LONDON (Reuters) - Hours of historic Pathe News footage spanning the world's political and everyday life from 1896 to 1970 have been made available on the Internet for free, the government says.

The move to make Pathe's newsreels -- which informed and entertained generations of people when shown in cinemas ahead of feature films -- free to the public was made possible by a grant of over one million pounds by the lottery fund.

"I am delighted that National Lottery good cause funding, has enabled Pathe to bring about this world first both in terms of technical achievement and in bringing 20th century newsreel to the 'small screen' of Internet users of all ages," Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said in a statement on Tuesday.

During World War II packed cinemas saw a their bi-weekly dose of newsreels by British Pathe. Black and white images of wartime leader Winston Churchill, often backed by rousing patriotic music, would prompt cheers from audiences, many of whom relied on the newsreels for a glimpse of the world outside Britain.

Web surfers keen to take a peek at the past can log on to www.britishpathe.com. British Pathe is owned by the Daily Mail newspaper and General Trust Group.

On Tuesday the website's "Lucky Dip" section -- which retrieves clips randomly from the 3,500 hours of footage -- offered shots of a "thief-proof car"; Ronald Reagan (then an actor) giving evidence to the U.S. Congressional inquiry into "Unamerican" activities; and a short piece showing people running across hot coals.