Facts taught in 2020

365 sincere fact claims from 2020; 160 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 (129) · Philosophy & meaning (43) · History & curiosities (29) · Health (28) · Everyday life (22) · Global development (19) · US politics & society (17) · Internet & YouTube (16) · Nerdfighteria (13) · Books & writing (12) · Pop culture (12) · Sports (12) · Personal life (8) · Economics (3) · Projects (2)

Science & nature (129)

2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says horses can't vomit and can't breathe through their mouths. (00:00:00)
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says there are kind of no wild horses: there are lots of feral horses, wild individuals of a domesticated species, tens of thousands of them in North America. (00:00:00)
- tens of thousands (horses) — number of feral horses · for feral horses · in North America · as of 2020-01-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says a Mongolian horse species, Przewalski's horse or takhi, went extinct in the wild and was reintroduced; it is often called the last wild horse. (00:00:46)
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says the takhi probably isn't (entirely) the ancestor of modern horses, and genetic studies indicate it might be a feral descendant of an ancient domesticated horse. — hedged: “might actually” (00:00:46)
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says wild and domesticated horse herds shared the same spaces for thousands of years, so there is no sharp line between wild and domesticated horses. (00:00:46)
- thousands of years — period wild and domesticated horse herds shared spaces · for horses · as of 2020-01-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says the takhi, with short legs and a zebra-like mane, is likely a good approximation of what horses looked like before domestication. — hedged: “likely” (00:01:15)
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says modern horses may descend partly from Przewalski's horse, but a big piece is also the tarpan, a now entirely extinct wild horse of which there is maybe a photo and definitely one single drawing. — hedged: “maybe some, but probably not entirely” (00:01:15)
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says horses evolved in North America, barely crossed the Bering land bridge before going extinct there, and humans brought them back, after which they escaped and went wild. (00:01:41)
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says cave paintings are the only images we have of pre-domestication horses. (00:01:41)
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says the North American mustang is kind of an invasive species and kind of a reintroduced one, the only such case in history as far as he knows. — hedged: “As far as I know” (00:02:10)
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says all terrestrial vertebrates share a very similar body plan: two forelimbs, two hind limbs, a trunk, a head, and feet at the end of each limb. (00:02:10)
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says humans, ostriches, mice and Tyrannosaurus rex all have the same limb pattern: bone, bone, foot. (00:02:40)
2020-01-24 · Horses are Very Weird — Hank says the genus Equus, including horses, zebras and donkeys, is not closely related to any living species. (00:03:09)
2020-01-31 · How Many Stars are in the Sky? — The description says Spitzer carried liquid helium keeping it two degrees warmer than interstellar space; when it ran out its imaging degraded and the mission has now ended. (video description)
- two degrees — Spitzer's temperature above interstellar space while cooled by liquid helium · for Spitzer Space Telescope · as of 2020-01-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-31 · How Many Stars are in the Sky? — Hank says the number of visible stars depends on conditions and on equipment, and once equipment counts the question becomes how many stars are in the Milky Way. (00:00:23)
2020-01-31 · How Many Stars are in the Sky? — Hank says the Milky Way's stars can't be counted: giant gas clouds hide huge sections of the galaxy, and more importantly there are just too many stars. (00:00:52)
2020-01-31 · How Many Stars are in the Sky? — Hank says the image is two million photos taken over ten years by the Spitzer Space Telescope, which ended its mission this week (week of 27 January 2020). (00:00:52)
- two million (photos) — photos combined into Spitzer's galactic map · for Spitzer Space Telescope · as of 2020-01-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- ten years — period over which the photos were taken · for Spitzer Space Telescope · as of 2020-01-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-31 · How Many Stars are in the Sky? — Hank says Spitzer is an infrared telescope that sees the heat of stars through the gas clouds, giving a less occluded view of the galactic core. (00:01:20)
2020-01-31 · How Many Stars are in the Sky? — Hank says even so not all stars are visible, because other stars are in the way: the view from the Sun's place at the Milky Way's edge looks through almost the whole galaxy. (00:01:41)
2020-01-31 · How Many Stars are in the Sky? — Hank says looking outward through the galaxy's thin band toward the intergalactic void gives a thinner soup of stars, but still a soup. (00:02:10)
2020-01-31 · How Many Stars are in the Sky? — Hank says astronomers today estimate the Milky Way has between 100 and 400 billion stars, a range he finds huge. (00:02:10)
- between 100 and 400 billion (stars) — number of stars · for stars · in Milky Way · as of 2020 · source: astronomers · unchecked
2020-01-31 · How Many Stars are in the Sky? — Hank says since we can't count, the number is estimated from the galaxy's mass and the average star mass, both of which have significant wiggle room. (00:02:39)
2020-01-31 · How Many Stars are in the Sky? — Hank says only a hundred years ago people argued whether the Milky Way was the entire universe; Edwin Hubble proved other galaxies exist. (00:03:02)
- a hundred years ago — time since astronomers debated whether the Milky Way was the entire universe · for astronomers · as of 2020-01-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-31 · How Many Stars are in the Sky? — Hank says Lyman Spitzer first conceived of putting telescopes in space and was a huge champion of the Hubble Space Telescope. (00:03:48)
2020-02-07 · GET BUSY WITH THE FIZZY — Hank says SodaStream never settled on a jingle in those years but stuck with 'get busy with the fizzy' for decades. (00:00:29)
2020-02-07 · GET BUSY WITH THE FIZZY — Hank says liquid water on Mars is physically impossible: the temperature is too low, and with such low pressure it would immediately evaporate. (00:00:58)
2020-02-07 · GET BUSY WITH THE FIZZY — Hank says the streaks on very steep Martian slopes might be water seeping through soil, but if they exist they are extremely saline, with super toxic perchlorate salts. — hedged: “might” (00:00:58)
2020-02-07 · GET BUSY WITH THE FIZZY — Hank says we know from the Curiosity rover that Mars once had oceans. (00:02:26)
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says you can get diseases from animals, including leprosy from armadillos; the official advice is not to handle them unnecessarily, and he did not. (00:00:58)
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says the Aztec word for armadillo translates to 'turtle rabbit'. (00:01:27)
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says leprosy is fairly treatable now. (00:01:32)
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says diseases sometimes cross from animals to humans, but leprosy actually jumped from humans to armadillos, so it is not the armadillos' fault. (00:01:38)
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says armadillos are most closely related to anteaters and there are many species, such as pink fairy, three-banded, nine-banded and giant armadillos. (00:01:50)
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says the glyptodons of the past are now extinct, probably because of humans. — hedged: “probably” (00:02:02)
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says the nine-banded armadillo is the only armadillo native to the US and also lives elsewhere in North, Central and South America. (00:02:09)
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says the US subspecies are all genetically very similar, suggesting only a few made it this far north before establishing a population. (00:02:16)
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says these armadillos always have litters of identical quadruplets, so the group he hung out with were probably genetically identical siblings. (00:02:26)
- quadruplets (offspring) — litter size (identical young per litter) · for nine-banded armadillos · as of 2020-03-06 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says 'roll' is the collective noun for armadillos. (00:02:33)
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says armadillos have two ways to cross water: walk under it, sinking under their heavy plates, or inflate their digestive systems and swim on top. (00:02:40)
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says a female armadillo can decide after mating to postpone her babies: if stressed, for up to two years before the embryos start developing. (00:02:58)
- two years — maximum delay before embryo development · for stressed female armadillos · as of 2020-03-06 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-03-06 · I Did Not Get Leprosy! — Hank says nine-banded armadillos survive well in human-created landscapes, even an office park outside Orlando: they are abundant and doing very well as a species. (00:03:30)
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says around 100 million years ago North America was two or three large islands, with a massive shallow ocean, the Western Interior Seaway, between them. (00:00:00)
- 100 million years ago — time since North America was split by the Western Interior Seaway · for North America · as of 2020-03-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- two or three (islands) — number of large islands North America then formed · for North America · as of 2020-03-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says the seaway stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean and was at most 900 meters deep, while the Mediterranean's deepest point is 5,000 meters. (00:00:16)
- 900 meters — maximum depth · for Western Interior Seaway · as of 2020-03-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 5,000 meters — maximum depth · for Mediterranean Sea · as of 2020-03-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says little cylinders found all over interior America, which look like crystals or fossilized plant parts, are really the remains of crinoids from that sea. (00:00:29)
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says crinoids, tree-like filter feeders that blanketed the seaway, were not plants but animals. (00:00:43)
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says crinoids are still common on Earth, as they have been for nearly half a billion years. (00:00:58)
- nearly half a billion years — how long crinoids have been common · for crinoids · as of 2020-03-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says crinoids today come in two main kinds: stalked ones called sea lilies and unstalked ones called feather stars. (00:01:08)
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says that unlike corals, which are collections of tiny organisms stuck in one place, crinoids are macro-organisms that can move, though they rarely do. (00:01:27)
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says feather stars, like other echinoderms such as starfish, sea urchins and sea cucumbers, have five-sided (pentaradial) symmetry. (00:02:05)
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says crinoids may have any number of legs divisible by five, but the delicate legs often get chewed or knocked off and can simply grow back. (00:02:17)
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says sea lilies are essentially the same as feather stars, though different species, but when they move they just drag their stalk behind them. (00:02:30)
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says crinoids have a vascular system whose blood is just seawater, transporting oxygen, nutrients and waste. (00:02:46)
2020-03-27 · Take a Break with Some Feather Stars — Hank says crinoids kept adapting: their locomotion did not exist 500 million years ago and is relatively recent, from around 200 million years ago. (00:03:00)
- 200 million years ago — when crinoid locomotion arose · for crinoids · as of 2020-03-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — The description adds that surveys show handfish do not leave a 10-meter area in any given year of their life. (video description)
- 10 meter — area a handfish stays within in a year · for handfish · as of 2020-04-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — Hank says the red handfish can swim but almost never does; when it moves it walks across the ocean floor on modified, upsettingly hand-like fins. (00:00:33)
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — Hank says handfish, a kind of anglerfish, live in only one place in the world, southeastern Australia, and are not doing great. (00:01:02)
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — Hank says the red handfish is arguably the rarest fish on Earth. — hedged: “arguably” (00:01:02)
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — Hank says there are only two red handfish populations, each with fewer than 50 adults. (00:01:02)
- two (populations) — number of red handfish populations · for red handfish · as of 2020-04-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- less than 50 (adults) — adult individuals per population · for red handfish · as of 2020-04-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — Hank says handfish mothers guard their eggs from marauders for weeks, never leaving them until they hatch. (00:01:02)
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — Hank says, oddly, handfish babies are just smaller handfish with no swim bladders, so they simply sink to the bottom. (00:01:31)
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — Hank says most fish use hatching for dispersal: the larvae become planktonic and let the ocean carry them, most to poor places, some to places where they thrive. (00:01:31)
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — Hank says, to his amazement, the IUCN has classified only one marine fish as officially extinct. (00:02:00)
- only one (species) — marine fish species classified as officially extinct · for marine fish · as of 2020-04-17 (implied: upload date) · source: International Union for Conservation of Nature · unchecked
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — Hank says the smooth handfish is known from a single museum specimen collected 203 years ago and, despite many surveys, has not been seen since. (00:02:30)
- a single (specimens) — known museum specimens · for smooth handfish · as of 2020-04-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 203 years ago — time since the only specimen was collected · for smooth handfish · as of 2020-04-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — Hank says the Handfish Conservation Project is raising hatchlings in captivity to add genetic diversity to the two isolated populations and potentially reintroduce them to new habitats. (00:02:30)
2020-04-17 · The Rarest Fish in the World is an Anglerfish! — Hank says there is a reason these little anglerfish walk instead of swimming, but we do not know it. (00:02:30)
2020-05-15 · Lookin' Kinda Dumb! — Hank says Snopes has a whole creatures section, where fakes are usually obvious, like the 'sea roach', an animatronic from Pacific Rim. (00:00:00)
2020-05-15 · Lookin' Kinda Dumb! — Hank says hammerhead salamanders don't exist but did 250 million years ago; the viral picture is a sculpture of what they probably looked like. (00:00:29)
- 250 million years ago — time since hammerhead salamanders existed · for hammerhead salamanders · as of 2020-05-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-05-15 · Lookin' Kinda Dumb! — Hank says the bee hummingbird is the smallest bird, but the picture said to show it is a miniature chickadee figurine. (00:00:29)
2020-05-15 · Lookin' Kinda Dumb! — Hank says the shoebill stork and the Malabar giant squirrel are such real animals on Snopes. (00:00:58)
2020-05-15 · Lookin' Kinda Dumb! — Hank says the hammer-headed bat, the most bizarre real Snopes creature, is a megabat that is downright common in West and Central Africa. (00:00:58)
2020-05-15 · Lookin' Kinda Dumb! — Hank says bats cannot be very big because they fly without feathers, which fly much better than skin membranes; very big-looking bats are usually camera angles. (00:00:58)
2020-05-15 · Lookin' Kinda Dumb! — Hank says bats can span over a meter but none weighs over 3.5 pounds; the hammer-headed bat tops out near one pound; North America's most common bat weighs about a third of an ounce. (00:01:27)
- over a meter — maximum bat wingspan · for bats · in Earth · as of 2020-05-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- three and a half pounds (lb) — maximum bat body weight · for bats · in Earth · as of 2020-05-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- around one pound (lb) — maximum body weight · for hammer-headed bat · as of 2020-05-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- around a third of an ounce (oz) — body weight · for most common bat in North America · in North America · as of 2020-05-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-05-15 · Lookin' Kinda Dumb! — Hank says bat faces often look silly to sharpen their sonar, but fruit-eating megabats don't need it, so they are usually cute. (00:01:56)
2020-05-15 · Lookin' Kinda Dumb! — Hank says the male's weird face exists, as far as we can tell, only for the lek: its rostrum, lips and split nose make a big, awful noise to attract females. — hedged: “as far as we can tell” (00:01:56)
2020-05-15 · Lookin' Kinda Dumb! — Hank explains lekking: males gather in a central location, the lek, to display to females, who pick the male they like most. (00:02:26)
2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — Hank describes Takapourewa, or Stephens Island, at the tip of islands off the north coast of New Zealand's South Island: isolated from the isolated, an ecological experiment Earth accidentally designed. (00:00:00)
2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — Hank says the island is home to very weird species: what might be the world's rarest frog, literally millions of seabirds, a darkling beetle, and a stronghold of tuatara. (00:00:29)
- millions — number of seabirds · for seabirds · in Takapourewa (Stephens Island) · as of 2020-06-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — Hank explains that passerines are the largest order of birds, more than half of all bird species, told apart by three toes in front and one behind, good for perching. (00:00:29)
- More than half — share of bird species that are passerines · for bird species · in the world · as of 2020-06-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- three toes in the front and one in the back — toe arrangement · for passerines · in the world · as of 2020-06-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — Hank says Lyall's wren, unlike any existing passerine, could not fly. (00:00:58)
2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — With no small rodents in New Zealand, Lyall's wren filled a small rodent's niche: it ran fast, had many babies and ate insects, worms and fruit. (00:00:58)
2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — A mouse on two legs is a worse mouse, so Polynesian rats brought to New Zealand by the Māori out-competed and ate Lyall's wren, but they never reached Takapourewa. (00:00:58)
2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — Hank says the urban legend that a single cat wiped out Lyall's wren isn't exactly what happened. (00:01:27)
2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — Hank says it is not certain how cats reached the island; probably the lighthouse keepers, being lonely, brought them. — hedged: “We think probably” (00:01:27)
- 100% (percent) — certainty about how cats reached the island · for scientists · in Takapourewa (Stephens Island) · as of 2020-06-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — Lighthouse keeper David Lyall's cat brought him a dead bird unknown to science as a present, which is how Lyall got credit for discovering Lyall's wren. (00:02:01)
2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — When the bird was found there was already a large feral cat population on the island, and the species probably went extinct barely more than a year after Lyall got it. — hedged: “probable” (00:02:01)
- barely more than a year — time from discovery to extinction · for Lyall's wren · in Takapourewa (Stephens Island) · as of 2020-06-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — Extinction sucks, Hank says, but there are now no cats and no people on Takapourewa: the lighthouse runs remotely and people only visit to study the island. (00:02:30)
2020-06-16 · a cool place — Another paradox: the river looks pristine partly because it is so filthy; raw sewage dumps into it many times a year, a main reason nobody comes there. (00:00:24)
2020-06-16 · a cool place — The island feels natural but isn't: most of its plants are invasive, and it is deeply shaped by the phenomenally dirty floodwater rolling over it. (00:01:21)
2020-06-16 · a cool place — John says the island is in the center of the 12th largest city in the United States. (00:01:21)
- 12th largest — population rank among US cities · for Indianapolis · in United States · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-16 · a cool place — The island has many trees, mostly sycamores and some oaks, and floods every few weeks, becoming a completely new island with new driftwood and trash. (00:01:50)
2020-06-16 · a cool place — When the river floods, debris is pressed against the trees, making weird beaver-dam-like piles that are half natural; some collections of fallen wood are wildly beautiful. (00:02:20)
2020-06-16 · a cool place — John is fond of a chair that has been on the island a year: a monoblock chair, one of the most common chairs in the world, seen all over the world. (00:02:49)
2020-06-19 · Only Shooting Stars — Hank says Earth crashes through on average around 50 tons of stuff a day; space is empty but Earth is big, and a visible shooting star takes little. (00:00:00)
- around 50 tons — space material Earth runs into per day · for material entering Earth's atmosphere · in Earth · as of 2020-06-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-19 · Only Shooting Stars — Hank says the speck you see as a shooting star is probably no bigger than a grain of sand. — hedged: “probably” (00:00:00)
- no bigger than a grain of sand — size of a typical shooting-star particle · for shooting stars · in Earth · as of 2020-06-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-19 · Only Shooting Stars — In a comment Hank explains rock ages: atom arrangements in Earth's mantle and core are completely reformed, while in space they stay locked as when the solar system formed, or before. (creator comment)
2020-06-19 · Only Shooting Stars — Almost everything Earth runs into is little rocks flung off comets or remnants of collisions between bodies in the solar system. (00:00:21)
2020-06-19 · Only Shooting Stars — Earth's rocky surface is geologically young because tectonic activity keeps replacing it, so an average rock is probably not much older than 2 billion years and quite likely younger than dinosaurs. — hedged: “probably” (00:00:21)
- 2 billion years — age of an average surface rock · for rocks on Earth's surface · in Earth · as of 2020-06-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-19 · Only Shooting Stars — Hank says nearly all the specks of dust and metal Earth runs into every day are older than the oldest rock on Earth. (00:00:21)
2020-06-19 · Only Shooting Stars — Many rocks on Earth recently fell from space, and the oldest particles on Earth, embedded in a meteorite, are over 7 billion years old, about 2 billion years older than the Sun. (00:01:02)
- over 7 billion years — age of the oldest particles found on Earth · for particles in a meteorite · in Earth · as of 2020-06-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- about 2 billion years — how much older those particles are than the Sun · for particles in a meteorite · in Earth · as of 2020-06-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-19 · Only Shooting Stars — Hank says 0.2% of meteorites, meteoroids that land on Earth, come from the Moon or Mars, thrown up when big meteorites hit those bodies. (00:01:30)
- 0.2% (percent) — share of meteorites from the Moon or Mars · for meteorites found on Earth · in Earth · as of 2020-06-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-19 · Only Shooting Stars — Hank says bits of Venus and Mercury have probably also landed on Earth, but none has ever been found. — hedged: “probably” (00:02:06)
2020-06-19 · Only Shooting Stars — Some shooting stars Earth runs into are probably bits of Earth thrown up millions of years ago by massive collisions. — hedged: “probably” (00:02:06)
- millions of years ago — when Earth material was thrown into space by collisions · for shooting stars of Earth origin · in Earth · as of 2020-06-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-19 · Only Shooting Stars — Apollo 14 seems to have brought back from the Moon a rock that is actually from Earth, possibly the oldest Earth rock, flung there more than four billion years ago. — hedged: “might” (00:02:30)
- more than four billion years ago — when the Apollo 14 Earth rock was flung to the Moon · for Apollo 14 lunar sample · in Moon · as of 2020-06-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-26 · You Might as Well Swim! — The description says the two very similar man o' war species are each composed of four zooids, bound together for their whole life cycles: an animal made of animals. (video description)
- two (species) — number of man o' war species · for man o' war · in the world · as of 2020-06-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- four (zooids) — number of zooids composing each man o' war · for man o' war · in the world · as of 2020-06-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-26 · You Might as Well Swim! — A Portuguese man o' war is not an animal but four genetically distinct animals with their own nervous systems forming one colonial organism: stomach, gonads, float and tentacles. (00:00:58)
- four (animals) — number of distinct animals making up one man o' war · for Portuguese man o' war · in the world · as of 2020-06-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-26 · You Might as Well Swim! — How much the four parts overlap, and how four nervous systems communicate, is not known. — explicitly uncertain (00:00:58)
2020-06-26 · You Might as Well Swim! — The colonies are predators that send out stinging tentacles up to 165 feet. (00:02:01)
- up to 165 feet — length of stinging tentacles · for Portuguese man o' war · in the world · as of 2020-06-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-26 · You Might as Well Swim! — Some fish avoid or resist the tentacles and shelter among them from larger predators, and one species lives there and feeds on the man o' war. (00:02:01)
2020-06-26 · You Might as Well Swim! — Named for the sailing ships they roughly resemble, they do sail: the float's sail lets the wind push them so the tentacles trail behind instead of costing energy. (00:02:01)
2020-06-26 · You Might as Well Swim! — They are so good at catching fish that large colonies can deplete fisheries. (00:02:30)
2020-06-26 · You Might as Well Swim! — The gas in their floats is 14% carbon monoxide, which could kill you, though only if you cut one open and breathed a lot of it. (00:02:30)
- 14% (percent) — share of carbon monoxide in the float gas · for Portuguese man o' war · in the world · as of 2020-06-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-08-21 · The Water's Getting Warm — Global GDP for 2020 is at negative five percent, which is four trillion dollars. (00:01:17)
- negative five percent — change in global GDP · for world economy · in the world · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
- four trillion dollars (USD) — global GDP loss · for world economy · in the world · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-08-21 · The Water's Getting Warm — The UN's upper estimate of what it would cost to fix climate change is four trillion dollars per year. (00:01:17)
- Four trillion dollars (USD/year) — upper estimate of the annual cost to fix climate change · for world · as of 2020-08-21 (implied: upload date) · source: UN · unchecked
2020-09-04 · Go Play! — Hank says no one is sure how Pythagoras found his theorem; the most discussed account is that he split square tiles diagonally into triangles and saw the leg squares make up the hypotenuse square. — hedged: “We're not sure” (00:01:18)
2020-09-04 · Go Play! — Hank says Pythagoras built a cult promising secret knowledge about this and actually delivered it, a fact sometimes but not always taught. (00:02:30)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Hank says the places outside Earth most conducive to life lie outside the habitable zone. (00:00:00)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — The description says alien life with clear signs of relation to Earth life would show that life can and does travel between planets. (video description)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — The description says alien life clearly unrelated to Earth life would show that life arises relatively easily and that the universe is filled with living systems. (video description)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Hank says Enceladus and Europa, icy moons of gas giants, definitely have giant oceans of liquid water beneath their icy surfaces. (00:00:29)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Hank says Mars and Venus were probably habitable for a long time; Mars is in the habitable zone, Venus is not. — hedged: “probably” (00:00:29)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Hank says highs on Venus are about 900 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt lead. (00:00:58)
- 900 degrees Celsius (°C) — high surface temperature · in Venus · as of 2020-09-18 (implied: upload date) · no source named · doubtful
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Hank says unexplained observations of Venus, such as cloud areas that darken, have led people to look at how life might exist there. (00:00:58)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Hank describes the hypothesis: microbes might live in the droplets, go dormant as spores when falling droplets evaporate, and be tossed back up into the nicer atmosphere. — speculative (00:01:39)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Hank says the droplets are highly concentrated sulfuric acid, and no life on Earth could live in water anything like that acidic. (00:01:39)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Hank says it was a big deal this week (week of 14 September 2020) when scientists announced a seemingly impossibly high concentration of phosphine in Venus's atmosphere. (00:02:08)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Hank says phosphine is nasty for humans but some microorganisms, bacteria that don't use oxygen, produce it as a waste product. (00:02:08)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Hank says phosphine cannot last long in Venus's atmosphere, since processes would break it down almost immediately, so something must be creating it. (00:02:08)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Hank says an unknown geochemical process could produce the phosphine, and figuring that out would itself be a big deal. — hedged: “could” (00:02:38)
2020-09-18 · They Say it Gets Colder — Citing 'extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence', Hank says proof of life would need a visit to Venus's upper atmosphere, as the paper's authors confirm. (00:02:38)

Philosophy & meaning (43)

2020-03-31 · Let's take a walk. — John says the honeysuckle, a wildly successful invasive species in the Midwest, has begun to leaf out. (00:00:23)
2020-03-31 · Let's take a walk. — John says the stream flows into the White River, now muddy, flooded and 30 feet deep, which in a dry summer he can walk across without getting his shorts wet. (00:01:23)
- 30 feet — depth of this section of the White River in flood · in White River, Indiana · as of 2020-03 · no source named · unchecked
2020-03-31 · Let's take a walk. — John traces the water's path: the White River flows into the Wabash, then the Ohio, then the Mississippi, and into the Gulf of Mexico. (00:01:44)
2020-05-01 · I Need to Get Myself Away from this Place — Hank says over 40 years ago the owner had his son paint a baseball, the ball in front of him, which has been painted 26,849 times. (00:01:35)
- Over 40 years — time since the baseball was first painted · for world's largest ball of paint · as of 2020-05-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 26,849 (coats) — times the world's largest ball of paint has been painted · for world's largest ball of paint · as of 2020-05-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-05-12 · We Could All Use a Little Change — John says Kurzgesagt made a video about gratitude and the evidence that a strong sense of gratitude is good for human health and well-being. (00:00:29)
2020-06-23 · You'll Never Shine if You Don't Glow — John says there are over 2,000 species of fireflies worldwide, soft-bodied luminescent beetles glowing amber, green or yellow. (00:00:00)
- over 2,000 (species) — number of firefly species · for fireflies · in the world · as of 2020-06-23 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-23 · You'll Never Shine if You Don't Glow — Fireflies tell each other apart by the pattern and color of their flashes, and some species glow in sync, so whole trees look like blinking Christmas trees. (00:00:29)
2020-06-23 · You'll Never Shine if You Don't Glow — Some fireflies are predators: members of Photuris mimic other fireflies' light patterns to attract and eat them. (00:00:29)
2020-06-23 · You'll Never Shine if You Don't Glow — There are dozens of firefly species in Indianapolis. (00:00:29)
- dozens (species) — number of firefly species · for fireflies · in Indianapolis · as of 2020-06-23 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-23 · You'll Never Shine if You Don't Glow — Say's firefly became Indiana's state insect in 2018, and the Department of Natural Resources stressed that it is a true Indiana native, unlike many states' state insects. (00:00:58)
- 2018 — year the firefly became Indiana's state insect · for state insect of Indiana · in Indiana · as of 2020-06-23 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-23 · You'll Never Shine if You Don't Glow — Ohio's state insect is the seven-spotted ladybug, an invasive species introduced to the United States in 1973. (00:00:58)
- 1973 — year the seven-spotted ladybug was introduced · for seven-spotted ladybug · in United States · as of 2020-06-23 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-23 · You'll Never Shine if You Don't Glow — John recalls Hank telling him recently that some planets orbit no star, hurtling between solar systems, where everything is dark all the time. (00:02:55)
2020-06-23 · You'll Never Shine if You Don't Glow — Hank Green (quoted): As John recounts, Hank said geological temperature differentials might perhaps fuel life on such planets, but there would be no light, unless they make it themselves. — hedged: “perhaps” (00:03:24)
2020-07-14 · The ice we skate is getting pretty thin. — The US is experiencing an explosion of new COVID-19 cases even as many other countries make serious progress against the pandemic. (00:00:58)
- an explosion — new COVID-19 cases · for people · in United States · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-07-14 · The ice we skate is getting pretty thin. — Last week (week of 6 July 2020) Indiana, population under 7 million, had more new COVID cases and deaths than Germany, population over 83 million. (00:00:58)
- under 7 million (people) — population · for residents · in Indiana · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
- over 83 million (people) — population · for residents · in Germany · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-07-14 · The ice we skate is getting pretty thin. — The last 12 weeks have been the deadliest 12-week period in the US in many decades, yet people still call it a hoax. (00:01:27)
- 12 (weeks) — deadliest 12-week period in many decades · for deaths · in United States · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-13 · Me from the Past: A Pizzamas Miracle — John notes the main news on the morning he films: the US President has been hospitalized for COVID, and many people close to him caught it after indoor maskless gatherings. (00:01:56)
2020-10-14 · John Predicts the Future! — Hank says Indianapolis was not really unseasonably warm, only about three degrees warmer than usual, so he calls John's prediction a miss. (00:00:00)
- three degrees — temperature above usual on October 13, 2020 · in Indianapolis · as of 2020-10-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-14 · John Predicts the Future! — Hank reports US new COVID cases rose week to week from 41,601 to 45,791, almost exactly 10%, so John's prediction was a win. (00:00:29)
- 41,601 (cases) — US newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases per day, a week earlier · for United States · as of 2020-10-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 45,791 (cases) — US newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases per day · for United States · as of 2020-10-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- almost exactly 10% — week-to-week increase in US new COVID-19 cases · for United States · as of 2020-10-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-14 · John Predicts the Future! — Hank reports AFC Wimbledon had a single shot on target against Swindon Town, and it went in. (00:00:58)
- single (shots on target) — AFC Wimbledon shots on target against Swindon Town · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2020-10-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-14 · John Predicts the Future! — Because of COVID a virtual town hall debate was planned; Donald Trump dropped out, Joe Biden decided to do the town hall alone, then Trump scheduled a different town hall. (00:01:28)
2020-10-14 · John Predicts the Future! — That was the game's only goal, so AFC Wimbledon beat Swindon Town and are now in 10th place. (00:01:28)
- 10th (place) — AFC Wimbledon league position · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2020-10-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-15 · Civilization and the Lies We Love — John recounts the lie: asked by a student for the first sign of civilization, Mead supposedly named a healed broken femur, since it shows someone cared for the injured, and helping through difficulty is where civilization starts. (00:00:29)
2020-10-15 · Civilization and the Lies We Love — In the last six months this became probably the most famous Margaret Mead quote, though there's no evidence she said it; it has been shared millions of times, once with 'I fact-checked and it's legit'. — hedged: “probably” (00:00:58)
- millions of times (shares) — number of times the Margaret Mead healed-femur quote was shared online · for social media users · as of 2020-10-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-15 · Civilization and the Lies We Love — As bioarchaeologist Stacy Hackner pointed out, animals do survive broken femurs long enough to heal; one review of primate fractures found the healed rate higher than expected. (00:00:58)
2020-10-15 · Civilization and the Lies We Love — Healed femoral fractures are not a marker of civilization; definitions of civilization are fraught but tend to focus on systems of writing and concentrations of state power. (00:01:27)
2020-10-15 · Civilization and the Lies We Love — When Mead actually defined civilization, she said it means keeping accounts and records, some taxation and revenue, and a great deal of division of labor. (00:01:27)
2020-10-15 · Civilization and the Lies We Love — Surviving a femoral fracture was uncommon even in civilizations: as late as the start of World War I most victims died, and survival depended on living near a good bonesetter, an ancient role in societies with and without writing. (00:01:56)
- most (share) — share of people with femoral fractures who died · for people who suffered femoral fractures · as of start of World War I · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-15 · Civilization and the Lies We Love — There are many examples of healed femoral fractures among humans in non-civilizational societies. (00:01:56)
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — 'Jo' is a Scots word for dear; auld lang syne literally means something like 'old long since', idiomatically 'the old times', close to English 'for old times' sake'. (00:00:51)
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — No one knows when Auld Lang Syne was written; versions of its first verse date back at least 400 years. (00:02:36)
- at least 400 years — age of versions of the first verse · for Auld Lang Syne · as of 2020-12-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — The current song is owed to the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who in December 1788 wrote its first known draft on the back of a letter to his friend Frances Dunlop. (00:03:03)
- December of 1788 — date of Burns's letter with the first known draft · for Auld Lang Syne · as of 2020-12-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — At least three of the verses were probably Burns's own, though he later said he took the song down from an old man. — hedged: “probably” (00:03:31)
- At least three — verses probably written by Burns · for Auld Lang Syne · as of 2020-12-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — Burns had a different tune in mind, which he called mediocre and which is still heard, as in the 2008 film Sex and the City; the familiar melody first appeared in 1799 in George Thomson's Select Songs of Scotland. (00:06:58)
- 1799 — first appearance of the familiar melody · for Auld Lang Syne · in Scotland · as of 2020-12-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — Burns died at only 37 of a heart condition, possibly worsened by his drinking. — hedged: “possibly” (00:07:36)
- 37 (years) — age at death · for Robert Burns · as of 2020-12-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — John quotes Burns's last letter, to Frances Dunlop: an illness that had long hung about him would in all probability speedily send him beyond that bourne whence no traveller returns. (00:07:36)
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — Within decades the song became part of Scotland's New Year's Eve, Hogmanay, rooted in winter solstice rituals; by 1818 Beethoven had arranged it and it was spreading through Europe and the English-speaking world. (00:08:02)
- 1818 — year by which Beethoven had arranged the song · for Auld Lang Syne · as of 2020-12-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — Today the tune plays in Japanese department stores before closing, was South Korea's anthem tune in 1945-1948, inspired a famous Dutch football chant, and fills film soundtracks from The Gold Rush (1925) to Minions (2015). (00:08:24)
- Between 1945 and 1948 — period the tune was used in the national anthem · for South Korea · as of 2020-12-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — Auld Lang Syne was popular in World War I, sung in the trenches by British, French, German and Austrian soldiers, and played a small role in the Christmas Truce. (00:15:10)
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — On Christmas Eve 1914, in what is now Belgium, around 100,000 British and German soldiers left their trenches and met in No Man's Land. (00:15:39)
- around 100,000 — British and German soldiers who met in No Man's Land · for Christmas Truce, Christmas Eve 1914 · in Western Front, present-day Belgium · as of 2020-12-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — Captain Sir Edward Hulse recalled a Christmas sing-along that ended with Auld Lang Syne, joined by English, Scots, Irish, Prussians and Württembergers; Hulse was killed less than four months later. (00:16:28)
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — At least 17 million people died as a direct result of the war, more than half the current population of Canada. (00:16:54)
- At least 17 million (people) — deaths as a direct result of the war · for World War I · as of 2020-12-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- more than half the current population of Canada — deaths compared with Canada's population · for World War I · in Canada · as of 2020-12-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-31 · Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed — Later in the war, embittered by losses and poison gas and unsure why they fought, British soldiers sang 'We're here because we're here' to the Auld Lang Syne tune. (00:17:05)

History & curiosities (29)

2020-02-21 · The Muck of Millennia — Hank says the River Thames was named by the Celts, or something close to that, and the name literally comes from a Sanskrit word. (00:00:00)
2020-02-21 · The Muck of Millennia — Hank says the word 'linguistics' is rooted in a word for tongue that stretches back even before Sanskrit. (00:00:00)
2020-02-21 · The Muck of Millennia — Hank says the Thames, there since the first people, through the Celts, Romans and Normans, was everyone's default garbage dump until about 50 years ago. (00:00:29)
- about 50 years ago — time since the Thames stopped being the default garbage dump · in London · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-02-21 · The Muck of Millennia — Hank says the Thames is a tidal river, close enough to the ocean that tides change its level, exposing the shore when it empties. (00:00:29)
2020-02-21 · The Muck of Millennia — Hank says the exposed mud holds the leavings of millennia: coins, pipes, bottles, pottery shards, musket balls, toothbrushes and human remains. (00:01:03)
2020-02-21 · The Muck of Millennia — Hank says 'mudlark' is the self-assigned name for people who walk muddy places in England to see what they can find. (00:01:03)
2020-02-21 · The Muck of Millennia — Nicola: The mudlark says a horse skull in her collection could well be Roman. — hedged: “could well be” (00:01:33)
2020-02-21 · The Muck of Millennia — Nicola: The mudlark says about 90% of her collection was washed up by the river. (00:01:33)
- 90% (percent) — share of the mudlark's collection washed up by the river · in River Thames · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-02-21 · The Muck of Millennia — Nicola: The mudlark shows a Roman pot, probably from 200, marvelling that it survived so long. — hedged: “probably” (00:02:03)
- 200 (year) — date of the mudlark's Roman pot · as of 2020-02-21 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-02-21 · The Muck of Millennia — Nicola: The mudlark shows an old Victorian baby bottle, a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and terrible for babies' milk. (00:02:03)
2020-05-19 · Didn't Make Sense Not to Live for Fun — John explains that in French 'je ne sais pas' (I don't know) both ne and pas are negative: multiple negatives affirm each other, which is called negative concord. (00:00:00)
2020-05-19 · Didn't Make Sense Not to Live for Fun — In a pinned correction John says he was partly wrong about Hebrew: its double negatives are complicated, and phrases like 'I'm not not tired' can mean the same as in English. (creator comment)
2020-05-19 · Didn't Make Sense Not to Live for Fun — John says many languages, from Hebrew to Portuguese, use negative concord, while in English and some other languages double negatives can mean positives. (00:00:00)
2020-05-19 · Didn't Make Sense Not to Live for Fun — John says 'I'm not not tired' likely means you are tired, perhaps very tired, since double negatives can create understatement, or it can mean a feeling adjacent to tired. (00:00:29)
2020-05-19 · Didn't Make Sense Not to Live for Fun — John says double negatives can be confusing: 'I don't disagree' generally means 'I agree', but 'I'm not going nowhere' doesn't mean going somewhere. (00:00:29)
2020-05-19 · Didn't Make Sense Not to Live for Fun — John says that in the handwritten first draft of All Star, the lyric 'only shooting stars break the mold' originally read 'wave bye-bye to your soul'. (00:03:24)
2020-12-11 · The /W/orst Letter — Hank says W is, depending on how you count, the youngest letter, reaching its final form after the printing press; printers named it after the two U's they used for the 'wah' sound. (00:02:29)
2020-12-11 · The /W/orst Letter — Hank says W looks like a double V because V's and U's were for a while kind of interchangeable. (00:02:29)
2020-12-15 · America's Capital of Dead Vice Presidents — John says Indiana limestone built many famous American buildings, including the Empire State Building, but none of them is in Indiana. (00:00:00)
2020-12-15 · America's Capital of Dead Vice Presidents — John says Crown Hill in Indianapolis, the state's largest cemetery, is the final resting place of more US vice presidents than any other location on Earth. (00:00:29)
2020-12-15 · America's Capital of Dead Vice Presidents — John shows the grave of Thomas Hendricks, vice president for about eight months in 1885. (00:00:29)
- about eight months — length of Thomas Hendricks's term as vice president · for US vice presidents · in United States · as of 1885 · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-15 · America's Capital of Dead Vice Presidents — John shows the mausoleum of Thomas Marshall, vice president from 1913 to 1921. (00:00:58)
- 1913 to 1921 (years) — Thomas Marshall's term as vice president · for US vice presidents · in United States · as of 2020-12-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-15 · America's Capital of Dead Vice Presidents — John says Marshall was known for self-deprecating humor, once writing that Indiana is the mother of vice presidents, home to more second-class men than any other state. (00:00:58)
2020-12-15 · America's Capital of Dead Vice Presidents — John shows the grave of Charles Fairbanks, VP from 1905 to 1909 under Teddy Roosevelt, mostly remembered for working against the policies of the president he served. (00:00:58)
- 1905 to 1909 (years) — Charles Fairbanks's term as vice president · for US vice presidents · in United States · as of 2020-12-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-15 · America's Capital of Dead Vice Presidents — John says no Indiana vice president went on to become president: 18% of US vice presidents who never became president are from Indiana, which has just 2% of the US population. (00:01:27)
- 18% (percent) — share of US vice presidents who never became president who are from Indiana · for US vice presidents who never became president · in United States · as of 2020-12-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 2% (percent) — Indiana's share of the US population · for US population · in Indiana · as of 2020-12-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-15 · America's Capital of Dead Vice Presidents — John says Crown Hill is a huge cemetery, with over 25 miles of paved roads and over 200,000 graves. (00:01:56)
- over 25 miles — length of paved roads · for Crown Hill Cemetery · in Indianapolis · as of 2020-12-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- over 200,000 (graves) — number of graves · for Crown Hill Cemetery · in Indianapolis · as of 2020-12-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-15 · America's Capital of Dead Vice Presidents — John says the first person buried at Crown Hill was Lucy Ann Seaton, who died of tuberculosis in 1864 at 33. (00:02:26)
- 1864 (year) — year of death of the first person buried at Crown Hill · for Lucy Ann Seaton · in Indianapolis · as of 2020-12-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 33 (years) — age at death · for Lucy Ann Seaton · in Indianapolis · as of 2020-12-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-15 · America's Capital of Dead Vice Presidents — John says Seaton's family was new to the area, and her husband placed a newspaper notice saying he was a stranger and inviting the public to the funeral. (00:02:26)
2020-12-15 · America's Capital of Dead Vice Presidents — John says that though almost no one knew Seaton, hundreds and hundreds came to help her family mourn, and people still regularly stop at her grave. (00:03:14)
- hundreds and hundreds (people) — attendance at Lucy Ann Seaton's funeral · for mourners · in Indianapolis · as of 2020-12-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked

Health (28)

2020-03-13 · The Anxious Scroll — The description says we know more testing is needed and that handwashing, social distancing and ending large events slow spread, protecting the vulnerable and the healthcare system, but much is unknown. (video description)
2020-03-17 · together. — John says communities have changed suddenly: children out of school, businesses closed, empty shelves, many job losses, and no gathering in stadiums, offices, classes or places of worship. (00:00:58)
2020-03-17 · together. — John notes that in some places staying together has meant dancing the Macarena on balconies or nationwide applause for healthcare workers. (00:02:26)
2020-03-20 · The Sudden Obliteration of Expectation — Hank explains ulcerative colitis: immune cells attack the colon lining, which ulcerates and reabsorbs water poorly, and it greatly raises the risk of colon cancer. (00:00:58)
2020-03-20 · The Sudden Obliteration of Expectation — Hank says ulcerative colitis expresses very differently in different people: drugs vary in effect, some need their colons removed quickly, others keep them for life. (00:02:02)
2020-03-20 · The Sudden Obliteration of Expectation — Susie Dent replied that she had been wondering about it for days and kept returning to 'wuthering', a rushing or raging you are powerless to stop, which Emily Brontë described as an atmospheric tumult. (00:03:51)
2020-03-24 · Mental Health Tips from People Who've Been There — John says that during the Ebola outbreak community health workers in Liberia became experts in contact tracing. (00:00:29)
2020-03-24 · Mental Health Tips from People Who've Been There — John says mental health providers in Sierra Leone have worked with people who had to self-isolate to prevent disease. (00:00:29)
2020-05-26 · you'll never know — John recalls that in the cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Skeletor says 'I could write a book about what you don't know'; he didn't invent the phrase but introduced it to John. (00:00:00)
2020-05-26 · you'll never know — John says the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic had 18,631 laboratory-confirmed deaths. (00:02:26)
- 18,631 (deaths) — laboratory-confirmed deaths · for 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic · as of 2009 · no source named · unchecked
2020-05-26 · you'll never know — John says later studies found at least 150,000 and perhaps as many as half a million people actually died from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. (00:02:55)
- 150,000 (deaths) — estimated deaths, lower bound · for 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic · as of 2009 · source: later studies · unchecked
- half a million (deaths) — estimated deaths, upper bound · for 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic · as of 2009 · source: later studies · unchecked
2020-11-10 · On Immunity, Inoculation, and Individuals — In the story as John always heard it, Edward Jenner noticed in the late 18th century that milkmaids with cowpox seemed immune to smallpox, then inoculated his gardener's eight-year-old son with cowpox. (00:00:58)
- late 18th century — date of Jenner's observation of cowpox immunity · as of late 18th century · source: the story as John always heard it · unchecked
- eight-year-old — age of the boy Jenner inoculated · as of 2020-11-10 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-10 · On Immunity, Inoculation, and Individuals — John says Jenner did not discover that milkmaids were immune to smallpox: lots of people knew it, including the milkmaids themselves. (00:01:27)
2020-11-10 · On Immunity, Inoculation, and Individuals — John says African communities had effective inoculation strategies too: Cotton Mather, often credited in America with inventing smallpox inoculation, learned it from an enslaved African named Onesimus. (00:01:56)
2020-11-10 · On Immunity, Inoculation, and Individuals — John says many smallpox inoculation strategies already existed: in China, for centuries, people inhaled dried smallpox scabs to induce a mild case and then immunity. (00:01:56)
2020-11-10 · On Immunity, Inoculation, and Individuals — John notes variolation differs importantly from true vaccination, but several people independent of Jenner were doing very similar smallpox vaccination work at the time. (00:02:26)
2020-11-10 · On Immunity, Inoculation, and Individuals — John says Jenner's work did not end smallpox: by the end of the 19th century vaccination was safe and effective, yet in the 20th century smallpox killed over 300 million people, mostly in places impoverished by colonialism. (00:02:55)
- over 300 million (people) — deaths from smallpox · for people worldwide · as of 20th century · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-20 · Would I Take a COVID Vaccine? — Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and others have had really promising results in their phase three COVID vaccine trials. (00:00:00)
2020-11-20 · Would I Take a COVID Vaccine? — It was possible the first vaccines wouldn't work, that no vaccine would, or that infection gave no lasting immunity, as with many other coronaviruses. (00:00:29)
2020-11-20 · Would I Take a COVID Vaccine? — It looks like we are getting lucky: infection confers some lasting immunity, and vaccines exposing the immune system to non-infectious bits of the virus do too. — hedged: “It looks like” (00:00:29)
2020-11-20 · Would I Take a COVID Vaccine? — It is unknown whether or how much the vaccine prevents spreading the disease; it probably does substantially, since vaccinated people test negative. — hedged: “probably” (00:01:01)
2020-11-20 · Would I Take a COVID Vaccine? — It is unknown how long the vaccines last, and that won't be known for a pretty long time. (00:01:01)
2020-11-24 · personal risk · societal risk — In the US a 75-year-old with COVID-19 has well over a 90% chance of surviving; at John's age, even with some pre-existing conditions, over 98%. (00:00:00)
- well over a 90% (percent) — chance of surviving COVID-19 · for 75-year-olds who contract COVID-19 · in United States · as of 2020-11-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- over 98% (percent) — chance of surviving COVID-19 · for people John's age, even with some pre-existing conditions · in United States · as of 2020-11-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-24 · personal risk · societal risk — COVID doesn't only kill: it can also cause severe illness and long-term health complications. (00:00:29)
2020-11-24 · personal risk · societal risk — In the Spanish flu pandemic middle-aged adults were most likely to die; in this pandemic older adults are. (00:00:58)
2020-11-24 · personal risk · societal risk — Even where bars and theaters are open, people avoid them while maskless indoor gatherings are known to spread the disease. (00:01:27)
2020-11-24 · personal risk · societal risk — Sweden took far fewer public health measures than Norway and has a COVID death rate over 10 times higher, yet its economy has suffered more. (00:01:56)
- over 10 times higher — COVID-19 death rate relative to Norway · in Sweden · as of 2020-11-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-24 · personal risk · societal risk — COVID killed over 10,000 Americans last week (week of 16 November 2020). (00:03:24)
- over 10,000 (deaths) — weekly COVID-19 deaths · for Americans · in United States · as of the week before 2020-11-24 · no source named · unchecked

Everyday life (22)

2020-01-21 · Gifts That Changed My Life — Something like three billion dollars in gift cards goes unspent every year in the United States, John says. — hedged: “Something like” (00:00:00)
- three billion dollars (USD) — value of gift cards left unspent per year · for gift cards · in United States · as of 2020-01-21 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-02-14 · Ending The Great Airplane Seat Debate — Hank says that over the last 20 or 30 years seat spacing shrank from about 36 inches to about 31 on average and as little as 28. (00:00:58)
- 36 inches — airline seat pitch, earlier · for airline seats · as of 2020-02-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- about 31 (inches) — average airline seat pitch · for airline seats · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
- 28 (inches) — minimum airline seat pitch · for airline seats · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-02-14 · Ending The Great Airplane Seat Debate — Hank says the shrinkage was achieved by making seats thinner and more uncomfortable and by reducing the space in front of passengers' faces. (00:00:58)
2020-02-14 · Ending The Great Airplane Seat Debate — Hank says this lets airlines fit more seats and sell more, cheaper tickets, because price comparison sites make airlines extremely price competitive. (00:01:38)
2020-02-14 · Ending The Great Airplane Seat Debate — Hank says the only good news is that denser seating makes planes more carbon efficient per passenger mile, good for the planet by accident. (00:01:38)
2020-04-24 · The Sharpest Tool in the Shed — Hank says the Ticonderoga uses a different chemistry, less damaging to plastics, that apparently holds less ink: it signed about a third of what the leaders did. (00:00:58)
- about a third (sheets) — sheets signed relative to the leading markers · for Ticonderoga ReadySharp Plus · as of 2020-04-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-04-24 · The Sharpest Tool in the Shed — Hank says the Pocket Shark signed only about 75 sheets of paper. (00:01:27)
- 75 (sheets) — sheets signed before the marker gave out · for Pocket Shark · as of 2020-04-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-04-24 · The Sharpest Tool in the Shed — Hank says two of the longest-lasting markers have very thin tips, because a thinner point lets less ink out per signature. (00:02:03)
2020-04-24 · The Sharpest Tool in the Shed — Hank explains that a Sharpie is sharp at the tip, so it starts with little ink per signature, dulls and lays down more, and as ink runs low fast strokes leave gaps. (00:02:03)
2020-04-24 · The Sharpest Tool in the Shed — Hank reveals a final stack, 50% higher than the traditional Sharpie's, signed by the metal Sharpie, whose less sharp tip still lasted longest. (00:03:01)
- 50% (percent) — sheets signed by the metal Sharpie relative to the traditional Sharpie · for metal Sharpie · as of 2020-04-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-07-31 · Your Brain Gets Smart, but Your Head Gets Dumb — Hank says US colleges have raised prices faster than inflation for over 40 years: four years after aid would cost about $40,000 had it tracked inflation, but now costs over $90,000. (00:00:00)
- over 40 years — period over which college prices have risen faster than inflation · for US colleges and universities · in United States · as of 2020-07-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- about $40,000 (USD) — average cost of four years of college after financial aid had prices tracked inflation · for US college students · in United States · as of 2020-07-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- over $90,000 (USD) — average cost of four years of college after financial aid · for US college students · in United States · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-07-31 · Your Brain Gets Smart, but Your Head Gets Dumb — Hank says a growing number of Americans think college is bad for the country: in 2016 the share of Republicans saying college has a negative effect rose from 37% to 58%. (00:00:42)
- 37% — share of Republicans who believe college has a negative effect on the country, before the 2016 shift · for US Republicans · in United States · as of 2016 · no source named · unchecked
- 58% — share of Republicans who believe college has a negative effect on the country, after the 2016 shift · for US Republicans · in United States · as of 2016 · no source named · unchecked
2020-07-31 · Your Brain Gets Smart, but Your Head Gets Dumb — Hank says the Trump administration is hurting universities: making it harder for international students to stay and having the Treasury investigate revoking nonprofit universities' tax-exempt status. (00:00:42)
2020-07-31 · Your Brain Gets Smart, but Your Head Gets Dumb — Hank says 23% of the money coming into US higher education comes from international students, often the only ones paying full price, so they subsidize Americans' education. (00:01:11)
- 23% — share of US higher-education revenue that comes from international students · for US higher education system · in United States · as of 2020-07-31 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-07-31 · Your Brain Gets Smart, but Your Head Gets Dumb — Hank says schools encourage students they know they will reject to apply, to keep acceptance rates low. (00:01:40)
2020-08-18 · what's wrong with taking the back streets? — In a comment John explains the number: at least 170,000 Americans had died of COVID-19 as of the day before. (creator comment)
- 170,000 — cumulative COVID-19 deaths · for Americans · in United States · as of 2020-08 · no source named · unchecked
2020-08-18 · what's wrong with taking the back streets? — In a comment John says the video ends on circle 589 because 589 people in the US died of COVID-19 the day before. (creator comment)
- 589 — COVID-19 deaths in one day · for people in the US · in United States · as of 2020-08 · no source named · unchecked
2020-08-18 · what's wrong with taking the back streets? — An Anthropocene Reviewed episode discusses the monumental circle drawings of Japanese artist Hiroyuki Doi, who began drawing after his brother's death because circles relieved his grief. (00:00:29)
2020-08-18 · what's wrong with taking the back streets? — Studies have found most people are more focused and retain more information when doodling than when not. (00:00:58)
2020-08-18 · what's wrong with taking the back streets? — A million seconds is around 11 days, a billion seconds just under 32 years, and a trillion seconds 31,710 years. (00:02:55)
- around 11 days — duration of a million seconds · for time conversion · as of 2020-08-18 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- just under 32 years — duration of a billion seconds · for time conversion · as of 2020-08-18 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 31,710 years — duration of a trillion seconds · for time conversion · as of 2020-08-18 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-08-18 · what's wrong with taking the back streets? — Ten billion seconds ago, Louis XIV was king of France. (00:02:55)
- 10 billion seconds — time before present when Louis XIV was king of France · for Louis XIV's reign · in France · as of 2020-08-18 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-08-18 · what's wrong with taking the back streets? — Ten trillion seconds ago nobody was king of France because our species probably didn't exist yet. — hedged: “probably” (00:03:24)

Global development (19)

2020-01-28 · Looking Away (Again) — John says when Partners In Health began supporting the hospital in 2014 it lacked consistent electricity and running water, an emergency department, a blood bank and working x-rays; the maternity ward had a dirt floor. (00:00:00)
- 2014 (year) — year Partners In Health began supporting the hospital · for Koidu Government Hospital · in Kono District · as of 2020-01-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-28 · Looking Away (Again) — John says five years later the hospital was vastly different: clean maternity wards, a working emergency department, a lab, plentiful medication and many well-trained health workers, with more safe deliveries and fewer stillbirths. (00:00:29)
- Five years later — time from start of PIH support to John's visit · for Koidu Government Hospital · in Kono District · as of 2020-01-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-28 · Looking Away (Again) — John says the decision-to-incision time for emergency C-sections at the hospital, often over three hours a couple of years ago, now averages one hour eight minutes. (00:00:58)
- over three hours — decision-to-incision time for emergency C-sections · for Koidu Government Hospital · in Kono District · as of a · no source named · unchecked
- one hour, eight minutes — average decision-to-incision time for emergency C-sections · for Koidu Government Hospital · in Kono District · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-28 · Looking Away (Again) — John says the hospital is still woefully inadequate: only 48 maternal beds for a population of 500,000, no NICU, incubators or ventilators. (00:01:27)
- 48 (beds) — maternal beds · for Koidu Government Hospital · in Kono District · as of 2020-01-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 500,000 (people) — population served by the hospital · for Kono District · in Sierra Leone · as of 2020-01-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-28 · Looking Away (Again) — John says the PIH-supported Wellbody Clinic saw zero maternal deaths in 2019, the third year in a row. (00:03:48)
- zero (deaths) — maternal deaths · for Wellbody Clinic · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-28 · Looking Away (Again) — John says one in 17 women in Sierra Leone will die in pregnancy or childbirth. (00:03:48)
- one in 17 (women) — lifetime risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth · for women · in Sierra Leone · as of 2020-01-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-28 · Looking Away (Again) — John says PIH now employs over 450 people, 96% Sierra Leonean; local nutritional supplements are reducing malnutrition; the hospital's maternal team is hiring nine nurses and four midwives. (00:04:17)
- over 450 (people) — PIH Sierra Leone staff · for PIH Sierra Leone · in Sierra Leone · as of 2020-01-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 96% (percent) — share of PIH staff who are Sierra Leonean · for PIH Sierra Leone · in Sierra Leone · as of 2020-01-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- nine (nurses) — new nurses being hired · for maternal and neonatal care team · in Koidu Government Hospital · as of 2020-01-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- four (midwives) — new midwives being hired · for maternal and neonatal care team · in Koidu Government Hospital · as of 2020-01-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-28 · Looking Away (Again) — Citing PIH's Jon Lascher, John says the hospital is the only place within many hours' travel where women can get an emergency C-section, straining an inadequate maternity ward. (00:04:17)
2020-11-17 · Our Biggest Project Yet: A One Year Update — One out of every 20 women in Sierra Leone can expect to die in pregnancy or childbirth. (00:00:58)
- One out of every 20 — lifetime risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth · for women · in Sierra Leone · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-17 · Our Biggest Project Yet: A One Year Update — As Sierra Leone's health system has strengthened in recent years, child and maternal mortality have dropped sharply, showing these deaths are not inevitable. (00:01:27)
2020-11-17 · Our Biggest Project Yet: A One Year Update — At the large, successful Wellbody clinic PIH runs, there has not been a single maternal death in years. (00:01:56)
- hasn't been a single — maternal deaths in years · in Wellbody Clinic · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-17 · Our Biggest Project Yet: A One Year Update — The MCOE will almost triple the region's maternal hospital beds, expects over 4,000 deliveries a year and a five-fold rise in family planning visits, and will greatly increase necessary C-sections. (00:03:45)
- almost triple — maternal hospital beds (planned change) · in Kono District · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- over 4,000 (deliveries) — expected deliveries per year at the MCOE · in Kono District · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- five-fold — increase in family planning visits (planned) · in Kono District · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-17 · Our Biggest Project Yet: A One Year Update — The project's five-year cost is $25 million, but $20 million must be raised before breaking ground, so the building is not left half built, unstaffed or unsupplied, a big problem in poor countries. (00:04:14)
- $25 million (USD) — overall five-year project cost · in Kono District · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- $20 million (USD) — funds needed before breaking ground · in Kono District · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-17 · Our Biggest Project Yet: A One Year Update — Thanks to thousands of monthly donors at pih.org/hankandjohn, matched by donors within Nerdfighteria, current rates will raise over $15 million over five years. (00:04:43)
- over $15 million (USD) — projected five-year total from matched monthly donations · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-17 · Our Biggest Project Yet: A One Year Update — Another $3.5 million has come from large donors to PIH. (00:05:13)
- 3.5 million dollars (USD) — large-donor gifts to the project · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-17 · Our Biggest Project Yet: A One Year Update — Altogether over $18.5 million has been raised, which John calls the most amazing thing Nerdfighteria has done in 13 years. (00:05:13)
- over 18.5 million dollars (USD) — total raised for the project · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-17 · Our Biggest Project Yet: A One Year Update — They have raised 93% of what is needed to break ground; $1.5 million remains to be raised. (00:05:42)
- 93% (percent) — share of groundbreaking funds raised · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- a million and a half dollars (USD) — funds still needed to break ground · as of 2020-11-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-17 · Our Biggest Project Yet: A One Year Update — John expected pandemic stresses to reduce donations, but they have risen every month, which he finds encouraging. (00:05:42)
2020-11-17 · Our Biggest Project Yet: A One Year Update — Not long ago the Sierra Leone figure was 1 in 17 women, so maternal death is declining and progress is real, just not fast enough. (00:07:09)
- 1 in 17 — lifetime risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth · for women · in Sierra Leone · as of not long ago · no source named · unchecked

US politics & society (17)

2020-04-10 · Things I'm Finding Encouraging — The description says those at fault for not taking this seriously or exploiting it are a tiny percentage; billions listening to experts are saving millions of lives. (video description)
- billions (people) — people listening to experts · for world · as of 2020-04 · no source named · unchecked
- literally millions (lives) — lives saved by people listening to experts · for world · as of 2020-04 · no source named · unchecked
2020-04-10 · Things I'm Finding Encouraging — Hank says experts and their policies are right now saving thousands of lives a day. (00:03:03)
- thousands (lives) — lives saved per day by experts' pandemic policies · for world · as of 2020-04 · no source named · unchecked
2020-04-10 · Things I'm Finding Encouraging — The first episode interviews a man who this week (week of 6 April 2020) got his first injection of an experimental COVID-19 vaccine, one of 45 people in that trial, and surprisingly chill about it. (00:03:40)
- 45 (people) — participants in the experimental COVID-19 vaccine trial · for world · as of 2020-04 · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-02 · --- — In a comment John backs his claim with sources: school systems with mostly Black students receive $23 billion less funding than those with mostly white students. (creator comment)
- $23 billion (USD) — funding gap between mostly Black and mostly white school systems · for school systems · in United States · as of 2020-06-02 (implied: upload date) · source: psmag.com · unchecked
2020-06-02 · --- — John says the root cause of the US crisis is the ongoing violence and discrimination Black Americans have experienced for over 400 years. (00:00:29)
- over 400 years — duration of violence and discrimination against Black Americans · for Black Americans · in United States · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-02 · --- — John says schools with mostly Black students receive far less funding than schools with mostly white students. (00:00:29)
2020-06-02 · --- — John says Black mothers in the US are far more likely to die in childbirth than white mothers, regardless of economic or educational background. (00:00:58)
2020-06-02 · --- — John says many white Americans have never heard of the Red Summer of 1919, when state-sanctioned violence against Black people occurred alongside a global pandemic. (00:01:27)
- 1919 — year of the Red Summer · for Black people · in United States · as of 1919 · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-05 · So Much to Do — Hank says the Census asks about race and the majority of the audience is white. (00:13:32)
2020-06-05 · So Much to Do — Hank cites a fairly famous study: people given 50 dollars would prefer to spend it on themselves but end up happier spending it on someone else. (00:18:42)
- 50 bucks (USD) — amount given to participants · for study participants · as of 2020-06-05 (implied: upload date) · source: a fairly famous study · unchecked
2020-09-11 · If you don't go… — Hank says every How to Vote in Every State video is under three minutes and gives everything needed to create a voting plan. (00:01:27)
- less than three minutes — length of each How to Vote in Every State video · for How to Vote in Every State videos · in United States · as of 2020-09-11 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-09-11 · If you don't go… — Hank says US elections are administered state by state, so every state has different rules. (00:01:27)
2020-09-11 · If you don't go… — Hank says your registered address determines every election you vote in: registered in St. Petersburg, he would not vote for the mayor of Orlando. (00:02:26)
2020-09-11 · If you don't go… — Hank says mail-in and absentee voting vary by state (open to all in some, with requirements elsewhere), as do early voting times and how sample ballots are given out. (00:02:26)
2020-10-23 · 10 Reasons to Vote RIGHT NOW — Reason one: voting tends to be quick and easy; long lines are a problem in places, but 94% of Americans are in and out in under 30 minutes, which should be 100%. (00:00:29)
- 94% (percent) — share of voters in and out of voting in less than 30 minutes · for Americans · in United States · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-23 · 10 Reasons to Vote RIGHT NOW — Hank says Montana, where he lives, has a Democratic governor and a Democratic senator. (00:01:27)
2020-10-27 · The time I met Joe Biden — John says that for the first time in over 120 years the Republican Party released no new platform this election cycle, no plan on issues from taxation to COVID. (00:02:26)
- over 120 years — time since the Republican Party last released no new platform for an election cycle · for Republican Party · in United States · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked

Internet & YouTube (16)

2020-02-25 · A weird YouTube thing? — John says that for over a year almost every Vlogbrothers video has drawn one like for every 10 views in its first 24 hours, which must be coincidental but is very strange. (00:00:00)
- one like for every 10 views — likes per view in the first 24 hours · for Vlogbrothers videos · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-02-25 · A weird YouTube thing? — John gives examples (75,700 views and 7,600 likes; 99,000 views and 9,900 likes) and says it holds for Hank's and John's videos and for high- and low-view videos alike. (00:00:29)
- 99,000 (views) — views of one Vlogbrothers video in its first 24 hours · for Vlogbrothers videos · as of 2020-02-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 9,900 (likes) — likes of the same video in its first 24 hours · for Vlogbrothers videos · as of 2020-02-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-02-25 · A weird YouTube thing? — John says that when the ratio seems not to hold, as with a video showing 30,000 views and 3.3 thousand likes, analytics reveal exactly 33,000 views: the watch-page count just hasn't updated. (00:00:29)
- 30,000 (views) — view count shown on the watch page · for one Vlogbrothers video · as of 2020-02-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 3.3 thousand (likes) — likes · for one Vlogbrothers video · as of 2020-02-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 33,000 (views) — view count in analytics · for one Vlogbrothers video · as of 2020-02-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-02-25 · A weird YouTube thing? — John says that after the first 24 hours fewer viewers click like, so likes decouple from views, but for that first day the ratio has held for over a hundred videos. (00:00:58)
- over a hundred (videos) — number of videos for which the first-24-hour ratio has held · for Vlogbrothers videos · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-02-25 · A weird YouTube thing? — John says the five-star asks really did make new nerdfighters, because the algorithm then valued a video's average rating, so people found videos they otherwise wouldn't have. (00:01:27)
2020-05-29 · Get Paid — Hank says Jeffrey Katzenberg and company spent over a billion dollars on content for Quibi, a new platform of quick video bites under 10 minutes long. (00:01:15)
- over a billion dollars (USD) — spending on content · for Quibi · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
- less than 10 minutes — length of a video · for Quibi · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-07-17 · So Much to See — American television needed 22-minute pieces of content to fit eight minutes of ads every half hour, and the sitcom defined itself around that constraint. (00:01:11)
- 22 minute — length of programme content per half hour · for half-hour television shows · in United States · as of 2020-07-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- eight minutes — advertising time per half hour · for half-hour television shows · in United States · as of 2020-07-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-07-17 · So Much to See — Hank says the story of quarantine has been TikTok taking off (he shouts "KOWW!") while Quibi, billions of dollars trying to work with the most talented creators, went "blehh". (00:02:28)
- billions of dollars (USD) — money behind Quibi · for Quibi · in United States · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-07-17 · So Much to See — When Machiavelli, Da Vinci and Michelangelo were all working, Renaissance Florence had about as many people as Missoula, Montana. (00:02:57)
- about the same number of people as Missoula — population · for residents · in Florence · as of Renaissance · no source named · unchecked
2020-08-25 · Somebody once told me… — John says he keeps being tagged in a viral TikTok about a time traveler named Noah from 2030 with over 2 million likes, an obvious example of misinformation he will analyze. (00:00:29)
- over 2 million (likes) — likes on the viral TikTok about time traveler Noah · as of 2020-08-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-08-25 · Somebody once told me… — John rebuts the TikTok's proof that Noah passed a lie detector test: polygraph tests are not that reliable, and no evidence shows Noah took one or even exists. (00:00:58)
2020-08-25 · Somebody once told me… — John says you need not be from the future to predict microchips in humans: M. T. Anderson's novel Feed did it almost 20 years ago, and he praises its first sentence. (00:02:26)
- almost 20 years — time since Feed predicted microchip implants in humans · as of 2020-08-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-08-25 · Somebody once told me… — John says the TikTok has 12 million views and comes from a verified user. (00:02:55)
- 12 million (views) — views of the viral TikTok about time traveler Noah · as of 2020-08-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-08-28 · Break the Mold — Hank says about a month earlier Twitter had a hack that exposed all of its users' direct messages to hackers, which he calls about as bad as it gets. (00:00:58)
- all of the direct messages of all of its users — users whose direct messages were exposed in the Twitter hack · for Twitter users · as of 2020-07 · no source named · doubtful
2020-08-28 · Break the Mold — Hank says TikTok is in turmoil: its CEO just quit, and Microsoft and Walmart are teaming up to buy its US operations because otherwise the president might ban it. (00:01:06)
2020-10-09 · The Rax Guy — Only about five Rax restaurants are left in America, but many of the buildings remain, and John can tell when a restaurant used to be a Rax. — hedged: “like” (00:00:52)
- 5 (restaurants) — number of Rax restaurants still operating · for Rax restaurants · in America · as of 2020-10-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked

Nerdfighteria (13)

2020-01-03 · Re-Thinking our YouTube Channel — Hank says Crash Course now has over ten million subscribers. (00:02:54)
- over 10 million (subscribers) — YouTube subscribers · for Crash Course channel · as of 2020-01 · no source named · unchecked
2020-03-10 · A Strong but Fleeting Flavor: A Reunion Video — both: The brothers establish that Juicy Fruit is the yellow gum and, with Google and Wikipedia, that the striped gum with a zebra mascot is Fruit Stripe. (00:01:42)
2020-03-10 · A Strong but Fleeting Flavor: A Reunion Video — both: Asked by the brothers, Google says Charlotte Brontë, the most famous and longest-lived of the sisters, died on 31 March 1855. (00:02:55)
- thirty first of march eighteen fifty five (date) — date of death · for Charlotte Brontë · as of 2020-03-10 (implied: upload date) · source: Google · unchecked
2020-07-21 · Somebody Once Asked . . . — The pandemic challenges health systems everywhere: Koidu Government Hospital's emergency department closed for a time after health workers caught the virus and others had to self-isolate, leaving no replacements. (00:01:28)
2020-07-21 · Somebody Once Asked . . . — The emergency department is running again; PIH has been deeply involved in contact tracing and screening across Sierra Leone, and cases are down 18% from their peak. (00:01:56)
- 18% — decline in COVID-19 cases from their peak · for COVID-19 cases · in Sierra Leone · as of 2020-07 · no source named · unchecked
2020-07-21 · Somebody Once Asked . . . — PIH Sierra Leone's contact-tracing expertise has been vital worldwide; Partners In Health is heading up Massachusetts's contact tracing program. (00:01:56)
2020-07-21 · Somebody Once Asked . . . — John has heard that health workers in PPE and the smell of chlorine can trigger people with PTSD after surviving the Ebola crisis. — hedged: “I've heard that” (00:02:26)
2020-09-25 · i said yep — Hank says the world is so crappy right now, and his brain is designed to weight the bad stuff more heavily than the good stuff. (00:02:10)
2020-10-02 · I ain't she was with well and I so and it's and but so and I'll and — Hank says that although they gave up titling their videos, the channel's audience has not fallen at all over the last five months. (00:02:44)
- Not at all — drop in audience over five months of All Star titles · for Vlogbrothers channel · as of 2020-10 · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-07 · The Golden Age of Vlogbrothers — John says that at the time their videos got around 300 views, and about 200 people sent in pictures or videos of themselves with stuff on their heads. (00:00:00)
- around 300 (views) — views per Vlogbrothers video · for Vlogbrothers viewers · as of 2007-03 · no source named · unchecked
- about 200 (people) — people who sent stuff-on-heads pictures or videos · for Vlogbrothers viewers · as of 2007-03 · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-07 · The Golden Age of Vlogbrothers — John says that for several years almost every Vlogbrothers video ended up on the trending page, introducing many new people to the channel and their other work. (00:00:58)
2020-10-07 · The Golden Age of Vlogbrothers — John says they raised more money for charity in the last 12 months than in any year of Nerdfighteria's history, by over a million dollars. (00:02:55)
- over a million dollars (USD) — margin of last-12-month charity fundraising over any earlier year · for Nerdfighteria · as of 2020-10 · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-07 · The Golden Age of Vlogbrothers — John asks when the golden age was: March 2007, when over half their viewers joined the first community project, or May 2014, when the channel was perilously close to US pop culture. (00:02:55)
- over half — share of viewers who took part in the first community project · for Vlogbrothers viewers · as of 2007-03 · no source named · unchecked

Books & writing (12)

2020-02-18 · wintry mix — John explains the pathetic fallacy: ascribing human emotions to the non-human, often to reflect characters' inner lives, as in Keats's weeping cloud or Shakespeare's threatening clouds in Julius Caesar. (00:00:00)
2020-02-18 · wintry mix — John says in Emily Dickinson's poetry clouds are sometimes curious and other times mean. (00:00:44)
2020-02-18 · wintry mix — John explains wintry mix, common in the American middle: precipitation shifting between sleet, snow and rain, sometimes with snow pellets called graupel. (00:00:44)
2020-02-18 · wintry mix — John tells of Wilson Bentley, amateur photographer who took the first close-up photograph of a snowflake in 1885 and photographed over 5,000, calling them ice flowers and tiny miracles of beauty. (00:01:43)
- 1885 (year) — year of the first close-up photograph of a snowflake · as of 2020-02-18 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- more than 5,000 (snowflakes) — snowflakes photographed by Wilson Bentley · as of 2020-02-18 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-02-18 · wintry mix — John says the words 'pathetic fallacy' sound derogatory and were originally intended that way. (00:02:54)
2020-02-28 · I'M FINE EVERYTHING IS FINE — Hank explains that a pre-order is recorded on a computer, and the sheets he is signing go to a binder, are bound into finished books, and the reserved copy is sent to the buyer. (00:02:10)
2020-02-28 · I'M FINE EVERYTHING IS FINE — Hank says a pre-order buyer's debit card is only charged when the book is sent out. (00:02:40)
2020-04-14 · books that help — John says David Starr Jordan was Stanford University's first president. (00:01:18)
2020-07-03 · My World's on Fire — In a comment Hank says the bulbs are robust CFLs: small ones have less durable components, but big CFLs can last a really long time. (creator comment)
2020-07-10 · What a Concept!! — Hank first credits the 'shoulders of giants' saying to Newton, then checks: it is older than Newton, whose own version was 'If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.' (00:02:10)
2020-08-11 · never get bored — The description and John's comment correct the show's name: Latif Nasser's Netflix show is called Connected, not Connections. (video description)
2020-11-03 · Alaska for Looking — John says AFC Wimbledon, 31 years after their stadium was taken away, play their first game back home today at the new Plough Lane, a stadium built and owned by the fans. (00:00:00)
- 31 years — time since the club had their stadium taken away · for AFC Wimbledon supporters · in Wimbledon · as of 2020-11-03 · no source named · unchecked

Pop culture (12)

2020-09-15 · All That Glitters Is Gold — John notes the lyric 'all that glitters is gold' appears in Led Zeppelin's 1971 Stairway to Heaven and reappears years later in Smash Mouth's All Star. (00:00:00)
- 1971 (year) — release year of Stairway to Heaven · as of 2020-09-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-09-15 · All That Glitters Is Gold — John says the observation is old: in The Merchant of Venice Shakespeare writes 'All that glisters is not gold' and adds 'Often you have heard that told', so it was already a cliché. (00:00:00)
2020-09-15 · All That Glitters Is Gold — John says Chaucer wrote a version two centuries before Shakespeare, and Aesop made a similar observation 2,600 years ago. (00:00:29)
- Two centuries — time between Chaucer's version and Shakespeare's · as of 2020-09-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- 2600 years — time since Aesop's similar observation · as of 2020-09-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-06 · Something Important I've Never Talked About — Hank calls Operation Ivy hugely influential, overlooked and ahead of its time: about half the songs on Energy are about being a good person or a good member of the Gilman Street punk scene. (00:02:09)
- 50% — share of songs about being a good person or scene member · for Operation Ivy's album Energy · as of 2020-10-06 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-01 · The Utah Monolith, What It Means, Why It Matters, and Whether It's Aliens — John reports that two weeks ago Utah Department of Natural Resources biologists surveying bighorn sheep by helicopter spotted a three-sided, ten-foot sculpture in remote desert, there for years but never reported. (00:00:05)
- ten-foot-high (feet) — height of the Utah monolith · for Utah monolith · in Utah · as of 2020-12-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-01 · The Utah Monolith, What It Means, Why It Matters, and Whether It's Aliens — John reports that despite attempts at secrecy people found the site and made pilgrimages, leaving detritus from tire tracks to toilet paper, and the sculpture disappeared. (00:00:47)
2020-12-01 · The Utah Monolith, What It Means, Why It Matters, and Whether It's Aliens — John quotes Utah officials saying on Saturday that the metal structure had been removed and that they had not taken it down; he notes that clause does a lot of work. (00:01:02)
2020-12-01 · The Utah Monolith, What It Means, Why It Matters, and Whether It's Aliens — John says American deserts hold many artworks responding to stark landscapes: Spiral Jetty on the Great Salt Lake, the fake Prada store near Marfa, Texas, and Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels near Wendover, Utah. (00:01:16)
2020-12-01 · The Utah Monolith, What It Means, Why It Matters, and Whether It's Aliens — John reports that early speculation pointed to John McCracken, who made very similar sculptures, and whose famous New York gallerist said it was definitely his work. (00:02:20)
2020-12-01 · The Utah Monolith, What It Means, Why It Matters, and Whether It's Aliens — John says satellite photographs show the obelisk was installed sometime in 2016, a problem for the McCracken theory. (00:02:32)
- 2016 — installation date of the Utah monolith · for Utah monolith · in Utah · as of 2020-12-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-01 · The Utah Monolith, What It Means, Why It Matters, and Whether It's Aliens — John says McCracken died in 2011. (00:02:38)
- 2011 — year of John McCracken's death · for John McCracken · as of 2020-12-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-01 · The Utah Monolith, What It Means, Why It Matters, and Whether It's Aliens — John says whoever installed the work cleared brush and cut into the stone with a concrete saw for a foundation, so it was profoundly intentional. (00:02:40)

Sports (12)

2020-04-28 · get your game on — John says every month a classic Tetris tournament pits the world's best players of a 36-year-old video game against each other. (00:01:27)
- 36-year-old — age of Tetris · for Tetris · as of 2020-04-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-30 · i like it — The description says the 2020 title is Liverpool Football Club's first league title in thirty years. (video description)
- thirty years — time since Liverpool's previous league title · for Liverpool FC · in England · as of 2020 · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-30 · i like it — Like other cognitive distortions, negative filtering doesn't feel like one: only the negative seems true, the positive inaccurate or irrelevant. (00:00:19)
2020-06-30 · i like it — That year Liverpool won their 18th English league title, and they did not win another until four days ago. (00:02:31)
- 18th (titles) — number of English league titles won · for Liverpool FC · in England · as of 1990 · no source named · unchecked
2020-06-30 · i like it — By then Liverpool were down on their luck, at one point close to bankruptcy. (00:02:44)
2020-09-08 · That's the way. — John introduces The Third Thing, an essay the poet Donald Hall wrote after the death of his wife, the poet Jane Kenyon. (00:00:29)
2020-09-08 · That's the way. — John says that beginning in the 1990s Wimbledon fans suffered heartbreaks unrelated to the game itself, first losing their stadium, Plough Lane. (00:01:36)
- 1990s — start of Wimbledon fans' heartbreaks · for Wimbledon fans · in Wimbledon · as of 1990s · no source named · unchecked
2020-09-08 · That's the way. — John says fans were then told their club, founded in 1889, basically no longer existed: its wealthy owners moved the team to Milton Keynes, leaving fans without their third thing. (00:01:56)
- 1889 (year) — founding year of Wimbledon's football club · for Wimbledon FC · in Wimbledon · as of 2020-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-09-08 · That's the way. — John says the fans refused to accept this and reformed their club in the ninth tier of English football, owned not by a rich person but by the fans themselves. (00:02:05)
- ninth tier — league tier at which reformed club started · for AFC Wimbledon · in England · as of 2020-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-09-08 · That's the way. — John says each fan pays about $30 a year for an ownership stake (less if unemployed, retired or a student); paying more brings perks like a logo on the shorts, but everyone gets one vote. (00:02:26)
- about $30 a year (USD) — annual fan ownership stake fee · for AFC Wimbledon fan-owners · in Wimbledon · as of 2020-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- the same single vote — votes per fan-owner in board elections · for AFC Wimbledon fan-owners · in Wimbledon · as of 2020-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-09-08 · That's the way. — John says with that model AFC Wimbledon rose from the bottom rungs of amateur football to a full-time professional team now in the same division as the Milton Keynes franchise. (00:02:46)
2020-09-08 · That's the way. — John says this year (2020) AFC Wimbledon is at last coming home to a new stadium across the street from the old Plough Lane; after decades of singing a chant about the way to Plough Lane, fans are going home together. (00:02:55)

Personal life (8)

2020-01-07 · Endings · Beginnings — John says Partners In Health needs $20 million to break ground on the Maternal Center of Excellence, which will dramatically improve healthcare for women and children in Sierra Leone. (00:00:48)
- 20 million dollars (USD) — funding needed to break ground · for Maternal Center of Excellence · in Sierra Leone · as of 2020-01 · no source named · unchecked
2020-01-07 · Endings · Beginnings — John says they still need to raise a few million dollars, which he realizes is a lot of money. (00:01:13)
- a few million dollars (USD) — funding still to raise · for Maternal Center of Excellence · in Sierra Leone · as of 2020-01 · no source named · unchecked
2020-04-21 · hey now — John explains that sing-a-ma-jigs sing when squeezed, either a series of notes or, in another mode, an actual song such as When the Saints Go Marching In. (00:00:26)
2020-04-21 · hey now — John says Fisher-Price made a huge variety of sing-a-ma-jigs, songs from Skip to My Lou to Jingle Bells and the US national anthem, for a toy never particularly popular. (00:00:26)
2020-04-21 · hey now — John says almost a decade ago Fisher-Price released a set of three sing-a-ma-jigs called The Hits, sold only at Tesco in the UK for a very limited time. (00:01:06)
- three (toys) — number of sing-a-ma-jigs in The Hits set · for The Hits · in United Kingdom · as of 2020-04-21 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- almost a decade ago (years) — time since The Hits set was released · for The Hits · in United Kingdom · as of 2020-04-21 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-04-21 · hey now — John says one of The Hits played Smash Mouth's All Star, the song that has obsessed Hank for decades. (00:01:27)
2020-05-05 · YOU'RE AN ALL STAR! — John says the All Star sing-a-ma-jig had been for sale in Japan at Costco about 11 years ago. (00:00:50)
- like 11 years ago — time since the All Star sing-a-ma-jig was sold at Costco in Japan · for Costco · in Japan · as of 2020-05-05 (implied: date said in the video) · no source named · unchecked
2020-12-29 · Looking Back at My 2020 Goals — John's biggest 2020 goal was to finish raising the $20 million Partners In Health needs to break ground on the Maternal Center of Excellence, which will greatly improve care for women and children in Sierra Leone. (00:02:35)
- $20 million (USD) — funding needed to break ground · for Maternal Center of Excellence · in Sierra Leone · as of 2020-01 · no source named · unchecked

Economics (3)

2020-10-08 · The Commercial that Killed a Fast Food Chain — As Rax kept losing focus and market share, trying an all-you-can-eat pasta bar, upgraded interiors and pizza, it went all in on Mr. Delicious, which Hank calls the worst idea ever. (00:00:58)
2020-10-08 · The Commercial that Killed a Fast Food Chain — Rax's ad agency and management made a 15-minute mini documentary about Mr. Delicious's success; Hank doubts its claim that he speaks to problems we all face. (00:02:44)
- 15 (minutes) — length of the Mr. Delicious mini documentary · for Rax · as of 2020-10-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-10-08 · The Commercial that Killed a Fast Food Chain — Rax filed for bankruptcy less than a year after launching Mr. Delicious, making the claim that he would be a classic advertising character seem off the mark. (00:03:13)
- less than a year — time from the launch of Mr. Delicious to Rax's bankruptcy filing · for Rax · as of 2020-10-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked

Projects (2)

2020-11-27 · Finally Launching this Project!!! — Hank says the idea isn't new: in the 80s Paul Newman, wanting to make salad dressing but not money, created Newman's Own with friends. (00:01:00)
- 80s — founding date of Newman's Own · for Newman's Own · as of 2020-11-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
2020-11-27 · Finally Launching this Project!!! — Hank says Newman's Own gives all its profit to charity, has existed for about 40 years and has given away half a billion dollars. (00:01:19)
- 40 (years) — age of Newman's Own · for Newman's Own · as of 2020-11-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
- half a billion dollars (USD) — total given to charity by Newman's Own · for Newman's Own · as of 2020-11-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked