NRJ Media Group

Historical Documentaries from Lucasfilm

President Harry S. Truman once said that “there is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.” In learning about the past, we may better understand the present, and find important lessons for the future.

San Francisco-based Lucasfilm – best known for its Star Wars and Indiana Jones stories – is releasing free historical documentaries on YouTube for the benefit of teachers, students, and curious people everywhere. Originally made as companions to The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones in 2007, these films elucidate early 20th century history that shaped the world we live in today.

Over 90 half-hour stories cover diverse topics including art, history, science, literature, politics, and philosophy.

Learn more by visiting Lucasfilm.com/Young-Indy-Education.

Archaeology: Unearthing Our Past

Archaeology is the study of past human cultures through the discovery, recovery, and examination of human remains and the materials of everyday life that they left behind. Although today technology has taken some of the guesswork out of archaeology, some things haven’t changed.

Hellfighters: Harlem’s Heroes of World War One

When the 15th New York National Guard was formed in 1916, it was a matter of pride for the African American community in Harlem. Fighting in World War One, the unit was another example of the cultural and economic vitality of what became known as the Harlem Renaissance.

Fighting for the Vote: Women’s Suffrage in America

The women who fought to establish voting rights in the United States didn’t begin as a suffrage movement, but as an abolitionist movement. But in 1840, when two of their leaders were turned away from an anti-slavery conference because of their gender, they sat outside and discussed women’s rights.

Powder Keg: Europe 1900 – 1914

In late summer, 1914, Europe’s leaders went to war against each other, expecting a brief, contained conflict. It turned into World War I and lasted four years, killed millions, maimed millions more, and set the stage for another devastating world war two decades later. How could they have been so wrong?

Ancient Questions: Philosophy and Our Search for Meaning

If there is a common human experience across all ages and cultures, it is that people ask the same ancient questions: “Who are we?” “What is the meaning of life?” “What is reality?” “Is there a god?” Today, the pursuit of philosophy continues around the world.

War in the Third Dimension: Aerial Warfare in World War I

The armies of World War I faced each other across the same ancient battlefields Europeans had been fighting and dying on for centuries. But in the skies above, a new combat zone was opening up and a new type of war was being created: war in the third dimension.

Psychology: Charting the Human Mind

Why do we think the way we think, feel the way we feel and behave the way we do? And how do we relate to other people that may be different from us? Though these questions are probably as old as humans themselves, the science of psychology that seeks the answers, is a relative newcomer.

The Russian Revolution: All Power to the Soviets!

The Russian Revolution of 1917 created the world’s first socialist government, and ushered in a century of sparring between communism and capitalism. But in 1917, as Russians demonstrated on the streets and temporary governments rose and fell, the revolution’s outcome was far from clear.

Demanding the Vote: The Pankhursts and British Suffrage

For most of the 19th century, only aristocratic, land owning men could vote in England. The Industrial Revolution led to the vote for all men, from middle class to laborers. England’s upper-class women took offense, arguing that if the right to vote was based solely on gender then things would have to change.

The Somme: Storm of Steel

In June 1916 during World War I, the British launched an unprecedented artillery barrage against German forces occupying France’s Somme Valley. In the end, after 141 days of grueling battle, there was little for either side to claim as victory.