The history of science up until the Cold War is often overshadowed by the Manhattan Project. But, today we are going to talk about advances in biomedicine, or healthcare based on a biological understanding of human bodies and diseases.

In 1905, psychologists Alfred Binet and Théodore Simon designed a test for children who were struggling in school in France. Designed to determine which children required individualized attention, their method formed the basis of the...

Since ancient Greece, humans have controlled populations via reproduction, retaining some traits and removing others. But in the 19th century, a new scientific movement dedicated to this endeavor emerged: eugenics. Scientists believed...

After Darwin blew the doors off the scientific community, a lot of people did some weird and unscientific stuff with his ideas. Francis Galton and a few others decided natural selection could be used to make the human race "better" and...

So, how many different kinds of intelligence are there? And what is the G-Factor? Eugenics? Have you ever taken an IQ Test? All of these things play into the fascinating and sometimes icky history of Intelligence Testing. In...

Creating genetically modified people is no longer a science fiction fantasy; it's a likely future scenario. Biologist Paul Knoepfler estimates that within fifteen years, scientists could use the gene editing technology CRISPR to make...

Bradley W. Hart is a World War II historian at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. A former professor at CSU Fresno, he earned his PhD from Cambridge and studied the international eugenics movement and its influence on Nazi Germany....

Charles Darwin Family Tree

In 1968, a news report highlighting the alarming conditions at Pennhurst revealed that the state spent less on resources for its residents than some zoos do on animals. The shocking revelations, captured by a reporter who gained access...

Former residents of Pennhurst have moved on with their lives in the last decades and have varying views on their time at the institution. A year after leaving, Bettina found her mother who apologized for the past, but Bettina reassured...

Many residents at Pennhurst never should have been there, such as a boy admitted for mispronouncing "spoon" and having one seizure, or a woman placed there due to severe burns. Others included non-disabled individuals from Philadelphia...

At Pennhurst, a few aides were responsible for wards with 50-60 residents, making them reliant on residents they called "work boys" for help. These residents worked long hours performing tasks like cleaning, shaving, and kitchen...

In this video, former residents and employees describe how meals for residents of Pennhurst were unappetizingly mixed in a single bowl and they had only 10 minutes to eat. It mentions severe sanitation issues, including the presence of...

The closure of Pennhurst took almost a decade, from 1978 until its final closure in 1987. Despite initial hopes for a smooth transition to community-based care, the community was unprepared, leading to inadequate support and resources...

The Pennhurst case was filed on May 30, 1974, by David Ferleger, who believed it would be resolved quickly due to the evident harm suffered by residents. Initially, the goal was to improve Pennhurst, but it evolved into a movement to...

While Pennhurst had some dedicated doctors and staff, medical care quality varied significantly. Residents had limited access to specialists, and routine care often fell short. Additionally, the institution heavily relied on medication...

This clip recounts the harrowing experiences of several individuals who were placed in the Pennhurst State School. It highlights stories of neglect, abuse, and separation from families due to societal inability to care for individuals...

This introduction to the series about the Pennhurst mental health facility, former residents, professionals, and parents discuss the historical and ongoing challenges in treating and integrating individuals with mental differences....

Hear from some of the volunteers and employees who worked at the Pennhurst facility. They recount moments of care and connection with residents as well as struggles they faced. With few employees compared to the number of patients at...

Residents at Pennhurst faced severe threats of punishment and abuse if they misbehaved, including being sent to harsher wards and placed in shackles or straitjackets. Punitive measures often involved degrading them among their peers,...

Millionaire Robert Graham dreamed of "saving the human race" with a Genius Sperm Bank. More than 200 children were born - were any of them geniuses? Biology - Cells And DNA - Learning Points. Millionaire Robert Graham set up the...

What's the difference between race and ethnicity? Can a person have more than one ethnic identity? Today Danielle explores the history and evolution of different ethnicities that make up America.

In episode 35 of Supreme Court Briefs, the state of Virginia passes a law saying that stupid or immoral people are not allowed to have kids and must be sterilized. A woman named Carrie Buck fights back. Yes, this all actually happened.

National Archives: Learn about Marie Stopes, a prominent campaigner for birth control in the 1920s. Marie is the eighth to feature in our Trailblazing Women of the 20s series; in each short film, we focus on an individual who led the way...