These Are the Best Jam Handy Engineering Explanation Videos of All Time

If you’ve ever wondered how a mechanical watch actually works, here you go. And considering how much overlap there is between car and watch enthusiasts, the odds of that being the case are probably pretty high. You may also find yourself looking at Hamiltons when you’re done with the video.

This one goes over everything it takes to make a vinyl record. And we’re not simply talking about the record itself. It starts with how a performance is recorded and later turned into a record.

Jam Handy must have really liked horses, because this video gets an introduction that’s almost two minutes of nothing but horse footage. But it does eventually get around to actually explaining the history of horsepower as a unit. Also, apparently, an elephant makes about five horsepower.

Who doesn’t like bridges? Especially a nice big bridge such as San Francisco’s Bay Bridge? As impressive as it is today, it was probably even more impressive back in 1937 when this video was released, not long after the bridge was completed.

This one goes hard on how great America is, which is kind of endearing in a way. But it also traces the history of how we made mechanical power from early water wheels to “the finest overhead valve automobile engines.” 1940 really was a “dynamic age for America and Americans.”

Yesterday’s cars bounced around even on what looked like the smoothest of roads, causing discomfort for the driver and passengers. But modern cars (in 1935) had spring suspensions to smooth out the road and increase driving ease! All jokes aside, though, it’s a great explanation of early suspension systems.

It’s the brakes, of course. And yes, this video is basically one long Chevrolet ad. But if you’ve ever wondered what’s going on inside drum brakes, look no further. This video has all you need to know.

Jam Handy really did have a way with words. “Each increase in speed follows the winning of a skirmish with speed’s greatest enemy: friction. And yet, strange as it might seem, speed is limited to our ability to stop, and stopping depends on friction. What a paradox!” Let’s spend 10 minutes learning about friction.

Again, this is a full-on Chevrolet ad, but oh well. It does a great job of explaining the floating axle. And hey, where else were you going to learn that the rear axle housing on the 1936 Chevrolet pickup truck was 35 percent stronger than the 1935 version?

Come for the animated Archimedes giving you a sultry look. But stay for the explanation of how gears are actually levers that rotate. Little gears. Big gears. Worm gears. Bevel gears. Lopsided gears. It’s time to learn about gears.

This one has nothing to do with Cady Heron, Gretchen Wieners, Karen Smith, or Regina George. Instead, this video is about actual plastic. It’s also the only video we’ve ever seen where plastic gets poured into waffle makers for the sake of education.

Like a number of Jam Handy videos, this one takes a while to get to the point. It’s not actually about haunted houses or haunted cars, but instead, it’s about the car’s frame. Because obviously, that’s the analogy anyone would think to make when explaining how car frames are designed.

You bet we’re back with more bridge content. This time, it’s the Mackinac Bridge that’s still a serious engineering achievement even today. Although, technically, it’s not a full five miles long. It’s only 4.995 miles long.

Some of Jam Handy’s videos are pretty outdated by today’s standards. After all, you don’t exactly see body-on-frame sedans on a new car lot anymore. But if you’ve ever wondered how hydraulics work, this video is still as relevant as ever.

This one’s great not just because planes are neat but also because it talks about more than just how wings create lift. Instead, it goes into early work on aerodynamics and the work of Horatio Phillips, an Englishman who developed one of the earliest wind tunnels. Also, there are boats.