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THE PLANE THAT FLEW INTO THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING |
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Becoming Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela was born 90 years ago. Over the course of his lifetime Mandela was a lawyer, freedom fighter, leader of the African National Congress, and finally, president. In honor of his birthday, July 18th, we look back at his 1963 treason trial where he outlined his dream of democracy in South Africa and declared, "It's an ideal for which I am prepared to die." It was the moment when Mandela became known to the world as a symbol of resistance and democracy. You might also want to check out Mandela: An Audio History, a five-part series documenting the history of Apartheid that we produced in 2004.  |
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IDENTICAL STRANGERS What is it that makes us who we really are? Our life experiences or our DNA? Paula Bernstein and Elyse Schein were both born in New York City. Both girls were adopted as infants and raised by loving families. They met for the first time when they were 35 years old and found they were "identical strangers". Paula and Elyse then discovered the reason they had been separated as infants: a research study of identical twins designed to examine the question of nature versus nurture. This documentary includes the first tape ever broadcast of Dr. Peter Neubauer describing his secret experiment. |
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THE 10TH MOUNTAIN
The 10th Mountain Division fought in World War Two for only four months, but it had one of the highest casualty rates of the war. The division started out as an experiment to train skiers and climbers to fight in the mountains. The men of the 10th went on to lead a series of daring assaults against the German army in the mountains of Italy. After they returned home, many of these soldiers helped to create the modern ski industry. |
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WEST SIDE STORY: Michael Farmer and the Murder that Shocked New York
The musical West Side Story opened on Broadway in the fall of 1957. It was a story of romance and rivalry between white and Puerto Rican gangs in the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Few people know that originally it was to be called East Side Story, and the conflict was between Catholics and Jews. The story was changed to reflect new ethnic tensions brewing in New York's neighborhoods. The new storyline was prophetic. A month before the musical opened, New Yorkers were stunned by the brutal murder of a white teenager from Washington Heights. Michael Farmer's death, 50 years ago, marked a turning point in city. This audio history is told through the voices of historian Rob Snyder, criminologist Lewis Yablonsky, former gang member Nicky Cruz, and Raymond Farmer, brother of Michael Farmer. |
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The Pygmy in the Zoo
One hundred years ago, on September 8th, 1906, the Bronx Zoo in New York unveiled a new exhibit that would attract thousands of visitors to come and marvel. Inside a cage, in the monkey house, was a man. His name was Ota Benga. He was 22 years old, a member of the Batwa people, pygmies who lived in what was then, the Belgian Congo.
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Soweto 1976 In South Africa, on June 16th, 1976, a group of school children in the black township of Soweto decided to hold a protest. At the time, nobody thought their action would change the course of a nation. |
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169 Avenue A #13