History - fascinating and exclusive programs on subjects ranging from American and world history to explorations of major events in politics, entertainment and social history.

History

Remember when feeling better sometimes meant taking your medicine... and your chances? From miracle snake oils that claimed to cure just about every complaint, to electrified healing devices that swore to restore perfect health, to toxic tonics laced with strychnine and mercury, yesterday's remedies often carried risks as remarkable as their promises. These are the cures and questionable treatments that offered hope to generations of patients, along with a host of unexpected side effects.

Hazardous History With Henry Winkler

Crazy Cures

History HD reveals the power and passion of history as an inviting place where people experience history personally and connect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past.

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Remember how parents used to raise us with more freedom and a lot fewer rules? From babies suspended in window cages and kids bouncing in the backs of pickup trucks, to expectant mothers being encouraged to smoke, drink, and relax, the parenting playbook once looked very different. It's an eye-opening, head-shaking trip back to the parenting practices that prove what didn't hurt us made us stronger and our hazardous history was one for the ages.

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Remember when hitting the road promised freedom, adventure… and a few risky surprises? From marathon cross-country races that pushed drivers to the limit, to flaming roadside smudge pots that lined the way after dark, to endless stretches of highway that lulled motorists into dangerous trances, America's love affair with the open road was full of unexpected twists and turns. These are the engineering feats and automotive innovations that transformed the journey.

Harrowing Highways

From chocolate eaten out of the gutter, to a single cup of ice cream shared by the entire neighborhood, to breakfast cereal that produced colorful consequences, yesterday's culinary delights weren't always as wholesome as they seemed. These are the curious food trends, questionable treats, and kitchen experiments that once captured America's appetite all without raising an eyebrow.

Dangerous Dining

From racing atop ostriches and wrestling wild bears, to raising pet skunks at home and ordering monkeys through the mail, we once welcomed the wild into our lives in some truly staggering ways. These are the unforgettable attractions, unusual pets, and head-scratching animal encounters that blurred the line between affection and recklessness. It's a rowdy, unpredictable trip back to the critter-filled close calls that prove our hazardous history was anything but tame.

Animal Anarchy

From personal jetpacks that promised to send us sky-high, to electrified exercise machines that shocked us into shape, to firefighting hand grenades hurled straight into the flames, yesterday's boldest inventions were packed with promise - and risks nobody saw coming. These are the ambitious ideas, futuristic gadgets, and engineering marvels that aimed to revolutionize everyday life, but sometimes overshot the mark.

Insane Inventions

When being young meant testing the limits of what our bodies could survive. From launching our bikes off homemade ramps and playing chicken in traffic, to using dangerous construction sites as our playground, childhood adventure was often intertwined with how far you were willing to go--and the consequences that came with it. Armed with cherry bombs, slingshots, and more confidence than caution, we pushed boundaries in ways that would make parents today shudder.

Young & the Reckless

When earning a paycheck meant risking life and limb. From dangling off skyscrapers without safety harnesses and riding runaway logs down raging rivers, to digging up corpses for cash and selling your own blood to scrape by, people once took unbelievable risks no paycheck could truly cover. Whether racing pizzas across town at breakneck speed or pulling off death-defying Hollywood stunts, people once did whatever it took to earn a living.

Anything for a Buck

Remember when being part of the crowd meant taking your chances? From packing in shoulder to shoulder for front row views of Civil War battles, to lining up to watch dead whales explode, to full-blown riots while shopping, the biggest shared moments didn't just bring people together - they stirred things up. It's a wild, edge-of-your-seat trip back to the gatherings that prove our hazardous history was anything but orderly - but always had an eager audience!

Crowd Chaos

Remember when popular tourist attractions came with real danger? From climbing onto the backs of live alligators, to hand-feeding hungry bears, to scoring front-row seats to atomic blasts, these heart-pounding experiences promised irresistible thrills you'd never forget - where the risk was part of the draw. It's a jaw-dropping, pulse-racing trip back to the places that prove our hazardous history wasn't just entertaining - it was a death-defying must-see!

Fatal Attractions

Remember when hobbies were more than just a way to pass the time - they were a chance to push the limits? From making model planes with glue that gets you high, to cooking up explosive rocket fuel in the backyard, to strapping ourselves to homemade kites and launching into the unknown, these hands-on pursuits often came with a dangerous edge. It's a thrilling, hair-raising trip back to the crafty obsessions that prove our hazardous history was never just a hobby.

Hobbies Gone Haywire

Remember when people would do just about anything for an adrenaline fix? From racing cars at the "Murderdrome," to high diving on horseback, to cutting our teeth on looping water slides, revisit the ways people once chased a thrill. These death-defying stunts and gravity-pushing spectacles didn't always stick the landing, but that didn't stop anyone from trying. It's a heart-pumping jolt back to a time when a big rush was worth a little spill.

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From perilous playgrounds to precarious products, Henry Winkler hosts a running cavalcade of the most exciting, reckless, unsupervised tales of Americana in our history.

S2 E12 | Insane Inventions