The War on Rats

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The War on Rats American Experience

Premiered May 24, 2022

The War on Rats

The war against rats helped end the bubonic plague outbreak in San Francisco.

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Word spreads of a bubonic plague outbreak in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

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San Francisco’s Bubonic Plague Cover-up

Ng Poon Chew was a writer, a publisher and an advocate for Chinese American civil rights.

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Ng Poon Chew

On May 28, 1900, San Francisco policemen formed a perimeter around Chinatown.

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The Chinese Six Companies

Watch a preview of Plague at the Golden Gate.

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Chapter 1 | Plague at the Golden Gate

In 1901, Rupert Blue launched a health campaign that ended a deadly bubonic plague.

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Rupert Blue

The war against rats helped end the bubonic plague outbreak in San Francisco.

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The War on Rats

Dr. Joseph Kinyoun was a leader in the diagnosis and prevention of infectious diseases.

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Dr. Joseph Kinyoun

How the bubonic plague in 1900 set off fear and anti-Asian sentiment in San Francisco.

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Preview

Trailer | Plague at the Golden Gate

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About the Program

American Experience

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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Program Specials & Extras

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Watch (1:53:20)

Special

Plague at the Golden Gate (Chinese)

Descubra cómo la peste bubónica desató miedo y sentir antiasiático en San Francisco.

Watch (1:52:39)

Special

Plague at the Golden gate (español)