TED-Ed — transcripts.

1A day in the life of an ancient Athenian - Robert GarlandIt’s 427 BCE and the worst internal conflict ever to occur in the ancient Greek world is in its fourth year. The Peloponnesian War is being fought between the city-states of… 2Would you opt for a life with no pain? - Hayley Levitt and Bethany RickwaldImagine if you could plug your brain into a machine that would bring you ultimate pleasure for the rest of your life. If you were given the choice to sign up for that kind of… 3Is AI the most important technology of the century?What's the most important century in human history? Some might argue it’s a period of extensive military campaigning, like Alexander the Great’s in the 300s BCE, which reshaped… 4Why is this painting of a black square famous? - Allison LeighOn December 19th, 1915, an exhibition of radical artworks opened in what’s known today as St. Petersburg, Russia. Many of these pieces pushed the boundaries of form and style, but… 53 tips on how to study effectivelyDuring their training, medical residents learn countless techniques, surgeries, and procedures which they’ll later use to save lives. Being able to remember these skills can quite… 6The psychology behind irrational decisions - Sara GarofaloLet's say you're on a game show. You've already earned $1000 in the first round when you land on the bonus space. Now, you have a choice. You can either take a $500 bonus… 7The biggest mistake lottery winners make 8How does extreme heat affect your body? - Carolyn BeansThe year is 2050 and your morning is not off to a good start. School is closed for yet another heat day, meaning the kids need to stay home and the AC needs to stay on. Your usual… 9Plato’s Allegory of the Cave - Alex GendlerWhat is reality, knowledge, the meaning of life? Big topics you might tackle figuratively explaining existence as a journey down a road or across an ocean, a climb, a war, a book… 10Write every day, even if it’s terrible | Think Like A MusicianOne of my classmates, he was able to get me a meeting with the big boss— Lyor Cohen. I took a Megabus from D.C. to New York. We sit down and I played him a verse chorus of one… 11Why do we dream? - Amy AdkinsIn the third millenium BCE, Mesopotamian kings recorded and interpreted their dreams on wax tablets. A thousand years later, Ancient Egyptians wrote a dream book listing over a… 12The incredible engineering of Venice - Stephanie H. SmithIn the late 560s, a Germanic group known as the Lombards was wreaking havoc through northern Italy. To escape the invaders, boatloads of people fled into the Venetian Lagoon, a… 13The fascinating reason you loved peek-a-booIn Italy, it’s called il gioco del cucù. Palestinians say ba’ ’éno. And in Japan it’s inai-inai...ba! But in every language, the response is usually the same. Peek-a-boo is a… 14The dark origins of Disney fairy tales - Claudia SchwabeAn evil stepmother demands a beautiful maiden’s lungs and liver; a girl is ripped from a wolf’s stomach; and sisters mutilate their feet to squeeze into a solid gold slipper.… 15The key to media's hidden codes - Ben BeatonTranscriber: Ido Dekkers Reviewer: Emma Gon (Music) Every movie you've ever seen, every TV show, every magazine, every time you surf the Internet, you're absorbing information, a… 16The missing ingredient in how we learnIn 1851, the Prussian government feared that Friedrich Fröbel’s scandalous new approach to education might teach disobedience and lead to peasant rebellion. The name of Fröbel’s… 17Why is getting bitten by a rabid animal so dangerous? - Charles RupprechtOne morning in France in 1885, a dog attacked 9-year-old Joseph Meister, biting him in 14 places. He survived— but his mother realized he was probably now infected with rabies, an… 18What toys have kids played with throughout history?The year is 100 CE, and 11-year-old Julia Lucilla is playing with her ivory doll Pompeia. Named after the Roman Emperor Trajan’s wife, Pompeia is only 20 centimeters tall, with… 19How can you overcome writer’s block?For me, stepping back to gain perspective on a song, it can come in a few different ways. Sometimes it's me listening to a song a bunch. And sometimes it's me not listening to the… 20How to find hidden clues at crime scenes - Theodore E. YeshionOfficer Stone approaches the dimly lit motel he’s been called to investigate. Outside the shattered windows and broken door, the motel manager tells him the room was rented to… 21Why was this kung fu masterpiece banned? - Gladys MacIn the late 1950s, Hong Kong citizens flocked to newsstands to pick up the latest edition of the Commercial Daily. But not all readers were looking for timely news. Many were… 22Edgar Allan Poe's story of the Red Death - Iseult GillespieThe Red Death had long devastated the country. Blood was its Avatar. There were sharp pains, sudden dizziness, then profuse bleeding at the pores. The scarlet stains upon the body… 23Why does catnip make cats go crazy? - Jaap de RoodeOf the many bewildering behaviors cats display, one of the strangest is their obsession with a specific species of plant. After just one whiff, even the most stoic cat can start… 24Why your best ideas usually start as bad ones | Think Like A MusicianIt's a cliché to say that mistakes, imperfections make something special, but they really, really do. In art, embrace mistakes. The mistake is the journey. And it’s you getting… 25What to do if you live in the path of a volcano - Arianna SoldatiLate at night on December 18th, 2023, the Icelandic citizens of Grindavik experienced their worst nightmare. After weeks of earthquake-filled suspense, a volcanic fissure opened… 26Why do we use "they" as a singular pronoun? - Arika OkrentIn 1954, Winston Cigarettes launched an ad so controversial broadcasters refused to say it on the air. But the uproar had nothing to do with the dangerous product being…