Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Arts & Culture

History Detectives: Lauste Film Clip, Baker's Gold, Transatlantic Cable

"Lauste Film Clip" Is this piece of film part of the first talking picture?
John Harrington
"Lauste Film Clip" Is this piece of film part of the first talking picture?

Airs Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV

America's top gumshoes are back to prove once again that an object found in an attic or backyard might be anything but ordinary.

Wesley Cowan, independent appraiser and auctioneer; Gwendolyn Wright, historian and professor of architecture, Columbia University; Elyse Luray, independent appraiser and expert in art history; Dr. Eduardo Pagán, professor of history and American studies at Arizona State University; and Tukufu Zuberi, professor of sociology and the director of the Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, leave no stone unturned as they travel around the country to explore the stories behind local folklore, prominent figures and family legends.

In this episode, a collector thinks he may have a clip of the first talking picture. "History Detectives" host Gwen Wright tracks down the origin of the “Lauste Film Clip.”

Advertisement

Wes Cowan explores Gold Rush territory in search of the facts behind “Baker’s Gold” — sketches of five- and eight-pound gold nuggets.

Then, a Cape Cod beachcomber stumbles across a rope of twisted cables. Did he find a section of the first “Transatlantic Cable”? Tukufu Zuberi is on the case.

Think you have a case for "History Detectives?" Send us your mystery.

History Detectives New Season Preview