Historical Documentaries on Netflix

This six-part series chronicles World War II from the rise of the Nazis to the Japanese surrender, with in-depth profiles of key figures on all sides.

Year: 2009
IMDb: 9
Netflix rating: 4.4/5
Netflix ID: 80001114 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Rare color footage interwoven with firsthand interviews and diary entries bring to life the global sweep of World War II via those who were there.

Year: 2009
IMDb: 8.7
Netflix rating: 4.3/5
Netflix ID: 70212566 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Footage of the most dramatic moments from World War II is restored in color and high definition for this historical documentary series.

Year: 2009
IMDb: 8.7
Netflix rating: 4.2/5
Netflix ID: 70254851 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

From the attack on Pearl Harbor to D-Day, the most pivotal events of World War II come to life in this vivid docuseries featuring colorized footage.

Year: 2019
IMDb: 8.7
Netflix ID: 80989924 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Honoring service members whose courage merited the awarding of a Medal of Honor, this docudrama series re-creates their inspiring true stories.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 8.4
Netflix ID: 80169786 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary explores the meteoric rise of Roh Moo-hyun during Korea’s 2002 presidential elections despite being the candidate in last place.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 8.4
Runtime: 01:49:13
Netflix ID: 80192784 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This moving documentary brings World War I to life for new generations through eyewitness accounts and vividly restored and colorized footage.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 8.3
Runtime: 01:39:17
Netflix ID: 81048455 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Artist Rezo Gabriadze's dreams and memories are brought to life in this animated documentary that focuses on his childhood during post-war Georgia.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 8.3
Runtime: 01:03:14
Netflix ID: 81327396 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Participants recall a series of festivals held on a farm in Brazil during the '70s and '80s that evolved into liberating celebrations of music.

Year: 2019
IMDb: 8.2
Runtime: 01:33:45
Netflix ID: 81211691 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Using newly unearthed film footage and audio recordings, this documentary goes deep behind the scenes of Apollo 11’s historic 1969 landing on the moon.

Year: 2019
IMDb: 8.2
Runtime: 01:32:58
Netflix ID: 81078076 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A South Korean intelligence agency's history of falsely accusing North Korean defectors of spying draws the scrutiny of an investigative journalist.

Year: 2016
IMDb: 8.1
Runtime: 01:46:04
Netflix ID: 81219140 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

The colorful true story of the Portland Mavericks, a scrappy, independent baseball team of underdogs started by actor Bing Russell in the 1970s.

Year: 2014
IMDb: 8
Netflix rating: 4.3/5
Runtime: 01:20:03
Netflix ID: 70299904 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Artists in LA discover the work of forgotten Polish sculptor Stanislav Szukalski, a mad genius whose true story unfolds chapter by astounding chapter.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 8
Runtime: 01:45:08
Netflix ID: 80109551 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Allegations of child sexual abuse in Spain's Catholic institutions are examined in interviews with survivors, clergy, journalists and other experts.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 8
Netflix ID: 80991879 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II wages an epic campaign to take the Byzantine capital of Constantinople and shapes the course of history for centuries.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 8
Netflix ID: 80990771 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Join historian Dan Jones on a journey back in time to the zenith of Britain's most iconic structures and their infamous inhabitants.

Year: 2015
IMDb: 7.9
Netflix rating: 3/5
Netflix ID: 80095866 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This miniseries featuring archival footage and interviews with experts captures the drama of six of history's most iconic presidential campaigns.

Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.8
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Netflix ID: 80114987 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Filmmaker Dylan Mohan Gray delves into Africa's AIDS crisis to put a human face on those caught in the battle over inexpensive, generic HIV drugs.

Year: 2012
IMDb: 7.7
Runtime: 01:23:11
Netflix ID: 70268209 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In this docuseries, archive footage and interviews with icons shed new light on the life, passions and pain of music legend Elvis Presley.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 7.7
Netflix ID: 81456722 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary chronicles the largely forgotten antiwar activities of American GIs and other members of the military during the Vietnam era.

Year: 2005
IMDb: 7.7
Runtime: 01:23:42
Netflix ID: 70043764 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary series tells the story of the Germans from their first confrontation with the Roman Empire until King Clovis defeated Rome.

Year: 2007
IMDb: 7.6
Netflix rating: 3.7/5
Netflix ID: 80000597 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Historian Bettany Hughes explores the intellectual landscapes that helped shape the work of Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud.

Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.6
Netflix ID: 80186252 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

From heyday to curtain call, this documentary offers a rare glimpse of the legendary Monty Python troupe as it stages live shows after a long hiatus.

Year: 2014
IMDb: 7.6
Runtime: 01:33:32
Netflix ID: 80236470 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary chronicles Johnny Cash's 1970 visit to the White House, where Cash's emerging ideals clashed with Richard Nixon's policies.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 7.6
Runtime: 00:58:32
Netflix ID: 80191051 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary series details how Brazil was shaped by centuries of armed conflict, from its early conquerors to its modern-day violence.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 7.6
Netflix ID: 81091385 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Decades after the assassination of African American leader Malcolm X, an activist embarks on a complex mission seeking truth in the name of justice.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 7.6
Netflix ID: 80217478 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This made-for-TV drama charts the life of former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who led his nation through the turbulent 1970s and early '80s.

Year: 2013
IMDb: 7.5
Netflix rating: 4.2/5
Runtime: 01:27:47
Netflix ID: 70308062 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Dramatic reenactments paired with archival sources artfully illustrate how police brought some of Britain's most infamous killers to justice.

Year: 2015
IMDb: 7.5
Netflix rating: 3/5
Netflix ID: 80091689 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary examines how Adolf Hitler's talent for manipulation, psychology and image-making led him from humble origins to near-world conquest.

Year: 1977
IMDb: 7.5
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Runtime: 02:30:18
Netflix ID: 80106791 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In the wake of the plane crash that claimed the lives of 71 people, the Brazilian soccer club Chapecoense seeks to rebuild the team that made history.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 7.5
Runtime: 01:13:45
Netflix ID: 80227672 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This moving documentary chronicles the unshakeable romance between a couple who met and fell in love while imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp.

Year: 2007
IMDb: 7.4
Netflix rating: 3.7/5
Runtime: 01:34:24
Netflix ID: 70054723 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

The history of military tanks unfolds in a documentary series that traces their role in history and geopolitics from World War I to the 21st century.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 7.4
Netflix ID: 80208213 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Decades after her release from prison for the shooting death of her jazz musician husband Lee, Helen Morgan reflects on his legacy and their lives.

Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.3
Runtime: 01:31:21
Netflix ID: 80147988 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

When social upheaval sweeps Russia in the early 20th century, Czar Nicholas II resists change, sparking a revolution and ending a dynasty.

Year: 2019
IMDb: 7.3
Netflix ID: 80211648 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary recounts the fascinating and little-known role that music has played in the struggle to eradicate apartheid in South Africa.

Year: 2002
IMDb: 7.3
Runtime: 01:43:03
Netflix ID: 60025029 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Through film clips and interviews with trailblazing auteurs, this documentary explores the movement that forever transformed Brazilian movies.

Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.3
Runtime: 01:32:38
Netflix ID: 81464326 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Historian Suzannah Lipscomb investigates the witch hunts that plagued Britain in the 17th century, examining common myths about their origin.

Year: 2015
IMDb: 7.2
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Netflix ID: 80118889 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary turns the spotlight on the man behind the iconic 'All in the Family,' with comments from friends, family and famous collaborators.

Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.2
Netflix rating: 2.8/5
Runtime: 01:31:19
Netflix ID: 80097360 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

After the brutal murders of their loved ones, three individuals share how they healed through forgiveness in this documentary presented by Aamir Khan.

Year: 2019
IMDb: 7.2
Runtime: 01:48:37
Netflix ID: 81108230 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In this true crime docuseries, some of the most dramatic trials of all time are examined with an emphasis on how the media may have impacted verdicts.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 7.2
Netflix ID: 80198329 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Featuring archival footage from both German and UK sources, this documentary examines the defense of Britain during the early years of World War II.

Year: 1960
IMDb: 7.2
Runtime: 01:11:38
Netflix ID: 81409335 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This series examines the inner workings of the Nazi regime with interviews of remaining survivors of the Third Reich as well as contemporary experts.

Year: 2011
IMDb: 7.1
Netflix rating: 3.8/5
Netflix ID: 80004958 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Five acclaimed contemporary directors tell the story of five legendary Hollywood filmmakers who enlisted in the armed forces to document World War II.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 7.1
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Netflix ID: 80049928 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In this genre-bending tale, Errol Morris explores the mysterious death of a U.S. scientist entangled in a secret Cold War program known as MK-Ultra.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 7
Netflix ID: 80059446 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Cloaked in mystery, bluesman Robert Johnson left his mark on American music. Now family, critics and famous fans look for the real man behind the music.

Year: 2019
IMDb: 7
Runtime: 00:48:49
Netflix ID: 80191049 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary seeks to dispel clichés about Viking women, who made great contributions to European history and even modern women's lib movements.

Year: 2014
IMDb: 6.8
Netflix rating: 3/5
Netflix ID: 80139278 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Leading scientists offer insights into the most powerful explosion in recorded history, which leveled miles of Siberian wilderness in 1908.

Year: 2008
IMDb: 6.8
Netflix rating: 3/5
Runtime: 00:49:20
Netflix ID: 80123551 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Juan Manuel Fangio was the Formula One king, winning five world championships in the early 1950s — before protective gear or safety features were used.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 6.7
Runtime: 01:32:30
Netflix ID: 80227556 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Through interviews with locals, this documentary investigates the triggers and outcomes of the 2013 communal riots in the heart of Uttar Pradesh.

Year: 2015
IMDb: 6.6
Runtime: 02:16:06
Netflix ID: 81035103 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Glimpse into the life and decades-long career of Turkish performer Metin Akpınar through personal interviews with him and his contemporaries.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 6.5
Runtime: 01:54:00
Netflix ID: 81425123 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary stitches together never-before-seen interviews with the last living generation of people who participated in Hitler's Third Reich.

Year: 2021
IMDb: 6.5
Runtime: 01:34:19
Netflix ID: 81422962 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Declassified documents reveal the post-WWII life of Otto Skorzeny, a close Hitler ally who escaped to Spain and became an adviser to world presidents.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 6.5
Runtime: 01:07:08
Netflix ID: 81493626 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

After dire setbacks in 1940, Winston Churchill commissions a new kind of fighting force: commandos trained to use stealth and audacious tactics.

Year: 2001
IMDb: 6.4
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Netflix ID: 80114588 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Skeptics and others discuss widely held conspiracy theories involving aliens, government cover-ups, secret assassinations and other intrigues.

Year: 2015
IMDb: 6.3
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Netflix ID: 80118873 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This Oscar-winning documentary recounts the harrowing stories of five Hungarian Jews who endured the horrors of the Holocaust and Hitler's reign.

Year: 1998
IMDb: 6.1
Runtime: 01:27:19
Netflix ID: 21477429 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Engineers, officials and the crew members' families provide their perspective on the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster and its aftermath.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 5.8
Netflix ID: 81012137 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Interviews with scholars and dramatic reenactments bring to life the origins and history-making achievements of the world's greatest ancient empires.

Year: 2019
IMDb: 5.6
Netflix ID: 80240840 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary explores a lost true story set in Nazi-occupied Rome, when then-actor Vittorio De Sica was pulled from a set by Joseph Goebbels' men.

Year: 2002
IMDb: 5.5
Runtime: 00:37:55
Netflix ID: 81411162 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In this documentary, a young, all-women band from Italy travels to Vietnam in 1968 and experiences the war firsthand as they perform for U.S. soldiers.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 4.9
Runtime: 01:20:02
Netflix ID: 81411207 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

For 27 years, Kim Bok-dong fought tirelessly to spread education and recognition of the painful history of World War II's comfort women.

Year: 2019
IMDb: 4.5
Runtime: 01:41:33
Netflix ID: 81252857 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary series reconstructs history's most complex, high-stakes hostage negotiations as kidnapping victims recount their terrifying ordeals.

Year: 2016
IMDb: 4.1
Netflix rating: 3.2/5
Netflix ID: 80065491 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Paco Ignacio Taibo II brings his book trilogy to life, highlighting Mexico's history in 1854-1867, a period he considers foundational to the country.

Year: 2019
Runtime: 01:29:55
Netflix ID: 80988257 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Discover how Antonina and Jan Żabiński courageously risked their lives to save hundreds of Jews by hiding them at the Warsaw Zoo during World War II.

Year: 2019
Runtime: 01:10:00
Netflix ID: 81306416 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In the 1980s, Xinyao music captured the essence of everyday life and birthed a powerful artistic movement in Singapore, as seen in this documentary.

Year: 2015
Runtime: 02:08:04
Netflix ID: 81310409 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

After his presidency, Roh Moo-hyun returned to his hometown to spend his days creating an eco-friendly community and nights dreaming of a better society.

Year: 2019
Runtime: 01:38:29
Netflix ID: 81396513 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

In this delightful short documentary, an Italian American grandmother and film buff finds strength and joy in the life of her screen idol, Sophia Loren.

Year: 2021
Runtime: 00:32:16
Netflix ID: 81404845 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This five-part documentary examines catastrophic events throughout Singapore's history, from explosions, fires and floods to a traumatic plane hijacking.

Year: 2015
Netflix ID: 81477518 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

The lost, hidden, or never-known secrets of World War II's Nazi regime are finally revealed in this new collection of astonishing true tales.

Year: 2012
Netflix rating: 3.7/5
Netflix ID: 80005529 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Through scholarly and scientific examination of six relics, this series explores the historical Jesus and the complex world in which he lived.

Year: 2015
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Netflix ID: 80030183 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary series examines the Einsatzgruppen, Nazis responsible for the mass murder of Jews, Gypsies and Soviet prisoners in Eastern Europe.

Year: 2009
Netflix rating: 3/5
Netflix ID: 80134093 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This stylish mix of documentary and historical epic chronicles the reign of Commodus, the emperor whose rule marked the beginning of Rome's fall.

Year: 2016
Netflix rating: 3.3/5
Netflix ID: 80096545 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary series offers a well-rounded portrayal of Vikings, not just as barbarians but also as successful traders, mercenaries and explorers.

Year: 2015
Netflix rating: 3/5
Netflix ID: 80139519 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Harlem sports program that has inspired countless city kids to become pro basketball players.

Year: 2016
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Runtime: 00:56:18
Netflix ID: 80147908 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This documentary focuses on tempestuous 16th-century Czar Ivan IV, whose vision and ruthlessness expanded the size, power and culture of Russia.

Year: 2014
Netflix rating: 3/5
Runtime: 00:52:09
Netflix ID: 80123615 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Explore how John F. Kennedy's worldview was influenced by his younger years, when he endured poor health, family tragedy and a demanding father.

Year: 2017
Runtime: 00:43:50
Netflix ID: 80158588 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Rachael Stirling narrates this multifaceted portrait of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her younger sister, Lee Radziwill.

Year: 2017
Runtime: 00:44:12
Netflix ID: 80158579 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Eight decades after her disappearance, Amelia Earhart's incredible accomplishments are still celebrated, thanks in large part to her sister Muriel.

Year: 2017
Runtime: 00:43:41
Netflix ID: 80158580 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Explore how Caesar, Napoleon, Mussolini, Hitler and modern-day dictators consolidated their considerable power through bold and brazen coups.

Year: 2017
Runtime: 00:47:00
Netflix ID: 80158769 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Starting in 1881, this film describes how the personal battle between the royal Romanovs and Lenin's Ulyanov family led to the Russian Revolution.

Year: 2017
Runtime: 00:47:14
Netflix ID: 80158770 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

This true crime documentary series investigates cases where people convicted of murder claim their confessions were coerced, involuntary or false.

Year: 2017
Netflix ID: 80161702 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Historic footage and leading voices of the era examine the 'Bobby Phenomenon' of the 1960s and the legacy of the man who helped redefine the country.

Year: 2018
Netflix ID: 80174282 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A deconstruction of the 1959 bank heist in Romania, where a group of robbers pulls off the feat then is ordered by the state to reenact it on film.

Year: 2004
Runtime: 01:15:07
Netflix ID: 81149217 · Watch on Netflix

This documentary uses news footage and amateur video to paint a vivid picture of Romania’s 1989 revolution and the fall of dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu.

Year: 1992
Runtime: 01:47:00
Netflix ID: 70047777 · Watch on Netflix

This docuseries details the suspicious death of Alberto Nisman, investigator of the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association building.

Year: 2020
Netflix ID: 80197991 · Watch on Netflix

Featuring rare concert footage and interviews with legendary musicians, this documentary traces Bob Dylan's life story and extraordinary career.

Year: 2005
Runtime: 03:28:13
Netflix ID: 70177496 · Watch on Netflix

Through her diary, Anne Frank's story is retold alongside those of five Holocaust survivors in this poignant documentary from Oscar winner Helen Mirren.

Year: 2019
Runtime: 01:34:41
Netflix ID: 81264660 · Watch on Netflix

This documentary tells the story of Jan Karski, the first person to deliver eyewitness accounts of Nazi war crimes in Poland to the western powers.

Year: 2015
Runtime: 01:11:48
Netflix ID: 81277561 · Watch on Netflix

This docuseries delves into the untold stories and unsung heroes that paved Nigeria's road to independence. Based on the books by host Olasupo Shasore.

Year: 2021
Netflix ID: 81324674 · Watch on Netflix

The true story of Austria's Empress Elisabeth, whose assassination by an Italian anarchist in 1898 shocked the world and triggered historic unrest.

Year: 2020
Runtime: 00:44:38
Netflix ID: 81324786 · Watch on Netflix

In this hybrid documentary film, students at a Catholic missionary Chinese girls' school navigate education amid social change in Singapore.

Year: 2019
Runtime: 01:09:36
Netflix ID: 81343399 · Watch on Netflix

Between scenes from his concert in São Paulo's Theatro Municipal, rapper and activist Emicida celebrates the rich legacy of Black Brazilian culture.

Year: 2020
Runtime: 01:29:50
Netflix ID: 81306298 · Watch on Netflix

Soda Stereo, Café Tacvba, Aterciopelados and others figure in this 50-year history of Latin American rock through dictatorships, disasters and dissent.

Year: 2020
Netflix ID: 81006953 · Watch on Netflix

This documentary captures the heroism of Russian sailors and port workers who defended Murmansk and kept its critical port operational during WWII.

Year: 2019
Runtime: 00:52:14
Netflix ID: 81348931 · Watch on Netflix

Amidst a heroin crisis, Vincenzo Muccioli cared for the addicted, earning him fierce public devotion — even as charges of violence began to mount.

Year: 2020
Netflix ID: 81010965 · Watch on Netflix

This documentary tells the story of a pilot, scout and artilleryman hailed as heroes after the WWII battle to defend Russia's Kola Peninsula from Nazis.

Year: 2020
Runtime: 01:01:00
Netflix ID: 81348934 · Watch on Netflix

This collection includes 12 World War II-era propaganda films — many of which are graphic and offensive — discussed in the docuseries "Five Came Back."

Year: 1945
Netflix ID: 81405851 · Watch on Netflix

Will Smith hosts this look at the evolving, often lethal, fight for equal rights in America through the lens of the US Constitution's 14th Amendment.

Year: 2021
Netflix ID: 80219054 · Watch on Netflix

Against the backdrop of a turbulent era in Brazil, this documentary captures Pelé’s extraordinary path from breakthrough talent to national hero.

Year: 2021
Runtime: 01:48:54
Netflix ID: 81074673 · Watch on Netflix

Dynamic reenactments and expert commentaries bring to life the tumultuous history and power struggles of a warring 16th-century feudal Japan.

Year: 2021
Netflix ID: 80237990 · Watch on Netflix

The real-life pirates of the Caribbean violently plunder the world's riches and form a surprisingly egalitarian republic in this documentary series.

Year: 2021
Netflix ID: 81035118 · Watch on Netflix