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Facts taught in 2026

534 sincere fact claims from 2026; 290 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: Global development (162) · Health (97) · Internet & YouTube (63) · Science & nature (59) · History & curiosities (35) · US politics & society (27) · Sports (23) · Books & writing (22) · Philosophy & meaning (19) · Personal life (12) · Projects (5) · Economics (4) · Pop culture (3) · Everyday life (2) · Nerdfighteria (1)

Global development (162)

  • 2026-01-09 · There is Only One Source of Value — Hank says Fritz Haber arguably saved the most lives in human history, though he was in fact intending to research how to blow people up better. — hedged: “arguably” (00:00:00)
  • 2026-01-09 · There is Only One Source of Value — Hank reports that some people argue giving and philanthropy should optimize not only for people today but also for people who do not exist yet, many generations from now. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-02-06 · One week until P4A! — John says last year's (2025) Project for Awesome raised over $3.7 million for charity. (00:00:18)
    • over $3.7 million (USD) — money raised by the Project for Awesome · for Project for Awesome 2025 · as of 2025 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — John says the 2026 Project for Awesome has raised $1.56 million in total, after $560,000 of Tiltify donations. (00:09:03)
    • $560,000 (USD) — Tiltify donations to the Project for Awesome 2026 · as of 2026-02-13 · no source named · unchecked
    • $1.56 million (USD) — total raised by the Project for Awesome 2026 · as of 2026-02-13 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Hank says the P4A Tiltify, where people donate for perks, has raised $589,000, and matching donors make each donation worth about double. (01:16:02)
    • $589,000 (USD) — Tiltify donations to the Project for Awesome 2026 · as of 2026-02-13 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Hank says the 2026 Project for Awesome has raised $1.6 million in total. (01:16:29)
    • 1.6 million (USD) — total raised by the Project for Awesome 2026 · as of 2026-02-13 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Hank says the Project for Awesome Tiltify stands at $661,000 and doubts it can gain $100,000 in his last shift. — hedged: “Probably not.” (04:17:01)
    • $661,000 (USD) — Tiltify donations to the Project for Awesome 2026 · as of 2026-02-13 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Hank says the Project for Awesome Tiltify has raised $671,000 and is unsure it will reach $700,000. — hedged: “Maybe, maybe not.” (04:39:03)
    • $671,000 (USD) — Tiltify donations to the Project for Awesome 2026 · as of 2026-02-13 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Hank says about 2,000 people are still watching late at night and he had hoped the P4A Tiltify would reach $700,000 before he goes to bed, $20,000 in half an hour. (05:26:30)
    • 2,000 — people watching the Project for Awesome 2026 livestream late at night · as of 2026-02-13 · no source named · unchecked
    • $20,000 (USD) — amount still needed for the Project for Awesome 2026 Tiltify to reach $700,000 · as of 2026-02-13 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Hank announces that the Project for Awesome Tiltify has reached $690,000 within the ten minutes. (05:35:44)
    • $690,000 (USD) — Tiltify donations to the Project for Awesome 2026 · as of 2026-02-13 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Hank reports that the 2026 Project for Awesome has raised $1.9 million. (05:49:12)
    • $1.9 million (USD) — total raised by the Project for Awesome 2026 · as of 2026-02-13 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! — Near the end of his shift, Hank says the Project for Awesome Tiltify stands at $696,000, short of $700,000. — hedged: “I don't think that we're going to do it while I'm sitting here” (05:55:10)
    • $696,000 (USD) — Tiltify donations to the Project for Awesome 2026 · as of 2026-02-13 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says a Nerdfighter advisory group helps list the smaller charities that get P4A grants each year, which can be transformational, and that the P4A has raised about $17 million over the years. — hedged: “I believe” (00:51:43)
    • $17 million (USD) — total raised by the Project for Awesome over the years · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says Looking for Alaska turns 21 in two weeks. (01:22:02)
    • 21 years — time since Looking for Alaska was published · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says access to bedaquiline took Phumeza Tisile and her friend Nandita suing the Indian government, which ruled Johnson & Johnson's attempt to extend its patent was not meaningful innovation. (01:40:08)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says that in the last two years the price of curing multidrug-resistant TB fell by over 60%, to under $300, whereas it cost tens of thousands of dollars when Partners In Health began treating it. (01:40:38)
    • over 60% (percent) — fall in the price of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment in the last two years · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • less than $300 (USD) — cost to cure one person with drug-resistant tuberculosis · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • tens of thousands of dollars (USD) — cost of treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis when Partners In Health began · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John thinks this is the 15th or 16th year the P4A has supported Partners In Health. — hedged: “I think” (01:43:19)
    • 15th year or 16th year — years the Project for Awesome has supported Partners In Health · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says that since he graduated from college, yearly child deaths have fallen from 11 million to 5 million: still far too high, but huge progress that is easy to forget. (01:46:24)
    • 11 million (deaths/year) — children who die every year · for world · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 5 million (deaths/year) — children who die every year · for world · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says APOPO trains rats to detect landmines and tuberculosis: TB has a smell some human super smellers can detect, but rats can too and are cheaper. (01:49:48)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John tells Henry that Harry Houdini died after someone punched him in the stomach and his appendix burst. — hedged: “I think” (02:11:36)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John has heard that a mausoleum on the hill at Crown Hill Cemetery costs a million dollars. — hedged: “or at least what I heard” (02:41:04)
    • A million dollars (USD) — cost of a mausoleum on the hill · in Crown Hill Cemetery · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John tells Henry that Hank fact-checked something in Project Hail Mary and changed something in the book at the galley stage. — hedged: “I can't remember exactly what it was” (02:54:32)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — After checking that it is public, John says Billie Eilish is dating Nat Wolff and that they confirmed their relationship on February 1, 2026. (03:03:01)
    • February 1st, 2026 — date the relationship was confirmed · as of 2026-02-01 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Hank says nonprofit work shows decisions made because of strings attached to donations: he thinks the Boston Museum of Science must display a man's gun collection under a 1950 donation. — hedged: “I think it's” (03:35:43)
    • 1950 — year of the donation tied to displaying a gun collection · in Boston · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Hank explains that a popped balloon feels cold because the stretched latex, in a higher energy state, shrinks back; it has nothing to do with the air inside. (04:03:26)
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Hank says Diet Coke is 99% water, the rest aspartame, flavorings, colorings and preservatives, so it holds more water than regular Coke, which is 10% sugar. (05:10:19)
    • 99% (percent) — share of water · for Diet Coke · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 10% (percent) — share of sugar · for regular Coca-Cola · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says the P4A 2026 matching funds include $500,000 from a Save the Children matching donor and almost $1.5 million from Nerdfighters who came together to form a matching fund. (06:40:31)
    • $500,000 (USD) — P4A 2026 matching funds from a Save the Children matching donor · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • almost $1.5 million (USD) — P4A 2026 matching funds from Nerdfighters · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says the Project for Awesome has raised over $18 million for charity since it started. (06:54:24)
    • over 18 million dollars (USD) — total raised for charity by the Project for Awesome since it started · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says Kurt Vonnegut's mother, after breaking off her engagement to a German army officer, lived for a time about 2,000 yards from his home, among some of the same 200-year-old trees. — hedged: “maybe” (07:10:10)
    • 2,000 yards — distance from John's home to where Kurt Vonnegut's mother lived · in Indianapolis · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — John says None Pizza with Left Beef also dates from 2007, making it as old as the Project for Awesome. (07:56:58)
    • 2007 — year None Pizza with Left Beef originated · as of 2026-02-13 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! — Correcting himself, John says he thinks cancer has existed for as long as there has been multicellular life. — hedged: “I think” (08:06:01)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says that if the 2026 Project for Awesome raises $3 million, his dream number, the P4A will have raised about $30 million in its history. — hedged: “or something like that” (00:23:54)
    • 30 million dollars (USD) — total raised by the Project for Awesome in its history if 2026 reaches $3 million · for Project for Awesome · as of 2026-02 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John reports that AFC Wimbledon are 2-0 down at Barnsley after 13 minutes. (00:24:35)
    • 2-0 — score of Barnsley v AFC Wimbledon after 13 minutes · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says the Tiltify stands near $750,000, but with matching donations every dollar donated counts as $2.50. (00:29:07)
    • $2.50 (USD) — value to the P4A of each donated dollar with matching funds · for P4A 2026 donors · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says AFC Wimbledon are about six points clear of relegation and probably need to win four or five of their last 18 games to stay up. — hedged: “probably” (00:32:20)
    • about six points — AFC Wimbledon's margin above the relegation places · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
    • four or five of our last 18 games — wins AFC Wimbledon need to avoid relegation · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says the P4A has run every year since 2007 except one year off to move from December to February, which is why 2026 is the 19th annual edition, not the 20th. (00:32:44)
    • 2007 — first year of the Project for Awesome · for Project for Awesome · as of 2026-02-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 19th — edition number of the 2026 Project for Awesome · for Project for Awesome · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says P4A 2026 videos have had over 40,000 votes, and half the money raised goes to charities chosen by those votes. (00:33:09)
    • over 40,000 (votes) — votes cast for P4A 2026 videos · for P4A 2026 · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
    • half — share of the money raised that goes to charities chosen by votes · for P4A 2026 · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says Esther Earl, part of the group Catitude, was in some ways a co-founder of the Project for Awesome, and that its current director, Lindsay Ballantyne, was also in Catitude. (00:37:32)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says AFC Wimbledon have come back from 2-0 down to 2-2 with a goal from Omar Bugiel, whom he calls a Lebanese superhero. (00:37:55)
    • 2-2 — score of Barnsley v AFC Wimbledon · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says Esther Earl's family runs This Star Won't Go Out, which gives families of sick children the financial support they lacked: for bills, hospital travel and time off work. (00:39:08)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says the P4A usually gives money to a couple dozen organizations, and for small ones a $50,000 or $60,000 grant is a huge amount. (00:39:47)
    • a couple dozen (organizations) — organizations funded by the P4A in a year · for Project for Awesome · as of 2026-02-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 50 or 60 000 (USD) — a P4A grant to a small organization · for Project for Awesome · as of 2026-02-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says Epic Games, which he loves, is a longtime supporter of the Project for Awesome. (00:52:16)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John notes that Barnsley's goalkeeper is Owen Goodman, AFC Wimbledon's goalkeeper last season, whom he loved. (01:05:27)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says that thanks to the matching donors a $200 donation means $500 raised for the Project for Awesome. (01:14:41)
    • $500 (USD) — amount raised for the P4A from a $200 donation with matching · for P4A 2026 donors · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says the 2026 matching fund raised over $1.5 million, because his dad and his colleague Amy are too good at raising money for it. (01:15:11)
    • over a million and a half dollars (USD) — size of the P4A 2026 matching fund · for P4A 2026 · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — After Marcus Browne scores to put AFC Wimbledon 3-2 up from 2-0 down, John says he doesn't think they have come from two goals down to win since seven or eight years ago. — hedged: “I don't think” (01:43:08)
    • 3-2 — score of Barnsley v AFC Wimbledon after Marcus Browne's goal · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
    • seven or eight years ago — last time AFC Wimbledon came from two goals down to win · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2026-02-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says the overall 2026 Project for Awesome total is $2,129,464.96, and he hopes to hand over to Hank at over $2.15 million. (01:59:06)
    • two million one hundred twenty nine thousand four hundred and sixty four ninety six (USD) — overall total raised by the 2026 Project for Awesome · for P4A 2026 · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John reports that AFC Wimbledon's game at Barnsley has ended in a 3-3 draw, a pretty good result, though a win would have been better. (02:02:02)
    • three three — final score of Barnsley v AFC Wimbledon · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — After the 3-3 draw at Barnsley, John says AFC Wimbledon probably only need four more wins to stay up. — hedged: “probably” (02:05:27)
    • four wins — wins AFC Wimbledon need to avoid relegation · for AFC Wimbledon · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John tells Hank that AFC Wimbledon drew thanks to two goals from Omar Bugiel and one from Marcus Browne, and should have won but gave up a bad late goal. (02:17:52)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — With 3,269 people watching, Hank says P4A viewership stays fairly consistent, barely ever dropping by over half even late at night. (02:28:52)
    • 3 269 (viewers) — people watching the P4A 2026 livestream · for P4A 2026 livestream · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank explains to Tom Lum that the Banana Loca is a device that stuffs bananas with filling. (03:16:45)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank says worms are not an actual group of animals but a shape: any tube without a backbone is a worm, so many worms have no relationship to each other. (05:34:34)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Reading a news report, Hank says a tiny pilot study found chameleon vines mimicked plastic leaves, but experts say poor design and conflicts of interest undermine it. (05:53:20)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank explains that the Project for Awesome raises money and the community then votes on some of the charities that receive it. (06:19:37)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank says the 2026 Project for Awesome is more than halfway through, at $2.5 million and not far from $1 million raised during the stream alone, with 46,000 votes cast. (06:33:11)
    • 46 000 (votes) — votes cast for P4A 2026 videos · for P4A 2026 · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Looking at the yearly fundraising graph, Hank says the 2026 Project for Awesome has recently pulled ahead of 2023. (06:36:51)
    • ahead of 2023 — P4A 2026 fundraising compared with the 2023 edition at the same point · for Project for Awesome · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — John says each donated dollar now counts as $2.50, but after a million dollars it will count as $2. (06:50:02)
    • $2.50 (USD) — value to the P4A of each donated dollar with matching before $1 million · for P4A 2026 donors · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
    • $2 (USD) — value to the P4A of each donated dollar with matching after $1 million · for P4A 2026 donors · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank explains the Nerdfighter art perk: people send in art they make, maybe 10 or 20 pieces each, which is pooled and sent out as a collection, so a donor can get two. (06:53:56)
    • 10 or 20 (pieces) — pieces of art a Nerdfighter artist sends in for the art perk · for Nerdfighter art perk · as of 2026-02-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank says the stream has raised $951,000, with ten minutes left in his shift. (06:59:18)
    • $951,000 (USD) — raised during the P4A 2026 livestream · for P4A 2026 · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank says half the money donated to the 2026 Project for Awesome goes to Partners In Health and Save the Children, and the other half to charities voted on by viewers. (07:03:13)
    • half — share of P4A 2026 donations going to Partners In Health and Save the Children · for P4A 2026 · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank says the 2026 Project for Awesome has definitely passed 2023 and is trying to get toward 2024, while 2022 is above every other year because it was a weird year. (07:04:46)
    • 2022 — P4A edition with the highest crowdfunding total · for Project for Awesome · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank says the P4A is currently raising around $4,000 to $6,000 every 10 minutes. (07:05:16)
    • $4,000 to $6,000 (USD) — amount raised every 10 minutes · for P4A 2026 · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! — Hank learns that he has taste buds on the roof of his mouth. (07:09:06)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — John recalls that in 2019 he and Sarah went to Sierra Leone, where at the time one in 17 women were dying in pregnancy and childbirth. (00:03:06)
    • one in 17 — women dying in pregnancy and childbirth · for women · in Sierra Leone · as of 2019 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — John says that in the end Nerdfighteria raised $32 million of the $50 million needed to get the Maternal Center of Excellence off the ground. (00:04:18)
    • 32 (million usd) — money raised for the Maternal Center of Excellence · for Nerdfighteria donors · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • $50 million (usd) — money needed to get the Maternal Center of Excellence off the ground · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — John says the Maternal Center of Excellence offers safe emergency C-sections, potentially for 5,000 births a year, and has the first neonatal intensive care unit in Sierra Leone's history. — hedged: “potentially” (00:05:41)
    • 5,000 (births per year) — babies born at the Maternal Center of Excellence each year · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — John says the money raised at the Project for Awesome over the years is now close to $30 million. (00:12:02)
    • $30 million (usd) — money raised by the Project for Awesome over its history · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Hank explains that the cells lining the colon, the colonocytes, preferentially metabolize butyrate, their favorite food, and that more than 70% of the colon's metabolism runs on it. (02:42:04)
    • more than 70% (percent) — share of the colon's metabolism that runs on butyrate · for colon cells · as of 2026-02-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Hank's favorite weird fact of late: colon cells do not metabolize normal sugars but short-chain fatty acids from fermented indigestible fiber; a Hank's channel video on it is coming soon. (05:32:43)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Asked for a fact from researching his new book on cancer, Hank says gene fusions can blast traits into a cancer super fast: that is how Ewing sarcoma works and often how prostate cancer turns aggressive. (05:39:21)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Looking it up live, Hank finds that Titan's methane raindrops would make larger rainbows, likely red outside and blue inside against an orange sky, so a moon in the solar system has rainbows. — hedged: “likely” (05:45:04)
  • 2026-02-14 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 4! — Hank says there is only heat and no cold: cold is just less hot. (05:59:54)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says the Tiltify stands at $1.305 million and the 2026 Project for Awesome becomes the biggest of all time at $1.479 million, $174,000 away. (02:36:11)
    • 1.305 (USD) — P4A 2026 Tiltify total · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
    • 1.479 (USD) — Tiltify total that makes P4A 2026 the biggest ever · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Asked whether Zombicorns may be custom printed, John says yes: it is released under a Creative Commons license, so people can do whatever they want with it, including publishing Zombicorns fan fiction. (02:52:01)
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — The 2026 Project for Awesome passes $3.4 million; John says about $117,000 more on Tiltify will make it the biggest ever, thanks to matching donors who put up over $1.5 million. (02:54:09)
    • $3.4 million (USD) — P4A 2026 grand total · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
    • $117,000 (USD) — amount still needed to make P4A 2026 the biggest ever · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John explains that $1.36 million has been raised on Tiltify, but with the over $1.5 million matching donors raised before the P4A, the total is $3.416 million. (03:00:57)
    • $1.36 million (USD) — P4A 2026 Tiltify total · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
    • over $1.5 million (USD) — P4A 2026 matching fund raised before the event · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • $3.416 million (USD) — P4A 2026 grand total · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says $1,466,129.92 on Tiltify will max out the power boost and all matching funds; at $1.351 million, about $110,000 is left. (03:08:09)
    • $1,466,129.92 (USD) — Tiltify total that uses up all P4A 2026 matching funds · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says this is the 19th Project for Awesome; they have done it or something like it since 2007, in long livestreams full of silliness, joy and hope. (03:15:49)
    • 19th — edition number of the Project for Awesome · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
    • 2007 — year the Project for Awesome began · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says that with $3.5 million raised, the Project for Awesome has now raised over $30 million in its history. — hedged: “I think” (03:21:37)
    • over $30 million (USD) — total raised by the Project for Awesome across its history · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John thanks the Partners In Health matching donor, who gave $100,000, the Save the Children matching donors, who gave $500,000, and about 700 Nerdfighters who formed a $1.5 million matching fund matching donations up to $1.492 million. — hedged: “I believe” (03:22:50)
    • $100,000 (USD) — Partners In Health matching donor's P4A 2026 match · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • $500,000 (USD) — Save the Children matching donors' P4A 2026 match · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 700 (people) — Nerdfighters in the P4A 2026 matching fund · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • $1.5 million (USD) — P4A 2026 Nerdfighter matching fund · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • $1.492 million (USD) — ceiling of matched donations at P4A 2026 · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Hank says the 2026 Project for Awesome is about to pass the biggest grand total ever raised: it needs $3.7 million and stands at $3.5 million, less than 10% away. (03:24:55)
    • 3.7 million (USD) — biggest P4A grand total ever raised, the 2026 target · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 3.5 (USD) — P4A 2026 grand total, in millions · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — The 2026 Project for Awesome passes $3.6 million, $72,000 from the biggest ever; Hank's 37-second Vlogbrothers video, titled "I'm deleting this video in one hour", has eight views. (03:42:41)
    • 3.6 million (USD) — P4A 2026 grand total · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
    • 72 000 (USD) — amount still needed to make P4A 2026 the biggest ever · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says over $206,000 has come from the power boost alone; the 2026 P4A is past $3.6 million in total and $1.418 million on Tiltify, $60,000 from the biggest ever. (03:46:18)
    • over $206,000 (USD) — P4A 2026 money from the power boost · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Hank notes they just raised more in ten minutes than ever before, about $100,000, maybe the biggest ten minutes in Project for Awesome history; the end is bigger than the beginning. — hedged: “maybe” (04:04:03)
    • $100,000 (USD) — P4A 2026 money raised in ten minutes · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — At $1.512 million on Tiltify and $3.773 million in total, the 2026 Project for Awesome is already the biggest ever and $27,000 from $3.8 million. (04:05:57)
    • $3.773 million (USD) — P4A 2026 grand total · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — With the matching funds gone, every dollar donated counts as one dollar; John says they have worked with Partners In Health and Save the Children for 15 years. (04:08:06)
    • 15 years — length of the P4A partnership with Partners In Health and Save the Children · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says that since Sierra Leone's government took on maternal health as a priority, the share of women dying in pregnancy or childbirth has fallen from one in 17 or one in 20 to closer to one in 80. (04:10:30)
    • one out of 17 or one out of every 20 — women dying in pregnancy or childbirth, before maternal health became a government priority · for women in Sierra Leone · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • closer to one in 80 — women dying in pregnancy or childbirth · for women in Sierra Leone · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says maternal deaths in Sierra Leone are still much too high, but have fallen 75% in seven years, and will keep going down because of these investments. (04:10:59)
    • 75% decrease in seven years — fall in maternal deaths · for women in Sierra Leone · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says that last year (2025) it took until three days after the livestream to reach $3.7 million. (04:14:39)
    • 3.7 million (USD) — P4A 2025 total, reached three days after the livestream · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Hank says the Project for Awesome had 19,000 donors in 2024 and 24,000 in 2025. (04:18:17)
    • 19,000 (donors) — Project for Awesome donors · as of 2024 · no source named · unchecked
    • 24,000 (donors) — Project for Awesome donors · as of 2025 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Hank says more than $100,000 in unmatched dollars has been raised since he sat down. (04:30:27)
    • $100,000 (USD) — P4A 2026 money raised since Hank joined the livestream · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Hank says that this morning the 2026 P4A was about $100,000 behind earlier years, and now it has caught up and shot past. (04:35:19)
    • a hundred thousand dollars (USD) — how far P4A 2026 trailed earlier years on the morning of February 15 · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Hank says 7,000 people are in chat, which he believes is the most in about ten years. — hedged: “I believe” (04:51:22)
    • 7,000 (people) — people in the P4A livestream chat · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — As the 2026 P4A passes $1.7 million on Tiltify, Hank says $200,000 has been raised since he arrived. (04:53:15)
    • $200,000 (USD) — P4A 2026 Tiltify money raised since Hank joined the livestream · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Hank says 56,924 votes for charities have been cast at projectforawesome.com. (05:01:54)
    • 56,924 (votes) — P4A 2026 votes for charities · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — John says that two hours earlier the 2026 P4A stood at $3.2 million, and now it is at $4.03 million. (05:05:38)
    • $3.2 million (USD) — P4A 2026 grand total two hours before the end of the livestream · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 4.03 (USD) — P4A 2026 grand total, in millions · as of 2026-02-15 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-15 · Project for Awesome 2026 part 5! — Hank says about $70,000 was raised in the ten minutes before the $4 million mark. (05:06:27)
    • around $70,000 (USD) — P4A 2026 money raised in ten minutes · as of 2026-02-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-20 · What We Actually Did. — Hank says a Good Good Good headline claiming the brothers gave $50 million for the first NICU in Sierra Leone is wrong. (00:01:56)
    • $50 million (USD) — amount the brothers gave for the first NICU (as headlined) · for John and Hank Green · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-20 (implied: upload date) · source: Good Good Good · doubtful
  • 2026-02-20 · What We Actually Did. — Hank says he and John are among the top individual donors to the effort, but not even 10% of the total raised. (00:02:26)
    • 10% (percent) — share of the total raised given by John and Hank (less than) · for John and Hank Green · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-20 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-20 · What We Actually Did. — Hank says Paul Farmer did not see this either, having died in Rwanda after a heart problem in 2022. (00:03:49)
    • 2022 — year of death · for Paul Farmer · in Rwanda · as of 2026-02-20 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-20 · What We Actually Did. — Hank says 34 minutes after the center opened a woman arrived with dangerously spiking blood pressure, risking stroke, seizures and organ damage. (00:03:49)
    • 34 minutes — time from opening to arrival of the first patient · for Maternal Center of Excellence · in Koidu, Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-20 · What We Actually Did. — Hank says by the end of the first day the center had its first ambulance referral and first vaginal birth, 27 mothers admitted and 13 babies born. (00:04:47)
    • 27 — mothers admitted on the opening day · for Maternal Center of Excellence · in Koidu, Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
    • 13 — babies born on the opening day · for Maternal Center of Excellence · in Koidu, Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-14 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-24 · Risk Is a Privilege — John says the Project for Awesome raised over $4.2 million. (00:00:00)
    • $4.2 million (USD) — amount raised (more than) · for Project for Awesome 2026 · as of 2026-02 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-24 · Risk Is a Privilege — John says the MCOE contains Sierra Leone's first NICU. (00:00:00)
  • 2026-02-24 · Risk Is a Privilege — John says the MCOE will see the birth of some 5,000 babies every year, hopefully for decades. — hedged: “hopefully” (00:00:00)
    • 5,000 (births/year) — expected births per year · for Maternal Center of Excellence · in Koidu, Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-24 · Risk Is a Privilege — John says Partners In Health wanted to help Sierra Leone's government because everyone else called the country too risky: fragile systems, fear of war or economic collapse. (00:02:55)
  • 2026-02-24 · Risk Is a Privilege — John says more than one in 10 children in Sierra Leone died before age five and more than one in 20 women died in pregnancy or childbirth. (00:03:24)
    • one out of every 10 — share of children dying before age five (more than) · for children · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • one out of every 20 — share of women dying in pregnancy or childbirth (more than) · for women · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-24 · Risk Is a Privilege — Thanking Hank and everyone who took the risk, John says 13 babies were born on the MCOE's very first day. (00:04:52)
    • 13 — babies born on the opening day · for Maternal Center of Excellence · in Koidu, Sierra Leone · as of 2026-02-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says GSK several years ago had two promising vaccine candidates, for shingles and for tuberculosis, that shared an adjuvant, so it could really pursue only one. (00:01:27)
    • two (vaccine candidates) — promising vaccine candidates sharing one adjuvant · for GSK · as of 2026-03-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says the shingles vaccine has been a huge hit, generating over 14 billion dollars for GSK. (00:01:56)
    • over 14 billion dollars (USD) — revenue from the shingles vaccine · for GSK · as of 2026-03-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says GSK chose shingles though tuberculosis causes more death, because shingles is a bigger problem in rich countries and TB mostly in poor ones, so the shingles market was much bigger. (00:01:56)
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says pursuing the shingles vaccine left the TB vaccine much further behind; in the years we might have had one, many millions of people have died. (00:02:26)
    • many millions (people) — deaths in the years a tuberculosis vaccine might have existed · for people · as of 2026-03-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says AFC Wimbledon is a third-tier English soccer team having a surprisingly great year so far. (00:03:24)
    • third-tier — league tier · for AFC Wimbledon · in England · as of 2026-03-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says the sacral vertebrae and the sacrum are so named because Galen called it the sacred bone 2,000 years ago. (00:03:45)
    • 2,000 years ago — time since Galen named the sacred bone · for Galen · as of 2026-03-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says Galen recommended fresh air and sea voyages for tuberculosis, standard treatments for consumption for about two millennia though not particularly effective. (00:03:45)
    • like two millennia (years) — period fresh air and sea voyages remained standard tuberculosis treatments · for tuberculosis treatment · as of 2026-03-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says Galen perhaps called it the sacred bone because of its role in sacrifice, or maybe its proximity to the genitalia, seen as sacred. — hedged: “perhaps” (00:04:14)
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says World TB Day is a chance to remind people that the world's deadliest infectious disease, tuberculosis, is both curable and preventable. (00:04:44)
  • 2026-03-17 · Tuberculosis and Hank's Shingles — John says the company is named for John Keats because he died of tuberculosis at the age of 25. (00:04:44)
    • 25 (years) — age at death · for John Keats · as of 2026-03-17 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John announces the Maternal Center of Excellence at Koidu Government Hospital has passed its first major milestone: its 500th baby delivered, in just a few months. (00:00:00)
    • 500 (babies) — babies delivered at the Maternal Center of Excellence since opening · for births · in Koidu, Sierra Leone · as of 2026-04 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John says just 20 years ago Sierra Leone was the deadliest place in the world to give birth: mothers died of hemorrhage, preeclampsia and above all lack of safe emergency C-sections. (00:00:29)
    • the deadliest place to give birth in the world (rank) — risk of dying in childbirth, world ranking · for mothers · in Sierra Leone · as of 20 years ago (resolved: c. 2006, from the upload date 2026-04-14) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John says that is no longer the case: Sierra Leone's maternal mortality rate has dropped by 78%. (00:00:58)
    • 78% (percent) — fall in the maternal mortality rate · for mothers · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John recalls saying years earlier that a woman needing a C-section at home or a clinic usually found no ambulance, so her best chance was a long motorbike ride; he says that is starting to change. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John says that seven years ago Isata Dumbuya told him decision-to-incision time averaged 12 hours; now it is much faster thanks to safe, clean, well-staffed operating suites. (00:02:26)
    • 12 hours — average time from C-section decision to incision · for women needing a C-section · in Koidu Government Hospital, Sierra Leone · as of 2019 · source: Isata Dumbuya · unchecked
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John notes that nurse midwife Isata Dumbuya was just named a Time Woman of the Year. (00:02:26)
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John says the MCOE holds Sierra Leone's first NICU, already a critical site of care for premature infants: over 130 babies have received care there. (00:02:55)
    • over 130 (babies) — babies cared for in the MCOE NICU · for premature and sick newborns · in Koidu, Sierra Leone · as of 2026-04 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John says that as a teaching facility the MCOE is training nurses, midwives and doctors to spread what they learn across the country. (00:02:55)
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John says the single biggest donor to the Maternal Center of Excellence has been Good Store. (00:03:24)
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John says Good Store, Hank's idea for a store giving 100% of profit to charity, has donated over $11.5 million, supporting everything from ambulance services to the NICU. (00:03:53)
    • over $11.5 million (USD) — total donated by Good Store · for Good Store · in the world · as of 2026-04 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-14 · Babies. Babies. Babies. — John says 100% of the box's profit goes to support moms and newborns in Kono District, Sierra Leone. (00:04:23)
    • 100% (percent) — share of the Mother's Day box's profit donated · for mothers and newborns · in Kono District, Sierra Leone · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-28 · What I Can't Show You — John says hundreds of people receive care every day at KGH's non-communicable disease clinic for hypertension, diabetes and sickle cell disease. (00:00:00)
    • hundreds (people) — people receiving care each day at the non-communicable disease clinic · for patients with hypertension, diabetes and sickle cell disease · in Koidu Government Hospital, Sierra Leone · as of 2026-04 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-28 · What I Can't Show You — John says the hospital now sees more than three times as many people as when he first visited. (00:00:58)
    • more than three times (ratio) — patient volume compared with 2019 · for patients · in Koidu Government Hospital, Sierra Leone · as of 2026-04 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-28 · What I Can't Show You — John reports a doctor saying the hospital is at an inflection point: it can finally treat cardiac arrest and stroke with good outcomes. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-04-28 · What I Can't Show You — John says KGH's infrastructure is woefully insufficient for a profoundly impoverished region of 600,000: no ICU, and the sickest children's ward had two or three children per bed. (00:01:27)
    • 600,000 (people) — population of the hospital's region · for people · in Kono, Sierra Leone · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
    • two or three (children) — children sharing each bed in the ward for the sickest kids · for sick children · in Koidu Government Hospital, Sierra Leone · as of 2026-04 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-28 · What I Can't Show You — John lists the MCOE's piped oxygen, a laundry still under construction, 120 maternal beds and the nation's first NICU, and says it has transformed the care possible in Kono and Sierra Leone. (00:02:55)
    • 120 (beds) — maternal beds at the Maternal Center of Excellence · for mothers · in Koidu, Sierra Leone · as of 2026-04 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-28 · What I Can't Show You — John says the facility is training the next generation of Sierra Leonean nurses, midwives and doctors. (00:03:24)
  • 2026-04-28 · What I Can't Show You — John says 500 babies were born at the MCOE in its first six weeks of operation, including over 200 C-sections, many of them emergencies that might otherwise have meant maternal and child death. (00:05:37)
    • 500 (babies) — babies born at the Maternal Center of Excellence · for births · in Koidu, Sierra Leone · as of first six weeks of operation · no source named · unchecked
    • over 200 (C-sections) — C-sections performed at the Maternal Center of Excellence · for mothers · in Koidu, Sierra Leone · as of first six weeks of operation · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-05-01 · Despair is Not Wisdom — In a comment, Hank clarifies that adults die less per year alive: in 1890 adults died on average about once every 50 years of being alive, now about once every 75. (creator comment)
    • once every 50 years or so — years of adult life per death (adult mortality rate) · for adults · as of 1890 · no source named · unchecked
    • once every 75 years or so — years of adult life per death (adult mortality rate) · for adults · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-05-01 · Despair is Not Wisdom — Hank says adult mortality also dropped precipitously over the same period. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-05-01 · Despair is Not Wisdom — Hank says 150 years ago an American hospital was a place you went to die, which is still true in some places. (00:01:27)
    • 150 years ago — time since American hospitals were places you went to die · for hospital patients · in United States · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-05-01 · Despair is Not Wisdom — Hank says John's video this week (week of 27 April 2026), about lots of people working to make life better, ends up viewed by around a third of the people who see most Vlogbrothers videos. (00:04:42)
    • around a third (ratio) — views of John's video this week relative to most Vlogbrothers videos · for viewers · as of 2026-05 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-05-05 · Noted Brother Hank Green — John says most of those, Hank and Katherine included, who raised over $30 million for the MCOE and other efforts against maternal and child mortality in Sierra Leone have never been there. (00:03:24)
    • over 30 million dollars (USD) — money raised for the Maternal Center of Excellence and other efforts to reduce maternal and child mortality · for donors including Hank and Katherine · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-05 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — When John was young it was common to hear that life expectancy was under 40 before the scientific revolution, with little progress for hundreds of thousands of years: 30 to 35 in Paleolithic times, around 33 in 18th-century Britain. (00:00:29)
    • under 40 (years) — life expectancy · for humans before the scientific revolution · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · source: the narrative John heard when young · unchecked
    • between 30 and 35 (years) — life expectancy at birth · for humans in Paleolithic times · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · source: the narrative John heard when young · unchecked
    • around 33 (years) — life expectancy at birth · for population of Britain · in Britain · as of 18th-century · source: the narrative John heard when young · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — In that narrative, children could not expect longer lives than their parents, because bad harvests could cause widespread malnutrition, which kills and is a risk factor for diseases from rickets to tuberculosis. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says that only in the last couple hundred years, 1% of human history, did that start to change. (00:00:58)
    • couple hundred (years) — period in which life expectancy began to improve · for humans · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 1% (percent) — share of human history in which life expectancy began to improve · for humans · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says clean drinking water saves millions of lives, because children especially do not die of diarrheal illnesses. (00:00:58)
    • millions (lives) — lives saved by clean drinking water · for humans, especially children · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — By the late 19th century, John says, knowledge of microbes and antiseptics improved the outcomes of childbirth for both mother and infant. (00:00:58)
    • late 19th century — time by which microbe knowledge and antiseptics improved childbirth · for mothers and infants · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says that by the end of the 19th century there were vaccines for cholera, smallpox, plague and typhoid. (00:01:27)
    • end of the 19th century — time by which vaccines for cholera, smallpox, plague and typhoid existed · for humans · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says tuberculosis remained the leading cause of death in humans by the early 20th century. (00:01:27)
    • early 20th century — time by which tuberculosis remained the leading cause of death · for humans · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John's favorite fact: in 1869, after meeting antiseptic pioneer Joseph Lister, surgeon Alexander Ogston tore down the 'Prepare to meet thy God' sign over his Scottish hospital's operating theater, as surgery was no longer almost inevitably fatal. (00:01:27)
    • 1869 (year) — year the surgeon tore down the operating-theater sign · in Scotland · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says even tuberculosis had been reduced through better understanding of how it was transmitted and better nutrition. (00:01:56)
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — As a result, John says, people lived longer and the main causes of death shifted to chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease. (00:01:56)
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says many humans, perhaps nearly half, died before age 5, and another 10% or so before 15. — hedged: “perhaps” (00:02:26)
    • nearly half (share) — share dying before age 5 · for humans historically · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 10% or so (percent) — additional share dying before age 15 · for humans historically · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says that of the 120 billion people who have ever lived, most never saw the age of 20. (00:02:26)
    • 120 billion (people) — number of people who have ever lived · for all humans ever · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • most (share) — share never reaching age 20 · for all humans ever · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — According to the correction, surviving adolescence gave a very good chance of a long life: in 18th-century Britain the most common decade of death, apart from early childhood, was the 70s. (00:02:26)
    • your 70s — most common decade of death other than early childhood · for population of Britain · in Britain · as of 18th-century · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says that in Neolithic times, someone who lived to 15 could expect about 30 more years, dying around 45. (00:03:24)
    • about 30 more years — remaining life expectancy at age 15 · for people in Neolithic times · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • around the age of 45 (years) — expected age at death for those reaching 15 · for people in Neolithic times · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says that in 18th-century Britain, someone who made it to age 10 could expect to die around age 42. (00:03:24)
    • around the age of 42 (years) — expected age at death for those reaching 10 · for population of Britain · in Britain · as of 18th-century · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says the richest people in 18th-century Britain who made it to 21 could expect another 43 or so years, dying around 64. (00:03:24)
    • another 43 or so years — remaining life expectancy at age 21 · for richest people in Britain · in Britain · as of 18th-century · no source named · unchecked
    • around the age of 64 (years) — expected age at death for those reaching 21 · for richest people in Britain · in Britain · as of 18th-century · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says the chance of dying at every age was much, much higher in the 1700s than it is now. (00:03:24)
    • much, much higher — chance of dying at every age compared with now · for humans in the 1700s · as of 1700s · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says human health has improved tremendously thanks to clean water, sewers, vaccines and antibiotics, benefiting young children and pregnant women most, but all humans. (00:04:52)
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says that over the last 300 years human life expectancy at birth has gone from the mid-30s to the mid-70s, and life expectancy at 15 from the mid-40s to the late 70s. (00:04:52)
    • mid 30s (years) — life expectancy at birth · for all humans · as of 300 years ago (resolved: c. 1726, from the upload date 2026-09-08) · no source named · unchecked
    • mid-70s (years) — life expectancy at birth · for all humans · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • mid-40s (years) — life expectancy at age 15, 300 years ago · for all humans · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • late 70s (years) — life expectancy at age 15 · for all humans · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-08 · The Life Expectancy Lies That Won't Die — John says child mortality has dropped from over 40% to under 4%, and has dropped every year for decades and decades. (00:05:21)
    • over 40% (percent) — child mortality, about 300 years ago · for children worldwide · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • under 4% (percent) — child mortality · for children worldwide · as of 2026-09-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked

Health (97)

  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says tuberculosis has been curable since the 1950s but still kills over a million people a year because of failures of human-built systems. (00:00:00)
    • since the 1950s — time since tuberculosis became curable · for tuberculosis · as of 1950s · no source named · unchecked
    • over a million people a year (people/year) — annual tuberculosis deaths · for people worldwide · as of 2026-03-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — In a comment John says Dr Pepper inventor Charles Alderton was a pharmacist when TB killed more Americans than cancer and heart disease combined, so he would have sold many mostly ineffective consumption treatments. (creator comment)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — Hazel's favorite band in the novel, The Hectic Glow, takes its name from a line in Thoreau's journals calling disease and decay beautiful, like the hectic glow of consumption. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says mountain goats, pigs, sharks, cows and many more animals can get tuberculosis. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says bovine TB, usually caught by humans from raw cow milk, was a leading cause of death and disability among US children until the 1930s and remains a significant problem worldwide. (00:00:58)
    • until the 1930s — period bovine tuberculosis was a leading cause of child death and disability · for children · in United States · as of 1930s · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says bovine TB often attacks the bones rather than the lungs, causing intense pain; one form, Pott disease, affects the spinal column. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says the fictional Hunchback of Notre Dame had Pott disease. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says Mendeleev's mother and sister died of TB; he caught it young and went to the seaside to recover, a popular but not very effective strategy, and he did recover. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says some people recover from tuberculosis on their own without antibiotic treatment, and we don't know exactly why. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says the band My Chemical Romance got its name from Irvine Welsh's book Three Tales of Chemical Romance. (00:01:56)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says thalidomide, widely prescribed in the 1950s for morning sickness and anxiety, turned out to cause severe birth defects; Welsh's story is about a thalidomide survivor. (00:01:56)
    • in the 1950s — period thalidomide was widely prescribed · for pregnant women and anxious patients · as of 1950s · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says thalidomide is still occasionally used today, though not in pregnant women, including to treat tuberculosis of the brain. (00:02:31)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says thalidomide also treats leprosy, which like TB is caused by a mycobacterium; the two are closely related diseases despite very different courses and symptoms. (00:02:31)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — Linking a Taylor Swift song about poets going to the lakes to die, John says poets went to the Lake District to recover their health and were dying of tuberculosis. (00:03:00)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says tuberculosis was then killing around one out of every three people in London. (00:03:00)
    • one out of every three (share) — share of people killed by tuberculosis · for people · in London · as of 2026-03-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says TB is airborne and anyone can get it; today it is seen as a disease of poverty, but in the 18th century as anyone's disease, which is partly why it was romanticized. (00:03:29)
    • in the 18th century — period tuberculosis was seen as a disease anyone could get · for people · as of 18th-century · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says little Louis Joseph, son of Marie Antoinette and the king, heir apparent to the French throne and one of the world's richest kids, got tuberculosis as a little boy. (00:03:29)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says Louis Joseph died as the Estates General met, 40 days before the storming of the Bastille; his devastated parents left Versailles to grieve when they were badly needed there to preserve the monarchy. (00:03:58)
    • only 40 days — time between Louis Joseph's death and the storming of the Bastille · for Louis Joseph · in France · as of 2026-03-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says Panda Express was founded by married couple Peggy and Andrew Cherng; Peggy has a PhD in computer science and researched algorithmically identifying congenital heart problems. (00:04:27)
  • 2026-03-24 · How Panda Express Is Tuberculosis — John says somewhat similar technology using pattern recognition and algorithms to identify lung problems is now used to diagnose tuberculosis. (00:04:27)
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — John says that, like 95% of Americans, he does not get enough fiber. (00:00:58)
    • 95% — share of Americans not getting enough fiber · for Americans · in United States · as of 2026-04-07 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — John explains that Dr. Pasricha is a neurogastroenterologist who studies the relationship between the brain and the gut. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — John, recalling Turtles All the Way Down, says he is troubled that about half his body's cells are bacteria and other organisms whose chemicals change how he thinks. (00:01:27)
    • about half — share of cells in the human body that are bacteria and other organisms · for John's body · as of 2026-04-07 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — Trisha Pasricha: Dr. Pasricha says the brain's influence on the gut has been known for over 100 years; only in recent decades has the gut's influence on the brain emerged. (00:02:55)
    • more than 100 years — how long the brain's influence on the gut has been known · as of 2026-04-07 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • the last couple decades — period in which the gut's influence on the brain has been recognized · as of 2026-04-07 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — Trisha Pasricha: Dr. Pasricha calls the gut its own brain: it has 500 million neurons and produces most of the body's serotonin and dopamine. (00:04:56)
    • 500 million (neurons) — number of neurons in the gut · for humans · as of 2026-04-07 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • most — share of the body's serotonin produced in the gut · for humans · as of 2026-04-07 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • most — share of the body's dopamine produced in the gut · for humans · as of 2026-04-07 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — Trisha Pasricha: Dr. Pasricha describes mouse studies: mice whose microbiome is wiped and replaced with fecal microbes from people with OCD begin to mimic OCD-like behaviors. (00:05:45)
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — Trisha Pasricha: Dr. Pasricha says mechanisms that look clear-cut in mouse studies often don't pan out in humans, whose lives are far more complicated. (00:06:23)
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — Trisha Pasricha: Dr. Pasricha says people with OCD consistently show increased intestinal permeability, though it is unknown whether that is cause or effect. (00:06:48)
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — Trisha Pasricha: Dr. Pasricha says people with OCD tend to eat less fiber, not necessarily a cause, and less fiber means fewer anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids from gut microbes. (00:06:48)
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — Trisha Pasricha: Dr. Pasricha says about 95% of Americans are not meeting their fiber goals. (00:08:43)
    • 95% — share of Americans not meeting fiber goals · for Americans · in United States · as of 2026-04-07 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-07 · I've Been Pooping All Wrong — Trisha Pasricha: Dr. Pasricha says fiber improves poop's shape and consistency overnight and, long term, supports the gut lining and feeds microbes that make anti-inflammatory compounds. (00:08:43)
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — Hank says Hodgkin's, thought of as not particularly dangerous, is safe only because of treatment: it is actually quite an aggressive cancer. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — Hank explains that Hodgkin cells signal healthy cells to surround them, so a Hodgkin tumor is only about 5% cancer cells and 95% healthy cells and can grow very fast. (00:01:56)
    • 5% (percent) — share of cancer cells in a Hodgkin lymphoma tumor · for Hodgkin lymphoma tumors · as of 2026-05-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 95% (percent) — share of healthy cells in a Hodgkin lymphoma tumor · for Hodgkin lymphoma tumors · as of 2026-05-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — Hank says chest lymph nodes can grow into masses pressing on airways, lungs and heart, and as a lymphoma it spreads to spleen, liver, lungs or bone marrow and can kill. (00:01:56)
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — Hank says about 95% of people diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in the US are alive five years later, and about 89% worldwide. (00:03:24)
    • 95% (percent) — five-year survival after Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis · for people diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma · in United States · as of 2026-05-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 89% (percent) — five-year survival after Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis · for people diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma · in the world · as of 2026-05-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — Hank says 100 years ago pretty much everyone who got Hodgkin's died of it. (00:03:53)
    • 100% (percent) — share of people with Hodgkin lymphoma who died of it · for people who got Hodgkin lymphoma · as of 100 years ago (resolved: c. 1926, from the upload date 2026-05-08) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-05-08 · My Deathday — Hank says 60 years after the first curative therapies were cutting edge and available to a select few, they are now available to most of the world's people. (00:04:52)
    • 60 years — time since the first curative Hodgkin lymphoma therapies · in the world · as of 2026-05-08 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — Today HIV can be prevented with a lenacapavir shot, TB with prophylactic antibiotics and cholera with sewage systems, while mumps, whooping cough, measles and diphtheria are vaccine-preventable. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — The benefit has not been universally shared: two people died of measles in the US last year (2025), and nearly 100,000 globally, mostly young children. (00:01:27)
    • two (deaths) — measles deaths in a year · in United States · as of 2025 · no source named · unchecked
    • nearly a hundred thousand (deaths) — measles deaths in a year · for mostly young children · in global · as of 2025 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — TB remains a US problem with about 10,000 active cases a year, but only 572 of the 1.25 million people who died of TB last year (2025) died in the US. (00:01:27)
    • around 10,000 (cases) — active tuberculosis cases per year · in United States · as of 2026-08-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 572 (deaths) — tuberculosis deaths in a year · in United States · as of 2025 · no source named · unchecked
    • 1.25 million (deaths) — tuberculosis deaths in a year · in global · as of 2025 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — As recently as 1890 more Americans died of TB than of heart disease and cancer combined; TB not being a leading US cause of death is younger than Dr Pepper or Maxwell House. (00:01:56)
    • 1890 — year when US tuberculosis deaths exceeded heart disease and cancer deaths combined · in United States · as of 1890 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — Cholera epidemics ravaged the United States as late as the early 20th century. (00:02:26)
    • early 20th century — latest period of cholera epidemics · in United States · as of 2026-08-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — Before milk pasteurization, as a poster from 85 years ago shows, children caught TB from caregivers, told not to kiss them, and from raw milk of infected cows. (00:02:55)
    • 85 years ago — age of the widely circulated TB poster · as of 2026-08-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — TB from raw cow's milk often invades the bones, causing intense pain, lifelong disability and very commonly death. (00:02:55)
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — We have forgotten that in 1900 there were almost as many beds just for TB patients as hospital beds for all conditions combined. (00:03:24)
    • almost as many — tuberculosis-only beds compared with all hospital beds · as of 1900 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — TB rates have gone up in the US, and vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough are increasing. (00:03:53)
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — US childhood vaccination rates fell only modestly in the last couple of years, from about 95% to 92%, but even that lets highly infectious diseases prosper. (00:03:53)
    • around 95% (percent) — childhood vaccination rate (earlier) · for children · in United States · as of 2026-08-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • about 92% (percent) — childhood vaccination rate (now) · for children · in United States · as of 2026-08-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-25 · The Great Thing about Infectious Disease — Six years ago a novel infectious disease emerged that has killed over 20 million people. (00:04:23)
    • over 20 million (deaths) — COVID-19 deaths · in global · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says smallpox is the only human infectious disease ever entirely eradicated, though polio and guinea worm are within striking distance. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says rubella has been entirely eliminated from the Americas. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says malaria has been eliminated from the US, Europe and parts of Central Asia. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says tuberculosis has a huge latent human reservoir: even in the US, where TB is rare, something like 13 million people carry TB bacteria without symptoms. — hedged: “something like” (00:01:56)
    • 13 million (people) — people with latent tuberculosis infection · for people · in United States · as of 2026-08-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says smallpox had no reservoirs: it exists only during illness, after which the patient dies or the immune system clears it, and only humans get it. (00:01:56)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says latent TB is almost certainly not transmissible, but it can stay dormant for decades until the immune system falters, then becomes transmissible disease. (00:02:26)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says TB also infects animals, but animal TB transmissible to humans seems somewhat different, so the animal reservoir matters less than the latent one. — hedged: “it seems like” (00:02:55)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says influenza A has very active animal reservoirs, infecting everything from seals to seagulls and circulating constantly among waterbirds, so it could return from a duck even if cleared from people. (00:03:24)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank explains antigens: the immune system identifies pathogens by molecules on their surface, learns to attack them, and those molecules are called antigens. (00:03:53)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says smallpox's antigens are very stable, so people got it only once and a vaccine could give very long-lasting immunity. (00:03:53)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says flu antigens constantly swap, evolve and change, which is why one smallpox vaccine sufficed but flu needs a different vaccine every year. (00:04:22)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says measles is pretty eradicable because, like smallpox, it is antigenically stable and has no animal reservoirs. (00:04:52)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, showing it can be eliminated from the whole world. (00:04:52)
    • 2000 — year measles was declared eliminated · for people · in United States · as of 2026-08-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says each smallpox infection caused three to six new infections on average; once that number falls below one, the disease dies out. (00:05:21)
    • between three and six (infections) — new infections per smallpox infection · for smallpox cases · in the world · as of 2026-08-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says one person with measles infects 12 to 16 others on average, a tremendously high infection rate. (00:05:50)
    • between 12 and 16 (people) — people infected per measles case · for measles cases · in the world · as of 2026-08-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says bringing smallpox below one might take vaccinating about 80% of exposed people, while measles needs something like 95%, which is much harder to reach. — hedged: “something like” (00:05:50)
    • 80% — vaccination coverage needed to stop transmission · for people who might be exposed to smallpox · in the world · as of 2026-08-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 95% — vaccination coverage needed to stop transmission · for measles · in the world · as of 2026-08-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says one dose of measles vaccine gives 93% immunity and two doses, given some time apart, bring the population to 97%. (00:06:19)
    • 93% — immunity after one dose of measles vaccine · for vaccinated people · in the world · as of 2026-08-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 97% — immunity after two doses of measles vaccine · for vaccinated people · in the world · as of 2026-08-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says measles keeps transmitting if just 5% of people are hard to reach or refuse the vaccine, so only places with strong public health systems can eliminate it. (00:06:19)
    • 5% — share of unvaccinated people enough to sustain measles transmission · for people · in the world · as of 2026-08-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says smallpox had a death rate as high as 30% and survivors often had lifelong facial scars, so its toll was visible and the incentive to vaccinate extremely high. (00:06:49)
    • as high as 30% — death rate · for people with smallpox · in the world · as of 2026-08-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says even where health care was bad, measles death rates were about 10 times lower than smallpox's. — hedged: “like” (00:07:18)
    • 10 times lower — measles death rate relative to smallpox · for people with measles · in places with bad healthcare systems · as of 2026-08-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says smallpox vaccination helps even after exposure, so vaccinating everyone around a case reduces transmission in the second wave. (00:07:47)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says smallpox patients were most contagious when most sick, unlike COVID and measles, which spread before people know they are sick. (00:08:16)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says smallpox had very specific symptoms, unlike diseases that can be asymptomatic or mild in some people. (00:08:16)
  • 2026-08-28 · Why the Deadliest Virus Was the Easiest to Kill — Hank says scientists learned to keep the smallpox vaccine active without cold, which made worldwide delivery much easier; many vaccines still need cold. (00:08:45)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — John says the two broad kinds of bacteria, gram-positive and gram-negative, probably have not shared a common ancestor in billions of years; he is more closely related to mushrooms. — hedged: “probably” (00:00:29)
    • billions of years — time since gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria shared a common ancestor · for bacteria · as of 2026-10-20 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — John says Mycobacterium tuberculosis is evolutionarily a gram-positive bacterium, but its cell wall is unusual: especially thick and waxy. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — Dr. Leslie Enane treats children with tuberculosis and is also a researcher in implementation science, how children actually get diagnosed and treated for TB. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — John says almost every tuberculosis researcher he talks to tells him he cannot understand TB's biomedical challenge without understanding its sociological challenge. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — John says a statin like his, taken daily likely for life, is a great drug for pharmaceutical companies to pursue, while an antibiotic taken briefly is good for patients but bad news for drug makers, since drugs are expensive to develop and a single course can only be priced so high. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — Tuberculosis remains the world's deadliest infectious disease, sickening over 10 million people and killing over 1.2 million every year. (00:01:56)
    • over 10 million (people) — people sickened by tuberculosis each year · for people worldwide · in the world · as of 2026-10-20 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • over 1.2 million (deaths) — deaths from tuberculosis each year · for people worldwide · in the world · as of 2026-10-20 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — John says the United States dramatically reduced its tuberculosis rate between 1890 and 1940 by making homes and factories less crowded and improving air circulation, which reduced airborne transmission. (00:02:26)
    • between 1890 and 1940 — period of dramatic decline in the tuberculosis rate · for population of the United States · in United States · as of 1890-1940 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — Pasteurizing milk meant people stopped getting tuberculosis from infected cow milk. (00:02:26)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — Lowering rates of absolute poverty reduced malnutrition, a huge risk factor for tuberculosis. (00:02:26)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — About half of the people who get sick with tuberculosis this year (2026) will also be malnourished. (00:02:26)
    • about half — share of people falling sick with tuberculosis this year who are malnourished · for people who get sick with tuberculosis · in the world · as of 2026-10-20 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — John says malnutrition is sociological as well as biological: humanity makes enough food for the 8 billion people on the planet but distributes food, and medicine, badly. (00:02:55)
    • 8 billion (people) — world population · for people · in the world · as of 2026-10-20 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — Very few people with tuberculosis get nutritional support, even though all the guidelines call for it and the science is clear that it improves outcomes. (00:02:55)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — Tuberculosis mostly affects people in low- and middle-income countries, and there is less incentive to create drugs for illnesses that mostly affect poor communities. (00:03:24)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — John says single-celled organisms must take in nutrients without being permeable, and tuberculosis, with its big fatty cell wall, has erred on the side of not being permeable. (00:03:53)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — Building its cell wall takes tuberculosis a long time, so it divides more slowly than E. coli, but once built the wall is like a fortress that drugs struggle to get past. (00:03:53)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — John says Everything Is Tuberculosis discusses the fatty cell wall but omits efflux pumps. (00:04:22)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — Efflux pumps are small proteins that pump waste and toxins out of a cell, including drugs that get past the cell wall; tuberculosis has about 70, more than most bacteria. (00:04:22)
    • 70 (efflux) — number of efflux pumps in Mycobacterium tuberculosis · for Mycobacterium tuberculosis · as of 2026-10-20 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — Tuberculosis is treated with combination therapy, several antibiotics acting differently: isoniazid attacks the cell wall as it forms, while rifampin enters the cell and disrupts its RNA synthesis. (00:04:52)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — Combined with a couple of other drugs and given daily for four to six months, this combination eventually cures tuberculosis. (00:04:52)
    • four to six months — duration of daily standard tuberculosis treatment · for people with tuberculosis · as of 2026-10-20 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — The long TB treatment has downsides: more toxicity and side effects, costly patient support, and transport to the drugs, a cost usually borne by the person with TB. (00:05:21)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — John says people knew penicillin killed Staphylococcus aureus long before they knew how, and how many drugs work, including Tylenol, is still unknown. (00:05:50)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — With better maps of pathogens, drug development now more often starts from how a drug might work and then looks for a compound, which is starting to save time and money. (00:05:50)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — Promising TB drugs and vaccines are in development, and people are starting to imagine curing TB within four to six weeks or less, which would be a huge change. (00:06:19)
    • four to six weeks — hoped-for duration of a future tuberculosis cure · for people with tuberculosis · as of 2026-10-20 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — John says there are already better drugs than a couple of decades ago, such as bedaquiline, which has proven hugely powerful against tuberculosis, especially drug-resistant TB; better versions of bedaquiline are in development because the cell wall is better understood. (00:06:19)
  • 2026-10-20 · Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science — With a better understanding of the TB cell wall, new drugs may inhibit building the wall, choke off the bacterium's energy sources or starve it of cholesterol. — hedged: “maybe” (00:06:49)

Internet & YouTube (63)

  • 2026-01-02 · I Got a New Disease and I Kinda Liked It. — Hank explains BPPV is usually caused by a crystal from the inner ear shaking loose into the tubes that sense which way is up, signalling movement when you are not moving. (00:00:50)
  • 2026-01-02 · I Got a New Disease and I Kinda Liked It. — Hank says these appetite drugs work not by removing hunger but by changing what triggers reward pathways and slowing stomach emptying, so people want junk food less and feel sick eating too much too fast. (00:02:47)
  • 2026-02-03 · Does the truth still matter? — John says that about two weeks ago a two-year-old child was kidnapped by the federal government despite a court order not to do so. (00:00:00)
    • two-year-old — age of a child taken by the federal government · for a child detained despite a court order · in United States · as of 2026-02-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-03 · Does the truth still matter? — John says many people have died in the custody or at the hands of US immigration officials, and official accounts are hard to trust because officials clearly lied in the two videotaped cases. (00:00:00)
    • two (cases) — deaths at the hands of immigration officials that were videotaped · for deaths in custody or at the hands of immigration officials · in United States · as of 2026-02-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-03 · Does the truth still matter? — John says the video won't reach a representative sample of America: a recent Nerdfighteria Census found more community members voted for Jill Stein than for Donald Trump. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-02-03 · Does the truth still matter? — John says Alex Pretti had both hands on the ground and was disarmed when he was shot ten times, yet to some of John's family it doesn't look like murder. (00:00:58)
    • ten times (shots) — times Alex Pretti was shot · for Alex Pretti · in United States · as of 2026-02-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-03 · Does the truth still matter? — John says 67% of this year's (2026) homicides in Minneapolis have been committed by ICE, yet his family members feel the streets are unsafe and need to be made safer. (00:01:27)
    • 67% (percent) — share of homicides committed by ICE · for homicides in Minneapolis this year · in Minneapolis · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-03 · Does the truth still matter? — John says polling indicates real changes among the US voting public, which has shifted by over 20% on the subject of ICE in the last few months. (00:04:23)
    • over 20% (percent) — shift in opinion on ICE over the last few months · for US voting public · in United States · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-06 · How Do You Create When You Don't Feel Safe — Hank says Rebecca Black's Friday, one of the biggest cultural moments in internet history, was at least partly about mocking a 13-year-old girl. (00:00:59)
    • 13 (years) — age of Rebecca Black when Friday was mocked · for Rebecca Black · as of 2026-03-06 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-06 · How Do You Create When You Don't Feel Safe — Hank says garlic taste lingers not from missed pieces but because it gets into the blood and evaporates out of the lungs. (00:07:39)
  • 2026-03-27 · What is 'Slop' (and why it gives me hope) — Hank says OpenAI recently closed its AI-generated scrollable video app Sora, even though it spent multiple days at the top of the App Store months ago. (00:00:00)
  • 2026-03-27 · What is 'Slop' (and why it gives me hope) — Hank says Disney has abandoned its partnership with OpenAI. (00:00:00)
  • 2026-03-27 · What is 'Slop' (and why it gives me hope) — Hank says Fruit Love Island, a series about sexy fruit people, is popping off on TikTok, reaching 3 million followers in about 10 days of posting. (00:00:00)
    • 3 million (followers) — followers of the Fruit Love Island account · for Fruit Love Island · in TikTok · as of 2026-03 · no source named · unchecked
    • 10 (days) — days of posting to reach 3 million followers · for Fruit Love Island · in TikTok · as of 2026-03 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-27 · What is 'Slop' (and why it gives me hope) — Hank cites a Twitter video of a cat flipping noodles onto its head that had 25,000 likes; nobody was confused whether it was real, people just found it funny. (00:07:09)
    • 25,000 (likes) — likes on a video of a cat flipping noodles onto its head · for Twitter users · in Twitter · as of 2026-03 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-24 · The AI Question that No AI Person Asks — On what he calls TB Bench, Hank says TB kills more than a million people a year and its deaths have been preventable for decades, so intelligence is not the problem. (00:02:07)
    • more than a million (deaths) — tuberculosis deaths per year · for people · as of 2026-04-24 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-02 · The Instagramification of Human Experience — John says Warhol's Sunset series from 1972 takes the same sunset and renders it 632 times. (00:00:29)
    • 632 (images) — renderings of the same sunset in Warhol's Sunset series · for Warhol's Sunset series · as of 1972 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-02 · The Instagramification of Human Experience — John says JFK's assassination was the first news story ever covered non-stop on American television, which Warhol showed both heightened and flattened the response. (00:02:26)
  • 2026-06-05 · The Things We Don't Discuss — Hank says TikTok counts a view earlier than YouTube: a swipe watched for two or three seconds might count, while YouTube requires a click and longer watching. — hedged: “might” (00:03:00)
    • two or three seconds — watch time after which a swiped video may count as a view · for TikTok videos · as of 2026-06-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-05 · The Things We Don't Discuss — Hank says TikTok's separate monetization metric, qualified views, hovers between 20 and 50% of the reported view number. (00:03:29)
    • between 20 and 50% (percent) — qualified views as a share of reported views · for TikTok videos · as of 2026-06-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-05 · The Things We Don't Discuss — Hank says TikTok reports higher view numbers to look impressive and partly to manipulate creators into feeling more successful. (00:03:59)
  • 2026-06-05 · The Things We Don't Discuss — Hank says Facebook began inflating view counts around 2014, a scandal then, though now everyone accepts it. — hedged: “in like 2014” (00:03:59)
    • 2014 — year Facebook began reporting inflated view counts · for Facebook videos · as of 2026-06-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-07-10 · How Status Destroys Us — Hank says that of the 28,000 people who tried Smush on its first day, 21,000 came back to play the next day. (00:05:55)
    • 28,000 (people) — people who tried Smush on its first day · as of 2026-07-10 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 21,000 (people) — first-day Smush players who returned the next day · as of 2026-07-10 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-07 · Just Trying to Figure Out My Job — Hank says no one is using AI to write Crash Course videos, whatever an AI-generated headline said. (00:01:54)
  • 2026-08-07 · Just Trying to Figure Out My Job — Hank says Complexly's AI policy is years old, old enough to mention Bard, and extremely clear. (00:01:54)
  • 2026-08-18 · My Nemeses — John says the lieutenant governor recently came out as pro-hate, giving a sermon in which he said, as John quotes directly, that God is a God of hatred. (00:02:28)
  • 2026-08-18 · My Nemeses — John reports that the lieutenant governor's office responded that John was taking the quotes out of context. (00:02:57)
  • 2026-08-18 · My Nemeses — John says the lieutenant governor tried to remove John's books from the YA sections of public libraries in central Indiana. (00:03:27)
  • 2026-09-15 · YouTube Says This Video Has 683,183 Views, It Actually Has 312,584 — John says that on their channel, consistently over 20 years, one person liked a video for every 10 who watched it: the ratio he once made a video about. (00:00:29)
    • one person liked the video for every 10 people who watched it — likes per view · for Vlogbrothers videos · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-15 · YouTube Says This Video Has 683,183 Views, It Actually Has 312,584 — John says he could estimate a video's earnings by multiplying its likes by 30: ten viewers per like, and about $3 per thousand views. (00:00:58)
    • about $3 (USD) — revenue per thousand views · for Vlogbrothers videos · as of 2026-09-15 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-15 · YouTube Says This Video Has 683,183 Views, It Actually Has 312,584 — John says that over the last year or so the ratio started to change because fewer people like the videos they watch. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-09-15 · YouTube Says This Video Has 683,183 Views, It Actually Has 312,584 — John says that in the last month YouTube, borrowing from Instagram and TikTok, began counting a view when anyone watches any frame, instead of after an unknown number of seconds. (00:01:27)
    • probably around 25 (seconds) — seconds watched before YouTube used to count a view · for YouTube videos · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-15 · YouTube Says This Video Has 683,183 Views, It Actually Has 312,584 — John says view counts across YouTube have skyrocketed in the last month; his most recent video received 1.2 million-ish views. (00:01:56)
    • 1.2 million-ish (views) — views counted the new way · for John's most recent Vlogbrothers video · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-15 · YouTube Says This Video Has 683,183 Views, It Actually Has 312,584 — John says the analytics' engaged-views tab shows that video received about 380,000 views the old way, so about two-thirds of its views would not have counted a month ago. (00:02:26)
    • about 380,000 (views) — engaged views (counted the old way) · for John's most recent Vlogbrothers video · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
    • two-thirds (share) — share of views that would not have counted a month earlier · for John's most recent Vlogbrothers video · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-15 · YouTube Says This Video Has 683,183 Views, It Actually Has 312,584 — John says 1,000 views no longer means $3 in revenue; these days it means about 90 cents. (00:02:26)
    • about 90 cents (USD) — revenue per 1,000 views · for Vlogbrothers videos · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank says that applying John's multiply-likes-by-30 rule to that video's 23,000 likes gives $690,000, which is not what the video made. (00:00:00)
    • 23,000 (likes) — likes · for John's Vlogbrothers video of 2026-09-15 · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — In a comment reply, Hank says marketing departments definitely care about conversion rates, but also care about absolutely fake big numbers. (creator comment)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — In a comment reply, Hank says repeat views by one user usually count as multiple views if not in the same session. (creator comment)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank says John meant the two digits before the K: that gives $690, quite close to what the video has made so far, so for them the trick perhaps still mostly works. — hedged: “perhaps” (00:00:29)
    • $690 (USD) — revenue so far · for John's Vlogbrothers video of 2026-09-15 · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank warns not to apply the trick to other YouTube channels: many factors, from where the audience lives to video length, affect ad rates. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Todd (quoted): In a YouTube clip from about three years ago, Todd says flipping past Shorts does not count as views; some platforms count impressions, but YouTube wants a view to encode intent to watch. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank says Facebook counted views far faster than YouTube, making posters think they got more views, so companies went all in on Facebook, which with other things led to bad outcomes. (00:02:01)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank says TikTok drove view inflation: short content means more views per minute, and scrolling until you find a video to watch might count five or 10 views. — hedged: “might” (00:02:59)
    • five or 10 (views) — views counted while scrolling to one video actually watched · for TikTok users · as of 2026-09-18 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank says a YouTube view was worth at least 10 TikTok views, and YouTube numbers had to be multiplied by five for the difference in views, or used to be. (00:03:58)
    • at least 10 (ratio) — value of a YouTube view relative to a TikTok view · for creators · as of 2026-09-18 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • five (ratio) — TikTok views per comparable YouTube view · for creators · as of 2026-09-18 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank says brands also just look at view numbers: agencies and brand staff report the biggest number they can, though everyone knows engaged views, likes or sales matter more. (00:03:58)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank corrects John: YouTube's switch to counting a view at the first frame happened a while ago, unannounced; it has moved the after-click threshold many times. (00:04:56)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank says the real change is that a video autoplaying as you scroll on a phone, or on mouse-over on youtube.com, now counts as a view, which is why counts inflated so much. (00:05:25)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank says YouTube now counts views the way Instagram, TikTok and Facebook always have: any information from the video rather than text and thumbnail. (00:05:25)
  • 2026-09-18 · John was Wrong about YouTube Views — Hank credits YouTube for announcing it: hover autoplay from a thumbnail is a view from the first frame; playing on some seconds, or any click, makes an engaged view. (00:06:18)
  • 2026-10-27 · Should I Salinger… — John says J. D. Salinger published The Catcher in the Rye in 1951 while living in New York City, then in 1953, aged 34, retired to New Hampshire, stopped speaking to the media and eventually stopped publishing. (00:00:12)
    • 1951 — year The Catcher in the Rye was published · for J. D. Salinger · as of 1951 · no source named · unchecked
    • 1953 — year Salinger retired to New Hampshire · for J. D. Salinger · in New Hampshire · as of 1953 · no source named · unchecked
    • 34 (years) — Salinger's age when he retired to New Hampshire · for J. D. Salinger · in New Hampshire · as of 1953 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-27 · Should I Salinger… — John says J. D. Salinger did not reject fame at first: he was an actor and wanted to play Holden Caulfield in an adaptation of The Catcher in the Rye, although he was in his 30s when it came out. (00:00:42)
    • 30s (years) — Salinger's age when The Catcher in the Rye came out · for J. D. Salinger · as of 1951 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-27 · Should I Salinger… — John says J. D. Salinger worked hard early on to sell his stories, submitting to many magazines and seeking Hollywood adaptations, and kept publishing stories and books of stories through the 1950s and early 1960s after moving to New Hampshire. (00:01:04)
    • the 1950s and the early 1960s — period Salinger kept publishing stories and books of stories · for J. D. Salinger · as of 2026-10-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-27 · Should I Salinger… — John says J. D. Salinger stopped publishing after his last story, published in 1965, got very bad reviews; from 1965 until his death in 2010 he published nothing, though by all accounts he kept writing. (00:01:27)
    • 1965 — year of Salinger's last published story · for J. D. Salinger · as of 1965 · no source named · unchecked
    • 2010 — year of Salinger's death · for J. D. Salinger · as of 2010 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-27 · Should I Salinger… — John says J. D. Salinger did not become a hermit (he married three times and had children) but would not willingly speak to the media and jealously guarded his privacy, filing many lawsuits to keep people from him and his work. (00:01:41)
    • three times (marriages) — number of times Salinger married · for J. D. Salinger · as of 2026-10-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-27 · Should I Salinger… — John says the forest near his house has been a forest for 12,000 years, since the last glacier receded from what is now Indianapolis. (00:03:20)
    • 12,000 years — time the forest near John's house has been a forest · in Indianapolis · as of 2026-10-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank notes that David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman, Muhammad Ali, Carrie Fisher and George Michael all died in 2016. (00:01:30)
    • 2016 — year of the deaths of David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman, Muhammad Ali, Carrie Fisher and George Michael · as of 2016 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says "dumpster fire" was the American Dialect Society's 2016 word of the year. (00:01:30)
    • 2016 — year 'dumpster fire' was the American Dialect Society's word of the year · in United States · as of 2026-10-30 (implied: upload date) · source: American Dialect Society · unchecked
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says 2016 was the first year online advertising outpaced TV ads in the US. (00:01:59)
    • 2016 — first year online advertising outpaced TV ads · in United States · as of 2026-10-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says 2016 was the first year mobile internet use outpaced desktop internet use worldwide. (00:01:59)
    • 2016 — first year mobile internet use outpaced desktop internet use · in the world · as of 2026-10-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says Twitter and Instagram switched to algorithmic feeds in 2016. (00:01:59)
    • 2016 — year Twitter and Instagram switched to algorithmic feeds · as of 2026-10-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says that in 2016 Google published a paper on YouTube recommendations now being made by deep neural networks. (00:01:59)
    • 2016 — year Google published its paper on YouTube recommendations by deep neural networks · as of 2026-10-30 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says the share of Americans over 65 who were online and on Facebook rose from 48% in 2015 to 62% in 2016: the last demographic to join the internet was piling on and experiencing the feed. (00:02:28)
    • 48% — share of Americans over 65 who were online and on Facebook · for Americans over 65 · in United States · as of 2015 · no source named · unchecked
    • 62% — share of Americans over 65 who were online and on Facebook · for Americans over 65 · in United States · as of 2016 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says early in 2016 mainstream outlets' top election content far outperformed misinformation, but in the election's last three months top fake stories on Facebook got more views, shares and comments than major outlets' top stories. (00:02:28)
    • last three months — period of the election in which top fake election stories on Facebook outperformed major outlets' top stories · for Facebook users · in United States · as of 2016 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-30 · The Last Normal Year — Hank says there is great data showing that when people lose trust in each other and in their government, things get worse. (00:05:24)

Science & nature (59)

History & curiosities (35)

  • 2026-02-27 · Can We Do a Science Together?? — Hank says English has around 170,000 words without conjugations, up to a million with technical and old words and conjugations, and that most people know about 50,000 words. (00:00:00)
    • 170,000 (words) — number of words in English, not counting conjugations · for English language · as of 2026-02-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • a million (words) — number of English words including technical words, old words and conjugations · for English language · as of 2026-02-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 50,000 (words) — number of words a person knows · for most people · as of 2026-02-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-27 · Can We Do a Science Together?? — Hank says there are over a thousand Pokémon and some people know all of them; they are not exactly names, but kind of names. (00:00:29)
    • over a thousand (species) — number of Pokémon · for Pokémon · as of 2026-02-27 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-27 · Can We Do a Science Together?? — Hank says the research he found tests name retrieval, not how many names people know: people repeatedly write down names over time and statistics estimate a total of about 5,000. — hedged: “it seems like” (00:01:31)
    • 5,000 (names) — estimated number of names a person knows (name-retrieval studies) · for people · as of 2026-02-27 (implied: upload date) · source: research · unchecked
  • 2026-02-27 · Can We Do a Science Together?? — Hank says Wikipedia has a list of notable people and fictional characters plus public pageview data that can stand in for how famous each is. (00:03:09)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — Hank says Turkey, like Georgia and perhaps Hungary, is a country whose most common English name is used more often for something other than the country. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — China may once have shared this problem, but nobody calls their dishes china anymore. — hedged: “may” (00:00:29)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — Hank says the turkey bird is in fact named after the country, though turkeys don't live anywhere near Turkey. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — Turkeys were named after guinea fowl, which were traded to Europe through Ottoman trade routes and so called turkey fowl. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — In Turkey the birds were called Hindi, as if from India; in India they are sometimes called Peru, though Peru has no turkeys. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — In Turkish, French, Russian, Polish, Hebrew, Armenian, Georgian and other languages, the turkey's name basically means 'from India'. (00:01:56)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — In Greek and Scottish the turkey is a kind of French bird, in Levantine Arabic the Ethiopian rooster, and in Albanian the sea rooster. (00:01:56)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — Guinea fowl come from Sub-Saharan Africa, so their English name is now roughly correct. (00:01:56)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — Only Mexico, where turkeys are from, names the bird correctly: in Mexican Spanish guajolote, from the Nahuatl name given by the people who domesticated it. (00:02:26)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — The people of Georgia call their country Sakartvelo. (00:02:55)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — In 2022 Turkey's government asked the UN to change the country's English name so it would not share a word with the bird. (00:03:53)
    • 2022 (year) — year of request to change the English name · for Government of Turkey · in Turkey · as of 2026-06-12 (implied: date said in the video) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — 'Turkey' is also an uncommon, mild slang term for a fool, something said to a kid. (00:04:22)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — Ukraine never liked being called 'the Ukraine', as Hank called it growing up, because it implies being part of another thing. (00:04:52)
  • 2026-06-13 · Wait...How Do You Pronounce Turkey??? — No one says Kiev anymore, the more Russian pronunciation, though people still say chicken Kiev. (00:05:21)
  • 2026-06-19 · You Have to Poop in the Eiffel Tower — Hank says the Eiffel Tower has bathrooms on all three levels and a toilet at the very top since the beginning, when the man whose company designed and financed most of it secured himself an apartment there. (00:00:00)
    • three (levels) — levels of the Eiffel Tower with bathrooms · in Eiffel Tower · as of 2026-06-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-19 · You Have to Poop in the Eiffel Tower — Hank says that since its construction the tower has constantly been refitted with new infrastructure: elevators, lights, air conditioners, wires and lots of plumbing. (00:00:25)
  • 2026-06-19 · You Have to Poop in the Eiffel Tower — Hank says the tower's builders and maintainers hide the plumbing infrastructure, which warms the pipes and manages pressures so they flow in all weather while tens of thousands visit every day. (00:00:59)
    • tens of thousands (people) — daily visitors to the Eiffel Tower · in Eiffel Tower · as of 2026-06-19 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-19 · You Have to Poop in the Eiffel Tower — Hank says the tower's plumbing is designed to make clogs both unlikely and fixable. (00:01:28)
  • 2026-06-19 · You Have to Poop in the Eiffel Tower — Hank says the infrastructure manages the air as well as the fluid in the pipes, so every flush can move from the top of the tower into the sewer. (00:01:28)
  • 2026-06-19 · You Have to Poop in the Eiffel Tower — Hank says the Paris Sewer Museum is no Disneyland version of the sewers but the real Paris sewer, with sewage running under the grates. (00:02:03)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank explains that Google's Ngram viewer is a searchable word-frequency-over-time database drawn mostly from books and other print, not from speech. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank says that because Ngram covers print only, it cannot show whether 'pain in the neck' or 'pain in the ass' came first in speech. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank notes Ngram shows phrases as a share of all words printed each year, not absolute numbers, because publishing volume changes over time. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank says a plain search for 'pain in the neck' shows a bump in the 1940s, perhaps when the idiom spiked in print. — hedged: “maybe” (00:01:56)
    • 1940s — decade of a bump in printed use of 'pain in the neck' (Google Ngram) · for books · as of 2026-08-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank says searching the phrase in quotation marks shows an explosion of authors quoting the idiom in the 1940s, trailing off as it became naturalized. (00:02:26)
    • 1940s — decade of peak printed use of 'pain in the neck' in quotation marks (Google Ngram) · for books · as of 2026-08-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank finds 'is a pain in the neck' remarkably consistent in print: its 2010 peak is barely below its 1940 peak. (00:02:55)
    • 2010 — year of a later peak of printed 'is a pain in the neck', barely below the 1940 peak (Google Ngram) · for books · as of 2026-08-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 1940 — year of the earlier peak of printed 'is a pain in the neck' (Google Ngram) · for books · as of 2026-08-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank reports that pains in the butt area surpassed pains in the neck in print in 1996 and never looked back. (00:03:24)
    • 1996 — year printed butt-area 'pain in the' idioms surpassed 'pain in the neck' (Google Ngram) · for books · as of 2026-08-14 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank says dictionaries mostly define the two phrases identically; the Cambridge Dictionary gives the same definition for both. (00:03:53)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank says in British books 'pain in the arse' led 'pain in the ass' for a while, but America appears to have won. — hedged: “appears to” (00:05:50)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank says less taboo butt phrases arose: 'pain in the rear end' has always led, while 'patootie' and 'tush' are now cratering. (00:06:19)
  • 2026-08-14 · Pain in the _____ — Hank shows a graph of pains in the butt area versus the neck: the rise has been smooth and finally appears to be leveling off. — hedged: “does appear to” (00:06:19)

US politics & society (27)

  • 2026-03-10 · Is Hank Green Running for Congress? — John says that last week (week of 2 March 2026) two of Hank's elected representatives, his congressperson and one of his senators, unexpectedly retired. (00:00:29)
    • two (members) — members of Congress representing Hank who unexpectedly retired · for Hank's elected representatives · in Montana · as of 2026-03-10 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-10 · Is Hank Green Running for Congress? — John says public service has long had a bad reputation in the US: 150 years ago Mark Twain quipped that Congress is the only native criminal class. (00:03:05)
    • 150 years ago — time since Mark Twain's quip about Congress · in United States · as of 2026-03-10 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-10 · Is Hank Green Running for Congress? — Both Montana politicians announced retirements just before the candidacy filing deadline, essentially handpicking successors, so Hank cannot run, having filed no paperwork. (00:04:04)
  • 2026-03-10 · Is Hank Green Running for Congress? — John says that since 2000 about 70 million tuberculosis deaths have been averted by lowering incidence and raising treatment and cure rates. (00:04:33)
    • about 70 million (deaths) — tuberculosis deaths averted since 2000 · in the world · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-10 · Is Hank Green Running for Congress? — John says getting members to sign these dear colleague letters has been incredibly effective. (00:05:31)
  • 2026-03-10 · Is Hank Green Running for Congress? — John says it is unclear how or whether the administration will actually spend the money Congress appropriated. — explicitly uncertain (00:05:31)
  • 2026-03-10 · Is Hank Green Running for Congress? — John says US global health and tuberculosis funding are both relatively flat from the Biden years. (00:05:31)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says most of the US does not execute people: 37 of the 50 states have executed no one in the past five years. (00:00:00)
    • 37 (states) — US states that have executed no one in the past five years · for the 50 U.S. states · in United States · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — The description cites Gallup's 2025 poll: 52% of US adults supported the death penalty for murder, the lowest support since 1972. (video description)
    • 52% (percent) — share of US adults supporting the death penalty for murder · for US adults · in United States · as of 2025 · source: Gallup · unchecked
    • 1972 (year) — last year support was this low · for US adults · in United States · as of 2025 · source: Gallup · unchecked
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — The description cites Joe Arridy's posthumous pardon as an example of people sentenced to death and later exonerated. (video description)
    • 201 (year) — year of Joe Arridy's posthumous pardon (as written, truncated) · for Joe Arridy · as of 2026-10-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · doubtful
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says most of those states have banned executions, some have moratoriums and others just rarely execute; they include blue and red states from Alaska to New York to West Virginia. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says Michigan was the first state to ban the death penalty, in 1847, and the first English-speaking government ever to do so. (00:00:29)
    • 1847 (year) — year Michigan banned the death penalty, the first US state and first English-speaking government to do so · in Michigan · as of 2026-10-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says the governor of Tennessee placed a temporary moratorium on executions last week (week of 28 September 2026) because the state appears unable to carry them out competently. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says Tennessee last week (week of 28 September 2026) tried to execute 50-year-old Krista Pike, who with her boyfriend tortured and killed a classmate when she was 18, in 1995. (00:01:27)
    • 50 (years) — age of Christa Pike at the attempted execution · in Tennessee · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
    • 18 (years) — Christa Pike's age when she killed a classmate · in Tennessee · as of 2026-10-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • 1995 (year) — year of the killing · in Tennessee · as of 2026-10-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says lethal injection is how the US executes most people, so he focuses on it, though other methods can also be botched. (00:01:56)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says the first failure is that whoever places the IV cannot do it, because of the prisoner's physiology, lack of competence or bad luck; some procedures need two veins. (00:02:26)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says an IV placed incorrectly or slipping out puts the drug into surrounding tissue, which can be very painful, so the person may not die or die after prolonged suffering. (00:02:26)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says sometimes the wrong drug or formulation has been injected, so the person survives or dies after much suffering and confusion. (00:03:24)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says, without evidence for humans, that a person might not respond typically to the drugs; this is very rare but happens in veterinary euthanasia. — hedged: “might” (00:03:24)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says there is surprisingly little consistency between states in which drugs are used, and procedures and drugs keep changing. (00:03:53)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says the American Medical Association says doctors should not participate in executions, though some do. (00:04:19)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says the American Board of Anesthesiology, the most relevant profession, says participating in an execution can cost a physician their board certification. (00:04:19)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says the doctor assisting Pike's execution was not an anesthesiologist and had taken part in an earlier botched execution, trying for nearly an hour to place an IV, then a central line he hadn't done in over a decade. (00:04:49)
    • nearly an hour (time) — time the doctor spent trying to place an IV in an earlier botched execution · as of 2026-10-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • more than a decade (time) — time since the doctor had last performed a central line · as of 2026-10-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says drug makers and many medical suppliers will not sell drugs for executions, and governments cannot acquire them illegally, reducing access to some drugs and the quality of others. (00:05:18)
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says most US voters, though the lowest share in around 50 years, want to keep the state's ability to kill people, while most medical experts refuse to take part. (00:05:47)
    • Most — share of US voters who want to keep the death penalty · for US voters · in United States · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
    • around 50 years — time since support for the death penalty was this low · for US voters · in United States · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says lethal injection has about a 7% failure rate, far above euthanasia of dogs or end-of-life therapies for suffering people. (00:07:15)
    • 7% (percent) — failure (botch) rate of lethal-injection executions · in United States · as of 2026-10-05 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-05 · Why Are We So Bad at Executing People? — Hank says far fewer people are sentenced to death than at the peak and fewer are executed; the trend holds overall though not in every state. (00:07:41)

Sports (23)

  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — The men's World Cup starts in a few days, the only event most people in the world pay attention to at the same time. (00:00:00)
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Curaçao is the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, with a population about a tenth the size of Indianapolis. (00:00:00)
    • the smallest nation ever to qualify — population rank among World Cup qualifiers · for Curaçao · as of 2026-06-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • about 1 tenth the size of Indianapolis — population · for Curaçao · as of 2026-06-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Haiti had impressive qualifying wins over Costa Rica and Nicaragua despite playing no home games at home because of political instability, but drew a group with Brazil and Morocco. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Instead Jordan qualified for their first World Cup; they won't win it but have impressive recent wins over Saudi Arabia and Egypt. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Iraq made their first World Cup since 1986, helped by a critical qualifying goal from former AFC Wimbledon star Ali Al-Hamadi. (00:00:58)
    • 1986 — year of previous World Cup appearance · for Iraq men's national team · as of 2026-06-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — World Cup debutants Cape Verde have recent wins over Finland and Serbia, so they are at the tournament on merit. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Saudi Arabia want to get out of their group for the first time since 1994, when the tournament was also hosted in North America. (00:01:27)
    • 1994 — last time getting out of the World Cup group stage · for Saudi Arabia men's national team · as of 2026-06-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — South Africa, who hosted the tournament in 2010, are back for the first time since then. (00:01:56)
    • 2010 — year South Africa hosted and last played the World Cup · for South Africa men's national team · as of 2026-06-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Italy to qualify, and 40-year-old Edin Džeko is still scoring goals. (00:02:26)
    • 40 (years) — age · for Edin Džeko · as of 2026-06-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Algeria just beat the Netherlands in a World Cup tune-up match. (00:02:55)
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Ghana's Black Stars have an aging golden generation; in 2010 they reached the quarterfinals and were one Luis Suárez handball from the semis. (00:03:24)
    • the quarterfinals — furthest World Cup stage reached · for Ghana men's national team · as of 2010 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — Nearly half of Czechia's squad play for Slavia Prague, cohesion that can be really good for a World Cup team. (00:03:53)
    • Nearly half — share of squad from one club · for Czechia World Cup squad · as of 2026-06-09 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — The Ivory Coast men's team just beat France in a World Cup tune-up, so who knows what will happen. (00:04:22)
  • 2026-06-09 · Your 1-Sentence Guide to EVERY TEAM in the 2026 World Cup — In 2022 Morocco became the first African team to reach the semifinals, and they could repeat it. (00:06:49)
    • the first African team ever — first African World Cup semifinalist · for African men's national teams · as of 2022 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — John says the US men's team has beaten Paraguay and Australia at the World Cup. (00:00:51)
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — John says football songs spread organically at stadiums, sometimes starting on Reddit. (00:02:23)
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — John says a song about Will Grigg started on YouTube, became a huge phenomenon and is now adapted for others, such as Scotland. (00:03:02)
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — John says Will Grigg doesn't play for the US and has, he thinks, retired. — hedged: “I think” (00:03:02)
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — John says Lionel Messi, 38, has five goals, every goal Argentina has scored at the tournament. (00:03:32)
    • Five goals — Lionel Messi's goals at the 2026 World Cup · for Lionel Messi · as of 2026-06 · no source named · unchecked
    • 38 years old — Lionel Messi's age · for Lionel Messi · as of 2026-06 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — John thinks the man he heard singing the Pulisic song in Seattle wrote it. — hedged: “I think” (00:04:41)
  • 2026-06-23 · A Very French Reunion — John says such songs are often player-specific; the Pulisic song arguably has its roots in a Scottish song about player John McGinn. — hedged: “you could argue” (00:04:41)
  • 2026-10-06 · Make Your Art. — John says that for nearly 40 years Mikey T never missed a Wimbledon match, attending over 2,000 consecutive senior men's games, including one 10 days ago. (00:00:58)
    • nearly 40 years — length of Mikey T's unbroken run attending Wimbledon matches · for Mikey T · in AFC Wimbledon · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
    • over 2,000 (games) — consecutive senior men's games attended · for Mikey T · in AFC Wimbledon · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-06 · Make Your Art. — John does not know how many people listen to AFC Wimbledon radio broadcasts but suspects it is in the hundreds, certainly not millions. — hedged: “I suspect” (00:02:11)
    • in the hundreds (listeners) — listeners to AFC Wimbledon radio broadcasts · for AFC Wimbledon radio audience · in England · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked

Books & writing (22)

  • 2026-01-13 · why we make art — John says he does not mean the real Cheyenne, the largest city in Wyoming, with a population of 65,000. (00:00:00)
    • 65,000 (people) — population · for Cheyenne · in Cheyenne, Wyoming · as of 2026-01-13 (implied: date said in the video) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-01-13 · why we make art — John says the Project for Awesome, an annual fundraiser, has raised over $20 million for charity. (00:00:58)
    • over $20 million (USD) — total raised for charity · for Project for Awesome · as of 2026-01-13 (implied: date said in the video) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-03-31 · I've Been Keeping a Secret… — John says his first novel, Looking for Alaska, was just banned in every single school in Utah. (00:02:26)
  • 2026-07-07 · On the Death of the Author — John says in 1992 you couldn't Google the author of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, because Google would not be invented for six more years. (00:01:57)
    • six more years — time from 1992 until Google was invented · as of 1992 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-07-07 · On the Death of the Author — John says the famous literary critic Roland Barthes published his essay The Death of the Author in 1967. (00:02:28)
    • 1967 (year) — publication year of The Death of the Author · as of 2026-07-07 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — The description corrects the figure: Schwab's signed first printing was 300,000 copies, not 350,000. (video description)
    • 300,000 (copies) — signed first printing of their latest novel · for V. E. Schwab · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — The description says John W. Jones signed 1,155,168 Confederate notes, probably significantly more. — hedged: “probably” (video description)
    • 1,155,168 (notes) — Confederate notes signed · for John W. Jones · in Confederate States of America · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — The description says Brandon Sanderson estimates he signs 50,000 to 100,000 times a year. (video description)
    • 50,000–100,000 (signatures) — signatures per year · for Brandon Sanderson · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · source: Brandon Sanderson · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — John has definitely signed the most tip-in sheets bound into books, 875,557 so far, which recently earned him the Guinness World Records title. (00:01:56)
    • 875,557 (sheets) — tip-in sheets signed by John and bound into books · for John Green · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Hank says over 100,000 copies of Hollywood, Ending are signed. (00:01:56)
    • Over 100,000 (copies) — signed copies of Hollywood, Ending · for Hollywood, Ending · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — From the 1960s to the 1990s autograph interest was intense, and many celebrities ran signing operations that mailed a signature back to anyone who wrote. (00:04:22)
    • 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s — decades of intense celebrity autograph interest · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Arnold Palmer's publicist claimed he signed over 2 million autographs, but Hank says there is no good proof, just a per-day rate times years. (00:04:52)
    • over 2 million (autographs) — autographs signed in his lifetime · for Arnold Palmer · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · source: Arnold Palmer's publicist · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Hank explains that currency was once signed by hand, the signature seen as evidence the money was real, a practice mostly dropped before mass printing. (00:05:21)
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — A full paper trail shows one man signed more than a million Confederate banknotes during the Civil War, likely far more. (00:05:21)
    • more than a million (banknotes) — Confederate banknotes signed by one individual · in Confederate States of America · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Brazil had clerks sign banknotes by hand until the 1950s; clerks signed 2,000 bills a day in a good government job some kept for decades. (00:05:50)
    • 2,000 (bills) — bills signed per clerk per day · for Brazilian banknote clerks · in Brazil · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Some long-serving Brazilian clerks could have signed their names over 10 million times; more conservatively four or five million over a career. — hedged: “could have” (00:06:49)
    • over 10 million (signatures) — signatures over a career · for long-serving Brazilian banknote clerks · in Brazil · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
    • four or five million (signatures) — signatures over a career (conservative) · for long-serving Brazilian banknote clerks · in Brazil · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Authors have signed books for a very long time; the celebrity book-signing experience is at least a hundred years old. (00:07:18)
    • at least a hundred years — age of the celebrity book-signing experience · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — The New Yorker article bragged about Stein signing 250 books, far fewer than authors sign now. (00:07:47)
    • 250 (books) — books signed by Gertrude Stein at a signing event · for Gertrude Stein · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · source: The New Yorker · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Many think Brandon Sanderson may be ahead of John; he has certainly signed hundreds of thousands of books. (00:08:16)
    • hundreds of thousands (books) — books signed by Brandon Sanderson · for Brandon Sanderson · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-25 · Who Has Signed Their Name the Most Times? — Hank says Schwab signed more than 350,000 tip-in sheets for their last novel. (00:08:16)
    • more than 350,000 (sheets) — tip-in sheets signed for their last novel · for V. E. Schwab · as of 2026-09-25 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-08 · The Test of a First Rate Intelligence — John says that in the last 25 years tuberculosis deaths have fallen by over 30%, yet we failed every one of the 1.2 million people who died of TB last year (2025). (00:03:54)
    • over 30% — reduction in tuberculosis deaths · for people worldwide · in the world · as of last 25 years (resolved: 2001–2026, from the upload date 2026-10-08) · no source named · unchecked
    • 1.2 million (deaths) — tuberculosis deaths per year · for people worldwide · in the world · as of last year (resolved: 2025, from the upload date 2026-10-08) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-10-13 · My Lungs Are on the Outside of the Body — Asked whether lungs are inside or outside the body, Hank says lungs are a sack of outside carried inside: nothing closes them off from the outside air. (00:04:43)

Philosophy & meaning (19)

  • 2026-04-10 · Moon Joy — Answering a commenter, Hank says people have known moonlight is reflected sunlight at least since Ancient Greece, probably earlier. — hedged: “probably” (creator comment)
  • 2026-04-10 · Moon Joy — Hank says eight billion humans are all wanting at the same time, not counting non-humans, which is messy. (00:03:23)
    • Eight billion (people) — human population · for humans · in the world · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-04-10 · Moon Joy — Hank notes the moon makes no light of its own: we see sunlight bouncing off it and reflecting back at us. (00:03:52)
  • 2026-05-12 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Bart Giamatti — John finds that Bart Giamatti, the seventh commissioner of Major League Baseball, was indeed the father of actor Paul Giamatti. (00:00:29)
    • seventh — ordinal of Bart Giamatti among Major League Baseball commissioners · for Major League Baseball commissioners · in United States · as of 2026-05-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-05-12 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Bart Giamatti — John learns Bart Giamatti died in office in 1989, so he never gave the Kenyon address in 1999 and was never a former commissioner. (00:01:27)
    • 1989 — year of Bart Giamatti's death · for Bart Giamatti · as of 2026-05-12 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-05-12 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Bart Giamatti — John says Fay Vincent was a movie producer before becoming commissioner and produced, he thinks, Tootsie. — hedged: “like” (00:01:56)
  • 2026-05-12 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Bart Giamatti — John says studies have shown that even vivid memories can be unreliable. (00:03:08)
  • 2026-05-12 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Bart Giamatti — John says flashbulb memories of important events (such as a national tragedy or a college graduation) are no more reliable than others; as one study put it, they are special only in perceived accuracy. (00:03:20)
  • 2026-07-17 · The Terrors of Middle Age — Hank describes Open Sauce as an event for people who make stuff and make stuff about making stuff. (00:00:00)
  • 2026-08-03 · Esther Day 2026: Some Thoughts on Loss — John notes that almost all of the 120 billion people who have ever lived are no longer here. (00:00:58)
    • 120 billion (people) — number of people who have ever lived · for humans · in the world · as of 2026-08-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-03 · Esther Day 2026: Some Thoughts on Loss — Amy Krouse Rosenthal (quoted): John reads Amy Krouse Rosenthal's reckoning that a generous 80-year life amounts to 29,220 days on Earth. (00:01:27)
    • 29,220 (days) — days in an 80-year life · for humans · in the world · as of 2026-08-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-03 · Esther Day 2026: Some Thoughts on Loss — John says around half of all people who ever lived did not live to age 10. (00:02:49)
    • around half (share) — share of all people who ever lived who died before age 10 · for humans · in the world · as of 2026-08-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-21 · Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos — Hank says Mozart could easily not have been Mozart: his father, a world-class musician and music teacher, retired to teach him, and he grew up among world-class instruments that were then new technology. (00:02:25)
  • 2026-08-21 · Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos — Hank says Renaissance Italy around 1500 had many canonical creators though it was not optimized for finding talent: women were excluded, and most men did manual labor without access to patrons, workshops or apprenticeships. (00:02:54)
    • half (share) — share of the population excluded from intellectual and artistic pursuits (women) · for Renaissance Italy · in Italy · as of 2026-08-21 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-21 · Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos — Hank says Machiavelli, Botticelli, Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael all worked at the same time in Florence, a city of barely 60,000 people. (00:03:39)
    • 60,000 (people) — city population · in Florence · as of 2026-08-21 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-01 · You Can't Go Home Again, but I Tried — John says chemoreception, the precursor to smell and taste, probably evolved in organisms even before the sense of touch. — hedged: “probably” (00:00:58)
  • 2026-09-01 · You Can't Go Home Again, but I Tried — John says most senses pass through the thalamus, but scent goes directly to the brain's emotion and memory parts, which is why it provokes memories more intensely than sight. (00:01:05)
  • 2026-09-01 · You Can't Go Home Again, but I Tried — John says Good Store donates 100% of its profit to charity. (00:03:10)
    • 100% (percent) — share of Good Store profit donated to charity · for Good Store · as of 2026-09-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-01 · You Can't Go Home Again, but I Tried — John says Sun Basin Soap has donated millions of dollars to support the Maternal Center of Excellence at Koidu Government Hospital in Sierra Leone. (00:03:15)
    • millions of dollars (USD) — Sun Basin Soap donations to the Maternal Center of Excellence · for Sun Basin Soap · in Sierra Leone · as of 2026-09-01 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked

Personal life (12)

  • 2026-02-10 · I Was a Teenage Dirtbag — John says that according to actuarial tables, around age 48 life satisfaction bottoms out on average, so this should be the unhappiest part of his life. (00:00:18)
    • 48 (years) — age at which average life satisfaction bottoms out · for people on average · as of 2026-02-10 (implied: upload date) · source: actuarial tables · unchecked
  • 2026-05-29 · Chemo Cow Body Odor YouTube Helen Hunt Commute — Hank says body odor can change during chemotherapy, probably not from the drugs themselves but because stressed sebaceous glands go dormant, leaving armpit bacteria nothing to eat and excrete as smell. — hedged: “probably” (00:00:52)
  • 2026-05-29 · Chemo Cow Body Odor YouTube Helen Hunt Commute — Hank describes a 2016 study testing whether killing someone's armpit microbes and transplanting another person's changes body odor, which matters to people with strong body odor; the microbiome is not the only factor. (00:04:51)
    • 2016 (year) — publication year of an armpit microbe transplant study on body odor · as of 2026-05-29 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-05-29 · Chemo Cow Body Odor YouTube Helen Hunt Commute — Hank says early results show armpit bacteria transplants can have real results. (00:05:20)
  • 2026-06-26 · No Video Today!! — The anniversary trip coincides with a historic heat wave in France, which Hank says they will think about later. (00:00:58)
  • 2026-07-03 · Why I Didn't Buy TED — Hank says TED is not just the big conference: there is TEDx for local events, the TED-Ed YouTube channel of educational videos, TED podcasts, a radio show and fellowships. (00:00:00)
  • 2026-07-03 · Why I Didn't Buy TED — Hank says TED's Audacious Project has helped raise over a billion dollars for huge philanthropic projects, which makes him a little jealous. (00:00:29)
    • over a billion dollars (USD) — money raised for philanthropic projects through the Audacious Project · for Audacious Project · as of 2026-07-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-07-03 · Why I Didn't Buy TED — Hank says Chris Anderson, the person most associated with TED, bought it in 2001. (00:00:29)
    • 2001 (year) — year Chris Anderson bought TED · for TED · as of 2026-07-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-07-03 · Why I Didn't Buy TED — Anderson bought TED through his nonprofit, effectively converting it into a nonprofit; TED was then already beloved but a very small conference of a few hundred people. (00:00:58)
    • a few hundred people — size of the TED conference when Anderson bought it · for TED conference attendees · as of 2026-07-03 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-07-03 · Why I Didn't Buy TED — Anderson gave the brand away in limited ways through free TEDx licenses, with conditions, so people all over the world hold local versions of TED Talks. (00:01:27)
  • 2026-07-03 · Why I Didn't Buy TED — When Anderson decided to move on, instead of selling TED to a private equity firm, a very rich buyer or a media conglomerate, he 'Willy Wonka'd' it: a letter asking who should help shape TED's future and why. (00:01:56)
  • 2026-07-03 · Why I Didn't Buy TED — Hank says TED ended up with Sal Khan of Khan Academy as its vision steward. (00:04:22)

Projects (5)

  • 2026-02-04 · We Just Sold Our Company for $0 — Hank says Complexly today is an organization of over 70 people. (00:01:35)
    • over 70 (people) — Complexly staff size · for Complexly · as of 2026 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-04 · We Just Sold Our Company for $0 — Hank says Crash Course is an educational video resource used in nearly every high school in America. (00:01:40)
  • 2026-05-26 · Hank Green Is a Fool — In a channel comment John says The Fault in Our Stars has sold over 30,000,000 copies. (creator comment)
    • over 30,000,000 (copies) — copies sold · for The Fault in Our Stars · as of 2026-05-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-05-26 · Hank Green Is a Fool — John says Crash Course got 154 million views last year (2025) and is used in thousands of schools around the world, making education more accessible. (00:05:50)
    • 154 million (views) — views of Crash Course in a year · for Crash Course · as of 2025 · no source named · unchecked
    • thousands (schools) — schools using Crash Course · for Crash Course · in around the world · as of 2026-05-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-09-28 · Death. Taxes. Pizzamas. — John says no one is paying him to praise the shirts, because 100% of the Pizzamas royalties go to support Partners In Health. (00:02:14)
    • 100% (percent) — share of Pizzamas royalties donated · for Pizzamas royalties · as of 2026-09-28 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked

Economics (4)

  • 2026-02-13 · Why Isn't Everybody a Nonprofit?! — Hank says nonprofits can have a surplus, and most strive for one as a buffer, since sitting at zero is precarious; that surplus is not taxed. (00:02:26)
  • 2026-02-13 · Why Isn't Everybody a Nonprofit?! — Hank says nonprofits often get access to grants and public funds unavailable to for-profits, since many foundations and agencies fund only registered nonprofits; this is how the Project for Awesome works. (00:04:22)
  • 2026-02-13 · Why Isn't Everybody a Nonprofit?! — Hank says nonprofits can make tons of money and have significant surpluses, citing hospitals, universities and the NFL, which was a nonprofit until 2015. (00:04:36)
    • until 2015 — year the NFL stopped being a nonprofit · for National Football League · in United States · as of 2015 · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-02-13 · Why Isn't Everybody a Nonprofit?! — Hank says San Diego Comic-Con is a nonprofit, which he checked by googling. (00:04:52)

Pop culture (3)

  • 2026-08-26 · Jad Abumrad on Dolly Parton: 'The Unicorn of Unicorns' — Jad Abumrad: Jad says Dolly came to Nashville at 21 in 1967 to join Porter Wagoner, then the biggest deal in country music with a syndicated show, ostensibly as his backup singer. (00:04:17)
    • 21 (years) — age of Dolly Parton when she came to Nashville · for Dolly Parton · in Nashville · as of 1967 · no source named · unchecked
    • 1967 — year Dolly Parton came to Nashville to join Porter Wagoner · for Dolly Parton · in Nashville · as of 2026-08-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-26 · Jad Abumrad on Dolly Parton: 'The Unicorn of Unicorns' — Jad Abumrad: Jad says that within a year Dolly was all anyone wanted to see; Wagoner grew jealous, bad-mouthed her in the press and sued her for $3 million when she tried to leave. (00:04:17)
    • $3 million (USD) — amount Porter Wagoner sued Dolly Parton for when she tried to leave · for Dolly Parton · as of 2026-08-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked
  • 2026-08-26 · Jad Abumrad on Dolly Parton: 'The Unicorn of Unicorns' — Jad Abumrad: Jad says Dolly left by telling Wagoner she had her own dreams and wrote I Will Always Love You for him, a song that went to number one in three successive decades. — hedged: “like” (00:04:46)
    • three successive decades — number of successive decades in which I Will Always Love You reached number one · for I Will Always Love You · as of 2026-08-26 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked

Everyday life (2)

  • 2026-04-17 · Something Awaits For Me in the Divine for Resisting — Hank explains progressive lenses: part of the lens is for far, part for near, with a gradient between, letting you see at any distance after some getting used to. (00:00:29)
  • 2026-09-29 · Pretend You Don't Know This — Hank explains love languages: basically five ways people feel loved by a romantic partner (acts of service, physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation, receiving gifts). (00:00:20)
    • five (count) — number of love languages · for people in romantic relationships · as of 2026-09-29 (implied: upload date) · no source named · unchecked

Nerdfighteria (1)

  • 2026-07-08 · Project for Awesome Recap Video 2026!! — A livestream clip shows hosts repeating "four million dollars" in disbelief, calling it unbelievable and not normal. (00:03:34)
    • Four million dollars (USD) — figure the hosts react to in the livestream clip · as of 2026-02 · no source named · unchecked