Curated Video
Big Ideas - Episode 5 - Racing Circuits
The world of Formula One racing is no stranger to new technology. The ING race index has taken the Big Idea of racetrack design to a new level. Hermann Tilke, a former racing driver, became a leader in race circuit design. Tilke...
Curated Video
Big Ideas - Episode 12 - Tallest Buildings
The Chrysler Building, commissioned by the famous car manufacturer of the same name in the 1930 s, is, at 1048 ft, one of the world s tallest buildings. But it held its title as the world s tallest for only a year when the Empire State...
Curated Video
Big Ideas - Episode 22 - High Speed Trains
Near Geneva is the Big Idea of CERN, the world s largest particle-physics laboratory. In its tunnels, situated underground, scientists study matter, anti-matter and the forces that created the universe itself. Scientists are working on...
Curated Video
Big Ideas - Episode 21 - CERN
In the 1980 s, the United States Air Force pioneered a Big Idea. It was a new method of navigation via satellite, predicted to have significant benefits for civilian, as well as military transportation. It was then called NAVSTAR, but is...
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Big Ideas - Episode 18 - Chuck Yeager
On October 14, Charlies Ellwood Chuck Yeager became, at 24, the first pilot to travel faster than sound In the years following World War 2, breaking the sound barrier was a secret goal of many in the air force. The X1 rocket powered...
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Big Ideas - Episode 13 - Search For New Planets
The Big Idea of planet discovery and the exploration of distant galaxies have taken a new direction in recent times. The James Wentz Space Telescope, or the JWST, is a large, infra-red optimized, space-based telescope that will be...
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Big Ideas - Episode 10 - The Wright Brothers
100 years ago, two brothers had a Big Idea, and they changed the path of aviation history forever. Their idea was the challenge the theory of gravity and so the timeless dream of flying was realized. For Orville and Wilbur Wright, two...
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Big Ideas - Episode 7 - Thermal Imaging
The need to see in the dark; to observe weather patterns from outer space; or to conduct security surveillance at night, lead to the Big Idea of Night Vision, and Thermal Imaging. FLIR, or Forward Looking Infra Red, is a continuation of...
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Big Ideas - Episode 8 - Barnes Wallis Bouncing Bomb
During World War 2, a British engineering scientist had a Big Idea. The Big Idea was to bomb a German dam, causing massive water loss to German industry. His plan was to drop bombs from low-flying aircraft, and skip them into the dam...
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Big Ideas - Episode 14 - The Hovercraft
In the mid-1950 s the British engineer Sir Christopher Cockerel came up with his Big Idea of using air between the water and the hull of a boat to reduce drag. Sir Christopher s idea, the hovercraft, came into worldwide use in...
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Big Ideas - Episode 11 - Bridges of the World
Building bridges has long been a Big Idea, and many ancient examples still stand today. Recently Prague residents celebrated the 600th anniversary of the laying of the first stone of their famous Charles Bridge. The University of...
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Big Ideas - Episode 19 - Hillary & Norgay
The big idea to climb the highest mountain in the world had eluded many mountain expeditions until Tensin Norgay and Edmund Hillary became the first to conquer Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953, Norgay and Hillary were the first to...
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The Origins of ‘Big Bug’ Science Fiction
Insects make up 80 percent of the world’s species, so it's not all that surprising we’ve occasionally made them into monsters in science fiction and horror. What is staggering is why the “big bug” subgenre took off in the 1950s. Find out...
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Death Worms: Fact or Fiction?
Rumored to roam some of the world’s most desolate places the poisonous, killer death worm can trace its history in folklore back thousands of years. Made more famous and frightening with science fiction series like Dune and Tremors,...
PBS
Don’t Let Them In! The Urban Legends of Black-Eyed Children
An urban legend that exploits our fears of an obstructed gaze and the deeply unsettling idea that the youngest of our species are out to destroy us, the lore of Black-Eyed Children, or Black-Eyed Kids, is a modern construction. But the...
PBS
Leprechaun: From Gold-Loving Cobbler to Cultural Icon
Leprechauns are associated with St. Patrick’s Day and Irish culture, but do you know why? The jovial, red-haired little man dressed in green standing next to a pot of gold is a modern invention—the diminutive faerie folk was once more...
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The Crazed Hunt for the Himalayan Yeti
Dr. Zarka examines the yeti’s origins, from Tibetan folklore and religion to the Westernized abominable snowman version. She explains how Buddhist beliefs, a series of intrepid 20th-century explorers, and a creatively translated word...
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Fire Cat or Fire Cart? The History of Japan’s Kasha
Swooping down from the heavens on a fire ball, the Kasha drags the bodies of the dead to the underworld for a life of damnation. Most frequently depicted as a demonic, flaming cat, the kanji for ‘Kasha’ actually translates to “Fire...
PBS
What Happened During Our Scary Slumber Party
Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, Bloody Mary and Ouija are scary and entertaining rites of passage for kids and teens to participate in. But do these games actually work? And why do we love to scare each other so much at sleepovers?
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The Evolution of Creepy Dolls
Maybe it’s the unblinking eyes, staring at you, emotionless, day and night. Or, perhaps it’s their small size acting as a cloak of innocence. Or their human-like appearance that makes them seem just slightly too real. However, you want...
PBS
The SCP Foundation: Declassified
Unlocking the Mysteries of SCP: From Secure, Contain, Protect to Unearth, Expose, Fascinate! Dive deep into the shadowy world of the SCP Foundation as we peel back the layers of secrecy surrounding these enigmatic entities. Discover the...
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Uncovering the Enigma: Sasquatch Sightings
North America’s most famous cryptid, Sasquatch is a bipedal hairy humanoid with history pre-dating European colonization with numerous sightings even up to the present day. From cave paintings to video documentation, Sasquatch is a...
PBS
The Untold Secrets of Pokémon’s Monster Mythology
Pokémon are inspired by flora and fauna, science, religion, yokai and other supernatural beings. But the series is teeming with not just Japanese folklore, but versions of monsters from across the globe made cute with softened features.
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Hero, Beast, or Both? The Complex Lore of the Centaur
Humans have domesticated animals as beasts of burden for thousands of years and the vital role horses play in the evolution of culture in particular has inspired countless equine folklore, but none are quite like the centaur.