Two new immigrant man are seen on bunks in a tenement in New York City, where the narrator says nine out of ten immigrants arrived in the period from 1880 to 1914. Two women pose, sitting beside a sleeping child in a tenement. An immigrant speaks about the hardship of arriving in a strange land where he did not speak the language and felt "lost." He says he gradually overcame that by going to night school to learn a little English and to read and write. He says he made a nice living as a peddler, and expressed appreciation for the opportunities America gave to immigrants. In the next scene, children enjoy rides on a traveling merry-go-round visiting their neighborhood. The operator runs it manually, by turning a wheel. View of children riding and others watching on the street. Streams of pedestrians crossing a bridge across a busy city street. Pedestrians on sidewalks and horse-drawn wagons and electrified street cars moving on the street in the commercial center of a city. Workers heading home after their shift in a factory. View of workers producing products in a factory. A line of women punching a time clock at their place of work. Women working in a clothing factory. Men standing atop a shipment of steel rails for the building of a railroad. Views of rails being moved into position for a new segment of the railroad. Glimpse of a steam shovel scooping a bucket full of raw material. Black smoke rising from funnel on a steam locomotive, and also from nearby steam shovel. Iron workers on a the wide open upper floors of the 60-story skyscraper Woolworth Building under construction in Lower Manhattan, New York City, in 1911. Pilings being put in place for a new building. Riveters guiding a section of steel column into place for a new building . Views inside a heavy manufacturing plant of the W. E. & M. company in New York City. Their products appear to be large dynamos and motors. View of the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe's Island in New York harbor, with its arm appearing to hold up a full moon.
Shoreline shows a large sign 'Welcome Home'. Bow of the giant ocean liner Queen Mary underway. Tug boats approach Queen Mary. Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. Views of skyscrapers and skyline of New York City. Ship Queen Mary enters New York harbor. It is filled with U.S. soldiers returning from World War 2 military service in Europe. Queen Mary in Hudson River.
Time lapse view of dawn breaking over Manhattan Island. Skyscrapers in New York City in 1958. People emerging from ferry to dock on their morning commute to work. Men and women pedestrians dressed in 1950s fashions cross streets as taxi cabs and 1950s era cars pass by. A man in coat and hat waiting at a bus stop, with a city bus stopped. Elevated views of pedestrians squeezing between stopped car bumbers at crowded intersections. Pigeons in a park. High Elevated views of pedestrians, traffic, crossroads, buildings, and skyscrapers of Manhattan skyline. Long views of many blocks of Manhattan buildings and streets. Shadows of tall skyscrapers falling across buildings and streets as dusk nears. Lights in skyscraper windows at night. Clouds in the background. Aerials of traffic at night. Timelapse view of sunset and night scenes in Manhattan.
Travelogue of southern regions of the United States. Map highlights south regions and Caribbean Islands. Couple seated at picnic table at a State park enjoying a camping trip. The man tends the campfire while the woman writes. A young girl rides a bicycle in a campground, passing by a Recreational Vehicle (RV). A man plays golf at a golf course beside an Atlantic Ocean beach. Aerial view of old plantation style southern home. Women in traditional hoop skirts in front of home. Scenes from a music recording studio. Woman sings at microphone in studio. Technician adjusts levels on recording equipment. Reel to Reel tape making a recording. Dancers dance at a "Country Music USA" show, train passing through a forest. Scenes at amusement park: Flume ride, Roller coaster with loops, Castle at Walt Disney World; Main Street; Monorail, Epcot Center (all in Orlando, Florida). NASA rockets, Space Shuttle, general views of hangars and tourist areas at Cape Canaveral. Person in astronaut flight suit at space center poses with boy and girl visitors. A young woman lying in the sand at a beach tunes her boom box radio, as group plays volleyball behind her on the beach. Low aerial view as speed boat runs on water. Aerial view of Miami Beach, Florida, and Miami Beach strip areas. A group on the Florida beach getting sailboard lessons. A flamingo close-up. An orca whale pushes a man into the air during a sea aquarium show. Couple receives drinks poolside from a waitress. A couple on a hotel patio overlooking ocean. Men and women dancing at a discotheque or disco or dance club in typical 1980s fashions. People tour marshlands; a group in an airboat; tourists on paddle wheel steam boat Natchez and touring streets of downtown New Orleans Louisiana in horse drawn carriage. People have beignets and coffee at Cafe Du Monde. New Orleans night street scenes and Preservation Hall Jazz Band performs. Footage from boat on a swamp in Cajun country. Cajun restaurant kitchen scene with crawfish etouffee being prepared. Dancing to Cajun band.
1980s travelogue of Hawaii State and also scenes from a few mainland U.S. locations. Map of Hawaii. Pictures show people and sites located in Hawaii. People gathered on a sunny beach in Hawaii sunbathing on the sandy beach. People swimming and surfing in the ocean water. A catamaran beaching. Some people windsurfing. Tourists in 1980s fashions at resorts, chef preparing food, native dancers perform. Scene of lush rain forest area and waterfall. A hula dancer beckons toward camera. forests and waterfall at islands. Tourists travel in a tour bus as a tour guide speaks to them on the microphone in the bus. They visit a restaurant by the beach. Tourists take drinks from a waitress and enjoy local musicians playing music. Map shows North America. Montage of rapid scenes, including Statue of Liberty in New York harbor with twin towers of World Trade Center in the background; a cowboy riding a horse in a canyon area; a car in the northeastern United States driving over a covered bridge; a Ford Bronco driving on a dirt road in the American west with rock formations in distance; a child holding the hand of a Mickey Mouse character as they walk toward the Magic Kingdom castle at Walt Disney World. A couple waves to the camera. A sun tanned woman skier waves. American flags flying on flagpoles in the wind at night, with fireworks lighting up the sky in background. Dancers on a stage do a high kick routine as the theater curtain closes.
Disarmament of Heligoland (Helgoland) following World War 1. Fortress and harbor seen from a high point on the island. Obstacles at the shoreline to inhibit invasion. Views across the fortress from above showing control tower, ventilation ducts on roof, and pair of 30.5cm SK L/50 (12-inch) guns in a turret. A man sits on one of the gun barrels. Their muzzles are covered. In later view, the man sits near end of gun barrel. Scene shifts to men working to dismantle a gun turret. One is using an acetylene torch. Group of men loading small rail cars with shells and dismantled parts.