Awesome History

(PG-13: Language) “The irritating screech of a dial-up connection was replaced by the equally grating sound of teenagers expressing themselves.” Ordinary Things turns into Ordinary People, as our host walks us through a history of the Emo movement, as it evolved out of punk into something more suburban, then imploded.

If you’ve ever played the The Game of LIFE board game, you know it’s a pretty innocuous way to pass the time. But as Vox points out, the original version that came out in the 1860s included much darker milestones than just buying a house or sending your kids to college.

After a long day at work, it’s nice to take the edge off with a little booze. But where did humans get the idea to ferment spirits and drink them in the first place? TED-Ed presenter Rod Phillips looks back on the 7,000+ year history of alcohol, which like many things, appears to have its origins with ancient Chinese civilizations.

Yep, vacation is over. So it’s time to get back to your desk and maybe do some work or learn something. Let’s start off with another oddball history lesson from Sam O’Nella Academy, and one Timothy Dexter, an 18th century farmhand who married his way into aristocracy, and then became even more wealthy despite his stupidity.

Introduced in 1981, the DeLorean DMC-12 was supposed to be the “car of the future,” yet despite its striking looks, it wasn’t that groundbreaking. The company that built it quickly crashed, but Back to the Future made it an icon and dream car for decades to come.

Back in the 1950s, a new method of transportation was in development. The Fairey Rotodyne looked like the offspring of a helicopter and an airplane, and could take off and land vertically. But fast as it appeared, the Rotodyne vanished. Mustard takes a look at this unique aircraft, and why it never got off the ground.

During WWII, Oak Ridge, Tennessee served as a facility for nuclear weapons development, housing nearly 75,000 people, all while managing to keep the entire existence of the town top secret. Half as Interesting explores the fascinating history of this small southern town.

The industrial revolution kicked off the biggest boom of innovation in the history of humanity. Machine Thinking looks back at one specific machine which came at the very start of that era that he considers as the linchpin for much of what came after.

Ahoy presents an incredibly in-depth analysis of the origins of video games, swiftly debunking any confusion that Pong was the first video game ever, and looking back at early titles like Computer Space, SpaceWar!, Tennis for Two, and their programmers. Turns out hunting down the very first video game isn’t that simple.

Accompanied by an animation from Remus & Kiki, narrator Adrian Dannatt adds his authoritative voice to Alex Gendler’s TED-Ed lesson about the origins of the popular board game, which dates back to the 7th century in India – or possibly earlier – and is still recognized as one of the most challenging strategy games you can play.

You have a better chance of being struck by lightning multiple times than winning a big lottery these days. But a couple of decades back, Stefan Mandel figured out that depending on the size of a lottery’s jackpot, if you bought every single combination, you’d be guaranteed a win. He just had to figure out how to buy them all.

Yarrrrrr! Avast, ye mateys! Shiver me timbers! That’s how we generally think that pirates spoke. But it turns out that it’s a complete fabrication. Cheddar explains where that familiar pirate speak came from, and theorizes on what they might have actually sounded like.

(PG-13: Gross, Language) CollegeHumor’s Dropout TV series What the F 101 looks at one of the stranger types of torture. “The Boats” started out rather pleasantly with a delicious serving of milk and honey, but it quickly takes a turn for the worse.

(PG-13: Language) There’s a long, and often disturbing history of launching animals into the cosmos before space programs felt comfortable sending humans. Sam O’Nella Academy looks back at the creatures who often gave their lives so that space exploration could march forward.

“In 1818, civil engineer William Cubbitt designed the first treadmill as a device to punish inmates…” Learn this and everything else you never wanted to know about treadmills, as explained by an ordinary guy in the compelling new web series Ordinary Things. Then learn about pillows, stairs, and onions too.

(PG-13: Language) From a man who was shot through the head, to another who jammed a drill bit in there, to a guy who crash-landed his plane and fought off a pack of wild animals, Sam O’Nella Academy is here to regale us with another round of strange but true stories.

(PG-13: Language) After sharing the tale of a corpse used for entertainment, Sam O’Nella returns with a grislier tale of a dead body used for… personal entertainment. But not before pointing out how understandably few people know about the value of a Pope’s blood.

(PG-13: Language) Punk rock shook up the music scene back in 1976, but “proto-punk” bands dating all the way back to the late 1950s defined the genre without even knowing it. Trash Theory looks back at the history of punk rock, and the roots of its anti-establishment sounds.

(PG-13: Language) Sam O’Nella Academy shares the story of Elmer McCurdy. He was a bandit in the early 20th century who got killed in a shootout with the police. But he stayed above ground for an astounding 65 years, thanks to crooks and clueless entertainers.

While many video game characters have four fingers, the practice is frowned upon in Japan, resulting in special variants of everyone from Bart Simpson to Crash Bandicoot. Censored Gaming looks at the history behind the strange 4-fingered discrimination in the country.

There have been numerous recorded instances of groups of people losing their minds at the same time. The always informative, and usually gross Sam O’ Nella Academy shares some of the more notable cases of the bizarre behavior known as mass psychogenic illness.

If you’ve ever wondered why so many areas of land are considered federal property here in the good old U.S. of A., you’ll want to tune into CGP Grey’s video, which provides a great lesson on how land went from being doled out for free to being closely held by the government.

If you’ve never seen a movie shot and played back in its original 70mm analog format, you’re missing out on a true cinematic experience. The Royal Ocean Film Society looks back at the history of this awe-inspiring format, and how it may just have saved Hollywood back in the day.