From a boy setting off small explosions in his living room to the creator of world-famous pyrotechnic events, multidisciplinary artist Cai Guo-Qiang has always been drawn to gunpowder. He gives a stunning tour of his work — including his...

Folk musician and storyteller David Holt plays the banjo and shares photographs and old wisdom from the Appalachian Mountains. He also demonstrates some unusual instruments like the mouth bow -- and a surprising electric drum kit he...

In the mid-ninth century, Chinese chemists, hard at work on an immortality potion, instead invented gunpowder. They soon found that this highly inflammable powder was far from an elixir of life -- they put it to use in bombs against...

In this episode we discuss Schrodinger's cat, quantum entanglement, and our perception of reality.

Get to know Robert Goddard, one of the original rocket scientists!

Why you can’t clone Schrödinger’s cat: this video presents the full proof of the “No Cloning” Theorem in Quantum Mechanics – without any fancy math! (stereotypical qubit has been replaced with...

Before we had rockets like the Falcon 9, we had other ideas of how we might shoot for the moon: space guns!

Chinese alchemists searching for an elixir of eternal life discovered the world's first chemical explosive. Hank has the full story on gunpowder in this SciShow about a big idea of science.

SciShow Space takes you into Low Earth Orbit to explain how artificial satellites get up there and stay there -- at least for a while.

Howcast -Learn about different types of bullets from Police Officer Keith Charley in this Howcast gun video.

Howcast -Learn how to effectively use Minecraft TNT with this Minecraft tutorial.

Howcast -Beat "The Forum of the Ox" from Assassin's Creed Revelations with this online demo of the fourth installment of the series from Ubisoft.

In this video, we explore the historical significance of castles and their purpose as protective structures. From their origins as safe havens for townspeople during times of threat, to their transformation into private residences for...

Every year in a small town in Thailand, thousands of people gather to celebrate the raucous and noisy Bang Bang Phi rocket festival. This centuries-old fertility festival marks the start of Thailand's rainy season, with the belief that...

Discover how fireworks evolved from ancient Chinese folklore to modern celebrations, lighting up our skies with a bang.

Potassium nitrate is a natural substance found in your food, or in an exploding firework. What makes it so versatile? Chemistry - Chemical Industries - Learning Points. Potassium nitrate preserves our food and is a component of...

Fireworks combine chemical processes, from combustion to spectroscopy, to create spectacular displays. Discover what happens when the fuse is lit. Chemistry - Reactions - Learning Points. Fireworks involve combustion and exothermic...

Discover the damage caused by shockwaves and how they are created by supersonic speeds. Physics - Waves - Learning Points. Waves of high pressure are produced when something moves through a medium at supersonic speed. At supersonic...

Fireworks are a feast for the senses, but what creates those amazing colours?
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Learn about the Gunpowder Plot of the 5th of November and Guy Fawkes, one of the plotters who helped plan the attack on the British Parliament.

On November 3rd, the conspirators decided to proceed with their plot to blow up the English Parliament despite growing suspicions. Guy Fawkes was discovered in the cellar with gunpowder on the night of November 4th and arrested,...

The Gunpowder Plot conspirators made slow progress tunneling under Parliament, but a fortunate discovery of a vacant undercroft above their tunnel allowed them to store gunpowder closer to their target. Despite challenges, including...

Guy Fawkes, born in York around 1570, had a Protestant father and Catholic mother. His father died when Guy was a child and he came to identify strongly with the Catholic side of his family, which was increased by his education at a...

Learn about the history of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Francis Drake, the history of privateering, and one of the most famous naval battles of all time, the Battle of Gravelines between the British fleet and the Spanish Armada.