMAGE.
BOB EXPLAINS HOW CONTINUOUS IMAGE PHOTOGRAPHY WAS THE KEY TO GETTING SHARP FOCUS IN LOW-ALTITUDE AERIAL PICTURES.
HE TELLS ME HOW GODDARD HAD COME UP WITH THE IDEA IN THE MID-30s AFTER MEETING A MAN AT A HORSE TRACK WHO'D FOUND AN INGENIOUS WAY TO PHOTOGRAPH THE WINNER OF TIGHT RACES.
A STATIONARY CAMERA AT THE FINISH LINE HAD FILM MOVING THROUGH IT AT THE SAME SPEED AS THE RACING HORSES.
THE MOVING FILM WAS EXPOSED WHEN IT PASSED OVER AN OPEN SLIP BEHIND THE LENS.
THIS MEANT THE IMAGE OF THE HORSES CROSSING THE FINISH LINE WOULD BE IN FOCUS WHILE THE BACKGROUND WOULD BE BLURRED.
GODDARD USED THIS CONCEPT TO GET DETAILED THREE-DIMENSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE AIR AT LOW ALTITUDE, MOVING THE FILM OVER TWO OPEN SLITS, MATCHING ITS SPEED TO THE GROUND.
IT WAS THE CLARITY THAT KENNEDY NEEDED.
THEY COULD TAKE UP TO 200 FEET IN ONE -- IN ONE SHOT.
WOW!
AND THEY WOULD MAP A HECK OF A LARGE AREA IN JUST ONE PASS.
BOB SUGGESTS THAT MAYBE SOMEONE FROM THE LOCAL WRIGHT-PATT BASE DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE CIA U-2'S WERE ALSO TAKING 3-D IMAGES.
PERHAPS THEY DECIDED THAT IF THE WHITE HOUSE NEEDED THESE OLD CAMERAS, THEY MIGHT NEED A 3-D SCREEN, TOO.
IT'S STILL NOT MAKING A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE.
I WONDER IF THERE'S ANYONE LEFT FROM KENNEDY'S INNER CIRCLE WHO CAN HELP ME.
LOOKING FOR ANY SORT OF REFERENCE TO THAT SCREEN.
OH, NOW HERE'S SOMETHING.
THERE'S THIS BOOK BY A GUY NAMED DINO BRUGIONI.
IN THE LATE 1950s, BRUGIONI HELPED ORGANIZE THE NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER UNDER THE DIRECTION OF ARTHUR C. LUNDAHL.
BRUGIONI WAS AN EYEWITNESS TO THE BACKSTAGE DRAMA OF THE MISSILE CRISIS.
HERE BRUGIONI'S DESCRIBING A MEETING BETWEEN JFK AND LUNDAHL, AND HE SAYS THAT KENNEDY LOOKS LUNDAHL STRAIGHT IN THE EYE AND SAYS, "ARE YOU SURE?"
ABOUT THE MISSILES, AND LUNDAHL REPLIED, "MR. PRESIDENT, I AM AS SURE OF THIS AS A PHOTO INTERPRETER CAN BE OF ANYTHING."
COULD IT HAVE BEEN ANNIE'S SCREEN THEY WERE LOOKING AT?
NOW I KNOW WHO TO ASK: DINO BRUGIONI HIMSELF.
COME ON IN, BUDDY.
THANK YOU.
WE GO THROUGH DINO'S PERSONAL ARCHIVE FROM THOSE NIGHTMARE DAYS IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER OF 1962...
SO ALL THIS STUFF HAS TO DO WITH THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS?
CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS.
INCLUDING PICTURES FROM INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE.
THERE'S RUSK, THERE'S PRESIDENT KENNEDY.
DINO MAKES IT CLEAR JUST HOW CLOSE WE CAME TO NUCLEAR DISASTER.
THE NATION PROBABLY HAD NO REAL CLUE OF HOW SERIOUS THIS WAS, CORRECT?
THEY DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL THE PRESIDENT ADDRESSED THE NATION ON THE 22nd, AND THEN IT JUST KEPT GETTING MORE TENSE EACH DAY, AND ON OCTOBER 26th, WHAT WE CALL BLACK SATURDAY.
THAT WAS THE DAY THE RUSSIAN MISSILES WERE FINALLY READY TO LAUNCH.
ALL 24 MISSILE SITES WERE OPERATIONAL, MEANING THAT WITHIN FOUR TO SIX HOURS THERE COULD BE MISSILES FIRED AT THE UNITED STATES.
HOLY SMOKES!
THERE WAS TALK THAT THE PRESIDENT MIGHT BE MOVED TO THE UNDERGROUND, AND I WAS TO GO TO THE UNDERGROUND.
AND THAT NIGHT I CALLED MY WIFE AND I SAID, "IF I CALL YOU ONE MORE TIME, PUT THE KIDS IN THE CAR AND START OUT FOR MISSOURI."
BECAUSE I WAS CONVINCED THAT BY MONDAY MORNING WE WOULD BE AT WAR, AND IT WAS GOING TO BE A NUCLEAR WAR.
ON SUNDAY, THE U.S.
HEARS A BROADCAST FROM RADIO MOSCOW THAT SAYS THE MISSILES WILL BE REMOVED.
BUT THE SOVIETS MAKE NO FORMAL STATEMENT, AND OUR LOW-ALTITUDE PHOTOGRAPHY THAT DAY SHOWS THAT NO MISSILES HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN.
KENNEDY TELLS HIS GENERALS TO GIVE THEM ONE MORE DAY.
AND THEN MONDAY, WE SEE THAT THEY'RE MOVING THE MISSILES BACK.
THE WORLD BREATHED A HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF.
BUT THE JOB WAS STILL ONLY HALF DONE.
ONCE AGAIN IT WAS THE PICTURES FROM THE LOW-ALTITUDE VOODOO AIRCRAFT THAT HELPED THE PRESIDENT CONFIRM THE RUSSIANS WERE DOING WHAT THEY'D PROMISED.
NOW IT WAS A BIG JOB OF COUNTING ALL THOSE MISSILES BACK TO RUSSIA.
DINO, I MEAN, THERE'S SO MANY GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS.
I LOVE THIS ONE.
THAT'S THE VOODOO; TOOK HIS OWN PICTURE.
THIS IS A BLOWUP OF ONE OF THE 3-D PHOTOGRAPHS, RIGHT?
YES.
I ASKED DINO ABOUT THE BRIEFINGS FOR JFK AND HIS ADVISORS.
SO WHAT DID YOU USE TO BRIEF THE PRESIDENT WITH?
WE USED THE BRIEFING BOARD.
OH, SO IT'S A BIG -- I MEAN, IT'S A BIG BLOWUP.
20" x 22".
IT HAS THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE TARGET.
IT'S HEAVILY ANNOTATED TO SHOW THE PRESIDENT WHAT'S ON THE BRIEFING BOARD.
AND THESE THINGS COULD BE PASSED AROUND A TABLE, THEN, RIGHT?
OH, YES.
OH, YEAH.
I'VE GOT A PHOTOGRAPH HERE, AND THE PERSON WHO -- THE PERSON WHO'S ASKED ME THIS THAT I'M DOING THIS INVESTIGATION FOR I TELL DINO ABOUT OUR SCREEN AND ASK HIM IF IT COULD HAVE BEEN USED TO BRIEF THE PRESIDENT.
IS THAT POSSIBLE?
IT'S TIME TO GET BACK TO ANNIE WITH DINO'S ANSWER.
I TELL HER ABOUT THE USE OF THE WORLD WAR II-ERA 3-D CAMERAS THAT HAD HELPED KENNEDY IN HIS DECISION-MAKING.
REALLY?
AND I SAID, "COULD THIS SCREEN HAVE HELPED KENNEDY MAKE UP HIS MIND?"
WHEN I'D ASKED DINO WHETHER ANNIE'S SCREEN HAD BEEN USED BY PRESIDENT KENNEDY TO VIEW THE MISSILES AT THE HEIGHT OF THE CRISIS, HE HAD A SIMPLE ANSWER.
IS THAT POSSIBLE?
NO, NOT AT THE HEIGHT OF THE CRISIS.
THE REASON WAS CLEAR AND A LITTLE SURPRISING.
TO USE THE SCREEN, THEY'D HAVE TO TURN THE LIGHTS OUT.
THE SECRET SERVICE DOESN'T LIKE TO HAVE A DARKENED ROOM WITH THE PRESIDENT.
BECAUSE... WELL, BECAUSE OF SECURITY REASONS.
THE SECRET SERVICE DOESN'T -- DOESN'T PERMIT IT.
THE ONLY PHOTOGRAPHS THE PRESIDENT SAW WERE TWO-DIMENSIONAL, NOT 3-D. MM-HMM.
THEY BRIEFED HIM WITH ENLARGED PHOTOGRAPHS, I THINK 20" x 20" PHOTOGRAPHS THAT WERE PUT ON AN EASEL AND THEN PASSED AROUND.
AND BRUGIONI SAID THAT KENNEDY WOULD HAVE A MAGNIFYING GLASS AND WOULD HOLD IT OVER THE PHOTOGRAPH.
AND I SAID, "COULD THIS SCREEN HAVE BEEN USED IN ONE OF THOSE MEETINGS?"
AND HE FLAT-OUT SAID, "NO."
ALL RIGHT.
WELL, THAT'S THE ANSWER.
IT'S STILL A WONDERFUL PIECE OF STEREO PARAPHERNALIA, AND WE ARE HAPPY TO HAVE IT IN OUR COLLECTION.
IT WAS A GREAT INVESTIGATION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
GODDARD'S OLD CAMERAS WERE USED ONLY BRIEFLY DURING THE CRISIS, BUT THEY DID TAKE ONE SPECIAL PICTURE: A VIEW OF A FULLY OPERATIONAL MISSILE SITE THAT JFK FRAMED AND KEPT ON HIS DESK IN THE OVAL OFFICE, A POWERFUL EXAMPLE OF THE PICTURES THAT SAVED THE WORLD FROM NUCLEAR WAR.
FOR MORE OF MY INTERVIEW WITH DINO AND THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS, VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.
Tukufu: FROM ITS LAUNCH, AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY HAS LIFTED MILITARY RECONNAISSANCE TO NEW HEIGHTS.
IN 1855, THE FRENCH PHOTOGRAPHER FELIX NADAR PATENTED THE IDEA OF USING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS IN MAPMAKING AND SURVEYING.
HE WAS CREDITED WITH CAPTURING THE FIRST AIRBORNE IMAGE FROM A GIANT BALLOON ABOVE PARIS.
HOWEVER, THE WET-PLATE CAMERAS WEIGHED AS MUCH AS 50 POUNDS.
EVERYTHING CHANGED WITH GEORGE EASTMAN'S INVENTION OF DRY, ROLLED FILM.
IN WORLD WAR I, HIGHLY ACCURATE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS MEANT TRENCHES AND BATTLEFIELDS COULD NOW BE PRECISELY MAPPED AND BOMBED.
WORLD WAR II SAW A GIANT LEAP IN PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING THE ABILITY TO TAKE PICTURES AT NIGHT.
BUT WHEN GARY POWERS' U-2 SPY PLANE WAS SHOT DOWN OVER THE SOVIET UNION IN 1960, THE LIMITATIONS OF AIRCRAFT WERE EXPOSED.
U.S. AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE REACHED HIGHER WITH ITS FIRST SATELLITE SURVEILLANCE EFFORT, THE CORONA PROJECT.
BUT SPYING FROM SPACE COMES WITH ITS OWN RISK.
IN JANUARY 2007, CHINA LAUNCHED A BALLISTIC MISSILE TO DESTROY AN ORBITING SATELLITE, PROMPTING FEARS OF A NEW ARMS RACE IN SPACE.
Tukufu: NEXT, A RECORD THAT MAY CONTAIN A LOST FRAGMENT FROM ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST POPULAR RADIO SHOWS.
IT'S 1931.
EVERY NIGHT AT 7:00 P.M., A THIRD OF THE AMERICAN POPULATION INDULGES IN A NATIONAL OBSESSION.
IT'S CALLED THE AMOS 'N' ANDY SHOW.
A PAIR OF WHITE ACTORS PORTRAY THE ADVENTURES OF TWO BLACK MEN FROM THE SOUTH STRUGGLING TO MAKE A NEW LIFE IN A NORTHERN CITY.
DESPITE MASS PROTESTS BY THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY, AMOS 'N' ANDY QUICKLY BECOMES THE MOST SUCCESSFUL RADIO SHOW OF ALL TIME.
AT ITS PEAK OF POPULARITY, THE PROGRAM WAS ALWAYS BROADCAST LIVE.
NO PROFESSIONAL RECORDINGS WERE MADE, WHICH MEANS THAT ALMOST ALL OF THOSE PERFORMANCES HAVE BEEN LOST FOREVER.
OR ARE THEY?
A MAN FROM LAKELAND, FLORIDA, WONDERS IF HE STUMBLED UPON A TREASURE FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF RADIO.
I'M TUKUFU ZUBERI.
I'M ON MY WAY TO MEET TERRY AND TAKE A LOOK AT HIS RECORD.
SO WHERE DID YOU GET THIS FROM?
WE FOUND IT AT A FLEA MARKET.
OH, REALLY?
I'D JUST NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE.
"SENTINEL CHROMATRON FOR MASTER RECORDING.
USE FIBER NEEDLE."
SO I SAW THE "AMOS & ANDY" ON IT, AND THAT SPARKED MY INTEREST.
"AMOS & ANDY, WOW."
YEAH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE "WOW" PART IS EITHER.
HAVE YOU EVER LISTENED TO IT?
NO, I HAVEN'T, BECAUSE IT SAYS TO USE A FIBER NEEDLE, AND I DON'T HAVE A FIBER NEEDLE.
SO YOU DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING ON THIS AT ALL.
NO, I HAVE NO IDEA.
YOU KNOW MUCH ABOUT AMOS 'N' ANDY?
VERY LITTLE.
I SAW A COUPLE OF SHOWS WHEN I WAS A KID ON TV.
BOTH TERRY AND I WATCHED RERUNS OF THE OLD AMOS 'N' ANDY TV SHOW, WHICH CAME AFTER THE RADIO SHOW.
THE JOKES AND STORYLINES WERE SIMILAR, ONLY NOW AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE DOING THE ACTING.
I THINK THAT TERRY AND I WATCHED THE PROGRAM THROUGH SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT-COLORED LENSES.
WHEN I WAS A KID, PEOPLE -- IF YOU WERE ACTING ODDLY OR MISBEHAVING -- THEY MIGHT SAY YOU WERE ACTING LIKE AMOS AND ANDY AS A NEGATIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF WHAT YOU WERE DOING.
WELL, I WAS LITTLE, SO IT WAS JUST KIND OF A FUNNY SHOW TO ME AT THE TIME.
YEAH, I THINK THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS FOR MOST PEOPLE.
JUST LAY OUT: WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO FIND OUT FOR YOU, MAN?
WELL, I'D LIKE TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE THERE, IF MAYBE THERE IS A RECORDING OF THE AMOS 'N' ANDY SHOW FROM THE RADIO DAYS ON THERE.
AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHY THE SHOW WAS SO POPULAR.
ALL RIGHT.
NOW, THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN INVESTIGATION TO ME.
AS A SOCIOLOGIST WHO IS AFRICAN AMERICAN, RESEARCHING AMOS 'N' ANDY IS A TRICKY ASSIGNMENT.
THE TV SHOW THAT TERRY AND I WATCHED AS KIDS IS STILL AVAILABLE ON DVD.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is Amos.
I believe that there was more stupidity involved here than criminal intent.
Yessir, your honor.
THE RACIAL STEREOTYPES ARE DEGRADING TODAY, AND THEY CERTAINLY ENRAGED LOTS OF PEOPLE IN THE 1950s.
IT ONLY LASTED TWO YEARS BECAUSE THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY ROSE UP AND PROTESTED AND DEMANDED THAT IT BE TAKEN OFF THE AIR.
BUT THE STORY OF AMOS 'N' ANDY BEGAN MORE THAN 20 YEARS EARLIER IN 1928 WITH A NIGHTLY 15-MINUTE RADIO SHOW.
IT WAS THE BRAINCHILD OF FREEMAN GOSDEN AND CHARLES CORRELL.
THEY BEGAN THEIR SHOW BUSINESS CAREERS IN BLACKFACE, PLAYING MINSTREL ACTS.
THIS FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT WAS NOT ONLY DEGRADING TO AFRICAN AMERICANS, IT EXCLUDED THEM FROM PARTICIPATING ON THE STAGE.
THIS IS THE MINDSET OF AMOS 'N' ANDY.
NEVERTHELESS, AND SOMEWHAT INCREDIBLY TO ME, BY 1931 AMOS 'N' ANDY HAD BECOME THE MOST POPULAR RADIO SHOW OF ALL TIME.
FORTY MILLION PEOPLE WERE LISTENING SIX NIGHTS A WEEK.
THAT'S ROUGHLY ONE-THIRD OF THE U.S. POPULATION.
IT WAS A POP CULTURE PHENOMENON.
MOVIE THEATERS EVEN STOPPED THEIR SHOWS SO PEOPLE WOULDN'T MISS THE 7:00 P.M. BROADCAST.
SO HOW DOES TERRY'S RECORD FIT INTO THIS HISTORY?
IT SAYS THAT AMOS 'N' ANDY WAS BROADCAST LIVE AND THAT GOSDEN AND CORRELL DIDN'T SEE THE NEED TO MAKE RECORDINGS OF THE SHOW.
SO WHAT COULD THIS RECORD BE?
MELVIN ELY TEACHES HISTORY AND BLACK STUDIES AT THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY, AND HE'S THE AUTHOR OF A BOOK THAT EXPLORES THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF AMOS 'N' ANDY.
THIS IS THE OBJECT THAT WE HAVE.
YOU EVER SEEN THAT BEFORE?
YOU KNOW, I DON'T BELIEVE I HAVE.
I'VE SEEN A LOT OF AMOS 'N' ANDY ARTIFACTS.
I'M NOT SURE I'VE EVER SEEN ONE OF THOSE BEFORE.
YES, OKAY.
MEL TELLS ME THAT A NUMBER OF AMOS 'N' ANDY RECORDINGS DO EXIST FROM 1928 AND '29.
THAT'S WHEN GOSDEN AND CORRELL PIONEERED AN EARLY FORM OF SYNDICATION.
TO REACH A NATIONAL RADIO AUDIENCE, PROGRAMS WERE RECORDED TO DISC AND SENT OUT TO STATIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
HE CAN'T TELL ME IF THIS IS ONE OF THOSE RECORDS, BUT MEL HAS A LOT TO SAY ABOUT HOW AMOS 'N' ANDY APPEALED TO SUCH A HUGE AUDIENCE.
HE SAYS THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THE SHOW'S POPULARITY IS RECOGNIZING IT AS A PRODUCT OF ITS TIME.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE 1920s AND '30s WAS THE GREAT MIGRATION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS FROM THE COUNTRY TO THE CITY, FROM THE SOUTH TO THE NORTH.
MEL SAYS THAT GOSDEN AND CORRELL BASED THE STORYLINE OF AMOS 'N' ANDY ON THIS PROFOUND CHANGE IN THE AMERICAN RACIAL SCENE.
THEY CHOSE TO DEPICT TWO SOUTHERN BLACK MEN MOVING TO THE NORTHERN CITY.
BUT, OF COURSE, WHEN THEY GET TO THE CITY, THEY ARE IN PART HAVING SORT OF URBAN, NEW SORTS OF ADVENTURES, AND IN PART THEY'RE DEPICTING THE CARICATURES OF BLACKS THAT HAD EXISTED FROM TIME IMMEMORIAL.
AND IT WAS TWO WHITE MEN WHO WERE KIND OF NOT PUTTING THE BLACK CORK ON THEIR FACE, THEY WERE PUTTING IT ON THEIR VOICE.
GOSDEN AND CORRELL CLAIMED THAT AMOS 'N' ANDY WAS AN AUTHENTIC DEPICTION OF BLACK LIFE IN THE BIG CITY, BUT HUGE NUMBERS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS DIDN'T AGREE.
THIS IS THE PITTSBURGH COURIER, WHICH WAS A VERY POPULAR WEEKLY BLACK NEWSPAPER, WHICH WAS PASSING AROUND A PETITION.
THIS IS REALLY POWERFUL.
"WANTED!
ONE MILLION SIGNERS, A NATION-WIDE PROTEST AGAINST 'AMOS 'N' ANDY.'"
THEY CLAIMED AT ONE POINT TO HAVE GATHERED SOME THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILLION SIGNATURES.
BUT SOME BLACK NEWSPAPERS ACTUALLY CAME OUT IN FAVOR OF AMOS 'N' ANDY, INCLUDING THE CHICAGO DEFENDER IN 1931.
WELL, THE CHICAGO DEFENDER INVITED FREEMAN GOSDEN AND CHARLES CORRELL TO BE GUESTS OF HONOR AT THIS PICNIC.
"35,000 CHEER 'AMOS 'N' ANDY.'"
YOU DEFINITELY DID NOT HAVE A UNANIMOUS OPPOSITION TO AMOS 'N' ANDY AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS.
HEADING BACK DOWNTOWN, MEL TELLS ME THAT GOSDEN AND CORRELL'S ABILITY TO WIN FANS, EVEN AMONG SOME AFRICAN AMERICANS, WAS BASED ON THE SHOW'S UNIQUE RECIPE.
AMOS 'N' ANDY REALLY OFFERED A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY.
IF YOU WANTED THE SORT OF OLD-TIME, MINSTREL-STYLE CARICATURES OF BLACKS, YOU COULD CERTAINLY FIND THEM.
ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE WERE ALSO OCCASIONAL DIGNIFIED, WELL-SPOKEN BLACK CHARACTERS, SO LIBERALS AND BLACK FOLK COULD RELATE TO THAT.
OF COURSE, THE CARICATURES OF RACE AND CLASS WERE DEEPLY OFFENSIVE, AND REMAIN SO.
BUT MEL SAYS THE RECIPE FOR PREPARING THOSE INGREDIENTS HAS BECOME A STAPLE OF TODAY'S TELEVISION.
THERE WAS A CONTINUING STORYLINE WITH CHARACTERS PEOPLE COULD IDENTIFY WITH.
IT'S REALLY NOT ONLY RADIO'S FIRST COMEDY, BUT IF YOU WANT, IT'S RADIO'S FIRST SOAP OPERA, AND IT BROUGHT RADIO INTO ITS OWN AS A MEDIUM.
WITH THE BACKDROP OF THE GREAT MIGRATION, AMOS 'N' ANDY WAS A SOAP OPERA OF A UNIQUELY AMERICAN CONTEXT.
BUT MAYBE I'M GETTING AHEAD OF MYSELF.
I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS DISC IS OR IF ANYTHING IS RECORDED ON IT.
JON SAMUELS IS A RECORDING ENGINEER WHO'S HELPED ME OUT IN THE PAST.
HOW YOU DOING, JON?
HE SPECIALIZES IN AUDIO PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION.
OH, I HAVEN'T SEEN ONE OF THESE IN A LONG TIME.
THIS IS AN ALUMINUM RECORD.
IT'S LITERALLY MADE OUT OF ALUMINUM.
AND THERE ARE VERY FEW OF THESE IN EXISTENCE BECAUSE THE TECHNOLOGY WAS ONLY USED FOR A VERY SHORT TIME, ROUGHLY FIVE YEARS IN THE EARLY '30s, LET'S SAY 1929 TO '35.
MEL HAD TOLD ME THAT RECORDINGS OF AMOS 'N' ANDY WERE BEING SENT OUT TO RADIO STATIONS DURING THAT PERIOD, BUT JOHN DOESN'T THINK WE HAVE ONE OF THOSE DISCS.
RADIO STATIONS DIDN'T USUALLY PUT THEIR MASTERS ON ALUMINUM RECORDS.
IF THEY EVER WANTED TO REBROADCAST OR TO PRESERVE SOMETHING, IT WOULD PROBABLY BE ON WHAT WE CALL 78s, OR SHELLAC RECORDS.
JOHN SHOWED ME WHAT MASTER RECORDINGS OF RADIO PROGRAMS USUALLY LOOKED LIKE.
THE REASON THIS WASN'T USED AS A MASTER, TO BE HONEST, WAS THAT IT WAS A RATHER UNSTABLE TECHNOLOGY AND IT DIDN'T SOUND THAT GOOD.
SO WHAT, IF ANYTHING, IS ACTUALLY RECORDED ON HERE?
DO YOU THINK WE CAN PLAY IT?
LET ME LOOK AT IT.
I MEAN, YOU CAN SEE IT'S PRETTY BEAT UP.
IT'S GOT QUITE A FEW SCUFFS OVER HERE.
JOHN'S STUDIO IS STATE-OF-THE-ART AND CAN RETRIEVE SOUND FROM SOME OF THE VERY EARLIEST RECORDING FORMATS.
[ garbled audio and scratching ] I'M GOING TO TRY A DIFFERENT STYLUS.
JOHN'S MODERN STYLUS IS TOO BROAD FOR THE GROOVES.
HE FINDS ONE TO MATCH THE FIBER NEEDLES USED IN THE 1930s.
Man: I've got to sit on that chair that's in front of madam queens and all that stuff?
Man: Well, the only thing that I want to warn you about is the cross-examination.
TERRY'S RECORD FINALLY COMES TO LIFE.
Don't what?
Contradict yourself.
You better explain that to him, too.
[ unclear audio ] ...as that other thing he does to him.
He don't know what that is either, I don't think.
IT DEFINITELY SOUNDS LIKE THE BUFFOONERY THAT WAS AMOS 'N' ANDY, BUT I'M NOT SURE.
JOHN CLEANED UP THE RECORDING AND TRANSFERRED IT TO A DIGITAL FORMAT.
Well, what can I do that'll make 'em cremate me?
Oh, no.
I said "incriminate."
Ohhh.
Well, don't worry about that.
J-j-just think how you're going to act when you get on the witness stand.
Ain't that right, Mr. Collins?
LISTENING TO IT, I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER IF I'M THE FIRST TO HEAR THESE VOICES IN OVER 70 YEARS.
I'VE ONLY HEARD THE TV SHOW, SO I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT I'M LISTENING TO.
I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS AMOS 'N' ANDY, BUT ANDY AND AMOS ARE MENTIONED BY NAME.
THEY CAN BARELY PRONOUNCE THE WORDS THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO USE.
If you can give a testimony that will help you as much as Amos did when he was on the stand, I think you'll come out all right.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS ARE TALKING ABOUT PREPARING FOR A TRIAL OF SOME SORT.
AND THEN THERE'S ANOTHER CHARACTER IN THERE, A LAWYER.
HE UNDERSTANDS THE WORDS AND HE SPEAKS IN A WAY THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR COURT.
Remember what you have said and don't contradict yourself.
Don't what?
Contradict yourself.
THE LAWYER IS PREPARING ANDY TO TESTIFY.
IT CERTAINLY SOUNDS A LOT LIKE THE SOAP-OPERA NARRATIVE THAT MEL DESCRIBED.
THEN I HEAR SOMETHING I DIDN'T EXPECT.
Radio Announcer: You are now listening to radio station W.O.W., way up in top of the Woodmen of the World building in Omaha, Nebraska.
And I take this opportunity of inviting you up to our wonderful studio to watch.
W.O.W.
SEEMED TO BE CALL LETTERS, BUT JOHN TOLD ME THIS RECORDING WASN'T MADE BY A RADIO STATION.
Man: ♪ Oh, I've been working On the railroad♪ AND THERE ARE OTHER PROGRAMS ON HERE I CAN'T IDENTIFY.
Man and Woman in unison: ♪ I'm so thankful I have you♪ NOW I'M REALLY LOST.
IF THIS IS AMOS 'N' ANDY, WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT HALF OF THE FULL 15-MINUTE SHOW.
AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT INDICATES WHERE OUR CHUNKS OF DIALOGUE ARE FROM.
THERE'S ANOTHER PROBLEM, TOO.
JOHN TOLD ME RADIO STATIONS USED SHELLAC, NOT ALUMINUM, FOR THEIR RECORDINGS, SO WHY ARE ALL THESE OTHER SHOW FRAGMENTS MIXED IN?
BROADCAST HISTORIAN LIZ McLEOD HAS SPENT 28 YEARS STUDYING AMOS 'N' ANDY.
THAT INCLUDES ORIGINAL SCRIPTS AND THE HANDFUL OF EXISTING RECORDINGS.
WHEN I TOLD HER I MIGHT HAVE A RECORDING THAT SHE WASN'T AWARE OF, LIZ WANTED TO HEAR IT RIGHT AWAY.
OKAY.
YEAH, I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW WHAT YOU HAVE HERE.
I REALLY DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS AMOS 'N' ANDY.
IT DEFINITELY IS.
IT PROBABLY DATES FROM, I WOULD GUESS, EARLY MARCH OF 1931.
EARLY MARCH OF 1931.
THAT'S RIGHT.
THAT'S WHEN AMOS 'N' ANDY WAS AT ITS HEIGHT OF POPULARITY.
INCREDIBLY, IT'S ALSO FROM THE PERIOD WHEN NO MASTER RECORDINGS WERE BEING MADE OR ARE KNOWN TO EXIST.
HAD YOU EVER HEARD THIS STORY BEFORE?
I HAD NOT.
I HAVE READ THE SCRIPT.
LIZ TELLS ME THAT SHE CAN BE PRECISE ABOUT THE DATE BECAUSE THE RECORDING IS FROM A VERY FAMOUS STORYLINE CALLED "BREACH OF PROMISE."
AS PART OF MY OWN RESEARCH INTO BROADCASTING HISTORY, I HAVE READ ALL OF AMOS 'N' ANDY'S SCRIPTS.
SHE CAN EVEN PINPOINT THE DATE OF THE BROADCAST.
THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1931.
AND HERE ARE THE CHARACTERS I HEARD: AMOS, ANDY, AND THE LAWYER, WHOSE NAME IS COLLINS.
BUT WHO MADE THE RECORDING?
ACCORDING TO LIZ, THE ANSWER IS THAT VOICE I COULDN'T IDENTIFY.
AS YOU'RE LISTENING TO AMOS 'N' ANDY, YOU HEAR THE VOICE SINGING "I'VE BEEN WORKING ON THE RAILROAD," AND THEN DOING THE "W.O.W."
WELL, MY SPECULATION WOULD BE THAT THAT IS THE VOICE OF THE PERSON MAKING THE RECORDING.
INTERESTING.
THIS RECORD WAS PROBABLY MADE BY AN ADVANCED AMATEUR, PROBABLY RECORDING A PART OF THE BROADCAST AS A TEST OF HIS EQUIPMENT OR AS AN EXPERIMENT OF SOME SORT, AND THEN HE DECIDED THAT HE WOULD LAY HIS OWN VOICE DOWN FOR POSTERITY.
AND HOW DID HE DO IT?
WELL, THEY WOULD HAVE USED A DEVICE VERY MUCH LIKE -- LIKE YOU'LL SEE IN THIS PAMPHLET.
SMALL MACHINES FOR WHAT WAS CALLED "INSTANTANEOUS RECORDING" WERE AVAILABLE TO AUDIOPHILES AS EARLY AS 1930.
THIS PHOTOGRAPH HERE SHOWS A MACHINE DESIGNED FOR RECORDING ON UNCOATED ALUMINUM.
SO TERRY'S RECORDING PROBABLY EXISTS PURELY BY ACCIDENT.
SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE JUST HAPPENED TO CAPTURE IT OFF THE AIR WITH NO CLUE THAT WE'D BE STUDYING HIS WORK SOME 70 YEARS LATER.
HOW MANY RECORDINGS LIKE THIS ONE EXIST?
THERE'S VERY LITTLE RECORDED MATERIAL EXISTING... WHAT LIZ TELLS ME NEXT IS GOING TO BE BIG NEWS FOR TERRY.
HEY, HOW YOU DOING?
ALL RIGHT.
YOU WERE CORRECT.
WHAT YOU DO HAVE HERE IS AN ALUMINUM RECORD.
OKAY?
OKAY.
I LET TERRY HEAR HIS RECORDING FOR THE FIRST TIME.
WELL, YOU DO HAVE A RECORDING OF AMOS 'N' ANDY.
IT'S A LITTLE MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN THAT.
LIZ McLEOD HAD BEEN STARTLED AT THE CONTENT OF TERRY'S RECORD.
AS FAR AS AMOS 'N' ANDY ARE CONCERNED, THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND BIT OF AUDIO FROM THE "BREACH OF PROMISE" STORYLINE TO EVER BE FOUND.
THAT MAKES TERRY'S DISC BOTH A RARITY OF EARLY RADIO BROADCASTING HISTORY AND A WINDOW ON SOME OF THE RACIAL ATTITUDES OF AMERICANS DURING THE DEPRESSION.
WHAT YOU HAVE HERE IS HISTORICALLY A MAJOR FIND.
WELL, THAT'S EVEN MORE AMAZING THAN I THOUGHT.
THAT'S PRETTY GOOD.
MY WIFE WILL BE HAPPY.
[ chuckles ] IT'S LIKE HITTING THE LOTTERY.
YOU FIND SOME STUFF THAT'S GOOD AND SOME THAT'S BETTER.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN LIFE HA INSPIRED A RICH HERITAGE OF AMERICAN POP CULTURE, BUT THE MINSTREL SHOW IS A SHAMEFUL CHAPTER IN THAT STORY.
AROUND 1828, A WHITE ACTOR NAMED THOMAS "DADDY" RICE HOPPED ONTO A LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, STAGE, BLACKENING HIS FACE WITH BURNT CORK.
HE IMPERSONATED AN OLD, CRIPPLED BLACK SLAVE WHILE SINGING A SONG HE WROTE CALLED "JUMP, JIM CROW."
THE CRUDE PARODY WAS AN IMMEDIATE SUCCESS.
OTHER MINSTREL CHARACTERS WERE SIMILARLY PLAYED AS NAIVE BUFFOONS, SIGNIFICANTLY DISTORTING THE NIGHTMARE OF SLAVE LIFE.
IN 1843, DAN EMMETT'S VIRGINIA MINSTRELS PRESENTED THE FIRST FULL EVENING OF BLACKFACE VARIETY.
THESE FOUR WHITE MEN EXCHANGED JABS AND PLAYED MELODIES THEY'D SEEN PERFORMED BY BLACK MUSICIANS.
IT BLENDED IRISH FOLK MUSIC AND AFRICAN RHYTHMS, GENERATING THE MOST POPULAR SONGS OF THE DAY LIKE "CAMPTOWN RACES" AND "I WISH I WAS IN DIXIE."
SOME HISTORIANS SUGGEST THAT MINSTREL SHOWS BECAME POPULAR AS WORKING-CLASS WHITES FACED COMPETITION FROM AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE WORKPLACE.
FOR A COUPLE HOURS, THE MINSTREL SHOW GAVE THEM THEIR OWN SENSE OF SUPERIORITY.
FROM STAGE TO RADIO AND FINALLY FILM, THE MINSTREL TRADITION REMAINS AN UNSETTLING REMINDER OF SOME OF THE RACIST ROOTS OF AMERICAN POP CULTURE.
Gwendolyn: OUR LAST STORY INVESTIGATES AN UNUSUAL PAINTING WHICH MAY HAVE HELPED IGNITE THE TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY WOMEN'S MOVEMENT.
IT'S A RIGHT WE MAY TAKE FOR GRANTED TODAY, BUT THE STRUGGLE FOR WOMEN TO WIN THE VOTE WAS LONG AND TOUGH.
[ thunder rumbles ] FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS, SUFFRAGISTS HAD LOBBIED THE COUNTRY STATE BY STATE.
BY THE DAWN OF THE 20th CENTURY, THEY HAD SUCCEEDED IN ONLY FOUR.
IN THE WINTER OF 1913, A SMALL GROUP OF YOUNG WOMEN DREW UP AN AMBITIOUS PLAN TO JUMP-START THEIR CAUSE.
THE GOAL: TO WIN AN AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION GUARANTEEING WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
NOW LAURA GREINER OF LEAGUE CITY, TEXAS, HAS A REMARKABLE PIECE OF ARTWORK THAT MAY HAVE BEEN CRUCIAL TO THAT STRUGGLE.
I WAS ATTRACTED TO THIS PAINTING BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL, POWERFUL IMAGE.
I'M GWENDOLYN WRIGHT.
LAURA'S ASKED ME TO HAVE A LOOK AT HER PICTURE.
WELL, THIS IS REALLY BEAUTIFUL.
AND THE COLORS ARE SO VIVID.
I FOUND IT IN A GARAGE SALE IN THE HOUSE NEXT TO MY MOTHER IN GALVESTON, TEXAS.
I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 20 YEARS AGO.
ON FIRST GLANCE, IT LOOKS LIKE A POSTER FROM THE EARLY 20th CENTURY ANNOUNCING A WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE DEMONSTRATION ON MARCH 3, 1913.
I CAN'T TELL IF IT'S ORIGINAL OR A PRINT.
THE COSTUMES ARE A ROMANTIC EVOCATION OF MEDIEVAL TIMES, THOUGH PERHAPS AN ODD CHOICE OF IMAGERY FOR A PROTEST MARCH.
DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS ARTIST, DALE?
I DON'T.
I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT ARTIST.
SO TELL ME, LAURA, WHAT EXACTLY WOULD YOU LIKE FOR ME TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE PAINTING?
IS THIS AN ORIGINAL PAINTING?
AND ANY INFORMATION YOU CAN FIND OUT ABOUT THE ARTIST.
I'M ALSO CURIOUS WHY THIS IMAGE WAS CHOSEN.
I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
MAY I TAKE IT WITH ME?
SURE.
THANKS VERY MUCH.
I HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN WOMEN'S HISTORY MY WHOLE CAREER.
I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS IMAGE BEFORE, BUT IT'S QUITE PROVOCATIVE.
THIS WOMAN ON THE HORSE IS VERY STRIKING.
I'M TRUMPETING THE IDEA OF VOTES FOR WOMEN, CARRYING THIS PROCESSION BEHIND HER OF WOMEN MARCHING ALONG TOWARD THE CAPITOL.
THIS IS NOT A TIMID GROUP REQUESTING SOMETHING.
AS I POUR THROUGH THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT, I MAKE A DISCOVERY.
THE DATE ON OUR POSTER DOES MATCH THE DATE OF A MAJOR PROTEST MARCH FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS HELD IN WASHINGTON, D.C., ON MARCH 3, 1913.
AND IT SEEMS OUR POSTER MAY HAVE PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE.
THIS IMAGE WAS USED AS THE COVER FOR THE PROGRAM OF THE 1913 MARCH ON WASHINGTON.
IT MAKES THE CHOICE OF ARTWORK EVEN MORE INTRIGUING.
A MEDIEVAL IMAGE FOR A 20th-CENTURY MARCH?
THE MANUSCRIPT DEPARTMENT AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS SOME OF THE PAPERS OF THE MARCH'S ORGANIZERS.
ARCHIVIST JANICE RUTH OFFERS TO GIVE ME A HAND.
DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF THE PROGRAM?
YEAH, WE DO.
ACTUALLY, WE HAVE TWO.
OH, IT'S EXACTLY THAT IMAGE.
JANICE CAN'T TELL IF WE HAVE THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK.
YOU HAVEN'T COME ACROSS ANY REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK FOR THIS COVER?
NO, I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THEIR BEING AN ORIGINAL IN EXISTENCE.
SHE SAYS UNDERSTANDING MORE ABOUT THE MARCH ORGANIZERS IS A GOOD FIRST STEP TOWARD FIGURING OUT WHY THIS DESIGN WAS CHOSEN.
SO TELL ME HOW THIS PROCESSION CAME TO BE.
IT'S ACTUALLY THE BRAINCHILD OF ALICE PAUL AND LUCY BURNS, WHO BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH ONE ANOTHER IN BRITAIN, WHERE THEY WERE ACTIVE IN THE BRITISH SUFFRAGE CAMPAIGN.
PAUL AND BURNS WERE AMERICANS, THE CLOSEST OF FRIENDS, AND POLITICAL ALLIES.
THEY'D ACTUALLY MET IN A POLICE STATION.
THEY WERE BOTH ARRESTED FOR SOME OF THEIR SUFFRAGE DEMONSTRATIONS THERE.
JANICE TELLS ME HOW PAUL AND BURNS HAD BEEN INFLUENCED BY THE HUNGER STRIKES AND CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE OF BRITISH MILITANTS.
THEY RETURNED TO THE U.S.
DETERMINED TO TAKE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE FROM A REGIONAL TO A NATIONAL ISSUE.
PAUL AND BURNS WANTED TO INSTILL IN THE AMERICAN CAMPAIGN A RENEWED VIGOR.
THEY WANTED TO ADOPT SOME OF THE SORT OF CONFRONTATIONAL TACTICS THAT HAD BEEN USED EFFECTIVELY IN BRITAIN.
AND THEY'D COME UP WITH THIS GRAND IDEA TO STAGE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THE FIRST NATIONAL WOMAN'S SUFFRAGE PROCESSION.
FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT, THEY WOULD HOLD IT ON THE EVE OF WOODROW WILSON'S INAUGURATION.
"THIS IS GOING TO BE THE MOST CONSPICUOUS AND IMPORTANT DEMONSTRATION THAT HAS EVER BEEN ATTEMPTED BY SUFFRAGISTS IN THE COUNTRY."
THEY KNOW THAT BASICALLY THERE'S GOING TO BE LOTS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE IN TOWN FOR WILSON'S INAUGURAL THE FOLLOWING DAY.
THEY ALSO KNOW THERE'S GOING TO BE LOTS OF MEDIA IN TOWN.
[ flash bulbs popping ] ALICE PAUL WAS INCREDIBLY SAVVY IN TERMS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS.
A MAJOR PRIORITY WAS TO CREATE A DEFINING IMAGE FOR THE MARCH.
BUT PAUL AND BURNS DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TIME, JUST NINE WEEKS TO PULL OFF THE MOST AMBITIOUS SUFFRAGE DEMONSTRATION EVER ATTEMPTED IN THE UNITED STATES.
JANICE DOESN'T KNOW WHY PAUL AND BURNS SETTLED ON THIS PARTICULAR IMAGE, BUT THE ART DID HAVE A GALVANIZING EFFECT ON THE MARCHERS.
THIS IS -- A SUFFRAGE ORGANIZER IN PENNSYLVANIA IS ACTUALLY WRITING TO PAUL AND ASKING, "DO YOU HAVE EXTRA COPIES?
"WE'D LOVE TO HAVE THEM AS A REMEMBRANCE OF THAT WONDERFUL DAY."
AND ONE LADY SAID THAT "TEARS WERE IN THE EYES OF BOTH HER AND HER HUSBAND."
I'M TRYING TO FIND SOME INFORMATION ABOUT DALE.
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS ARTIST?
NO, NOT SPECIFICALLY THE ARTIST.
IT SEEMS AS IF THIS ART DID PLAY A STARRING ROLE IN THAT FAMOUS MARCH.
AND IF LAURA HAS THE ORIGINAL, IT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF HISTORY.
HI, ARE YOU DIANE?
DOWN THE HALL ARE THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CONSERVATORS, DIANE VAN DER REYDEN AND NELS OLSON.
OH, HOW LOVELY.
THEY CAN TELL STRAIGHTAWAY IT'S PAINT.
SO IF THEY CAN PINPOINT WHEN AND HOW THE PIECE WAS MADE, WE CAN TELL ALMOST CERTAINLY IF IT IS THE ARTIST'S ORIGINAL.
WE COULD TELL YOU IF THE MATERIALS ARE CHARACTERISTIC OF WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN USED AT THE TIME.
WE CAN TELL YOU IF THE MATERIALS HAVE AGED.
FIRST STEP: THEY EXAMINE THE PAPER UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT.
ONE THING WE WANT TO LOOK AT IS WHETHER THERE ARE ANY GENERAL BRIGHTENERS IN THIS.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU FIND IN MUCH MORE MODERN PAPERS.
IT'S UNLIKELY THIS WAS DONE ON MODERN PAPER, AND THE PAINT LOOKS OLD, TOO.
AND YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN THERE, THIS PAINT HAS CRACKED, AND THAT'S VERY CHARACTERISTIC OF WHAT A THICK PAINT WOULD DO OVER TIME.
AND THERE'S MORE.
UNDER THE PAINT, DIANE FINDS WHAT SHE BELIEVES IS SOME KIND OF PENCIL DRAWING.
IT'S VERY EXCITING TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE REFLECTION THAT IS COMING OFF OF THE GRAPHITE.
THESE COULD BE THE FINGERPRINTS OF THE ARTIST'S ORIGINAL SKETCH.
BUT DIANE NEEDS TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK.
WHAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE IS IF THERE'S GRAPHITE IN OTHER PARTS OF THIS PIECE, AND FOR THAT WE WOULD NEED TO DO SOME IMAGE ANALYSIS.
DIANE AND NELS TAKE A FEW HIGH-RESOLUTION PICTURES TO ANALYZE FURTHER.
MEANWHILE, I'M TAKING LAURA'S PICTURE TO THE SCHLESINGER LIBRARY ON THE HISTORY OF WOMEN IN AMERICA AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY.
THEY HAVE A LARGE COLLECTION OF SUFFRAGE MATERIALS.
PROFESSOR NANCY COTT HAS OFFERED TO HELP FIGURE OUT WHY THIS ART WAS CHOSEN.
I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW YOU THIS.
OH, MY GOD, THAT IS STUNNING!
LOOK, IT'S IN GREAT CONDITION.
SINCE I'VE SEEN THE PROGRAM THAT THIS WAS PRESUMABLY THE MOCK-UP FOR, AND IT'S MUCH SMALLER, I'M REALLY SURPRISED TO SEE IT AT SUCH A LARGE SCALE.
I WAS HOPING WE CAN JUST GET A SENSE OF HOW IMAGERY WAS USED.
NANCY SAYS THE ART CLEARLY SHOWS HOW THE INFLUENCE OF THE LONDON MILITANTS HAD RUBBED OFF ON ALICE PAUL.
THE PICTURE ILLUSTRATES A STRATEGIC CHOICE THIS 28-YEAR-OLD MADE IN THE WINTER OF 1913.
THE ALICE PAUL FACTION SPECIFICALLY SAID WOMEN SHOULDN'T BEG FOR THE VOTE, THEY SHOULD DEMAND THE VOTE, THEY SHOULD BE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN THEIR APPROACH TO CLAIMING THIS RIGHT.
AND THIS -- THIS KIND OF MARTIAL EFFECT THAT THE WOMAN ON THE HORSE WITH HER HORN AS A HERALD IS ALONG THOSE LINES.
THEN THERE'S THE COLOR SCHEME, PURPLE AND GOLD.
BY COMBINING COLORS, ALICE PAUL AND OUR MYSTERY ARTIST DEMONSTRATED SHREWD POLITICAL JUDGMENT.
COLORS REALLY HAVE SYMBOLIC SIGNIFICANCE.
GOLD, OR YELLOW, WAS TRADITIONAL IN THE WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT SINCE THE 1860s, BUT PAUL AND BURNS WERE VERY INDEBTED TO THE MILITANTS IN ENGLAND, AND PURPLE WAS THE MILITANTS' COLOR IN ENGLAND, SO THEY MELDED THAT WITH THE GOLD.
IT WOULD SEEM AS IF ALICE PAUL AND DALE ARE CHOOSING THESE COLORS IN A VERY POLITICALLY SAVVY WAY.
THEY WANT TO BUILD A BROAD COALITION OF SUPPORTERS.
WHOEVER DALE WAS, THE ARTIST DID A MASTERFUL JOB.
THE MARCHERS COME ACROSS AS DIGNIFIED AND UPSTANDING.
NANCY TELLS ME THAT WOULD PAY OFF, TOO.
AS SOON AS THE WOMEN STARTED MOVING DOWN THE AVENUE IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THEY WERE ATTACKED BOTH VERBALLY AND PHYSICALLY BY MEN.
REPORTERS CAPTURED THE CHAOS IN THE STREETS OF THE CAPITOL.
"PARADE STRUGGLES TO VICTORY DESPITE DISGRACEFUL SCENES."
"'WOMEN WERE INSULTED, KICKED, AND STRUCK BY RUFFIANS, "AND MANY OF THE POLICEMEN ON THE SPOT MADE NO EFFORT TO STOP THESE OUTRAGES.'"
THE SUFFRAGISTS GAINED PUBLIC SYMPATHY.
IT WAS REGARDED AS AN EMBARRASSMENT FOR THE CAPITOL BUT A SUCCESS FOR THE SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT.
THE PROTESTORS WOUND UP ON THE MORAL HIGH GROUND.
THAT POSITIVE IMAGE WOULD EVENTUALLY HELP WIN THEM A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT GIVING WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO DALE WAS?
NO, NO.
THERE WERE A LOT OF WOMEN WHO DID THIS SORT OF DRAWING.
I'VE STILL GOT NO LEADS ON WHO DALE MIGHT BE.
TIME TO HIT THE BOOKS.
THREE ARTISTS WHOSE LAST NAME IS DALE, ALL OF WHOM WERE PRACTICING AROUND 1913.
ONE IS NAMED ELLEN DALE.
SHE LIVED IN SALEM.
IN 1913, LONG-DISTANCE COMMUNICATION WAS SLOW AND UNRELIABLE.
FROM THE ORGANIZERS' BASE IN D.C., IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT TO USE AN ARTIST ALL THE WAY IN MASSACHUSETTS.
AND THEN THERE'S MARGUERITE DALE, BUT SHE WAS PRACTICING IN AUSTRALIA.
THERE'S NO WAY.
AND THEN THERE'S BENJAMIN MORAN DALE.
HE WAS BORN IN 1889 IN PHILADELPHIA.
THAT'S A LOT CLOSER TO WASHINGTON, D.C.
BUT IN 1913, HE WAS ONLY 24.
THIS IS FASCINATING.
HERE FROM THE WASHINGTON POST IS BENJAMIN DALE'S WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT.
"BENJAMIN MORAN DALE OF WASHINGTON, D.C.," HAS GOTTEN MARRIED.
SO HE'S LIVING IN WASHINGTON.
THAT MAKES HIM LOOK A LOT MORE PROMISING.
HERE'S HIS OBITUARY.
BENJAMIN MORAN DALE WORKED FOR A NUMBER OF MAGAZINES.
I MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND SAMPLES OF HIS WORK IN PERIODICALS.
IT TURNS OUT THAT BEN DALE DID SEVERAL ILLUSTRATIONS FOR THE LADIES' HOME JOURNAL.
LET'S SEE WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE.
IT'S 1929...
BUT THIS SIGNATURE, IT'S JUST NOT THE SAME AS THE ONE WE HAVE ON OUR WATERCOLOR.
IT HAS "BEN DALE," A FULL NAME, AND THE LETTERS AREN'T INTERCONNECTED.
THAT'S NO HELP.
LET ME GO BACK TO EARLIER IN HIS CAREER.
HERE IT IS!
EARLY BENJAMIN DALE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE 1914 PHILADELPHIA LEDGER WITH EXACTLY THE SAME SIGNATURE AS OUR PIECE.
SO NOW WE KNOW THAT BENJAMIN MORAN DALE, A YOUNG ILLUSTRATOR IN WASHINGTON, D.C., IS THE ARTIST WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR.
SO A YOUNG MAN, BEN DALE, WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS MAJOR WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE IMAGE.
TIME TO FIND OUT FROM NELS AND DIANE AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS IF WE HAVE HIS ORIGINAL.
SO DO YOU HAVE A VERDICT FOR ME?
YES, I THINK WE DO.
I THINK LAURA WILL WANT TO SEE WHAT NELS AND DIANE SHOW ME NEXT.
I WAS ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE ARTIST WAS NOT A WOMAN.
IT WAS A YOUNG MAN NAMED BENJAMIN MORAN DALE, 24 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME, A SUPPORTER OF WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE.
ALL RIGHT.
I BROUGHT THESE OTHER PICTURES THAT SHOW YOU OTHER EXAMPLES OF HIS WORK.
I TELL LAURA HOW BY WINNING PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THE MARCHERS, DALE'S ART HAD ULTIMATELY HELPED WOMEN WIN THE VOTE.
YOU'RE KIDDING.
ALL THAT REMAINED WAS TO FIGURE OUT IF LAURA OWNS THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK.
DIANE AND NELS AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAD A VERDICT.
WE'VE DONE QUITE A LOT OF IMAGE ANALYSIS ON IT.
WE'VE LOOKED AT THE I.R.
PART OF THE SPECTRUM... BY ISOLATING THE INFRARED LIGHT, IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT THE GRAPHITE MARKINGS WE'D SEEN EARLIER ARE ALMOST CERTAINLY THE ARTIST'S ORIGINAL SKETCH.
WE THINK IT COULD BE AN ILLUSTRATOR'S DRAWING FROM THE EARLY 1900s, 1913 PERIOD.
OH, MY GOD.
I AM SO -- I AM SO EXCITED.
THAT IS JUST WONDERFUL NEWS.
NOW, LAURA, I WANT YOU TO IMAGINE THAT YOU'RE STANDING HERE, PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, MARCH 3, 1913, A VIEW OF THE CAPITOL, THERE ARE 8,000 WOMEN MARCHING IN THE STREET, 20,000 PEOPLE IN GRANDSTANDS, AND ALL OF THEM HAVE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE THE COVER OF WHICH YOU HAVE THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK.
OH, MY GOD.
THAT PROGRAM REPRESENTS A MAJOR SHIFT IN THE EFFORT TO WIN WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE, SAYING IT WAS NOT SIMPLY A LOCAL OR STATE MATTER, THAT ALL AMERICAN WOMEN SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
GOD, IT'S AMAZING.
AND YOUR IMAGE WAS A POWERFUL PART OF THAT.
THAT'S AMAZING.
GOD.
I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS GOING TO BE SUCH A POWERFUL IMAGE.
I FEEL PROUD, VERY PROUD TO OWN IT.
I'M ASTONISHED THAT I KEPT IT IN MY GARAGE FOR SO LONG AND NEVER DID ANYTHING WITH IT, AND I'M JUST AMAZED THAT THIS IS REAL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WELL, I -- I REALLY ENJOYED DOING THIS.
NOW WE'LL GO TAKE OVER THE CAPITOL, OKAY?
ONWARD!
RIGHT!
[ laughing ] PAUL AND BURNS WOULD SPEND MONTHS IN PRISON FOR THEIR ACTIVISM.
IN 1917, ALICE PAUL EVEN PARTICIPATED IN A MUCH-PUBLICIZED HUNGER STRIKE.
FINALLY, IN 1920, THE TWO WOMEN PREVAILED.
THE 19th AMENDMENT GRANTED WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
Elyse: ICONIC ART AND SYMBOLS CAN FIRE THE POPULAR IMAGINATION AND SPREAD NEW POLITICAL IDEAS.
BUT THOSE ICONS OFTEN HAVE ROOTS THAT REACH DEEP INTO HISTORY AND INSPIRE MOVEMENTS THAT ARE VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THEIR CREATORS INTENDED.
THE PEACE SIGN REACHED THE UNITED STATES THROUGH CIVIL RIGHTS MARCHES AND WAS THEN CARRIED BY ANTI-VIETNAM WAR PROTESTORS.
BUT THE SIGN WAS FIRST DISPLAYED IN 1958 IN A MAJOR ANTI-NUCLEAR DEMONSTRATION MARCH IN ENGLAND.
ITS DESIGN INCORPORATES THE NAVAL CODE LETTERS "N" AND "D" FOR "NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT."
THE RAINBOW FLAG IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GAY PRIDE MOVEMENT, EACH STRIPE REPRESENTING ANOTHER COMPONENT OF COMMUNITY.
BUT IT DATES BACK TO THE 16th CENTURY, WHEN THE RADICAL PROTESTANT THOMAS MUNTZER LED A PEASANTS' REVOLT, CARRYING HIS BIBLICALLY INSPIRED RAINBOW FLAG DIRECTLY INTO THE FIRE OF GERMAN PRINCES AND THEIR ARMY.
AT THE 1968 OLYMPICS, JOHN CARLOS AND TOMMIE SMITH RAISED THEIR FISTS IN PROTEST TO RACIAL OPPRESSION, PERMANENTLY LINKING THIS ICON TO THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT.
BUT ITS ROOTS ARE IN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, WHERE IT ALSO SYMBOLIZED RESISTANCE AND STRENGTH.
TODAY, THE FIST HAS REEMERGED, REPRESENTING GROUPS AS FAR APART AS THE NEO-NAZIS AND THE JEWISH DEFENSE LEAGUE.
Turn to PBS... For stories that define the American Experience.
IT WAS WILD AND OUT OF CONTROL THE FLASH APPARENTLY OFFICIAL Revealing our strengths...
IT SHALL BE CALLED THE HOOVER DAM Our struggles.
HE SAID IT IS MADNESS BEYOND MEASURE Putting you into history... And taking you to the moment.
WE HAVE A LIFTOFF These are our stories.
IT'S FELT EXPERIENCE Our American Experience.
Only on PBS.
Elyse: WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INVESTIGATIONS ON HISTORY DETECTIVES?
VISIT pbs.org AND EXPLORE EXPANDED CASE FILES, STORIES FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU, AND DO-IT-YOURSELF GUIDES.
TO ORDER THIS EPISODE OF HISTORY DETECTIVES ON DVD, CALL PBS HOME VIDEO AT... Captions Elvis Costello: ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♪ ♪ IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES♪ Tukufu: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO LOCAL PBS STATIONS BY VIEWERS LIKE YOU.
♪♪ We need to put on a show ♪ Whoa oh oh oh well this is life in color♪ ♪Today feels like no other♪ ♪ And the darkest grays The sun bursts clouds break♪ ♪ This is life in color♪ ♪ This is life in color♪ ♪ Today feels like no other♪ ♪ And the darkest grays♪ ♪ The sun bursts clouds break♪ ♪ Whoa oh oh oh well♪ ♪ this is life in motion♪ ♪ And just when I could run this race anymore♪ ♪ The sun bursts, clouds break♪ ♪ This is life in color♪