Weird History
How a Soviet Soldier Saved the World From Annihilation
You many not be familiar with the name Vasili Arkhipov, but maybe you should be. He's the Soviet Navy man who stopped nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis in the '60s. Arkhipov, AKA the man who avoided nuclear war, somehow...
Curated Video
The Rosenbergs: First Civilians Executed for Espionage
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were the first US citizens to be convicted and executed for sharing government secrets during peacetime. Were they innocent?
Curated Video
The Moscow-Washington Hotline: Avoiding Nuclear War with Russia
In 1962, the Moscow-Washington Hotline was established as a quick and accurate means of communication between two of the world's greatest superpowers. Since then, the technology used to facilitate this line of communication has changed...
Curated Video
Castle Bravo: The Largest Nuclear Explosion in US History
In 1954, the US Government conducted a series of secret nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. The idyllic coral island Bikini Atoll became the epicentre of the largest nuclear test disaster in US history. The affects of radiation...
Curated Video
The Polygraph Machine: Detecting the Truth
In 1921, John Augustus Larson invented a machine to help detectives determine if someone was telling the truth - or lying. He called it - the Polygraph.
Curated Video
The Cold War: Keeping Friends Close, but Enemies Closer
Using animals to spy on enemies was an espionage tactic employed by the US during the Cold War - and beyond.
Curated Video
Chapstick Spy Devices and the Role they Played in Watergate
21st century spies have some serious tech at their disposal but back in the 1970s, things were a little more DIY. This is the story of a spy device disguised as chapstick tubes that played a key part in America’s most infamous burglary,...
Curated Video
Ronald Reagan: Tear Down This Wall
On June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan delivers a speech to the people of West Berlin, calling upon the Soviet Union to tear down the wall that divides the city.
TED-Ed
What is McCarthyism? And how did it happen?
Who was Joseph McCarthy and why is his name synonymous with witch hunts? What were the factors that permitted the political repression of the 1950s to flourish? Could the same thing happen today? An intriguing video traces the rise and...
Curated OER
From World War to Cold War
From peace at the end of World War II, straight back to war. This resource details the changes in leadership in the Soviet Union post World War II. From the brief attempt at democracy, to the Bolshevik Revolution, and finally to Vladimir...
Curated OER
The Berlin Wall
When East and West Germany were divided, people swam lakes, climbed trains, and jumped out of windows in an attempt to reach West Berlin. Why was the wall erected? Show your high schoolers this moving video.
Curated OER
Overcoming the Berlin Wall
Here is a very informative video on the origins of the Berlin Wall, how it effectively divided Berlin, and the events that led to its demise and the reunification of the German people. This would be an excellent video to show during any...
Khan Academy
US History Overview 3 - WWII to Vietnam
This video brings viewers up to modern history (1975) after taking them through WWII, the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War. Although the timeline's format may seem straightforward, viewers will be engaged by the...
Khan Academy
Cuban Missile Crisis, The 20th Century, World history
With a collage format that lends well to note-taking, this presentation allows your students to see the context and implications of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The narration is casual and conversational, as well as informative, and history...
Khan Academy
Pattern of US Cold War Interventions, The 20th Century, World history
Exploring the patterns and themes between Korea, Cuba, and Vietnam, including pre- and post-U.S. involvement, this lecture reinforces the concept of history repeating itself. Corrupt regimes, the emergence of Communism and redistribution...
TED-Ed
Why Should You Read “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding?
Lord of the Flies, William Golding's tale of English schoolboys who have crashed and are stranded on a remote island, reflects Golding's view of just how thin the veneer of civilized behavior is. The narrator of a short video argues for...
C-SPAN
On This Day: McCarthyism and the Red Scare
Senator Joseph's McCarthy's claims that communists had infiltrated and threatened the American way of life set off a red scare in the 1950s—and those claims have influenced today's concepts of loyalty to country. Using video clips from...
C-SPAN
On This Day: The US Invasion of Grenada
The 1983 invasion of Grenada was one of the first major military actions after the Vietnam War. The invasion took place during the tensions of the Cold War, making the stakes higher than what might be expected. Using President Ronald...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Cuban Missile Crisis
Just how close was the world to nuclear war in October 1962? Using White House audio tapes recording John F. Kennedy and his advisors, aerial footage, and newsreels, learners decide for themselves. Historians also weigh in on the Cuban...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Apollo 8
Apollo 8—the mission to orbit the moon—changed the trajectory of human history and space travel. A series of videos, including historians, the mission commander, and footage of the mission, allows pupils to watch the mission as it...
C-SPAN
On This Day: President John F. Kennedy - Life, Death, Legacy
John F. Kennedy and the American Camelot dazzled the United States. His legacy is more complicated, however, and it includes the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Pupils view history as it unfolded with news reels on the Bay of Pigs, Cuban...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall divided a city.. Using clips of discussions between historians, segments from contemporary films, interviews with political operatives, and speeches, learners consider what it was like to look over a wall and behind the...
C-SPAN
On This Day: Iranian Hostage Crisis
The history behind the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis is long and complicated. The hostage crisis directly affected a presidential election, and it played into Cold War fears of a global crisis. Using video clips of an historian...
PBS
Carlos Vaquerano
An 11-minute video shines a spotlight on Carlos Vaquerano, an El Salvadorian who made his way to the United States of America at the age of 15 to escape the dangers that took over his country. Interviews detail how and why Vaquerano left...