Episode
American Experience: The Greely Expedition
Overview
In 1881, 25 men led by Adolphus Greely set sail from Newfoundland to Lady Franklin Bay in the high Arctic, where they planned to collect a wealth of scientific data from a vast area of the world’s surface that had been described as a "sheer blank." Three years later, only six survivors returned, with a daunting story of shipwreck, starvation, mutiny and cannibalism. The film reveals how poor planning, personality clashes, questionable decisions and pure bad luck conspired to turn a noble scientific mission into a human tragedy.
Details
- Series
- American Experience
- Season
- Season 23
- Episode
- Episode 7
- Air date
- 2011-01-31
- Runtime
- 55 min
Episode context
The Greely Expedition is Episode 7 in Season 23 of American Experience. It aired on 2011-01-31. The runtime is 55 min.
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Episode 6: Panama Canal
In 1914, the Panama Canal connected the world’s two largest oceans. American ingenuity and innovation had succeeded where the French had failed disastrously, but the U.S. paid a price for victory.
Episode 8: Triangle Fire
It was the deadliest workplace accident in New York City’s history. A dropped match on the 8th floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory sparked a fire that killed over a hundred innocent people trapped inside. The private industry of the American factory would never be the same.
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Episode 11: Soundtrack for a Revolution
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