After the Soviet Union sent the first human safely into orbit, the U.S. government doubled down on its effort to win the race to the moon.
Cold War and the Nuclear Age
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“No” on Impeachment Unites Today’s GOP. In the 1950s, a Renegade Dared to Break Ranks
Breaking with party unity can be costly. In the 1950’s, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine faced backlash after she condemned Joseph McCarthy, a fellow Republican.
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Could We Geo-engineer Ourselves Out of Climate Change?
Is geo-engineering the climate an answer to global warming? Cold War science has some lessons.
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The Moon’s Lasting Pull
Our moon has winked from the heavens as a symbol and anchor, reminding us not only the cycle of life, but also of danger and death. Scientists have brought the moon into sharper focus, and astronauts have left the first footprints there. But will we ever be able to explain its lasting, mesmerizing power of attraction?
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How a Folk Singer’s Murder Forced Chile to Confront Its Past
Víctor Jara was a legendary Chilean folk singer and political activist, whose brutal killing during a military coup in 1973 went unsolved for decades. Now, his family may finally get justice.
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Daisy: Political Ads That Shaped the Battle for the White House
Perhaps the most famous political ad of all time, this early television spot ran on air just once, but generated enough media coverage to become a real factor in the 1964 presidential election.
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Atomic Vets
The story of the veterans who witnessed secret atomic testing and how their decades-long struggle for recognition affects soldiers today. This story is a coproduction with Reveal, from The Center for Investigative Reporting.
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Runaway Plane
For decades the United States has been on a quest to perfect stealth technology, but development of the F-35 fighter jet shows just how complicated dreams can become.
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When Dreams Fly
More than 40 years ago, Pierre Sprey set out to build the ultimate fighter jet.
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Separated from Parents as a Child, Argentine Man Finds his Family
The story of one man’s search for his identity after his parents disappeared during Argentina’s military dictatorship.
