Historical Documentaries on Netflix

For those eager to see history come to life, here are the best history documentaries on Netflix, as ranked by history buffs. Netflix is the perfect place to catch up on the latest and greatest historical documentaries. This list of Netflix historical documentaries is full of movies and miniseries about politics, science, and even sports. Many of the best history documentaries streaming on Netflix are about World War II, but there are plenty of others chronicling diverse eras and historical figures.

Ken Burns is considered one of the best documentary filmmakers of all time. His documentaries The War, Prohibition, and The Civil War are all available on Netflix Instant. Netflix released an original documentary, The Battered Bastards of Baseball, in 2014. Errol Morris's The Unknown Known is another great historical documentary that looks at more recent history.

Several great Netflix documentaries are about presidents. JFK: A President Betrayed and Our Nixon are two informative films. On a very different note, The Decent One takes an in depth look at Nazi Leader Heinrich Himmler through diary entries, letters, and memos.