Curated Video
The Persians & Greeks: Crash Course World History
In which John compares and contrasts Greek civilization and the Persian Empire. Of course we're glad that Greek civilization spawned modern western civilization, right? Maybe not. From Socrates and Plato to Darius and Xerxes, John...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: A day in the life of an ancient Greek architect | Mark Robinson
The year is 432 BCE. As dawn breaks over Athens, Pheidias is already late for work. He is the chief builder for the Parthenon — Athens' newest and largest temple— and when he arrives onsite, city officials accuse him of embezzling gold...
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...
Crash Course
Revolutions of 1848: Crash Course European History
In 1848, Europe experienced a wave of revolutions. Last week we covered some of the reform movements that presaged these uprisings. This week, we're learning about what the people wanted from the revolutions, who was involved, and how...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What happened to the lost Kingdom of Kush? | Geoff Emberling
Along the Nile River, in what is now northern Sudan, lay the ancient civilization of Kush. Though they were once conquered by a powerful neighbor, the kings and queens of Kush would go on to successfully challenge two of the most...
Crash Course
Civil Rights and the 1950s Crash Course US History
In which John Green teaches you about the early days of the Civil Rights movement. By way of providing context for this, John also talks a bit about wider America in the 1950s. The 1950s are a deeply nostalgic period for many Americans,...
Crash Course
Mansa Musa and Islam in Africa Crash Course World History
In which John Green teaches you about Sub-Saharan Africa! So, what exactly was going on there? It turns out, it was a lot of trade, converting to Islam, visits from Ibn Battuta, trade, beautiful women, trade, some impressive...
TED Talks
TED: How a video game might help us build better cities | Karoliina Korppoo
With more than half of the world population living in cities, one thing is undeniable: we are an urban species. Part game, part urban planning sketching tool, "Cities: Skylines" encourages people to use their creativity and...
Crash Course Kids
The End Is Only The Beginning
It's the end of this first year of Crash Course Kids and we've learned so many things. In this episode, Sabrina takes us on a tour of some of the ideas we've talked about and how they fit into our lives. Also, what all of these ideas...
TED Talks
Majora Carter: 3 stories of local eco-entrepreneurship
The future of green is local. Majora Carter tells three inspiring stories of people who are saving their own communities while saving the planet.
TED Talks
TED: How to protect fast-growing cities from failing | Robert Muggah
Worldwide, violence is on the decline, but in the crowded cities of the global south — cities like Aleppo, Bamako and Caracas — violence is actually accelerating, fueled by the drug trade, mass unemployment and civil unrest. Security...
TED Talks
Eli Pariser: What obligation do social media platforms have to the greater good?
Social media has become our new home. Can we build it better? Taking design cues from urban planners and social scientists, technologist Eli Pariser shows how the problems we're encountering on digital platforms aren't all that new --...
TED Talks
Aris Venetikidis: Making sense of maps
Aris Venetikidis is fascinated by the maps we draw in our minds as we move around a city -- less like street maps, more like schematics or wiring diagrams, abstract images of relationships between places. How can we learn from these...
TED Talks
TED: Cities are driving climate change. Here's how they can fix it | Angel Hsu
Cities pump out 70 percent of all global carbon emissions -- which means they also have the greatest opportunity to lower CO2 levels and energy consumption. Climate and data scientist Angel Hsu shares how cities around the world are...
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 Talks
JR: My wish: Use art to turn the world inside out
French street artist JR uses his camera to show the world its true face, by pasting photos of the human face across massive canvases. At TED2011, he makes his audacious TED Prize wish: to use art to turn the world inside out.
Crash Course
The Persians & Greeks Crash Course World History
In which John compares and contrasts Greek civilization and the Persian Empire. Of course we're glad that Greek civilization spawned modern western civilization, right? Maybe not. From Socrates and Plato to Darius and Xerxes, John...
Bozeman Science
ESS3B - Natural Hazards
In this video Paul Andersen explains how natural disasters (like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and flooding) have affected and will continue to affect humans on the planet. Many of the natural hazards (like volcanoes and storms) can...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire - Leonora Neville
Most history books will tell you that the Roman Empire fell in the fifth century CE, but this would've come as a surprise to the millions who lived in the Roman Empire through the Middle Ages. This Medieval Roman Empire, today called the...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: A brief history of graffiti - Kelly Wall
Spray-painted subway cars, tagged bridges, mural-covered walls -- graffiti pops up boldly throughout our cities. And it turns out: it's nothing new. Graffiti has been around for thousands of years. And across that span of time, it's...
Curated Video
Indus Valley Civilization: Crash Course World History
In which John Green teaches you about the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the largest of the ancient civilizations. John teaches you the who, how, when, where and why of the Indus Valley Civilization, and dispenses advice on how to be...
Crash Course
Mesopotamia: Crash Course World History
In which John presents Mesopotamia, and the early civilizations that arose around the Fertile Crescent. Topics covered include the birth of territorial kingdoms, empires, Neo-Assyrian torture tactics, sacred marriages, ancient labor...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The city of walls: Constantinople - Lars Brownworth
The world owes much of its cultural legacy to Constantinople's walls. When Constantinople was under seige by neighboring enemies, the Roman city's elaborate system of moats, outer walls, and inner walls stood tall. Surviving numerous...