Vanessa Williams Part 1: Becoming Miss Americ...

Ada Blackjack wants one thing: To make enough money to bring her son home from an orphanage. But good work is hard to find in 1920s Nome, Alaska, so when four strangers come to town, looking to hire someone for a secret yearlong expedition, Ada embarks on the trip—not knowing tha ...  Show more

What would you do for a desperation pie? Kitchen correspondent Sarah Archer is here to talk with Sarah about the American food trends that marked the 20th century and how they related to the political and cultural changes of a nation in need of constant culinary inventiveness. Th ...  Show more

There is bouncing back after adversity, and then there is: Vanessa Williams. The talented multi-hyphenate was only 21 years old when she became the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America. Yet a controversy surrounding the release of unauthorized nude photos led to her ultim ...  Show more

Cécile Fatiman (1771-1883) facilitated a special ceremony that ignited the Haitian Revolution. This month, we’re talking about Mischief Makers: oddballs, chameleons, and nonconformists. Queens of quick wit. History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we ...  Show more

Corazon Aquino (1933-2009) rose above her fears to become the first female president of the Philippines. She led the country to democracy in a way that set a precedent for other countries around the world.You’re probably familiar with rebels without a cause, but what about rebels ...  Show more

In 1983, Vanessa Williams became the first black woman to win Miss America. In 1984, a few weeks from the end of her reign, she was forced to step down when she found out Penthouse was going to publish unauthorized nude images of her in their magazine. Williams went on to have a ...  Show more