TED-Ed
TED-ED: The myth of Arachne and Athena - Iseult Gillespie
From sailors who were turned into pigs, nymphs that sprouted into trees, and a gaze that converted the beholder to stone, Greek mythology brims with shape-shifters. The powerful Gods usually changed their own forms at will - but for...
TED Talks
TED: Why we need to end the War on Drugs | Ethan Nadelmann
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. Is the War on Drugs doing more harm than good? In a bold talk, drug policy reformist Ethan Nadelmann makes an...
Crash Course
Columbus, de Gama, and Zheng He! 15th Century Mariners. Crash Course World History
In which John Green teaches you about the beginning of the so-called Age of Discovery. You've probably heard of Christopher Columbus, who "discovered" America in 1492, but what about Vasco da Gama? How about Zheng He? Columbus gets a bad...
TED Talks
Ariana Curtis: Museums should honor the everyday, not just the extraordinary
Who deserves to be in a museum? For too long, the answer has been "the extraordinary" -- those aspirational historymakers who inspire us with their successes. But those stories are limiting, says museum curator Ariana Curtis. In a...
TED Talks
TED: How megacities are changing the map of the world | Parag Khanna
I want you to reimagine how life is organized on earth, says global strategist Parag Khanna. As our expanding cities grow ever more connected through transportation, energy and communications networks, we evolve from geography to what he...
TED Talks
TED: The end of Roe v. Wade -- and what comes next | Kathryn Kolbert
Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision protecting people's right to have an abortion in the United States, will be overturned within a year, says reproductive rights attorney Kathryn Kolbert. In this electrifying call to...
TED Talks
TED: Your words may predict your future mental health | Mariano Sigman
Can the way you speak and write today predict your future mental state, even the onset of psychosis? In this fascinating talk, neuroscientist Mariano Sigman reflects on ancient Greece and the origins of introspection to investigate how...
Crash Course
The History of Chemical Engineering: Crash Course Engineering #5
Today we’ll cover the fourth and final of our core disciplines of engineering: chemical engineering. We’ll talk about its history and evolution going from soda ash competitions to oil refineries and renewable energies. We’ll also discuss...
SciShow
Ancient Plagues & A New Pandemic
Hank explores the science behind the topics of the day, including a look at the current "pandemic" of concussions in professional sports and new insights into what really caused the worst plagues in human history, and what it portends...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why do humans have a third eyelid? | Dorsa Amir
You know that little pink thing nestled in the corner of your eye? It's actually the remnant of a third eyelid. In humans, it's vestigial, meaning it no longer serves its original purpose. There are several other vestigial structures in...
Crash Course
The Sun & The Earth Crash Course Big History 3
In which John Green, Hank Green, and Emily Graslie teach you about our Sun, and the formation of the planets. We're going to focus on the formation and development of the Earth, because that's where people live. You'll learn about the...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: No one can figure out how eels have sex | Lucy Cooke
From Ancient Greece to the 20th century, Aristotle, Freud, and numerous other scholars were all looking for the same thing: eel testicles. Freshwater eels could be found in rivers across Europe, but no one had ever seen them mate and no...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Michelle Brown: What is a butt tuba and why is it in medieval art?
A rabbit attempts to play a church organ, while a knight fights a giant snail and a naked man blows a trumpet with his rear end. These bizarre images, painted with squirrel-hair brushes on vellum or parchment by monks, nuns and urban...
TED Talks
Michael Tilson Thomas: Music and emotion through time
In this epic overview, Michael Tilson Thomas traces the development of classical music through the development of written notation, the record, and the re-mix.
Crash Course
Gilded Age Politics Crash Course US History
In which John Green teaches you about the Gilded Age and its politics. What, you may ask, is the Gilded Age? The term comes from a book by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner titled, "The Gilded Age." You may see a pattern emerging...
SciShow
4 Mysterious Extinctions from Earth’s History
Nowadays, we're pretty confident about how the dinosaurs died out, but there are still other extinctions throughout Earth's history, some big, some small, that remain unsolved.
SciShow
5 Clues to Earth's Climate History
As Earth’s climate changes, one of the hardest things to figure out is exactly how the planet will change in response. And while we can’t know the future for sure, we can get a lot of good clues from the past.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The Egyptian myth of the death of Osiris | Alex Gendler
Long jealous of his older brother Osiris, the god who ruled all of Egypt, the warrior god Set plotted to overthrow him. Hosting an extravagant party as a ruse, Set announced a game— whoever could fit perfectly in a wooden chest could...
Crash Course
The Rise of Russia and Prussia: Crash Course European History
In eastern Europe, in the 17th century a couple of "great powers" were coming into their own. The vast empire of Russia was modernizing under Peter the Great, and the relatively tiny state of Prussia was evolving as well. Russia (and...
TED Talks
TED: My wish: Three actions for Africa | Bono
Musician and activist Bono accepts the 2005 TED Prize with a riveting talk, arguing that aid to Africa isn't just another celebrity cause; it's a global emergency.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The history of museums - J. V. Maranto
Museums have been a part of human history for over 2,000 years -- but they weren't always like the ones we visit today. J.V. Maranto uncovers the evolution of museums, from the first museum in 530 BC (curated by a princess) to PT...
TED Talks
TED: Stories of photographing monumental people -- from Michelle Obama to Stephen Hawking | Platon
With his art, photographer Platon seeks to strip away assumptions and leave viewers with a window into his subject's character, filling our eyes with wonder and curiosity. Sharing extraordinary stories of what it's like to photograph...
Crash Course
Why Cosmic Evolution Matters: Crash Course Big History
Crash Course Big History is back! It turns out, we couldn't tell all of the 13.8 billion years of the history of the universe in 10 Crash Course Episodes. So, Big History host Emily Graslie has returned to add 6 more episodes that look...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How do blood transfusions work? | Bill Schutt
In 1881, doctor William Halsted rushed to help his sister Minnie, who was hemorrhaging after childbirth. He quickly inserted a needle into his arm, withdrew his own blood, and transferred it to her. After a few uncertain minutes, she...