Mark Robinson: How the Normans changed the history of Europe
In the year 1066, 7,000 Norman infantry and knights sailed in warships across the English Channel. Their target: England, home to more than a million people. Around the same period of time, other groups of Normans were setting forth all across Europe. Who were these warriors, and how did they leave their mark so far and wide? Mark Robinson share...
Mark Robinson: A day in the life of the Oracle of Delphi
As the sun rises over Delphi in 500 BCE, Aristonike hurries to the temple of Apollo where a single oracle known as the Pythia communicates Apollo's will. Reserved only for women, this is the most important job in the city— and one that Aristonike will soon have to take on if city council officials decide she meets their standards. Mark Robinson ...
Mark Robinson: A day in the life of an ancient Greek architect
The year is 432 BCE. As dawn breaks over Athens, Pheidias is already late for work. He is the chief builder for the Parthenon — Athens' newest and largest temple— and when he arrives onsite, city officials accuse him of embezzling gold from the temple's sacred central statue. He has until sundown to prove his innocence or face the courts. Mark R...
Mark Robinson: Why is Aristophanes called "The Father of Comedy"?
Aristophanes, often referred to as the Father of Comedy, wrote the world's earliest surviving comic dramas. They're stuffed full of parodies, songs, sexual jokes and surreal fantasy -- and they've shaped how comedy's been written and performed ever since. Mark Robinson shares a brief history of Aristophanes. [TED-Ed Animation by Anton Bogaty].
Mark Robinson and Alex Gendler: History vs. Henry VIII
He was a powerful king whose break with the church of Rome would forever change the course of English history. But was he a charismatic reformer who freed his subjects from a corrupt establishment or a bullying tyrant who used Parliament for his own personal gain? Mark Robinson and Alex Gendler put this controversial figure on trial in History v...
Mary Robinson: Why climate change is a threat to human rights
Climate change is unfair. While rich countries can fight against rising oceans and dying farm fields, poor people around the world are already having their lives upended -- and their human rights threatened -- by killer storms, starvation and the loss of their own lands. Mary Robinson asks us to join the movement for worldwide climate justice.
Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?
Vanessa Nakate and Mary Robinson: The global opportunity to accelerate Africa's sustainable future
Climate justice activist Vanessa Nakate sits down with former president of Ireland Mary Robinson for an enlightening, intergenerational conversation about the state of the climate crisis. Nakate paints a picture of life in her home country of Uganda -- which faces prolonged droughts, landslides and flooding stemming from climate change -- and cl...
Kim Stanley Robinson: Remembering climate change ... a message from the year 2071
Mark Roth: Suspended animation is within our grasp
Mark Roth studies suspended animation: the art of shutting down life processes and then starting them up again. It's wild stuff, but it's not science fiction. Induced by careful use of an otherwise toxic gas, suspended animation can potentially help trauma and heart attack victims survive long enough to be treated.
Mark Ronson: How sampling transformed music
Sampling isn't about "hijacking nostalgia wholesale," says Mark Ronson. It's about inserting yourself into the narrative of a song while also pushing that story forward. In this mind-blowingly original talk, watch the DJ scramble 15 TED Talks into an audio-visual omelette, and trace the evolution of "La Di Da Di," Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's ...