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Test Driving Ford's 1953 Indy 500 Pace Car
Ford supplied the pace car in 1953 – a special Sunliner convertible. Ride along in it with us in this video. Join curator Matt Anderson for this fun ride into history!
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How Farmers Harvested and Threshed Wheat in the 1880s
Lazy days of summer start for some farmers only after they finish the most stressful time of their year – grain harvest. Weather conditions dictated the timing historically (and continue to do so today). At Firestone Farm, you can see the ways that farmers such as Benjamin Firestone combined weat...
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The 1967 Ford Mark IV: Legend of Le Mans
Few auto racing efforts were as ambitious as Ford’s quest to beat Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most important sports car race, in the 1960s. Ford’s dedication paid off, first in 1966 when GT40s finished 1-2-3 at the French endurance race, and then again in 1967 with an all-Amer...
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Napoleon's Revenge: Wagram 1809
Six weeks after his bloody repulse at the Battle of Aspern-Essling, Napoleon led his reinforced army back across the Danube. The resulting clash with Archduke Charles's Austrian army was the biggest and bloodiest battle yet seen in European history, and despite heavy French losses, resulted in a ...
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Napoleon's Spanish Ulcer: Spain 1809 - 1811
In 1809, as Napoleon fought the Austrians at Wagram, the war in Spain and Portugal continued to rage. The French had inflicted several heavy defeats on Spanish field armies, but now they faced a popular insurgency as well as a well-trained Anglo-Portuguese army led by British general Lord Welling...
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Home Front Heroes Women in World War II
During World War II, American women made enormous contributions to the war effort. Yet, much of their "fighting" took place not on the battlefront, but on the home front. Their home front activities offered challenges and opportunities never available before to women -- even everyday tasks took o...
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Wellington Strikes: Salamanca 1812
In 1812 French forces in Spain were severely overstretched, as Napoleon withdrew the best troops for his invasion of Russia. Wellington saw an opportunity to strike. First he secured the strategic fortress-cities of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, both taken in bloody assaults, then advanced to Salam...
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Napoleons Invasion of Russia 1812
In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia with the largest army Europe had ever seen, composed of troops from France as well as Poland, Germany, Italy and several other allied states. The campaign that followed saw the Russians use scorched earth tactics to deny the enemy supplies, while Napoleon advanced ...
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Napoleon's Bloodiest Day: Borodino 1812
In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia with the largest army Europe had ever seen. As it advanced, the Russian army retreated, and by September Napoleon's army had marched 470 miles into the depths of Russia. 70 miles west of Moscow near the village of Borodino, the Russian army, under a new commander, ...
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Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow 1812
In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia with the largest army Europe had ever seen. But after winning a costly victory at Borodino and occupying Moscow, Napoleon's invitation to Russian Emperor Alexander to make peace met with no response. Napoleon now found himself 500 miles from friendly territory, out...
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Fredericksburg
Movie + 1 extra
Fredericksburg, A Documentary Film is the complete story of the Union army's attempt to force a river crossing in front of the town of Fredericksburg, and dislodge the Confederates from their defenses, which would have opened the road to Richmond in December 1862. It is a unique film for a unique...
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Napoleon 1813: The Road to Leipzig
In 1813, following his disastrous invasion of Russia, Napoleon faced a desperate battle to save his empire. His enemies were gaining in strength, as Prussia and Sweden joined the Sixth Coalition against him, while Russian armies advanced across Poland and into Germany. The French Emperor worked m...
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Wellington's Triumph: Vitoria 1813
In May 1813, as Napoleon launches a desperate bid to save his empire following the disastrous defeat in Russia, the situation in Spain is particularly precarious. French forces have been weakened to make up for the enormous losses in Russia. But Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese army, as well as the ...
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Napoleon Endgame: France 1814
Following his defeat in the giant Battle of Leipzig (Oct 1813), Napoleon's final defeat seemed only a matter of time. But when Coalition armies crossed the Rhine and invaded France, Napoleon - outnumbered 4 to 1 - began one of the most daring and brilliant campaigns in military history. However N...
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160th Anniversary Maryland Campaign
This exclusive video showcases the 160th Anniversary Maryland Campaign "A Perfect Homespun Waterloo" the fight at Snavely Ford & Otto's Cornfield at Antietam Creek, Maryland.
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Captain Wendell O. Pruitt
Captain Wendell Oliver Pruitt was a pioneering pilot of the 15th Air Force and a Tuskegee Airman from St. Louis. His story begins with humble beginnings and a desire to fly. A Sumner High graduate who grew up in the Ville neighborhood, Pruitt was well liked and well educated. His quiet demeanor g...
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Hero: Thaddeus Watson,100 year-old WWII Veteran
Adolphus Thaddeus Watson, 100 Year old WWII Veteran, who served in the U.S. Army all black 351st artillery unit during the Battle of the Bulge is featured. His story takes us on a historical journey from being raised on a plantation by his Aunt Fannie who was born into slavery, the Jim Crow era, ...
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How an 1803 Jacquard Loom Led to Computer Technology
Joseph Marie-Jacquard developed the mechanical Jacquard loom in France in 1803. This innovative machine used punch cards to control the design of textiles made on the loom. These cards are predecessors to the modern-day computer punch cards and computer technology.
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United in Freedom: The Emancipation Proclamation Film
In June 2011, through a unique collaboration with the National Archives in Washington, D.C., The Henry Ford had the privilege of displaying the actual Emancipation Proclamation for 36 hours. The response from the community was overwhelming - and inspiring. Watch what happened when thousands of pe...
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Cailloux: The Fight to Freedom
Movie
The incredible true story of a man born enslaved, who eventually lead the first assault by Black soldiers in the Civil War. Andre Cailloux’s courage became a rallying cry in their fight to end slavery. Told through the works of local New Orleans artists and preeminent experts, this important and ...
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Rosa Parks National Day of Courage FIlm
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Custer's Strategy of Defeat
Movie + 1 extra
On the morning of June 25, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer made the fateful decision to attack a large Native American village camped on the banks of the Little Big Horn River. It was a decision that would cost him his life, the lives of 268 of his men, and over 60 Native America...
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Circa 1900 Tiffany Studios Floor Lamp
Movie + 1 extra
One of America’s most renowned artists, Louis Comfort Tiffany worked in nearly all of the media available to artists and designers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—glass, ceramic, metalwork, jewelry, and painting. Tiffany’s technical brilliance in a wide variety of media enabl...