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Solving History's Mysteries and Finding Your Roots

Sundays at 8pm   8pm HISTORY DETECTIVES - History/Mystery - Researchers identify and/or authenticate items which may have historical significance to important historical events. History Detectives explores the stories behind historic sites, artifacts and tall tales told in cities across the country, with the help of an inquisitive team of fact-finders with an uncanny talent for uncovering the truth. In this episode, a box of cartoon drawings and cels tells a story of the early days of animation; why a regional governor signed a slave's emancipation papers and how did an U.S. Army Captain end up with Mussolini's dagger. 9pm FINDING YOUR ROOTS - Educator Henry Louis Gates Jr. examines U.S. history and continues his quest to "get into the DNA of American culture. 

In each episode, celebrities view ancestral histories, sometimes learn of connections to famous/infamous people, discover secrets, and share the emotional experience with viewers. Analyzing genetic code, DNA diagnosticians trace bloodlines and occasionally debunk long-held beliefs.CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION - Lupita Nyong'o, Carmelo Anthony and Ana Navarro learn about the political choices of their fathers.https://youtu.be/ciIDxMPIa4cLupita Nyong’o learns the full story of her father’s struggle for democracy in her native Kenya — including his imprisonment and torture. Carmelo Anthony unearths the ancestry of his activist father, tracing his roots back to Puerto Rico. And Ana Navarro learns that her father, who fled from Nicaragua in 1980 as a consequence of his political ties, was not the first governmental figure in her family. Along the way, each guest comes to realize that history is more complex, and more personal, than they ever thought.

Copyright 2018 WLRN 91.3 FM

Mia Laurenzo is a 30-year veteran of public television in Miami. She began her career learning every aspect of video production. Currently she is a writer, producer, on-air host and promotions coordinator for TV, radio and the web. Her experiences include producing for a series, special events and historical documentaries. As a native Floridian, she is a perfect fit for South Florida's Storyteller Station, WLRN. She has produced award winning, nationally distributed documentaries like Journey to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade where one year she followed a high school band and a clown as they prepared for the big day and the next year, she had the privilege of being a clown herself. Previously, she produced Weird Florida: On the Road Again, a sequel to the highly successful show Weird Florida: Roads Less Traveled, where the cast and crew travel over 1,500 miles searching the Sunshine State’s weirdest and wackiest places. On a more serious note and what she considers to be her most important work, she produced Out of Darkness, Into Light, a documentary on child sexual abuse,which delved into the lives of three adult survivors, a show in which she was awarded her first of two Emmys.