Former newsreel giant British Pathé has been hard at work converting and uploading its entire historic film archive to YouTube. Their collection of 85,000 videos feature some fascinating looks at the 20th century.
The massive collection includes well over 3,500 hours of historical footage of countless major events, crimes, notable figures, culture, and so much more. A lot of the film clips have already become truly legendary in their own rights, including the Hindenburg disaster. There is also an extensive film library from both World Wars.
According to a statement on their website, General Manager Alastair White said:
Our hope is that everyone, everywhere who has a computer will see these films and enjoy them…this archive is a treasure trove unrivaled in historical and cultural significance that should never be forgotten. Uploading the films to YouTube seemed like the best way to make sure of that.
British Pathé, originally known simply as Pathé News, was started in 1896. Their films were often displayed before cinema screenings and gave viewers an insight into stories they may otherwise would never have seen.