Presents newsreel footage of the social history of the latter part of the 20th century. Includes scenes of people at a variety of occupations and recreations, including fishing, folk dancing, and rubber tree tapping. Presents wildlife including birds, lizards and seals and animals resident on the Galapagos Islands and visits major cities including Cairo, Damascus, and Krakow. Also shows accidents on commuter trains and natural disasters such as storms, wildfires and graphic scenes of the eruption of Mount Aetna.