Cold Light from Tesla
Clip | 1m 11s
Nikola Tesla develops wireless electricity he called "cold light". Premieres 10/18 on PBS.
Nikola Tesla had begun experimenting with wireless electricity, developing something he called "cold light," in which a glass bulb with gasses in it lights up when it is near ambient electricity.
Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Support provided by:
Cold Light from Tesla
Clip | 1m 11s
Nikola Tesla had begun experimenting with wireless electricity, developing something he called "cold light," in which a glass bulb with gasses in it lights up when it is near ambient electricity.
How to Watch American Experience
American Experience is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Buy Now
When is a photo an act of resistance?
For families that just decades earlier were torn apart by chattel slavery, being photographed together was proof of their resilience.Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Video has Closed Captions
Learn about the beginning of the environmental justice movement. (4m 33s)
The Asian American and Pacific Islander History
Video has Closed Captions
American Experience celebrates The Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Experience. (30s)
Adam Forepaugh: The Competitor
Having started Circus during the Civil War, Forepaugh became Barnum's biggest competitor. (1m)
Police Tactics at the DOW Demonstration
In October of 1967, a massive protest at the University of Wisconsin turned violent. (2m 45s)
In 1965, The Dow Company — best known for making Saran Wrap — began making Napalm. (1m 37s)
The Demonstration that Sparked
In 1967, a demonstration at the University of Wisconsin sparked the antiwar movement. (1m 31s)
In October 1967, a Viet Cong ambush nearly wiped out an American battalion. (2m 32s)
The Great War, Part 3: Trailer
The climactic struggle and ensuing peace that forever changed a president and a nation. (30s)
An inside look at the making of The Great War, premiering April 10 at 9/8c. (2m)
Eugene Bullard: An American in France
An American who escaped the racism of Georgia, and fought on the battlefields of France. (1m 11s)
Original footage of Ruby Ridge from the U.S. Marshals of the Weaver's cottage. (2m 40s)
Video has Closed Captions
The worst act of domestic terrorism in American history. (8m 23s)
PBS and American Experience present an inside look at the new film OKLAHOMA CITY. (2m 13s)
The Boston subway system is one of our nation’s oldest startup success stories. (2m 41s)
The Race Underground, Chapter 1
Video has Closed Captions
The dramatic story of the nation's first subway, chapter 1. (8m 24s)
Video has Closed Captions
In 1963, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring sparked a government investigation into pesticides (12m 30s)
A routine check at a Titan II missile complex in Arkansas leads to a chilling nightmare. (2m 18s)
Command and Control, Goldsboro 1961
Sometimes all that stands between the world and nuclear disaster is the flip of a switch. (2m 6s)
Command and Control, Chapter 1
A chilling nightmare at a Titan II missile complex in Arkansas in September, 1980. (9m 21s)
Oklahoma City: Coming February 2017
The bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City in April 1995. (30s)
Video has Closed Captions
Captain Kinkela, one of the most decorated women in US military history. (8m 16s)
The Triumph of Alternating Current from Tesla
Tesla's alternating current transformed life in the 20th century. Premieres 10/18 on PBS. (35s)
Tesla created Tesla coil to make his wireless inventions work. Premieres 10/18 on PBS. (30s)
The Columbian Exposition from Tesla
160,000 light bulbs lit the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Premieres 10/18 on PBS. (1m 2s)
Now PlayingNikola Tesla develops wireless electricity he called "cold light". Premieres 10/18 on PBS. (1m 11s)
Six documentaries from our Presidents Collection will re-air this August on PBS. (1m)
Executive Producer Mark Samels on what's coming to American Experience this Feb. & March. (2m 16s)
Executive Producer Mark Samels on what's coming to American Experience this January. (1m 50s)
Why We Made Last Days in Vietnam
Executive Producer Mark Samels talks about "Last Days in Vietnam." Premiering 4/28 on PBS. (2m 2s)
Soldiers like Dam Pham were in peril when the North Vietnamese entered Saigon. Airs 4/28. (2m 20s)
Eleven U.S. Marines were stranded on the US Embassy roof. Premieres 4/28 on PBS (2m 24s)
Miki Nguyen recounts his family's daring escape from Vietnam. Premieres April 28 on PBS. (1m 57s)
Journalist Jim Laurie recounts the looting in Saigon after US soldiers left. Airs 4/28. (1m 46s)
The South Vietnamese Officer's Story
In 1975, Dam Pham was a South Vietnamese Army Officer Lieutenant. (2m 59s)
Gerry Berry was a marine helicopter pilot during the fall of Saigon in 1975. (2m 59s)
In April 1975, the US Ambassador was left with just one evacuation option. Premieres 4/28. (3m 57s)
The flight deck of the USS Kirk could only fit one helicopter at a time. Premieres 4/28 (2m 12s)
Marine Guard Juan Valdez tells his story. Last Days in Vietnam premieres April 29 at 9/8c. (2m 14s)
"Like Something Out of Exodus"
The USS Kirk escorted thousands of refugees to the Philippines. Premieres 4/28 on PBS. (2m 5s)
"Last Days in Vietnam" premieres April 28 at 9/8c on PBS American Experience. (30s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.