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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

At Colgate University last week, President Obama recommended Ken Burns’s THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION as a “quick synopsis” for a course on democracy. We agree.

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In Pursuit USA @inpursuitusa.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Geoffrey C. Ward and @kenlburns.bsky.social write about Franklin D. Roosevelt and the political force of durable optimism. FDR entered office in 1933 with one in four Americans out of work, 9,000 banks failed, and public confidence collapsing.

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Ken Burns @kenlburns.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Lonnie Bunch is a great historian, public servant and a dear friend. He has devoted his career to helping us understand the full American story in all its complexity. Our country is better for his work, and I am deeply grateful for it. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/a...

nytimes.com

Smithsonian’s Secretary to Resign as Trump Tries to Rule the Institution (Gift Article)

In the face of escalating White House attacks about how museums present American history, Lonnie G. Bunch III has announced his decision to depart.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

On this day 250 years ago, the Battle of Long Island began. It was fought in what is now the borough of Brooklyn, including Prospect Park, Flatbush, and Crown Heights. It was a crushing defeat for George Washington. Here's Ken Burns introducing a new UNUM playlist on NYC's Revolutionary History.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

The iconic, inimitable Dolly Parton will be deeply missed. Here’s a clip of her remembering her mother’s singing from COUNTRY MUSIC.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

On August 15th, 1969, half a million Americans gathered on a dairy farm in upstate New York for Woodstock—a festival devoted to music and peace. In Vietnam, another half a million Americans were still at war. Watch the clip from THE VIETNAM WAR.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

On this day in 1948, Satchel Paige shut out the White Sox. At 42, he was the oldest rookie in the history of professional baseball. A week later, he shut them out again. Watch the clip from BASEBALL.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

What went into creating an American identity? First, a lot of walking. On this day in 1775, recruits from outside New England began to join the Continental Army in Cambridge, MA. Among the first were 96 riflemen from Virginia. Watch the clip from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Happy birthday to @kenlburns.bsky.social, pictured here in 1990, the broadcast year of The Civil War.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

On this day in 1885, Ulysses S. Grant died. He had finished his memoirs days before. The two volumes would sell half a million copies and save his family from financial ruin. Watch the clip from THE CIVIL WAR.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

On this day in 1941, Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak came to an end. Eighty-five years later, no one has come close to breaking his record. Watch our clip from @kenlburns.bsky.social's BASEBALL.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Fifty-five years ago today, President Nixon began the process of establishing relations with China. The historic opening raised fears for South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, who worried about the future of his country. Watch this clip from THE VIETNAM WAR.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Tomorrow is July 4th, a day featured prominently in THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Did you know it's in a lot of our older films too?

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Retro Report @retroreport.org · 02/07/2026

1/ Documentary filmmaker @kenlburns.bsky.social reflects on Franklin Roosevelt’s leadership during historical challenges like the Great Depression and WWII in this short by Retro Report, based on @inpursuitusa.bsky.social, for @pbs.org.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

The first Canyon of Heroes march celebrated the opening of the Statue of Liberty, as workers and others marked the occasion with an impromptu walk up Broadway. Today as we applaud the Knicks, let’s remember that New York has always welcomed heroes of all kinds. Here’s a clip from STATUE OF LIBERTY.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

On this day in 1775, the British won the Battle of Bunker Hill. But the victory came at a cost, 40% of the attacking force was killed. The British were facing a far more formidable enemy than they had anticipated. Watch the clip from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

On this day in 1971, The New York Times began publishing The Pentagon Papers, revealing the government’s internal account of US involvement in Vietnam—a version the public had not yet seen. Watch the clip from VIETNAM.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

On this day in 1925, a 21-year-old Lou Gehrig took the place of Yankees first baseman Wally Pipp. He remained there for the next 2,130 consecutive games—a record that stood for 56 years. Watch the clip from BASEBALL.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

On Monday, we lost Sonny Rollins, one of the greatest saxophonists who ever lived. Watch the clip from JAZZ.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

On this day in 1781, Lord Cornwallis's army arrived in Virginia. He intended to hunt down the Marquis de Lafayette. But Lafayette was too nimble to catch. Watch the clip from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

On May 10, 1869, Americans across the country celebrated the joining of the rails at Promontory Summit in Utah by a great golden spike. A cross country journey would now take days instead of months. Watch the clip from THE WEST.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Mark Twain, the man William Dean Howells called "the Lincoln of our literature," died on this day in 1910. He influenced everyone from Ernest Hemingway to Saul Bellow to Percival Everett. Watch the clip from MARK TWAIN.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

UNUM on the Road continued in late February as @kenlburns.bsky.social and co-director Sarah Botstein brought America's story to the @britishlibrary.bsky.social They don't entirely agree on how it goes. It's a long film.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

On Presidents Day we honor all those who have served as President and celebrate the birthday of George Washington, whose presidency was so distinguished even King George had to admit he was “the greatest character of the age.” Watch our clip from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Abraham Lincoln was born today in 1809. Here is a clip from our film, THE CIVIL WAR, featuring Lincoln’s 1862 annual message to Congress.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

In 1870, the explorer Truman Everts—lost in what would become Yellowstone National Park—had to deal with a nasty snowstorm. He survived by hugging a heat spring for warmth. Hoping your snow story has been less challenging. Here’s a clip from THE NATIONAL PARKS.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

On January 20, 1947, the Negro League star Josh Gibson died from a stroke. One of the greatest to ever play in any league, Gibson died alone, destitute, and in pain. Watch our clip from BASEBALL.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 17/01/2026

320 years ago, Benjamin Franklin was born into a crowded Boston household. Franklin treated reading like a craft and authority like a problem to be solved. At five he was reading the Bible, and soon after, he was editing the doctrine, suggesting one prayer for the whole winter’s food to “save time.”

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

250 years ago, Common Sense, the most important pamphlet in American history, was first published, energizing the colonies with a newfound hope for freedom. Our newest UNUM Playlist takes clips from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION focused on Thomas Paine and his indelible words.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

JAZZ premiered 25 years ago today on @pbs.org As @kenlburns.bsky.social explains here, music outpaces language. Jazz changed American music permanently.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Eva Schloss was a child when Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany. In our clip from The U.S. and the Holocaust, she recounts the moment ordinary life gave way to exclusion and brutality. An Auschwitz survivor and lifelong educator, she dedicated her life to remembrance and Holocaust education.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

On this day in 1775, Benedict Arnold led the Continental Army's assault on Quebec City. He hoped to destroy the British stronghold and prevent potential attacks from the north. Everything went wrong. Watch our clip from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

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Danny Postel @dannypostel.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

“The American Revolution” documentary by @kenlburns.bsky.social & Co. is “history that blasts through border walls” at a moment of “bolstering barriers and stoking divisive rancor,” writes Benjamin Ortiz in a deeply personal review-essay for @newlinesmag.bsky.social. newlinesmag.com/review/a-rem...

newlinesmag.com

A Remarkable Retelling of an Improbable Revolt

'The American Revolution,' the latest documentary from Ken Burns, underscores the conflict’s global dimensions and centers groups previously relegated to the margins

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

After the frozen night crossing of the Delaware, Washington’s army was able to catch a Hessian encampment unawares, taking two thirds of them prisoner with minimal casualties. It was a crucial victory for the Continental Army. Watch the clip from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Christmas night of 1776, Washington brought 2400 men across the half-frozen Delaware river. It rained, hailed, and snowed, but they made it safely into New Jersey—perfectly positioned to take the enemy by surprise. Watch the clip from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

The national parks are places where American memory is preserved and passed on. Betty Reid Soskin, the nation’s oldest park ranger, died on December 21 at 104.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

On this day in 1944, the Battle of the Bulge began. A final, desperate attempt to destroy allied forces, it would become the war's deadliest battle in Western Europe. Watch our clip from THE ROOSEVELTS.

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Andy Ostroy @andyostroy.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

Filmmaker @kenlburns.bsky.social's new series, The American Revolution, is another masterpiece. And he’s in THE BACK ROOM to discuss this epic story in riveting detail podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k...

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

As a Nor'easter sweeps across the northeast and great lakes today, temperatures will drop into the teens (@weather.bsky.social). But can you imagine a temperature of -45? Watch the clip from LEWIS & CLARK.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Happy Evacuation Day! Since the Battle of Long Island in August, 1776, New York City had spent seven long years under British occupation. On this day in 1783, the British formally withdrew from the city and General Washington returned in triumph. Watch the clip from The American Revolution.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

The American Revolution film doesn’t end with the British surrender at Yorktown. One of the places it continues is Fraunces Tavern in New York City. For UNUM on the Road, Ken Burns explains why.

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Kathleen DuVal @kathleenduval.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

Starting Sunday night on @pbs.org, watch me (and many others) in this guy’s film #AmericanRevolutionPBS @unumkenburns.bsky.social

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

The first US veterans were farmers, laborers, and tradesmen. Washington called their endurance a “standing miracle.” On Veterans Day, we honor every generation that has carried that same resolve. A clip from our upcoming film, The American Revolution (on PBS Nov. 16).

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

With lawn chairs and fall jackets (and some terrific revolutionary gear), thousands watched The American Revolution at Mount Vernon last month. Before the event, co-director David Schmidt chatted with some of the crowd for UNUM on the Road.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

On this day 94 years ago, Buddy “King” Bolden, the legendary cornetist, died in obscurity in the Louisiana State Hospital for the Insane. Watch the clip from Jazz.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Today is National Bison Day. Spend a moment thinking about this extraordinary animal. Here’s a clip from The American Buffalo.

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UNUM Ken Burns @unumkenburns.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

UNUM on the Road stopped at @c-span.bsky.social in Washington, DC. No makeup artist, so Ken Burns and co-director Sarah Botstein handled it themselves. Washington dealt with tougher mornings. #AmericanRevolutionPBS

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Hark Audio @harkaudio.com · 29/10/2025

In this @theatlantic.com article, directors @kenlburns.bsky.social, Sarah Botstein, & David Schmidt describe how they made their 12-hour epic, 'The American Revolution,' about a war so shrouded in myth. Listen to the piece, read by David Schmidt, on Hark Audio: share.harkaudio.com/WLhaDy3NYv2S...

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