The Associated Press and British Movietone are bringing more than one million minutes of digital film footage to YouTube to create a visual encyclopedia that provides viewers with a unique account of modern history. This will be the largest upload of historical content to a video platform ever recorded, and the YouTube channel will include more than 550,000 videos featuring content ranging from 1895 to present day. In addition to the archived content, the channel will be updated regularly with contemporary footage.

Viewers can see footage from the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, Marilyn Monroe in London, and Twiggy modeling, notes The Associated Press.

“At AP we are always astonished at the sheer breadth of footage that we have access to, and the upload to YouTube means that, for the first time, the public can enjoy some of the oldest and more remarkable moments in history,” says Alwyn Lindsey, AP director of international affairs.

“Making this content available on YouTube is a wonderful initiative from AP and British Movietone that will breathe new life into their footage and no doubt delight our global community — from students reaching history projects to curious culture-ventures and the billions in between,” adds Stephen Nuttall, director of YouTube in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “It’s an historical treasure trove that will give YouTube users around the world a moving window into the past and I can’t wait to explore it.”

The channel plans to include videos involving sporting events, fashion through the ages, technological innovations, evolution of eating and drinking habits, notable weather, political milestones, historical moments and more.

A welcome video is available on the Associated Press YouTube channel.