Good morning, we will finish off August with one last Tony Robinson’s Time Travels.  This would be a fun and frivolous series to show in the classroom.  Tony Robinson goes back to 776 BC and looks back to the history of the Olympics in Game Changers.  Sports have always had a part of history and have shaped the world in many ways.  Tony kicks off his tour in Victoria and it is the World’s Most Sports Mad state.  It was here a game was invented that prevented two nations from tearing themselves apart.

It is in the 1940s and the Americans were invading Australia.  The Americans were well paid and flashed their money around town.  This angered local soldiers and tensions grew.  So, the governments organized a series of matches between the American and Australian soldiers came together and created a game.  This game would combine the skills of American football and Australian Football.  An American reporter called the game a combination of football, soccer, basketball, and aerial bombardment.  The game was called Austus, a combination of the United States and Australia.  The game cooled tensions between the Australians and the Americans and reforged their alliance.
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Tony then goes further back in time and Ancient Greece.  The games were called the Olympics and they were held every four years.  These games were such a big deal that the Greeks built a large statue of Zeus.  These games were held in honor of Zeus and were held at Olympia.  Combat sports played a key role in the games.  These were a test of a warrior’s fighting skills.  The Romans also loved sport as well, but their love of sport ended the Ancient Greek Olympic games.  The statue of Zeus was destroyed, and Olympia was destroyed.  The games were eventually banned.

So how were the games revived?  Tony travels 1,500 years into the future.  The games inspired the people were in Much Wenlock in the 1850s.  The local GP was William Penny-Brooks and he wanted to encourage the young men to exercise their minds as well as their bodies.  He started an Olympian class which allowed the men to show off their skills in exercise.  The first Wenlock games were held in 1850 and have been held every year baring World War I and World War II.  It was the first organized game to be held for working-class people.  Brooks had to fight opposition and won.  His games had rules and the working men could win a medal at the end of victory.  Eventually, Brooks expanded the games to other towns.  A national game was born and was held at the Crystal Palace. 

Brooks met a young aristocrat named Baron Pierre de Coubertin.  They talked long into the night and Coubertin took Brooks’ dream and ran with it.  Eventually and Olympic Committee was formed and the first games were held in 1896.  Unfortunately, Brooks did not live long enough to see his dream come true.  However, not everyone was invited to participate.  Women were not allowed to complete.  Fanny Durack was one of the first women swimmers who participated in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm.  She used the Australian Crawl to win a gold medal and set a world record.

Tony then goes to Rupert’s Wood in Australia to learn about the world’s strangest trophy.  Cricket’s Ashes, the world’s strangest trophy was created in Australia.  The story about this trophy is that the British Cricket Team lost to Australia and so the Australian Team was given ashes.  However, Tony learns the true story.  The trophy was created at Christmas Time after an unofficial game of cricket.  The hostess tossed two small pieces of equipment into a fire and then put the ashes in a plain urn, thus the Ashes Trophy was born.

This would be an excellent episode to show in a physical education class as well as a history class.

Good morning.  I have two more Time Travels I want to review for August and then we will move onto Nations at War for September.  Tony Robinson continues his Time Travels featuring history’s Great Escapes.  He kicks off this episode in prison and the first prison he visits is in Port Arthur in Tasmania. Port Arthur was the Alcatraz of Australia.  In the 1830s and 1840s, the Port Arthur prison was part of the transportation system, and it housed the worse of the worse.  It was considered inescapable.  Port Arthur is a natural fortress.  It was accessible by a narrow strip of land and this strip of land was protected by attack dogs.
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When convicts got there first, they were given heavy, backbreaking work like chopping down and moving trees.  If you were good, you could be trained in a trade.  However, if you broke the rules, you went back to the heavy work only this time you were chained at your legs.  The chains were heavy and there was no way you could get them off.  There were more sinister punishments that were to be had as well.  Isolation was one form of punishment that was used at Port Arthur.  The prisoners were cut off from their fellow prisoners.  The death rates were higher in isolation than they were doing hard labor.  If a prisoner broke the rules there was a punishment cell.  With Port Arthur’s strict rules, there were escape attempts.  One man disguised himself as a kangaroo and escaped that way.

Tony then travels to the 1980s and a political act that shaped the destiny of a nation.  New Zealand just had an election and the Labour Party’s anti-nuclear stance would come under scrutiny.  New Zealand banned nuclear weapons and nuclear power from their country.  The Americans were going to do some military exercises with Australia and New Zealand.  This caused trouble between the Americans and the New Zealanders.  The Americans eventually cut the New Zealanders out of the military exercises.

Tony then visits the site of MacArthur’s duel.  John MacArthur was a soldier serving in Australia and he was the luckiest guy in Australian history.  He would become a rich landowner.  His fate was decided by the flip of a coin.  MacArthur was challenged to a duel by his superior officer Patterson.  He would win the duel but would be in hot water.  The Governor shipped him back to England to face court-martial.  MacArthur’s court-martial was quashed and went around Britain announcing that Australia could become Britain’s wool provider.  Eventually, he was given a land grant and returned to Australia.  On the ship, he ran into the Prince of Wales’ physician and convinced the man to give him some of the king’s sheep.  With this exchange, Australia would become a large wool producer.

Flash forward to the 1930s, Melbourne, and the depression.  The one place where people could escape their troubles was the racetrack.  One horse captured the imagination of the people.  His winning streak lifted the spirits of the people.  However, with great success came enemies.  The bookies were no longer making money on the races, so people thought that horse was better off dead.  There was an attempt on the horse’s life and his owners had to hide the horse.  Unfortunately, the phones and the power were cut to the farm.  The night was uneventful, and the horse made it to the race.  This horse would win the 1930 Melbourne Cup.

Tony then goes to the 1940s and visits a military prison.  A group of inmates decided to break out of the prison.  Twenty-two prisoners made the break for the yard.  What happened to this group of prisoners?  Tune into this episode to find out.

This is another fun and frivolous episode to check out for history or even a geography class.

Good morning, Tony Robinson back in Disasters.  Tony kicks off the episode in Sydney and explores the story of the hot air balloon.  This daredevil created a sensation when he walked on a tightrope across Sydney Harbor.  He was going to fly a hot air balloon.  Everyone was flocked to see what was going to happen with this daredevil.  It was 1881, and what could go wrong with the hot air balloon flight?
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Well, everything went wrong.  The balloon would not fly.  He cut the basket after plaiting the ropes to create a hoist.  Once the basket was cut, he went flying!  He flew all over Sydney and slipped out of his harness.  Fearing that he was going to go into the sea, he managed to get some of the air let out of the balloon and landed in front of a house.   The people followed him and once he landed, he was taken to the pub.  The balloon was popped and since it was filled with coal gas the house exploded.  The daredevil survived.

Tony then goes back to the 1860s and a failed expedition across Australia.  Two men named Burke and Willis were going to plan an expedition across Australia.  They were searching for an inland sea.  The money was raised, and the men purchased supplies.  On the first day, a cart broke down.  However, the men pressed on.  The supplies they brought were ludicrous and they were not prepared to travel across the outback.  Would this expedition succeed in crossing Australia?  Would an inland sea be discovered?  Follow the rest of this piece to find out.

Tony’s next time travel moves forward to the 1960s and the Wahine Shipwreck.  He goes to Wellington, New Zealand to explore Wahine’s story.  The Wahine was sailing in a bad storm.  However, the storm was a one in five-hundred-year storm.  As the Wahine sailed her radar quit working.  It finally hit a reef and ran around.  The captain and crew tried to save the ship.  However, it became clear that the ship was going to sink.  Everyone was ordered to abandon the ship.  Tony talks with the survivor of the wreck.  Fifty-one people died in the shipwreck; many hundreds survived because of the large rescue effort done by the community.

Tony then travels forty years into the future to explore the impact of an earthquake.  He explores Christchurch, New Zealand.  Christchurch is the New Zealander version of England.  It was built in the image of the cathedral cities of England.  There was a major earthquake that hit Christchurch that killed 181 people.  The shallow depth of the earthquake made it deadly.  Tony explores the ruins of a square after this natural disaster.  Rebuilding the square in Christchurch will be a challenge for New Zealanders but it has brought everyone together to help rebuild the square.  There will be a few buildings that will be restored to their full glory.  Tony then talks with an on-site archeologist.  There have been some good finds as a result of the earthquake.

After this trip to the earthquake zone, Tony travels to the 1970s and South Australia.  One city’s fascination with disaster stopped a city in its tracks.  A house painter predicted a huge tidal wave that would strike Adelaide.  House prices plummeted, hotels went bust and people moved to higher ground.  This prediction scared the people.  Others were curious about what was coming and then moved to Adelaide.  They were curious about what was to come.  The giant wave never came, however, everyone enjoyed laughing at themselves.

This episode would be a good “fun and frivolous” episode to show to a history class.

Tony Robinson continues with his Time Travels in Eat, Drink and Be Merry.  He explores the passion for eat and drink and how it altered the course of history.  Where are the oldest grapevines?  How did rum bring down a government?  Why did the people riot against mutton?  Who controlled fifty percent of the world’s trade at one time?  Who really invented the Pavlova?

There was one drink above others that shaped civilization: Wine.  The world’s oldest grapevines can be found in Australia and a vineyard in Australia.  They were planted in 1843 and were planted by a German immigrant.  A reclusive German immigrant had a mind for soil.  He found an area in Australia where the soil had the potential to be fertile.  He had a vision of vineyards and orchards.  The people thought that he was joking, but he was serious.  This area would eventually have a thriving wine industry.

However, it was another drink that brought down a government.  It is 1808 and the Australia penal colony is getting off the ground.  However, there is a problem: the ruling class felt increasingly vulnerable.  The rulers had to rely on the army, however these were just ordinary blokes who wanted to take advantage of the situation.  These soldiers cornered the market on Rum.  Rum was considered a currency.  Builders were paid in rum.  Rewards for capturing criminals were given in Rum. 

This payment in rum started when the Governor of Australia returned to England due to poor health.  The officers took advantage of the power vacuum that was left and took over the government.  The officers gave themselves land grants and enriched themselves.  Eventually William Blythe was appointed governor and he was stickler for the rules.  He would come face to face to John Macarthur a charismatic Australia who was heavily invested in the colony.  Blythe was supposed to break up the rum cartel.  John Macarthur and his rum cartel fought back, and Blythe was forced to resign.

The next Time Travel takes Tony to Adelaide, Australia and the Great Depression.  The government provided the people with rations of food.  In January 1931, the people rioted against the replacement of beef with mutton an inferior meat in the people’s eyes.  It became known as the Beef Riots and as a result beef remained as part of the rations.
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After this short Time Travel, Tony explores the history of the East India Trading Company.  The 1500s were a period of exploration.  The World was divided between Spain and Portugal.  Only after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, that stranglehold on the world was broken.  The East India Trading Company petitioned the king for permission to explore.  The king granted this petition.  Eventually the East India Trading Company controlled fifty percent of the world trade.  This trading changed people’s taste.  Britain was the first coffee drinking nation in the world.  However, the East India Trading Company was not authorized to trade with coffee growing nations.  Then they started to trade tea and they traded for tea with China.  What did the East India Trading Company trade in order to get the tea?  The answer may surprise you.

Tony’s last stop goes to the 1920’s New Zealand and a fight over desert.  Anna Pavlova was on tour in New Zealand and Australia.  Her dress inspired a desert, which would become known as the Pavlova.  Who invented the Pavlova?  Was it the Australians or the New Zealanders?  Tune into this episode to find out what the Oxford dictionary has to say about the Pavlova.

This was an enjoyable episode about food and would be good to show in a food science class as well as a history class.  For a history class, I would show the section on the East India Trading Company.

Good morning!  We continue with Tony Robinson’s Time Travels in this episode:  In Cold Blood.  Tony arrives in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1954.  He is exploring a trial of two young ladies.  These ladies were so obsessed with which each other they would kill to stay together.  The two ladies were named Juliet and Pauline.  Pauline’s mother wanted to move out of New Zealand, separating the two girls.
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The pair hatched a plan to murder Pauline’s mother.  They lured her to a place outside of Christchurch, where the mother was brutally beaten to death.  When the trial started, the courthouse was packed and the locals were curious to see who could commit the murder.  The diary of the girls was read during the rial.  On August 29, 1954, the girls were found guilty of murder, sentenced to five years in prison, and never saw each other again.  They were sentenced to prison.  After they got out of prison, they managed to live productive lives.

Tony then arrives in Australia and explores the shipwreck Batavia.  The Batavia was going to Australia in 1629 from Holland to look for spices.  Unfortunately, the ship went off course and wrecked off the west coast of Australia.  Events spiraled out of control after this wreck.  The captain took a few of his men and went to Jakarta for help.  This left the survivors without a leader.  A man named Jeronimus Cornelisz took charge.  He sent off a group of men to look for food.  He left the men behind and took control of the island.  What ensued was murder and misery.  Many of the passengers were massacred.  Eventually, the captain returned and Jeronimus Corenlisz was hanged.  A piece of the ship Batavia is in a museum.

Tony goes to Sydney and explores the year 1790.  Sydney harbor was bristling with tension.  The governor Captain Arthur Philip was under order to befriend the Aboriginal people.  However, the Aboriginal people avoided the colony.  Anyone who strayed from the colony in Sydney was killed by Aboriginal people.  Arthur decided to kidnap an Aboriginal person.  He kidnapped several more Aboriginal people.  Eventually, tensions grew between the settlers and the Aboriginal people.  The Aboriginal people attempted to assassinate Arthur Philip. 

Captain Arthur Philip did not want the colonists to retaliate against the Aboriginal people.  They came to the negotiation table.  A meeting was arranged and the Aboriginal people were welcomed into the settlement.  Unfortunately, this peace would not last as the men went and explored Australia.  Tony then learns about John Horrocks.  He was a man who wanted to make his mark on history.  He was a farmer but then decided his forte was exploring.  Horrocks then imported a camel.  Camels are normally sweet-tempered but the camel Horrocks imported was ill-tempered.  He bit the head of the tent master.  Horrocks discovered a bird that he wanted to stuff.  Harry shifted and knocked the gun, shooting Horrocks.  Horrocks died twenty-three days later.  He ordered the camel shot and it took two bullets to kill the camel.

Tony then goes to 1933 and the sporting pitch to explore the most brutal action that occurred in sporting history.  A touring English cricket team was playing a game against the Australian cricket team.  An Australian player was hit in the chest and the English team was accused of playing dirty.  Tension rose and the Australian Prime Minister had to intervene.  The English Captain’s actions tarnished cricket’s reputation.

This was a rather cool episode to view and I would recommend the first part for a library and information science class because it talks about Anne Perry.  The third story of between the Aboriginals and the Sydney Colony would be a good section to show for a geography class.

Tony Robinson explores the Rebels with a Cause.  These were the people who stood up and said no.  He explores the different rebels through history.  The first rebel is found in Sydney, Australia.

It was clear that the British were going to say in Australia.  They settled in a place that was considered sacred to the Aboriginal people.  Tony Robinson meets up with Leanne Tobin, an Australian of Aboriginal descent.  She tells the story of one rebel.  He was a magic man and challenged people who came to settle.  He was a man who could change into a crow and this allowed him to spy on the British.  This rebel did not like what he was seeing.  This man went to challenge the British soldiers.  The soldiers shot him but the man did not die.  The fact that he did not die only became part of his legend.  Eventually, he was defeated and Aboriginals and Aboriginal culture went underground.

Tony then returns to Britain and talks about Queen Boudica.  Britain was under invasion by the Romans.  The Romans were going to change Britain.  Within months of the invasion, the Romans were in control over the southern half of the country.  When the Romans invaded Britain, they discovered a land ruled by a variety of kings and kingdoms.  These kings made deals with the Romans.  These deals worked out well for the Romans until the Iceni king died.  They seized the property of the Iceni, whipped the Iceni queen, and raped her daughter.  This queen was Boudica and she fought the Romans.  Eventually, the Romans gained the upper hand and Boudica killed herself.

Nine hundred years later, this spirit was found in one woman: Kate Sheppard.  She fought for women’s right to vote.  The first country in the world that allowed women to vote was New Zealand and she was born in Britain.  She not only fought for the women’s right to vote, she felt that women would vote against liquor.  This caused the liquor manufacturers to fight against Kate.  Thousands of people signed a petition for the women’s right to vote.  The issue was voted on in the New Zealand parliament and the women won the right to vote.

Tony then travels to Melbourne, Australia, and 1969.  The center of the rebellion was found in a theatre.  The actors were tackling the issue of censorship.  A playwright took on the authorities and wrote a play where the actors shouted obscenities.  The actors were arrested by the real authorities and were taken to jail.  The audience followed the actors to the jail shouting the lines of the play.  Eventually, the actors were charged and put on trial.  The first trial ended in dismissal.  Eventually, the censorship laws were overturned.

Finally, Tony goes to central Victoria and the goldfields.  Due to the gold, the population in central Victoria exploded.  Fortunes were made and unmade in the goldfields.  The goldfields were home to extravagance and excess.  Eventually, the government started charging diggers fees to the people.  The people were unhappy with the diggers fee.  A police force was sent to the goldfields to enforce the new rules.  The diggers started to dig in and try to stop the license checks.  The police responded with more license checks.  Eventually, the diggers were attacked.  Dozens lost their lives in the fight.  The survivors were put on trial for treason.  However, due to the gruesome manner people would be killed for treason, the survivors were found not guilty. 
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Tony goes to five different sites to explore history’s rebels.  I would just show the section on Boudica for a history class.

Good morning, this is the final blog in the series on Title Suggestions for 2022.  This section is for documentaries that the teacher can show for fun!  Sometimes you just need something in your quiver that you can show for fun.

If I suggest a series, then pick an episode from the series to show in the classroom.  I hope that this list helps teachers with their lesson plans for the school year! 
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Florence Foster Jenkins - YouTube
Florence Foster Jenkins was known as the world’s worse opera singer and this is her story.  This story is narrated from the perspective of a journalist who interviewed her.  Florence Foster Jenkins was a flamboyant woman who loved to sing.  She planned on performing at Carnegie Hall so the journalist wanted to interview her.  Historians and music lovers talk about Florence Foster Jenkins’ life and singing career. 

Pendle Witch Trials - YouTube
Alice Device, Jennet’s sister, confessed to being a witch.  An old peddler was struck down with a stroke after refusing to sell her some pins.  After this confession, dozens of people were arrested.  Jennet Device testifies in a witch trial against her family, setting a precedent in judicial history.  Jennet’s testimony condemned her family.  The narrator presents this documentary very well and his style engages the viewer. 

Lost Liners - YouTube
This documentary features Bob Ballard exploring his career as an oceanographer.  He discusses the Titanic and Lusitania and learns about the Empress of Ireland.  He talks about the Titanic’s discovery and the problems it caused.  Then he talks about the mystery of Lusitania’s sinking.  Finally, he visits the Empress of Ireland as his last ocean liner.  He visits the Empress of Ireland with a descendant of one of the passengers.

True History of English Food - YouTube
Lucy Worsley explores the history of English food.  She explores the life of Dorothy Hartley, an early English historian.  She walked the English countryside and documented the world she inhabited.  She wrote a 600-word book about food in England.  She wrote about food preparation, cooking techniques, and illustrated the books.  Worsley talks with the people who knew Hartley and prepares the dishes Dorothy knew. 

Victoria and Albert: The Wedding: Amazon
Lucy Worsley and several historians restage the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, each taking a piece of the ceremony such as the music, fashion, the placement of the guest, and the wedding breakfast.  One historian looks at the food.  Another recreates the wedding dress and dresses the guests at the wedding.  It is an intimate look at the wedding that changed the course of history.

The Blitz Witch - YouTube
Tony Robinson investigates the case of Helen Duncan, the last person in Britain to be jailed as a witch.  It was before D-Day and she was predicting the invasion.  She was tried as a witch during World War II.  Duncan was uncannily accurate in her predictions during World War II.  She was a threat to British National Security.  MI-5 got involved with her case.  Was she talking with the spirits of the dead soldiers?  

Diva Mummy - YouTube
While ordinary people fought in battles, the aristocrats celebrated and grew wealthy.  There was a Han aristocrat named Lady Dai.  Lady Dai would not ordinarily make history.  However, when her tomb was opened the discovery sent shockwaves through the archeological community.  Her mummy was the best-preserved mummy in the world.  She was known as the perfect mummy.  Her lifelike mummy leaves the Egyptian efforts in the dust.  

100 Years on the Lincoln Highway - YouTube
The Lincoln Highway started in Times Square New York and crossed the country in San Francisco.  IT was the first cross-country road in America.  The country did not have many roads before the automobiles.  Every road was a bike path or a dirt road farmers used to get in and out of town.  These roads did not link together and go somewhere. 

Good morning, I will continue in my quest to make documentary suggestions for the classroom and will feature blogs on World War II and the post World War II era.  This is a list of what I would start with for this section. 
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If I suggest a series, then pick an episode from the series to show in the classroom.  I hope that this list helps teachers with their lesson plans for the school year! 

Women Who Made History - Sophie Scholl - YouTube
Sophie School was a resistance fighter during World War II.  Initially, she had joined the Hitler Youth.  Her father was not pleased with this.  She loved music, boys, dancing, and alcohol.  Sophie and her siblings were arrested for listening to music.  Sophie was surprised that the government would arrest and imprison children.  This is a German-produced documentary with English voiceovers. 

World's Deadliest Sea Disaster - YouTube
The Wilhelm Gustloff was a ship that was sunk in the Baltic towards the end of World War II, taking with her 10,000+ souls.  It was the deadliest shipwreck in history.  The survivors come together to tell their survival stories.  This can also be used in a computer science class as they determined the number of people who died in the wreck by using computer simulations. 

Tuskegee Airmen - YouTube
Dogfight: The Tuskegee Airmen is a History Channel-produced documentary about the Tuskegee Airmen.  They guarded bomber groups as they carried on raids in Germany and Eastern Europe.  They were the best at guarding the bombers and fighting the Germans.  This documentary has the Tuskegee Airmen speak about their experiences in the fighter group. 

Wartime Farm:  YouTube
Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, and Alex Langladas as well as new team member Henry live as farmers facing the conditions of World War II.  Goodman, Ginn, and Langladas startup with setting up the farm for war conditions, planting the fields, and trying their hand at recycling.  They deal with rationing.  They also take in war refugees, participate in home defense and welcome the Americans. 

The Secret Diary of the Holocaust - YouTube
In 2005, a school notebook was discovered.  It was written by a 14-year-old girl named Rutka Laskier.  The diary was discovered in the floorboards of her home.  She was dubbed the “Polish Anne Frank.”  In here she recorded the last few months of her life in the ghetto of Bedzin.  She wrote about the atrocities that she saw, the hunger, and the physical hardships she endured.  This documentary tells Rutka’s through the eyes of her half-sister, Zahava Scherz. 

Sinking the Hood - YouTube
On May 24, 1941, the Hood was sunk by the Bismarck.  There were only three survivors.  The British public was shocked to hear that their flagship had sunk so quickly.  There were two boards of inquiry to determine why the Hood sunk so quickly, but they were inconclusive.  In 2012, there was an expedition to the wreck site to discover why the Hood sunk so quickly.  It was also an expedition to recover the bell from the Hood. 

Hidden Killers of the Post War Home - YouTube
Suzannah Lipscomb explores the post-World War II home in Hidden Killers of the Post War Home.  After the war normalcy slowly came back and with more purchasing power, people could buy more for the home.  Unfortunately, there were new dangers introduced in the home. Some dangers include flammable nightgowns and furniture, chemistry sets, and not washing hands.  This is a fascinating look at what hidden killers were brought into the home. 

Chernobyl: 35 Years After - YouTube
The disaster at Chernobyl happened on April 26, 1986.  It was the worse nuclear disaster in world history.  It still haunts the Ukrainian people to this day.  This documentary is about a group of survivors who returned to Prypiat.  They discuss their experiences and their feelings about the disaster.  Some have broken their silence for the first time.  This documentary is German-produced with English translations.

Good morning, I will continue in my quest to make documentary suggestions for the classroom and will feature blogs on the Late Victorian Period to World War I.  This is a list of what I would start with for this section.
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If I suggest a series, then pick an episode from the series to show in the classroom.  I hope that this list helps teachers with their lesson plans for the school year! 

Krakatoa: The Great Volcanic Eruption - YouTube
The Explosion of Krakatoa is a docudrama about the 1883 eruption.  It tells the story of the lighthouse keeper, a ship's captain, government officials, and the people.  Using primary sources, the producers put together this documentary about the eruption of Krakatoa and its impact on the world.  

Waking the Titanic - YouTube
Fourteen young people from one small town in Ireland made their way to America, onboard the Titanic.  They traveled together in a group to keep each other safe.  Only 3 survived the trip.  The deaths of 11 young people deeply scarred the town they grew up in.  Narrated by the actor who played Branson on Downton Abbey.  This docu-drama offers a different perspective on the Titanic by sharing the story of ordinary people. 

Words of the Titanic - YouTube
Words of Titanic is a docu-drama featuring the stories of the various survivors of the Titanic.  The producers used primary source documents and the actual words of those survivors.  The words are read by a variety of actors and descendants or relatives of Titanic crew members and survivors.

1900 Island - Episode 1  Episode 2  Episode 3  Episode 4  
Four families are heading back to 1900 and living in a small fishing village for a month.  The men will go fishing and the women will take care of the home.  The children will be educated in the 1900 schoolhouse.  So what hardships will these families face living this lifestyle?  What challenges will these families face?  Will the families come together to help each other?  Will they fall in love with the past?  

Edwardian Farm: YouTube  Amazon Prime
Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, and Alex Langladas live as farmers during the Edwardian Period.  Goodman, Ginn, and Langladas plant market gardens, raise livestock, and keep house using Edwardian methods.  They participate in daily Edwardian life and show how the Edwardian period brought changes to England.

Hidden Killers of the Edwardian Home - YouTube
Suzannah Lipscomb explores the Hidden Killers of the Edwardian Home.  The Edwardian Home was full of new inventions, however, some of these inventions were quite dangerous.  It was the first time the home had electricity.  Asbestos was used as insulation.  Refrigerators started to make an appearance in the home.  Women could wear make-up to have an up-to-date look.

Lusitania - YouTube
This is an older documentary on the Lusitania.  This documentary came out in 1994 and features the last known Lusitania survivors.  The survivors tell their stories about the ship and how they survived the sinking.  They also discuss their theories about why she sank so fast.  It also features Bob Ballard, who was trying to discover why she sank so fast.  Did the contraband on the ship explode and cause the ship to sink? 

The Remarkable Story of the Christmas Truce - YouTube
It is 1914 and the soldiers on both sides of the Great War are exhausted from fighting.  Christmas comes and the British soldiers suddenly hear something in the night sky.  It is the German soldiers singing Christmas carols.  The Germans are also putting up Christmas trees in the trenches.  Morning comes and there is a sense of peace in the air… 

Good morning, I will continue in my quest to make documentary suggestions for the classroom and will feature blogs on the Industrial Age and the Early Victorian period.  This is a list of what I would start with for this section.
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If I suggest a series, then pick an episode from the series to show in the classroom.  I hope that this list helps teachers with their lesson plans for the school year! 

Women Who Made History: Queen Luise - YouTube
She was the most dangerous woman in all of Europe.  Princess  Luise was a queen from a humble background.  She and her sister married Prussian princes.  Princess Luise would eventually become Queen Luise.  Queen Luise of Prussia encouraged the Prussians to go to war with Napoleon.  This is a German documentary with English subtitles.

Queen Victoria: A Monarch Unveiled:  Episode 1  Episode 2
A.N. Wilson explores the life of Queen Victoria through the letters that survived over two episodes.  The first episode shows what her childhood and married life were like.  The second episode shows her as a widow.  He paints a portrait of a monarch who laughed frequently, engaged in politics, and enjoyed life.  Wilson’s portrayal of Queen Victoria shatters the myth of the widow in black.  It is a fascinating look at the life of Queen Victoria through her surviving journals. 

Full Steam Ahead: YouTube
Peter Ginn, Alex Langlands, and Ruth Goodman explore the history of British Railways in this series.  They start with how the railroads impact mining and local areas before going into how the railways impact Britain as a nation.  The railroad had as big an impact as the internet had.  Ginn, Langlands, and Goodman demonstrate the changes the railroad brought over the decades.  

The Lost Viaduct - YouTube
The Time Team is exploring a site in South Wales.  They are trying to find the first railway viaduct.  The mine masters started building on a grand scale during the Industrial Revolution.  One of those building projects was a viaduct.  People lived under the arches of the viaduct.  Unfortunately, after twenty-five years the viaduct disappeared.  There is no record of it being demolished, so what happened?  Time Team will investigate. 

Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors: YouTube
Lucy explores the houses that inspired Jane Austen and her writing.  She starts with Austen’s childhood home and concludes with the home she died in.  Worsley goes to the places that had an impact on Austen’s writing and life.  She even spends the night in a house that Austen lived in.  It is a fascinating look at Jane Austen, her life, and the impact of her writing.  

Elegance and Decadence: History of the Regency: Episode 1  Episode 2  Episode 3
Lucy Worsley narrates the Regency Period, explaining the Prince Regent's complicated relationship with his father and Napoleon as well as Jane Austen and the changes England underwent during this period.  The Regency started because the Prince Regent took the reigns of power.  It was a golden age of writing and satire.  It aired in 2011 and marked the start of the 200th Anniversary of the Regency.

Victorian Pharmacy - Episode 1   Episode 2   Episode 3  Episode 4
The Victorian Pharmacy was the place where cures could be found.  It was the place where both the poor and rich could find medical care.  Ruth Goodman, Ruth Barber, and Tom Quick work in a real Victorian Pharmacy, finding alternatives for the popular cures of the day.  They how pharmacists made their medicines, brought people into the business, as well as how the industry became regulated. 
 
Victorian Farm: YouTube  Amazon Prime
Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn, and Alex Langladas live as farmers during the Victorian Age.  They work on the Acton-Scott estate for this series.  The first restore a Victorian farm worker's cottage, prepare cider, and plant their fields.  They participate in daily Victorian life.  They celebrate the holidays' Victorian Style.