Captain Wendell Oliver Pruitt was a pioneering pilot of the 15th Air Force and a Tuskegee Airman from St. Louis. His story begins with humble beginnings and a desire to fly. A Sumner High graduate who grew up in the Ville neighborhood, Pruitt was well liked and well educated. His quiet demeanor g...

Adolphus Thaddeus Watson, 100 Year old WWII Veteran, who served in the U.S. Army all black 351st artillery unit during the Battle of the Bulge is featured. His story takes us on a historical journey from being raised on a plantation by his Aunt Fannie who was born into slavery, the Jim Crow era, ...

Joseph Marie-Jacquard developed the mechanical Jacquard loom in France in 1803. This innovative machine used punch cards to control the design of textiles made on the loom. These cards are predecessors to the modern-day computer punch cards and computer technology.

In June 2011, through a unique collaboration with the National Archives in Washington, D.C., The Henry Ford had the privilege of displaying the actual Emancipation Proclamation for 36 hours. The response from the community was overwhelming - and inspiring. Watch what happened when thousands of pe...

The Iron Riders were a group of U.S. Army Buffalo soldiers who were tasked with a daunting job: bike 1,900 miles from Missoula, Montana to St. Louis, Missouri. Officially known as the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps, this group of men had to test whether bicycles were a more efficient way to travel o...

The most comprehensive film study of the Union Army's major attempt to win the war in the eastern theater in 1863. Filmed on the actual battlefield, and at the Claymont estate near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Chancellorsville brings to life Joseph Hooker's grand plan to sweep around the Confede...

This is the story of SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber Gunner Dick Miralles and his incredible trip to fly again in his plane at the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Georgia.

This program explores the groundbreaking way that St. Louis fought the Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918, saving thousands of lives. St. Louis is a textbook case of how shutting down public activity for brief periods and wearing masks reduced the number of dead here compared to many East Coast c...

Freedmen’s Bureau officials encouraged people to deposit their savings in the private Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company. Account holders believed their monies were safe, but the deposits were not guaranteed. Changed lending policies in 1870, the economic panic of 1873, and mismanagement put in...

Will is joined by Nick Picerno, he is a collector and Chairman Emeritus of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, with a special item from his collection. Nick’s collection centers on the 1st – 10th – 29th Maine Regiment. Yes, that is correct, a regiment with three number designations! Do...

Get primed for the anniversary by watching The Gettysburg Electric Map like you’ve never seen it before. Photographs, graphics and combat action have been added to enhance the viewing experience.The original map was researched, designed and constructed in the late 1930s and featured electric ligh...

This insightful look at Elizabeth Keckley, born into slavery, freed woman, dressmaker to Varina Howell Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis and Mary Todd Lincoln, brings to light a little known part of the Lincoln story and American history

Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon explores the personal stories of the people enslaved at Mount Vernon while providing insight into George Washington’s evolving opposition to slavery.

Join The Henry Ford to learn about 4th of July celebrations as America celebrated it's centennial.