Seriously Amazing Objects (2013–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Legends - full transcript

American legends come
in all shapes and sizes.

- Wow.
- That's amazing.

- The titanic.
- Yes!

From the small and fuzzy
to the larger than life.

I am beautiful!

They connect us
to each other.

And to our heroic past.

This is the smithsonian.

And this...

And this...

And this.



A hundred million artifacts,
thousands of visitors a day.

And some lucky folks are
about to be surprised.

Yeah!

If they can catch our eye

Or show what they know.

We're not gonna get it.

Seinfeld.

Yeah, you got it.

They're going to see
some seriously amazing objects.

My gosh!

Hey, I'm xavier carnegie.

I work here at the smithsonian,

And this is one
of my favorite objects.

In 1960 four black
college students



Sat down at this
whites-only lunch counter

In greensboro, north carolina,

And refused to leave.

At the time, it was legal
for the restaurant

To deny them service.

Nevertheless,
the students remained,

Waiting for their order.

After an hour, the manager
shut down the lunch counter,

But the students returned
the next day.

Their bold actions galvanized
thousands of others

To do the same in cities
across the south.

Eventually, this five and dime
and others like it

Were desegregated,

Adding momentum

To the nationwide
civil rights movement.

People always ask me
if this is a replica,

But it's the real thing.

Real objects have
an amazing power

To transport us back in time.

I've got a couple others
up my sleeve,

But first I want to see
if I can find someone

Who knows their civil war
history.

You know the civil war--

You have the union side
and the confederate side.

The two sides named
their battles differently,

So I'm going to give you the
confederate name for the battle,

And you tell me the union name.

Gosh.

We're gonna get this.

There might be some clues
in there,

So listen carefully, see if you
can figure it out.

First manassas...

Can we get a lifeline?

This is terrible.

Gettysburg?

Not gettysburg.

I think it's bull run?

That's right.

First manassas,
first bull run. Yep.

Shiloh.

Milo.

Shiloh and milo.

Milo is the union name.

- Milo, you're correct.
- Really?

- No.
- Damn it.

Pittsburg landing.

Sharpsburg.

I don't know.
This one's hard.

Williamsburg? No?

I guess fort sumter?

Very famous battle.

It wasn't antietam,
was it?

What do you think?

Is it antietam?

Yes, antietam
that is it.

Barbara and luis seem pretty
up to speed on their history.

Would you like to go
on an adventure with me?

I have something to show you.

- Sounds cool.
- Let's do it.

Yes, does that
sound good?

Alright, follow me this way.
Come on.

I'm taking them backstage

Into the museum's
political history vault.

I'm gonna show you
one of my favorite objects

In the entire smithsonian
collection.

A humble iron wedge.

Curious.

It was used
to split wood.

And you look on the side,

And you can barely make out
these initials.

Can you see that?

A.L.?

A.L.

You can see the initials
really clearly.

Yeah.

Legend has it that this
ordinary-looking wedge was owned

By an extraordinary man--

Abraham lincoln.

But curators need proof.

Anybody can stick some
initials on an iron wedge,

Say it's abraham lincoln's

And claim that it's somehow
this great national treasure,

But this piece comes
with affidavits.

One document describes
how the wedge was found

Under the floorboards
of an illinois home in 1885.

The owner of the house
was mentor graham,

Lincoln's former tutor.

A second affidavit came from
john spears, an eyewitness.

He says, "I was
in the blacksmith shop

The day abraham lincoln came in

To have his initials
chiseled in the wedge."

But the blacksmith
was illiterate.

And the blacksmith turns
to abraham lincoln

And says, I'm sorry,
but I'm no scholar.

And so abraham lincoln borrows
the tools himself

And stamps his own initials
in the side.

Wow.

It tells you a lot
about his personality

That he's willing to grab
the tools himself

And mark his own initials
on a wedge.

It tells you that he's ready
to tackle anything.

Yeah.

When lincoln tackled
politics, he took the wedge--

Or at least its memory--
with him.

Rail splitter
was lincoln's nickname

During the presidential
campaign of 1860.

It was a way to remind voters
that this successful lawyer

Had once been an ordinary guy.

His followers embraced
the idea with gusto.

They hold these
huge torchlight parades,

And so another one
of my favorite objects

Is this wooden axe,

Which I promise I won't
whack you over the head with.

But what they did was,

They had hundreds of people
carrying these axes

And marching down the streets
right before the campaign.

You know, on this one it says,
"fear not, old abe is ours,"

And on the other hand, it says,
"good time coming, boys."

And then the last object--

I was looking for something
in our collection

That sort of reveals
a sort of intimate

And presidential side
to lincoln.

Well, this happens to be
abraham lincoln's shawl.

Incredible.

Lincoln often paced the
drafty halls of the white house

Late at night
wrapped in this shawl.

Costume designers
for the movie "lincoln"

Modeled their shawl on this one.

Why do you think
that lincoln has become

Even more popular now
than he has been before?

Clearly he's
the president

That's at the heart of one
of the great crises

In american history.

You see, you know, this person

Who doesn't ever seem to be
above it all.

You know, he seems to be
a person of the people.

And even
in his personal life,

He seems to be one
of the first big examples

Of the american dream.

You come from nothing
and then you get to make it

And be powerful,

And actually make
a difference in the country.

It's incredible to see
the actual artifacts

That he touched or
reflected him and his life.

Makes him
a more real person.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

We're here to, you know,
document the entire span

Of american history
and presidential history.

So we look for objects
that sort of evoke

Those very personal times.

So one day you'll have
the obama blackberry.

If he chooses
to donate it here,

We would definitely
consider it, yes.

These everyday objects
really have the power

To bring the past to life...

Being in their presence can
almost make you feel as if...

As if lincoln
is still with us.

Mr. President!

How are you?
Good to see you today.

I'm doing just great.

These are my friends
luis and barbara.

Howdy! Nice to meet you.

Luis and barbara were
definitely not expecting this--

But they're good sports.

Do you want to get
something to eat?

I'd love to!

What about you guys,

Would you like to go with us?

- Sure.
- Ok.

I know the perfect spot.

To our health.

To your health.

To the future
of this great country.

- Cheers.
- Cheers.

Lincoln led our country
through cataclysmic change,

But never lived to experience
the full impact of his efforts.

On April 14, 1865,

Just as the civil war was
finally coming to an end,

President lincoln
was assassinated

Not far from this spot
in washington, d.C.

Ten days later,
tens of thousands of people

Escorted his funeral train

Through the streets
of new york city.

By strange coincidence,
a photographer

Caught a future president
looking out from a window--

6- year-old theodore roosevelt.

There you have it--

The end of an era
and the hope for the future

Together in one photo.

Let's see if we can find someone

Who knows their
presidential history.

I'm going to describe
a person to you,

And if you can guess who the
person is, well, then you win.

Who was the first american
to win the nobel peace prize?

I do not know.

Wilson,
president wilson.

Give me another.

He was a u.S. President
who read a book a day.

Thomas jefferson?

He was blind in his
left eye from a boxing accident.

You're the history one,
not me.

They're getting
my crazy faces. I don't know.

- I don't know.
- Yeah.

What do you think?

Blind in left eye?

I think it's teddy roosevelt

Because I saw the picture
where he has a monocle.

Darn close.
I think he means a pince-nez.

You're not like
a teddy roosevelt expert

Or anything, are you?

- No, no.
- No.

Well, I think
you guys won.

I just went
with his answer.

Really?

Would you guys like
to see what the prize is?

- Yeah.
- Yeah!

- Yeah? Yeah.
- Yeah!

- Let's go this way...
- Ok.

And I will take you
to see the surprise.

Teddy roosevelt's
accomplishments are so numerous

He's reached near-legendary
status in american history.

An asthmatic child, he became
a dakota cattle rancher

And big game hunter.

He was a military historian
who founded the rough riders

And fought the spanish-american
war on horseback.

He championed the construction
of the panama canal,

Establishing american
control of it,

And founded five national parks.

And in 1912, when shot
in an assassination attempt,

He finished the speech with
a bullet lodged in his chest.

But for all his toughness,

He's also remembered
for this little guy.

- Hi.
- Hello.

- Hi.
- How are you?

Good, how are you?

I'm larry bird.

I curate the teddy bear.

Teddy roosevelt, teddy bear--

Amulya and raj
are about to find out

How the ultimate man's man
got a toy named after him.

Compared to cuddly teddy bears
of today,

This one looks
downright realistic.

Yeah.

He definitely looks
more of a bear.

yeah.
It looks mean, too.

The bears these days

Are just a lot more chubby
all around.

Yeah.
They're smiling at you.

Yeah, they're smiling.

Few people know
the full story

Of the teddy bear's
unusual origins.

It all started in 1902,
when president roosevelt

Went on a hunting trip
in the swamps of mississippi.

His goal-- a black bear.

It should have been easy.

Roosevelt was
an accomplished hunter,

And holt collier, one of
mississippi's best bear men,

Led the expedition.

But after a day
of fruitless tracking,

It all went terribly wrong.

Teddy had gone back
to camp, he'd given up,

And a guide found a bear.

The bear took out
one of the dogs.

And so the guide brained
the bear and tied it to a tree.

When roosevelt
was summoned to kill his bear...

He refused to shoot it.

He said, "this is not
the hunt that I came to do."

- Right.
- Yeah.

This is not sporting.

This attracted
the attention

Of an editorial cartoonist

Who drew a cartoon of him
refusing to shoot the bear.

Roosevelt could be
caricatured as, you know,

This guy with the big hat.

Was he a big guy?

No. He was not big.

Just widely acknowledged
as just an outsized personality.

He was just a ball of energy.

The cartoon inspired
a brooklyn candy store owner,

Morris michtom,
to create a toy bear

And name it teddy's bear.

And so the rest
is history.

The teddies were
an overnight sensation,

And the former candy-seller

Now became a full-time
teddy-bear maker.

The ideal toy company was born.

Decades later, in 1958,
michtom's son ben

Thought he had
another knockout idea

For a toy that would
rival teddy.

And here's
something new from ideal!

He came up with this idea
of a baby jesus doll.

And all of his, his people said,
that's a terrible idea.

Right.

You know, the parents
wouldn't want their children

Dragging a baby jesus doll
around by the toe.

Yeah.

But you couldn't beat
the teddy bear.

And how old
is this bear?

He's, well,
1903, so...

- Wow.
- A hundred years.

I just knew that it was
named after teddy roosevelt,

But I didn't know
the whole story behind it.

The real teddy
even gave a few as gifts.

He also remained
a passionate hunter.

Just seven weeks after leaving
the white house,

Roosevelt was in africa
on safari for the smithsonian.

The expedition brought back
hundreds of specimens...

And he did finally get his bear.

He came back, you know,
five years later,

And did what he'd come down
to do the first time.

Which if he had
done it the first time,

There wouldn't be a teddy bear.

- Right.
- Right. Yeah.

If you were playing
"six degrees of roosevelt,"

You would only need
two degrees--

This man was everywhere.

Just a few years before
that legendary bear hunt,

Roosevelt led his rough riders

In a charge up cuba's
san juan hill

During the spanish-american war.

He carried a revolver

Recovered from the shipwreck
that started the war.

Teddy's gun is just one degree

From a treasure curator
kathy golden wants to share

With bostonians janice and rick.

We're gonna show you
some stuff today.

- That's a bugle.
- That's a bugle, right.

Yeah, but what do you
notice about the bugle?

Encrusted.

Other than it's been
in water maybe?

Yeah. Ok.
Where do you think--

We're thinking possibly
it was on a ship maybe?

And the ship sank?

Sure did.

Do you recall the u.S.S. Maine?

Yes.

Wow!

This is a bugle
from the u.S.S. Maine.

Commissioned in 1895,
the maine

Was the largest navy vessel
ever built at the time.

In 1898,
with 355 servicemen aboard,

The maine steamed south to cuba,

Which was fighting
for independence from Spain.

While anchored in havana harbor
on the night of February 15th,

An explosion ripped
through its hull.

The blast killed
over 260 of its men,

Many of whom were asleep
in their bunks.

A pretty good size hole
by the looks.

The decimation
was unbelievable.

13 years later

The u.S. Navy raised the maine
from her watery grave...

And inside, they found
the ship's bugle.

The bugler on board the maine
was c.H. Newton.

He was actually
a marine fifer,

But he played the bugle.

Wow.

He did not survive.

Musicians like newton
have been part of the military

Since the beginning.

It's a proud tradition
that continues today.

Staff sergeant codie williams
should know.

She's been a marine
ceremonial bugler

For the past five years.

We have duty music
at marine barracks washington.

Every day of the year,

They go from 08
in the morning

All the way to 2200
at night.

So we were interested to know,

Are bugles these days
pretty much the same?

I actually have
my bugle here.

And if you take a look at it,

It looks almost like
a larger version

Of the one that we have here.

Traditionally bugles
have no valves.

You can see that not much
has changed.

Still got the double tubing
going on right here.

And you have a spot

Where a tuning slide
looks like it would be,

Which is this portion
right here,

And this would be where
the mouthpiece would go.

Like on most navy ships,

The bugle was an important part
of life on the maine,

Communicating calls
to the crew.

Bugle calls
actually give commands

For sailors or marines
to go eat.

It could be something
like reveille,

Which would wake marines,
sailors up in the morning.

And we go all the way
through the day

With various different
bugle calls.

Any dessert call?

Unfortunately,
no dessert call.

We have chow call.

But as we like to say in
the marines, chow is continuous.

This is true,
this is true.

Even today, no one is sure
what caused the explosion

That killed over 260 men.

The night the u.S.S. Maine
went down,

Survivors recalled
a quiet evening...

The sound of the bugler
playing taps.

The last notes heard on the
maine are still played today.

The sinking of the maine
shook the country,

But the sinking
of another ship--

At the time,
the biggest vessel afloat--

Shook the world.

Let's see if anyone can guess
what I'm talking about.

I've got a question for you,

And they're all describing
the same thing.

What marvel was called
the millionaire's special?

Not sure.

I have no idea.

The millionaire's special.

I don't know.

The mona lisa?

Where could you take
a bath with 350 other people,

Eat lamb with mint sauce

And get emergency surgery
in an operating room?

All in one place?

I'm stumped
on that one, too.

- All in the same place.
- I'm not sure.

Have surgery
and eat lamb with mint sauce.

Does that sound good?

- Yeah, but it sounds...
- The bathroom.

Bathroom.
What bathroom?

Have you ever ate lamb
in a bathroom before?

No.

You want the last one?

- Yeah, I'll try it.
- Go for it.

It was once proposed

That this sunken vessel
be raised

By filling it
with ping pong balls.

The titanic.

Yes, how did you know?

I love the titanic.

I actually did a report
on the titanic

When I was in fifth grade.

Do you know
a lot about it?

I do know
some silly facts.

You do? Give me one.
Give me one silly fact.

There are
four smokestacks on the titanic.

Only three were
actually functional.

The fourth one was made
to make it look more grand.

Would you like to see
some cool stuff with me?

Yes.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

- Come this way with me.
- Ok.

- What's your name?
- Mckenna.

Mckenna. Xavier.

- Pleasure.
- Nice to meet you.

Come this way.

We're taking mckenna backstage
into the photography collection,

Where she is about to see
some original accounts

Of the world's most famous
ill-fated voyage.

So what I have here
is a very old newspaper

From April 27, 1912.

Shannon perich curates
the photography collection.

My gosh.
This is amazing.

It's a original newspaper
account of the titanic tragedy.

There's the captain.

And there's
the captain.

Wow.

These illustrations
were made from photographs

Taken by a young woman
named bernice palmer.

She was using
this kodak brownie camera.

What's interesting
about 1912 and cameras

Is that it's the height
of kodak marketing,

In which they had
a marketing campaign

Called the kodak girl.

So they were specifically
targeting young women

And trying to get them involved
in amateur photography.

And bernice totally fit
that market demographic.

So we're really lucky
in some ways that it worked out

Because we have
these photographs.

Bernice was a passenger
aboard the carpathia

When it received a distress
signal from the titanic.

It was just after midnight
on April 15, 1912.

When it arrived at the scene,
little but the icy water

And the passengers lucky enough
to get a place in a lifeboat

Remained.

Of the over 2,200 people
on board, only 705 survived.

And bernice was there to capture
the survivors' first morning

Aboard the rescue ship.

This is the carpathia crew.

And here's one of the sailors.

It's kind of out of focus,
isn't it?

I like that mustache.

Yeah.

I mean,
it is a very sad event,

But it is so interesting.

These are some of the survivors,
and they're in borrowed clothes.

Giant overcoat,
probably from a man.

Yeah, way too big
for her.

Kind of a smile, too.

It's like,
what do you do?

I don't know how...

How do you react
after that?

Exactly.

Probably exhaustion,
too much...

Just it's too much for
the senses. It's an overload.

So you can imagine that
bernice was this 18-year-old,

She wakes up, there are
all these people.

She learns what's happened.

The ship, once it got
all the passengers on,

Made another pass over
where the titanic went down.

And she writes
that was the moment

When she really understood
how big this story was.

And so here you see...

That's the iceberg.

And what I think
is so interesting

Is that she's captured
the lifeboats from her own ship.

So you have to wonder
is she thinking

About what would happen
if it was our ship

That had hit those icebergs?

And then here are
the photographs

Of the icebergs themselves.

Wow.
Those are giant.

Yeah, they are huge.

You can see all of the ice
that's in the water.

And she writes
about being able to see

Deck chairs still floating.

It's clear
from bernice's own words

That the experience
left a deep impression.

"it was then when I realized
the terrible disaster

Which had happened to such
a great number of our humanity.

There was much more
that I will never forget."

This is
the debris field.

Wow, so the titanic

Is probably just underneath
the water's surface--

Well, a couple miles down.

So the titanic is there,

The people who died are there.

The band that went down playing
is there.

All those people in third class.

Wow.

This is just hours
after such a horrible tragedy.

All of these
are just amazing, the detail,

And I can't even imagine
what it would be like

To be there and experience
something like this.

When the carpathia returned,

There were lots of newspaper
people who were hanging around.

They had heard that bernice
had taken photographs,

And there were actually
very few cameras on board.

And so this newspaperman
made her a deal.

He said I'll give you $10
for your photographs,

And so she made an exchange
and he ran them down

And got them developed
and put them in the newspaper.

Wow.

She didn't have any
concept of what the value was,

And her father was very angry

That they had taken
advantage of her.

Sometimes words and
photos get lost over the years.

This is amazing to have
all of these treasures.

One key figure
in the titanic tragedy

Wasn't even on board.

Some hailed celebrity inventor
guglielmo marconi as a hero

Because his wireless radio

Enabled the ship
to call for help.

In emergencies and every day,

The way we communicate has
a major impact on our lives.

Now you guys are here to play

A little game of telephone
with me.

Have you guys ever played
this before?

Yes.

- So you know the drill?
- Yes.

I'm going to start off
a message on this side.

It's going to go
all the way down.

But the main rule, of course,
is that you have to whisper.

And you cannot repeat
the message,

You only say it once.

- You guys ready?
- Yes!

I'm gonna start
the message with you, my man.

- You ready?
- I'm ready.

The message is...

Alright, we got it?

Right all the way through.

What was the message?

You can say it.

Something about glass
in the end of the museum.

Glass in the end
of the museum?

Why in the world
would I say that?

Where'd that come from?

Where'd the glass in the end
of the museum come from?

Nobody knows?

The message
that I gave you guys was,

"mr. Watson, come here.
I want to see you."

This was the first message that
was passed over the telephone.

Alexander graham bell, the first
call he made was that message,

"mr. Watson, come here.
I want to see you."

And of course that message
got through a little bit better

Than I think it did
with you guys here today.

But you know what, not bad,

I think you guys did
a pretty good job.

Yup.

Great. Give a hand.

I'm on spring break
right now,

And my dad asked me where I want
to go for spring break

Because we want to go
on a trip together

Because I'm leaving soon
for college, and we decided d.C.

Wow, there's a lot
of stuff here.

That's really cool.

When chelsea and her
father glen left san francisco,

They certainly didn't expect
to end up

In the vaults
of the smithsonian.

Part of what have
in the electricity collections

Are telephones.

And we've got lots and lots
of telephones.

But in a way,
it's perfect.

Chelsea can't imagine making it
through a day without a phone.

It's a little ridiculous

How much time I spend
on the phone.

And this is still
from somebody

Who does send thousands
of texts a month.

And that's on the low side.

In comparison
to my friends, it's low.

But yeah, I don't know,
I like talking on the phone.

If chelsea lived
200 years ago,

She'd be stuck writing letters.

After 1844, she could have used
the telegraph.

But messages had to be coded
and decoded.

No privacy there.

Alexander graham bell came up
with his first box telephone

In 1876.

It looked like this.

When you speak into the device,
this membrane vibrates.

Bell knew voices
create vibrations in the air

That are heard by our ears.

He reasoned that a voice

Could cause a piece of iron
to vibrate.

If the iron were near
an electromagnet,

It would create a current,

Which could be carried over
wires to another electromagnet,

Causing a second piece of iron
to vibrate.

And if this second piece of iron

Was attached
to some kind of membrane,

It would force
the nearby air to move--

Producing sound vibrations
that could be heard by an ear.

It's got a thumper on it.

The watson thumper.

Think of it as
the first ring tone.

You want to let somebody know
that you want to talk to them,

You hit this on your phone,

And what you hear
at the other end

Are a bunch
of clicks and clacks.

And it tells the person
at the other end,

Ok, somebody wants
to talk to me.

- Hello, hello?
- Operator?

Thank you for calling.

Bell was interested
in speech,

Human speech, human hearing.

He's interested
in how people hear

And how can we help
deaf people to hear.

Both bell's mother
and wife were hearing impaired,

So his interest was personal.

Unlike some inventors who were
still focused on the telegraph,

Bell's goal was to transmit
human speech.

His experiments paid off.

In 1876 bell uttered the very
first intelligible words

Spoken over a telephone line.

It's an incredible leap--
from this machine

To more than 7 billion phones
in use around the globe today.

I'm growing up
in an era where technology

And the fast-paced life
is just so common.

But technology
on today's cutting edge

May someday end up here in
a carefully curated collection

At the smithsonian.

It's weird to see
all the things

That have to go on
behind the scenes

Just for people
to be able to see

All these old historic objects.

But the more things change,

The more some things
kind of stay the same.

You know, it's funny.

I was thinking, you've got guys

Who were starting
with telegraphs,

Sending messages...

Right.

Talking
to a telephone guy.

We're now in an age where we're
just the exact opposite, right?

It's all about data.

Today the average
young adult in america

Sends and receives nearly 88
text messages every day.

Whether it's text, tweet,
or telephone,

We all have something to say.

People today take the ability
to communicate

So totally for granted,

They freak out when they
can't get through!

Alexander graham bell
devoted himself

To helping people connect.

11 years after inventing
the telephone,

He connected a girl
who couldn't communicate

With the woman
who would teach her how.

Where do we go next?

You guys look like
you're trying to decide

What to do next.

- I'm amanda.
- Amanda?

It's nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.
How about you?

- I'm david.
- David.

Turns out amanda's
had an unusual childhood.

I think she might really connect
to our next object.

- Hello?
- Hey, hi.

Hey, carlene,
how are you?

- Good to see you!
- Good to see you as well.

Let me introduce you
to my friends.

Alright.

This is
amanda and david.

Hi, it's great
to meet you.

I'm going to leave
you guys to it.

Is that alright?

Thanks. Bye.

Come on in.

Ready to see it?

- Yeah. Excited.
- Excited.

Ok. It's actually
in two parts.

I'll show you
the container first.

Carlene's gonna make
them work to figure this out.

It looks like
a change purse or something?

It was used
to carry around...

This.

Cool.

It's a gold and brass
timepiece made in switzerland

In about 1865.

Now, do you notice
anything different

About that watch?

Maybe if I turn it sideways.

Yes, the little
points on the outside.

Yeah, this has
funny little points

That correspond to the numbers,
if you'll notice.

And then this hand
on the back will rotate.

Wow.

It's very, very ornate
isn't it?

- Yes.
- Very cool.

So it's like a double-sided
pocket watch almost.

Yes.

It's amazing how,
you know, well it's preserved.

There are signs
of wear,

But clearly it was
well cared for.

You're absolutely right.

It started life
as a diplomat's watch...

Each raised pin corresponds
to a number on the dial.

You could imagine
a diplomat

Who wanted very tactfully
to know what time it was

As he was discussing things
with other people

And didn't want to go...

Right. I didn't even
think about that.

But the person who
owned it for nearly 8 decades

Wasn't a diplomat.

It belonged to someone

Who could really use
that feature

Of touching the watch
to know the time.

Could you guess who
it might have belonged to?

It belonged to a woman.

I was going to guess
helen keller.

Absolutely.

This is a watch
that helen keller used.

That's amazing.

Helen keller was born
in alabama in 1880,

The daughter of a former
confederate officer.

How old is she
in this photo?

She lost her sight
and her hearing

At the age of 19 months

And grew up in a silent world
of complete darkness.

When helen was 6 years old

Alexander graham bell led
the kellers to annie sullivan,

Who taught young helen
to communicate.

To amanda, keller's story
has special meaning.

My parents are deaf.

My house was the house
with the flashing lights

When the telephone rang
and the doorbell rang.

And people thought
it was really cool,

And I just thought
it was annoying.

I know a lot of people

Didn't think my parents
could have a child.

They're like,
they're never gonna be able

To raise a hearing child

Because they can't hear
when she cries,

They can't hear
when she gets burped.

You know, they had a system
where when I would cry,

My dog would get up
and go wake up my mom,

And my mom would know,
the baby's crying.

Like all these little things
that people take for granted

And are so in tune to,
my parents had to fight for it.

115 years ago,
helen keller had to fight, too.

People told her
she could never go to college.

There was a lot of skepticism

That anyone could do anything
in that day.

And she demonstrated that...

It's possible.

- It is possible, yeah.
- Yeah.

As an adult, keller
would not let her disabilities

Or the skeptics hold her back.

She learned to read braille
and use a typewriter,

Then authored over a dozen books

And became the first
deaf and blind person

To earn a college degree.

She was also a social activist,

Campaigning for labor unions,
women's rights and the naacp,

And in 1920 she was
a founding member

Of the american
civil liberties union.

From the age of twelve,
everything she did,

Everywhere she went,
the watch went with her.

We know that she had it
with her in the early 1950s

Because she lost it.

She left it in a taxicab.

The watch had significant
sentimental value to her,

So there was an all-points
bulletin to recover this watch.

And it turned up in a pawnshop.

Wow.

And she got it back.

It's an ordinary thing
to own a watch--

And helen keller yearned
for an ordinary life--

But ended up with much more.

She's a hero
to a lot of people

Because she overcame
so many obstacles,

And people kept telling her,

This girl's not gonna
amount to anything,

And yet she was an icon

For so many people
with disabilities.

Helen keller broke out
of her isolation

To devote her life
to helping others.

And she had a lot of fans.

One of them worked
a miracle of his own.

Hey, guys, excuse me.

- What's your name, sir?
- I'm joe.

Joe.
What's your name?

I'm matt.

Matt.
What do you do, joe?

I'm a ford dealer.

I work at a ford store.

- Really?
- Yeah.

That's interesting
that you say that.

Are you into cars?

Yeah, I love cars.

I've got just the thing
for matt and joe--

A 1913 model t touring car.

Before the arrival
of the model t in 1908,

Most americans got around
the old-fashioned way.

There were other
horseless carriages at the time,

But they cost a pretty penny.

The tin lizzie
would change all that.

This was a fairly
advanced car for its day.

Less maintenance
than a horse, probably.

yeah.

But it did have
horsepower.

The rear-wheel-drive vehicle ran
on a 20-horsepower engine,

Which you had to crank to life
by hand.

Hand-cranking
was not only difficult,

It could be dangerous.

If the motor tended
to spin backwards,

You could break your arm.

And if your car stalled,

You would have to get out
in traffic to start it again.

If it was raining, you would get
out in the rain to start it.

It was just not
a real good thing.

Despite the drawbacks,
nearly 200,000 model ts

Were sold in 1913.

The main reason?
Its pain-free sticker price.

This became
an affordable car

When henry ford
and the ford motor company

Implemented
the moving assembly line.

It once took
over 12 hours to assemble a car.

By 1914 model ts came together
in only about 90 minutes.

And by the 1920s,
production was so efficient,

A new one was rolling
off the line every 24 seconds.

That led
to volume production,

Which led to price drops
down to an all-time low

Of $260 by the early 1920s.

It's funny how the 260

Would be a monthly payment
now on a car.

A talented engineer
and innovative thinker,

Henry ford was born in 1863 on
a farm near dearborn, michigan.

Those rural roots helped him
tap into the desires

Of the american consumer.

People related
to henry ford,

Almost on a personal level.

Ford's famous quote was

"I will make a car
for the great multitude."

I like how it says
ford, ford, ford.

Ford gave people
what they wanted.

A practical, rugged,
dependable car.

It wasn't fancy, but it worked.

Is that
the windshield wiper up there?

That is
a windshield wiper, yes.

I get a kick out of that.
It's hand-operated.

It has a little knob inside,

You wipe it yourself
back and forth.

And here is
your bulb horn.

You just squeeze it
and...Ehr!

Matt, look,
the whole roof is held on

By what appears to be a belt,

Just like you wear
around your pants.

Wow.

Could you on a weekend take
that top off and go convertible?

You could
fold it back, sure.

It folds manually.

You have to do it by hand,
but it folds into the back area.

Nowadays people
press a button

And their top goes up and down.

Is there any kind of radio?

No. It has a clock--

A spring-driven clock that
you had to wind up yourself,

A wooden dashboard.

We are
so spoiled now, matt.

All this stuff in our new cars.

You know, there's a lot
of people buying cars now

To get the new technology
like the bluetooth or the sync

Or the, you know,
the navigation systems.

And I don't see those on these.

But it did get america
on the move.

People liked
their mobility.

All model ts are a great symbol
of the desire to go places.

Did you enjoy that?

- Yeah, that was great.
- Yeah.

Do me a favor, guys.

Take a look out that window
and tell me what you see.

It's a model t!

See it on the street?

- It's a model t!
- Wow.

We're taking this tour
up a notch onto the streets.

Are you excited?

- Yeah.
- Yeah?

Here's erwin, guys.
Erwin, how are you?

Hi. Glad to see you.

I've got
matt and joe here.

- I'm matt.
- Welcome, matt.

Joe, nice to have you
with us today.

This is a 1909
ford model t touring car,

The first year of production.

This car was actually built
October 27, 1909.

It's called a touring car
because it has two seats;

One for passengers in the rear,
one for passengers in the front.

Well, I'm gonna
leave you guys to it.

Ok.

Cars like erwin's
changed our country.

This thing really runs.

In 1909 almost everything
in the united states

Was dirt roads.

There weren't even
any road signs.

D.C. Is known
for its potholes,

But conditions have definitely
improved over the last century.

I hope my car
lasts this long.

See, on my right hand

I'm using the gas pedal,
so to speak. Ok?

And both feet are now
on the pedals.

My right foot is on the brake,
my left foot is on low speed.

And then the horn
is way over here,

With its rubber bulb.

Yeah, go ahead,
let the gas out.

I don't think we'll get
a speeding ticket.

Full throttle, matt.

The top speed
of the model t--

40 miles an hour.

Now we're cooking!

Woo hoo!

Get the lead out.

Matt, this is a fun car.

Henry ford filled
the roads by perfecting one car

And cranking them out
by the thousands,

But other american legends made
their mark by breaking the mold.

In 1947...

- Geez.
- ...This person.

This isn't going well.

Shattered the color barrier
in major league baseball.

- There is a j.
- There is a j.

- James...John...
- Jackson...

- Jackson.
- Jacob.

Julie...

Jackie robinson.

In 1955, this person
refused to give up their seat

For a white passenger
on a montgomery, alabama, bus.

- Come on, now.
- Rosa parks.

- Rosa parks.
- Rosa parks.

Who was the first
african american star

Of a major television series?

I know!
Flip wilson?

That was the guy
that was on roots,

And I forget his name.

Can we have a year?

No, you can't
have a year.

Ok, alright.
Just asking.

Was he a short guy,
was...Moving on up?

I don't remember anyone black
on "leave it to beaver."

What was his name?

I know the answer.

- What's the answer?
- Batman.

- Nat king cole?
- Yes.

- My gosh.
- Yes, nat king cole!

Who argued the landmark case
brown v. Board of education,

Which ended legal segregation
of public schools?

Geez...

Come on, now.

No clue?

I'm stumped.

Trying to think.

I would have known this
last year.

Why would you have
known it last year?

Because I took american
history last year in college.

In college.

Ok, I don't want to take
your professor, then.

Thurgood marshall.

Yeah.
You knew what it was.

Yeah. He was
a fraternity brother,

Alpha phi alpha fraternity.

I better know who he is.

Ok.

I have some stuff that I think
you'd really enjoy seeing.

Would you like to go
on an adventure with me?

- Absolutely.
- Yeah, you sure?

Yeah.

Alright,
come this way with me.

Alright, thank you.

We'll see
what we can find.

Turns out russell runs
his own museum.

He's helped preserve
an african american schoolhouse

In silver spring, maryland.

This is
a great place to work.

Well, why don't I show you
something we have over here.

You said you were interested
in the civil rights movement?

Yeah, well I
participated in the movement.

Great. Well, I'd like
to hear your opinions

On this next figure
I'll show you.

It's an interesting intersection
between civil rights and sports.

And you're familiar
with this gentleman, I'm sure.

Yes.

So this is robe he wore

When he was getting ready

For the rumble in the jungle
in 1974,

The famous fight
against george foreman.

Yeah, yeah, I got
a chance to meet him,

And I didn't realize
how huge he was.

Really?

I mean, like,
you know, it was like

You can't miss that guy,
you know?

So when was this?

Wow, this was
back in the '70s?

Early '80s.

So when he walked in,
and I was just standing there

Looking insignificant
beside him,

I looked up,
and this guy is big!

And we had to come in
behind him.

And it was like
his shoulders were like this.

Yeah.

The rumble in the jungle
pitted muhammad ali

Against the younger, faster
george foreman.

Ali had been suspended
from the ring for 31/2 years

For refusing the draft.

He was fighting
to reclaim his title.

A man who sticks
to his convictions

Is always a hero to me,

And when he decided to say no
to going to vietnam.

Right.

He said no,
and he suffered,

He paid the price for saying no.

Right.

And there's
a willingness,

When you're willing
to pay a price

No matter what that price is
for your conviction,

Then you, to me, you are a hero.

He was an african american

Who was not afraid
to question authority,

During a time when we needed
strong positive forces

In our community.