SciShow
The Clock that Reinvented Time
In 1327, a monk named Richard of Wallingford drafted plans for an engineering marvel: one of the very first truly mechanical clocks in the world, which helped to usher in a complete reinvention of humanity's perception of time itself....
PBS
The Impossibility of Perpetual Motion Machines
Bad ideas come and go in physics. But there’s one bit of nonsense that is perhaps more persistent than all others: the perpetual motion machine. No working perpetual motion machine has ever been experiment verified. All break the laws of...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: 6 myths about the Middle Ages that everyone believes | Stephanie Honchell Smith
Medieval Europe. Where unbathed, sword-wielding knights ate rotten meat, thought the Earth was flat, defended chastity-belt wearing maidens, and tortured their foes with grisly gadgets. Except... this is more fiction than fact. So, where...
Crash Course
Pee Jokes, the Italian Renaissance, Commedia Dell'Arte: Crash Course Theater #12
This week, we're going to Italy for a Renaissance. The Middle Ages are over, and it's time to talk about the flourishing of art and humanism across Europe. Painting, sculpture, music, architecture, and plays with fart jokes were all...
TED Talks
Mustafa Akyol: Faith versus tradition in Islam
Journalist Mustafa Akyol talks about the way that some local cultural practices (such as the seclusion of women) have become linked, in the popular mind, to the articles of faith of Islam. Has the world's general idea of the Islamic...
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...
SciShow
5 Things Humans Got Really Wrong About Our Bodies
Throughout history, people have been trying to figure out how our bodies work and how to fix them when things go wrong. This has led to some ideas that, with the benefit of hindsight, seem very strange
TED Talks
The surprising decline in violence - Steven Pinker
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. Steven Pinker charts the decline of violence from Biblical times to the present, and argues that, though it may...
TED Talks
TED: Nationalism vs. globalism: the new political divide | Yuval Noah Harari
How do we make sense of today's political divisions? In a wide-ranging conversation full of insight, historian Yuval Harari places our current turmoil in a broader context, against the ongoing disruption of our technology, climate, media...
Curated Video
The Dark Ages...How Dark Were They, Really?: Crash Course World History
John Green teaches you about the so-called Dark Ages, which it turns out weren't as uniformly dark as you may have been led to believe. While Europe was indeed having some issues, many other parts of the world were thriving and...
SciShow
Pliny The Elder: Great Minds
Before there was Google, there were encyclopedias. The very idea of these vast collections of knowledge can be credited to Pliny The Elder. So who was he, and why does he seem to pop up everywhere from Alchemy to Zoology? Hank has the...
Crash Course
The Death and Resurrection of Theater as...Liturgical Drama: Crash Course Theater #8
As the Roman Empire fell, so did the theater. If there's anyone who hates theater and actors more than Romans, it's early Christians. As Christianity ascended in the west, theater declined. But, fear not. This isn't the end of the...
Crash Course
Hrotsvitha, Hildegard, and the Nun who Resurrected Theater: Crash Course Theater #9
When last we saw Theater, it was just making its way back in the West, by sneaking a little drama into the Easter mass. In today's episode, we're talking about Hrotsvitha, the cool 10th century nun from Lower Saxony who was maybe the...
Crash Course
Medieval Europe: Crash Course European History
Our European history is going to start around 1500 with the Renaissance, but believe it or not, that is not the actual beginning of history in the continent. So, today, we're going to teach you the broad outlines of the so-called Middle...
TED Talks
TED: An honest history of an ancient and "nasty" word | Kate Lister
With candor and cunning, sex historian Kate Lister chronicles the curious journey of an ancient, honest word with innocent origins and a now-scandalous connotation in this uproarious love letter to etymology, queens, cows and all things...
Crash Course
The Dark Ages...How Dark Were They, Really Crash Course World History
John Green teaches you about the so-called Dark Ages, which it turns out weren't as uniformly dark as you may have been led to believe. While Europe was indeed having some issues, many other parts of the world were thriving and...
Curated Video
History of Palmistry aka Palm Reading
Howcast -Learn the history of palm reading, also known as palmistry, from psychotherapist and palm reading expert Ellen Goldberg, M.A. in this Howcast video.
Curated Video
Germany’s Romantic Road – Journey Through Centuries of History
Germany’s Romantic Road offers a journey through thousands of years of history, featuring world-famous cities, fortresses, and palaces from Würzburg to Neuschwanstein Castle. Highlights include the Baroque town of Würzburg, Rothenburg ob...
Curated Video
Visby – Capital of Gotland in Sweden
Visby, the capital of Gotland in Sweden, is a well-preserved Hanseatic town renowned for its medieval cityscape, highlighted by a 10-meter-high wall built between 1270 and 1420 to protect its wealthy German merchants from local farmers....
Curated Video
Rothenburg ob der Tauber – Preserved Medieval City in Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located on the Romantic Road, is a medieval city where history has been beautifully preserved, featuring massive gates, fortified towers, and charming half-timbered buildings. The city is known for its...
Curated Video
Cesky Krumlov – Historic Site in Czech Republic
Český Krumlov, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Czech Republic, is a living testament to European architectural history, with its origins dating back to the 15th century B.C. Its Gothic and Renaissance buildings, medieval gates, and...
Curated Video
Brescia – Historic Town on Lake Garda, Italy
Brescia, near northern Italy's Lake Garda, is a historic town with notable landmarks like Santi Nazaro e Celso, Santa Maria dei Miracoli, and the early Gothic Franciscan church. Rich in Roman and medieval history, the city's highlights...
Curated Video
Trier - Germany's Oldest City
Trier, Germany's oldest city, was founded in 18 BC under Roman Emperor Augustus and became a center for Christianity under Constantine the Great, with its Roman streets, baths, and amphitheater reflecting its ancient heritage. The city’s...
Curated Video
Burgos – Fortress Capital of Castile, Spain
Burgos, once a Moorish border fortress, became the capital of Castile in 1037 and a significant stop along the Road to Santiago. Its landmark, the Catedral de Santa Maria, features 80-metre Gothic towers, houses the tomb of "El Cid," and...