Researching the history of the last hundred years just became a bit easier. The Associated Press, in collaboration with British Movietone, has taken a vast newsreel archive and uploaded it to YouTube for all to see.
The 550,000 newsreels that have been uploaded to YouTube range from 1895 to the present, and as a result, some of these newsreels are amongst the oldest videos ever recorded. Users will be able to see videos of historical events such as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the attack on 9/11, and several other events.
“The AP archive footage, combined with the British Movietone collection, creates an incredible visual journey of the people and events that have shaped our history,” said Alwyn Lindsey, AP’s director of international archive. “At AP we are always astonished at the sheer breadth of footage that we have access to, and the upload to YouTube means that, for the first time, the public can enjoy some of the oldest and most remarkable moments in history.”
Given the age of most of these video recordings, access to some of this content had been regulated to prevent damaging or destroying the archives. By turning the footage into a digital format, though, anyone can now see the content without worrying about harming the originals. This represents a fantastic educational opportunity for anyone with YouTube access.
The available newsreels hosted by AP on YouTube will continue to grow over time, too. As news occurs, and older historical newsreels are added to the collection, AP has committed itself to ensuring these videos can be viewed by anyone, and British Movietone has agreed to do the same.
