Bridgeman Footage: 2014 Anniversaries

January                    

Battle of Monte Cassino, WWII – 70 years

On January 17-18,1944, the Allies made a series of assaults on the Winter Line during the Italian Campaign of WWII. Here, German soldiers are under attack in the ruins of Monte Cassino, while news cameraman, Billy Jordan, tells the story of filming the bombing.

Death of Vladimir Lenin – 90 years

On January 21, 1924 Russian communist revolutionary, Vladimir Lenin, died in Moscow after a series of strokes. 

Death of Salvador Dali – 25 years

On January 23, 1989 Spanish Surrealist painter, Salvador Dali, died of heart failure. This 1968 documentary discusses the Surrealist art movement and its heritage.

February                  

Death of Woodrow Wilson – 90 years

On February 3, 1923 U.S. President, Woodrow Wilson, died of heart problems and became the first and only president to be interred in Washington D.C.

The Beatles arrive in the USA – 50 years

On February 7, 1964, the Beatles landed at JFK Airport to an estimated 4,000 fans. Their US tour brought the band to global stardom and kick-started a change in attitude to popular music in America.

March                                  

Birth of Yuri Gagarin – 80 years

On March 9, 1934 Soviet cosmonaut and first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, was born. Awarded with his nation’s highest accolades, he became an international celebrity and had his birth town named in his honor. Here, Gagarin visits Manchester in 1961.

Last eruption of Mount Vesuvius – 70 years

Mt. Vesuvius, in the Gulf of Naples, erupted three times in the early 20th century, with its final eruption on March 18, 1944. The previous eruption was in 1929, the year Philip de Laszlo, the famous Hungarian painter, visited it with his Kodak camera. And here is his footage!

Official opening of the Eiffel Tower – 125 years

Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower opened to its first visitors on the March 31,1889.  With elevators not yet in operation, the ascent was made on foot and took over an hour. The Tower features many times in our archive, in both historic and contemporary contexts.

April                         

Birth of NATO – 65 years

On April 9, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed, sealing an intergovernmental military alliance between countries mainly in Europe and North America. Bridgeman Footage is home to a large collection of NATO-sponsored films and documentary footage.

Birth of Charlie Chaplin – 125 years

On April 16, 1889 silent film actor, Charlie Chaplin, was born in South London. Chaplin features briefly in our archive, amidst a crowd of fans in 1920s Berlin.

Birth of Adolf Hitler – 125 years

On April 20, 1889, Adolf Hitler was born, in a small town on the Bavarian border. The Nazi dictator features prominently throughout our collection of WWII footage and Eva Braun’s home movies.

May                            

First Mother’s Day (United States) – 100 years

On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation declaring the 1st national Mother’s Day as a day for American citizens to honor those mothers whose sons had died in war.

June                           

Normandy Landings, WWII – 70 years

The successful Allied invasion of Normandy commenced on Tuesday June 6, 1944.  Leading to the liberation of France in August of that year, it became the most celebrated D-Day of WWII.

Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand – 100 years

On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo. This political act on behalf of Bosnian Serb activists caused Austria-Hungary to declare war, and directly lead to the outbreak of WWI.

July

End of food rationing in the United Kingdom – 60 years

On July 4, 1954, all food rationing formally ended in Britain after a 14-year period, which began in 1940 during WWII. The archive holds many examples of rationing in various countries during the War.

First World War – 100 years

On July 28, 1914, the first global war broke out between the Allies and the Central Powers, becoming the fifth deadliest conflict in world history.  Find footage covering the battles, home fronts and politics of the Great War in our extensive collection.

August                      

Death of Paul von Hindenburg – 80 years

On August 2, 1934, the 2nd President of Germany Paul von Hindenburg died of lung cancer. Two hours later, Adolf Hitler was announced as Leader and Chancellor of Germany.

German Invasion of Belgium, WWI – 100 years

Despite Belgium's intention of neutrality in the Great War, Germany began its invasion of the country on August 3, 1914, declaring war on all of the Allied Powers. This triggered Belgium's and Britain's entry into WWI.
 

Battle of Tannenberg, WWI – 100 years

The Russian Second Army and the German Eighth Army went head to head in the Battle of Tannenberg on August 23, 1914, one of the first battles of the Great War. The Russian Second Army was almost completely destroyed.
 

Death of Charles Lindbergh – 40 years

On August 26, 1974, famous aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh died of lymphoma at the age of 72. At 25, Lindbergh became an “overnight” sensation after his ground-breaking 1927 flight from New York to Paris. In 1932 his son was kidnapped, a crime which became one of the most highly publicized of the century.

September               

Second World War – 75 years

Widely regarded to have begun on September 1, 1939, World War II was the most widespread, and thus deadliest, war in history. Bridgeman Footage holds collections covering various territories during WWII, including a vast body of material from the Netherlands.

Battle of the Marne, WWI – 100 years

On September 5, 1914, the Battle of the Marne began, forcing the German Imperial Army to retreat northeast, and setting the stage for four years of trench warfare on the Western Front.

October                    

First Battle of Ypres, WWI – 100 years

Beginning on the October 19, 1914, the First Battle of Ypres was fought between the German and Western Allies to secure the town of Ypres in Western Belgium. The Allies won and the battle ceased on 22nd November.

November                

Fall of the Berlin Wall – 25 years

On November 9, 1989, it was announced by the new East German government that the gates along the Berlin Wall were to be opened, allowing East and West Berliners to cross freely after nearly 30 years of separation.

Birth of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec – 150 years

On the November 24, 1864, French painter and printmaker Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born. He became a prominent member of the Post-Impressionist art movement with his theatrical representations of the decadent Paris in which he lived.