Search results

Listed under:  History  >  Social history
Video

Impact of European settlement on Aboriginal Tasmanians video

Aboriginal Tasmanians had inhabited Tasmania for over 40,000 years before the arrival of European settlers. What do you think life was like for Aboriginal Tasmanians before then? Why might have they embarked on a war, called the 'Black War', once settlers began arriving in Tasmania, despite existing relatively peacefully ...

Video

Old People's Home For 4 Year Olds: Lest we forget

Poppies are a significant part of Remembrance Day observations. As a symbol of respect and gratitude, people place poppies at memorials for people whose lives were ended in wars. In this clip, older Australians and young children pay their respects to those who didn’t survive their wartime service. ________________________________________ ...

Video

ABC National TV Service: Opening night, 1956

Can you imagine life before television? How different would it have been? This clip is taken from the opening moments of the first ABC television broadcast in 1956. As you watch it, see how the presenter describes the event and try to imagine the impact such first broadcasts would have had on Australians more than half ...

Video

Sydney Opera House: Construction launch

In what ways can a building reflect the aspirations of the society around it? The design and construction of the Sydney Opera House took place between 1957 and 1973. This short, silent clip shows part of the ceremony marking the commencement of the building's construction. This was a period of political and economic transition, ...

Video

Meet the Fremantle Port Hostesses

In the 1960s, Marie Novak and Pauline Noble worked for the Fremantle Port Authority as hostesses, welcoming new migrants who arrived by ship. Why were hostesses needed? How do Marie and Pauline describe their time as hostesses? Compare the migration experiences of Marie's and Pauline's families. How did their backgrounds ...

Video

Welcome to Bonegilla Migrant Camp

Following World War II, the Australian government was eager to increase the country’s population. The war reminded Australians that their small population would not withstand an enemy invasion. Further, a larger workforce was needed to develop the postwar economy. European people, many displaced by the war and the spread ...

Video

Weekend Magazine: A tour of the nation's capital

In the years following World War II, Australia sought to develop a new identity, one that honoured the past while embracing technological advances and increased political stability. As this clip shows, for many people during this period, Canberra - the nation's capital - served as a metaphor for the sort of place Australia ...

Video

Journey into Japan: Japan's shoguns keep everyone in their places

What was the status of each social class in shogunate Japan? During the period from around 1600 to 1868, Japan was a feudal society. As in medieval Europe, each group had its place in a strict social order. Watch this clip to discover the roles of each group during the age when the Tokugawa shoguns ruled the country. This ...

Video

Landline: Spinifex research

What does spinifex grass contain that might prove useful in modern buildings? Watch this clip and discover how Aboriginal knowledge, combined with Western science, is unlocking the potential of spinifex. Find out about this natural resource and how it could become a new, sustainable material for the building industry.

Video

Why Australia wanted a White Australia policy

The Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 was designed to limit non-British immigration to Australia. It came to be known as the White Australia policy. In some quarters, people of non-British (and especially non-European) heritage were regarded as being inferior, greedy or unable to fit in with dominant Australian society. ...

Video

School in the 1940s

Imagine going to school in the 'olden days' (the 1940s). Find out what morning assembly looked like. Discover the things that children kept in their desks and what they used to do their writing. This clip shows you what school was like in the past as two adults (actors Terry Norris and Carmel Millhouse) remember what they ...

Video

Chequerboard: First day jitters

What was the first day of school like for your parents? This clip shows a group of children arriving at school with their parents in 1974.

Video

Chequerboard: Bell's gone!

School finishes for the day and parents are waiting to take their children home. Find out what school pickup time looked like in 1974.

Video

This Day Tonight: Playgrounds, billycarts and hot rods

Discover what school holidays were like for children in the past. In this black-and-white clip, a reporter asks some school children how they feel about holidays. Find out what kinds of things children did on their holidays when your parents and grandparents were your age.

Video

BTN: Eureka Stockade

The Battle of the Eureka Stockade was fought in Ballarat, Victoria between gold miners and Colonial forces in 1854. What were the miners rebelling against? Why is this event a significant point in Australia's history?

Video

For the Juniors: Celebrating a new baby

Have you ever visited a new baby? Come along with Levi as he meets his baby sister for the first time. Find out why people get so excited when a new baby arrives. Find out how families let people know about a new baby.

Video

ABC News: Full-on Aussies

How do people celebrate Australia Day where you live? Watch how diverse groups of Melburnians spend Australia Day in 2013, and hear some people talk about why they chose to become Australian citizens.

Video

Chequerboard: Twinkle, twinkle, little ducks

A class of children join in a singing lesson on their first day of school in 1974. Watch and see how school has changed, and stayed the same, over time.

Video

For the Juniors: Visit a restored 19th-century cottage

Take a trip back in time to discover what some Australian homes looked like in the past. Visit an old miner's cottage that was built long ago. Explore the kitchen, the living room and the outdoor toilet. Imagine what your life would be like if you grew up in this home.

Video

For the Juniors: Cooking food in the past and present

How might your family cook without electricity or gas? See what some kitchens of people from long ago looked like. Discover ways that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people cook some food.