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Facts taught in 2019

433 sincere fact claims from 2019; 178 come with figures. Each figure is shown as said, with what it measures, who it counts (for) and where it applies (in) when recorded (said, or clear from the context), its as-of date, the source the speaker gives (if any) and the extraction-time check. Where no as-of date was said, the one shown is implied (the date said in the video, else the upload date); relative dates such as "last year" keep their words and are resolved against that same date. "Unchecked" means nobody has checked it yet, not that it is wrong. Back to the overview.

Topics: Science & nature (141) · History & curiosities (59) · Internet & YouTube (51) · Global development (45) · US politics & society (27) · Health (22) · World affairs (18) · Philosophy & meaning (16) · Books & writing (15) · Sports (15) · Everyday life (11) · Pop culture (5) · Economics (4) · Projects (3) · Nerdfighteria (1)

Science & nature (141)

  • 2019-05-03 · What Game of Thrones is Really About — In the last five years 16% of US coal plants have closed. (00:09:36)
    • 16% (percent) — share of coal plants closed in the last five years · for coal plants · in United States · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-03 · What Game of Thrones is Really About — In 2017 the US lost four gigawatts of coal power and gained seven gigawatts of wind. (00:09:36)
    • four gigawatts (GW) — coal power capacity lost in a year · for US power generation · in United States · as of 2017 · no source named · unchecked
    • seven gigawatts (GW) — wind power capacity gained in a year · for US power generation · in United States · as of 2017 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-10 · The Worst Product Ever — FlexPlay DVDs were rentals that need not be returned: sealed in an airtight bag, once opened a chemical reacted with oxygen and made the disc unplayable after two days. (00:00:00)
    • two days — time until an opened FlexPlay DVD becomes unplayable · for FlexPlay DVDs · as of 2019-05-10 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-10 · The Worst Product Ever — FlexPlay was hated as extremely wasteful, a whole DVD made to be destroyed; there was a ton of backlash and people protested outside stores that sold them. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-05-10 · The Worst Product Ever — Hank weighs the FlexPlay DVD at 16 grams and sets it beside the plastic that shipped his Metamucil from Amazon, a vitamin-named sugar water bottle and a coffee cup from his garbage. (00:00:58)
    • 16 grams — weight of a FlexPlay DVD · for FlexPlay DVD · as of 2019-05-10 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-10 · The Worst Product Ever — DVD sellers presented them as near-luxury, though DVDs are far less resource intensive than VHS tapes; their oversized sturdy cases use far more plastic than the disc itself. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-05-10 · The Worst Product Ever — After the backlash, much bottled water now comes in thinner bottles with smaller caps, while Coke still uses fancy, thicker bottles to suggest a high-quality experience. (00:02:55)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — The description adds that most jellyfish on display are bred at the aquarium, which researches their finicky breeding and grows algae to feed the jellyfish's prey. (video description)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Shedd Aquarium opened in Chicago in 1930 and was then the largest aquarium in the world. (00:00:22)
    • 1930 (year) — opening year · for Shedd Aquarium · in Chicago · as of 2019-05-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Since Chicago is far from the ocean, Shedd got seawater by sending train tanker cars to Key West, Florida, and back. (00:00:22)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Today Shedd makes seawater from scratch, mixing a bought product into fresh water in roughly 80,000-gallon tanks; it is expensive, so the water is constantly filtered and reused. (00:00:52)
    • 80,000 (gallons) — tank size for mixing artificial seawater · for Shedd Aquarium · in Chicago · as of 2019-05-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Along the US west coast the continental shelf lies offshore except at Monterey Bay, where Monterey Canyon, with cliff faces over a mile high, brings deep water to the coast. (00:01:33)
    • more than a mile — height of cliff faces · for Monterey Canyon · in Monterey Bay · as of 2019-05-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — From shelf to base the canyon is roughly as deep as the Grand Canyon, giving researchers access to many ocean depths and ecosystems close to shore. (00:02:03)
    • roughly the depth of the Grand Canyon — depth from shelf to base · for Monterey Canyon · in Monterey Bay · as of 2019-05-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Consistent winds push warm, nutrient-poor water offshore, so cool, clean, nutrient-rich deep water rises in upwelling, making the area abundant and the water fantastic. (00:02:03)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — The aquarium simply pumps 2,000 gallons of seawater per minute into the facility, and roughly 2,000 gallons flow back into the bay. (00:02:32)
    • 2,000 (gallons/minute) — seawater intake rate · for Monterey Bay Aquarium · in Monterey, California · as of 2019-05-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 2,000 (gallons/minute) — seawater outflow rate · for Monterey Bay Aquarium · in Monterey, California · as of 2019-05-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — The system tracks over 33,000 data points, sets temperatures per exhibit, keeps flow from stopping too long, is built for massive earthquakes and has redundant backups. (00:03:09)
    • over 33,000 (data) — data points tracked by the seawater system · for Monterey Bay Aquarium · in Monterey, California · as of 2019-05-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — As our own microorganisms mostly keep us healthy, the ocean microbiome keeps plants and animals healthy: more microscopic diversity means fewer harmful infections. (00:03:38)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Raw seawater brings barnacles in the pipes: no coating resists them, their larvae are too tiny to filter, and water can't move fast enough to stop them cementing. (00:04:03)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — So the aquarium has two sets of pipes; several times a year one is closed and starved of oxygen, then a rubber plug called a pig washes the dead barnacles to sea. (00:04:32)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Filtered seawater goes first into the kelp forest tank, whose ecosystem is close to the bay's, then through the aquarium; the tank is public-facing storage whose level drops when intake stops. (00:04:32)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Water from native-wildlife exhibits needs no filtering out, but unlike an inland aquarium in Atlanta, Monterey discharges constantly, so invasive species are a risk. (00:05:15)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Water from exotic exhibits is filtered and passed through what is basically a UV tanning bed that sterilizes it before discharge to the bay. (00:05:45)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Pumping water takes a lot of energy, and if a smack of jellyfish clogs the intake, the steel cylinder keeping big animals out gets crushed and the flow stops. (00:05:45)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Ocean water has warmed over the last 50 years or so, and warm water holds less oxygen, which is bad for many animals. (00:06:14)
    • 50 years or so — period over which ocean water has warmed · for ocean water · in the world · as of 2019-05-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — Jellies, older than fish, appear to be taking up the slack, so jellyfish blooms are more common and the intake cylinders must be replaced more often. — hedged: “appear to be” (00:06:14)
  • 2019-05-24 · The Monterey Bay Aquarium Has a Secret — The basement engineering creates a magical experience for the millions of people who visit every year. (00:06:14)
    • millions (visitors/year) — annual visitors · for Monterey Bay Aquarium · in Monterey, California · as of 2019-05-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-05-31 · Uncomfortable Nuance: Natural Gas Edition — Hank notes that the Our World in Data figures do not show the growth in coal use in Asia over the last two years, which is terrible news because coal plants run for decades once built. (video description)
  • 2019-05-31 · Uncomfortable Nuance: Natural Gas Edition — Hank says the UK used to be the center of the coal world, and now there are some days when it produces no coal-fired power at all. (00:00:40)
  • 2019-05-31 · Uncomfortable Nuance: Natural Gas Edition — Hank says what really hit UK coal was natural gas, a cleaner fuel that produces less carbon dioxide per megawatt of energy. (00:00:40)
  • 2019-05-31 · Uncomfortable Nuance: Natural Gas Edition — Hank says the US would produce far more carbon dioxide without the sudden supply of cheap natural gas, which is kind of putting coal out of business. (00:00:40)
  • 2019-05-31 · Uncomfortable Nuance: Natural Gas Edition — Hank says renewables like wind and solar are also part of coal's decline, but natural gas is a really important part. (00:00:40)
  • 2019-05-31 · Uncomfortable Nuance: Natural Gas Edition — Hank says natural gas became cost-competitive with coal because of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-05-31 · Uncomfortable Nuance: Natural Gas Edition — Hank says natural gas complements wind and solar, which don't match output to demand: unlike always-on coal plants, gas plants switch on and off to cover demand spikes or calm, cloudy spells. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-05-31 · Uncomfortable Nuance: Natural Gas Edition — Hank says regulations can reduce fracking's potential harms, but there is no way to eliminate them completely. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-05-31 · Uncomfortable Nuance: Natural Gas Edition — Hank says that in the last ten years coal has become an economically unviable way to make power, at least in America: huge, very good news, brought largely though not entirely by fracking. (00:03:06)
    • ten years — period over which coal became an economically unviable way of making power · for coal-fired power · in United States · as of 2019-05-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank corrects a claim he has heard from smart people: RBMK reactors did not have a positive fuel temperature coefficient, and no reactor does, since fuel that reacted more as it heated would explode every time. (video description)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank explains that for a moment the whole reactor had a positive temperature coefficient, from the positive void coefficient: hotter water absorbed fewer neutrons; normally the negative fuel coefficient outweighs this, which is why it was thought unable to explode. (video description)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank explains that the number of protons fixes the element while neutron counts vary between isotopes: carbon has six protons and usually six neutrons. (00:00:59)
    • Six (protons) — number of protons in a carbon atom · for carbon atoms · as of 2019-06-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • six (neutrons) — usual number of neutrons in a carbon atom · for carbon atoms · as of 2019-06-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank explains that unstable isotopes, with too many or too few neutrons, emit energy or particles on the way to a stable nucleus: radioactive decay. (00:01:22)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank explains that fission products are always slightly lighter than the original atom; the missing mass becomes energy, most of what a reactor turns into electricity. (00:01:46)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says reactor heat comes mostly from fission and secondarily from the decay of unstable fission products, which keeps producing heat after the reaction stops. (00:02:12)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank explains that fuel that cannot be cooled keeps heating itself and can melt through almost anything: a meltdown. (00:02:35)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank explains that uranium's rare fissile isotope, the one natural isotope that splits when hit by a neutron and releases more neutrons, enables a chain reaction and hence nuclear power. (00:02:56)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says U-235 is rare, about 0.7% of natural uranium, so reactors and bombs require enriching the uranium. (00:03:12)
    • 0.7% (percent) — share of uranium-235 in naturally occurring uranium · for naturally occurring uranium · as of 2019-06-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says a nuclear bomb is about 80% U-235, so nearly every neutron causes fission and all the uranium reacts at once, which reactors must avoid. (00:03:27)
    • 80% (percent) — share of uranium-235 in a nuclear bomb · for nuclear bombs · as of 2019-06-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says enrichment is extremely expensive, and the RBMK design's appeal was a cheap self-sustaining reaction using unenriched or very slightly enriched uranium. (00:04:05)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank explains that reactors control neutrons by absorbing them (slowing the reaction) or moderating them; fast neutrons mostly bounce off, so slowing them speeds the reaction. (00:04:29)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank explains that heavy-water reactors are expensive but self-limiting: as the reactor heats, the water boils, moderation drops and the reaction slows, a desirable negative feedback loop. (00:05:12)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says the RBMK used cheaper regular water as coolant, though regular water absorbs neutrons, which becomes important later. (00:05:39)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says that instead of heavy water, RBMK reactors used big blocks of graphite as the neutron moderator. (00:05:48)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank explains that moderators and absorbers act as gas pedal and brakes because fission byproducts like xenon build up slowly and absorb neutrons, so control rods must be pulled out. (00:06:14)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says that on the day of the accident the reactor had unintentionally been run all day in a way that built up xenon, so when power was lowered for the test it produced almost nothing. (00:06:40)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says that rather than raising power slowly as normal for an RBMK, they pulled nearly all control rods out, leaving only water and xenon absorbing neutrons. (00:07:05)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says the biggest problem was neutron flux: graphite moderator rods are shorter than fuel rods at both ends, leaving water there, which evens flux unless all rods move at once. (00:09:01)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says positive feedback then kicked in: slowed water flow let the water boil, so less water absorbed neutrons, and the rising neutrons burned off the xenon. (00:09:49)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says the fatal step was the prescribed one: reinserting the rods, whose graphite displaced the water at the bottom, causing a neutron flux spike beyond design. (00:10:20)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says energy rose rapidly and something broke, perhaps several things, locking the graphite rods in the most dangerous position. — hedged: “It could have been a lot of different things” (00:10:51)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank explains that although fire is often part of explosions, they usually happen when a solid or liquid turns into gas: rapid expansion, a phase change. (00:11:08)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says the reactor water became extremely pressurized steam, hot enough to split into hydrogen and oxygen; the top popped off and the graphite caught fire. (00:11:42)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank contrasts Fukushima: there hydrogen escaped the reactor and exploded, damaging it, which is bad but very different from Chernobyl. (00:12:05)
  • 2019-06-14 · What /Actually/ Happened at Chernobyl — Hank says the unstable fission products then either melted without cooling or burned and went into the air for people to breathe for hundreds of miles. (00:12:19)
    • hundreds of miles — distance over which Chernobyl's fission products went into the air · as of 2019-06-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — Despite very different lineages, sea turtles and mola mola share many traits: same-shaped flippers, beaks, size as protection, many babies in the hope a few survive, and basically the same body shape. (video description)
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — Even though sea turtles evolved from land-dwelling reptiles, mola mola-like fish have been around for 100 million years and sea turtles for over 200 million. (video description)
    • 100 million years — time mola mola-like fish have existed · for mola mola-like fish · as of 2019-07-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • over 200 million years — time sea turtles have existed · for sea turtles · as of 2019-07-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — Deboki Chakravarti provided research assistance for the video. (video description)
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — A water anole Hank saw on Twitter looks silvery from a bubble on its hydrophobic skin; it exhales into and rebreathes the reoxygenated bubble, staying underwater over 15 minutes. (00:00:29)
    • more than 15 minutes — time a water anole can stay underwater · for water anoles · as of 2019-07-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — Hank says sunfish did fine until humans began accidentally catching them along with other fish and throwing indigestible things resembling their favorite food into the ocean. (00:01:13)
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — Sunfish eat jellyfish, also the favorite food of many sea turtles. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — Hank admits sunfish look dumb: in Taiwan they are called the fish that looks like a toppled car. (00:01:50)
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — Sunfish are the biggest bony fishes, reaching up to about a thousand kilograms. (00:02:00)
    • about a thousand kilograms (kg) — maximum mass of ocean sunfish · for ocean sunfish · as of 2019-07-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — Until recently their lack of swim bladders and weird fins led people to assume sunfish were drifting plankton, but they can actually swim pretty fast, at least when relatively young; older ones are pretty slow. (00:02:08)
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — Hank says the only people ever hurt by sunfish were hurt when sunfish jumped out of the water. (00:02:22)
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — Because they are so big, adult female sunfish can lay up to 300 million eggs, more than the entire world population of adult sunfish. (00:02:36)
    • 300, wait for it, million — maximum number of eggs laid by an adult female sunfish · for adult female ocean sunfish · as of 2019-07-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • more than the entire world population of adult sunfish — eggs of one female compared with the world population of adult sunfish · for ocean sunfish · in the world · as of 2019-07-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — Sunfish are named for sunning themselves flat on the water, perhaps to warm up before diving back to cold depths, or so seagulls will peck worms off them. — hedged: “Maybe both, maybe neither.” (00:02:50)
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — The Monterey Bay Aquarium kept a sunfish for 15 months as it grew from 50 to almost 900 pounds, until it no longer fit in the tank and had to be airlifted by helicopter to freedom. (00:03:09)
    • 15 months — time the Monterey Bay Aquarium kept one sunfish · for one sunfish · in Monterey Bay Aquarium · as of 2019-07-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 50 pounds — mass of the aquarium's sunfish on arrival · for one sunfish · in Monterey Bay Aquarium · as of 2019-07-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • almost 900 pounds — mass of the aquarium's sunfish at release · for one sunfish · in Monterey Bay Aquarium · as of 2019-07-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-05 · You Need to Know About This Ridiculous Fish — From birth to adulthood, mola mola increase in mass by more than 60 million times. (00:03:22)
    • more than 60 million times — increase in mass from birth to adulthood · for ocean sunfish · as of 2019-07-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-02 · The Cutest Octopus — Octopuses are weird, with chemical-sensing suckers, distributed nervous systems and gelatinous muscle bodies. (00:00:16)
  • 2019-08-02 · The Cutest Octopus — People say the beak is an octopus's only hard part, letting it fit through anything larger; Hank says that is true of only some octopuses. (00:00:25)
  • 2019-08-02 · The Cutest Octopus — Octopuses form two suborders, Cirrina and Incirrina. (00:00:36)
    • two (suborders) — number of suborders of octopuses · for Octopoda · as of 2019-08-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-02 · The Cutest Octopus — Cirrate octopuses have internal shells like squids and use them to anchor muscles, because they swim differently from incirrate octopuses. (00:00:43)
  • 2019-08-02 · The Cutest Octopus — Cirrate octopuses have flappy fins above their eyes that look like ears; a group named for them, the Dumbo octopuses, use them to swim and steer. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-08-02 · The Cutest Octopus — There are 13, possibly 14 or 11, known Dumbo octopus species; scientists are confused because several were found only once, one not since the 1800s. — hedged: “possibly 14, possibly 11” (00:01:13)
    • 13 (species) — known species of Dumbo octopus · for Dumbo octopuses · as of 2019-08-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • possibly 14 (species) — known species of Dumbo octopus (alternative count) · for Dumbo octopuses · as of 2019-08-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • possibly 11 (species) — known species of Dumbo octopus (alternative count) · for Dumbo octopuses · as of 2019-08-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-02 · The Cutest Octopus — Their rarity doesn't mean humans destroyed them: they are probably fine and just live in hard-to-reach parts of the ocean, with probably many more species unknown. — hedged: “probably” (00:01:33)
  • 2019-08-02 · The Cutest Octopus — Dumbo octopuses usually live between 10,000 and 13,000 feet deep. (00:01:45)
    • between 10,000 and 13,000 feet — usual depth of Dumbo octopus habitat · for Dumbo octopuses · in ocean · as of 2019-08-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-02 · The Cutest Octopus — One species has been found 23,000 feet down; the deepest spot in the ocean is 36,000 feet below sea level. (00:01:56)
    • 23,000 feet — deepest recorded Dumbo octopus species · for one Dumbo octopus species · in ocean · as of 2019-08-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 36,000 feet — depth of the deepest spot in the ocean · in ocean · as of 2019-08-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-02 · The Cutest Octopus — The deep sea's biggest problem is breeding: animals must first encounter a mate, and when they do, the female likely lacks spare energy and a good place to lay and protect eggs. (00:02:10)
  • 2019-08-02 · The Cutest Octopus — Deep-sea animals survive mostly by moving very efficiently, eating slow-moving things and facing little competition. (00:02:15)
  • 2019-08-27 · Are Viruses Necessary? — John says a teaspoon of water from a healthy river often holds over 400 million viruses. (00:00:00)
    • over 400 million (viruses) — viruses in a single teaspoon of water · for healthy river water · as of 2019-08-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-27 · Are Viruses Necessary? — John says someone with the flu might have over a hundred trillion flu viruses in their body. — hedged: “might” (00:00:00)
    • over a hundred trillion (viruses) — flu viruses inside one infected person · for people with the flu · as of 2019-08-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-27 · Are Viruses Necessary? — John says there are more viruses on Earth than grains of sand. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-08-27 · Are Viruses Necessary? — John says over 200 viral strains can cause colds, and whichever causes his, there are more of it in his body than stars in the Milky Way. (00:00:29)
    • over 200 (strains) — viral strains that can cause colds · as of 2019-08-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-27 · Are Viruses Necessary? — John says that, like all mammals, he is part virus: something like five to eight percent of the human genome comes from viruses. — hedged: “something like” (00:00:29)
    • five to eight percent (%) — share of the human genome that comes from viruses · for humans · as of 2019-08-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-27 · Are Viruses Necessary? — John explains that viruses cannot replicate on their own, one reason they are often seen as not alive, and rely on the cells they infect to copy themselves. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-08-27 · Are Viruses Necessary? — John says a virus that infects a sperm or egg puts its DNA into every cell of the resulting organism, which may reuse the viral proteins, as reusing proteins is easier than inventing new ones. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-08-27 · Are Viruses Necessary? — John says over a hundred million years ago a small shrew-like creature developed a placenta using proteins from a virus; without it, placentas and humans would not exist as they do. (00:01:56)
    • over a hundred million (years) — time since a shrew-like creature developed a placenta from viral proteins · as of 2019-08-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-27 · Are Viruses Necessary? — John says that, zoomed out, we are one solar system among billions in a galaxy among billions of galaxies, while zoomed in a teaspoon of water becomes a universe. (00:02:26)
    • billions (solar) — solar systems in our galaxy · as of 2019-08-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • billions (galaxies) — galaxies · as of 2019-08-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-27 · Are Viruses Necessary? — John notes there are no viruses in Journey to the Microcosmos because viruses are very small even by microscopic standards. (00:02:55)
  • 2019-08-30 · The Earth Shouldn't Have Oxygen — The description says a balanced carbon cycle makes as much CO2 as O2, yet the atmosphere holds 209,460 ppm of oxygen and only 440 ppm of CO2, up from a recent baseline of 275. (video description)
    • 209,460 (ppm) — oxygen concentration in the atmosphere · in Earth · as of 2019-08-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 440 (ppm) — carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere · in Earth · as of 2019-08-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · doubtful
    • 275 (ppm) — recent baseline carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere · in Earth · as of 2019-08-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-30 · The Earth Shouldn't Have Oxygen — The description says the vegetative carbon sink stores far too little CO2 to affect oxygen: burning all vegetation on Earth would lower oxygen concentration by less than 1%. (video description)
    • less than 1% — drop in atmospheric oxygen concentration if all vegetation on Earth burned · in Earth · as of 2019-08-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-30 · The Earth Shouldn't Have Oxygen — Hank says all land plants combined produce around 25% of the world's oxygen; the rest comes from the oceans, mostly phytoplankton. (00:00:00)
    • around 25% — share of the world's oxygen produced by all land plants combined · in Earth · as of 2019-08-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-30 · The Earth Shouldn't Have Oxygen — Hank says burning fossil fuels measurably lowers Earth's oxygen, but only by a small share; carbon dioxide, though, is extremely low and we are well on our way to doubling it. (00:02:51)
    • doubling — change in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration · in Earth · as of 2019-08-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-30 · The Earth Shouldn't Have Oxygen — Hank says the Amazon rainforest is a sink for something like 90 billion tons of carbon dioxide, a huge service we need. — hedged: “something like” (00:02:51)
    • 90 billion tons — carbon dioxide stored by the Amazon rainforest · in Amazon rainforest · as of 2019-08-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-13 · You Need to Know About This Caterpillar — Hank says most caterpillars do not become butterflies: any given caterpillar has a 90% chance of becoming a moth instead. (00:00:00)
    • 90% (percent) — chance a caterpillar becomes a moth rather than a butterfly · for caterpillars · as of 2019-09-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-13 · You Need to Know About This Caterpillar — The description says Citheronia regalis, a 'giant silk moth', makes no silk: it digs into the ground to pupate instead of building a cocoon, so its family name Saturniidae fits better. (video description)
  • 2019-09-13 · You Need to Know About This Caterpillar — The description says there are over 2400 saturniid species, all with the same life cycle: they gorge as caterpillars and use the flying adult stage only to find a mate. (video description)
    • over 2400 (species) — number of species of saturniid moths · for Saturniidae · as of 2019-09-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-13 · You Need to Know About This Caterpillar — Butterflies form a group with a single common ancestor, while moths are simply any scale-winged insect that isn't a butterfly, whatever its relationships. (00:00:28)
  • 2019-09-13 · You Need to Know About This Caterpillar — Hank's main subject is the regal moth, chosen for its unforgettable caterpillar, the hickory horned devil. (00:00:55)
  • 2019-09-13 · You Need to Know About This Caterpillar — The hickory horned devil looks fierce but cannot sting or bite and is neither venomous nor poisonous; it is good eating and too big to hide from raccoons and possums. (00:00:55)
  • 2019-09-13 · You Need to Know About This Caterpillar — The hickory horned devil is the largest caterpillar in the US. (00:01:44)
  • 2019-09-13 · You Need to Know About This Caterpillar — Saturniid moths, over a thousand species including this one, have no mouths as adults: once a saturniid caterpillar pupates, it never eats again. (00:01:44)
    • over a thousand (species) — number of species of saturniid moths · for Saturniidae · as of 2019-09-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-13 · You Need to Know About This Caterpillar — These caterpillars eat two to three times their body weight in leaves daily and grow over a thousand times in size in a month, juicing leaves rather than digesting the cellulose. (00:02:13)
    • two to three times their own body weight — daily leaf intake of saturniid caterpillars · for saturniid caterpillars · as of 2019-09-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • over a thousand times — growth in size over a month · for saturniid caterpillars · as of 2019-09-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-13 · You Need to Know About This Caterpillar — The female regal moth does not fly until it mates and, unmated, dies waiting; adults must mate and lay eggs within their seven days of adult life. (00:02:42)
    • seven days — adult lifespan of regal moths · for regal moths · as of 2019-09-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-13 · You Need to Know About This Caterpillar — Males fly, sometimes for miles, sniffing out a female with sensitive feathery antennae; the female spends all her energy making hundreds of very large eggs. (00:02:42)
    • hundreds (eggs) — eggs produced by a female regal moth · for female regal moths · as of 2019-09-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-11 · Your Life Will be Better After you Know About Frogmouths — Hank says frogmouths look like owls, with big front-facing eyes and nocturnal habits, but are actually more closely related to hummingbirds than to owls. (00:00:00)
  • 2019-10-11 · Your Life Will be Better After you Know About Frogmouths — The description says that where there are cars, frogmouths often get hit because they fly toward bugs lit up by headlights. (video description)
  • 2019-10-11 · Your Life Will be Better After you Know About Frogmouths — Hank says frogmouths are night hunters like owls, hence convergent evolution on big front-facing eyes. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-10-11 · Your Life Will be Better After you Know About Frogmouths — Hank says frogmouths mostly eat bugs, so instead of powerful legs they have a huge mouth that kept growing because bigger mouths caught more. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-10-11 · Your Life Will be Better After you Know About Frogmouths — Hank says frogmouths will eat a mammal that comes close but struggle to kill it, so they whack it on rocks until it dies. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-10-11 · Your Life Will be Better After you Know About Frogmouths — Hank says frogmouths tick the human 'cute brain' box: their heads look nearly as big as the rest of their body. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-10-11 · Your Life Will be Better After you Know About Frogmouths — Hank says frogmouths are terrible parents and very bad nest builders, possibly because of their tiny legs and specialized beaks, and often lose eggs or chicks to falls. — hedged: “Possibly” (00:01:51)
  • 2019-10-11 · Your Life Will be Better After you Know About Frogmouths — Hank says frogmouths take over the nests of more careful builders or human objects that look like good nests. (00:01:51)
  • 2019-10-11 · Your Life Will be Better After you Know About Frogmouths — Hank says Australia's tawny frogmouth has two further defences: pecking at the enemy and spraying poop all over it. (00:02:20)
  • 2019-10-11 · Your Life Will be Better After you Know About Frogmouths — Hank says frogmouths sleep by day and, being small, hide from predators by looking like logs, even swaying like part of the tree, or changing shape when threatened. (00:02:20)
  • 2019-11-04 · This Cat Makes No Sense — Hank says the manul, or Pallas's cat, is a wild cat roughly the size of his cat Cameo, but the two only look similar. (00:00:00)
  • 2019-11-04 · This Cat Makes No Sense — The description says Pallas's cat split from its ancestors 5 to 6 million years ago, when our ancestors were still interbreeding with chimpanzees' ancestors. (video description)
    • 5 to 6 million years ago — divergence of Pallas's cat from its ancestors · for Pallas's cat · as of 2019-11-04 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • six million years ago — human ancestors still interbreeding with chimpanzee ancestors · for human ancestors · as of 2019-11-04 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-04 · This Cat Makes No Sense — Hank says Pallas's cats range across Tibet, China, Pakistan, India, Mongolia and Iran, living solitarily on small rodents and birds, with the longest hair of any cat, stealth hunting and fertility windows as short as one day a year. (00:00:00)
    • one day per year — shortest fertility window · for Pallas's cat · as of 2019-11-04 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-04 · This Cat Makes No Sense — Hank says vertically slitted pupils evolved separately in cats, foxes, alligators, snakes, even some birds and sharks. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-11-04 · This Cat Makes No Sense — Hank says big cats lack vertical pupils, most small cats have them, and the moderate-sized European lynx has intermediate pupils. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-11-04 · This Cat Makes No Sense — Hank says animals with vertical pupils are hunters in low light and ambush predators; Pallas's cat meets all those conditions yet has round pupils. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-11-04 · This Cat Makes No Sense — Hank says nobody knows how Pallas's cats ended up with their round pupils. — explicitly uncertain (00:00:58)
  • 2019-11-04 · This Cat Makes No Sense — First theory: vertical pupils contract with a curtain of muscle strands rather than a sphincter, letting them contract and expand more, though the loris shows this is no hard rule. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-11-04 · This Cat Makes No Sense — Second theory concerns distance judgment, vital to ambush predators: animals judge distance by sight through parallax, binocular stereopsis and blur. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-11-04 · This Cat Makes No Sense — Third theory: with a wide aperture colours focus differently, so cats evolved lenses with focal gradients; a circular pupil contracting blocks the blue-optimized zone, a vertical pupil keeps all of it. (00:02:26)
  • 2019-11-04 · This Cat Makes No Sense — Hank says low to the ground the depth of field is shallower, and vertical pupils seem to keep horizontal blur for distance judging without losing the vertical contrast stereopsis needs. — hedged: “seem to” (00:02:26)
  • 2019-12-13 · Is This the Cutest Animal Noise? — The description says prehensile-tailed porcupines live in Central and South American canopies eating fruit and leaves; wild ones stay quiet to avoid notice, and Kemo is apparently more vocal than most captive ones. — hedged: “apparently” (video description)
  • 2019-12-13 · Is This the Cutest Animal Noise? — Hank says Kemosabe is a prehensile-tailed porcupine, a group of many species, and specifically a Brazilian porcupine. (00:00:33)
  • 2019-12-13 · Is This the Cutest Animal Noise? — Hank says 'porcupine' covers many species: those of the US and Central and South America, and the unrelated Old World porcupines of Europe, Africa and Asia. (00:02:08)
  • 2019-12-13 · Is This the Cutest Animal Noise? — Both groups are rodents, but their quills evolved separately from a common ancestor without quills. (00:02:28)
  • 2019-12-13 · Is This the Cutest Animal Noise? — Because their quills evolved separately, they work completely differently; hedgehogs and echidnas also evolved spines separately, since being unpleasant to bite is a good idea. (00:02:51)
  • 2019-12-13 · Is This the Cutest Animal Noise? — Prehensile-tailed porcupines live in trees, which is why they have prehensile tails, and are very good climbers. (00:03:04)
  • 2019-12-13 · Is This the Cutest Animal Noise? — Baby porcupines, properly called porcupettes, are soft and can't be carried by their thorny mothers, so they have muscular tails and working claws and climb from day one. (00:03:10)
  • 2019-12-13 · Is This the Cutest Animal Noise? — Hank thanks viewers for the Project for Awesome: it had over a thousand more donors than previous years and beat every previous P4A. (00:03:43)
    • over a thousand more (donors) — donors to the Project for Awesome compared with previous years · for Project for Awesome donors · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked

History & curiosities (59)

  • 2019-03-05 · Way, Way Down the Rabbit Hole — From a German-language newspaper site John learned the boys in the photo were not in fact farmers; he went on to genealogy sites, military records, Google Maps and obituaries. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-03-05 · Way, Way Down the Rabbit Hole — John says the negative of that photo was probably destroyed in World War II with 30,000 other Sander negatives, though a print seemed to exist. — hedged: “probably” (00:01:27)
    • 30,000 — Sander negatives destroyed during World War II · for August Sander's negatives · as of 2019-03-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-05 · Way, Way Down the Rabbit Hole — The other picture was a postcard sent home by the boy in the middle, August Klein, as he and Otto prepared for war. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-03-05 · Way, Way Down the Rabbit Hole — John shows Otto Krieger at 17, three years before Sander's famous photograph and three years before Otto went to the front in World War I. (00:02:26)
    • age 17 — Otto Krieger's age in the earlier Sander photograph · for Otto Krieger · as of 2019-03-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-25 · Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings — John says Schieffelin was born in New York City in 1827, born rich and stayed rich, the seventh son of a famous family, working for his father's pharmaceutical company. (00:00:00)
    • 1827 (year) — birth year · for Eugene Schieffelin · in New York City · as of 2019-06-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-25 · Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings — John says Schieffelin, who loved birds, liked to import European bird species and introduce them into New York City. (00:00:00)
  • 2019-06-25 · Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings — John says Schieffelin may have been the first to introduce the house sparrow to North America, to exterminate the caterpillars infesting the trees of Madison Park. — hedged: “might have been” (00:00:29)
  • 2019-06-25 · Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings — Schieffelin, in his own word, 'liberated' many other European birds into New York, including bullfinches, skylarks and nightingales, all of which died. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-06-25 · Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings — On March 6, 1890, Schieffelin released a flock of some 60 common starlings into Central Park, sparking a magnificent disaster. (00:00:29)
    • some 60 (birds) — common starlings released · for common starlings · in Central Park, New York City · as of 1890-03-06 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-25 · Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings — The American starling population has grown from 60 birds to around 200 million; there are now more European starlings in the Americas than in Europe. (00:00:58)
    • 60 (birds) — starling population at introduction · for European starlings · in Americas · as of 1890 · no source named · unchecked
    • somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 million (birds) — starling population · for European starlings · in Americas · as of 2019-06-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-25 · Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings — Starlings crowd out native species and cause about a billion dollars a year in damage to the US, mostly crop destruction; they also produce lots of poop and noise. (00:01:27)
    • about a billion dollars (USD/year) — annual damage caused by European starlings · for European starlings · in United States · as of 2019-06-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-25 · Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings — Schieffelin's liberations were part of the nineteenth-century acclimatization movement, which moved foreign plants and animals to new places to see if they could improve human life. (00:01:56)
    • 19th century — period of the acclimatization movement · for acclimatization movement · as of 2019-06-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-25 · Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings — Without the movement of plants and animals between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia after the Columbian Exchange, there would be no cows or horses in the Americas and no pizza (tomatoes from the Americas, wheat from Afro-Eurasia). (00:02:26)
  • 2019-06-25 · Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings — John says one reason fewer people will starve this decade than in any decade in thousands of years is that we've become good at moving species to where they thrive. (00:02:55)
    • several thousand years — period over which this decade has the fewest people starving · for world population · in the world · as of 2019-06-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-25 · Seemed Like a Good Idea: Eugene Schieffelin and the European Starlings — An old story says Schieffelin introduced starlings to bring every bird in Shakespeare's plays to the US, but there seems to be no contemporary evidence for it. — hedged: “doesn't seem” (00:03:24)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — During the Great Depression the US deported at least 400,000 and possibly as many as 2 million Mexican-Americans, most of them US citizens. — hedged: “possibly” (00:00:00)
    • at least 400,000 (people) — Mexican-Americans deported during the Great Depression (lower bound) · for Mexican-Americans · in United States · as of 2019-07-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • possibly as many as 2 million (people) — Mexican-Americans deported during the Great Depression (upper bound) · for Mexican-Americans · in United States · as of 2019-07-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — The description gives a 2017 paper as the source for the finding that the deportations had no impact on US unemployment or made it slightly worse. (video description)
    • either has no impact on U.S. unemployment or else made it slightly worse — effect of the Depression-era deportations on unemployment · in United States · as of 2017 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — An analysis found that most of the commonly used US history textbooks do not mention the Depression-era deportations. (video description)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — The deportations became known as the Mexican Repatriation, but scholars note that many deportees had never lived in or been to Mexico, so it was more of a depatriation. (00:00:15)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — In the mid-19th century the US took land from Mexico, including all of California and Arizona, through the Mexican-American War and the Gadsden Purchase; its Mexican citizens became US citizens. (00:00:29)
    • mid-19th century — when the US took California and Arizona from Mexico · in Mexico · as of 2019-07-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — In the early 20th century the violence and economic disruption of the Mexican Revolution led many people to seek refuge in the US. (00:00:43)
    • early 20th century — when the Mexican Revolution drove people to seek refuge in the US · in Mexico · as of 2019-07-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — The border between the US and Mexico was not formally regulated until 1917. (00:00:50)
    • 1917 (year) — year the US-Mexico border was first formally regulated · in US-Mexico border · as of 2019-07-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — As the Depression deepened, unemployment and anti-immigrant sentiment were rising and President Herbert Hoover's administration promised real jobs for real Americans. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — Hoover's labor secretary believed deportations would decrease unemployment. (00:01:05)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — A 2017 study of the Mexican Repatriation found the deportations either had no effect on unemployment or made it slightly worse. (00:01:20)
    • either had no effect on unemployment or else made it slightly worse — effect of the deportations on unemployment · in United States · as of 1930s · source: a 2017 study · unchecked
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — Though today's US immigration debate is polarized, in that decade the push for deportations came from both left and right: many labor unions and the conservative Hoover administration. (00:01:30)
    • 30s (decade) — when both left and right pushed for deportations · in United States · as of 2019-07-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — Local municipalities rounded up Mexicans, Americans of Mexican descent or anyone judged brown-skinned, surrounding parks and neighborhoods and trucking people to Mexico or to chartered trains. (00:01:44)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — Many cities passed laws barring Mexican-Americans from working for city governments. (00:02:05)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — The federal government encouraged large private companies to fire their Mexican-American workers, and many did. (00:02:12)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — Some hospital patients were literally wheeled out of hospitals, put onto trucks and driven to Mexico. (00:02:26)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — Legal proceedings sometimes happened, but proving citizenship was often impossible without uncommon documents, outcomes varied chaotically by city, and those threatened had almost no legal recourse. (00:02:33)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — As a result, at a minimum hundreds of thousands of US citizens were deported to Mexico. (00:02:50)
    • hundreds— of thousands (people) — US citizens deported to Mexico (minimum) · for US citizens · in United States · as of 2019-07-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — The US government has never apologized for the repatriation. (00:02:58)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — The repatriation is not even mentioned in most US history textbooks. (00:03:00)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — This isn't ancient history: lots of people alive today lived through it. (00:03:05)
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — Jose Lopez, a five-year-old born in Detroit, was deported, and in Mexico he was teased for not speaking Spanish. (00:03:10)
    • five-year-old — age of Jose Lopez when deported · for Jose Lopez · in Detroit · as of 2019-07-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — Lopez's parents and one sibling died in exile; he returned to the US in 1944 after trying to prove his citizenship for 14 years. (00:03:20)
    • 1944 (year) — year Jose Lopez returned to the United States · for Jose Lopez · in United States · as of 2019-07-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 14 years — time Jose Lopez spent trying to prove his citizenship · for Jose Lopez · as of 2019-07-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-30 · The Mexican Repatriation — Lopez worked his whole career at Ford Motor Company, became a homeowner and dedicated community volunteer; all three of his kids went to college, one is now an attorney. (00:03:30)
    • All three (children) — Jose Lopez's children who went to college · for Jose Lopez's children · as of 2019-07-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-04 · In Defense of Bad Flags — Roman Mars, creator of 99% Invisible, is known for many things, but his most popular YouTube video is about bad flag design. (00:00:00)
    • most popular (rank) — popularity rank among his YouTube videos · for Roman Mars's YouTube videos · as of 2019-10-04 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-04 · In Defense of Bad Flags — Hank says he lives in a state whose flag was voted third to last. (00:00:00)
    • third to last (rank) — rank in a vote on flag design · for US state flags · in United States · as of 2019-10-04 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — John says shipping a T-shirt within Indianapolis costs about $4.50, but shipping one from Indianapolis to Singapore costs about $5.50. (00:00:00)
    • $4.50 (USD) — cost to ship a T-shirt · for shipment within Indianapolis · in Indianapolis · as of 2019-10-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • $5.50 (USD) — cost to ship a T-shirt · for shipment from Indianapolis to Singapore · in Indianapolis · as of 2019-10-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — Summarizing his Anthropocene Reviewed episode, John says pineapple pizza was invented in 1962 in Canada by a Greek immigrant inspired by Chinese cuisine to put a South American food on an Italian dish. (00:00:29)
    • 1962 — year pineapple pizza was invented · for pineapple pizza · in Canada · as of 2019-10-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — John says pineapples fill old still lifes because rich people bragged about them; a single pineapple in the US or Europe could cost the equivalent of $10,000 today. (00:00:58)
    • ten thousand US dollars (USD) — price of a single pineapple · for pineapples in the 18th century · in US or Europe · as of 2019-10-30 (implied: upload date) · source: present-day · unchecked
  • 2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — John says pineapples became such a symbol of wealth that they were embroidered onto footstools, sculpted onto silver tables and built atop buildings. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — John says pineapples were costly because they need tropical climates; their story is the Columbian Exchange: almost all eaten in Europe in the 16th-18th centuries were grown by colonized or enslaved people. (00:01:27)
    • Almost all — share of pineapples grown by colonized or enslaved people · for pineapples eaten in Europe · in Europe · as of 16th-18th-centuries · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — John says almost all the wealth generated by the pineapple trade ended up with colonizers. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — John says pineapples were eventually grown in Europe, never in quantity; his favorite pineapple painting shows English gardener John Rose giving King Charles II the first pineapple grown in England. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — John says Louis XV of France and Catherine the Great of Russia loved pineapples. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — John says King Ferdinand of Spain was purportedly the first person to taste a pineapple on European soil, in 1496. — hedged: “purportedly” (00:01:56)
    • 1496 — year of the first pineapple tasted on European soil · for King Ferdinand of Spain · in Spain · as of 2019-10-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-30 · this is a video about pineapples. — John says George Washington was a big pineapple fan; he left the North American mainland only once, visiting Barbados at 19, where he tasted many new foods including avocados. (00:02:26)
    • 19 (years) — George Washington's age on his only trip off the North American mainland · for George Washington · in Barbados · as of 2019-10-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-22 · I'm Just Really Mad About Heteronyms… — Hank says a desert island is not an island that is a desert: it can be lush, watered and covered with big rainforest trees. (00:00:06)
  • 2019-11-22 · I'm Just Really Mad About Heteronyms… — Hank says 'desert' in 'desert island' is an adjective meaning uninhabited or deserted, one he has used his whole life without knowing it existed. (00:00:23)
  • 2019-11-22 · I'm Just Really Mad About Heteronyms… — Hank says the word spelled D-E-S-E-R-T has four definitions and two pronunciations: a dry place, uninhabited, to abandon, and the thing you deserve. (00:00:32)
    • four (definitions) — number of definitions of the spelling 'desert' · for English · as of 2019-11-22 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • two (pronunciations) — number of pronunciations of the spelling 'desert' · for English · as of 2019-11-22 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-22 · I'm Just Really Mad About Heteronyms… — Hank explains that in 'you got your just deserts', 'just' means fair and 'deserts' means the things you deserve, not an after-dinner treat. (00:00:59)
  • 2019-11-22 · I'm Just Really Mad About Heteronyms… — Hank explains the building blocks of the terms: -phone for how words sound, -graph for how they are written, hetero- for different and homo- for same. (00:02:05)
  • 2019-11-22 · I'm Just Really Mad About Heteronyms… — Hank defines a homophone as a word that sounds the same as another but has a different meaning, and a homograph as one that looks the same but has a different meaning. (00:02:19)
  • 2019-11-22 · I'm Just Really Mad About Heteronyms… — Hank says a homonym has the same pronunciation and spelling but a different meaning, like desert (sand) and desert (abandoned), so every homonym is also a homophone and a homograph. (00:02:25)
  • 2019-11-22 · I'm Just Really Mad About Heteronyms… — Hank says words like desert (to abandon) and dessert sound the same but are spelled differently, making them homophones that are also heterographs. (00:02:44)
  • 2019-11-22 · I'm Just Really Mad About Heteronyms… — Hank says words spelled the same but pronounced differently, like desert (sand) and desert (to abandon), are heterophones, yet they are called heteronyms. (00:02:57)

Internet & YouTube (51)

  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank says the internet, first through Napster, made it very easy to instantly distribute other people's property, and it didn't feel wrong. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank says YouTube would not be what it is without pirated Family Guy and Daily Show clips, and Viacom sued it over them for years. (00:00:43)
  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank says that to keep existing YouTube had to build a ludicrously complicated technology checking every moment of every upload against a vast library of content. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank explains that when Content ID finds a match, the rights holder can track the video, claim and monetize it, block it in some or all countries, or take it down with a copyright strike. (00:01:56)
    • four (options) — number of actions Content ID offers a rights holder · for rights holders on YouTube · as of 2019-02-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank says rights holders set filter rules, simple or complex (e.g. claim views from Croatia), and the process is almost never done manually. (00:02:26)
  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank says only the takedown is a legal step: the only one not automated, the only one requiring an electronic signature, and the most impactful. (00:02:40)
  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank says a copyright strike affects a channel's ability to monetize, and channels with three strikes can be deleted with all their content. (00:02:55)
    • three (strikes) — copyright strikes after which a channel can be deleted · for YouTube channels · as of 2019-02-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank says this is possible because of safe harbor laws, including a big US one that says rights holders cannot sue YouTube for laws broken by its users. — hedged: “Apparently” (00:05:46)
  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank says the Football Association can block or take down their video or strike them, but can't really sue, since lawyers would cost more than their company has in the bank. (00:06:09)
  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank says courts have not been consistent at all in deciding what is and is not fair use. (00:08:20)
  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank says independent creators in drama feuds have escalated by issuing takedown notices and copyright strikes against channels they are feuding with. (00:09:37)
  • 2019-02-01 · We Have Destroyed Copyright Law — Hank says YouTube's creator-friendly changes, like holding claimed videos' money during disputes instead of paying rights holders at once, came because creators yelled, almost like a government, not for legal reasons. (00:10:34)
  • 2019-02-05 · Deepfake: A Brief History of Unreliable Images — John corrects the video: it was Stalin, not Lenin, who ordered the photo of Lenin and Trotsky altered, noting that even a video about misinformation contains misinformation. (video description)
  • 2019-02-05 · Deepfake: A Brief History of Unreliable Images — John says deepfake technology has been used to make Donald Trump, Barack Obama and many others say things they haven't actually said. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-02-05 · Deepfake: A Brief History of Unreliable Images — John says Virginia Woolf wrote in a famous 1938 essay that photographs are simply a crude statement of fact addressed to the eye, and Susan Sontag replied decades later that photographs are not simply anything. (00:00:58)
    • 1938 (year) — year of Virginia Woolf's essay on photographs · as of 2019-02-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-02-05 · Deepfake: A Brief History of Unreliable Images — John says Mathew Brady's celebrated US Civil War battlefield photographs were often staged, with corpses moved to make them more photogenic. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-02-05 · Deepfake: A Brief History of Unreliable Images — John says Stalin often had former allies airbrushed out of photos once they became enemies, such as his secret police head Nikolai Yezhov after his execution. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-02-05 · Deepfake: A Brief History of Unreliable Images — John says a widely distributed World War I photo shows not a person but a figurine. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-02-05 · Deepfake: A Brief History of Unreliable Images — John says the London milkman photographed on his delivery route during the Blitz was not a milkman but the photographer's assistant in a costume. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-02-05 · Deepfake: A Brief History of Unreliable Images — John says Hitler did the same to Goebbels and Lenin to Trotsky, and it happened often in China, most famously in a photo of Mao's funeral without the Gang of Four. (00:01:57)
  • 2019-02-05 · Deepfake: A Brief History of Unreliable Images — John says democracies are not immune: a completely fake photo of John Kerry with Jane Fonda at an anti-war rally was widely distributed during the 2004 presidential election. (00:01:57)
    • 2004 (year) — year the fake Kerry-Fonda photo was widely distributed · in United States · as of 2019-02-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-02-05 · Deepfake: A Brief History of Unreliable Images — John says in 1939 the Canadian Prime Minister had King George VI cut out of a photo, thinking he'd look more powerful talking only to the Queen Mum. (00:02:26)
    • 1939 (year) — year the Canadian Prime Minister had George VI cut from a photo · in Canada · as of 2019-02-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-02-05 · Deepfake: A Brief History of Unreliable Images — John says Maryland Senator Millard Tydings probably lost re-election in 1950 because of a forged photo purporting to show him talking to the American Communist Party leader. — hedged: “probably” (00:02:26)
    • 1950 (year) — year of the forged Tydings photo and his re-election loss · in Maryland · as of 2019-02-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-08 · Does "The Press" Hate YouTube? — Hank says the big mainstream-press stories about YouTube are Logan Paul, ads shown on terrorist recruitment videos, or worse. (00:00:00)
  • 2019-03-08 · Does "The Press" Hate YouTube? — Hank says such stories make advertisers cut spending, YouTube then overreacts by strengthening demonetization algorithms, and even slightly controversial videos may earn nothing. (00:00:42)
  • 2019-04-12 · Escalators: We're Not Doing it Wrong (Mostly) — Hank says escalators move all the time, so they carry far more people than elevators; this capacity is why we use them. (00:00:00)
  • 2019-04-12 · Escalators: We're Not Doing it Wrong (Mostly) — Hank says cities have an unspoken, sometimes explicit rule to stand on the right so people can walk on the left. (00:00:00)
  • 2019-04-12 · Escalators: We're Not Doing it Wrong (Mostly) — Hank agrees, somewhat surprisingly, that the split reduces escalator capacity because walkers take up more space than standers. (00:00:50)
  • 2019-04-12 · Escalators: We're Not Doing it Wrong (Mostly) — Hank says the problem the video tries to solve is overcapacity, but escalators are almost never at capacity. (00:01:19)
  • 2019-04-12 · Escalators: We're Not Doing it Wrong (Mostly) — Hank says London's Holborn station experiment involved a long escalator often at capacity where most people stood anyway; even there, standing on both sides applied only at peak times. (00:01:19)
  • 2019-04-12 · Escalators: We're Not Doing it Wrong (Mostly) — Hank says the 2014 study cited in the video only recommends standing on both sides during emergencies. (00:01:49)
    • 2014 (year) — year of the escalator study cited in the video · as of 2019-04-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-21 · How to Lie While Telling the Truth — Hank notes lies are old: a woman once convinced Britain's entire medical establishment that she was giving birth to rabbits. (00:00:00)
  • 2019-06-21 · How to Lie While Telling the Truth — On the headline 'US birth rates plummeting', Hank says the rate is not really plummeting but decreasing a little, while the birth rate for people over 25 has been rising steadily and substantially. (00:00:31)
    • over the age of 25 (years) — age group whose birth rate has been steadily and substantially increasing · for people in the US · in United States · as of 2019-06-21 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-21 · How to Lie While Telling the Truth — Hank says the reality behind the falling birth rate is that fewer teenagers are having babies. (00:01:01)
  • 2019-06-21 · How to Lie While Telling the Truth — Hank says Tesla's quarterly safety reports, which are extremely limited, show one accident per 2.87 million Autopilot miles and one per 1.76 non-Autopilot miles. (00:01:01)
    • 2.87 million (miles) — miles driven per accident with Autopilot engaged · for Tesla cars · as of 2019-06-21 (implied: upload date) · source: Tesla, Inc. · unchecked
    • 1.76 (miles) — miles driven per accident without Autopilot · for Tesla cars · as of 2019-06-21 (implied: upload date) · source: Tesla, Inc. · doubtful
  • 2019-06-21 · How to Lie While Telling the Truth — Hank cites the headline that Carnival cruises released ten times more pollution than all cars in Europe combined: technically correct, but it plants a lie. (00:02:13)
    • ten times — pollution released by Carnival cruise ships relative to all cars · for cars in Europe · in Europe · as of 2019-06-21 (implied: upload date) · source: headline · unchecked
  • 2019-06-21 · How to Lie While Telling the Truth — Hank explains the pollution meant is sulfur dioxide, which cars basically no longer produce, especially in Europe, which removed sulfur from fuels. (00:02:13)
  • 2019-10-18 · They Hacked Me — The description says not being a public person does not protect you: most hacks seek a quick buck and may wait in your email until a big financial decision, then strike. (video description)
  • 2019-10-18 · They Hacked Me — Hank asked on Twitter: 30-something percent said they had never been hacked, so most people have been. (00:00:58)
    • 30-something (percent) — share saying they had never been hacked · for respondents to Hank's Twitter poll · as of 2019 · source: Hank's Twitter poll · unchecked
  • 2019-10-18 · They Hacked Me — Hank says there are dark breaches: Yahoo had billions of accounts leaked and didn't notice for years. (00:01:27)
    • billions (accounts) — accounts leaked in Yahoo's breach · for Yahoo users · as of 2019-10-18 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-29 · The Truth about None Pizza with Left Beef — Hank notes that Tumblr, the iPhone and Vlogbrothers all launched in 2007, an important year. (00:00:43)
    • 2007 — launch year · for Tumblr · as of 2019-10-29 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 2007 — launch year · for iPhone · as of 2019-10-29 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-19 · Kylie Jenner Shows Me What's Wrong with Reddit — John saw a Reddit post with 129,000 upvotes titled 'Kylie Jenner thinks she owns the phrase rise and shine'. (00:00:09)
    • 129,000 (upvotes) — upvotes on the Reddit post about Kylie Jenner and 'rise and shine' · in Reddit · as of 2019-11-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-19 · Kylie Jenner Shows Me What's Wrong with Reddit — John says top comments included calls to fundraise to countersue and hundreds of angry takedowns, with literally no one pointing out that the story was fictional. (00:00:18)
    • hundreds (comments) — angry takedown comments on the Reddit post · as of 2019-11-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-19 · Kylie Jenner Shows Me What's Wrong with Reddit — John says Jenner apparently said 'rise and shine' in a funny way that was widely memefied, then quickly released merch. — hedged: “I guess” (00:00:31)
  • 2019-11-19 · Kylie Jenner Shows Me What's Wrong with Reddit — John says TMZ reported that Jenner's company had filed to trademark 'rise and shine' for cosmetics and clothing, and people got upset. (00:00:46)
  • 2019-11-19 · Kylie Jenner Shows Me What's Wrong with Reddit — John says Nike didn't invent 'just doing it'; Shia LaBeouf would only infringe Nike's trademark by saying 'just do it' in contexts like marketing sportswear. (00:01:01)
  • 2019-11-19 · Kylie Jenner Shows Me What's Wrong with Reddit — John says the trademark applications might not be approved, because several other companies already hold rise-and-shine-related trademarks. — hedged: “which they might not be” (00:01:26)
  • 2019-11-19 · Kylie Jenner Shows Me What's Wrong with Reddit — John says the Gold Coast Bulletin published a story claiming a small Australian Rise and Shine t-shirt company got a cease and desist letter from Jenner. (00:01:44)
  • 2019-11-19 · Kylie Jenner Shows Me What's Wrong with Reddit — John says that story became a tweet, a screenshot and a Reddit post with 129,000 upvotes, and it is entirely false, denied by Jenner and by the t-shirt company. (00:01:57)
    • 129,000 (upvotes) — upvotes on the Reddit post about Kylie Jenner and 'rise and shine' · in Reddit · as of 2019-11-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-19 · Kylie Jenner Shows Me What's Wrong with Reddit — John reports Jenner tweeted that she had not sent any Rise and Shine cease and desist letters and had laughed at everyone's memes. (00:02:35)
  • 2019-11-19 · Kylie Jenner Shows Me What's Wrong with Reddit — John says a trademark holder may not enforce it selectively and must enforce it, or lose the trademark. (00:03:06)

Global development (45)

  • 2019-04-09 · The Only Psychiatric Hospital in Sierra Leone — John says Kissy is a 199-year-old facility and the only mental health hospital in Sierra Leone. (00:00:10)
    • 199-year-old — age of Kissy Psychiatric Hospital · for Kissy Psychiatric Hospital · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-04-09 · The Only Psychiatric Hospital in Sierra Leone — John says the hospital is led by Dr. Abdul Jalloh, one of the only psychiatrists in Sierra Leone, a nation of over 7 million people. (00:00:22)
    • over 7 million (people) — population of Sierra Leone · for population · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019-04-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-04-09 · The Only Psychiatric Hospital in Sierra Leone — Dr. Jalloh explained that as recently as a year ago the hospital was dire: no medication, water supply or electricity, broken toilets, almost everything collapsing. (00:00:30)
  • 2019-04-09 · The Only Psychiatric Hospital in Sierra Leone — John says many patients were chained to their beds for much of the day and night. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-04-09 · The Only Psychiatric Hospital in Sierra Leone — John says the old pharmacy's shelves had long been nearly empty, leaving no medication for psychic pain, very few clinicians for therapy, and no water or electricity. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-04-09 · The Only Psychiatric Hospital in Sierra Leone — A charity donated two huge generators that were far too powerful for the hospital's grid and shorted everything out; staff could have said what they needed, but no one asked. (00:01:56)
    • two (generators) — number of donated generators · for Kissy Psychiatric Hospital · as of 2019-04-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-04-09 · The Only Psychiatric Hospital in Sierra Leone — Partners In Health, working with the Ministry of Health, Dr. Jalloh, staff and patients, brought the right generator, more staff, hundreds of medications, new beds and running water. (00:02:10)
    • hundreds (medications) — medications brought into the hospital · for Kissy Psychiatric Hospital · as of 2019-04-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-04-09 · The Only Psychiatric Hospital in Sierra Leone — With medication and other treatment available, many patients now live at home; as a nurse explained, a year ago almost all Kissy's patients stayed in hospital, and now most live at home. (00:02:42)
  • 2019-04-09 · The Only Psychiatric Hospital in Sierra Leone — John says chaining has ended: patients walk freely in their care area, and humane restraints, used when patients threaten themselves or others, are now rare. (00:03:11)
  • 2019-04-09 · The Only Psychiatric Hospital in Sierra Leone — John says PIH succeeds because it builds systems and listens to the people it serves; it's no coincidence that 96% of PIH Sierra Leone's employees are Sierra Leonean. (00:05:20)
    • 96% (percent) — share of PIH Sierra Leone employees who are Sierra Leonean · for PIH Sierra Leone employees · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — John says Sierra Leone is a nation of around seven and a half million people, ethnically and religiously diverse. (00:00:00)
    • around seven and a half million (people) — population · for Sierra Leone · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — The description says Sierra Leone has the world's highest maternal mortality rate and one of the highest child mortality rates, which John believes long-term investment can change. (video description)
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — Most Sierra Leoneans descend from long-time West Africans, but many former slaves in the British Empire were resettled there, so some trace descent to Canada, England or Nigeria. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — Since independence in 1961, Sierra Leone has struggled to move away from resource extraction and build systems such as infrastructure, health care and even mail delivery. (00:00:58)
    • 1961 (year) — year of independence · for Sierra Leone · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — A community can't spend what it doesn't have: at the UK's share of GDP, Sierra Leone would have about $45 per person yearly for health care; the US spends over $10,000 per person on health and over $12,000 per child on education. (00:01:56)
    • $45 (USD) — health spending per person per year if spending the UK's share of the economy · for Sierra Leone (hypothetical) · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • over $10,000 (USD) — health care spending per person per year · for United States · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • over $12,000 (USD) — education spending per child per year · for United States · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — Sierra Leone's civil war lasted from 1991 to 2002: tens of thousands died, millions were displaced, the health system was devastated, HIV and deaths rose and schooling was interrupted. (00:02:26)
    • 1991 to 2002 (years) — duration of the civil war · for Sierra Leone · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • Tens of thousands (people) — deaths in the civil war · for Sierra Leone · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • millions (people) — people displaced by the civil war · for Sierra Leone · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — Because the war was partly funded on all sides by diamonds and minerals, it especially devastated Kono, the diamond district; the government paid for mercenaries partly by selling the rights to the largest diamond concession. (00:02:55)
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — Sierra Leone exports $100 million in diamonds annually while 6% of all women die in childbirth. (00:03:53)
    • $100 million (USD) — annual diamond exports · for Sierra Leone · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 6% (percent) — women who die in childbirth · for women in Sierra Leone · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — When Ebola reached Sierra Leone in 2014 the whole country had about 150 doctors; Indiana, with a similar population, has over 16,000. (00:03:53)
    • about 150 (doctors) — number of doctors · for Sierra Leone · as of 2014 · no source named · unchecked
    • over 16,000 (doctors) — number of doctors · for Indiana · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — With little running water to sterilize and too few gloves or masks, John says this systemic weakness is why Ebola could ravage Sierra Leone but not the United States or Spain. (00:04:22)
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — Five years ago the Kono hospital had no electricity, few supplies and almost no patients; today it is well staffed, supplied and used, with a blood bank and an operating room for C-sections. (00:06:25)
  • 2019-10-01 · Why Are Poor Countries Poor? — The hospital is still totally inadequate, with only 40 maternal beds for 550,000 people, but the progress is real. (00:06:54)
    • 40 (beds) — maternal beds · for the hospital in Kono · in Kono District · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 550,000 (people) — population served · for Kono District · as of 2019-10-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-22 · Why We're Donating $6,500,000 — John says Sierra Leone has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world: one in 17 women there will die in pregnancy or childbirth. (00:00:29)
    • highest (rank) — maternal mortality rate rank · for countries · in the world · as of 2019-10-22 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • One in 17 (women) — lifetime risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth · for women · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019-10-22 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-22 · Why We're Donating $6,500,000 — John says 10 percent of Sierra Leonean children do not live to see their fifth birthday. (00:02:00)
    • Ten percent — share of children dying before age five · for children · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019-10-22 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-22 · Why We're Donating $6,500,000 — John says 3,000 women in Sierra Leone will die in pregnancy or childbirth this year (2019). (00:02:04)
    • 3000 (women) — maternal deaths per year · for women · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-22 · Why We're Donating $6,500,000 — John says the women die of hemorrhaging any well-stocked hospital could address, and because there is no electricity for night deliveries or blood refrigeration, and no running water. (00:02:10)
  • 2019-10-22 · Why We're Donating $6,500,000 — John says needing a C-section in Sierra Leone is often life-threatening: there is usually no ambulance, so a woman's best chance is a long ride on the back of a motorbike. (00:02:33)
  • 2019-10-22 · Why We're Donating $6,500,000 — John says 96 percent of PIH Sierra Leone's employees are Sierra Leonean, and he has seen what they accomplish even with extremely limited resources. (00:04:11)
    • Ninety-six percent — share of employees who are Sierra Leonean · for PIH Sierra Leone employees · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019-10-22 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-22 · Why We're Donating $6,500,000 — John says about $25 million is needed over five years; with their $6.5 million and several big PIH donations they are over halfway, but still need a little over a million dollars a year. (00:05:44)
    • about $25 million (USD) — total funding needed over five years · for Kono health-system project · in Kono District · as of 2019-10-22 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • $6.5 million (USD) — the families' donation · for Kono health-system project · in Kono District · as of 2019-10-22 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • a little over a million dollars per year (USD/year) — remaining annual funding gap · for Kono health-system project · in Kono District · as of 2019-10-22 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-10-22 · Why We're Donating $6,500,000 — John says donations have lasting impact because when mothers don't die in childbirth, their children are more likely to go to school and live healthy lives and less likely to be malnourished. (00:06:45)
  • 2019-10-25 · Unscripted and Unhinged — Hank says they have already raised more than half of their initial goal of $240,000 at pih.org/hankandjohn. (00:00:29)
    • $240,000 (USD) — initial fundraising goal · for PIH Sierra Leone campaign · as of 2019-10-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • more than half (share) — share of initial goal raised · for PIH Sierra Leone campaign · as of 2019-10-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-26 · old fashioned parts video — John says that last year (2018) the Project for Awesome raised its ten millionth dollar for charity. (00:01:13)
    • ten millionth dollar (USD) — cumulative money raised for charity by the Project for Awesome · for Project for Awesome · as of 2018 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-26 · old fashioned parts video — John says the Project for Awesome is volunteer-run, so apart from credit card fees and the cost of making and shipping physical perks, all donations go to charity. (00:01:39)
  • 2019-11-26 · old fashioned parts video — John says over 3,000 viewers have joined the brothers in donating to strengthen Sierra Leone's healthcare system, and they are grateful and excited to watch the progress. (00:02:08)
    • Over 3,000 (donors) — number of viewers donating to the Partners In Health Sierra Leone project · for Nerdfighteria donors · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019-11 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-26 · old fashioned parts video — John gives examples: Partners In Health might need money to support a clinic in the Navajo Nation or to buy medical supplies in Haiti. — hedged: “might” (00:02:27)
  • 2019-12-03 · We Are Cats Now, I Guess? — John says that, less the cost of producing and shipping physical perks, 100% of the proceeds go to charity. (00:01:50)
    • 100% (percent) — share of P4A perk proceeds going to charity, after perk production and shipping costs · for P4A 2019 perk purchases · as of 2019-12-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-12-03 · We Are Cats Now, I Guess? — John says the Project for Awesome has raised over $10 million for charity in the last ten years. (00:02:08)
    • over 10 million dollars (USD) — total raised for charity by the Project for Awesome in the last ten years · for Project for Awesome · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-12-03 · We Are Cats Now, I Guess? — As one example from that decade, Partners In Health helped build and support the Butaro Cancer Center in Rwanda. (00:02:16)
  • 2019-12-03 · We Are Cats Now, I Guess? — John says 70% of cancer cases occur in poor countries, where access to care is so difficult that outcomes are far worse. (00:02:21)
    • 70% (percent) — share of cancer cases occurring in poor countries · for cancer cases · in poor countries · as of 2019-12-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-12-03 · We Are Cats Now, I Guess? — In the US many types of childhood leukemia have cure rates over 80%, while in poor communities the same cancers are virtual death sentences. (00:02:28)
    • over 80% (percent) — cure rate of many types of childhood leukemia · for children with leukemia · in United States · as of 2019-12-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-12-03 · We Are Cats Now, I Guess? — The Butaro Cancer Center offers real hope: it has treated thousands of people with cancer and helped train many healthcare workers in oncology. (00:02:38)
    • thousands (people) — people treated for cancer at the Butaro Cancer Center · for cancer patients · in Rwanda · as of 2019-12-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-12-03 · We Are Cats Now, I Guess? — Save the Children has helped reduce stunting from malnutrition and build safe places for children in refugee camps, amid the greatest refugee crisis since World War II. (00:02:47)
  • 2019-12-03 · We Are Cats Now, I Guess? — A recent PIH video tells of Mabel, a Sierra Leonean woman diagnosed with HIV while pregnant, whom Partners In Health helped get antiretroviral therapy and later become a community health worker. (00:02:56)
  • 2019-12-03 · We Are Cats Now, I Guess? — Mabel is one of over 11,000 community health workers supported by PIH around the world. (00:03:08)
    • over 11,000 (people) — community health workers supported by Partners In Health · for community health workers · in worldwide · as of 2019-12-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-12-03 · We Are Cats Now, I Guess? — Because of the matching, every dollar donated counts as $4 to the charities. (00:03:36)
    • $4 (USD) — value to the charities of each donated dollar after matching · for P4A 2019 donations · as of 2019-12-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked

US politics & society (27)

  • 2019-03-01 · I Get a Robocall While Making a Video About Robocalls — Hank says the FTC predicts that sometime in 2019 more US mobile phone calls will attempt to defraud people than not: more robocalls than calls. (00:00:00)
    • more mobile phone calls attempting to defraud people than there will be mobile phone calls not attempting to defraud people — fraudulent vs non-fraudulent mobile phone calls (forecast) · for mobile phone calls · in United States · as of 2019 · source: Federal Trade Commission · unchecked
  • 2019-03-01 · I Get a Robocall While Making a Video About Robocalls — The description says anyone who calls you while your name is on the Do Not Call list is breaking the law, but there is no good way to find them. (video description)
  • 2019-03-01 · I Get a Robocall While Making a Video About Robocalls — Hank says 3% of mobile phone calls came from fraudulent sources in 2017, rising to 30% in 2018. (00:01:27)
    • 3% (percent) — share of mobile phone calls from fraudulent sources · for mobile phone calls · as of 2017 · no source named · unchecked
    • 30% (percent) — share of mobile phone calls from fraudulent sources · for mobile phone calls · as of 2018 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-01 · I Get a Robocall While Making a Video About Robocalls — Hank says the FTC estimates a scammer gets about $400 per successful fraud and that over a billion dollars has been stolen in total. (00:01:27)
    • about $400 (USD) — money a scammer gets per successful phone fraud · for phone fraud victims · in United States · as of 2019-03-01 (implied: upload date) · source: Federal Trade Commission · unchecked
    • over a billion dollars (USD) — total money stolen by phone scams · for phone fraud victims · in United States · as of 2019-03-01 (implied: upload date) · source: Federal Trade Commission · unchecked
  • 2019-03-01 · I Get a Robocall While Making a Video About Robocalls — Hank says this is likely all due to just a few hundred or maybe a thousand scammers operating in the US. — hedged: “Likely” (00:03:09)
    • a few hundred or maybe a thousand — number of operating phone scammers · for phone scammers · in United States · as of 2019-03-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-29 · The Largest Theft of All Time — In 2005 a group of 25 men rented a commercial property in central Fortaleza, Brazil, tunnelled over 250 feet to a bank vault and removed 3.5 tons of 50-real notes, about $100 million today. (00:00:08)
    • 25 (people) — number of people in the robbery gang · for robbers · in Fortaleza, Brazil · as of 2005 · no source named · unchecked
    • more than 250 feet — length of the tunnel to the bank vault · for tunnel · in Fortaleza, Brazil · as of 2005 · no source named · unchecked
    • 3.5 tons — weight of 50-real banknotes removed from the vault · for stolen banknotes · in Fortaleza, Brazil · as of 2005 · no source named · unchecked
    • around a hundred million dollars (USD) — value of the stolen money converted to today's values · for stolen banknotes · in Fortaleza, Brazil · as of 2019-03-29 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-29 · The Largest Theft of All Time — Hank says the Fortaleza heist was, depending on how you count, the largest bank robbery of all time, yet basically nothing next to the largest thefts of all time. — hedged: “depending on how you count” (00:00:31)
  • 2019-03-29 · The Largest Theft of All Time — Hank says the largest bank robbery was in 2015: hackers in China, Russia and Europe took $300-900 million from many banks with common malware; no one was caught and nothing was recovered. (00:00:43)
    • somewhere between 300 and 900 million dollars (USD) — amount extracted from banks by hackers using malware · for banks · in China, Russia and Europe · as of 2015 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-29 · The Largest Theft of All Time — In the 1800s Gregor MacGregor claimed to be Cazique of Poyais, a country that didn't exist, took investment, and shipped hundreds of investors to a jungle where most died; $4.5 billion was wiped out. (00:01:20)
    • hundreds (people) — number of investors shipped to Poyais · for MacGregor's investors · in Poyais · as of 1800s · no source named · unchecked
    • 4.5 billion dollars (USD) — value wiped out when the Poyais bond market collapsed · for Poyais bond investors · in Poyais · as of 1800s · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-29 · The Largest Theft of All Time — Hank says Bernie Madoff stole around $20 billion, and not just from the rich: much of the money came from pension funds meant to support retirees. (00:02:00)
    • around 20 billion dollars (USD) — amount stolen by Bernie Madoff · for Madoff's investors · as of 2019-03-29 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-29 · The Largest Theft of All Time — Hank says all robbery, theft, burglary and auto theft in a year adds up to less than Madoff stole, though Madoff stole over years, so the comparison isn't really fair. (00:02:16)
  • 2019-03-29 · The Largest Theft of All Time — Hank says wage theft, an employer not paying legally required wages and benefits, is the largest property crime: $20-60 billion of US workers' labor a year, more than Madoff and all other property crime. (00:02:36)
    • somewhere between 20 and 60 billion dollars (USD) — value of labor stolen from workers through wage theft per year · for workers · in United States · as of per · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-29 · The Largest Theft of All Time — Hank says hundreds of thousands of law enforcement officers work on other property crime, but only around a thousand work on wage theft. (00:03:06)
    • hundreds of thousands (officers) — law enforcement officers working on property crime · for law enforcement officers · as of 2019-03-29 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • around a thousand (officers) — law enforcement officers working on wage theft · for law enforcement officers · as of 2019-03-29 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-29 · The Largest Theft of All Time — Hank says companies committing wage theft find it more efficient to pay the fines than to pay their workers, as Walmart has done 96 times in the last 20 years. (00:03:16)
    • 96 times — wage theft fines paid by Walmart · for Walmart · as of last 20 years (resolved: 1999–2019, from the upload date 2019-03-29) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-06 · Uncertain and Afraid — Happiness, and how it is trending, varies a lot depending on where people live. (video description)
  • 2019-08-06 · Uncertain and Afraid — Violent crime in the US is falling and has been falling for decades, except for a couple of years in the 2010s. (video description)
    • has been falling for decades — trend in violent crime · in United States · as of 2018 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-06 · Uncertain and Afraid — Even adjusted for inflation, US median household income was higher in 2018, as in 2016 and 2017, than in any year in American history. (video description)
    • higher in 2018 (and 2016 and 2017) than any year in American history — inflation-adjusted median household income · in United States · as of 2018 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-06 · Uncertain and Afraid — In a different poem from around the same time, Auden writes of all the dogs of Europe barking and each nation sequestered. (00:00:00)
  • 2019-08-06 · Uncertain and Afraid — Even adjusted for inflation, average US household income has risen consistently over the last decade, while unemployment has consistently declined. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-08-06 · Uncertain and Afraid — John notes that in the US violent crime and unemployment were also falling during the late 1930s. (00:01:27)
    • falling — trend in US violent crime and unemployment · for United States · as of late 1930s · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-06 · Uncertain and Afraid — Homicides and violent crime declined in the US in 2018 and are both lower than in 42 of the last 45 years. (00:01:27)
    • 42 of the last 45 years — years in which US homicide and violent crime rates were higher than in 2018 · for United States · as of 2018 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-08-06 · Uncertain and Afraid — Even as humans live healthier lives with better technologies, people report on average feeling lonelier and less happy than ten years ago. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-08-06 · Uncertain and Afraid — US life expectancy is going down for the first time in decades, primarily due to substance abuse disorders and mental health conditions. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-09-06 · Trump is Abnormal, It's His Superpower — Hank says that a couple of days ago President Trump shared an earlier map of Hurricane Dorian's projected path. (00:00:00)
  • 2019-09-06 · Trump is Abnormal, It's His Superpower — Hank says the president had said Alabama was in Dorian's crosshairs, which on its own would be a totally normal verbal flub. (00:00:21)
  • 2019-09-06 · Trump is Abnormal, It's His Superpower — Hank says someone, probably Trump, drew a Sharpie line on the map to include a slice of Alabama. — hedged: “probably President Trump maybe somebody else” (00:00:21)
  • 2019-09-06 · Trump is Abnormal, It's His Superpower — Hank says it became a front-page story, 'Sharpie gate' trended on Twitter, and people suggested Trump be prosecuted for sharing false weather data. (00:00:21)

Health (22)

  • 2019-03-22 · How to Get a Colonoscopy — Hank describes ulcerative colitis as a chronic, so far incurable disease in which the immune system attacks the colon, causing diarrhea, bleeding, pain, fatigue, weight loss and eventually death. (00:00:00)
  • 2019-03-22 · How to Get a Colonoscopy — Hank says severe ulcerative colitis can be cured by removing the colon, but that brings its own difficulties. (00:00:26)
  • 2019-03-22 · How to Get a Colonoscopy — Hank says ulcerative colitis raises the chances of colon cancer and other diseases, so the colon must be watched with an endoscope. (00:00:26)
  • 2019-03-22 · How to Get a Colonoscopy — Hank says patients are put under with propofol; you can ask to be awake, but staff won't offer that option themselves. (00:04:10)
  • 2019-03-22 · How to Get a Colonoscopy — Hank says more than half of colonoscopies involve a biopsy or polyp removal, which is normal; the vast majority of polyps are non-cancerous, and finding cancerous ones is the point. (00:04:10)
    • More than half — share of colonoscopies in which a biopsy is taken or a polyp removed · for colonoscopies · as of 2019-03-22 (implied: date said in the video) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-22 · How to Get a Colonoscopy — Hank says the vast majority of polyps are non-cancerous, but finding cancerous or precancerous growths is why you get the colonoscopy. (00:04:39)
    • The vast majority — share of polyps that are non-cancerous · for colon polyps · as of 2019-03-22 (implied: date said in the video) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-03-22 · How to Get a Colonoscopy — Hank says the prep drink is about a gallon, drunk in two sittings of two hours each. (00:05:37)
    • a gallon — volume of colonoscopy prep drink · for colonoscopy patients · as of 2019-03-22 (implied: date said in the video) · no source named · unchecked
    • two hours long each — duration of each prep-drinking sitting · for colonoscopy patients · as of 2019-03-22 (implied: date said in the video) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — Stigma is classically a mark of disgrace reducing a whole person to a tainted, discounted one; the word comes from a Greek term for a mark placed on slaves to denote lesser value. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — When the social order sees someone as tainted and discounted, discrimination and isolation become much more common, especially for already discriminated groups. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — Worldwide, diseases that disproportionately affect women or poor people are more highly stigmatized; stigmatization is highly context-dependent. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — The first, maybe most important, researched cause of stigma is perceived peril: highly stigmatized illnesses are often seen as a threat to healthy people. — hedged: “maybe” (00:00:58)
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — Even people who know HIV can't be transmitted through hugs or handshakes still wrongly perceive peril around people with highly stigmatized diseases. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — The mentally ill are often seen as unstable or dangerous, so the perceived peril may be less about catching the illness than becoming its indirect victim. — hedged: “may” (00:01:27)
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — Education seems to help reduce this stigma, but only to an extent. — hedged: “It does seem like” (00:01:27)
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — Second cause, origin and controllability: diseases seen as the result of choice are more highly stigmatized than those that aren't. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — Origin matters when diseases are, for instance, sexually transmitted and so seen as punishment for sin. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — In the mid-20th century it was commonly believed that cancer was caused by childhood depression and social isolation. (00:02:26)
    • the middle of the 20th century — period when cancer was commonly believed to be caused by childhood depression and social isolation · as of 2019-09-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — The last cause cited in many studies is course instability: likely fatal or chronic illnesses, and those with unpredictable courses, are more highly stigmatized. (00:02:55)
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — As better treatments for diseases emerge, those diseases tend to become less stigmatized. (00:02:55)
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — Syphilis was probably the world's most stigmatized illness 200 years ago, but it is now curable. — hedged: “probably” (00:02:55)
    • 200 years ago — when syphilis was the most stigmatized illness · for world · as of 2019-09-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-17 · 'end the stigma' — Mental illness treatments have improved vastly over recent decades but have a long way to go, as does HIV and access to antiretroviral therapy. (00:03:24)
  • 2019-12-10 · On Loneliness — John is exhausted and exhilarated from the Project for Awesome, which this year (2019) raised over $1.3 million for charity. (00:00:03)
    • over $1.3 million dollars (USD) — money raised for charity by the Project for Awesome · for P4A 2019 · as of 2019-12-10 · no source named · unchecked

World affairs (18)

Philosophy & meaning (16)

  • 2019-04-16 · Doing Somethings — John says the flu shot is safe. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-04-16 · Doing Somethings — John says the candidate went on to be convicted in a huge bribery scandal. (00:02:55)
  • 2019-05-28 · 3 Minutes and 58 Seconds of Darkness — John says a camera held still and left to take in light for a long time sees much more than the eye can. (00:00:22)
  • 2019-07-02 · On Sunlight — John says Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, which together are larger than Great Britain and hold around 20% of the world's fresh water. (00:00:00)
    • five — number of Great Lakes · for lakes · in North America · as of 2019-07-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • larger than Great Britain — combined area of the Great Lakes compared with Great Britain · for lakes · in North America · as of 2019-07-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • around 20% — share of the world's fresh water held by the Great Lakes · for fresh water · in the world · as of 2019-07-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-02 · On Sunlight — John says people in the Midwest sometimes call the Great Lakes America's third coast, and looking at the horizon it does feel that way. (00:00:08)
  • 2019-07-02 · On Sunlight — From where John stands he can make out Chicago's skyline on a clear day, some 60 miles southwest, but to the northwest there is only water to the horizon. (00:00:15)
    • some 60 miles — distance from John's location to Chicago · in Lake Michigan shore · as of 2019-07-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-02 · On Sunlight — John says it is reported that in 1634 Jean Nicolet, the first European to cross Lake Michigan, thought he had reached China. — hedged: “It's reported that” (00:00:29)
    • 1634 — year Jean Nicolet first crossed Lake Michigan · in Lake Michigan · as of 2019-07-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-02 · On Sunlight — John notes Wikipedia's long list of solar deities: Egypt's Ra, Greece's Helios and the Aztec Nanahuatzin, who leapt into a bonfire to become the sun. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-07-02 · On Sunlight — Walking on the beach after dark, John thought of the fact that there are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on Earth. (00:03:24)
    • more stars in the universe than grains of sand on Earth — number of stars in the universe compared with grains of sand on Earth · for stars · in universe · as of 2019-07-02 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-03 · Death, Love, and John's Religion: The Big Questions Take Over Question Tuesday — Asked how Stegosaurus reproduced, John says we don't know, but one computer-model study found a male mounting a female from behind would risk castration. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-09-03 · Death, Love, and John's Religion: The Big Questions Take Over Question Tuesday — John says the female Stegosaurus may have lain on her side, or they may have backed up into each other, but we don't really know. — speculative (00:01:27)
  • 2019-09-03 · Death, Love, and John's Religion: The Big Questions Take Over Question Tuesday — Answering how to persuade friends who think voting makes no difference, John says young people are much less likely to vote than older people. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-09-03 · Death, Love, and John's Religion: The Big Questions Take Over Question Tuesday — John notes the US presidential election is over 450 days away, while Canada's last election cycle lasted 78 days and Canada seems fine; learning positions doesn't take 450 days. (00:02:26)
    • over 450 (days) — time remaining until the US presidential election · in United States · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
    • 78 (days) — length of the last election cycle · in Canada · as of 2019-09-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-27 · Crisis — Hank says the United States is now below its 1995 level of carbon dioxide, which he calls wild. (00:02:45)
    • 1995 levels — US carbon dioxide emissions relative to 1995 · in United States · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-12-27 · Why I'm Worried about 2020 — Hank notes, as a bigger deal, that back then gay marriage was illegal. (00:00:33)
  • 2019-12-27 · Why I'm Worried about 2020 — Hank says the unemployment rate fell from 10% to 4% over the decade. (00:00:39)
    • 10 percent — unemployment rate · in United States · as of 2009 · no source named · unchecked
    • 4 (percent) — unemployment rate · in United States · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked

Books & writing (15)

  • 2019-08-13 · How I (barely) Passed 11th Grade English — The Bluest Eye is about Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl told by the social order that she's ugly, who grows up horribly mistreated by people who claim to love her. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-08-13 · How I (barely) Passed 11th Grade English — Toni Morrison died last week (week of 5 August 2019), and John finds it hard to imagine the world without her clarion voice. (00:02:55)
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — John read up on Auld Lang Syne: parts of the song are at least 400 years old, but today's version comes from the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who claimed he got it from an old man. (00:00:00)
    • at least 400 years old — age of the oldest parts of Auld Lang Syne · as of 2019-11-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — In a comment John corrects the video: Auld Lang Syne is not the world's New Year's song but popular mostly in English-speaking places and Japan. (creator comment)
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — John says Burns probably wrote at least three of the song's verses himself. — hedged: “probably” (00:00:29)
    • at least three (verses) — verses of Auld Lang Syne written by Burns himself · as of 2019-11-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — John says the lyrics were grafted onto a different Scottish folk melody, became a popular New Year's song in Scotland, and spread with Scottish emigrants to become "the world's New Year's song". (00:00:29)
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — John says the first record of the song is on the back of a letter Burns wrote in 1788 to Frances Dunlop. (00:00:29)
    • 1788 — year of the letter carrying the first record of Auld Lang Syne · as of 2019-11-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — John says Burns and Dunlop had a fascinating friendship; she was almost 30 years older than him. (00:00:29)
    • almost 30 years — age gap between Frances Dunlop and Robert Burns · as of 2019-11-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — John says Dunlop once wrote Burns that Voltaire read all his manuscripts to an old woman and printed only what she approved, and wished Burns would name her to that office; he didn't. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — John says Burns valued Dunlop's opinions and friendship and wrote her more letters than anyone else, though they disagreed strongly, including about the sexuality in his work. (00:01:06)
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — John says their biggest disagreements were political: Dunlop was so angry at Burns's celebration of the American and French revolutions that she didn't write to him for two years. (00:01:27)
    • two years — time Frances Dunlop stopped writing to Burns · as of 2019-11-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — John says that dying at 37, Burns wrote Dunlop one last letter about what their friendship meant to him, and her kind reply was read to him days before he died. (00:01:27)
    • 37 (years) — Robert Burns's age at death · as of 2019-11-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — John says Burns's poem Comin' Thro' the Rye was originally sung to a tune very similar to the one now associated with Auld Lang Syne. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-11-12 · still learning — John says the song is perhaps most famous for inspiring the title of Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, whose Holden Caulfield mishears 'meet a body' as 'catch a body'. — hedged: “perhaps” (00:02:26)
  • 2019-11-15 · Are audiobooks worse? — Hank says retention seems measurably better on average when reading than when being read to, though it varies from person to person. — hedged: “it seems like” (00:01:19)

Sports (15)

  • 2019-01-29 · Do You Believe in Miracles? — AFC Wimbledon have had a terrible season: last in their division and facing relegation to the fourth tier of English football. (00:01:55)
    • last place — league position · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2019-01 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-01-29 · Do You Believe in Miracles? — Despite their season, Wimbledon reached the FA Cup fourth round and were drawn against West Ham United. (00:02:25)
  • 2019-01-29 · Do You Believe in Miracles? — West Ham play in the Premier League and are the only football club named in the Harry Potter books. (00:02:25)
  • 2019-01-29 · Do You Believe in Miracles? — Several individual West Ham players earn more per year than AFC Wimbledon's entire annual budget. (00:02:25)
  • 2019-01-29 · Do You Believe in Miracles? — AFC Wimbledon beat West Ham 4-2: Kwesi Appiah scored in front of the John Green stand, Scott Wagstaff scored twice, and 19-year-old Toby Sibbick scored. (00:02:54)
    • 4-2 (goals) — final score, AFC Wimbledon v West Ham United, FA Cup fourth round · for AFC Wimbledon; West Ham United · as of 2019-01 · no source named · unchecked
    • 19-year-old — age of goalscorer Toby Sibbick · for Toby Sibbick · as of 2019-01 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-01-29 · Do You Believe in Miracles? — The FA Cup is down to its final 16 teams, Wimbledon among them; next they face Millwall, a team a division above. (00:02:54)
    • 16 (teams) — teams remaining in the FA Cup · for FA Cup 2018-19 · in England · as of 2019-01 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-04-30 · The Thing with Feathers — At each season's end the four worst teams in English football's third tier are demoted to the fourth tier; those places are the relegation zone. (00:00:00)
    • four (teams) — teams relegated from the third tier each season · for worst teams in the third tier · in England · as of 2019-04-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-04-30 · The Thing with Feathers — AFC Wimbledon entered the relegation zone in October, early in the season, stayed there, and was last for most of the season; relegation felt inevitable. (00:00:29)
  • 2019-04-30 · The Thing with Feathers — Many third-tier clubs have very rich owners, while AFC Wimbledon is owned by its fans, each paying about 30 dollars a year to be an owner. (00:00:29)
    • about 30 bucks (USD) — annual fee paid by each fan-owner · for AFC Wimbledon fan-owners · in England · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-04-30 · The Thing with Feathers — Some third-tier clubs have annual budgets more than ten times AFC Wimbledon's. (00:00:58)
    • more than ten times — annual budget of some third-tier clubs relative to AFC Wimbledon's · for third-tier English football clubs · in England · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-04-30 · The Thing with Feathers — A new manager came in, and in January new players including 21-year-old goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale; Wimbledon then won five of six games and were still last. (00:00:58)
    • 21 (years) — age of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale · for Aaron Ramsdale · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
    • five out of six (games) — AFC Wimbledon wins in a run of games · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-04-30 · The Thing with Feathers — Wimbledon kept winning, losing only one of the last 11 games; after 189 days in the relegation zone they beat Wycombe 2-1 on Saturday to reach 19th with one game left. (00:01:26)
    • one of our last 11 games — AFC Wimbledon losses in its last 11 games · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
    • 189 days — days AFC Wimbledon spent in the relegation zone · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
    • 19th place — AFC Wimbledon league position with one game left · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-04-30 · The Thing with Feathers — It might still fall apart: Wimbledon must win or tie the last game to stay up, but they have a chance. — hedged: “It still might all fall apart” (00:01:26)
  • 2019-06-04 · On Sharing the Walk — The description congratulates Liverpool Football Club on winning their sixth European championship that weekend. (video description)
    • sixth — number of European championships won by Liverpool FC · for Liverpool FC · as of 2019-06-04 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-04 · On Sharing the Walk — John reports that Liverpool won the Champions League final 2-0. (00:01:57)
    • 2-0 — final score of the Champions League final · for Liverpool FC · as of 2019-06-04 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked

Everyday life (11)

  • 2019-01-01 · How to Make Goals, Not Resolutions — John notes that a couple of weeks ago the US Congress passed a resolution reaffirming the US commitment to the Pacific Islands region. (00:00:03)
  • 2019-01-01 · How to Make Goals, Not Resolutions — Much of the US federal government is not functioning because Congress cannot pass a bill to fund it. (00:00:17)
  • 2019-01-25 · A Floridian's Guide to Living Someplace Very Very Cold — Hank says Missoula winters usually hover in the 20s and 30s Fahrenheit and sometimes drop to about negative 20, about as cold as it gets. (00:00:14)
    • 20s and 30s (°F) — typical winter temperature · in Missoula, Montana · as of 2019-01-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • negative 20 (°F) — lowest winter temperature · in Missoula, Montana · as of 2019-01-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-02-12 · Are Textbooks Obsolete? — John says average textbook prices have risen more than eightfold since he was born, far faster than inflation, housing prices or even medical care. (00:00:00)
    • more than eight (factor) — increase in average textbook prices since John's birth · as of 2019-02-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-02-12 · Are Textbooks Obsolete? — John says Americans spent over ten billion dollars last year (2018) on textbooks, significantly more than on all fiction, every Harry Potter, Gatsby and Goodnight Moon included. (00:00:00)
    • over ten billion dollars (USD) — annual spending on textbooks · for Americans · in United States · as of 2018 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-02-12 · Are Textbooks Obsolete? — John says Bill and Melinda Gates's annual letter this year (2019) covers surprises from sexist data to slow toilet innovation, and says textbooks are becoming obsolete. (00:00:58)
  • 2019-02-12 · Are Textbooks Obsolete? — Melinda French Gates (quoted): John reports Melinda Gates: almost half of college students are over 25 and more than half have a job, and they often lack time or resources to navigate an inefficient, inflexible learning environment. (00:01:27)
    • almost half — share of college students over the age of 25 · for college students · as of 2019-02-12 (implied: upload date) · source: Melinda French Gates · unchecked
    • more than half — share of college students who have a job · for college students · as of 2019-02-12 (implied: upload date) · source: Melinda French Gates · unchecked
  • 2019-02-12 · Are Textbooks Obsolete? — John says most textbook buying decisions are made at the district or state level, not by students, teachers or even school administrators. (00:01:56)
  • 2019-07-09 · Life Hacks My Wife Taught Me — John says an average used kitchen sponge holds around 82 billion bacteria per cubic inch, which one study's author says equals the bacterial density of human stool samples. (00:01:27)
    • 82 billion (bacteria per cubic inch) — bacterial density · for average used kitchen sponge · as of 2019-07-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-09 · Life Hacks My Wife Taught Me — John says sponges are warm, wet and full of air pockets, ideal for bacteria, and putting them in the dishwasher to sterilize them might make the problem worse. — hedged: “might” (00:01:27)
  • 2019-12-06 · It is Much Easier to Destroy than Create — Healthcare is a hard puzzle everywhere, but these organizations help communities build more robust healthcare, decrease illness and provide stability. (00:02:50)

Pop culture (5)

  • 2019-05-17 · Keanu. — Before the question, Colbert and Keanu were talking about the new Bill and Ted movie, which Hank says is really happening. (00:00:30)
  • 2019-05-21 · Keanu Reeves: A Love Letter — John says Keanu turned down $11 million for Speed 2 to play Hamlet in Winnipeg, and the Sunday Times critic called it one of the top three Hamlets he had seen. (00:00:58)
    • $11 million (USD) — fee Keanu Reeves turned down for Speed 2 · for Keanu Reeves · as of 2019-05-21 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • top three — rank of Keanu Reeves's Hamlet among Hamlets the Sunday Times critic had seen · for Keanu Reeves's Hamlet · in Winnipeg, Manitoba · as of 2019-05-21 (implied: upload date) · source: The Sunday Times · unchecked
  • 2019-05-21 · Keanu Reeves: A Love Letter — John gives examples of Keanu in interviews: respecting Buddhism without having 'taken refuge in the Dharma', calling Hollywood gossip another universe, and his memification 'that internet deal'. (00:01:27)
  • 2019-05-21 · Keanu Reeves: A Love Letter — From decades of interviews we know Keanu is dyslexic, attended four high schools, wrote the funny book about sadness Ode to Happiness, plays bass, reads Proust and co-founded a motorcycle company. (00:02:26)
    • four (schools) — number of high schools attended · for Keanu Reeves · as of 2019-05-21 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-09-20 · Why Does Australia... (this video is bad, I'm sorry) — Hank explains continents are less dense rock floating on the Earth's jelly-like interior; their movement is fairly random but extensively modelled. (00:01:22)

Economics (4)

  • 2019-07-26 · The Best $10,000 I Ever Spent — Hank says the cost of insulin has increased a thousand percent since he graduated from high school. (00:01:16)
    • a thousand percent — increase in the cost of insulin since Hank graduated from high school · as of 2019-07-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-26 · The Best $10,000 I Ever Spent — Against the argument that they need money for new drugs, Hank says drug companies spent more in the last 10 years on buying back their own stock than on research and development. (00:02:17)
    • more money — prescription drug companies' spending on stock buybacks compared with research and development · as of last 10 years (resolved: 2009–2019, from the upload date 2019-07-26) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-26 · The Best $10,000 I Ever Spent — Hank says 75% of revolutionary new drugs were funded by the National Institutes of Health, with public tax money, which he calls money well spent. (00:02:17)
    • 75% (percent) — share of revolutionary new drugs funded by the National Institutes of Health · as of 2019-07-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-07-26 · The Best $10,000 I Ever Spent — Hank says drug companies spend much of their R&D money turning existing medications into slightly different ones to extend their patents. (00:02:59)

Projects (3)

  • 2019-06-28 · My New Obsession — Hank says thousands of organisms can live and thrive in a single drop of water, an ecosystem in a space the size of a fingertip. (00:00:08)
    • thousands — number of organisms living in a single drop of water · for organisms · as of 2019-06-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-28 · My New Obsession — Hank says the discovery of the microcosmos transformed how we saw life and ourselves and led directly to the improvement of billions of lives. (00:01:28)
    • billions — lives improved as a result of discovering microscopic life · for humans · as of 2019-06-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2019-06-28 · My New Obsession — Hank says Stentor coeruleus is one of the largest single-celled organisms on Earth, big enough to be seen with the naked eye. (00:02:52)

Nerdfighteria (1)

  • 2019-08-03 · I Love John: Esther Day 2019 — The description says Esther Earl was a Nerdfighter, activist and cool person who died of thyroid cancer in 2010. (video description)
    • 2010 (year) — year of Esther Earl's death · for Esther Earl · as of 2019-08-03 (implied: date said in the video) · no source named · unchecked