History

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WPA’s extensive coverage of historical events, personalities, and trends ranges from the 1890s to the Twenty-First Century. Some of our major collections:

British Pathe Newsreels: One of the longest-running newsreel collections in the world, capturing almost 75 years of international history on film. Major news events, colorful magazine films, short documentaries, outtakes and unreleased material cover history, lifestyles, personalities, fads and trends, fashions, royalty, culture, travel, sports and more.

Soviet Documentaries: A unique perspective on politics, the Cold War, the space race, China, World War II, Vietnam, and Afghanistan.

1970s Collection: U.S. local and national topics, including lesser-seen protests against abortion and the Vietnam War; the energy crisis; the rise of mega-skyscrapers like the World Trade Center and Sears Tower; politicians including some (like Dennis Kucinich and George Bush, Sr.) in early stages of their careers; and social trends.

American History Collection: A large and very diverse collection primarily focused on the United States. For example: excellent aerials of 1960s surfers; early days of the NASDAQ stock exchange; Chicago aerials from 1914; 1940s doughnut production; high school football practice; spectators at a 1975 jai alai event; and ordinary activity of garbage collectors, voters, cowboys, and prison inmates.

See also the American Politics section.