Americana :: People

William McKinley, His Last Days, Funeral and the Pan-American Exposition

The National Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Americans is a four volume biographical collection of many of the early men and women who built the foundations of America. Within its pages are fascinating details of more than 100 of the early movers and shakers of the United States. This collection makes a great reference work for the works and relationships of these great, early Americans.

This documentary follows the amazing creative life of Thomas Alva Edison, one the the worlds great modern inventors - an inventor who's impact was so great that we still use many of the technologies he created 100 years ago. In this 30 minute presentation, you will learn fascinating facts about his life and most important, world shaping inventions - a few of which are shown in the images below.

The Street People was produced by the National Institute of Justice in 1986 to discuss police response to runaways, mentally ill and the homeless. The DVD looks at communities in Santa Barbara and Philadelphia and how the police evaluate each situation involving a street person to decide if incarceration or help is the appropriate response. This DVD is focused on awareness of what is and is not a crime by our lowest rung of humanity and offers a look at appropriate alternative responses that in many cases are more beneficial to the homeless and the community than simply locking them in a jail cell.

Theodore Roosevelt - A True American Hero - Rough Riders, African Big Game Hunting, Brazilian Wilderness, Sagamore Hill and More

A Collection of 341 Movies and Films From 1891-1922 on 6 DVDs

Produced by the Department of Agriculture, United States Forest Service, this video explores the history of the tragic Donner camp of 1846-47 when the Donner party was trapped by the heavy snows of the Sierra Nevada. It shows the Tahoe National Forest working with archaeology students from the university of Nevada excavating the site to better understand the fate of these people during that horrible winter.

Starring Willie Bryant, Freddie Robinson, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Herb Jeffries, Sarah Vaughan, Nipsey Russell, Big Joe Turner, Martha Davis, Little Buck, Nat 'King' Cole, Cab Calloway and More

A glimpse of Appalachia - the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee - their culture and lifestyle.