TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The Norse myth that inspired "The Lord of the Rings" | Iseult Gillespie
The dwarves were master craftspeople. One dwarf, Andvari, forged marvelous creations. He often took the form of a fish and, one day, he swam to the land of the water nymphs, who guarded mounds of gold. When the nymphs laughed at his...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The tale of the boy who tricked the Devil | Iseult Gillespie
In a small town, a proud mother showed off her newborn son. Upon noticing his lucky birthmark, townsfolk predicted he would marry a princess. But soon, these rumors reached the wicked king. Enraged, the king stole the child away, and...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of Pegasus and the chimera | Iseult Gillespie
Shielded from the gorgon's stone gaze, Perseus crept through Medusa's cave. When he reached her, he drew his sickle and brought it down on her neck. From Medusa's neck sprung two children. One was a giant wielding a golden sword; the...
TED-Ed
Can you cheat death by solving this riddle? | Shravan S K
You and your best friend Bill are the greatest bards in the kingdom— but maybe not the brightest. Your hit song has insulted the king and now you're slated for execution. Luckily, Death is a connoisseur of most excellent music and has...
TED-Ed
The epic of Gilgamesh, the king who tried to conquer death | Soraya Field Fiorio
In 1849, in the ancient city of Nineveh in Iraq, archaeologists sifted through dusty remains, hoping to find records to prove that Bible stories were true. What they found instead was a 4,000-year-old story inscribed on crumbling clay...
TED Talks
TED: A Saudi woman who dared to drive | Manal al-Sharif
There's no actual law against women driving in Saudi Arabia. But it's forbidden. Two years ago, Manal al-Sharif decided to encourage women to drive by doing so -- and filming herself for YouTube. Hear her story of what happened next.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The myth of Thor's journey to the land of giants - Scott A. Mellor
Thor-son of Odin, god of thunder, and protector of mankind-struggled mightily against his greatest challenge yet: opening a bag of food. How had the mighty god fallen so far? Scott Mellor tells the myth of Thor's journey to Utgard.
SciShow
This Is What Peak Crustacean Looks Like
We may think of a lot of critters with crab-like body plans as crabs, but, technically, many of them are other types of crustaceans. So why do they share so many physical traits?
Crash Course
Islam and Politics: Crash Course World History 216
In which John Green teaches you about how Islam has interacted with politics during it's history, and how it continues to do so today. Islamist movements are in the news a lot lately, but how did that happen. John will point out that...
TED Talks
TED: A magical search for a coincidence | Helder Guimarães
Small coincidences. They happen all the time and yet, they pass us by because we are not looking for them. In a delightfully subtle trick, magician Helder Guimarães demonstrates with a deck of cards, a dollar bill and a stuffed giraffe.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Can you solve the temple riddle? - Dennis E. Shasha
Your expedition finally stands at the heart of the ancient temple. But as you study the inscriptions in the darkness, two wisps of green smoke burst forth. The walls begin to shake. The giant sandglass begins flowing with less than an...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The myth of Sisyphus - Alex Gendler
Sisyphus was both a clever ruler who made his city prosperous, and a devious tyrant who seduced his niece and killed visitors to show off his power. While his violation of the sacred hospitality tradition greatly angered the gods, it was...
TED Talks
TED: Close-up card magic with a twist | Lennart Green
Like your uncle at a family party, the rumpled Swedish doctor Lennart Green says, "Pick a card, any card." But what he does with those cards is pure magic -- flabbergasting, lightning-fast, how-does-he-do-it? magic.
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Mysteries of vernacular: Ukulele - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel
When 19th century Portuguese travelers landed in Hawaii with a small four-stringed guitar, a member of the king's court, nicknamed Jumping Flea, or ukulele in Hawaiian, took to the instrument. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain how...
TED Talks
Mark Forsyth: What's a snollygoster? A short lesson in political speak
Most politicians choose their words carefully, to shape the reality they hope to create. But does it work? Etymologist Mark Forsyth shares a few entertaining word-origin stories from British and American history (for instance, did you...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The kingdom hidden in Brazil | Marc Adam Hertzman and Flavio dos Santos Gomes
In the 1600s, an expansive autonomous settlement called Palmares reached its height in Brazil. It was founded and led by people escaping from slavery, also called maroons. It was one of the world's largest maroon communities, its...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: History vs. Augustus - Alex Gendler and Peta Greenfield
His reign marked the beginning of one of history's greatest empires . . . and the end of one of its first republics. Was Rome's first emperor a visionary leader who guaranteed his civilization's place in history, or a tyrant who...
TED Talks
TED: A king cobra bite -- and a scientific discovery | Gowri Shankar
A king cobra has enough venom to kill 10 people in a single bite. Recounting his near-death experience after being bitten by one of these majestic yet deadly snakes, conservationist and TED Fellow Gowri Shankar shares the epiphany he had...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: A brief history of chess - Alex Gendler
Trace the storied history of the game of chess, from its origins in 7th century India to the computer software we use today. -- The attacking infantry advances, their elephants already having broken the defensive line. The king tries to...
Crash Course
Eastern Europe Consolidates: Crash Course European History
While the focus has been on Western Europe so far, there has also been a lot going on in Eastern Europe, which we'll be looking at today. The Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania, The Ottoman Empire, and Russia were all competing at the...
SciShow
Hank Meets a Giant Squid and Other News
Hank is back in the studio and is very excited to be able again to share news of the universe with you, including his encounter with a giant squid, an English king discovered under a parking lot, new pyramids discovered in Africa, and...
TED Talks
Edward Tenner: The paradox of efficiency
Is our obsession with efficiency actually making us less efficient? In this revelatory talk, writer and historian Edward Tenner discusses the promises and dangers of our drive to get things done as quickly as possible -- and suggests...