A dozen awesome Nova documentaries you can watch with Hoopla

Get the best of NOVA for free with Hoopla and your Mentor Public Library card.

We’ve talked about Hoopla before. It’s a cool digital service we offer that lets you stream music, TV shows and movies anywhere and at any time for free with your Mentor Public Library card.

It also has an awesome collection of NOVA documentaries; so if you're interested in physics, history, space, dinosaurs—pretty much anything—you could be learning about it right now.

Here are some of our favorites.

1. Bigger than T-Rex

Almost a century ago, paleontologists found the first tantalizing hints of a monster even bigger than Tyrannosaurus Rex, perhaps the largest predator ever to walk the Earth: spectacular fossil bones from a dinosaur dubbed Spinosaurus. But the fossils were completely destroyed during a World War II Allied bombing raid, leaving only drawings, lots of questions, and a mystery. Learn about Spinosaurus—the dinosaur that waited 70 million years (and then another century) to be discovered.

If you like that, then watch: Arctic Dinosaurs and Last Extinction: Megabeasts' Sudden Death.

2. Dogs Decoded

New research is revealing what dog lovers have suspected all along: Dogs have an uncanny ability to read and respond to human emotions. Humans, in turn, respond to dogs with the same hormone responsible for bonding mothers to their babies. How did this incredible relationship between humans and dogs come to be?

If you like that, then watch: How Smart Are Animals?

3. Ghosts of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is the most famous archeological ruin in the Western hemisphere and an iconic symbol of the power and engineering prowess of the Inca. NOVA joins a new generation of archeologists as they probe areas of Machu Picchu that haven't been touched since the time of the Incas and unearth burials of the people who built the sacred site.

If you like that, then watch: Cracking the Maya Code, Emperor's Ghost Army, and Riddles of the Sphinx.

4. Deadliest Volcanoes
From Japan's Mount Fuji to the “Sleeping Giant” submerged beneath Naples to the Yellowstone “Supervolcano” in the United States, NOVA travels with scientists from around the world who are at work on these sites, attempting to discover how likely these volcanoes are to erupt, when it might happen, and exactly how deadly they could prove to be.

If you like this, then watch: Killer Landslides and Hunt for the Supertwister.

5. Doctors' Diaries

In 1987, NOVA's cameras began rolling to chronicle the lives of seven young, bright medical students embarking on the longest and most rigorous endeavor in higher education: the years-long journey to become a doctor. From their first days at Harvard Medical School to the present day, none of them could have predicted what it would take, personally and professionally.

If you like this, then watch: Vaccines - Calling the Shots.

6. Is There Life on Mars?

This NOVA showcases the latest scientific results from the Mars Rovers and NASA's Phoenix probe, which are poised to reveal provocative new clues in the tantalizing search for water and life on the Red Planet.

If you like this, then watch: Can We Make It to Mars?

7. Bible's Buried Secrets

Go on a scientific journey to the beginnings of modern religion, and dig into both the Bible and the history of the Israelites through the artifacts they left behind. This powerful exploration of science, scripture, and scholarship examines the most pressing issues in biblical archaeology.

If you like this, then watch: The Bible Unearthed.

8. Fabric of our Cosmos

From the passenger seat of a New York cab driving near the speed of light to a pool hall where billiard tables do fantastical things, Brian Greene reveals space as a dynamic fabric that can stretch, twist, warp and ripple under the influence of gravity. Space, far from being empty, is filled with some of the deepest mysteries of our times.

If you like this, then watch: Physics and our Universe.

9. First Air War

By World War I's end, the essential blueprint of the modern fighter aircraft had emerged: it was now an efficient killing machine that limited the average life expectancy of a front line pilot to just a few weeks. To trace the story of this astonishingly rapid technological revolution, NOVA takes viewers inside The Vintage Aviator, a team of New Zealand-based aviation buffs dedicated to bringing back classic WWI fighters.

If you like this, then watch: Rise of the Drones and Bombing Hitler's Dams.

10. Ape Genius

The great apes—which include chimps, orangutans, gorillas and bonobos—seem to have rich emotional lives similar to our own. But just how smart are these animals? A new generation of investigators is revealing the secret mental lives of great apes, and our evolutionary next-of-kin are turning out to be far smarter than most experts ever imagined.

If you like this, then watch: Becoming Human.

11. Why Planes Vanish

NOVA tells the inside story of the search for Flight MH370 and meets the key players from all corners of the globe who have spent months searching for the lost plane. How easy is it to make a plane disappear? Or can new technology guarantee that in the future, nothing will ever be 'lost' again?

If you like this, then watch: Ben Franklin's Balloon.

12. Judgment Day: Intelligent Design

One of the latest battles in the war over evolution took place in a tiny town of Dover in eastern Pennsylvania. In 2004, the local school board ordered science teachers to read to their high school biology students a statement that suggested there is an alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution. The science teachers refused to comply with the order, and alarmed parents filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing the school board of violating the separation of church and state. Suddenly, the small town of Dover was torn apart by controversy, pitting neighbor against neighbor

If you like this, then watch: What Darwin Never Knew.

If you want to watch any of these videos but don’t know how to use Hoopla, you can check out this video tutorial that one of our librarians made.

The best documentaries and videos for commemorating Veterans Day

Mentor Veterans Memorial

First and foremost, thank you to our veterans from all branches of the military.

We cannot not do what we do unless we are first safe, and you are the ones who have kept us safe.

Secondly, all of Mentor Library’s branches will be closed this Veteran’s Day. But, with our digital services, you still have access to all sorts of movies, ebooks, audiobooks and music even when the library’s buildings are closed.

Also, Hoopla has several films and documentaries that are appropriate reminders of what Veteran’s Day is all about. You can stream the videos to your computer, tablet or phone for free if you have a Mentor Library card.

1) Where Soldiers Come From (91 min) Not Rated

This documentary follows three young men from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as they receive their basic training and are sent to Afghanistan, patrolling roadways looking for improvised explosive devices. The film charts their evolving attitudes about the war and American foreign policy as they see how it works up close, as well as their sometimes tense relationships with their families, who aren’t certain the young men will ever come home.

2) You're the Enemy—Welcome Back! (46 min) Not Rated

Forty years after the end of the war, a few brave American veterans have returned to the place their country devastated. The amazing forgiveness and optimism of the Vietnamese people as they welcome these former enemies with open arms is the most potent form of therapy for the Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and the guilt which made the lives of many veterans so difficult when they returned home.

3) Comedy Warriors (84 min) Not Rated

Four professional comedians (Zach Galifianakis, Bob Saget, B.J. Novak and Lewis Black), work with five wounded veterans (Stephen Rice, Darisse Smith, Rob Jones, Bobby Henline and Joe Kashnow) to hone their stand-up acts. This documentary shows healing power of humor.

4) The Ghost Army (60 min) Not Rated

From PBS: War, deception and art come together in this astonishing true story of American G.I.s who tricked the enemy with rubber tanks, sound effects and carefully crafted illusions during World War II. This remarkable tale of a top-secret mission that was at once absurd, deadly and amazingly effective is told through the stories of the veterans, many of whom—like Bill Blass and Ellsworth Kelly—would go on to have illustrious careers in art, design and fashion.

5) D-Day: The Price of Freedom (54 min) Not Rated

Five D-Day veterans return to Normandy and revisit the locations they landed on June 6, 1944, sharing their own very personal stories of war. This documentary won Emmy Awards for writing and photography.

6) The Battle for the Midway (50 min) TVPG

One thousand miles from anywhere lay a lonely outpost of coral and sea called Midway. It was here in 1942 where the U.S. and Japan fought one of the greatest naval battles of World War II that changed the course of history. And it is here again where Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard now leads a team of experts and four World War II veterans on the voyage of their lives. They're on a race against time to do the impossible: find at least one of the five downed aircraft carriers. Join them as they pay their final respects to their fallen comrades.

7) World War II: Saving the Reality (55 min) Not Rated

This documentary tells the story of an individual who owns the largest private collection of World War II artifacts in the world. More than 50 interviews with veterans and survivors of the war help tell the story of the meaning of the over 7,000 individual items in the collection of Kenneth W. Rendell.

8) A Perfect Soldier (56 min) Not Rated


An extraordinary and inspiring documentary about one man’s journey from child soldier to international hero. A Perfect Soldier tells the story of Aki Ra, who as a young boy was taken by the Khmer Rouge and forced to plant hundreds of landmines in the Cambodian countryside. As an adult, he has devoted his life to removing them, one landmine at a time. In 2010, he was named one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of the Year.

9) Ken Burns: The War (seven episodes, each 120 min) TV14

Ken Burns’ seven-part documentary series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, explores the history and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective by following the fortunes of so-called ordinary men and women who become caught up in one of the greatest cataclysms in human history. Six years in the making, this epic 14-hour film focuses on the stories of citizens from four geographically distributed American towns—Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and the tiny farming town of Luverne, Minnesota.

10) The Winning of World War II: The Road to Victory (16 episodes, each 60 min) Not Rated

Join General John Eisenhower as he retraces World War II. From the rise of Hitler to the historic battles and the eventual involvement of U.S. forces, witness the Allies’ road to victory. Then, discover the top commanders who made this victory possible.

11) Crusade in the Pacific (26 episodes, each 30 min) TVPG

Experience the epic television documentary event that chronicles all the bloody land, sea and air battles for the Pacific, produced by the legendary March Of Time newsreel unit and featuring never-before-seen footage from the archives of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, as well as film captured from the Japanese government.

12) Vietnam: 50 Years Remembered (seven episodes, each 50 min) TVPG

This 7-part documentary series tells the history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Featuring personal stories from veterans and detailing the battles, strategy, and politics of a war that consumed multiple U.S. Presidents. Vietnam: 50 Years Remembered is a chronicle of the tragedy that tested the strength of our country and forever changed the social and political landscape of the world.

Here’s a link to all of Mentor Library’s digital services, all of which are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Also, if you're not sure how to use Hoopla, we've created an explanatory video.