00:00 The movement to preserve areas of exceptional natural beauty began in 19th century America, leading to the creation of national parks and a global movement of land preservation.

02:17 The movement to preserve areas of exceptional natural beauty began in 19th century America, leading to the creation of national parks and a global movement of land preservation, starting with the proposal to create a park to preserve the wildlife and culture of the Indians in the region, followed by the transfer of ownership of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Giant Sequoia Grove to the state of California and the exploration of Yellowstone.

04:12 The Act of Dedication signed by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872 created Yellowstone as the world's first national park, leading to the protection and administration of the park by the U.S. Army and the establishment of other national parks such as Mackinac Island, Sequoia, Yosemite, and General Grant.

06:08 The expansion and renaming of Kings Canyon National Park, the administration of Yosemite and Sequoia by the U.S. Army, the role of the Buffalo Soldiers in Sequoia National Park, the establishment of new national parks, and the passage of the Antiquities Act of 1906, which allowed the president to declare national monuments.

08:03 In 1916, the National Park Service was created to manage all national parks and monuments, and in 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt expanded the service to include federal parks, monuments, battlefields, cemeteries, and memorials, resulting in a coherent park system.

09:55 The National Park Service has expanded to include various types of sites across the country, with every president since William McKinley adding at least one unit to the park system, resulting in a total of 424 individual units, including 63 National Parks Proper, and every state and territory having at least one national park service unit.

11:57 The National Park Service is consistently rated as the most popular government agency and has been emulated by more countries than any other, earning it the title of "America's Best Idea."