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It doesn't have the name recognition of Halley's Comet, but this enormous snowball zipping through space has fascinated at least one astronomer night after summer night for its shape-shifting tail.
Dan Bartlett, an astrophotographer based in east-central California, caught Comet Olbers zigzagging across the night sky this week. But each time he looks up through binoculars or his camera, the comet takes a different form.
"This is the first time we've been able to witness this creature's behavior with modern day technology," Bartlett told Mashable. "And what a creature this comet has been."
Comet experts say while the sharp kink in Olbers' tail may look strange to the average eye, the cause of its jagged appearance is a well-understood phenomenon.
SEE ALSO: Astronaut snaps strange iridescent clouds at the edge of spaceComets are enormous balls of ice, dust, and rock that formed in the outer solar system, left over from the early days of planet formation about 4.6 billion years ago, according to NASA. Their ice starts to disintegrate as they get closer to the sun, converting instantly from a solid to a gas, skipping over the liquid phase. That process creates their signature tails, millions-of-miles-long trails of debris.
Hundreds of years ago, people considered comets bad omens. Today, scientists know these icy bodies as time capsules of the ancient solar system. Some astronomers believe comets brought water and organic compounds — aka the building blocks of life — to early Earth.
Along with their trails of dust, comets also drag plasma, sometimes bluish in color, across the sky. The plasma tail, which looks a bit like Harry Potter's lightning bolt scar in Bartlett's photo, is composed of ionized gas molecules. These charged particles are easily influenced by changes in the sun's activity, said Henry Hsieh, a Planetary Science Institute researcher.
Comet Olbers' plasma tail takes a different form every night, says astrophotographer Dan Bartlett, who captured this image on July 4, 2024. Credit: Dan BartlettHe compares the solar wind to a river constantly flowing away from the sun.
"The ion tail is basically caught up in that river," Hsieh told Mashable. "You see a straight tail most of the time, but then every so often, you'll have this bit of a hiccup in the sun — these coronal mass ejection events — where it'll just kind of send a particularly large or denser bunch of material outward."
Coronal mass ejections, or plasma spewed from the outer layer of the sun's atmosphere, involve enormous solar explosions. Through a solar telescope, the ejection looks like a fan of gas flying into space. NASA likens these ejections to cannonballs hurtling in a single direction, only affecting a targeted area.
"If this hits the comet, then it will cause a disruption to this nice flowing river," Hsieh said, "like a rock suddenly came loose, and the flow of the river suddenly got a little bit faster, but momentarily."
Comet Olbers appears to have a zigzagging plasma tail on July 29, 2024. Credit: Dan BartlettRight now the sun is near the height of its activity in the 11-year solar cycle, so its magnetic field is more chaotic. As the comet experiences these changes traveling through the inner solar system, the tail keeps trying to realign, resulting in these kinks and bends, said Tony Farnham, an astronomer at the University of Maryland.
"There are even occasions when the comet passes through a region where the magnetic field completely changes direction (called a sector boundary)," Farnham wrote in an email, "and the plasma tail will 'disconnect' from the comet, to be followed by the formation of a new tail over the next few days."
The comet, officially dubbed 13P / Olbers, is named after German astronomer Heinrich Olbers, who first observed it in 1815. The comet was last seen from Earth in 1956.
Comet Olbers is now returning to the so-called Oort Cloud, thought to be a sphere of icy bodies on the outer edge of the solar system. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech illustrationComet Olbers' closest approach to the sun was on June 30, but it's now on its way back toward the so-called Oort Cloud on the outer edge of the solar system. Though the weirdly distorted tail is probably just the result of a lively comet reacting to the sun's wild behavior, little is known about this particular visitor to rule out something else inherently unusual about it.
This is essentially the first opportunity in contemporary times that astronomers have had to study the comet up close and during peak activity, Hsieh said. Astronomers will know more in the coming months as they complete their analyses.
"All comets are kind of like different beasts," he said. "They're all special, and that's what makes them fun to study."
Folks, have you thanked the moon lately?
The large, cratered orb — weighing in at some 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 pounds — serves us greatly. Its potent gravity stabilizes Earth's wobble, so we don't spin chaotically over time (like on Mars), an unpleasant reality that would ignite climate chaos.
Yet beyond ensuring our planet is livable, creating tides, and appearing as a magnificent celestial object, scientists have proposed a novel idea for the moon: As wild species are increasingly threatened by a quintuple whammy of habitat destruction, exploitation, invasive species takeovers, pollution, and relentless climate change, they want to capitalize on extremely frigid lunar environs to naturally cryopreserve animal cells — a difficult thing to artificially sustain on our world.
"Such a biorepository would safeguard biodiversity and act as a hedge against its loss occurring because of natural disasters, climate change, overpopulation, resource depletion, wars, socioeconomic threats, and other causes on Earth," the researchers, which include Mary Hagedorn, a senior research scientist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, wrote in the journal BioScience.
"Our goal is to cryopreserve most animal species on Earth," they added.
SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.There are indeed some well-managed cryogenic vaults holding tissue samples — such as the Ambrose Monell Cryo Collection at the American Museum of Natural History. "Nevertheless, all these biorepositories require intensive human management, electrical power, and an ongoing supply of liquid nitrogen, which makes them susceptible to unpredictable natural and geopolitical disasters," the researchers note. "Today, many frozen collections are stored in urban centers, making them even more susceptible to destabilization threats."
"Our goal is to cryopreserve most animal species on Earth."The moon, however, provides a solution. In the lunar south pole — where NASA intends to establish a permanent presence — there are permanently shadowed regions that stay at or below -196 degrees Celsius (-320 degrees Fahrenheit), the temperatures needed to completely stop cellular and molecular activity. The biodiversity vault would require neither power nor constant oversight.
The 13 proposed landing sites for NASA's Artemis III mission in the lunar south pole. Each area is some 9.3 by 9.3 miles in size. Credit: NASA Storing life on the moonOn Earth, there's a biorepository for seeds in Norway's Arctic Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It naturally stays at some - 18 C (about 0 F). But such an endeavor on the moon, while able to naturally preserve animal cells, comes with a host of hurdles.
To achieve such a lunar vault, cryopreserved cells will first be tested in space. For example, they would collect a species like the starry goby, a species important in coral reef habitats, take samples from their fins, and store them in a biorepository on Earth. The cells and packaging would be tested in space-like environs before actually launching up to a space station. Then the samples will return to Earth "for analysis of viability and changes to DNA."
But before truly journeying to a lunar vault, the researchers note these issues must be addressed:
- Packaging: They'll need to develop "robust packaging" capable of withstanding extreme space environs.
- Radiation: The moon's surface has a significantly higher level of background radiation than Earth — and like Mars is susceptible to solar storms. Introducing "antioxidant cocktails" to protect cells during the freezing process can help, as would building physical barriers (thick layers of moon regolith, walls of water, etc.).
- Temperature: Once on the lunar surface, transporting samples to the cryogenic vault will require rovers capable of maintaining cryogenic temperatures. That's because, in daylight, exposed parts of the moon can reach some 100 C (212 F).
- Competition for resources: The vault would exist in the south pole's permanently shadowed regions, which is home to invaluable stores of lunar ice (necessary for survival and likely the creation of rocket fuel). It may not be easy to utilize these areas for a repository, as such highly sought regions (that are also valued by different nations) "may be highly restricted and managed," the researchers said.
- Microgravity: In space, tissue samples may change when exposed to near weightlessness, and this effect on cryopreserved cells needs more study.
Stems cells frozen in nitrogen at -196 C. Credit: BSIP / UIG via Getty ImagesThe great decades-long payoff, however, is that, once stored, the samples wouldn't need power, and would have relatively little vulnerability to environmental and societal disruption. The first "class" of preserved animals would likely include endangered or threatened species, pollinators, culturally significant species, and others.
"Protecting Earth's life must be a top priority in the rush on the moon sites for industries and many types of science," the scientists conclude.
TL;DR: Secure lifetime licenses to Microsoft Office Professional 2021 and Windows 11 Pro for $54.97 until September 3 and avoid subscription hassles.
Owning lifetime licenses for essential software can provide peace of mind and security knowing it's yours and it's not going anywhere. This bundle of Microsoft Office and Windows 11 Pro gives you control and efficiency without the recurring costs of subscriptions. This month, you can get this useful combo on sale for $54.97.
Microsoft Office Professional 2021 includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher, and Access, providing you with everything you need to complete personal and professional tasks. With its ribbon-based interface, you can create documents and presentations with ease. This lifetime license means you won't be affected by service interruptions or subscription renewals, providing predictable budgeting and long-term cost savings.
Windows 11 Pro is tailored for modern professionals, offering a seamless interface and advanced security features like biometrics login, TPM 2.0, and Smart App Control. For content creators and gamers, DirectX 12 Ultimate delivers stunning graphics. The AI-powered Copilot is like your personal robot assistant, answering queries, summarizing web pages, assisting with coding, and more.
This bundle not only offers significant cost savings compared to buying the software separately, but also grants you the freedom to use these powerful tools without potential restrictions imposed by subscription terms.
Take advantage of this deal so your digital workspace is always up-to-date and fully functional.
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Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle $54.97 at The Mashable ShopTL;DR: Get a refurbished MacBook Air with a protective case for $239.99, a great option for college students needing quality and affordability.
As a new semester approaches, making sure your college student is equipped with the right tools is a top priority. The refurbished MacBook Air, available for just $239.99, offers the performance your college-bound student needs, and it comes with a black protective case to prevent external damage.
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Opting for a refurbished model is a wise choice for budget-conscious families. This grade "B" MacBook Air has been thoroughly inspected and tested to meet high standards. While it may have minor cosmetic imperfections, its performance remains outstanding, delivering the premium Apple experience without the hefty price tag.
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Combining quality and value to promote academic success with this refurbished 11.6" Apple MacBook Air on sale for just $239.99 (reg. $700).
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Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple MacBook Air 11.6", 1.6GHz i5, 128GB, Black (Refurbished) $239.99 at The Mashable ShopThe livestream of Alaska's fat bears is unfiltered. It can be brutal.
On July 27, one of the largest and most dominant bears of Katmai National Park and Preserve's Brooks River attacked a cub, to the dread of web onlookers. The cub looked seriously injured, appeared to slightly improve over a couple of days, but the young animal's current status remains unknown. It's a moment that reveals the bears' natural world in its full, wild spectrum.
"We get to see their moments of joy," Mike Fitz, a former Katmai park ranger and currently a resident naturalist for the bear cam livestreamers explore.org, said in an online live chat. "However, the webcams are live, the footage is uncensored. We also see bears face hardship, hunger, injury, pain, and even death."
SEE ALSO: Yellowstone just had an explosion. What that means for the future.These bears, living remote lives on the Alaskan Peninsula where visitors arrive aboard small floatplanes, are beamed to the world with the aid of radio transmitters. Katmai's bears have grown internet-famous in the park's annual Fat Bear Week contest, an event celebrating the success of these persevering animals in the harsh wilderness. They must devour salmon throughout the summer to build enough fat stores to outlast the long winter famine, when they hibernate. That's why a fat bear is a healthy bear.
In July, bears congregate in the park's Brooks River to capitalize on these prodigious runs of salmon — bringing the often solitary animals in crowded, close proximity. It's here where the attack occurred.
The well-known mother bear Grazer — who was last year's Fat Bear Week champion — was fishing atop a waterfall with her two spring cubs (meaning they were just born this year). This was a somewhat risky endeavor, because the current is strong. Soon enough, both young bears fell over the falls, and one passed near the large male bear 32, "Chunk," an animal in his prime whose dominance affords him the most productive fishing spots. For reasons unknown, Chunk went after and attacked the cub, as shown in the screenshot below. He clenched the small bear in his jaws.
But the drama didn't end there. Grazer sprinted to defend her cub.
In this screenshot from the livestream, the cub appears to be in Chunk's jaws, while Grazer (on left) aggressively seeks to intimidate Chunk. Credit: NPS / explore.orgGrazer is a particularly aggressive bear, who has previously charged bears that came close to her cubs, and even mauled a bear that attempted to steal a fish. It's this fearless aggression, against a dominant bear hundreds of pounds larger than her, that likely spared the cub fatal injury. Numerous times, Grazer forced Chunk to back off.
"She's courageous — she's defensive.""She continued to fight back," Naomi Boak, who covers the bears for the Katmai Conservancy, an organization supporting the national park, said during the live chat. "She's courageous — she's defensive."
You can watch the encounter below, from 12:20 to 14:30.
Although the cub appeared severely injured following the attack — bawling, licking its paw, and moving little — the young bear persevered in the aftermath, though rangers haven't seen it in recent days. "Cubs are tough," Fitz told Mashable over email.
"We don't know if the cub will recover or the extent of its injuries, although there is plenty of reason for hope," Fitz added. "It has adapted to its injuries. Rangers have seen it walking on its hind legs in days immediately after the attack. Grazer continues to care for it and her other cub."
"Cubs are tough."We'll never know why Chunk opportunistically attacked the cub. Prior to the cubs falling, Chunk expressed no interest in Grazer's family; rather, he was focused on capturing 4,500-calorie sockeye salmon. Large males have killed bears on the livestream before. It could simply have been an instinctual reaction. It's possible, as in other cases of bear infanticide, Chunk intended to send a potentially cub-less Grazer back into estrus, a form of sexual selection (though this doesn't add up when considering his previous disinterest in the family group). Chunk might have felt he was competing with Grazer's family for food. Or perhaps it's a reason our species can't understand or imagine.
The Katmai bears will continue fighting for survival on the bear cams. It's a dynamic view into a largely untrammeled realm. It's a world that is at once beautiful and ruthless.
"National parks such as Katmai exist to protect and preserve wild landscapes and ecosystem processes," Fitz said. "This includes the grand spectacles such as bears fishing at Brooks Falls and nature's harsh realities."
Max offers an extraordinary selection of movies, and its documentary library alone has enough gems for hours of compelling viewing. But if you're indecisive, have no fear: We've gone through the hundreds of documentaries on Max and picked out the ones you absolutely have to make time to watch.
These movies prove the versatility of the documentary genre, both in terms of subject matter and form. They'll immerse you in high school basketball, concerts, fights for racial justice, and so much more.
Here are the best documentaries on Max streaming now.
1. Stop Making SenseQuite possibly the greatest concert film of all time, director Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense was filmed over four nights of the Talking Heads' tour in 1983 at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, and oh, what I would have given to be there in the audience! But Demme sure makes us feel like we were there across this doc's 88-minute runtime. Starting on a completely barren stage, where lead singer David Byrne walks out with a boombox and begins performing "Psycho Killer," the concert grows ever more expansive from song to song, scene to scene, until it's delirious funk chaos of the finest and most anarchic sort. I have never seen this movie screened where an audience hasn't felt compelled to rise up out of their seats to dance in the aisles, and I doubt you could do it sitting at home on your couch either. So bust out your big suits and get groovin'! — Jason Adams, Contributing Writer
How to watch: Stop Making Sense is now streaming on Max.
2. André the GiantAndré the Giant is a thoughtful examination of what it means to be larger than life. It gives André Roussimoff credit for his contributions to sports entertainment by identifying him as a pioneer who fully understood how gigantism, the medical condition responsible for his seven-foot-four frame, could elevate him to the status of a living myth. Interviews with wrestling personalities like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Vince McMahon offer a rare glimpse behind the curtain of kayfabe by documenting Roussimoff’s keen awareness of the awe he inspired and how his example transformed the WWF franchise into the massive performance showcase that exists now as the WWE. — Alexis Nedd, Senior Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: André the Giant is now streaming on Max.
3. Class Action Park Death trap or fun time? Credit: HBO MaxWelcome to Action Park! This New Jersey amusement and water park, built by former Wall Street tycoon Gene Mulvihill, was home to attractions such as Cannonball Loop and the Alpine Slide. It was also severely mismanaged and the cause of many injuries and deaths. Class Action Park reveals just how insane the story behind Action Park was, from the park's madcap rides to Mulvihill's shady tactics for keeping his venture afloat.
Through a mixture of fun animation and interviews with comedians who attended Action Park as children, Class Action Park keeps things light and humorous. However, it still exercises proper seriousness and restraint when discussing the park's fatalities. Overall, Class Action Park is a wild documentary about a truly wild place. Come for the descriptions of the insane rides, and stay for the nuanced exploration of nostalgia and childhood in the 1980s. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Class Action Park is now streaming on Max.
4. Everything Is CopyEverything Is Copy is the best kind of love letter: one that's effusive in its admiration of its subject, but also clear-eyed about her quirks and imperfections. Journalist Jacob Bernstein explores the life, career, and 2012 death of Nora Ephron, known to us as the writer and filmmaker behind such movies as Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, and Julie & Julia, and to Bernstein as his mother.
Interviews with family members and famous friends (including Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, and Mike Nichols), along with archival interviews and excerpts from Ephron's own work, paint a portrait of a brilliant and ambitious spirit who lived by the motto stated in the title: "Everything is copy," meaning that everything that happens in life can be fodder for a story later on. Though you wouldn't mistake Bernstein's documentary for a work by Ephron herself, the film's warmth, candor, and humor make it a fitting tribute to the icon she was. — Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor
How to watch: Everything Is Copy is now streaming on Max.
5. Gimme Shelter Keith Richards onstage in "Gimme Shelter." Credit: Maysles/20th Century Fox/Kobal/ShutterstockOriginally conceived as a behind-the-scenes account of the Rolling Stones' legendary 1969 U.S. tour, Gimme Shelter was ultimately transformed by the circumstances that unfolded around it. While the film does delve into various moments from the UK band's cross-country trip, its value as a historical document is most evident in its on the ground account of the infamous Altamont Free Concert in 1970 and the circumstances leading up to that day.
The filmmaking team led by Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin captured it all, and Gimme Shelter, a triumph of the cinéma vérité movement, is the result. — Adam Rosenberg, Senior Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Gimme Shelter is now streaming on Max.
6. Grey Gardens "Little Edie" Beale pictured in Grey Gardens, 1975. Credit: Tom Wargacki/Archive Photos/Getty ImagesIn their famed 1976 film Grey Gardens, brothers and documentary team Albert and David Maysles pay a visit to a dilapidated mansion in the Hamptons. There, they profile the intriguing and tragic lives of a reclusive mother and daughter, both named Edith Beale, in a strange and winding character study unlike any other.
Relatives of First Lady Jackie Kennedy, the life stories of "Little Edie" and "Big Edie" are sensationalized in the documentary, and many argue that the film takes an inherently exploitative view of its subjects and their apparent mental health conditions. But as far as fascinating footage goes, Grey Gardens is a must-watch — capturing a unique family at the heart of a broader dialogue about the decline of political royalty and '60s-era Americana.* — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Grey Gardens is now streaming on Max.
7. Harlan County, USAHarlan County, USA drops us into small-town Kentucky in the 1970s to show us a time, a place, and a community — and to reveal wheat happens when a group of coal miners go on strike, incurring the wrath of the Duke Power Company. Barbara Kopple's film follows the miners and their supporters (including their ferociously determined wives) into the front lines of the fight, from picket lines to town hall meetings to more intimate moments of grief or rage or everyday life.
As the battle intensifies, spilling over into violence, what emerges is a gritty portrait of hard-won courage against an all-too-familiar villain, captured through Kopple's principled perspective. Harlan County, USA won Best Documentary at the 1977 Oscars, and almost half a century later, it's still regarded as one of the best documentaries of all time. It's as riveting, as powerful, and urgent as it was the day it was released. — A.H.
How to watch: Harlan County, USA is now streaming on Max.
8. Hoop Dreams Arthur Agee in "Hoop Dreams." Credit: Fine Line/Kartemquin/Kobal/ShutterstockHoop Dreams dives into the lives of Arthur Agee and William Gates, two young men from inner-city Chicago who dream of making it big in the NBA. Both are recruited to play for St. Joseph High School's highly regarded basketball program early on in the film, but over the next four years they take extremely different paths. Through Agee and Gates' basketball careers, director Steve James explores issues of race, class, and how sports recruitment can cross into the realm of the exploitative and put undue amounts of pressure on young players.
What's astonishing about Hoop Dreams is the level of intimacy James achieves with both Agee and Gates. He follows their journeys on and off the basketball court as they and their families experience parental separations, sports injuries, and financial struggles. The resulting documentary makes you feel like you're experiencing life alongside Agee and Gates, so you desperately want them to succeed. It all comes to a head in the thrilling and tense basketball sequences. Even though these games were played decades ago, James makes every missed shot feel like a lost opportunity and every successful play feel like a massive victory. — B.E.
How to watch: Hoop Dreams is now streaming on Max.
9. Original Cast Album: CompanyIf you're a fan of the legendary Stephen Sondheim and George Furth musical Company, or of musical theater in general, this documentary is for you. Director D.A. Pennebaker trains a close eye on the original cast and orchestra of Company as they undergo an intense 15-hour recording session. You hear stand-out Company numbers such as "Being Alive" and "Getting Married Today" and get to see Sondheim at work. The film's best and most famous sequence comes towards the end, when the great Elaine Stritch struggles to record "The Ladies Who Lunch." It's a gripping portrait of a performer trying to push through exhaustion and her own frustrations, and a perfect end to this stellar documentary. — B.E.
How to watch: Original Cast Album: Company is now streaming on Max.
10. 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten BulletsMarc Silver's 2015 documentary recounts the 2012 death of teenager Jordan Davis, who was shot multiple times in a parking lot while listening to music with friends. His attacker was found guilty of first-degree murder, but only after a mistrial and extensive media coverage. The documentary uses interviews with Davis's family alongside footage from the trial to fully illustrate the grim reality of Florida's self-defense laws.* — Proma Khosla, Senior Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets is now streaming on Max.
11. The Times of Harvey MilkIn 1978, San Francisco's first openly gay elected official Harvey Milk was gunned down inside of City Hall by a man who said he's eaten too much sugar the night before. Six years later, filmmaker Rob Epstein made this masterful documentary about Milk's career, his rise from activist to politician, and what his outrageous death meant to a community that was already embattled on all sides. It's one of the most important documents of that moment in time. Gus Van Sant's 2008 biopic with Sean Penn in the lead role does a decent job bringing the story to life, but Epstein's film blows it out of the water on all fronts, mostly because even Penn can't fake the fiery magnetism that the real-deal Milk carried around. — J.A.
How to watch: The Times of Harvey Milk is now streaming on Max.
12. Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland Sandra Bland in "Say Her Name." Credit: HBOWhen 28-year-old Sandra Bland was arrested for a traffic violation and subsequently found hanged in her jail cell days later, a two-year legal ordeal began. Filmmakers Kate Davis and David Heilbroner document her family's battle with law enforcement while sharing Bland's own video blogs and history of activism. Though her death was ruled a suicide, questions remain, as does Say Her Name's tragic timeliness.* — P.K.
How to watch: Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland is now streaming on Max.
13. Transhood Leena at a modeling audition in "Transhood." Credit: HBOIn Transhood, director Sharon Liese documents the lives of four young trans people — who are 4, 7, 12, and 15 when filming begins — living in Kansas City over the course of five years. It's a moving portrait of its subjects' childhoods and their respective transitions.
Transhood is intimate but never invasive, following its subjects with a caring and understanding eye. From consultations about gender-affirming treatments to interactions with friends, we get to know Phoenix, Avery, Jay, and Leena, as well as their parents, whose support and sacrifices fuel some of the film's most emotional moments. Transhood doesn't lift up its subjects as monoliths of the trans experience. Rather, it celebrates the differences and similarities between their journeys and finds the beauty in their transitions, all while inspiring great amounts of compassion and empathy. — B.E.
How to watch: Transhood is now streaming on Max.
14. Welcome to ChechnyaThe third film from Academy Award-nominated documentarian David France, Welcome to Chechnya takes viewers on a guerilla-style investigation into the anti-gay purges that still plague the constituent republic of Russia.
Not only does the explosive project detail the abhorrent policies created by Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to criminalize homosexuality, it also delves into the insidious culture the government has instilled in its citizens to encourage hate crimes. It's a painful watch that demands attention from viewers, focusing in large part on the courageous efforts of underground networks working to help LGBTQ people escape the region.
What makes this doc stand out is the urgency. Documentary filmmaking can help us examine issues or events in greater detail, as well as preserve them for the historic record. Welcome to Chechnya does both with heartbreaking heroism, urging western audiences to at the very least acknowledge the genocide that continues to this day. — A.F.
How to watch: Welcome to Chechnya is now streaming on Max.
15. All the Beauty and the BloodshedPhotographer Nan Goldin collaborated with Citizenfour filmmaker Laura Poitras on this wily Oscar-nominated portrait of Goldin's complex life, and what they came up with was a moving masterpiece about the inescapable intersections of art, self, and activism. Interweaving Goldin's traumatic childhood with her relationships, her celebrated documentation of NYC in the 1970s and '80s, and her fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for their role in the opioid epidemic, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a profound portrait of an unstoppable force — one who's fueled by a keen sense of righteousness and love. Goldin's managed to turn her own frailties into her greatest strengths as an artist and a human being, as evidenced in this unforgettable documentary. — J.A.
How to watch: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is now streaming on Max.
16. Amazing Grace Credit: GEM / StudioCanal / Kobal / ShutterstockIn 1972, the legendary singer Aretha Franklin went to church to record her live gospel album Amazing Grace over the course of two nights of performances. All of this was captured on camera too, but while the album went on to become the highest-selling live gospel album of all time, issues with syncing the footage and the sound kept the filmed version sitting in a vault for (checks notes) 45 years.
Part of the issue there was Franklin herself though, because for unknown reasons, she repeatedly sued the producer who'd bought the footage from Warner Brothers and tried to reshape it into something that could be released. Only after Aretha's death in 2018 did her family make a deal with him, and (sorry, Aretha!) thank goodness they did: Amazing Grace captures the singer at the height of her lofty powers. Side note: This should be paired with the Rolling Stones doc down below, since Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts are seen in the audience grooving out alongside everybody else. — J.A.
How to watch: Amazing Grace is now streaming on Max.
17. David Lynch: The Art LifeGetting director David Lynch to talk about his cryptic, hallucinatory work and its meanings has always been like pulling teeth. And so this 2016 documentary from filmmakers Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Rick Barnes, and Jon Nguyen is vital because it's probably the closest we'll ever get to anything of that sort. Lynch is more than happy to talk about his actual hands-on process, especially with regards to his painting, as well as his life story — his childhood in Montana, his big transformative move to Philadelphia, and what led to his breakthrough Eraserhead. And, as ever when it comes to Lynch, we're then meant to put together those pieces into a pattern that means something to us. He doesn't make it easy, but he does make it worthwhile. — J.A.
How to watch: David Lynch: The Art Life is now streaming on Max.
18. De PalmaThe polar opposite of David Lynch, this 2015 doc proves that you can't get director Brian De Palma to shut up about his work — nor would you want him to. Here, Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow simply pointed a camera at the man and then asked him to talk about his movies; what they got was hours upon hours of footage, which they then curated down into this almost two-hour soliloquy on movie-making's ups, downs, and spectacular sideways. De Palma's monologue is laid over scenes from his gorgeously sleazy cinema; everything from Carrie to Body Double to Dressed to Kill are touched upon, but it's his lesser-known movies like Casualties of War that end up holding the most fascination. It's a master lesson in filmmaking from a master filmmaker. — J.A.
How to watch: De Palma is now streaming on Max.
19. Honeyland Credit: Photo by Ljubomir Stefanov / NEONMy favorite thing that documentaries can do fairly effortlessly is transport you to a totally alien and unexpected world and drop you right in there, making it suddenly seem not at all alien but instead deeply familiar — empathy by way of immersion. One such standout is Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov's Oscar-nominated 2019 film Honeyland, which chronicles the life of a Macedonian beekeeper named Hatidže and her blind, bedridden mother Nazife.
The drama that unfurls in Hatidže's life as she gets new obnoxious neighbors who promptly begin mucking up the delicate balance of nature that their already precarious lifestyle depends on is more riveting than 10 Hollywood blockbusters. It's a story in miniature that's echoing across our entire planet, told with such intricacy and intimacy that it takes your breath away. (And when Hatidže showed up at the Oscars ceremony that year, I cried.) – J.A.
How to watch: Honeyland is now streaming on Max.
20. FayeOne of the most gorgeous, fashionable, and celebrated movie stars of the 1970s, Faye Dunaway strutted through an iconic string of films that would make any actor tremble and weep with jealousy and awe. Bonnie and Clyde, The Thomas Crown Affair, Chinatown, Network (for which she won a much-deserved Oscar) — you can place her best performances against any of her most beloved contemporaries and call it a wash. Then came her turn as Joan Crawford in the camp classic Mommie Dearest in 1981, and suddenly she found herself a punchline.
This 2024 doc from director Laurent Bouzereau marks one of the few times that Dunaway's been willing to go on the record about that biopic — a so-called disaster that I personally consider to be one of her greatest acting achievements, by the way — and it's riveting. She's too hard on the movie, if you ask me. She's also pretty hard on herself, though even that's not as hard as her critics have been. Labeled as difficult for years, Faye feels like a bit of a mea culpa from the star, especially as she speaks at length about her recently diagnosed bipolar disorder. Faye Dunaway will forever be a legend, and this doc's a great way to familiarize yourself with why. (It needed more Supergirl though!) — J.A.
How to watch: Faye is now streaming on Max.
21. Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind Robin Williams pictured in New York City, 1980. Credit: Sonia Moskowitz/Images/Getty ImagesYears after Robin Williams's death by suicide in 2014, the loss of his talent and presence still stings. Come Inside My Mind uses interviews with those who were closest to him — his son, ex-wife, best friends, and many more — along with archival footage to create a portrait of someone immensely, inordinately talented who battled mental illness for most of his life. Marina Zenovich's documentary chronicles Williams's whole life, from a sometimes-lonely childhood to a meteoric rise in comedy, as well as his struggles with addiction and an often-troubled career, despite his cemented status as a legend. Clips of his performances remind us (though no one needs reminding) that there was and likely never will be another with Williams's iconic spark. — P.K.
How to watch: Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind is now streaming on Max.
22. Moonage DaydreamWhen David Bowie died in January of 2016, some people decided in retrospect that that was the moment where humanity shifted onto the shittier timeline that's brought us the past several years of chaos. And while Brett Morgen's 2022 musical bio-doc of the man doesn't make that exact case, it does in its margins make the case for why people would feel that way. Morgen's trippy film combines performance footage and interviews into something appropriately unique for its subject; it lands somewhere between a concert film and a deification, and that only seems right to me. – J.A.
How to watch: Moonage Daydream is now streaming on Max.
23. Paris is BurningDocumenting the drag balls of '80s NYC, director Jennie Livingston followed her subjects around for six full years, making it an invaluable record of a moment in time and place that was disappearing and changing even as she filmed. Some of that was due to AIDS, some of that was due to violence and poverty, so some of those things haven't changed that much after all. But the people interviewed – including ball legends like Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, Willi Ninja, and Angie and Venus Xtravaganza – didn't have that luxury: One of the film's most defining and shocking moments in the film comes when we hear that Venus has been murdered. But the scales fall fairly evenly on the scene; it doesn't wallow in the bad stuff as nearly as much as it celebrates the magic and wonder that these queens scrape up out of it. – J.A.
How to watch: Paris is Burning is now streaming on Max.
24. Rock Hudson: All That Heaven AllowedUntil we get the inevitable biopic of the most famous closeted gay movie star there ever was (and I can't imagine who could play him), we'll just have to make due with Stephen Kijak's very fine 2023 doc on the actor. Thankfully there are still plenty of people around who knew and cavorted with Rock in his lifetime, so there's no shortage of subjects more than willing to now spill the beans. As the Tales From the City author Armistead Maupin hilariously says at one point, "If I was fucking Rock Hudson, I would want my mother to know immediately."
But it's not just gossip about his sex life that makes Rock's story worth being told; the man was the biggest star in Hollywood for several years, emblematic of the 1950s and '60s ideals of big, strong manly-man masculinity, all while being forced to hide who he really was lest that unravel it all. He is simply put one of the biggest chapters in the Hollywood story, and Kijak's film does that stratospheric tale justice. — J.A.
How to watch: Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed is now streaming on Max.
25. SalesmanA landmark documentary that was inspired by Truman Capote's revolutionary style in the telling of In Cold Blood, this first film from Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin is seen as a pioneer feature in verite cinema. According to legend, they just chose four Bible salesman to follow with their cameras by virtue of their schedules, and then the movie sorted itself out from there. But what the filmmakers ended up finding in the salesmen's stories somehow approaches mythical proportions. It ends up being about as staggering a portrait of mid-century America, religion, and consumerism as could possibly be imagined. One of the most important documentaries there are, while also being fly-on-the-wall simple and surprisingly funny. — J.A.
How to watch: Salesman is now streaming on Max.
Asterisks (*) indicate the write up comes from a previous Mashable list.
UPDATE: Jul. 30, 2024, 1:39 p.m. EDT Originally published on May 15, 2021, this article has been updated to reflect current streaming options.
Opens in a new window Credit: Max Max Get DealSometimes real life is stranger than fiction, and sometimes it's just far more fascinating. If you're in the mood for a documentary that'll get your pulse pumping, your heart aching, or your mind running, you'll want to check out Prime Video.
Now streaming on Prime Video is a wealth of mesmerizing true stories, ranging from personal tales of trials and triumph to harrowing crime investigations to quirky and heart-warming explorations of unique creative vision.
Whether you're in the mood for something educational, emotional, or just downright wild, this list of top-notch documentaries has got you covered.
SEE ALSO: The 25 best documentaries on Disney+ 1. Man on Wire Credit: ©2008 Jean-Louis Blondeau / Polaris Images / Magnolia PicturesDepicting the high wire artist Philippe Petit's mind-boggling 1974 walk on a wire between the Twin Towers in NYC, this doc from filmmaker James Marsh uses rare video footage of Petit's prep along with recreations of the event and current-day interviews with everyone involved to craft a heart-racing heist film. Winning every award within reach, up to and including the Oscar, the film memorializes not just Petit's stunt but also those buildings, and the legend of their monumental status. — Jason Adams, Contributing Writer
How to watch: Man on Wire is now streaming on Prime Video.
2. Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and MonstersThe same man who gave us the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park gave us the holographic chess game in Star Wars, the killer bugs in Starship Troopers, and the terrifying Enforcement Droid in RoboCop. That man's name is Phil Tippett, and those are just four of the special effects wizard's credits that this 2019 documentary on the man features. It's all covered in the run up to the long, long, long-delayed release of his stop-motion surrealist masterpiece Mad God — mostly because Tippett could never bring himself to stop tinkering with it – which also gets a lot of much deserved love here. Anyway, we love it when behind-the-scenes cinematic craftspeople of note get their proper due, and Tippett's one of the most deserving there ever was or will be. A magician. — J.A.
How to watch: Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters is now streaming on Prime Video.
3. Living With ChuckyThe Child's Play franchise — meaning the slasher films starring Chucky the murderous doll that began in 1988 right up through the TV series that's currently in its third season — has been in the hands of the same people the entire time, save one spin-off reboot that we will not discuss. Namely, creator Don Mancini and his crew of delightful wackadoos. That's given the franchise not just a thematic throughline that the other '80s slasher franchises have lacked, but an actual personal one, since decades of relationships have bloomed behind the scenes.
And that's the juice that this 2022 doc thrives on. For example, director Kyra Elise Gardner quite literally grew up with Chucky; her dad Tony has been working on make-up and puppeteering for all things Child's Play for decades. That personal touch gives this doc a sweetness and an intimacy, and maybe those are not the words you'd typically associate with a killer doll, but here we are. — J.A.
How to watch: Living With Chucky is now streaming on Prime Video.
4. Dior and I Credit: Everett / ShutterstockWhile a look behind the scenes at the staging a fashion show can often induce terror, director Frédéric Tcheng's 2014 look at the first haute couture collection of Raf Simons for the legendary house is so awash in beauty that you hardly even notice any of that. Narrated via excerpts of Dior's autobiography, which was unpublished and only discovered at the start of the film's production, Dior and I is as intimate and exquisite as the garments themselves. — J.A.
How to watch: Dior and I is now streaming on Prime Video.
5. Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk HorrorThe Wicker Man. Midsommar. The Blair Witch Project. The Lighthouse. What do these seemingly disparate bunch of horror movies all have in common? They all belong to the scary subgenre of folk horror, which relies on natural environments and elements of folklore and myth to create nightmarish atmospheres.
And if you're curious about them at all, boy oh boy, have I got the documentary for you! Wildly informative at well over three hours, writer and historian Kier-La Janisse's 2021 doc will tell you everything you need to know about the past, present, and future of these films, scanning every corner of the globe. It's truly one of the most impressive documentaries on the subject of horror films ever crafted — an entire semester in one sitting. In addition to tons of great interviews and clips, you'll walk away with a list ten pages long of movies to watch. — J.A.
How to watch: Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror is now streaming on Prime Video.
6. One Child NationIn China between the years 1979 and 2015, the government had a one-child policy; because of the surging population, families were "encouraged" to only have a single child. In Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang's 2019 documentary, they interviewed both the enforcers of that policy and the enforced-upon, and a picture of genuine horror emerges.
The propaganda from the era seems downright goofy, but it had a chilling effect. Infanticide and human trafficking ran rampant. But the most moving parts of the doc are the ones seen from the ground level, especially from within Wang's family, where her own mother speaks of the terrible decisions she had to make. — J.A.
How to watch: One Child Nation is now streaming on Prime Video.
7. Nelly and NadineLooking for blossoms of hope within tales of the Holocaust can sometimes feel like a fool's errand, but Magnus Gertten's 2022 documentary about a love affair between two women who met in a concentration camp somehow manages that moving feat. Sylvie Bianchi spent most of her life too afraid to look into her grandmother Nelly's letters about her time in the female-only Ravensbrück camp. Once Sylvie does look into Nelly's letters, she discovers a a secret love story between her grandmother and another woman named Nadine. Somehow, these two women managed to find love amid all the horror, and years later they reunited and ran off to Venezuela to be together. It's astonishing stuff, and a reminder of how facing the worst imaginable thing will make the beauty in life shine all the brighter. — J.A.
How to watch: Nelly and Nadine is now streaming on Prime Video.
8. Grizzly ManWerner Herzog has fully been a character for his 60-year-plus directing career. (See also the 1999 doc My Best Fiend, which is also currently streaming on Prime.) But it wasn't until this 2005 documentary that he truly became a brand unto himself — a voice iconic enough to inspire tributes and parodies far and wide, in addition to the occasional stunt-casting gig.
That would be odd in and of itself, but it becomes deeply weird when you take into account the film's subject. Grizzly Man is actually a deeply serious cautionary tale about the conservationist Timothy Treadwell, who went to live among the bears of Alaska and ended up killed by the creatures he got too comfortable with — recording himself all the while. So go rewatch Grizzly Man, setting aside your best existentially somber Herzog impression for a minute, and immerse yourself in the director's meticulous reconstruction of Treadwell's life, work, and multiple follies. This is ultimately an extremely moving and often disturbing portrait of one man's overreach and the indifferent natural world biting back.
How to watch: Grizzly Man is now streaming on Prime Video.
9. I Am: Celine Dion Credit: Amazon MGM StudiosWhat better moment to spend some of your time with the Quebecois musical icon than now, in the wake of her triumphant return to the stage for the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics? As this 2024 doc makes clear, it was not at all an easy journey to that perch on the side of the Eiffel Tower, where she sang Edith Piaf's ballad "Hymne à l'amour" straight into the heavens. After her 2022 diagnosis with stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes a person's muscles to seize up, she's been through the ringer.
But in true Celine fashion, she refuses to be held back, and director Irene Taylor's film captures her in some deeply intimate and personal moments. There's nobody quite like Celine, whose humor and forthrightness will melt even the most cynical viewer's defenses. — J.A.
How to watch: I Am: Celine Dion is now streaming on Prime Video.
10. Gimme DangerGimme Danger is the definitive document of punk rock's origin point. The Stooges were so far ahead of their time they'd made three records and broken up before anybody could even realize what they'd done. Jim Jarmusch spent about ten years working on the doc, which comes to a head with their 2010 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And everybody still alive to tell the wild tale happily tells their version of it. Of course it's Iggy, who's spent several decades hogging the spotlight, who walks away with the show yet again. — J.A.
How to watch: Gimme Danger is now streaming on Prime Video.
11. Silver Dollar RoadAfter 2016's I Am Not Your Negro and 2021's Exterminate All the Brutes, it's safe to say that director Raoul Peck is one of the greats working today. 2023's Silver Dollar Road, which is based on the 2019 ProPublica article "Kicked Off The Land" by Lizzie Presser, triple underlines that statement. The film tells the ongoing multi-generational story of the Reels family, whose prime slice of waterfront property in North Carolina became the focus of some greedy real estate developers. In just 100 minutes, it manages to be both a beautiful portrait of a loving family and an infuriating excavation of American institutionalized racism at work. — J.A.
How to watch: Silver Dollar Road is now streaming on Prime Video.
12. Val Credit: Courtesy of Amazon StudiosVal Kilmer is one of the greats, without question. He's played Batman and The Doors frontman Jim Morrison. His performance in Tombstone as Doc Holliday is a frequently quoted cult hit that's inspired any number of memes. And he's Hollywood's best Moses to date, with his star turn in The Prince of Egypt, an animated retelling of the Passover story from 1998, far exceeding that of Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments.
In Val, the famed actor who largely fell out of public view in the mid-2010s as he battled throat cancer, bares his whole self. Kilmer himself created many of the home movies and behind-the-scenes clips featured in this Amazon Original documentary, and they're weaved together here to paint a picture of his life and career. Featuring narration from Kilmer's son Jack and words written by the actor himself, Val is about as personal as a biographical documentary can get. — Adam Rosenberg, Video Game Reporter
How to watch: Val is now streaming on Prime Video.
13. Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown Credit: Simon Pietri / ShutterstockReleased in 2014, the same year the late Chadwick Boseman starred as the Godfather of Soul in the biopic Get On Up, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown plays like a fitting companion piece. But with an accomplished documentarian like Alex Gibney at the helm, Mr. Dynamite more than stands on its own.
Highlighted by a wealth of rare archival materials showing the funk and soul superstar during his early days, the film chronicles Brown's career from his time playing for Black audiences when the American Civil Rights movement was still taking shape, all the way into his mainstreamed blockbuster success. While Mr. Dynamite's largely uncritical look falls short on chronicling Brown's later years, there are more than enough archival materials and fascinating revelations to sustain this two-hour trip through music history. — A.R.
How to watch: Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown is now streaming on Prime Video.
14. The ImposterBart Layton's retelling of the extremely curious 1997 case of the French conman Frédéric Bourdin presents us with one of those true stories that seems too baffling to believe – indeed, when the 2009 horror film Orphan stole this documentary's big revelation, it came to be considered one of the greatest horror movie twists of all time! But the twist is indeed based in truth, as Bourdin was able to impersonate a missing Texan boy and “happily reunite” with the boy’s family, even though he was several years older, had a French accent, and didn’t much look like the boy at all. The power of belief is a powerful force indeed. — J.A.
How to watch: The Imposter is now streaming on Prime Video.
Chester Burnett, the Howlin' Wolf himself: Hear that voice once, and you'll never forget it. Burnett's raspy, tortured growl is the sound of a freight train moaning at midnight, and it's just one piece of the portrait painted in filmmaker Don McGlynn's The Howlin' Wolf Story.
The legendary Chicago bluesman left an indelible mark on culture and rock music specifically, as the originator of what are now bona fide blues standards, like "Spoonful" and "Smokestack Lightnin'." This documentary recounts Burnett's early days spent learning under Charley Patton, his travels with Robert Johnson, his impact on the Rolling Stones (and music in general), and the larger-than-life energy he brought to every stage he set foot on as the Wolf. — A.R.
How to watch: The Howlin' Wolf Story is now streaming on Prime Video.
16. No No: A Dockumentary Credit: Ray Stubblebine / AP / ShutterstockNo No: A Dockumentary has one hell of a powerful hook: Dock Ellis, the late Major League Baseball pro who is its subject, once pitched a no-hitter as a Pittsburgh Pirate while tripping his face off on LSD.
Wild as it is, that incident is, of course, just a moment in a much larger and more complex life. Director Jeffrey Radice assembles his picture of Ellis from interviews with friends, family, and former teammates, bolstering the production even further with a generous helping of archival materials — including words from Ellis himself.
No No is a thorough look at the man behind the moment. The documentary anchors itself in that moment only to highlight and heighten the life that led to and followed it. We come away with a deeper understanding of who Ellis was, the various forces that shaped his life, and the highs and lows that characterized his journey. — A.R.
How to watch: No No: A Dockumentary is now streaming on Prime Video.
17. American MovieCelebrating the 25th anniversary of the greatest year for movies in modern history has proven a Herculean effort in 2024, but no such celebration is complete without giving some love to Chris Smith's classic and endlessly quotable documentary American Movie. The doc has Smith following around the low-budget Wisconsinite filmmaker Mark Borchardt as he tries, against literally all of the odds, to make a horror movie called Coven, which tells the tale of a sobriety support group that is in reality the front for a bunch of witches.
Borchardt is one of those subjects whom you just cannot look away from — and so too is his best friend Mike Schank and his uncle/financier Uncle Bill. They're a lovable, infuriating, and surprisingly ingenious bunch, under all the endless bungling. And so American Movie ends up in the same league of heartfelt odes to lo-fi creativity as Tim Burton's masterpiece Ed Wood, as well as being one of the funniest movies ever made. — J.A.
How to watch: American Movie is now streaming on Prime Video.
18. Hail Satan? Credit: Magnolia PicturesCo-founded by Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jarry in 2013, The Satanic Temple is a non-theistic organization that pushes back whenever our First Amendment rights are being undermined by Christian zealots. One such example of TST's advocacy, which is at the heart of this 2019 doc, is a life-size Baphomet statue that was to be installed at the Oklahoma State Capitol as a rejoinder to a (misspelled) Ten Commandments monument funded by Rep. Mike Ritze in 2012.
Director Penny Lane drops us into their righteous fight with thoughtfulness and humor, illustrating that in the modern battle between good and evil, it's really the Satanists who are proving to be on the right side of history. — J.A.
How to watch: Hail Satan? is now streaming on Prime Video.
19. Fiddler: Miracle of MiraclesEven if you know every word to Broadway bangers like "If I Were a Rich Man" and "Tradition," there's still a good chance you don't know the full history and impact of the play from which they hail: Fiddler on the Roof.
This documentary from Max Lewkowicz examines the 1964 musical from Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics), and Joseph Stein (book) and the difficult road it took to reach the stage — and eventually the big screen. Featuring interviews and insights from luminaries like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Harvey Fierstein, and director Norman Jewison, Fiddler is must-watch material for any fan of Broadway past and present. — A.R.
How to watch: Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles is now streaming on Prime Video.
SEE ALSO: The best '90s movies on Prime Video for when you want to get nostalgic 20. Good Night Oppy Credit: Courtesy of Prime VideoNo matter how much you thought you wanted the titular star of Pixar's animated masterpiece WALL-E to be real, it's guaranteed to only be a fraction of how badly Good Night Oppy director Ryan White and his cast of NASA nerds wanted WALL-E to be real, because they set out with this movie to anthropomorphize the dickens out of their Mars rover called Opportunity. (Or "Oppy" for cutesy short.)
While it is at times a bit much — like when listening to these serious scientists insist their hunk of metal doo-dads they've shipped 230 million miles away totally has a personality — Good Night Oppy doesn't lack for celestial splendor. And making the little can-do robot at its center the audience stand-in does often result in a true sense of the enormity of this mission, and the odds they all faced, both real and imagined. — J.A.
How to watch: Good Night Oppy is now streaming on Prime Video.
Sarah Polley began acting when she was four years old, which is a story she tells with typical intelligence and emotional precision in her 2022 memoir Run Towards the Danger. But a full 10 years earlier, she told us a totally different story with her film Stories We Tell — the one about her parents, the secrets of her own birth, and about the ways her family processed and didn't process certain events and revelations over the years.
The less said beforehand with regards to this movie's unfolding mysteries, the better. And if we're being absolutely forced to exist without her acting on-screen, this is further proof (alongside her other directorial efforts, Away From Her, Take This Waltz, and Women Talking) that she's got more than enough magic to share from behind the screen. — J.A.
How to watch: Stories We Tell is now streaming on Prime Video.
We personally have been celebrating "the year of Judy Blume" for decades. But it's hard to not make the case that 2023 – with the delightful adaptation of Blume's book Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret and this documentary both hitting screens – is a real big year for Blume-heads. And Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok's film on the author is thankfully attuned to Blume's endurance as much as her legacy, and so we get to hear as much on her thoughts about the world today as we do her career past. Seeing as how she's been on the front-lines of book bans and censorship for decades, there's no better authority. – J.A.
How to watch: Judy Blume Forever is now streaming on Prime Video.
Music is awash with secret histories like the one explored in Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World. The documentary from co-directors Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana takes a look at the impact indigenous populations in America had on popular music.
In addition to Link Wray, the famed Shawnee singer/songwriter and guitarist whose most famous song serves as the film's title, Rumble profiles Jimi Hendrix, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Mildred Bailey, Redbone, and even formative blues legend Charley Patton, among others. — A.R.
How to watch: Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World is now streaming on Prime Video.
24. Between Me and My MindDirector Steven Cantor's "slice of life" look at Phish frontman Trey Anastasio isn't going to turn any doubters into true believers, but it does offer a glimpse into the life of the guitarist and singer who fuels many of the band's creatively playful and often deeply nerdy antics.
While the film centers itself in a particular moment — a busy period in which Anastasio is finishing up the solo album Ghosts in the Forest as he prepares for Phish's 2018 run of New Year's Eve concerts at Madison Square Garden — it's not all about the music. This is a family affair that presents viewers with a glimpse into the subdued rocker's home life and off-stage history. Through that lens, we learn much about the way Anastasio thinks and approaches his work. — A.R.
How to watch: Between Me and My Mind is now streaming on Prime Video.
25. The BooksellersIf your toes curl during the scene in Beauty and the Beast where the Beast shows Belle his enormous library and she spins around so we can stare at the shelves of books going up, up, up into the rafters, then have we got the documentary for you! D.W. Young's 2019 doc (executive produced and narrated by Party Girl star and librarian icon Parker Posey) takes us into the world of rare and antiquarian book shops and book dealers in New York. Speaking with the people who run famed institutions like the Strand and the Argosy, as well as erudite authors and personalities like Fran Lebowitz and Gay Talese, you can practically smell the bookshop smell — you know, that sweet musty something — wafting off your screen as you watch. It'll make your best Belle fantasies come roaring back. — J.A.
How to watch: The Booksellers is now streaming on Prime Video.
Focusing on LGBTQ refugees escaping from Chechnya, where they've been subject to government-sanctioned torture and murder, How to Survive a Plague filmmaker David France's harrowing 2020 doc follows its subjects' flight from their homeland using a wealth of modern tech, including cell phones and GoPros.
But it's the film's usage of AI technology, in order to disguise the refugees' faces and preserve their anonymity, that proved revolutionary, showing that AI can actually be used for good in some instances (rather than to just obliterate all artists' well-being, as has been the case as of late). But that tech still never manages to outshine the very human and very scary stories at the film's heart — one which has only felt closer to home with time — and which should shake any decent person to their core. — J.A.
How to watch: Welcome to Chechnya is now streaming on Prime Video.
Documenting Sibil Fox Richardson's 20-year battle to get her husband Rob out of the Louisiana State Penitentiary for a crime that he very much did commit, filmmaker Garrett Bradley pieced together Time using home movies that Richardson herself filmed over the years. What the two summon forth is a devastating critique of the prison industrial complex and the state-sanctioned gears that grind up families. Because, as the film's moving footage attests at every turn, Rob's guilt is not who he is, not as a man or a husband or a father. We are all so much more than the mistakes we make, and the system as it's designed is blind, cruel, and indifferent. Rob was granted clemency in 2018, 21 years after he was convicted as a first-time felony offender to 60 years in jail, with no possibility for parole or probation. — J.A.
How to watch: Time is now streaming on Prime Video.
UPDATE: Aug. 1, 2024, 11:33 a.m. EDT This list was first published on Aug. 1, 2020. It has since been updated to reflect the current streaming options.
Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Prime Prime Video Sign up now for a subscription to Prime Video. Shop NowTL;DR: Live stream the NFL for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Football might be America's favorite sport, but interest from around the world has been steadily growing in recent years. You can find fans of the sport in every corner of the globe, all with the same burning questions about how to follow the game without a costly subscription.
Fortunately, it's possible to watch the NFL without spending anything. If you want to watch the NFL for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
What is the NFL?The NFL is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).
Each team plays 17 games in the regular season. Following that, seven teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, culminating in the Super Bowl. This game is played in early February between the winners of the AFC and NFC championship games.
When is the NFL?The NFL season begins annually with a three-week preseason in August, followed by an 18-week regular season running from September to January.
How to watch the NFL for freeFans can live stream the NFL for free on these platforms:
Australia — 7plus (select regular season games and every NFL playoff game)
France — 6play (one game per week)
Germany — RTL (select regular season and postseason games)
New Zealand — TVNZ (up to three games per week)
UK — My5 (Monday Night Football games)
These streaming services are geo-blocked, but anyone from around the world can access these free platforms with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other countries, meaning you can unblock free streaming services from around the world without hassle.
Access free live streams of the NFL by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in a location with free coverage of the NFL
Watch the NFL for free from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading services do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of the NFL without committing with your cash. This is clearly not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select NFL fixtures before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for the NFL?ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream the NFL, for a number of reasons:
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A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream the NFL for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream the women's 1,500m final at Paris 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
There's so much incredible, pulse-pounding athletics at Paris 2024 that it's hard to know which races to concentrate on watching (the answer's all of them of course, but not everyone has the time for that). But if there's one final you really should check out, it's the women's 1,500m.
That's because Kenyan mid-distance dynamo Faith Kipyegon is going for gold at her third consecutive games. Indeed, she nabbed the gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. To get the gold for a third time in the same event would be an incredible feat — she'd be the first women in history to do it in a track event.
Keep reading to find out how you can watch the women's 1,500m final for free, from anywhere in the world.
When is the women's 1,500m final at Paris 2024?The women's 1,500m final at Paris 2024 takes place at 2:15 p.m. ET on Aug. 10. The event is hosted by the Stade de France.
How to watch the women's 1,500m final at Paris 2024 for freeThe women's 1,500m final at Paris 2024 is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer is a free streaming site that's geo-blocked for UK viewers only. But anyone can access this free platform with a VPN. VPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure UK-based server, which helps you bypass restrictions and gain access to BBC iPlayer for free worldwide.
Unblock BBC iPlayer for free by following this simple process:
Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Live stream the women's 1,500m final at Paris 2024 from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but the leading VPN providers usually have incentive deals such as free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. You can leverage these offers to unblock BBC iPlayer — and all without spending anything in the long-run. It's a short-term solution, of course, but it gives you enough time to stream the women's 1,500m final at Paris 2024 (plus the events that follow) before reclaiming your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95, which gives you an impressive discount of 49%. The plan includes a bonus three months at no additional cost, plus a whole year of unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream the women's 1,500m final at Paris 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream the women's 5,000m final at Paris 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Many people have done the 5K — it's the standard goal for recreational joggers or anyone making the effort to get in shape — but imagine doing it at the level of a Paris 2024 athlete. The 5,000m final is the equivalent of going around the track twelve and a half times times. It takes a special kind of athlete to vie for a gold medal.
Incredibly, Dutch runner Sifan Hassan is attempting the 5,000m, the 10,000m, and the marathon at Paris 2024. Hassan won gold in the 5,000m at Tokyo 2020, so it's not necessarily an impossible dream. And you can watch Hassan in the women's 5,000m final for free, no matter where you are in the world.
Here's how to watch the women's 5,000m final at Paris 2024.
When is the women's 5,000m final at Paris 2024?The women's 5,000m final at Paris 2024 takes place at 3:15 p.m. ET on Aug. 5. The event is hosted by the Stade de France.
How to watch the women's 5,000m final at Paris 2024 for freeThe women's 5,000m final at Paris 2024 is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer is a free streaming site that's geo-blocked to the UK. But anyone can access this platform with a VPN. VPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure UK server, which helps you sidestep restrictions and gain access to BBC iPlayer from anywhere worldwide.
Unblock BBC iPlayer for free by following this simple process:
Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Live stream the women's 5,000m final at Paris 2024 from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not actually free to use, but the leading VPNs usually offer free trial periods or money-back guarantees. You can leverage these offers to unblock BBC iPlayer — and without spending anything in the long-run. It's a short-term solution, but it gives you enough time to stream the women's 5,000m final at Paris 2024 (plus the events that follow) before reclaiming your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95, for an impressive discount of 49%. The plan also gives you a bonus three months for free, plus a whole year of unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream the women's 5,000m final at Paris 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream the women's 800m final at Paris 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
You have to admire the power, speed, and determination it takes to excel at the 800m. That's why the women's 800m final at Paris 2024 is quite simply can't-miss. Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson looks to be the frontrunner of this exciting event — and it would be her first gold medal at this level, following two silver medals at Tokyo.
And you can watch Hodginkson race for the gold for free, no matter where you are in the world. Here's how to watch the women's 800m final at Paris 2024.
When is the women's 800m final at Paris 2024?The women's 800m final at Paris 2024 takes place at 3:47 p.m. ET on Aug. 5. The event is hosted by the Stade de France.
How to watch the women's 800m final at Paris 2024 for freeThe women's 800m final at Paris 2024 is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer is a free streaming site that's geo-blocked to the UK. But anyone can access this platform with a VPN. VPNs can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure UK server, which helps bypass restrictions and enables access to BBC iPlayer from wherever you are in the world.
Unblock BBC iPlayer for free by following this simple process:
Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Live stream the women's 800m final at Paris 2024 from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not actually free, but the top VPNs will usually offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. You can leverage these offers to unblock BBC iPlayer but without committing any cash in the long-run. This is obviously a short-term solution, but it gives you enough time to stream the women's 800m final at Paris 2024 (as well as all the events that follow) before reclaiming your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95, which gives you an impressive 49% off for a limited time. The plan includes an extra three months for free, plus a whole year of unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream the women's 800m final at Paris 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream the men's 800m final at Paris 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
If running round the entire track once sounds tough, try doing it twice — and at world-beating speed. Because that's what you'll get when you tune into the 800m final at Paris 2024: Some of the greatest athletes on the planet racing one of the most demanding distances possible on the track.
The men's 800m final will last a little over 1.40 minutes. And the medals will be hotly contested between Algeria’s Djamel Sedjati, Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi, France's Gabriel Tual, and Spain’s Mohamed Attaoui, who all ran impressive times in pre-Paris competition. It's a race that's not to missed. And the good news is, you don't have to.
If you want to watch the men's 800m final at Paris 2024 for free from anywhere in the world, read on to find out how.
When is the 800m final at Paris 2024?The men's 800m final at Paris 2024 takes place at 1:05 p.m. ET on Aug. 10. The event is hosted by the Stade de France.
How to watch the 800m final at Paris 2024 for freeThe men's 800m final at Paris 2024 is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer is a free streaming site that's geo-restricted to the UK. But anyone can access this platform with a VPN. A VPN can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, which will bypass restrictions and give you access to streaming sites such as BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Unblock BBC iPlayer for free by following this simple process:
Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Live stream the men's 800m final at Paris 2024 from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not actually free to use, but the top VPNs tend to offer free trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock BBC iPlayer without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it gives you enough time to stream the men's 800m final at Paris 2024 (along with all the events that follow) before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95, giving you 49% off for a limited time. The plan includes an extra three months for free, plus an entire year of unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream the men's 800m final at Paris 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Take a wide range of online courses from Harvard University for free with edX.
edX is a special place that hosts free online courses from some of the top educational institutions in the world, including Harvard University. You can become a student of this famous school without spending anything or leaving home.
You can find free online courses from Harvard University on everything from AI to cybersecurity with edX, so what are you waiting for? These are the best free online courses from Harvard University this month:
You won't get a certificate of completion with these free courses, but don't let that hold you back. Students can still enroll at any time and start learning at their own pace.
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Opens in a new window Credit: Harvard University Harvard University Courses Free at edX Get DealTL;DR: Live stream USA vs. Puerto Rico at Paris 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
The basketball at Paris 2024 has been really entertaining, and we can't see that changing as USA take on Puerto Rico. The U.S. team is absolutely stacked with incredible talent, which makes for some truly special moments. Things will be tough for Puerto Rico, but they won't go down without a fight.
If you want to watch USA vs. Puerto Rico at Paris 2024 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is USA vs. Puerto Rico at Paris 2024?USA vs. Puerto Rico at Paris 2024 takes place at 11:15 a.m. ET on Aug. 3.
How to watch USA vs. Puerto Rico at Paris 2024 for freeUSA vs. Puerto Rico at Paris 2024 is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access this free streaming service with a VPN. These are tools that hide your real IP address and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock free streaming sites like BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Unblock BBC iPlayer for free by following this simple process:
Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Live stream USA vs. Puerto Rico at Paris 2024 from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can unblock BBC iPlayer without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it gives you time to stream USA vs. Puerto Rico (plus the rest of Paris 2024) before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream USA vs. Puerto Rico at Paris 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream the women's 400m final at Paris 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Of all the events at Paris 2024, the 400m must be one of the most impressive. It covers a whole lap around the athletics track and demands a combination of both speed and strategy.
The finals are approaching fast — quite literally considering the pace of these athletes — including the women's 400m. Jamaican runner Nickisha Pryce is one to watch, as well as the Dominican Republic's Marileidy Paulino.
If you want to watch the women's 400m final at Paris 2024 for free from anywhere in the world, here's all the information you need.
When is the women's 400m final at Paris 2024?The women's 400m final at Paris 2024 takes place at 2:00 p.m. ET on Aug. 9. The event is hosted by the Stade de France.
How to watch the women's 400m final at Paris 2024 for freeThe women's 400m final at Paris 2024 is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer is a free streaming platform that's geo-restricted to the UK. But anyone can access BBC iPlayer with the use of a VPN. A VPN can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock free streaming sites like BBC iPlayer, along with all the Paris 2024 action, from anywhere in the world.
Unblock BBC iPlayer for free by following this simple process:
Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Live stream the women's 400m final at Paris 2024 from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPN providers usually offer free trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these deals, you can unblock BBC iPlayer without committing any cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it will give you time to stream 400m final at Paris 2024 (plus any events that follow) before you recover any upfront investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months at no additional cost — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream the women's 400m final at Paris 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.
TL;DR: Live stream the women's 100m hurdles final at Paris 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.
Paris 2024 is well underway, and it's already been a thrilling watch for sports fans from across the globe. From athletics to fencing, the competition is hot this year. And with athletes from all around the world competing for the chance of a gold medal, the talent is abundant.
If watching seriously-fast athletes is your thing, you won't want to miss the women's 100m hurdles final. Competitors are likely to include Nigeria's Tobi Amusan and the USA's Masai Russell.
If you want to watch the women's 100m hurdles final at Paris 2024 for free from anywhere in the world, keep on reading because we have all the information you need.
When is the women's 100m hurdles final at Paris 2024?The women's 100m hurdles final at Paris 2024 takes place at 1:35 p.m. ET on Aug. 10. The event is hosted by the Stade de France.
How to watch the women's 100m hurdles final at Paris 2024 for freeThe women's 100m hurdles final at Paris 2024 is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer.
While BBC iPlayer is geo-restricted to the UK, anyone can access this streaming platform with the use of a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock free streaming sites like BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world.
Unblock BBC iPlayer for free by following this simple process:
Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
Visit BBC iPlayer
Live stream the women's 100m hurdles final at Paris 2024 from anywhere in the world
The best VPNs for streaming are often not free, but most do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. If you take advantage of these offers, you can unblock free streaming services such as BBC iPlayer without spending any cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it gives you time to stream the women's 100m hurdles final at Paris 2024 (plus all the events that follow) before recovering your investment.
What is the best VPN for BBC iPlayer?ExpressVPN is the best service for streaming live sport on BBC iPlayer, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.
Live stream the women's 100m hurdles final at Paris 2024 for free with ExpressVPN.
A beautiful lawn doesn't come easy. It takes, blood, sweat, tears, and the real equipment. That's the same for everyone, whether you just dabble in gardening or you're a pro landscaper. Even if you struggle with the blood, sweat, and tears bit, it's certainly worth tooling up with the best gardening equipment you can afford.
Top of the list, of course, is a lawn mower. But it's worth backing that up with a strimmer (sometimes called a lawn trimmer). If a lawn mower does the bulk of the worth, a strimmer is for the finer details. Strimmers are designed to trim the edges, borders, and even keep the lawn itself tidy by cutting back weeds and long patches. In other words, the strimmer takes care of the bits that your lawn mower can't reach.
But unless you’re a gardening expert, choosing the right strimmer is harder than lugging a mower around. There's plenty of jargon and spec that might not make sense — not to mention a selection of brands to choose from. But we're here to help put you on the right (garden) path by recommending some top models. But before we get to that, here’s some helpful information about buying a new strimmer.
Are there different types of lawn strimmers?The main types you’ll have to choose from are electric strimmers that plug into the mains, cordless strimmers powered by rechargeable batteries, and petrol strimmers which give you extra power. The best option for you really depends on the size of your garden and its current state. Is it big and overgrown? In that case you'll need power.
Corded vs. cordless strimmers — which are best?It’s less a case of which is best and more which type best suits your garden and gardening needs. Corded strimmers are generally cheapest and best for casual use, but they’re slightly limited by the cord. You’ll need easy access to a mains outlet — and you must check that the cord reaches far enough to cover your lawn.
Cordless strimmers are built for convenience — lightweight and easy to handle around the garden. The main drawback is that you have to recharge them after use. Look for a model with battery power to match the size of your garden.
What are the benefits of a petrol strimmer?Petrol-powered strimmers give you power. If you have a large garden, or particularly tough grass and weeds to cut through, a petrol strimmer is likely the best option. They’re not always the best for delicate or precision-perfect jobs.
What is lawn edging?Lawn edging is pretty much as it sounds — the art of keeping your lawn neat, tidy, and even styled. It can be surprisingly hard to do if you don’t have the right tools. Some strimmers are built for both regular trimming and edging, or may have a cutting head that converts into an edger. This can add a touch of artistic flair to your gardening.
What are the most important lawn strimmer features?As well as edging, there are other handy features that can elevate a strimmer from good to great. They can include a telescopic shaft, adjustable handle, shoulder strap, and brush cutter for tackling brambles and shrubbery.
What's an automatic line feed?Another feature that can be a deal-breaker for some gardeners is an automatic line extension. The “line” is the thing that whips around quickly and does the actual business of grass cutting (though some strimmers use a blade). The line can sometimes break, so you need a system to replace the line mid-cut. Strimmers may have an automatic line feed, which replaces the line as you cut, meaning you do don't have faff about with changing spools. Others replace the line with the press of a button — or by giving the head a bump on the ground.
What is the best lawn strimmer?There are plenty of impressive models out there from top brands like Bosch and Flymo. To help you find the right strimmer for you and your garden, we have lined up a selection of the very best models. We have considered customer reviews, specifications, and features to give you a clear idea of what's out there.
These are the best garden strimmers in 2024.
Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.
If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for August 2's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.
What's the best Wordle starting word?The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.
Is Wordle getting harder?It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for August 2 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:Something a reptile may shed.
Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?There are no reoccurring letters.
Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.
SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today's Wordle is...
SCALE.
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for August 3 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for August 3If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: A night at the museumThe hint for the theme is that they are eras.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedThe answers are related to artistic periods.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is ArtHistory.
NYT Strands word list for August 3Classical
Medieval
ArtHistory
Baroque
Modern
Romantic
Looking for other daily online games? Find one you might like – or hints for another game you're already playing – on Mashable's Games page.
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