When torture was the law of the land: The third degree | What the History?!

In American English, “giving someone the third degree” is an idiom used to describe especially harsh or incessant questioning, but where does this term come from? In this episode of What the History from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, host Sami Jarroush helps us explore the origins of the term, and how the third degree is connected to the invention of The Lie Detector.
Learn more in THE LIE DETECTOR from American Experience: www.pbs.org/wg...
Check out Sami Jarroush's channel, US 101, here: / us101

[@DaveGarber1975]

Wow. I knew about the use of interrogative torture by soldiers, but I never made the connection with interrogative torture by police. Thank you for this insight.

[@junkboxxxxxx]

This video is not up to PBS standards of quality-- this mouthy performance is in youtube style. It could have been done much better.