Retro Report on PBS

Retro Report makes sense of the present by revealing the past.

Episodes

  • How the U.S. Came to Rely on Special Ops Forces

    The rise of special operations units today can be traced to two past operations.
  • Lessons From the Space Shuttle Challenger Tragedy

    A new understanding of risk emerged from the study of a NASA disaster.
  • The Truth About the Lawsuit Over Hot McDonald’s Coffee

    Her complaint sounded frivolous. But the facts told another story.
  • A Life in a Bubble

    The surprising medical legacy of David Vetter, the boy in the bubble.
  • Episode 6

    Public housing, the bubble boy, boxing, overpopulation and  Borowitz on Space Force.
  • Hard Risks for Athletes

    As concussions plague football, are there lessons from earlier concerns about boxing?
  • May The Space Force Be With You | Andy Borowitz

    Andy Borowitz takes a look at the sci-fi origins of Donald Trump’s Space Force program.
  • The ZIP Code Advantage

    A new approach to reducing poverty has its roots in a 1970s public housing experiment.

About Retro Report on PBS

Retro Report makes sense of the present by revealing the past. Join journalists Celeste Headlee and Masud Olufani as they connect the present to the past through four distinct and varied stories, and New Yorker humorist Andy Borowitz adds his signature wit.

Extras