A Thousand Words

At American Experience we're always coming across photos from the past that we can't stop thinking about—images that are worth a thousand words.

Features

The War on Disco | Article
“We rock ‘n’ rollers will resist—and we will triumph!”

When the smoke cleared on Disco Demolition Night, debate over its cultural meaning began.
The Busing Battleground | Article
The City of Boston Is Out of Control

In 1974, Boston’s schools were ordered to desegregate. Things got ugly, fast.
Casa Susanna | Article
We Were Never Meant to See this Photograph

An amazing flea market find reveals the scene at Casa Susana—a safe haven for transgender women and crossdressing men.
Ruthless: Monopoly's Secret History | Article
When a Game Is More Than Just a Game

There's far more to this photograph of Japanese American children playing Monopoly than meets the eye.
The Sun Queen | Article
Capturing the Sun Queen

How Mária Telkes and her radical design modeled a new future.
The Lie Detector | Article
He Met His Wife Over a Lie Detector. Then Things Got Interesting.

Leonarde Keeler, the inventor of the Keeler Polygraph, spent most of his life trying to tell if people were telling the truth. It turned out to be trickier than hooking them up to a machine.
Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space | Article
Zora Neale Hurston, In Her Element

When the famed writer went to Florida to capture the sounds of the South.