A 12-minute crash course on Islam, its beliefs, and history

A full documentary on the origins of Islam narrated by Ben Kingsley

A rare feature-length treatment of Islam's founding that traces Muhammad's life from Mecca to the emergence of the religion. Narrated by the famed Gandhi-portraying actor Ben Kingsley, it brings production values to material that's often handled dryly in text—a good visual narrative option to the religion's origins.

A full crash course in psychology

This 40-episode crash course series mirrors the curriculum of an advanced high school class on the psychology with well-known creators the Green brothers. Browse each roughly 10-minute episode or watch them all.

The Five Pillars of Islam, explained through Islamic art at the Met

Fasting during Ramadan—known as sawm—is one of five foundational practices that define Muslim life. The Met uses art objects to illuminate the pillars to make the theology more tangible. Ramadan's fast is interwoven with this broader framework of prayer, charity, pilgrimage, and expressions of faith.

Visualizing the spread of five major religions across the world

Every major religion has a story that started in a specific place before growing to reach millions. This quick video depicts an illustrated map over the last 5,000 years, showing how Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam grew from their humble beginnings.

Take a 3D tour of the Hajj, Islam's annual pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken by over 1.5 million Muslims.

A podcast dramatization of the schism that split Islam into Sunni and Shia

The events following Muhammad's death were a bitter succession dispute that divided Islam into its two major branches. You can relive them in this dramatic narrative from the Conflicted History podcast, which provides an immersive entry point into the issue.

The rise of ISIS, explained in 6 minutes

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is incredibly powerful, and has seemingly done the impossible. The group has seized vast areas of the Middle East to form a mini-state it calls a reincarnation of the ancient Caliphate. Since forming, ISIS has waged war with all of its neighbors and has launched deadly terror attacks all over the world. This six-minute video, by Vox, outlines the history and rise of ISIS.

The rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire

A short but informative TED-Ed video summarizing the most important aspects of Byzantine civilization: how it all started, why Constantinople was so special, a few remarkable Byzantine authors (including Princess Anna Comnena, historian of her father’s reign), the Ottoman conquest, and why don’t just call the Byzantines “Romans.”

A global interactive guide to the first world war

Using rarely seen films, new reports of the day, and interactive maps, 10 historians provide a summarized history of the Great War, World War I. During the course of this half hour film, get a variety of insights and perspectives on the so-called "war to end war" and its long-reaching effects.

Look up the date of any Islamic holiday going back to 622 CE

The US Naval Observatory's calculator converts Hijri calendar dates to Gregorian and vice versa, covering Islamic holidays from the first year of the Islamic calendar through the present. The resource helps show how much Ramadan's dates shift year over year and allows readers to find out when Ramadan would have fallen in a certain year.

Princeton University offers a free online bitcoin course

Want to understand bitcoin and cryptocurrencies? A free online course from Princeton University unpacks the details of bitcoin, from how it works to what distinguishes it from other currencies, to the security and anonymity associated with its use. Explore explainer videos, or take the course as a series of lessons.

Oil’s legacy: fueling industrial growth and shaping imperial strategies

This episode of The Rest Is History podcast traces oil’s pivotal role—from fueling industrial growth to steering imperial power. It also examines how access to oil shaped US politics, World War II, and sparked the creation of OPEC following the Suez Crisis.

Aisha's firsthand account (or hadith) of Muhammad receiving the Quran

The hadith—or record of Muhammad's words or actions—includes an account from Muhammad's third wife, Aisha, who retells the story of Muhammad first receiving the revelation from Jibril. It's one of the most cited primary sources in Islamic tradition, and comes first in the broader Sahih al-Bukhari collection, a compilation of hadiths.

Quantum physics explained in 22 minutes

Brian Cox, Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement in Science, discusses the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, emphasizing their importance in understanding the nature of reality and their practical applications in emerging technologies like quantum computers.

Learn how stablecoins function in just 4 minutes

This video explains the basics of stablecoins in a beginner-friendly manner. It also dives a bit deeper into the larger stablecoin landscape, detailing, for instance, the many stablecoins backed by fiat currency other than the US dollar, like the euro, the Turkish lira, and the Singapore dollar.

The 10 main elements of fascism

This 10-minute video explains the 10 main elements of fascism, which it describes as the "cult of the leader" who promises national restoration that stymies the tide of a country's takeover by various groups. The main elements of fascism include...

Watch a comprehensive history of the Super Bowl

This video traces the Super Bowl's history from its origins through major games, ads, and cultural moments, offering a comprehensive overview of how the event evolved. Note that the video covers through the 2020 season.

What was the Spanish inquisition?

In 1478, Spain's Catholic monarchy launched a campaign tackling heresy throughout the collection of kingdoms that would ultimately become modern-day Spain. This six-minute animated video overviews the Spanish Inquisition, a wave of religious...

Rock 'n' roll's history in 60 seconds

In the late 1940s, rock 'n' roll emerged from a mix of blues, country, gospel, and jazz. It gained traction through radio, rebellious icons, and evolving sound. This overview traces the genre’s roots, rise, and lasting influence—from early pioneers to the British Invasion and beyond.

Watch a cybersecurity expert answers questions about hacking

From firewalls and VPNs to ransomware and viruses, IBM Distinguished Engineer Jeff Crume has seen many changes in cybersecurity during his 40 years of IT experience. In this video, he explores some of the most significant hacking events in history and provides advice on protecting yourself online.

Election 101 podcast

What’s actually at stake when someone casts their vote in a US election? CNN’s “Election 101” podcast series provides ten episodes summarizing some of the basics of democratic elections. The ins and outs of voting are highlighted in 15-minute episodes on voter registration and voting by mail. Additional segments highlight how the electoral system works, how ballots are counted, the Electoral College, why it takes so long to get election results, and more.

Aliens have invaded ancient history

Avid fans of archaeology can sometimes fall prey to unsubstantiated claims like "aliens built the pyramids," provocative, dubious theories which fall under the category of pseudo-archaeology. Many of these claims are premised on hidden biases toward non-Western cultural heritages. This professor explores the hidden contours of pseudo-archaeology in this 12-minute TED talk.

How to bridge political divides

Can people who believe in opposing ultimate views of the world really live in peace together? That's a core requirement of individuals living in pluralistic societies. Law professor Samar Ali and public affairs strategist Clint Brewer don't agree on much, but they're great friends. In this TED Talk, the two share why political polarization in the US isn’t as intractable as we might think. Learn some tips for getting along in the free world here.

Take a journey to the Earth's core

This animated video takes you on a journey through the different layers of the Earth's core, with insight into what makes up each shell. Earth's outer core, which is about 1,400 miles thick, is made up of liquid iron and nickel at a blistering...

How do you survive a plane crash?

Almost 95% of plane crashes aren’t fatal. So what separates survivors from victims? One man’s story may hold the key, plus expert tips that could save your life.

Learn about 12 basic yoga postures

A typical yoga class runs students through a sequence of basic postures, also known as asanas. This illustrated guide outlines 12 poses—including the “plough,” “fish,” and “crow”—and breaks down the specific benefits.

Watch contemporary footage covering the US-backed Shah of Iran fleeing the country in the face of the 1979 Iranian Revolution

Explore the history, structure, and species of Australia's Great Barrier Reef with this interactive journey narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

The term 'algorithm' originated from the Latinized name of al-Khwārizmī, a 9th-century mathematician whose works introduced Arabic numerals and the decimal-based numeral system to Europe and whose treatise 'Al-Jabr' gave algebra its name.

See how fireworks are made and learn how metals like magnesium and copper are responsible for different colors.

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

Hear 50 years of iconic hip-hop samples, the genre's foundational looped tracks

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

In 1963, a basement renovation in Turkey revealed a passageway to a hidden, multilevel underground city that once housed as many as 20,000 people

This poison ivy knowledge quiz—accompanied by photos of the plant's varied forms—may help you identify this common rash-inducing growth.

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.

Explore what it's like inside a patient isolation unit, used in situations such as treating a patient or suspected patient with Ebola.

Scientists can determine Earth's past climate conditions by analyzing air trapped in microscopic bubbles within ice cores—columns of compressed snow layers that build up over hundreds of thousands of years.

The US Constitution is widely regarded as the longest-standing written national constitution still in force—see how it has influenced rights worldwide.

According to the physics of black holes, our 4D reality may be a hologram—a projection of information coded on a 2D surface on the edge of the universe.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

In 1984, Operation Smash Hit intentionally crashed a 239-ton train into a nuclear waste canister at 100 miles per hour to prove the canister's safety, which remained completely intact and lost just 0.29 of its 100 pounds of pressure.

Electrical grids worldwide must double their power delivery capacity by 2050 to meet surging demand from AI and electric vehicles.