Since June 2009, the National Archives has made videos available on its YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/usnationalarchives. We now have 292 videos available, which have been viewed over 160,000 times. Most videos are from our archival collections, including some from Presidential Libraries. Other videos represent current lectures and educational events. I hope you take some time to explore the videos and let me know your favorites. Here are my top ten videos:
10. Fourth of July at the National Archives – Montage. Check out the National Archives float, new logo, and all of the activities at this year’s celebration.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/HTTkg9_4bo4&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0
9. We Were There When Nixon Met Elvis – January 25, 2010. This is fascinating discussion with those who were present when Elvis Presley came to the White House on December 21, 1970.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/ZaMyHw6NeXo&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0
8. Carl Lewis – 1987. This is a powerful short clip from a longer video created by the U.S. Information Agency.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/PfplaajL_T8&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0
7. Space for Women – 1981. This video features interviews with women and shows the variety of positions they hold at NASA.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/LgQscL-ialg&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0
6. Who’s Out There – 1975. Orson Welles narrates this NASA video exploring the possibility and implications of extraterrestrial live.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/CPkg_sJn2rU&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0
5. Harry S. Truman – The Lobster Story. President Truman tells an amusing campaign story involving a lobster.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/5kCQ4NIeoEU&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0
4. The March, Part 2 of 3. This video from the U.S. Information Agency is about the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington. It features folk music and songs of the sixties, and captures the spirit of the protesters.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/9otXGSWLZ6Y&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0
3. The Story of Gasoline – 1948. This film created by the Department of Interior, Bureau of Mines features a cartoon carbon atom.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/ELBJKXdW9_c&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0
2. Fighting Tools – Private SNAFU. This U.S. Army Signal Corps instructional cartoon was developed in part by Theodore Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss). You’ll notice that Private SNAFU sounds a lot like Bugs Bunny because Mel Blanc used the same voice.
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/BFu8VjGdQZk&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0
1. Carmencita: Spanish Dance, 03/1894. This is the oldest film in the National Archives motion picture holdings. It was filmed by Thomas Edison on a kinetoscope. Pretty amazing for 1894!
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/rPCo3WmJplE&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0
What are your top ten videos on the National Archives YouTube Channel?
The Harry Truman and Private SNAFU videos would definitely make my list. Carmencita is amazing, and the subtitle “Science-Fashioned Molecules of Modern Motor Fuels” on the Story of Gasoline cracked me up!
I also really like the intro on this Science of Spying video:
All the youtube videos given by you in this list are really interesting. I really enjoyed all the videos and I liked the Fighting Tools video most. All the videos were hilarious.
Thanks NARA for putting so much of your videos and films online, keep them coming.
A great list AOTUS! Of course I would add Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler and Catherine Nicholson presenting Preserving the Charters of Freedom. It’s always great to see the behind-the-scenes operations. And it’s conservation, what is more interesting than that?