History

In this spoof of great moments in history from the dawn of humanity through the French Revolution, director Mel Brooks delivers a twisted history lesson through his signature satirical, madcap… In this spoof of great moments in history from the dawn of humanity through the French Revolution, director Mel Brooks delivers a twisted history lesson through his signature satirical, madcap humor. Funny, vulgar, and narrated by the great Orson Welles, HISTORY OF THE WORLD - PART I tells the progress of humankind as cave dweller, tap-dancing slave, and biblical hero. The most famous bit in the film features Moses coming down from Mount Sinai. Other highlights include a hilarious “Hitler on Ice” sequence and other outrageous comic situations, unbelievably silly jokes, and inspired casting (Sid Caesar, Gregory Hines, and Madeline Kahn included), with the film itself mimicking several historical Hollywood epics, most notably THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, as well as a brilliant parody of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

To coincide with the US elections of 2008 comes this refreshing antidote to the whir of sensationalist spin and scandal, measuring up to the seriousness of the moment without diluting the excitement of campaign politics. After 9/11, after Katrina, Enron and Baghdad, the robustness of American optimism is struggling to reassert itself against the sobering reality of military frustration and domestic anxieties. This is an America grappling with an un-American sense of its own limits.

This History Channel series takes a fascinating look at the rise and decline of one of the most powerful fleets the world has ever known The Royal Navy.

If ancient aliens visited Earth, what was their mission, and is there evidence that points to when they will return? Ancient Sumerian tablets describe an alien race, known as the Anunnaki, who came to Earth to mine for gold. Egyptian hieroglyphs depict hybrid creatures that were part man, part animal. Mysterious crop circles and unexplainable crystal skulls are thought to contain messages that man has yet to decipher. Strange evidence may exist in multiple cultures throughout history suggesting that aliens came here to explore, excavate raw materials, experiment on human beings, and even for pure conquest.

Microsoft sponsored Documentary about the History of Microsoft between 1975 and 1993.

This TV documentary on the History Channel has many flaws, the greatest of which is allowing overarching, borderline ridiculous right-wing condemnations of hippie culture to remain unchallenged, but still it fascinates as a glimpse at the drug-fueled, youth-driven counterculture of the late 1960s. Too much time, unfortunately, is wasted on sensationalist, irrelevant side-stories and not enough is spent on the substantive contributions of the hippie aesthetic to the culture at large.

With recent developments in technology, scientists can now use physics to explore intimate details about history, from the rise and fall of preliterate societies to the origins of the solar system. The Physics of History, taught by award-winning Professor David J. Helfand of Columbia University, gives you the background you need to understand how scientists know what they do about the past. These 24 richly illustrated lectures cover an astonishing range of cases in which physics has helped redefine history—in astronomy, archaeology, geology, climatology, and other fields.