Planet Earth

This series presents visually spectacular tours of the seven continents as it makes connections between our solar system and Earth’s oceans, climate, and mineral and energy sources. It unifies Earth science, astronomy, and comparative planetology into an integrated discipline that relies on common scientific methods. A flexible instructional resource, Planet Earth provides course material for nonscience students and science majors. Produced by WQED/Pittsburgh in association with the National Academy of Sciences. 1986.

1. The Living Machine
Plate tectonics, one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century, is explored at such sites as the erupting Kilauea volcano and the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in the submersible craft Alvin.

2. The Blue Planet
Perhaps the last great unexplored frontier on earth, the oceans reveal major new revelations as detected by scientists aboard the space shuttle and submerged to the depths of the “middle ocean” to view rare life forms.

3. The Climate Puzzle
Scientists piece together an unfolding mystery — what caused the ice ages, how Venus’s greenhouse effect may have parallels on earth, and what Antarctica’s eerie ice rivers demonstrate.

4. Tales From Other Worlds
Through little-seen footage shot in space and special effects, visit the great failed star of Jupiter, probe the raging volcano of Io, and peer through acid rain clouds to see the surface of Venus for the first time.

5. Gifts From the Earth
By examining the earth’s mineral and energy sources, scientists analyze how the theory of plate tectonics has revolutionized the search for earth’s treasures that lie hidden in locations such as the Red Sea and Antarctic ice cap.

6. The Solar Sea
Geologists investigate an 800-million-year-old rock record of sun activity in an ancient Australian lake bed, and fabulous ground and satellite photography of the aurora borealis all contribute to an understanding of earth’s relationship to the yellow dwarf star we know as the sun.

7. Fate of the Earth
New theories about the global consequences of a “nuclear winter” and an “ultra-violet spring” are revealed in this final episode that explores the role of life in shaping earth and its future.

Art of the Western World

Magnificent masterpieces of the Western world are presented in their cultural and historical settings. From the restrained classical tradition to energetic and spontaneous modern art, each artistic movement is interpreted through its major paintings, sculptures, and works of architecture. Comments from internationally known art experts and critics assist in understanding and appreciation of the works. This series is also valuable for teachers seeking to review the subject matter. Produced by WNET/New York (major producer) 1989.  Click on the title of the episode to watch it.

1. The Classical Ideal
Part I: Traces the origins of humanism and the immortal classical style to Ancient Greece. Part II: The genius of Roman engineering and architecture was used to build an empire, while portrait sculpture exalted its rulers.

2. A White Garment of Churches — Romanesque and Gothic
Part I: With the fall of the Roman empire, Christianity flourished with the Church as patron of monumental Romanesque architecture and sculpture. Part II: The origin of Gothic architecture is found in the choir of the Abbey Church of St. Denis and the Chartres Cathedral serves as a model of High Gothic style.

3. The Early Renaissance
Part I: The rebirth of classical themes and humanistic ideas marked the Renaissance in Italy, as seen in Florentines Brunelleschi, Masaccio, Ghiberti, and Botticelli. Part II: Glowing color — made possible by the new medium of oil paint — and minute detail set the work of the Flemish masters Van Eyck and Grunewald apart from the Florentines.

4. The High Renaissance
Part I: Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael displayed extraordinary talent working in a variety of media and elevated the status of the artist in Italian society. Part II: Venetians like Titian, Tintoretto, and Palladio readapted the classical style with a theatrical flourish.

5. Realms of Light — The Baroque
Part I: The Church’s campaign to counter the Reformation relied on dramatic depictions of religious scenes, such as those of Caravaggio and Bernini. Part II: The royal courts in Spain and the wealthy burghers in the Netherlands commissioned major paintings by Velazquez and Rembrandt and shaped their content.

6. An Age of Reason, An Age of Passion
Part I: The playful fantasy and provocative subjects of the Rococo style practiced by Watteau, Fragonard, and Boucher gave way to strict Rationalism, which insisted on morality in art and the purity of classical form, as seen in the works of David. Part II: Striving for individual expression, Romantic painters Goya, Gericault, and Delacroix demonstrated a range of styles and subjects.

7. A Fresh View — Impressionism and Post-Impressionism
Part I: Courbet and his followers rejected the standard academic themes and techniques, Manet shocked Paris, and Impressionists represented the world bathed in color and changing light. Part II: Post-Impressionists Seurat, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cézanne broke new ground with daring and imaginative use of color and approaches to form.

8. Into the Twentieth Century
Part I: With modernity came new energy and forms in Viennese building and painting. Paris saw the emergence of the Fauves, and of Picasso and Cubism. Kandinsky and others experimented with color abstraction. Part II: Modernism spawned not only Cubism, but also the abstract and the surreal. Le Corbusier and Wright applied the abstract principles to buildings. Dada responded to the devastation of WWI with nihilism; surrealists Dali, Magritte, and Miro showed Freudian influence.

9. In Our Own Time
Part I: The Abstract Expressionist movement established New York as a center for the visual arts. Works by Pollock, Warhol, Lichtenstein, and the sculptor Oldenburg are examined. Part II: With many of the rules tested and discarded, the art world has become international. Art is now accessible to everyone to create and appreciate. Host Michael Wood looks over the past and forward to implications for the future.

The Western Tradition

The Western Tradition is a free series of videos that traces the arc of western civilization. Starting in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, the survey proceeds to cover the Byzantine Empire and Medieval Europe, then the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Industrial Revolution, and finally ends up in 20th century Europe and America. Presented by UCLA professor Eugen Weber, an impressive European historian, the video series includes over 2,700 images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art that illustrate some of the West’s great cultural achievements. Each of the 52 videos runs about 30 minutes. So you’re getting an amazing 26 hours of content for free. You can watch them on Google Videos, starting here, you can choose episodes from this channel, see episodes from this page, or choose the episode (listed below) you’d like to watch by clicking on its title.

 

1. The Dawn of History
The origins of the human race are traced from anthropoid ancestors to the agricultural revolution

2. The Ancient Egyptians
Egyptian irrigation created one of the first great civilizations.

3. Mesopotamia
Settlements in the Fertile Crescent gave rise to the great river civilizations of the Middle East.

4. From Bronze to Iron
Metals revolutionized tools, as well as societies, in the empires of Assyria, Persia, and Neo-Babylonia.

5. The Rise of Greek Civilization
Democracy and philosophy arose from Greek cities at the edge of the civilized world.

6. Greek Thought
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle laid the foundation of Western intellectual thought.

7. Alexander the Great
Alexander’s conquests quadrupled the size of the world known to the Greeks.

8. The Hellenistic Age
Hellenistic kingdoms extended Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean.

9. The Rise of Rome
Through its army, Rome built an empire that shaped the West.

10. The Roman Empire
Rome’s civil engineering contributed as much to the empire as did its weapons.

11. Early Christianity
Christianity spread despite contempt and persecution from Rome.

12. The Rise of the Church
The old heresy became the Roman empire’s official religion under the Emperor Constantine.

13. The Decline of Rome
While enemies slashed at Rome’s borders, civil war and economic collapse destroyed the empire from within.

14. The Fall of Rome
Despite the success of emperors such as Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius, Rome fell victim to barbarian invasions.

15. The Byzantine Empire
From Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire carried on the traditions of Greece and Rome.

16. The Fall of Byzantium
Nearly a thousand years after Rome’s fall, Constantinople was conquered by the forces of Islam.

17. The Dark Ages
Barbarian kingdoms took possession of the fragments of the Roman Empire.

18. The Age of Charlemagne
Charlemagne revived hopes for a new empire in Western Europe.

19. The Middle Ages
Amid invasion and civil disorder, a military aristocracy dominated the kingdoms of Europe.

20. The Feudal Order
Bishop, knight, and peasant exemplified some of the social divisions of the year 1000 A.D.

21. Common Life in the Middle Ages
Famine, disease, and short life expectancies were the conditions that shaped medieval beliefs.

22. Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages
The great churches embodied the material and spiritual ambitions of the age.

23. The Late Middle Ages
Two hundred years of war and plague debilitated Europe.

24. The National Monarchies
A new urban middle class emerged, while dynastic marriages established centralized monarchies.

25. The Renaissance and the Age of Discovery
Renaissance humanists made man “the measure of all things.” Europe was possessed by a new passion for knowledge.

26. The Renaissance and the New World
The discovery of America challenged Europe.

27. The Reformation
Voiced by Martin Luther, Protestantism shattered the unity of the Catholic Church.

28. The Rise of the Middle Class
As the cities grew, new middle-class mores had an impact on religious life.

29. The Wars of Religion
For more than a century, the quarrels of Protestants and Catholics tore Europe apart.

30. The Rise of the Trading Cities
Amid religious wars, a few cities learned that tolerance increased their prosperity.

31. The Age of Absolutism
Exhausted by war and civil strife, many Europeans exchanged earlier liberties and anarchies for greater peace.

32. Absolutism and the Social Contract
Arguments about the legitimate source of political power centered on divine right versus natural law.

33. The Enlightened Despots
Monarchs considered reforms in order to create more efficient societies, but not at the expense of their own power.

34. The Enlightenment
Intellectual theories about the nature of man and his potential came to the fore.

35. The Enlightenment and Society
Scientists and social reformers battled for universal human rights during a peaceful and prosperous period.

36. The Modern Philosophers
Freedom of thought and expression opened new vistas explored by French, English, and American thinkers.

37. The American Revolution
The British colonists created a society that tested Enlightenment ideas and resisted restrictions imposed by England.

38. The American Republic
A new republic, the compromise of radicals and conservatives, was founded on universal freedoms.

39. The Death of the Old Regime
In France the old order collapsed under revolutionaries’ attacks and the monarchy’s own weakness.

40. The French Revolution
Liberty, equality, and fraternity skidded into a reign of Terror.

41. The Industrial Revolution
Technology and mass production reduced famine and ushered in higher standards of living.

42. The Industrial World
A consumer revolution was fueled by coal, public transportation, and new city services.

43. Revolution and Romantics
Leaders in the arts, literature, and political theory argued for social justice and national liberation.

44. The Age of the Nation-States
The great powers cooperated to quell internal revolts, yet competed to acquire colonies.

45. A New Public
Public education and mass communications created a new political life and leisure time.

46. Fin de Siècle
Everyday life of the working class was transformed by leisure, prompting the birth of an elite avant-garde movement.

47. The First World War and the Rise of Fascism
Old empires crumbled during World War I to be replaced by right-wing dictatorships in Italy, Spain, and Germany.

48. The Second World War
World War II was a war of new tactics and strategies. Civilian populations became targets as the Nazi holocaust exterminated millions of people.

49. The Cold War
The U.S. and Soviet Union dominated Europe and confronted each other in Korea.

50. Europe and the Third World
Burdened with the legacy of colonial imperialism, the Third World rushed development to catch up with its Western counterparts.

51. The Technological Revolution
Keeping up with the ever-increasing pace of change became the standard of the day.

52. Toward the Future
Modern medicine, atomic energy, computers, and new concepts of time, energy, and matter all have an important effect on life in the 20th century.