My house has been doing a lot of non-cable watching. We have a few subscription streaming channels through a Roku stick: PBS, BritBox, and Shudder, and we have been spending quite a bit of time finding interesting programming on YouTube. One of our recent obsessions is Aerial America. Aerial America takes you on a history tour of each US state, showing the landscape, monuments, and urban scenes from the air with over-narration that tells the story of the state. There are several full episodes available on Smithsonian’s YouTube channel.
What I find most refreshing and a little depressing is the frankness with which the history is delivered. If, like me, you thought you were pretty well informed about how horribly the United States treated Native Americans, Aerial America will tell you all the horrible massacres and broken treaties you didn’t know about. If you enjoy seeing the natural beauty and vast vistas that we are lucky to have in the US, Aerial America will show you fracking, strip mining, and logging operations. I wouldn’t say this to discourage anyone from enjoying the show. I love it, it has beauty, moments of pride and triumph, and it balances this with the dirty little secrets that underpin a lot of our history. I highly recommend it.