In this episode Terri and Dave talk about some History VR 360 videos they found on YouTube. They start in the 1960s and go back to the time of the Vikings. Join them on this virtual trip through history to see what they recommend.
David: [00:00:04] Hi, I’m David Allen Lambert, and I am here with Terri O’Connell. We are your Virtual Historians. Welcome to another episode , where we explore things in history with a different set of eyes, sometimes through a VR headset. Today, we’re going to talk about some websites that we found very useful.
Primarily it’s YouTube. You probably use it all the time. And what we’re going to do is explore a sort of traveling back in time. Some of them, you really benefit by having a VR headset and some of them, you can just watch it on your computer screen or your tablet or your phone.
Enjoy a little bit of a stroll through the past.
So Terri, why don’t we take them onto a little bit of a time travel trip using current technology?
Terri: [00:00:58] I love it. Let’s do it.
David: [00:00:59] Okay, well, I’m going to start off with the first historical event that I can say that I was witness to. Not that I really remembered at three weeks old and that’s man landing on the Moon in July of 1969.
I was a mere three weeks old when man landed on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made a captivating audience around the world, reach for the stars. And of course, now we have the technology with commercial space flights. And I think people are looking at this with a different set of glasses, but if you want to watch the Apollo 11 mission, you can actually see a great little video clip, all done by computer animation. But it’s overlaid, Terri, with great sound bites of what was actually happening. So you can watch that whole Apollo 11 mission virtually. And it’s really cool. It’s on YouTube. And of course, all of the links we’re talking about, you’ll be able to find at the end of this video,
Terri: [00:02:03] That sounds really cool. That was before my birth so maybe I’ll go watch it .
David: [00:02:07] There you go. And everything beyond this is before I was born. So I’m going to stop it right there on things that I can relate to. I mean, even I was going to say maybe watching a video on Woodstock, that’d be a couple of months old, but I figured that 1969 that’s probably the key event was probably the Apollo landing.
Terri the next video I found which is a VR, I experienced in 360. I was a little, I dunno, I should say. Moved to the point of tears because it was Auschwitz. And of course we all know when you mention Auschwitz, World War II, the Nazi death camp, this concentration camp is someplace that’s as a historian, but on my bucket list to want to visit out of a respect.
And I think that was my same motivation to want to watch this video on YouTube it’s an English version of a tour and it actually has three survivors that talk. And they’re actually, they’re explaining certain things that went on. I really don’t think it’s gonna leave a dry eye in the room.
It’s such a heavily emotional video to watch. You’re seeing the sites and all the buildings. And I, I really, you know, I think you really have to watch it to to understand it. And if you haven’t been there before, this may be a way of either preparing or at least giving you that experience of being there.
Maybe it’s something you don’t want to go see because of how horrific this chapter of history was. But that being said, it should never be forgotten that countless millions that perished at Auschwitz and other places like Bergen-Belsen and Dako. These are places that are just an absolute, I really, I, I really, I don’t know.
It’s hard for me to kind of express it. It’s just, it’s mind blowing to think that humans could be so cruel to actually, another human. But this is just a perfect example and these buildings, weren’t all leveled and they’re there sort of as a reminder and a Memorial. What’s your thoughts on Auschwitz and places like that, Terri?
I mean, I know that we’ve talked a bit about World War II before.
Terri: [00:04:37] So I will tell you this,. Auschwitz is definitely on a place I’d like to see. I did actually start that video when I started making my list over a month ago of links to share. And I couldn’t, I couldn’t watch it.
David: [00:04:52] I had to stop it a couple of times. I did finally watch it through, but yeah, it’s kind of like as a historian, it’s like you have that interest and you need to know. I mean, it’s not a morbid curiosity because I mean, I actually knew people that survived the Holocaust growing up and you, you hear about it and you see the photographs, but to see it as a 360. Now, mind you, I did not watch it on a headset.
I watched it on my computer screen. I don’t know if I can be fully immersed to be there.
Terri: [00:05:25] Yeah. I don’t think I could. I’ve talked to people who have gone and they’ve, you know, they’ve said it’s definitely something, you have to see, you have to experience just what was there.
David: [00:05:39] Yeah.
Terri: [00:05:42] And I think that’s all I can say, is it’s I definitely need to go, but I couldn’t watch the video. I did try.
David: [00:05:50] Well, I think the next one you have is more related to some individuals from a variety of different countries around the world, and it has a genealogical slant to it, which is Ellis Island. So I’ll let you tell us about that.
Terri: [00:06:06] So, you know, what’s funny is I don’t think I have anybody that came through Ellis Island. But I’m fascinated by it. Whenever we went to New York years ago, it was the one place like you had to see. We did not get off the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. I was fine seeing her in the Harbor. But I had to get off and walk through Ellis Island and it was just an amazing day to go and do that.
So Ellis Island in 360, it walks you through the rooms. It shows you where they kept people that had to stay because they weren’t cleared to go into the states. Definitely well worth the watch. I don’t remember how long it was, but I think as an American, if you have family who have come through Ellis Island, It’s definitely worth that watch for the genealogists out there.
David: [00:06:57] Yeah. I don’t have any personal ancestry that came in. Most of mine that came into the United States that late came in through Boston came in down through Canada by the night ferry so we didn’t have that sort of Ellis Island experience. If you will. However, my daughter’s great, great grandfather came over from Scotland to Ellis Island.
So I hope to bring them sometimes so they can kind of experience. So I indirectly at Ellis Island ancestor by marriage, so. Well, that’s great. That should be a great one to do.
You know, you mentioned about going into New York Harbor and soon we’re going to be doing that next year on something a little bit more luxury liner than when maybe what your ancestors may have arrived in Ellis Island.
So Terri why don’t you give them a little bit of insight on our two cruises for 2022.
Then we hope that you’re aboard with us.
Terri: [00:07:53] So first let’s talk about the transatlantic because that’s the one I think that I’m most excited for. We are going to be aboard, the Enchanted Princess and this goes from September the 2nd of 2022 through September the 17th.
It starts in Copenhagen and it ends in New York city. So how great will that be to go into the New York Harbor?
David: [00:08:22] Yeah, you’re right. To see the Statue of Liberty and know that you’re not going to have to go through Ellis island.
Terri: [00:08:28] Right
David: [00:08:29] yes, exactly. We’ll have our passports, right? Yeah, no, that’s really exciting. I think I’ve always had a bucket list of going transatlantic. And I know that we were talking about after we did the Canadian cruise a couple of years back, how fun it would be to actually bring people who may have never gone on the water, the same route that their ancestors did. And we’re going to have some stops in between.
Terri: [00:08:54] Yes, we have a lot of stops.
David: [00:08:59] So what countries are we hitting on this cruise?
Terri: [00:09:02] We’re starting in Amsterdam. We’re hitting Norway. We’re going into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. And then…
David: [00:09:10] Oh, I just thought of something. We’re going to be in Ireland for the Centennial, aren’t we? 1922 to 2022.
Terri: [00:09:20] Just gives me goosebumps.
David: [00:09:22] That’s pretty amazing. It’s pretty amazing. Yes. So sorry to interrupt you, but I wanted to point that historical factoid out.
Terri: [00:09:29] And that we’ll have to look at dates, see how close we are.
And then we go into the Azore Islands. So the rest of the time, it’s all at sea. So there’s a lot of time for learning. Our goal right now is not to do full day of learning on each sea day, but maybe like a half a day and have some fun, enjoy the ship. Cause there’s so much to do. Personally on Princess Cruises the last one I was on, they had trivia three times a day,
David: [00:10:05] some history or old trivia and get a team of our own people together.
Terri: [00:10:09] I will tell you when I did the Celtic cruise, we won one night. So we did get a bottle of wine or a bottle of champagne for winning, which we took to dinner and, you know, shared it very quickly ,glass for everybody. there’s just so much stuff to do on the ship.
And really, it needs to be looked as its own destination. A lot of people get there, they get on and they think I’m going to these ports and I have to see everything. But they’re not thinking about the ship itself being its own destination,
David: [00:10:39] right.
Terri: [00:10:40] With all these great things to do. So I think it’s a great way to come out and meet your Virtual Historians. Dave and and I are quite fun.
David: [00:10:50] It should be a blast. And I hope that some of you will take advantage of this and Terri will give you all the links to find at the end. Exactly. And this isn’t the only time we’re going on the water in 2022. We are going to be doing that a few months before in the spring.
And why don’t we tell them about who’s going with us on that one and what that one is all about.
So in the spring we’re doing the Caribbean. It’s going to be a one-week trip. I believe is May the 7th out of Fort Lauderdale. Goes to the Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize, Cozumel, and then back to Fort Lauderdale, this one we’re doing with GenFriends.
So if you’re a genealogist, maybe you’re watching Cheri Hudson Passey’s GenFriends. They get together weekly with a YouTube show discussing what’s going on in genealogy. So Cheri, Dan Earl and Laura Hedgecock will be joining us from there. We’ll be talking about genealogical records, sharing your family stories and I believe a little bit of methodology in our learning. And those will be full day learnings while we’re at sea. Any port day is yours. Go do what you want. See these different islands and enjoy yourself. Get out there and enjoy the sun.
A 2022 is going to be a great year. I know 2021 is shaping up to be better.
A lot of people are traveling. I know that you’ve got some travel plans yourself and myself and my family are planning on heading off to some destinations and we were actually just traveling around New England this past week. So how better way of traveling than by cruise ship and hanging out with genealogists and historians.
So come on aboard.
Terri: [00:12:41] Yeah, I think a good thing to mention here too Dave, is that in 2022, most of the genealogical learning is still going to be virtual.
I mean RootsTech just said, they’re going to go virtual, all virtual for next year. So if you’re really looking to get out of the house to get some in-person learning, there’s not many options yet for 2022. So these two cruises, both on Princess Cruise Lines are a good time to come rub elbows, meet some people, learn a little bit, travel, see things and I’ve actually started pulling together a list of the archives in different ports, so that if you have any Caribbean ancestors or anybody in the ports we’re going to on the transatlantic. So that you’ll be able to go pull whatever you need to pull record wise and see what you can learn there about your ancestors, that you might not be able to learn from home.
David: [00:13:40] Excellent. Well, come on aboard with us and not having to be virtual, have it be in person as VR historians and genealogists alike, unite .
Terri: [00:13:53] As Julie, the cruise director and all her friends on The Love Boat said come aboard, we’re expecting you.
David: [00:14:01] That’s true. Well, let’s get back to our list here.
Well, we touched base in the 1890s. Of course, when Ellis island opened up and we’re going to stick with the 19th century for our next listing for VR history and this one I really enjoyed after you sent me the link, because I used to be a reenactor.
Sowhy don’tyou tell them what you found.
Terri: [00:14:22] So this one is a Civil War 1864: A Virtual Reality Experience. And I’m gonna be honest. I knew you were a Civil War buff, but it was just really interesting and it caught my eye. And I thought I’m definitely gonna add that. Just because it is such a big part of US History.
I mean, it’s not like we had many wars fought on our soil. Right. So it’s a huge one. And to be honest, I had family on both sides of the war. So
David: [00:14:54] I was just giving you the common courtesy because you’ve had both sides for us. I only have a union veterans. So I thought that you could represent both sides of the story.
Terri: [00:15:03] Well, what’s funny is, I’m from Chicago, so, you know, definitely a northerner we’re Yankees through and through. Right. I have one Union and the rest are Confederate.
David: [00:15:15] I won’t hold that against you, or if I was a Civil War Reenactor and you’re on the other side, I can’t tell you that I would act accordingly.
Well, let’s go to the next century, back to the 18th and one that we can all relate to, except for part of my ancestry, which were loyalest during the American Revolution. So Terri why don’t you to introduce this next video.
Independence Hall ©Terri O’Connell 2017
Terri: [00:15:38] So the next one, the next one is called VR Field Trips USA and it starts at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. I don’t know about you, but standing outside and looking at Independence Hall, you got the Liberty Bell right there. Like it just gives me tingles. And I actually had family in that area at that time. So I don’t know. It just, it gets me all the emotion’s going.
But this one is, and I, I know we, haven’t talked about, who’s put out every video that we’ve talked about and then it’ll be in our, in the blog post, but this one was put up by Pen Pal Schools. So I think what they’re doing is they’re doing VR videos for homeschoolers. So this one, it starts in Independence Hall, but it goes to DC and I think it ends in New York and it’s like a four minute video. You know, it’s our history.
David: [00:16:32] That’s great. Well, it brings me to the video that I’m going to talk about, which my ancestors are actually at. That was on the Battle Road and Lexington and Concord, of course, April the 19th, 1775. And when the British were retreating back to Boston, many militia units from across Massachusetts and even other New England states came on the call that the British basically we’re coming and the British did, and they went to Lexington and Concord, but they retreated on the Battle Road back to Boston. This video is a 360 experience and shows the reenactment of many of the different battle scenes that you would have probably seen at that point in time. And it gave me kind of a chill as a reenactor for the civil war.
But to know the, my ancestor fought there. And again, this is the Battle Road and the American Revolution in 360 VR. And again, something if you’re a parent and you want to watch any of these videos, ahead of time before sharing it with your child, do so. I always say it’s best to peruse such things.
But if you’re a young adult or an adult we kinda throw out things that may be a little sensitive. I’d mentioned about how heart-wrenching it was for me to watch the Auschwitz video that I wouldn’t watch in 360. It just would’ve been too much. The Battle Road Experience. If you have problems with gunfire or sounds like that, wearing a VR headset might be a little bit too much. I was able to do pretty well, but again, I was a Civil War Reenactor, so I’m kind of used to the sounds of black powder guns going off around me.
And the last one is a battle, but it doesn’t involve guns. And it’s a boat 900 years before the battle of Lexington and Concord.
And I’ll let you tell us about that one.
Terri: [00:18:28] So the next one is a 360 Viking Battle. And let me tell you why I picked this one. Most of them are VR that’s been redone, computer it’s, computer animated. This is people who choose to live the Viking lifestyle and they will tell you, they start off saying we are not re-enactors. This is our life. And I just thought it was the coolest thing ever to see them.
David: [00:18:56] So are these people that are actually going out with axes? Going village by village?
Terri: [00:19:01] Well not village by village, but they’re having their own little wars.
David: [00:19:06] Hopefully they’re not really trying to be a Viking and kill the next village. But and of course, one thing about the Vikings that a lot of people don’t understand it, that, you know, people who have Viking heritage, if you’re from the UK, is there everybody thinks they were just, you know, pillaging and plundering.
Some of them actually settled, set up cities and communities and places like that, but the battle sounds interesting. Don’t know if I’m going to put my non politically correct Viking helmets on with the horns that I bought it at Epcot Center and watch it with my headset, but I might do it and take a picture.
All right. Well then give me a little bit of a glance through time. And again, don’t forget we’ve got two cruises coming up in 2022. And then of course the Vikings having that connection, tour Norway and other parts of the UK, maybe. Might want to retrace the steps of your Viking ancestors, all the way up to your ancestors coming across the trans-Atlantic vessels to the new world and getting off New York city and maybe you might head over to Ellis Island.
All right. Well, that’s what we have for you from Virtual Historians for this episode. And don’t forget, you can find out more VirtualHistorians.com. I hope that you’re enjoying the summer and I have a special message from Terri to let you know what’s going on with us in the coming months.
Terri: [00:20:30] So we just wanted to make sure that we shared that the next few months, our episodes are going to be a little sporadic. We’re hoping every other week. There’s no guarantee. It’s important to note that our archeologist friends are out there actually working right now, right? The weather’s prime for it.
They’re out there digging and seeing what they can find. And hopefully we’ll have a lot more people like Professor Stone come back in the next season to tell us what they did over the summer. So in the meantime, while we’re sharing our videos that we like with you, we’re also going to be doing some background work, getting the website up to par. So it’s a little more seamless to go through, maybe looking at redoing our logo gear and things like that, so that we have some more stuff ready as the next season starts. So just be patient with our sporadic posting through the summer.
David: [00:21:22] Well, that’s great. And we really do appreciate you tuning in and do share our videos and the links.
And again, if you have a story yourself, if you’re an archeologist or you dabbled in VR or history, we’d love to hear your story and have you as a guest. So please be in touch with us. And again, all of the links from today’s videos will be available for you in the blog that Terri had mentioned earlier.
Well, until next time we’re virtually yours. Signing off.
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