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Television

In the Amazon, María Gloria Domínguez-Bello and her team collected about 1,500 DNA samples to identify any microbe species that modern medicine may have wiped out.

Microbe Hunters

Deep in the Amazon Rainforest, scientists search for the micro-organisms that lived inside ancient humans

A Peek Into the Jetsons Archive at Warner Brothers Animation

See some early sketches of the cartoon family that shaped our vision of what life would be like in the 21st century

Educating Americans for the 21st Century

The 10 Worst Teachers and Principals From Pop Culture

From Ferris Bueller’s Day Off to Mean Girls, on-screen educators have a talent for causing trouble. Here are the worst offenders.

Portion of a magazine ad for Friedman-Shelby shoes showing an American family watching TV (1954)

TV Will Tear Us Apart: The Future of Political Polarization in American Media

In 1969, Internet pioneer Paul Baran predicted that specialized new media would undermine national cohesion

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VIDEO: “MLK: The Assassination Tapes” now a Peabody Award Winner

The award-winning program brings to light recently rediscovered footage and offers a fresh perspective on one of America’s greatest tragedies

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The Jetsons Get Schooled: Robot Teachers in the 21st Century Classroom

Elroy gets in trouble with his robot teacher as we recap the final episode from its first season

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Sad Jetsons: Depression, Buttonitis and Nostalgia in the World of Tomorrow

All Jane needs to recover from a case of the blues is a little bit of 19th century Americana

The Way We Wore team, from left, Jascmeen Bush, Shelly Lyn, owner Doris Raymond, Sarah Bergman, Kyle Blackmon

A Refreshing Take on Fashion Television: A Q&A with L.A. Frock Stars’ Star Doris Raymond

A new series brings high-end style to vintage wear

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Mid-21st Century Modern: That Jetsons Architecture

The artists and animators working on “The Jetsons” were inspired by the futurist architecture popping up around Los Angeles

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VIDEO: The Show, Lincoln’s Washington at War, Depicts the Transformation of Washington

A new documentary from Smithsonian Channel looks at how the Civil War helped transform the city of Washington, D.C.

Jane Jetson gets a driving lesson in the 18th episode of “The Jetsons” (1963)

Jane Jetson and the Origins of the “Women Are Bad Drivers” Joke

What happens when a comedy staple of mid-century sitcoms reappears as a late-century Saturday morning tradition?

Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil, and David L. Richmond leave the Woolworth store after the first sit-in on February 1, 1960.

Sneak Peek of “Seizing Justice: The Greensboro 4”

Airing February 11, the Smithsonian Channel documentary tells the story of the lunch counter sit-in that helped to change the country

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Viva Las Venus: The Jetsons and Wholesome Hedonism

What happens in the year 2063 stays in the year 2063

Walter Cronkite gives a tour of the home office of 2001 on his show The 21st Century (1967)

3D-TV, Automated Cooking and Robot Housemaids: Walter Cronkite Tours the Home of 2001

In 1967, the most trusted man in America investigated the home of the 21st century

A miniaturized George Jetson talks to his boss Mr. Spacely on a videophone (1963)

Future Calling: Videophones in the World of The Jetsons

If there’s one thing the Jetsons came closest to nailing, its the prevalence of being able to talk with your boss or family via video

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The Jetsons and the Future of the Middle Class

Living paycheck to paycheck in the techno-utopian future

Samsung TVs get smarter.

How Smart Should TVs Be?

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Sit Back and Plug In: Entertainment in the Year 2000

Was our future to be delightful or depraved? Sort of depends on your perspective

Cartoon poster which hung outside Martin’s Lunch Room circa 1929

In the 1920s, Shoppers Got Punk’d By Fake Televisions

Don’t touch that dial….really, don’t

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Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 09 – Elroy’s TV Show

Kids of the 1960s were let in on the secret of how television is made.

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