TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What does it mean to be a refugee? - Benedetta Berti and Evelien Borgman
About 60 million people around the globe have been forced to leave their homes to escape war, violence and persecution. The majority have become Internally Displaced Persons, meaning they fled their homes but are still in their own...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The most successful pirate of all time - Dian Murray
At the height of their power, infamous Caribbean pirates like Blackbeard and Henry Morgan commanded as many as 10 ships and several hundred men. But their stories pale next to the most successful pirate of all time, who commanded 1,800...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The Cambodian myth of lightning, thunder, and rain - Prumsodun Ok
"Moni Mekhala Ream Eyso" is the most sacred dance drama in Cambodia. It is performed every year in the buong suong ceremony, and explains the origins of lightning, thunder and rain according to the Khmer people. Prumsodun Ok tells this...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The strange case of the cyclops sheep - Tien Nguyen
In the 1950s, a group of ranchers in Idaho were baffled when their sheep gave birth to lambs with only one eye. Mystified by these cyclops sheep, they called in scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate. What...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: It's a church. It's a mosque. It's Hagia Sophia. - Kelly Wall
If walls could talk, Turkey's Hagia Sophia would have an abundance of stories to tell. Once a church, then a mosque, and now a museum, this world marvel has stood the test of time and war, surviving centuries of conquest by some of...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Cannibalism in the animal kingdom - Bill Schutt
Until recently, scientists thought cannibalism was a rare response to starvation or other extreme stress. Well-known cannibals like the praying mantis and black widow were considered bizarre exceptions. But now, we know they more or less...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Why is Vermeer's "Girl with the Pearl Earring" considered a masterpiece? - James Earle
Is she turning towards you or away from you? No one can agree. She's the subject of Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with the Pearl Earring," a painting often referred to as the 'Mona Lisa of the North.' But what makes this painting...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Where did English come from? - Claire Bowern
When we talk about 'English', we often think of it as a single language. But what do the dialects spoken in dozens of countries around the world have in common with each other, or with the writings of Chaucer? Claire Bowern traces the...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How do US Supreme Court justices get appointed? - Peter Paccone
There's a job out there with a great deal of power, pay, prestige, and near-perfect job-security. And there's only one way to be hired: get appointed to the US Supreme Court. But how do US Supreme Court Justices actually get that honor?...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: New Colossus by Emma Lazarus
An animated interpretation of Emma Lazarus' poem "New Colossus"
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The power of creative constraints - Brandon Rodriguez
Imagine you were asked to invent something new. It could be whatever you want, made from anything you choose, in any shape or size. That kind of creative freedom sounds so liberating, doesn't it?
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How does the Nobel Peace Prize work? - Adeline Cuvelier and Toril Rokseth
Among the top prestigious awards in the world, the Nobel Peace Prize has honored some of the most celebrated and revered international figures and organizations in history. But how does the nomination process work? And who exactly is...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How your digestive system works - Emma Bryce
Constantly churning inside of you, the digestive system performs a daily marvel: it transforms your food into the vital nutrients that sustain your body and ensure your survival. Emma Bryce traces food's nine-meter-long, 40-hour journey...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How one scientist averted a national health crisis - Andrea Tone
In 1960, Frances Kelsey was one of the Food and Drug Administration's newest recruits. Before the year was out, she would begin a fight that would save thousands of lives - though no one knew it at the time. Andrea Tone explains how...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Eye vs. camera - Michael Mauser
Your eyes don’t always capture the world exactly as a video camera would. But the eyes are remarkably efficient organs, the result of hundreds of millions of years of coevolution with our brains. Michael Mauser outlines the similarities...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The breathtaking courage of Harriet Tubman - Janell Hobson
Escaping slavery; risking everything to save her family; leading a military raid; championing the cause of women's suffrage; these are just a handful of the accomplishments of one of America's most courageous heroes. Janell Hobson...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Are ghost ships real? - Peter B. Campbell
In 1884, the British steamer “Rumney” crashed into the French ship “Frigorifique.” Seeing their ship filling with water, the French crew climbed aboard the “Rumney.” But as they sailed towards port, a silent form emerged from the fog –...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: History vs. Cleopatra - Alex Gendler
She was the most notorious woman in ancient history, a queen who enraptured not one but two of Rome's greatest generals. But was she just a skilled seductress or a great ruler in her own right? Alex Gendler puts this controversial figure...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: What can you learn from ancient skeletons? - Farnaz Khatibi
Ancient skeletons can tell us a great deal about the past, including the age, gender and even the social status of its former owner. But how can we know all of these details simply by examining some old, soil-caked bones? Farnaz Khatibi...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: Where do superstitions come from? - Stuart Vyse
Are you afraid of black cats? Would you open an umbrella indoors? How do you feel about the number 13? Whether or not you believe in them, you're probably familiar with a few of these superstitions. But where did they come from? Stuart...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: The philosophy of Stoicism - Massimo Pigliucci
What is the best life we can live? How can we cope with whatever the universe throws at us and keep thriving nonetheless? The ancient Greco-Roman philosophy of Stoicism explains that while we may not always have control over the events...
Curated Video
Social Groups: Crash Course Sociology
How do the groups that you're part of affect you? How do you, in turn, affect those groups? Today we are talking about how people in society come together with a look at social groups. We’ll look at what social groups are, the different...
TED-Ed
TED-ED: How does impeachment work? - Alex Gendler
For most jobs, it's understood that you can be fired _ whether for crime, incompetence, or just poor performance. But what if your job happens to be the most powerful position in the country _ or the world? That's where impeachment comes...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: How people rationalize fraud - Kelly Richmond Pope
If you ask people whether they think stealing is wrong, most of them would answer yes. And yet, in 2013, organizations all over the world lost an estimated total of $3.7 trillion to fraud. Kelly Richmond Pope explains how the fraud...