Four stewardesses posed on wing of airplane, circa 1965.

Four stewardesses posed on wing of airplane, circa 1965.

Credit: United Airlines

Next week, learn about the fight for gender equality in the skies, join NOVA on the quest to find DNA from before the last Ice Age, and much more. Take a look at what’s coming up!

Becoming Frederick Douglass - Sunday, February 18 at 1 PM

Discover how a man born into slavery became one of the most influential voices for democracy in American history. Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson explores the role Douglass played in securing the right to freedom for African Americans.

Freedom Songs: The Music of the Civil Rights Movement - Sunday, February 18 at 2:30 PM

Explore how music helped sustain and was in turn inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. Featuring archival interviews and performances from many of the greatest artists of the soul era and beyond.

GOSPEL Marathon - Sunday, February 18  at 4 PM

From the blues to hip hop, African Americans have been the driving force of sonic innovation for over a century. Musical styles come and go, but there's one sound that has been a constant source of strength, courage and wisdom from the pulpit to the choir lofts on any given Sunday. GOSPEL, the latest history series from Henry Louis Gates, Jr., digs deep into the origin story of Black spirituality through sermon and song.

All Creatures Great and Small: Season Finale - Sunday, February 18 at 9 PM

In the season finale, James tries to get home for Christmas and Skeldale House prepares for a new arrival.

Shuttlesworth - Monday, February 19 at 10 PM

Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was raised in the crucible of segregated Birmingham but he was forged by its attempt to kill him. When the KKK planted a bomb underneath his bed and he emerged unharmed, he was sure he was saved by God to lead a Movement. His work inspired freedom movements around the world.

Independent Lens: Breaking the News - Monday, February 19 at 11 PM

Who decides which stories get told? A group of women and LGBTQ+ journalists buck the white male-dominated status quo, banding together to launch The 19th*, a digital news startup aiming to combat misinformation. A story of an America in flux and the voices often left out of the narrative, this documentary shows change doesn’t come easy.

American Experience: Fly with Me - Tuesday, February 20 at 9 PM

Meet the pioneering women who changed the world while flying it. Maligned as feminist sellouts, “stewardesses,” as they were called, knew different: they were on the frontlines of a battle to assert gender equality and transform the workplace.

Nature: Patrick and the Whale - Wednesday, February 21 at 8 PM

Follow Patrick Dykstra in his quest to connect with and understand the hidden nature of the sperm whale, shining a light on their intelligence and complexity, as well as their relationship with humankind.

NOVA: Hunting the Oldest DNA - Wednesday, February 21 at 9 PM

For decades, scientists have tried to unlock the secrets of ancient DNA. Follow the dramatic quest to recover DNA millions of years old and reveal a lost world from before the last Ice Age.