Be Smart
When the CIA Spied on Planet Earth
In 1995, a few years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a top-secret, first-of-its-kind US spy satellite program was declassified, leading to the unexpected story of how former enemies would become scientific allies, and technology...
Crash Course
Post-World War II Recovery: Crash Course European History
At the end of World War II, the nations of Europe were a shambles. Today we'll learn about how the various countries and blocs approached the problem of rebuilding their infrastructure and helping their residents recover. You'll learn...
SciShow
Growing Bacteria in Space Stations | Compilation
Bacteria is enormously resourceful and will find a way to grow just about anywhere it can, and that includes space stations. Here's a compilation of how that's happened in the past and how we've handled it!
SciShow
How We Fixed the Most Radioactive Place on Earth
Once upon a time, there was a lake that was so radioactive, that standing on its shore for more than an hour would almost definitely kill you. Join Olivia to learn how it got that bad in the first place, and what was done to fix it!
SciShow
Was The Apollo Mission a Mistake? | A SciShow Documentary
The Apollo program was famous for being risky and expensive. It sent multiple daring astronauts to the moon, but had a crunched timeline, and lacked modern tech. In this special episode of SciShow, we'll be discussing... was the Apollo...
SciShow
5 More Strange Flying Machines
In our last list of strange aircraft, we stuck to covering the weirdest jets to take to the sky, but there are plenty of other types of bizarre flying machines out there! In this episode, Hank will tell you about five other unlikely...
PBS
Why 'Doctor Zhivago' Was Dangerous (Book Conversation) (July 8, 2014)
When Boris Pasternak finished his novel ÃDr. ZhivagoÓ in 1956, Soviet authorities refused to publish the tale of an individualÂs struggle amid the Russian Revolution. A new book, ÃThe Zhivago Affair,Ó tells the story of how...
PBS
How Estonia built a digital first government
From filing taxes to accessing medical records to voting, 99 percent of all government services in Estonia are available online. Accessed at the state portal using an ID card and a pin code, the former Soviet nation is the first in the...
PBS
Russian in Brooklyn
How have strains in U.S.-Russia relations affected Russian-Americans and
recent immigrants? Special correspondent Ryan Chilcote reports from the
Brighton BEach neighborhood of Brooklyn, the first stop for many of the 3
million Russian...
PBS
Margaret Thatcher (Feb. 27, 1981)
Prime Minister Thatcher was interviewed following two days of meetings in Washington with the newly-inaugurated President Ronald Reagan. She discusses the war in El Salvador, the prospects for a Reagan-Brezhnev summit, the nascent...
PBS
George Kennan Interview (August 22, 1991)
Robert MacNeil interviews American diplomat George Kennan about the failed coup in the Soviet Union to overthrow Gorbachev.
PBS
Coverage of Mikhail Gorbachev's Resignation (Dec. 25,1991)
Reaction from Moscow, and a conversation with former United States National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski.
PBS
George Kennan Interview (April 18, 1996)
David Gergen talks with George Kennan about his book At A Century's Ending: Reflections 1982-1995.
PBS
Paul Nitze Interview (October 26, 1989)
Jim Lehrer interviews American diplomat Paul Nitze on his views of the Soviet Union.
Crash Course
The Fall of Communism: Crash Course European History
The aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact had a huge impact on the countries of Eastern Europe. As the former satellite states turned away from communism and Soviet influence, some of them shifted toward...
TED Talks
Yasheng Huang: Does democracy stifle economic growth?
Economist Yasheng Huang compares China to India, and asks how China's authoritarian rule contributed to its astonishing economic growth -- leading to a big question: Is democracy actually holding India back? Huang's answer may surprise you.
Crash Course
What are the Patterns of Border Conflicts? Crash Course Geography
Today, we’re going to take a closer look at borders and the stories they tell. When we look at a map, the shapes we’re seeing can seem so permanent, but a map is just a snapshot of the Earth at a particular time, and by looking a...
SciShow
Israel Is Getting Ready for Their First Moon Landing! SciShow News
The Beresheet lander is on its way to the moon and Jupiter's magnetic field might be affecting Europa's ocean.
SciShow
Was the Apollo Program a Bad Idea A SciShow Documentary
The Apollo program was famous for being risky and expensive. It had a crunched timeline, daring astronauts, and lacked modern tech, and that all kind of makes you wonder… was the Apollo program a bad idea?
TED Talks
Parag Khanna: Mapping the future of countries
Many people think the lines on the map no longer matter, but Parag Khanna says they do. Using maps of the past and present, he explains the root causes of border conflicts worldwide and proposes simple yet cunning solutions for each.
SciShow
How We Used the Moon to Send Radio Messages
In the early days of the Cold War, it was difficult to send and receive messages across the globe. Before the US launched its first satellite in January 1958, the military tried a creative solution: bouncing radio waves off the Moon.
TED Talks
Jonathan Foley: The other inconvenient truth
A skyrocketing demand for food means that agriculture has become the largest driver of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental destruction. Jonathan Foley shows why we desperately need to begin "terraculture" -- farming for...
Crash Course
The Soviet Bloc Unwinds: Crash Course European History
In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, protests and unrest continued continued across Europe, and the Soviet Union was having increasing trouble holding its sphere of influence together. Today you'll learn about the labor strikes of...