‘American Experience’ features trailblazers and historic turning points

Discover new incredible characters and epic stories that have shaped America’s past and present on “American Experience,” Tuesday nights at 8 p.m.

May 7: Amelia Earhart

Explore the life of the trailblazing pilot who broke records but then mysteriously disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on a solo flight around the world. An enduring American hero, Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Watch via Passport.

May 14: Annie Oakley

Meet the Ohio sharpshooter who won fame and fortune in a man’s world for never missing a shot. Born into poverty, the self-taught Oakley picked up a gun at age 15 not to become a superstar, but to save her family from destitution. Watch via Passport.

May 21: Emma Goldman

For nearly half a century, Russian emigrant Emma Goldman was the most controversial woman in America, taunting the mainstream with her fervent attacks on government, big business, and war. Watch online.

May 28: Rachel Carson (7 p.m.)

Meet the scientist whose groundbreaking writings revolutionized our relationship to the natural world. Mary-Louise Parker is the voice of Rachel Carson in this moving and intimate portrait. Watch online.

June 11: Stonewall Uprising

Explores the dramatic event that launched a worldwide rights movement. Told by those who took part, from drag queens and street hustlers to police detectives, journalists and a former mayor of New York, and featuring a rich trove of archival footage, this film revisits a time when homosexual acts were illegal throughout America, and homosexuality itself was seen as a form of mental illness. Watch online.