The Boys of '36

American Experience, TV's most-watched history series, brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.

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The Boys of '36

Season 28 Episode 7 | 52m 55s | CC

The story of nine working-class young men from the University of Washington who took the rowing world and America by storm when they captured gold at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Their unexpected victory, against not only the Ivy League teams of the East Coast but Adolf Hitler's elite German rowers, gave hope to a nation struggling to emerge from the depths of the Great Depression.

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For Season 28 of American Experience, exclusive corporate funding is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance, major funding by The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS stations. Additional support for The Boys of '36 provided by engagement partner USRowing.

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