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Public figures: science, tech & business

106 people with no personal tie to the brothers in the registry, grouped by the field in their registry kind, most-mentioned first. Back to the people overview.

person date role what is said video
Bill Gates (philanthropist) 2007-02-15 cited Voicing the popular side as George W. Bush and Tom Brady, John answers poker-style with famous nerds, from Bill Clinton and Lincoln to all four Beatles, and declares 'We win!' Brotherhood 2.0: February 17, 2007 (00:01:39)
2008-12-17 personal story Hank says the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is matching donations on many projects, so it costs 50% as much to do 100% of the good. Project for Awesome: DonorsChoose.org (00:03:15)
2009-12-13 cited John says Bill Gates, and even Ashton Kutcher, are smart enough to see this; Kutcher gave $100,000 against malaria this year (2009). Eyelash Malaria (00:01:42)
2014-01-21 subject John is a big fan of the Gates Foundation, whose mission statement — his favorite — holds that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy and productive life. Are Poor Countries Doomed? (00:00:32)
2014-01-21 quoted Quoting Bill Gates: look skeptically at anyone who treats an entire continent as an undifferentiated mass of poverty and disease. Are Poor Countries Doomed? (00:01:14)
2014-05-20 credited Crash Course is about to teach a ten-episode Big History series, made possible by a grant from one of Bill Gates' organizations, charting the universe from the Big Bang to now. Deserving (00:02:08)
2014-07-15 personal story, passing John announces he is going to East Africa with Bill Gates, excited to meet people doing important work in health and agriculture. Exciting Announcements and Mosquito-Borne Illnesses (00:00:45)
2014-07-29 personal story John says he hung out with Bill Gates, whom he calls brilliant, overcame his fear of heights to fly in a helicopter with him, and will talk about it in the coming weeks. Listen: Thoughts from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (00:02:57)
2014-08-19 takes part, subject There John met Bill Gates and Gates Foundation CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann; he assumed a photo op, but they asked detailed questions about diagnosis, vaccine stocks and staffing. Baby Names: Thoughts from Rural Ethiopia (00:01:03)
2014-08-22 joke Hank calls this a boring video and goes outside to make it more interesting, saying he won't ride a helicopter with Bill Gates, dump ice water on his head or do sock puppets. Kidneys, LlamaJohn, Frankenstein, Back to School, and The Nerdfighter Online Video Workshop! (00:00:01)
2014-08-26 takes part, subject Having promised it for weeks, John reports his first helicopter ride, with Bill Gates: scary at first, then kind of awesome. Food Is Weird: Understanding Agriculture in the Developing World (00:00:12)
2014-09-02 passing Sarah reassured John that nerdfighters are forgiving and few outside Nerdfighteria would see an agriculture video; within a day Bill Gates, the WFP head and Ethiopia's foreign minister had seen it. MORTIFICATION (00:01:49)
2014-09-09 takes part John says he filmed several conversations with Bill Gates in Ethiopia and will upload them every Tuesday for about a month, a couple of hours before his regular Vlogbrothers video. Bill Gates and John Green Discuss Global Health (00:00:08)
2014-09-09 passing In Ethiopia John met a group of the university's students with Bill Gates, including Meheret, who started an anti-domestic-violence initiative. Going to College (in Ethiopia) (00:00:48)
2014-09-22 takes part The description says that if viewers raise $100,000 through Water.org to get clean water to people in Ethiopia, Bill Gates will match it with another $100,000. Bill Gates and John Green Discuss Agriculture (00:00:00)
2014-09-23 passing John says Water.org set up a Nerdfighter fundraiser for sustainable water in Ethiopia; if $100,000 is raised in 10 days, Bill Gates will match it, bringing safe water to 8,000 people. Looking Away (00:02:40)
2014-09-26 cited Hank says John got to hang out with Bill Gates, who would be the world's richest person had he not given so much money away, and discuss market forces in Ethiopian rural agriculture. Gettin' Real with Hank (00:00:36)
2014-09-29 takes part Gates says the disease they are now focused on is polio; the world officially finished smallpox in 1980, when the certificate was signed. Bill Gates and John Green Discuss Progress (00:00:00)
2014-10-21 cited Citing Bill Gates, John says the collapse of public health care in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea has probably caused more non-Ebola deaths than Ebola has. Ebola: What IS Terrifying (00:02:00)
2014-11-07 passing Hank says the Big History series Crash Course is in the middle of is a partnership with the Bill Gates think tank BGC3. New Crash Course and Pizzamas! (00:02:12)
2015-01-27 credited John says Bill and Melinda Gates's annual letter just came out, calls it his favorite letter of the year, and urges reading the whole thing. Will Life Get Better for the Poor? (00:00:01)
2015-01-27 quoted John quotes Bill and Melinda Gates: there is overwhelming evidence that people care about others who are suffering when they can see that suffering. Will Life Get Better for the Poor? (00:02:54)
2015-05-26 credited Thanks to Bill Gates, the team is building Crash Course curriculum materials (lesson plans, primary sources) for teachers and students, rolling out before the new school year. Sixteen Parts (00:02:40)
2015-06-09 subject John says Bill Gates is encouraging people to make videos about what it means to be human, with a contest offering money; link in the description. What Does It Mean to Be Human? (00:00:01)
2015-07-24 passing John guesses Bill Gates is in Tanzania doing something about poverty; they love him and wish he were there. From the Main Stage of VidCon! (00:01:13)
2015-09-22 joke Most of the fall in poverty came from China, South Asia and South America, but the poverty rate in sub-Saharan Africa has also fallen since 1990. Is Poverty Necessary? Looking back at the Millennium Development Goals (00:01:01)
2015-11-10 personal story After John got meningitis last year (2014), Bill Gates sent him a get-well-soon orchid, a thoughtful gesture John really appreciated. It's a Pizzamas Miracle! (Pizzamas Day 2) (00:01:26)
2016-02-23 subject John says that in the new annual letter from Melinda and Bill Gates, Bill argues persuasively that energy was and is the key to these gains in health and development. How Energy and Time Change Everything (00:00:29)
2016-09-06 passing John says Joe and Stan in their office have worked for over a year, with help and funding from Bill Gates' BGC3, to build educational materials around Crash Course videos. How We're Spending Your Money: The Bank of Nerdfighteria's Quarterly Report (00:02:12)
2017-02-14 quoted John calls Melinda and Bill Gates's annual letter required reading: the news tells him what happened yesterday, the letter lets him zoom out to the larger human story. Human Life Is Getting Better. Faster Than Ever Before. (00:01:02)
2018-02-13 takes part John says the Gates annual letter, which he and Hank have followed for years, this year (2018) answers ten tough questions, and is always worth reading. What Can't a Billion Dollars Buy? (00:01:39)
2019-02-12 quoted John says Bill and Melinda Gates's annual letter this year (2019) covers surprises from sexist data to slow toilet innovation, and says textbooks are becoming obsolete. Are Textbooks Obsolete? (00:00:58)
2020-09-04 passing Hank says he interviewed Bill Gates about misinformation and internet platforms on Hank's channel, suggests checking it out, and says he liked it. Go Play! (00:03:43)
2020-10-23 cited Reason two: every other day you are less powerful than Bill Gates, but your vote counts the same as the richest Americans' and more than corporations'; Jeff Bezos is voting. 10 Reasons to Vote RIGHT NOW (00:00:44)
2021-02-02 credited John recommends Melinda and Bill Gates's annual letter, which articulates things about COVID he hadn't seen written so clearly before. I Predicted the Pandemic (over and over and over again) (00:00:58)
Elon Musk (businessman) 2016-06-03 cited Hank says Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb, the Wright Brothers did not invent flight, and Elon Musk has never built an electric car; these are inspiring stories. Redefining What it Means to Matter (00:02:18)
2018-02-06 joke John says feeling that progress is inevitable also makes him complacent, as if he could sit back while grain yields feed the world, Elon Musk fixes climate change and disease cures itself. Sawdust Bread (00:02:36)
2022-04-05 cited John met Elon Musk at a fancy dinner, where Musk showed a shockingly exhaustive knowledge of vlogbrothers and related projects. Celebrities I've Met and Whether I'd Vote for Them??? (00:00:58)
2022-05-13 subject Hank recounts that on March 25 Musk polled whether Twitter adheres to free speech; after 70% of 2 million voters said no, he called Twitter the de facto public town square. What Elon Musk Got Wrong About Twitter (00:00:00)
2022-11-11 subject Hank recalls arguing months ago that Musk misunderstood content moderation, which, as Nilay Patel says, is a social platform's main product; he thinks he was right about that. Elon Was Right (00:00:00)
2022-12-23 cited Hank thinks fiction, writing and reading are a good place for insight: Elon Musk and Twitter bury him in details, but his character Peter and Altus he understands. You Cannot Trust Yourself (Hank's End of the Year Worries) (00:00:00)
2023-11-03 cited The description says those best at sarapocial relationships are often people Hank dislikes, like Trump and Musk; being good at something does not mean being good. We Need to talk about Sarapocial Relationships (00:00:00)
2024-11-22 cited Hank says individuals' credibility is harder to destroy than institutions': his video on Elon Musk's many errors in one day did little harm to Musk's reputation. Populism, Media Revolutions, and Our Terrible Moment (00:22:24)
2025-02-07 criticized Hank says a country cannot run if everything is burned down every four years, but Trump, Elon Musk or whoever seem to want to test the country's limits, and are doing so. What Trump's Doing (00:01:32)
2025-03-07 criticized Hank says everyone in government knows this; Elon Musk may not have known when he posted on Twitter about uncovering the biggest fraud in history, but he has certainly been told by now. How Social Security Fraud Actually Works (00:05:04)
2025-04-11 cited Hank says support for tariffs is not universal in the administration: Elon Musk recently called Navarro a moron. How Actually Crazy is This Mess? (00:07:48)
2025-04-15 criticized John says he made the mistake of going on Twitter that day and saw things Elon Musk said that nobody should say. Chatting with ... a U.S. Senator? (00:12:12)
2025-07-15 joke Brainstorming a clickbait title, the brothers riff 'Elon Musk isn't who you think he is' into the video's title about llamas. LLAMAS Are NOT What You Think (00:00:29)
2025-10-28 cited John flew into Manila, slept two hours, flew to Iloilo, met TB workers and took a ferry to Guimaras. Elon Cancelled This...Let's Do it Anyway (00:00:00)
2025-12-19 cited Hank says Trump hires from both of his worlds: grievance-based attention farmers (RFK Jr., Kash Patel, Dan Bongino, Pete Hegseth) and billionaires (Linda McMahon, David Sacks, Elon Musk, Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick). My Big 2026 Prediction is...Not Fun (00:02:27)
2026-02-13 joke Hearing that Henry, 16, has never used Twitter or met a Twitter user, John calls it damning to Elon Musk. Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! (03:17:18)
Albert Einstein (scientist) 2007-02-15 cited Voicing the popular side as George W. Bush and Tom Brady, John answers poker-style with famous nerds, from Bill Clinton and Lincoln to all four Beatles, and declares 'We win!' Brotherhood 2.0: February 17, 2007 (00:01:39)
2007-11-21 subject John says today, the day before Thanksgiving, is also the 102nd anniversary of the publication of Einstein's paper 'Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?' (answer: 'heck yes'). November 21st: What I'm Grateful For (00:00:09)
2009-04-21 cited John says the brilliant die at all ages, not just young (Einstein was 76), but we romanticize the ones who die young. Question Tuesday (00:01:08)
2009-07-03 cited Hank poses the episode's question: either strippers earn more while ovulating than while menstruating, or Albert Einstein loved playing Scrabble; viewers pick the truth. TRUTH OR FAIL!!! Episode 2 (New and Improved) (00:01:31)
2010-02-15 cited John complains, calling it the internet's most common sin, that people keep misattributing quotations to Einstein, who was a physicist, not a quotation-generation machine. Hello Baby!! (00:00:59)
2010-02-17 subject Hank corrects John: Einstein didn't say many things attributed to him, but he was still a quotation generation machine who said many beautiful things. WRONG WRONG WRONG (00:00:55)
2010-11-08 cited Hank says no one, not Miss Cleo, Albert Einstein or even Dr. Manhattan, could know where an individual coin would fall. Probability 101 (00:01:52)
2012-02-07 subject John says Einstein did not fail mathematics but was very good at it, quoting him that he had mastered differential calculus before age fifteen. 10 Misconceptions Debunked! (00:01:43)
2014-01-17 joke 54 JOKES! In Four Minutes! (00:02:24)
2024-05-20 joke At the start of the P4A John typed a Q in front of the P ('Project for Quasim'), so they hoped the Q would be this year's (2024) mascot, but they weren't that lucky. Hang on tight, spider monkey, it's the P4A 2024 MEME REVIEW!! (00:04:33)
2024-06-11 cited John says it is almost impossible to explain to young people today how cool smoking was in the 20th century: everybody cool smoked, like Billie Holiday, Albert Einstein and Dick Trickle. BEEF DAYS (00:02:26)
2025-09-12 cited Hank's favourite example: when were atoms discovered? With Democritus's philosophy, Dalton and Lavoisier's whole-number chemistry, Einstein's Brownian-motion math, or Max von Laue's first X-ray diffraction images? This Might Actually be Happening (00:16:15)
2026-08-21 cited In a clip Hank plays, Jeff Bezos says he would love to see a trillion humans living in the solar system, which would give a thousand Mozarts and a thousand Einsteins at any time. Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos (00:00:58)
2026-09-04 subject Hank says Einstein was primarily a theoretical physicist but also an experimental one: he invented a new kind of refrigerator. This is a Terrible Idea… (00:04:31)
Melinda French Gates (philanthropist) 2014-01-21 subject John is a big fan of the Gates Foundation, whose mission statement — his favorite — holds that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy and productive life. Are Poor Countries Doomed? (00:00:32)
2014-01-21 quoted Quoting Melinda Gates: we make the future sustainable when we invest in the poor, not when we insist upon their suffering. Are Poor Countries Doomed? (00:02:31)
2014-09-29 passing Gates says he and his wife Melinda asked where the greatest injustice is and where a dollar can save a life or avoid malnutrition, concluding poor countries offer huge impact. Bill Gates and John Green Discuss Progress (00:01:41)
2015-01-27 credited John says Bill and Melinda Gates's annual letter just came out, calls it his favorite letter of the year, and urges reading the whole thing. Will Life Get Better for the Poor? (00:00:01)
2015-01-27 quoted John quotes Bill and Melinda Gates: there is overwhelming evidence that people care about others who are suffering when they can see that suffering. Will Life Get Better for the Poor? (00:02:54)
2015-09-22 joke The 66% child-mortality target will be missed, but global child mortality has more than halved since 1990; for example, measles vaccinations prevented about 15 million child deaths. Is Poverty Necessary? Looking back at the Millennium Development Goals (00:02:02)
2016-02-23 subject Citing Melinda Gates, John says women globally spend twice as much time on unpaid work as men, a gap largest in poor countries where women mostly fetch water, chop wood, cook and clean. How Energy and Time Change Everything (00:02:36)
2017-02-14 quoted John calls Melinda and Bill Gates's annual letter required reading: the news tells him what happened yesterday, the letter lets him zoom out to the larger human story. Human Life Is Getting Better. Faster Than Ever Before. (00:01:02)
2018-02-13 credited John says the Gates annual letter, which he and Hank have followed for years, this year (2018) answers ten tough questions, and is always worth reading. What Can't a Billion Dollars Buy? (00:01:39)
2019-02-12 quoted John says Bill and Melinda Gates's annual letter this year (2019) covers surprises from sexist data to slow toilet innovation, and says textbooks are becoming obsolete. Are Textbooks Obsolete? (00:00:58)
2019-05-07 credited Melinda Gates's The Moment of Lift changed how John thinks about gender discrimination and its role in poverty. How I Read and Why (00:02:54)
2019-07-23 quoted But usses can create thems: John cites Melinda Gates that every society blames its outsiders, yet the urge to create outsiders is the problem, a lens he finds very helpful. What to Love and How (00:01:56)
2021-02-02 credited John recommends Melinda and Bill Gates's annual letter, which articulates things about COVID he hadn't seen written so clearly before. I Predicted the Pandemic (over and over and over again) (00:00:58)
Paul Farmer (physician) 2019-10-22 credited In a comment John recommends three books to start on global health: An Introduction to Global Health Delivery, Mountains Beyond Mountains and Paul Farmer's The Uses of Haiti. Why We're Donating $6,500,000 (00:00:00)
2021-01-12 credited Under 'read books, not tweets', John says reading Annie Dillard, Terry Tempest Williams or even Paul Farmer's upsetting book on Sierra Leone and Ebola leaves him informed and engaged, without Twitter's panicky dopamine rush. My 2021 Vision Board (00:02:45)
2022-02-22 subject The description says Farmer has just died at 62 and urges: let's make him proud of us. On the Death of My Hero (00:00:00)
2022-03-01 personal story The next morning John learned Dr. Paul Farmer had died, and four days later the 15th annual Project for Awesome began. Hard Week (00:00:25)
2022-03-29 subject John notes that Dr. Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners In Health, died last month (February 2022) at the age of 62. An H of G (00:00:00)
2023-03-28 credited John recommends a paper by another of his heroes, Paul Farmer: Social Scientists and the New Tuberculosis. My Tuberculosis Reading List (00:01:56)
2024-06-18 quoted As John's late friend Paul Farmer often reminded him, resources are limited but less limited than they have ever been. The Tea (00:06:14)
2026-02-20 subject Hank says Paul Farmer, who inspired all this, started Partners In Health believing the idea that some lives are worth more than others is the root of all wrong. What We Actually Did. (00:03:24)
Thomas Edison (inventor) 2007-10-30 passing From the box John shows a 1981 family portrait in which he clearly needs to pee, and a third-grade report on Thomas Edison that got an A+ though he used 'interesting' eleven times. Oct. 30th: My Name Is John Green. And I'm a Nerd. (00:01:08)
2008-12-15 quoted John notes W.C. Fields's last words were addressed to Carlotta, his mistress, not his wife Hattie; he says he tones the quote down for young nerdfighters. Famous Last Words (00:02:37)
2016-06-03 cited Hank says Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb, the Wright Brothers did not invent flight, and Elon Musk has never built an electric car; these are inspiring stories. Redefining What it Means to Matter (00:02:18)
2017-04-11 cited John thinks the worship of individual genius is misguided: Edison didn't invent the light bulb, which many people were inventing around him, and Newton didn't discover gravity but pushed our awareness of it further. Making the World's Largest Ball of Paint (00:01:39)
2017-06-02 cited Hank dates his timeline from 1882, when Thomas Edison built the first centralized coal-fired power plant, though coal was used long before. The Paris Accord: What is it? And What Does it All Mean? (00:00:38)
2020-10-12 cited Such stories range from the reckless individualism of Thomas Edison to the thoughtful kindness of a teacher or parent; we believe in the stories we find ourselves in. What Matters (00:02:27)
2021-07-23 cited Hank says the first noise was kind of recorded by Edison, but technically the first audio recording, by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville's device turning sound into an image, was not replayable until very recently. The Last 25 Questions I Asked Google (00:02:21)
2021-08-31 cited Important inventions are almost always created by broad collaborations of many people building knowledge and systems, not by individuals: Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb. The Woman Who Invented Stuffed Animals (00:00:00)
Charles Darwin (naturalist) 2008-12-15 quoted John notes that John Adams's last words, that Thomas Jefferson still survived, were untrue: Jefferson had died earlier that same day, July 4, 1826. Famous Last Words (00:00:25)
2009-11-24 cited Hank is thankful for science and knowledge: medicine, investigative journalism, Moore's Law, Carl Sagan, XKCD, libraries, teachers and evolutionary theory, thanking Darwin and later researchers. 50 THINGS!! That I'm Thankful For (00:01:44)
2013-02-08 cited Hank says that on the trip he also got to see Charles Darwin's grave, the man who figured out that life, like an individual, is a continuum of inter-related species. The Space Time Continuum: Thoughts from Dublin (00:00:00)
2013-08-16 subject Rowling versus Darwin: both slaved for decades over masterful works, but Hank puts Darwin on top for his care, independence and fortitude. Harry Potter vs. Science! (00:02:08)
2013-08-16 cited Most inspirational: the detail of the Harry Potter universe inspires Hank, but less than Darwin's pigeons, Wallace's collections and Linnaeus's pressings, which connect him to the history of life. Harry Potter vs. Science! (00:01:31)
2014-04-25 passing Hank sings that he loves Charles Darwin, that it is not bold to question being told the world is a thousand years old, and that science is a process, not an ideology. I Love Science (Clean Version) (Uncensored link in the Description) (00:00:40)
2015-05-01 passing Emily says the president of the museum in Berlin is married to Charles Darwin's great-great-granddaughter and has a swoopy mustache that perfectly mimicked the horns of the buffalo behind her. A $100,000 Egg and A 200M Year Old Pinecone (00:02:34)
2024-08-20 passing John says Bromley was once home to David Bowie, Charles Darwin and H. G. Wells. Thoughts from Places: BROMLEY! (00:00:29)
Neil Armstrong (astronaut) 2008-11-30 joke Hank says the video consists of fifty jokes sent in by Nerdfighters, which he then tells in rapid succession. 50 Jokes (Yes...actually 50 jokes) (00:00:13)
2009-07-21 joke Hank says he played 20Q.net thinking of John; it asked off-base questions and guessed Neil Armstrong and Rodney Mullen. Twenty Questions and Michael Collins (00:00:00)
2012-08-27 subject Apologizing for an unscheduled video, Hank notes that Neil Armstrong has died, which is super sad. Six Reasons Neil Armstrong was a BADASS (00:00:00)
2013-11-01 cited In 1966 Neil Armstrong's Gemini 8 had a maneuvering thruster stuck on and spun at more than one rotation per second; the crew was seconds from passing out before he regained control. Scarier than Gravity: Real Life Close Calls in Space (00:00:29)
2021-12-03 joke John shows the tombstone of Stan Mollis, who died in 2012: a tennis net reading 'game set match'; he was a professional tennis player. John and Hank at the Cemetery (00:00:37)
2025-12-05 passing The guide names Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong as the astronauts who walked on the Moon. Why Don't Rockets Melt Themselves (00:05:32)
Steve Jobs (businessperson) 2010-01-29 passing Hank says Apple's 1985 ad showing IBM users as lemmings walking to their deaths flopped and was instrumental in getting Steve Jobs fired. An Extremely Brief History of Superbowl Commercials (00:01:17)
2011-10-07 subject Hank reports that Steve Jobs, one of the most special people of his generation and one of Hank's personal heroes, died a couple of days ago. Steve Jobs and a Song (00:02:45)
2012-11-02 cited Hank says ILM sold that computer graphics department to Steve Jobs for $5 million, and it became a company whose name is lost in the audio (from context, Pixar). Disney Buys Star Wars and DFTVA! (00:00:00)
2012-11-16 cited Hank rejects the idea that only some people (Steve Jobs making the iPod) create: everyone creates ideas, jokes and friendships. We're all Scared (00:00:52)
2017-02-24 criticized Hank is tired of small business owners learning from Fortune 500 CEOs like Steve Jobs: 'Don't be Steve Jobs, he was amazing, but he was a dick'; treat humans like humans, because that's where the real work gets done. Doing Bad Things To Make Good Things Happen (00:00:00)
2022-03-11 passing Hank maintains we call these devices phones because their implications were so overwhelming that we needed a familiar name; being a phone is one of its 500 functions, and Steve Jobs fixed the name. Is it All Hopeless? (00:00:00)
Carl Sagan (scientist) 2009-11-24 cited Hank is thankful for science and knowledge: medicine, investigative journalism, Moore's Law, Carl Sagan, XKCD, libraries, teachers and evolutionary theory, thanking Darwin and later researchers. 50 THINGS!! That I'm Thankful For (00:01:44)
2011-01-21 quoted John cites 'the great Carl Sagan': if you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. Looking for Alaska Five Years After the Printz Award (00:02:15)
2014-04-25 passing Hank sings that he loves Carl Sagan because it is great to look up at the sky and never stop wondering why. I Love Science (Clean Version) (Uncensored link in the Description) (00:01:09)
2018-11-30 quoted Hank cites Carl Sagan: extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, which we do not have and never will as Oumuamua speeds away. We just had our first interstellar visitor...and it's weird. (00:04:56)
2019-08-27 cited John says not since watching Carl Sagan host Cosmos as a kid has he felt such awe toward the strange universe around us. Are Viruses Necessary? (00:02:26)
Joia Mukherjee (physician) 2014-12-19 takes part Joia Mukherjee says all of us need to work together and commit for the long haul. BUTFARTMAN Is Coming To Town! (00:03:23)
2022-04-19 personal story John's life changed in 2014 when he asked PIH's chief medical officer, Dr. Joia Mukherjee, whether PIH would be part of the Project for Awesome's Ebola fundraising. How do you cross the Sad Gap? (00:01:56)
2026-02-13 passing Signing off for the night, Hank thanks the Project for Awesome staff, the matching donors and Dr. Joia Mukherjee. Project for Awesome 2026 part 2! (05:58:50)
2026-02-13 takes part John announces he will host the next two hours of the P4A while Hank rests, joined by Dr. Joia Mukherjee of Partners In Health. Project for Awesome 2026 Kickoff! (01:05:49)
2026-02-14 quoted John repeats Joia Mukherjee's point that change needs not a majority but enough really committed, organized people pointing their attention and love in the same direction. Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! (01:06:46)
Leonardo da Vinci (artist and inventor) 2009-10-28 cited Hank concludes that if 60,000 people watch this, a Michelangelo, a Da Vinci, a Machiavelli and a Raphael are watching right now; it's about what you think you can do and your community. We Win When Everyone Wins (00:01:21)
2014-05-16 cited Hank says Renaissance Florence held some of the most powerful economic and cultural forces the world has known: the Medici bankers, Botticelli, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, da Vinci and Brunelleschi. The Myth of Greatness (00:00:44)
2017-04-11 cited John says we usually imagine art as a story of individual geniuses, like Shakespeare or Leonardo da Vinci, using innate brilliance to expand the human landscape. Making the World's Largest Ball of Paint (00:00:57)
2020-07-17 cited When Machiavelli, Da Vinci and Michelangelo were all working, Renaissance Florence had about as many people as Missoula, Montana. So Much to See (00:02:57)
2026-08-21 cited Hank says Machiavelli, Botticelli, Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael all worked at the same time in Florence, a city of barely 60,000 people. Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos (00:03:39)
Mark Zuckerberg (businessman) 2016-06-03 cited Hank says culture whispers that salary is a good surrogate for meaning, while we also want a big impact like Zuckerberg or Elon Musk and to fulfill every kind of #goals. Redefining What it Means to Matter (00:00:22)
2018-04-13 criticized Hank doubts whether Congress will be savvy enough to regulate this, or Mark Zuckerberg good or powerful enough to control it. Who is in Control? (00:00:00)
2021-10-07 subject Hank says that thinking hard about it, Mark Zuckerberg might be the most powerful person ever to exist, not a comforting thought. We're Thinking About Facebook Wrong (00:02:43)
2023-03-03 passing Hank says the law passed as part of a much larger bill when Mark Zuckerberg was 11, and when he was 12 the Supreme Court struck down almost all of it except one section. The Law That Made the Internet (00:00:40)
2026-10-02 cited John jokes that your attention is so valuable Mark Zuckerberg bought about a tenth of a Hawaiian island with it. the most powerful attention-consuming tools in the history of the world (00:00:29)
Alexei Leonov (cosmonaut) 2013-11-01 cited In 1965 Alexei Leonov became the first person to go out in a spacesuit, but the suit inflated so much he could not fit back into the capsule until he vented it. Scarier than Gravity: Real Life Close Calls in Space (00:00:29)
2021-08-24 subject Leonov's life was fascinating, but the episode is mostly about why we make art and what we give up to make it. It's My Birthday. I Gave Myself This Video. (00:00:29)
2021-11-16 subject Leonov is remembered today for the first spacewalk, but he also made the first space art. Orbital Sunrise: The First Art Made in Space (00:02:12)
2026-02-14 passing Hank says that on Dear Hank and John they looked at the first art ever made in space, a colored-pencil drawing by cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, and John or Hank said it would make a great flag of Earth. Project for Awesome 2026 part 3! (06:43:48)
Buzz Aldrin (astronaut) 2009-07-21 cited Hank pities Michael Collins: people at least know Buzz Aldrin, but nobody knows Collins, who didn't even get to walk on the moon. Twenty Questions and Michael Collins (00:01:38)
2010-03-08 passing Hank says he learned that 80-year-old astronaut Buzz Aldrin will be on Dancing with the Stars. GIGANTIC CHICKEN EGG!! (00:02:20)
2021-12-03 joke Hank finds a lovely epitaph saying the man filled his niche, accomplished his task and left the world better than he found it. John and Hank at the Cemetery (00:01:41)
2025-12-05 passing The guide names Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong as the astronauts who walked on the Moon. Why Don't Rockets Melt Themselves (00:05:32)
Isaac Newton (scientist) 2007-02-15 cited Voicing the popular side as George W. Bush and Tom Brady, John answers poker-style with famous nerds, from Bill Clinton and Lincoln to all four Beatles, and declares 'We win!' Brotherhood 2.0: February 17, 2007 (00:01:39)
2010-08-16 cited, passing John saw Leicester Square, Big Ben, a place where Isaac Newton lived and a damaged bust of Newton, which reminded him of an American general's last words. Lust and Folly in London and Edinburgh (00:00:42)
2017-04-11 cited John thinks the worship of individual genius is misguided: Edison didn't invent the light bulb, which many people were inventing around him, and Newton didn't discover gravity but pushed our awareness of it further. Making the World's Largest Ball of Paint (00:01:39)
2020-07-10 quoted Hank first credits the 'shoulders of giants' saying to Newton, then checks: it is older than Newton, whose own version was 'If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.' What a Concept!! (00:02:10)
Jeff Bezos (businessperson) 2020-10-23 cited Reason two: every other day you are less powerful than Bill Gates, but your vote counts the same as the richest Americans' and more than corporations'; Jeff Bezos is voting. 10 Reasons to Vote RIGHT NOW (00:00:44)
2021-11-09 joke John says Hank has an idea every 20 seconds and has called some 7,000 times saying he has a million-dollar idea; a million dollars per idea would give John about $7 billion, nearly 3% of Jeff Bezos’ wealth. Hank Green's Million Dollar Ideas (00:00:00)
2024-10-30 joke Hank shows Good Store greeting cards, printed in Missoula down the street from his house. Sipping the Tea with Hank (00:13:02)
2026-08-21 criticized Hank says dunking on Jeff Bezos is neither difficult nor brave, one of the infinite-points glitches of online discourse. Not (Just) Dunking on Jeff Bezos (00:00:58)
Hannah Ritchie (researcher) 2018-07-10 credited John says the last time the global human population decreased year over year was 1648. The General Crisis (00:00:27)
2021-08-13 credited Global warming is not just transport, homes or farming but a big mixed-up jumble of a problem, shown in a chart of emission sources from Dr. Hannah Ritchie at Our World in Data. How We Fix the Climate (00:04:23)
2023-11-28 credited For doomers who feel the world is collapsing, John recommends Hannah Ritchie's Not the End of the World; he loves Ritchie, Our World in Data and the book, which left him hopeful. John's (Mostly Book) Holiday Gift Recommendations (00:00:00)
Max Roser (researcher) 2015-09-22 credited John credits the video's undernourishment graphs to Max Roser's 'Hunger and Undernourishment' on Our World in Data. Is Poverty Necessary? Looking back at the Millennium Development Goals (00:00:00)
2016-08-16 quoted Max Roser of Our World in Data, as John relays him, notes that no headline ever reads that global child mortality fell by a tiny fraction since yesterday. Some Good News: 16 Ways 2016 Is Not a Total Dumpster Fire (00:00:15)
2018-07-10 passing John became intensely interested in the most recent year global population declined; deep Googling and the library failed, Max Roser of Our World in Data didn't know, but his colleague Hannah Ritchie found an answer. The General Crisis (00:00:01)
Colonel Sanders (businessman) 2007-09-26 joke John thanks Hank for 'sneaking us into' the They Might Be Giants concert and says the band was, as always, awesome. September 26th: Norbert Wiener (00:02:55)
2011-01-10 cited No. 3, a rumor dating to the 1950s: Colonel Sanders, rumored to be a Klansman, put a fertility agent into KFC that sterilized only black men. Top 5 Ridiculous Conspiracy Theories (00:01:36)
Enrico Fermi (scientist) 2010-09-08 quoted Hank recounts that the physicist Enrico Fermi, discussing civilization and the size of the universe with fellow scientists, asked 'Where are they?' Where are the Space Aliens?! (00:00:00)
2010-10-07 subject The song recounts that in 1950 at Los Alamos, Enrico Fermi, talking with friends about the universe, shouted 'Where is everybody?' and did simple calculations suggesting Earth should have been visited (wording partly unclear). The Fermi Paradox: A Song (00:00:31)
Erwin Schrödinger (physicist) 2011-04-13 joke 31 Jokes for NERDS! (00:03:13)
2011-06-13 cited Hank's favourite definition is Schrödinger's, paraphrased: life is any system that continuously decreases its own entropy using energy around it. Google Is Alive! (00:01:52)
Ima Hogg (philanthropist) 2011-02-28 cited Ima Hogg, daughter of Texas governor Big Jim Hogg, was known as the First Lady of Texas, collected Picasso and Matisse, was a philanthropist and had an honorary degree. Harry Baals & Dick Trickle: The Funniest Names in History (00:01:16)
2011-03-02 cited Responding to John's video on Ima Hogg, Harry Baals and Chris P Bacon, Hank says a parent's job is to help a child avoid unnecessary anguish, and a bad name can cause significant anguish. How to Name Your Baby Properly (00:00:10)
Jeff Zucker (media-executive) 2010-03-01 criticized John says NBC Universal head Jeff Zucker likes to say YouTube is for squirrels on trampolines and that advertisers don't want ads next to cats on skateboards. The Marriage Ref SUCKS (00:01:43)
2010-03-03 criticized Hank says Jeff Zucker is probably right about TV, his job, but on YouTube is as unqualified and clueless as Tiger Woods hosting The Marriage Ref. VidCon Schedule Spectacular! (00:00:56)
Jeffrey Katzenberg (media executive) 2014-11-20 takes part In the montage Jeffrey Katzenberg says those in online video today will understand it best tomorrow, and that is what he is investing in. Announcing VidCon 2015! (00:00:24)
2020-05-29 cited Hank says Jeffrey Katzenberg and company spent over a billion dollars on content for Quibi, a new platform of quick video bites under 10 minutes long. Get Paid (00:01:15)
Joe Plourde (audio-engineer) 2020-12-31 credited The episode was edited by Stan Muller, mixed by Joe Plourde and scored by Hannis Brown, and produced by Jenny Lawton and Rosianna Halse Rojas. Auld Lang Syne: The Anthropocene Reviewed (00:00:00)
2021-01-26 credited The description credits Nadim Silverman for the art (all of TAR's art), Stan Muller for editing, Hannis Brown for music, Jenny Lawton and Rosianna Halse Rojas as producers, Joe Plourde as technical director; John wrote it. The Sycamore Tree: The Anthropocene Reviewed (00:00:00)
John Green (bigfoot researcher) (bigfoot-researcher) 2010-03-29 joke John recalls that after his Mental Floss article calling Bigfoot fictional, a namesake John Green, a famous Bigfoot apologist, wrote to say he was besmirching all John Greens. Quotations (And Holden Hats) (00:00:38)
2018-07-24 subject The first, a Bigfoot expert called one of the Four Horsemen of Sasquatchery, was a small-town newspaper publisher until 45, then became a full-time Bigfoot researcher and wrote books arguing large human-like apes roam North America. Other John Greens (00:00:29)
John Maynard Keynes (economist) 2008-12-15 quoted John notes W.C. Fields's last words were addressed to Carlotta, his mistress, not his wife Hattie; he says he tones the quote down for young nerdfighters. Famous Last Words (00:02:37)
2009-02-15 subject John calls Keynes probably the most important 20th-century economist, who explained that a massive stimulus, such as World War II, could have ended the Great Depression. Stimulus Plan Explained (00:01:19)
John Young (astronaut) 2012-05-01 subject John says astronaut John Young once got the farts on the moon and swore about it, the first F-bomb on the moon; NASA told Commander Young he had a live mic, and Young asked how long it had been on. Moon Farts: Being Charlie While Running Errands (00:01:50)
2021-10-11 cited By the 1960s people went from 120 to over 24,000 miles per hour; the record, set by Tom Stafford, John Young and Eugene Cernan returning from the Moon on Apollo 10, is unbeaten. The Fastest Things in the Universe (Entirely According to Me) (00:01:18)
Michael Collins (astronaut) 2009-07-21 subject, passing Hank pities Michael Collins: people at least know Buzz Aldrin, but nobody knows Collins, who didn't even get to walk on the moon. Twenty Questions and Michael Collins (00:01:38)
2025-12-05 passing The guide names Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong as the astronauts who walked on the Moon. Why Don't Rockets Melt Themselves (00:05:32)
Norbert Wiener (scientist) 2007-09-26 subject Leaving the hotel's reading room to meet M. T. Anderson, John sees it is named the Norbert Wiener Room. September 26th: Norbert Wiener (00:00:39)
2007-12-14 joke John thanks Nerdfighters for names for his hypothetical puppy, lists favorites (Rana Valona, Chomsky the Nerdfighting Puppy, Wootponer, Optimus Prime, Johnny Funtimes) and picks Norbert Wiener the Puppy as winner. Dec. 14th: John and Maureen Johnson: LIVE FROM NEW YORK CITY (00:01:52)
Roger Boissonneault (executive) 2011-01-24 criticized Hank puts the CEO's email address in the description and asks viewers to think about the situation complexly, be civil, and tell him how they feel about what his company has done. The 1200% Increase in my Prescription Drug Costs (00:02:59)
2011-01-24 passing The description asks viewers to write a nice letter to Roger Boissonneault asking why the price rose so much, why the programme expired four months early, and why his doctor was not contacted. The 1200% Increase in my Prescription Drug Costs (00:00:00)
2011-01-26 criticized As Hank asked, John emailed Warner Chilcott's CEO Roger Boissonneault, ironically to tell him he is doing a fantastic job. I OWN WARNER CHILCOTT! (00:00:11)
Rosalind Franklin (scientist (chemist)) 2014-04-25 passing Hank sings that he loves Rosalind Franklin because he wants to die remembering that the truth is more important than winning a prize. I Love Science (Clean Version) (Uncensored link in the Description) (00:01:51)
2019-03-26 recommended Asked for book recommendations, John recommends a biography of Rosalind Franklin he enjoyed, currently propping up his tripod setup. Optimism and Spider People: Question Tuesday from the Looking for Alaska Set (00:00:00)
Sue Desmond-Hellmann (Gates Foundation CEO) 2014-08-19 subject There John met Bill Gates and Gates Foundation CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann; he assumed a photo op, but they asked detailed questions about diagnosis, vaccine stocks and staffing. Baby Names: Thoughts from Rural Ethiopia (00:01:03)
2014-08-26 passing John met a woman who went from receiving US food aid to producing it, but Gates and Desmond-Hellmann learned her land's income all goes to her husband; she is a founding member of a farmers' cooperative. Food Is Weird: Understanding Agriculture in the Developing World (00:04:53)
Abraham Maslow (psychologist) 2008-04-10 criticized Hank says the hierarchy was made by someone who never faced the first need; lacking food does not make you an animal who doesn't care about others or doing good, it means you can't do those things. Barack John Obama Green (00:01:57)
Adam Steltzner (engineer) 2012-08-07 cited John says Adam Steltzner, lead engineer of the Curiosity rover's descent and landing team, went to a publicly funded high school and got his bachelor's and doctorate from publicly subsidized universities. An Open Letter to Students Returning to School (00:00:55)
Alan Greenspan (economist) 2009-02-15 quoted John says recessions aren't inherently evil or fatal but natural corrections after periods of what Alan Greenspan called irrational exuberance. Stimulus Plan Explained (00:00:20)
Alan Krueger (economist) 2014-02-04 cited John reports Card and Krueger's study: New Jersey raised its minimum wage in 1992 while neighbouring Pennsylvania did not, and restaurant employment in New Jersey actually increased. Should We Raise the Minimum Wage? (00:01:19)
Alan Turing (mathematician, computer scientist) 2010-06-14 subject Hank says the 98th birthday of Alan Turing, one of his favorite people though dead, is fast approaching. Be The Change - vlogbrothers (00:00:00)
Alfred Russel Wallace (naturalist) 2013-08-16 cited Most inspirational: the detail of the Harry Potter universe inspires Hank, but less than Darwin's pigeons, Wallace's collections and Linnaeus's pressings, which connect him to the history of life. Harry Potter vs. Science! (00:01:31)
Aloysius Lilius (astronomer) 2016-01-01 subject Hank says in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII, on astronomer Aloysius Lilius's proposal, mandated the Gregorian calendar: 97 leap years per 400 years instead of 100; it is still basically used. Why Does January First Start the New Year? - New Year's Explained (00:03:00)
Anil Kashyap (economist) 2015-07-07 credited John lists the video's sources: Anil Kashyap's primer on the Greek crisis, The New York Times' introduction, Wikipedia's history of the European debt crisis, and The Economist's coverage, which he calls excellent, of Greece, the bailouts, the debt and how the banking system works under capital controls. Understanding the Financial Crisis in Greece (00:00:00)
Archimedes (mathematician) 2010-10-08 cited John reads that Archimedes' last words were 'wait until I've finished my problem' and, skipping ahead, that Goethe's were 'more light'. GEEKING OUT Over Dying Declarations (00:01:54)
Austin Frakt (health economist) 2017-03-28 recommended John points readers to The Incidental Economist, where Aaron Carroll and Austin Frakt have written a lot about how US health care outcomes compare with other countries. Why Can't America Have a Grown-Up Healthcare Conversation? (00:00:00)
Bill Lear (businessperson) 2011-02-28 passing Shanda Lear, daughter of the founder of the Learjet corporation, grew up to be a lead singer in swing bands. Harry Baals & Dick Trickle: The Funniest Names in History (00:02:02)
Boris Volynov (cosmonaut) 2013-11-01 cited On a reentry with lone cosmonaut Boris Volynov, the service module failed to detach and the capsule went in nose first, its hatch burning, before righting itself. Scarier than Gravity: Real Life Close Calls in Space (00:01:27)
Bronisława Dłuska (physician) 2011-04-01 joke John says Marie Curie had a sister named Bronislawa. Many Truths, 1 Lie! (00:01:26)
Buckminster Fuller (architect and inventor) 2015-01-06 joke John points out a Liverpool player taking a corner in front of the word Nerdfighter. AFC Wimbledon v. Liverpool: Thoughts from the Greatest Game on Earth (00:02:17)
Carol Dweck (psychologist) 2015-06-26 cited Hank says psychologist Carol Dweck has studied these two mindsets for over 30 years, calling the belief in innate talent the fixed mindset and the belief in acquired skill the growth mindset. How to Get Good at Everything (00:01:42)
Charles Bolden (NASA administrator, astronaut) 2011-07-11 takes part Hank says he got to ask questions via video of people at NASA, including administrator Charlie Bolden. Hank Talks to NASA About the Space Shuttle (00:00:29)
Charles Darrow (salesman, credited Monopoly inventor) 2016-04-05 criticized John says in 1935 door-to-door salesman Charles Darrow sold Monopoly to Parker Brothers; it became hugely successful and Darrow was the first board game millionaire. What's Wrong with Monopoly? (00:01:44)
Chris (business owner, mentioned from 2016) (business owner) 2016-11-07 takes part Chris, Zoo City's owner, says he has no idea why he started a print shop, ten years ago. It's Pizzamas!!! (Thoughts From the Place Where they Print Our Shirts) (00:00:46)
Christa McAuliffe (teacher-astronaut) 2010-06-30 passing In 1986 the space shuttle Challenger blew up on launch, killing everyone aboard including teacher Christa McAuliffe, as millions of American schoolchildren watched. Poopy Nintendo Mystery SOLVED WITH SCIENCE (00:00:30)
Christiaan Huygens (astronomer) 2017-06-30 cited In the 1600s Huygens and Descartes devised lens shapes fixing this; the trilobites Crozonaspis and Dalmanitina had matching eye-lens shapes, keeping near and far objects in focus with less distortion. Eyes Made of Crystal? - Trilobites are Bizarre (00:02:55)
Christopher Scharpf (researcher) 2026-10-07 credited Hank recommends the Etyfish Project, Christopher Scharpf's fish-name etymology database with more than 40,000 etymologies and a weekly name-of-the-week blog running since 2013. The 5 Meanest Things We've Named a Species (00:07:35)
Clyde Tombaugh (astronomer) 2015-07-10 passing New Horizons, launched in 2006, has traveled for nine years; besides instruments like spectrographs and cameras it carries the ashes of Pluto's discoverer Clyde Tombaugh. How to Get to Pluto: From a Waterpark (00:00:14)
Dan Ariely (researcher) 2018-12-21 cited Hank describes a Dan Ariely experiment: people were paid per correct math answer, and an actor stood up 30 seconds in, claimed all answers right, took the money and left. The Psychology of Package Thieves (00:02:49)
David Card (economist) 2014-02-04 cited John reports Card and Krueger's study: New Jersey raised its minimum wage in 1992 while neighbouring Pennsylvania did not, and restaurant employment in New Jersey actually increased. Should We Raise the Minimum Wage? (00:01:19)
Donald Trump Jr. (businessman) 2017-09-26 cited The most serious evidence of collusion so far is a meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer attended by Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner. Trump and Russia: An Introduction to What We Know (and What We Don't) (00:05:58)
Edward Jenner (scientist) 2020-11-10 cited In the story as John always heard it, Edward Jenner noticed in the late 18th century that milkmaids with cowpox seemed immune to smallpox, then inoculated his gardener's eight-year-old son with cowpox. On Immunity, Inoculation, and Individuals (00:00:58)
Eric J. Rubin (physician-researcher) 2026-10-20 credited John thanks Dr. Leslie Enane at Indiana University, Dr. KJ Seung and Dr. Eric J. Rubin for their help with the video and says any errors are his own. Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science (00:00:00)
Ernő Rubik (inventor) 2010-05-28 credited John says the puzzle is spelled Rubik's Cube, not 'Rubix': it belongs to Ernő Rubik, the Hungarian architecture professor who invented it. How To Do Everything (00:01:57)
Fred Seibert (media executive) 2014-11-20 takes part In the montage Jeffrey Katzenberg says those in online video today will understand it best tomorrow, and that is what he is investing in. Announcing VidCon 2015! (00:00:24)
Gherman Titov (Soviet cosmonaut) 2012-09-04 cited Vomiting in space is a big problem because the inner ear can't handle floatiness; after Gherman Titov, second person in space, first vomited there, the Soviets paused their programme for a year. The Five Worst Places to Vomit (00:01:27)
Guy Kawasaki (entrepreneur) 2009-08-02 passing Videos go to the Global Geek Week YouTube group and are judged by a committee including Hank, Lisa Nova, HotForWords, Guy Kawasaki and the 2008 U.S. Sudoku champion. ANNOUNCING: Global Geek Week!!! (00:00:58)
Hymen Lipman (inventor) 2011-02-28 cited John says Hymen Lipman was the first person ever to attach an eraser to a pencil. Harry Baals & Dick Trickle: The Funniest Names in History (00:02:11)
Irène Joliot-Curie (scientist) 2011-04-01 cited John says Marie Curie is the only person to win Nobel Prizes in both chemistry and physics, and her daughter Irene also won one, making Curie the only Nobel winner who is mother of a Nobel winner; then asks 'Or is it?' Many Truths, 1 Lie! (00:01:14)
Ivanka Trump (businesswoman) 2007-01-16 subject, passing In mock entertainment news for TV-less Hank, John says Paula Abdul has a drug problem and calls Ivanka Trump 'improbably attractive'. Brotherhood 2.0: January 16, 2007 (00:01:11)
James Murdoch (businessman) 2011-07-22 joke John says status quo bias is the only reason the US still has pennies: a new coin worth a thousandth of a dollar would seem insane, yet a hundredth is equally insane. Your Yard Is EVIL (00:02:00)
Jeff Grant (executive) 2012-04-06 passing Someone at Lockheed Martin showed the video to Jeff Grant, vice president of space systems at Northrop Grumman, who emailed Hank inviting him to meet people working on the project. Can I be Space President? (00:00:33)
Joe Incandela (physicist) 2011-10-03 takes part Hank says Joe Incandela is pretty famous in particle physics and helped discover the top quark. The LHC and Alex's Survey (00:02:07)
John Herschel (astronomer) 2009-10-22 passing Hank says that in 1835 the New York Sun ran a six-part series, by astronomer John Herschel, about people and beasts on the moon; people believed it for six weeks and the Sun's subscriptions rose for good. The Top 10 Greatest Hoaxes of All Time (00:02:43)
Jonas Salk (scientist) 2012-11-23 cited Hank thanks Jonas Salk for giving away the patent to his polio vaccine so it could be made more cheaply, and Tim Berners-Lee for doing basically the same with the internet. Black Friday: An Accident of History (00:03:04)
KJ Seung (physician) 2026-10-20 credited John thanks Dr. Leslie Enane at Indiana University, Dr. KJ Seung and Dr. Eric J. Rubin for their help with the video and says any errors are his own. Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science (00:00:00)
Leslie Enane (physician-researcher) 2026-10-20 credited To research the video, John met Dr. Leslie Enane, a tuberculosis researcher in Indiana, joking that this will shock Hank, and consulted other experts around the world. Correcting a Mistake in Everything Is Tuberculosis · 50 x 50 Science (00:00:00)
Luca Parmitano (astronaut) 2013-11-01 cited The most recent terrifying near miss: Luca Parmitano's spacesuit malfunctioned and filled his helmet with his drinking water in space. Scarier than Gravity: Real Life Close Calls in Space (00:02:55)
Mark Zandi (economist) 2009-02-15 recommended John wears his bronze medal from the 1994 Alabama State Academic Decathlon, joking it shows he was once ranked a third-best high-school economist. Stimulus Plan Explained (00:00:00)
Markus Persson (game developer) 2012-08-24 cited People have drawn, sculpted and knitted the brothers; Kimya Dawson, Lupe Fiasco and Minecraft creator Notch watch, and John got to hang out with Rainn Wilson. Happy Birthday John Green! (00:01:42)
Marshall Field II (businessman) 2010-10-08 cited John reads last words from the book's F's: Douglas Fairbanks ('I've never felt better'), Ben Franklin, composer John Field, Richard Feynman ('this dying is boring'), Marshall Field II, Robert Frost. GEEKING OUT Over Dying Declarations (00:00:55)
Marta Patino (doctor) 2020-07-21 quoted John cites Dr. Marta Patino's summary of the approach to care in this crisis: kindness, patience, information, empathy. Somebody Once Asked . . . (00:02:26)
Martin Shkreli (businessman, former hedge fund manager) 2015-11-24 cited Martin Shkreli's company acquired a drug treating toxoplasmosis and raised its price from $13.50 to $750 a pill; after outrage it promised a cut, and two months later announced $375 a pill for some customers. Crime and Outrage (00:01:45)
Mike Massimino (astronaut) 2011-07-11 takes part Mike Massimino says the first thing he wants is faster rockets with more powerful engines to get beyond low orbit and further into the solar system. Hank Talks to NASA About the Space Shuttle (00:02:26)
Mohammed Yusuf (founder of Boko Haram) 2015-02-10 subject John says founder Mohammed Yusuf had a Western-style education and spoke English, yet believed the earth is flat and that rain is not caused by evaporation. Understanding Boko Haram (00:03:37)
Nicole Harsch (psychologist) 2010-06-30 cited John introduces Neisser and Harsch's late-1980s work on flashbulb memories, the famous classic 1989 Challenger flashbulb memory study. Poopy Nintendo Mystery SOLVED WITH SCIENCE (00:00:30)
Niels Bohr (physicist) 2013-11-29 joke John recalls a contemporary art performance where the Chinese artist handed out hard candy that tasted like crabs, very bad candy. REUNION! Arm Wrestling, Drawing, and Questions with Hank and John! (00:02:37)
Oleg Deripaska (businessman) 2017-09-26 cited Trump's one-time campaign manager Paul Manafort received around $30 million working for Oleg Deripaska, seen as one of Putin's closest business confidants. Trump and Russia: An Introduction to What We Know (and What We Don't) (00:03:37)
Oliver Evans (inventor) 2012-10-09 subject John says the inventor of the boat-car was the American Oliver Evans, who designed the first steam-powered amphibious vehicle in 1805. Attacked by Squirrels and Neoclassicism: Thoughts from Places, Washington D.C. (00:02:25)
Orville Redenbacher (businessman) 2011-09-21 joke John reports a nerdfighter's Tumblr discovery that as Hank ages he will look more and more like popcorn magnate Orville Redenbacher. NERD FACTOR (00:00:00)
Paul Allen (businessman) 2022-08-30 cited John cites a headline saying Paul Allen's art collection is to be auctioned for a billion dollars. How to Buy Good Art for Less Than $100,000,000 (00:00:00)
Peter Higgs (physicist) 2012-07-06 credited Hank says in the 1960s scientists including Higgs theorized an evenly distributed field filling the universe; particles get mass by interacting with it, and photons, which don't, travel at light speed. The Higgs Boson (00:01:54)
Rashid Buttar (physician) 2009-11-08 criticized John says the doctor credited with curing her, Dr. Rashid Buttar, believes in urine injection therapy (filtered urine reinjected to boost immunity), which doesn't work. H1N1 Vaccine Fears (00:01:49)
Reid Hoffman (entrepreneur) 2012-03-13 credited John says the free loans are paid for by one of LinkedIn's co-founders (named in the description as Reid Hoffman), so viewers can make a $25 loan at no cost. Actually Free Money! (Really.) The Bank of Nerdfighteria's Quarterly Report (00:02:52)
Reid Wiseman (astronaut) 2026-10-23 passing Hank's podcast Humans won a Signal Award for Best Conversation Starter for its episode with astronaut Reid Wiseman; Hank agrees and calls it a good place to start. The Best Email I Ever Got (00:03:28)
Richard Feynman (physicist) 2010-10-08 cited John reads last words from the book's F's: Douglas Fairbanks ('I've never felt better'), Ben Franklin, composer John Field, Richard Feynman ('this dying is boring'), Marshall Field II, Robert Frost. GEEKING OUT Over Dying Declarations (00:00:55)
Robert C. Allen (economist) 2015-06-08 cited John notes the graph only goes back to 1947; going back to the Industrial Revolution shows a similar decoupling, which economist Robert Allen calls the Engels pause, lasting several decades until wages shot up. Monday Bonus Video! (00:02:28)
Robert D. Braun (NASA chief technologist, engineer) 2011-07-11 takes part Bobby Braun says a whole host of American vehicles, being designed now by competing US companies, will carry American crews; he cannot say which will fly. Hank Talks to NASA About the Space Shuttle (00:01:28)
Robert Tyminski (psychologist) 2018-12-21 takes part Feeling out of his depth, Hank called psychologist Dr. Robert Tyminski, author of The Psychology of Theft and Loss. The Psychology of Package Thieves (00:01:47)
Rudolf Virchow (physician) 2011-12-28 quoted John recalls Rudolf Virchow's observation that all cells come from other cells: life begets life, the realization behind modern biology and disease treatment. Goats Mating (00:00:30)
Shahid Khan (businessperson) 2016-06-21 cited John says more than 3 million Americans today are Muslims, from Dave Chappelle to the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars to his congressman André Carson. Syrian Refugees in the United States: One Family's Story (00:02:28)
Sosigenes of Alexandria (astronomer) 2016-01-01 subject Hank says Caesar consulted the Alexandrian astronomer Sosigenes, who proposed an Egyptian-style solar calendar: a 365.25-day year as 365 days with a leap day in February every four years. Why Does January First Start the New Year? - New Year's Explained (00:02:04)
Steve Chen (entrepreneur) 2010-06-04 quoted Hank, voicing Viacom, reads an email from YouTube co-founder Steve Chen: removing potential copyright infringements would cut traffic and virality to maybe 20%; YouTube calls it out of context. YouTube vs. Viacom The Battle Explained (00:01:59)
Tim Berners-Lee (computer scientist) 2012-11-23 cited Hank thanks Jonas Salk for giving away the patent to his polio vaccine so it could be made more cheaply, and Tim Berners-Lee for doing basically the same with the internet. Black Friday: An Accident of History (00:03:04)
Todd (tech-executive) 2026-09-18 quoted Hank discloses that Rene Ritchie, YouTube's creator liaison, is his friend, and that he knows Todd, then the YouTube Shorts lead and now at Instagram, a little. John was Wrong about YouTube Views (00:00:29)
Tycho Brahe (historical astronomer) 2009-12-06 cited John warns MIT that one day there will be a decisive contest for 'internerdial domination' and Nerdfighteria is coming for them. LOSERS!!!! (00:03:19)
2009-12-06 passing John says Nerdfighteria lost the DARPA balloon challenge despite being tantalizingly close to winning $40,000 to make the Project for Awesome more awesome. LOSERS!!!! (00:00:05)
Ulric Neisser (psychologist) 2010-06-30 cited John introduces Neisser and Harsch's late-1980s work on flashbulb memories, the famous classic 1989 Challenger flashbulb memory study. Poopy Nintendo Mystery SOLVED WITH SCIENCE (00:00:30)
Werner Heisenberg (physicist) 2011-04-13 joke 31 Jokes for NERDS! (00:02:57)