Crash Course
Tricksters: An Introduction: Crash Course World Mythology 20
This week, Mike introduces you to Tricksters, starting with Anansi, the West African trickster god who is also sometimes a spider. Tricksters are, well, tricky. They're wise and foolish, they're promiscuous and amoral, but in a lot of...
Crash Course
Italian and German Unification: Crash Course European History
So, we haven't talked much about Italy and Germany so far in Crash Course Euro, and that's because prior to the mid-19th century, those two nation-states weren't really a thing. Today we'll look at how Italy and Germany pulled it...
Curated Video
Rama and the Ramayana: Crash Course World Mythology
The next entry in our parade of heroes is Rama, the protagonist of the Ramayana, one of India's oldest stories. We're going to be talking about Rama's importance to Hindu culture, and how Rama fits into Campbell's idea of the Hero's...
Crash Course
The Age of Exploration: Crash Course European History
The thing about European History is that it tends to leak out of Europe. Europeans haven't been great at staying put in Europe. As human beings do, the people of Europe were very busy traveling around to trade, to spread religion, and in...
Crash Course
The Epic of Gilgamesh: Crash Course World Mythology
This week, we're continuing our discussion of heroes by talking about Gilgamesh, star of one of the earliest written hero stories, The Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh was a terrible ancient king who left his kingdom seeking adventure, and...
Crash Course
Nostrils, Harmony with the Universe, and Ancient Sanskrit Theater: Crash Course Theater #7
Ancient Sanskrit theater is one of the oldest theater traditions, and thanks to Bharata Muni and his treatise on theater, the Natyashastra, we can tell you quite a bit about it, all the way down to eyebrow and nostril poses. This week...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The myth of King Midas and his golden touch - Iseult Gillespie
In Greek mythology, King Midas is known as a rogue ruler whose antics bemused his people and irritated the Gods. Many know the classic story of Midas's golden touch, but the foolish king was also known for his unusual pair of ears....
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: An unsung hero of the civil rights movement - Christina Greer
Learn about the life of Bayard Rustin, a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, a gay rights activist, and one of Martin Luther King’s closest advisors. -- In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the March...
Crash Course
Mythical Mountains: Crash Course World Mythology
Our mythical places series continues, and this week Mike Rugnetta is talking about some stories that revolve around mountains. Mountains loom large in human stories, not least because mountains are, well, large. So ascend with us to the...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Mansa Musa, one of the wealthiest people who ever lived - Jessica Smith
Mansa Musa, the 14th century African king of the Mali Empire, is said to have amassed a fortune that possibly made him one of the wealthiest people who ever lived. Jessica Smith tells the story of how Mansa Musa literally put his empire...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The myth of Icarus and Daedalus - Amy Adkins
In mythological ancient Greece, Icarus flew above Crete on wings made from wax and feathers, defying the laws of man and nature. To witnesses on the ground, he looked like a god, and he felt like one too. But, in his society, the line...
Crash Course
English Civil War: Crash Course European History
The English Civil War. We'll talk about England after Elizabeth, in which things didn't go that smoothly. We'll talk about James I, Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, Charles II, and James II, all of whom ruled England, (and tried to rule all...
SciShow
Juno Arriving at Jupiter!
NASA's Juno is arriving at the Jupiter System! This is our opportunity to find out whether or not Jupiter has a solid core, as well as snag some cool travel pics before descending into oblivion.
Crash Course
Latin American Revolutions Crash Course World History
In which John Green talks about the many revolutions of Latin America in the 19th century. At the beginning of the 1800s, Latin America was firmly under the control of Spain and Portugal. The revolutionary zeal that had recently created...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The rise and fall of the Inca empire - Gordon McEwan
It was the western hemisphere's largest empire ever, with a population of nearly 10 million subjects. Yet within 100 years of its rise in the fifteenth century, the Inca Empire would be no more. What happened? Gordon McEwan details the...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The rise and fall of history's first empire | Soraya Field Fiorio
History's first empire rose out of a hot, dry landscape, without rainfall to nourish crops, without trees or stones for building. In spite of all this, its inhabitants built the world's first cities, with monumental architecture and...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The rise and fall of the Assyrian Empire - Marian H. Feldman
Before the sun never set on the British Empire; before Genghis Khan swept the steppe; before Rome extended its influence to encircle the Mediterranean Sea; there was ancient Assyria. Considered by historians to be the first true empire,...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Tycho Brahe, the scandalous astronomer - Dan Wenkel
If you think scientists lead boring, monotonous lives, you must not know about Tycho Brahe. The 16th century astronomer who accurately predicted planetary motion led quite a dramatic life -- complete with a kidnapping, a sword duel and...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Is there any truth to the King Arthur legends? - Alan Lupack
King Arthur has risen again and again in our collective imagination, along with his retinue of knights, Guinevere, the Round Table, Camelot, and of course Excalibur. But where do these stories come from, and is there any truth to them?...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How taking a bath led to Archimedes' principle - Mark Salata
Stories of discovery and invention often begin with a problem that needs solving. Summoned by the king to investigate a suspicious goldsmith, the early Greek mathematician Archimedes stumbles on the principle that would make him famous.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How we conquered the deadly smallpox virus - Simona Zompi
For 10,000 years, humanity suffered from the scourge of smallpox. The virus killed almost a third of its victims within two weeks and left survivors horribly scarred. But Simona Zompi commends the brave souls - a Buddhist nun, a boy, a...
Crash Course
Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson: Crash Course Theater #15
Shakespeare's tragedies...were tragic. But they had some jokes. They also changed the way tragedies were written. Characters like Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear had tragic outcomes, but they were sympathetic characters in a lot of ways....
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why should you read "Hamlet"? - Iseult Gillespie
Explore William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, “Hamlet,” a play about conspiracy, deception and the tragic consequences of indecision. -- “Who’s there?” Whispered in the dark, this question begins a tale of conspiracy, deception and...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The origins of ballet - Jennifer Tortorello and Adrienne Westwood
Can you imagine a party where every movement and every visual detail were governed by a complex system of rules and procedures? For centuries, such rituals were commonplace for European nobility. And while they've gone out of fashion, we...