Watch and Learn Presentations

New Content is posted on our main Programs Page HERE daily Mon-Thurs at Noon. See below on this page for our previously posted Watch and Learn content archived for you to watch whenever you want!

PERFORMING ARTS

Watch these 10 iconic dances from Classic Broadway musicals that you will likely recognize before you read the title!  Click HERE

Watch this great performance of one of our favorite songs from the hit musical The Wiz! Click HERE

Watch some of the best Trio performances from Cirque du Soleil shows around the world. Click HERE

Enjoy this classic performance of a message for the citizens of Earth from The Blue Man Group. Click HERE

Watch this great scene from Les Misérables. The National tour will be in Philadelphia this Fall at The Kimmel Center! Click HERE

Watch the moving Finale from the Broadway Musical COME FROM AWAY. Click HERE
You can watch the full production streaming now on Apple+ TV.

Cirque du Soleil has shows all over the world. Watch some of the acts that best show off the true strength of their artists. Click HERE

Watch Allison Williams perform as Peter Pan in this Musical role made famous by Mary Martin back in 1954 on Broadway. Click HERE

Take a look behind the curtain and watch how they staged the 25th Anniversary production of Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall. Click HERE

Discover more about these 20 Dance Styles from all around the World. Click HERE

Watch the light show and organ performance from the Wannamaker building (Macy’s) downtown this year form the comfort of your home.  Click HERE

Watch and learn about every OSCAR Award winning BEST Song in a Film from 1935- 2016. How many songs do you recognize? CLICK HERE

Julie Snyder and the students of Snyder School of Singing present a Virtual Recital of the beloved songs of Rogers & Hammerstein! Click HERE to watch

A Documentary about Broadway and the American Musical. Watch Episode 1 Part 1 Click HERE. Parts 2-3 and other episodes in this series can be watched HERE.

Learn about Olympic Champion Ice Dancers Torvill & Dean and their history making performance at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. Click HERE to watch.

Take a look behind the scenes of the blockbuster movie Forrest Gump in this documentary. Click HERE

HISTORY

Watch and Learn about how Portugal was formed. Click HERE

Learn about the lost Hollywood Sign in California. Click HERE

1934 seems like a whole other world from the one we live in today. Watch and learn about how things were different! Click HERE

Discover the underground mail train that used to exist in London. Click HERE

Watch and Learn about how the Native American Tribes were formed. Click HERE

A lot happened in 1929 to change America forever. Watch and learn about today. Click HERE

Watch and Learn about how the War of 1812 lead to the Burning of the White House. Click HERE

Heard of AI? Do you know what it’s possible uses could be? Find out! Click HERE

Watch and Learn about the Dozens of Subway tunnels that are not used, but still exist under the City of Philadelphia. Click HERE

Take a Crash Course in Latin American Literature today! Click HERE

1923 was an interesting year in American History. Watch and learn today! Click HERE

How did France become a nation? Watch and learn all about it today! Click HERE

Take a crash course in Native American History and learn about Alaska and Hawaii today! Click HERE

Watch and Learn about how England went from Civil War to Global Power! Click HERE

These things are illegal now, but back in the day they were common place. Click HERE

Learn about how the War of 1812 came about. Click HERE

Did you know there is a secret apartment in Radio City Music Hall? Find out why! Click HERE

Watch and learn about the History of Mexico after independence from Spain. Click HERE

Take a Crash course in the Introduction to  Native American History. Click HERE

Why is Virginia split into two states? Find out today! Click HERE

A lot happened in the US in 1909. Watch and learn about it today! Click HERE

How much do you know about the state of Michigan and it’s history? Watch and Learn! Click HERE

Watch and learn all about the Mexican-American War in 16 Minutes. Click HERE

1904 was a big year for a lot of firsts in America! Learn all about them! Click HERE

Why so many shipwrecks around this Archipelago? Find out today! Click HERE

Discover more about some rare personal items found on the Titanic. Click HERE

Kitchens of the 1970’s and 80’s had a lot of stuff in them we don’t use anymore! Take a trip down recollection road and see what has changed! Click HERE

Explore and learn about the world of Henry the VIII and his court. Click HERE

Join the History Channel as they go hunting for history and the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Click HERE

Ever wonder why the Carolina’s are divided into two states? Click HERE

The Baby Boomer generation has life skills most of people born after 1988 don’t understand because they have never had to use them. Watch an learn about them today. Click HERE

Learn about how the colonization of America happened. Click HERE

Electric Cars have been around since 1900’s. Learn about these first electric automobiles today! Click HERE

Take a look inside the White House and see what the 132 Rooms are used for. Click HERE

Watch and learn about the Government’s Secret Senators Subway system in Washington DC! Click HERE

Ever wonder why Puerto Rico is not a US State? Learn about it today! Click HERE

Revisit Mall Stores that are now long gone, on this trip down recollection road! Click HERE

Take a stroll through the past while you learn about bathroom features and décor that are now a thing of the past. Click HERE

How did the great depression of the 1930s actually happen? Find out! Click HERE

Learn about the rise and fall of the now abandoned town of St. Elmo Colorado. Click HERE

Ever wonder why Central America is not part of Mexico? Find out what happened. Click HERE

A Historian reacts and discusses AI created images of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. Click HERE

Learn about the days when you could go up to visit the Torch in the Statue of Liberty. Click HERE

Did an Explorer from South Carolina just find the wreckage of Amelia Earhart’s missing plane? Watch and learn about this discovery today. Click HERE

Watch and Learn about the Rise and Fall of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Click HERE

Learn more about the History of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. Click HERE

What is inside the Washington Monument? Watch and find out today! Click HERE

Learn about the real history behind the Legend of King Arthur. Click HERE

Watch and learn about one of America’s most controversial monuments: Crazy Horse in South Dakota. Click HERE

Visit the Airplane Boneyard in Arizona. What all can you find there and why. Click HERE

Watch and learn about the Famous and Historic Route 66, past and present. Click HERE

Learn all about the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 held in Chicago, famously known as the White City. Click HERE

Learn about Buttercup Cottage, whose remaining ruins can be seen at the corner of Cresheim Road and Emlen Street in Mt. Airy. Click HERE

Join the “Philly Captain” as he explores Historic Germantown, in NW Philadelphia. Click HERE

Watch and Learn about the 1960 Campion Philadelphia Eagles! Click HERE

Take a look at landmarks, buildings and parks that once defined life in the Philadelphia area, that are no longer here, in Part 1 of this interesting documentary presented by WHYY. CLICK HERE

Things That Aren’t There Anymore: Philadelphia- Part 2. Click HERE to watch this documentary about long gone landmarks and places. 

Take a trip back in time to  early 1900’s Philadelphia. Streets looked different, but many of the buildings remain today. See if you can spot them in this collection of old photos. Click HERE

Before it was a mall it was Willow Grove Park, where “life was a lark”. Watch this documentary all about it. Click HERE 

Watch all about the Italian Artisans who built Chestnut Hill. Click HERE

SPEAKERS and PRESENTATIONS

Lecturer and Librarian Margaret Montet presents her popular short lecture  “Fighting Fake News” Click HERE to watch

SPEAKERS SERIES/ FORUM ON THE HILL PRESENTATIONS

  • March 2026: Tom Weiner Topic: In Defiance: 20 Abolitionists You Were Never Taught In School  Watch HERE
  • February 2026: Thomas H Keels Topic: Ladies of the Street  Watch HERE
  • January 2026: Jim Murphy Topic: Real Philly History, Real Fast Watch HERE
  • November 2025: Rick Spector  Topic: Golden Days of Philly TV and Beyond  Watch HERE
  • October 2025: Chris Petrak  Topic: Philadelphia’s Bird Men  Watch HERE
  • September 2025: Dr. Guthrie Ramsey Topic: Playing Music History  Watch HERE
  • May 2025: Nelson A. Diaz  Topic: Not from here, not from there. No soy de aquí ni de allá  Watch HERE
  • April 2025: Molly Lester and Michael Bixler Topic: Building Ghosts: Past Lives and Lost Places in a Changing City  Watch HERE
  • February 2025: Beth Kephart  Topic: My Life in Paper Watch HERE
  • November 2024: Barbara VornDick  Topic: Eliza’s True Story Watch HERE
  • October 2024: Rick Spector  Topic: Fabulous Fifties  Watch HERE
  • September 2024: Michael Schaffer and Ben Lerner Topic: The Defender: The Battle to Protect the Rights of the Accused in Philadelphia Click HERE
  • May 2024: Angelo Cataldi  Topic: Turning up the Volume in the Most Passionate Sports City in America  Click HERE
  • April 2024: Amy Jane Cohen  Topic: Black History in the Philadelphia Landscape  Click HERE
  • March 2024: Dr. Joel Schwartz  Topic: Laughter is the Best Medicine  Click HERE
  • February 2024: Rebecca Yamin  Topic: Digging In the City of Brotherly Love. Stories from Philadelphia Archaeology  Click HERE
  • January 2024: Brett H Mandel Topic: Philadelphia, Corrupt and Consenting. A City’s Struggle against an Epithet   Click HERE
  • November 2023: David Young Topic: The Battles of Germantown: Effective Public History in America. Click HERE
  • September 2023: Thomas Keels Topic: Franklin’s Forgotten Philadelphia CLICK HERE
  • April 2023: Dan Biddle and Murray Dubin Topic: Tasting Freedom: the life of civil rights activist Octavius Catto. Click HERE
  • March 2023: Eric Gershenow Topic: The Science Behind Creating a New Medication. Click HERE
  • February 2023: Eric Corson, Topic: Reaching Beyond Prison Walls: Stories of Volunteer Visitors and the Prisoners They See  Click HERE
  • January 2023: Chris Petrak  Topic: Philadelphia and the birth of American Ornithology  CLICK HERE
  • November 2022: Jane Golden  Topic: Mural Arts Philadelphia  Click HERE
  • October 2022: Josh Hitchens  Topic: Haunted History of Philadelphia  Click HERE
  • September 2022: John Wilkinson  Topic: The Post-Pandemic Church  Click HERE
  • June 2022: Michael Kraus, Topic: A Modern Renaissance Man! Click HERE
  • May 2022: Rev. Dr. Beth Shalom Hessel  Topic: The Right to Be American: Japanese Americans and World War II  Watch HERE

  • March 2022: Dr. Jason Karlawish  Topic: The Problem of Alzheimer’s   Watch HERE

  • February 2022: Kathleen Barron, L. J. Rasi and Danny Rivera Topic: The Impact of the Opioid Crisis on a Community   Watch HERE

  • November 2021: Sr. Catherine T. Nerney Topic: Forgiveness and Reconciliation: The Great Work of Love in a Wounded World Watch HERE
  • October 2021: Rachel Falkove, Tara Monihan, Eileen Jones Topic: Serving Our Neighbors During the Pandemic and Beyond. Click HERE
  • September 2021: Jeff Marazzo, CEO, Spark Theraputics  Topic: Creating The Path For Gene Therapies Watch HERE
  • June 2021: Dr. Michael Stephen  Topic: The Power, Fragility, and Future of our Extraordinary Lungs  Click HERE
  • May 2021: Drew Brown Topic: Philadelphia’s consolidation of 1854, and how it led to us drinking the Schuylkill River  .Watch HERE
  • April 2021: Pamela King Topic: Digital Data Security & Privacy: What you don’t know can hurt you. Watch HERE
    Download resource links she shared: Click HERE
    Download steps to take if you have been hacked. Click HERE
  • March 2021: Mike Sielski  Topic: Philadelphia Sports Media- yesterday, today and tomorrow  Watch HERE
  • February 2021: Thomas Hine  Topic: Populuxe Revisited: The Look and Life of Midcentury America Watch HERE
  • JANUARY 2021: David Thornburg Topic: The 2020 Election’s (Almost!) Over: Now What? The Challenges to Politics and Governance in Pennsylvania Watch HERE
  • NOVEMBER 2020: Larry Arrigale and Thomas Keels Topic: Philadelphia’s Golden Age of Retail  Watch HERE
  • OCTOBER 2020: Margaret Montet  Topic: Twentieth Century American Music- Part 1 Watch HERE
  • SEPTEMBER 2020: Mark Nottingham Topic: An Economic Outlook. What the Presidential Election foretells and what to expect in 2021 Watch HERE 
  • JUNE 2020: Yosaif August. Topic: Follow your passions in an Encore Career. Watch HERE
  • MAY 2020: Elizabeth Sawyer. Topic: Unearthing the Past: Archaeological Research at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Watch HERE
  • APRIL 2020: Eric Gershenow. Topic: The Future of Medicine- The Emergence of Cell and Gene Therapies. Watch HERE

SCIENCE, PLACES and HOW TO VIDEOS

Take a crash course in how to read and understand Statistics! Click HERE

Take a Crash Course in Plant Biology today and learn all about green growth on planet Earth! Click HERE

Discover interesting facts about the World Trade Center in NYC. Past, Present and Future. Click HERE

What is inside the spires of New York City’s most notable buildings? Click HERE

Watch and Learn about some of the collections you can find at the Penn Museum! Click HERE

Watch and Learn about what it means for Philadelphia to be America’s First World Heritage City. Click HERE

Learn how to find your core values, and what matters most to you, so you can apply it to various aspects of your life. Click HERE to try it with Mariangela as she is lead through a Values Mining exercise. 

Learn about Niagara Falls. One of the wonders of the world. Click HERE

This Classic Cookie has been around for over 100 years. Learn how Oreo’s are made. Click HERE

Watch and Learn about how Candy Canes are made, and their history. Click HERE

Watch and Learn how to make an easy no-sew pillow cover! Click HERE

Learn about how Food Waste contributes to climate change. Click HERE to watch.

PHILADELPHIA: THE GREAT EXPERIMENT Episodes

A fascinating documentary series filmed and produced locally.

MORE INFORMATION:

You can also visit our YouTube Channel anytime by clicking HERE. It has some of the messages, and videos we have shared above on it, and is updated regularly.

To get on the e-mail list for Center on the Hill please contact Mariangela  Saavedra, Director, at 215.247.4654 or msaavedra@chestnuthillpres.org.