TED Talks

529–576 of 2,913 films, free to watch, from the world's open archives.

Where these films come from, and who sees what

Every film here plays from the archive that keeps it: the Internet Archive, Wikimedia Commons, the NASA Image and Video Library, the Library of Congress and Open Images (the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision). Nothing is copied to this site. Each film's page names its archive, links to its page there, and states its licence or status as the archive does.

Archive films carry no age ratings, so each is placed from the collections it sits in and the subjects the archive gives it, cautiously. Sexual content and nudity are left out altogether.

Little OnesFilms for young children by name: nursery rhymes, lullabies, preschool.
KidsCartoons and animation, children's and family films, and educational films, unless they deal with war, propaganda, crime, horror or drugs, or carry racial caricature.
TweensDocumentaries, science, nature and space, classic comedies, newsreels, commercials and lectures.
TeensEverything else, including anything we cannot tell about; war, crime, horror and westerns go no lower.
AdultSexual themes (such as the old "sex hygiene" films), gore, surgery, slaughter, atrocity footage.
Internet Archive Max Little: A test for Parkinson’s with a phone call 2012 · Talk · 6 min Parkinson’s disease affects 6.3 million people worldwide, causing weakness and tremors, but there's no objective way to detect it early on. Yet. Applied… Internet Archive Donald Sadoway: The missing link to renewable energy 2012 · Talk · 15 min What's the key to using alternative energy, like solar and wind? Storage -- so we can have power on tap even when the sun's not out and the wind's not… Internet Archive Hans Rosling: Religions and babies 2012 · Talk · 13 min Hans Rosling had a question: Do some religions have a higher birth rate than others -- and how does this affect global population growth? Speaking at the… Internet Archive Neil Pasricha: The 3 A's of awesome 2011 · Talk · 17 min Neil Pasricha's blog 1000 Awesome Things savors life's simple pleasures, from free refills to clean sheets. In this heartfelt talk from TEDxToronto, he… Internet Archive Ricardo Semler: Radical wisdom for a company, a school, a life 2015 · Talk · 21 min What if your job didn’t control your life? Brazilian CEO Ricardo Semler practices a radical form of corporate democracy, rethinking everything from board… Internet Archive Caroline Weaver: Why the pencil is perfect 2018 · Talk Why are pencils shaped like hexagons, and how did they get their iconic yellow color? Pencil shop owner Caroline Weaver takes us inside the fascinating… Internet Archive Pico Iyer: Where is home? 2013 · Talk · 14 min More and more people worldwide are living in countries not considered their own. Writer Pico Iyer -- who himself has three or four “origins” -- meditates on… Internet Archive Taylor Wilson: Yup, I built a nuclear fusion reactor 2012 · Talk · 3 min Taylor Wilson believes nuclear fusion is a solution to our future energy needs, and that kids can change the world. And he knows something about both of… Internet Archive Zach Kaplan and Keith Schacht demo toys from the future 2008 · Talk · 15 min The Inventables guys, Zach Kaplan and Keith Schacht, demo some amazing new materials and how we might use them. Look for squishy magnets, odor-detecting ink,… Internet Archive Baba Shiv: Sometimes it's good to give up the driver's seat 2012 · Talk · 9 min Over the years, research has shown a counterintuitive fact about human nature: That sometimes, having too much choice makes us less happy. This may even be… Internet Archive Mustafa Akyol: Faith versus tradition in Islam 2011 · Talk · 17 min At TEDxWarwick, journalist Mustafa Akyol talks about the way that some local cultural practices (such as wearing a headscarf) have become linked, in the… Internet Archive William Ury: The walk from "no" to "yes" 2010 · Talk · 18 min William Ury, author of "Getting to Yes," offers an elegant, simple (but not easy) way to create agreement in even the most difficult situations -- from family… Internet Archive Aomawa Shields: How we'll find life on other planets 2016 · Talk · 5 min Astronomer Aomawa Shields searches for clues that life might exist elsewhere in the universe by examining the atmospheres of distant exoplanets. When she… Internet Archive Michael Pollan gives a plant's-eye view 2008 · Talk · 17 min What if human consciousness isn't the end-all and be-all of Darwinism? What if we are all just pawns in corn's clever strategy game to rule the Earth? Author… Internet Archive Michael Shermer: The pattern behind self-deception 2010 · Talk · 19 min Michael Shermer says the human tendency to believe strange things -- from alien abductions to dowsing rods -- boils down to two of the brain's most basic,… Internet Archive Thandie Newton: Embracing otherness, embracing myself 2011 · Talk · 13 min Actor Thandie Newton tells the story of finding her "otherness" -- first, as a child growing up in two distinct cultures, and then as an actor playing with… Internet Archive Jack Andraka: A promising test for pancreatic cancer ... from a teenager 2013 · Talk · 10 min Over 85 percent of all pancreatic cancers are diagnosed late, when someone has less than two percent chance of survival. How could this be? Jack Andraka talks… Internet Archive Jessica Green: Good germs make healthy buildings 2013 · Talk · 8 min Our bodies and homes are covered in microbes -- some good for us, some bad for us, and some just along for the ride. As we learn more about the germs and… Internet Archive David Byrne: How architecture helped music evolve 2010 · Talk · 16 min As his career grew, David Byrne went from playing CBGB to Carnegie Hall. He asks: Does the venue make the music? From outdoor drumming to Wagnerian operas to… Internet Archive Michelle Obama's plea for education 2009 · Talk · 11 min Speaking at a London girls' school, Michelle Obama makes a passionate, personal case for each student to take education seriously. It is this new, brilliant… Internet Archive Chris Bangle says great cars are Art 2007 · Talk · 20 min American designer Chris Bangle explains his philosophy that car design is an art form in its own right, with an entertaining -- and ultimately moving --… Internet Archive Glenn Greenwald: Why privacy matters 2014 · Talk · 20 min Glenn Greenwald was one of the first reporters to see -- and write about -- the Edward Snowden files, with their revelations about the United States'… Internet Archive Billy Collins: Two poems about what dogs think (probably) 2014 · Talk · 4 min What must our dogs be thinking when they look at us? Poet Billy Collins imagines the inner lives of two very different companions. It’s a charming short talk,… Internet Archive David R. Dow: Lessons from death row inmates 2012 · Talk · 18 min What happens before a murder? In looking for ways to reduce death penalty cases, David R. Dow realized that a surprising number of death row inmates had… Internet Archive Laurie Santos: A monkey economy as irrational as ours 2010 · Talk · 19 min Laurie Santos looks for the roots of human irrationality by watching the way our primate relatives make decisions. A clever series of experiments in… Internet Archive Noreena Hertz: How to use experts -- and when not to 2011 · Talk · 18 min We make important decisions every day -- and we often rely on experts to help us decide. But, says economist Noreena Hertz, relying too much on experts can be… Internet Archive Eduardo Paes: The 4 commandments of cities 2012 · Talk · 12 min Eduardo Paes is the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, a sprawling, complicated, beautiful city of 6.5 million. He shares four big ideas about leading Rio -- and all… Internet Archive Roger Antonsen: Math is the hidden secret to understanding the world 2016 · Talk · 17 min Unlock the mysteries and inner workings of the world through one of the most imaginative art forms ever — mathematics — with Roger Antonsen, as he explains… Internet Archive Willie Smits restores a rainforest 2009 · Talk · 20 min By piecing together a complex ecological puzzle, biologist Willie Smits has found a way to re-grow clearcut rainforest in Borneo, saving local orangutans --… Internet Archive BJ Miller: What really matters at the end of life 2015 · Talk · 19 min At the end of our lives, what do we most wish for? For many, it’s simply comfort, respect, love. BJ Miller is a palliative care physician who thinks deeply… Internet Archive Christopher Deam restyles the Airstream 2009 · Talk · 6 min In this low-key, image-packed talk from 2002, designer Christopher C. Deam talks about his makeover of an American classic: the Airstream travel trailer. Internet Archive Eduardo Briceño: How to get better at the things you care about 2017 · Talk · 11 min Working hard but not improving? You're not alone. Eduardo Briceño reveals a simple way to think about getting better at the things you do, whether that's… Internet Archive Lewis Pugh's mind-shifting Everest swim 2010 · Talk · 9 min After he swam the North Pole, Lewis Pugh vowed never to take another cold-water dip. Then he heard of Lake Imja in the Himalayas, created by recent glacial… Internet Archive Maz Jobrani: Did you hear the one about the Iranian-American? 2010 · Talk · 9 min A founding member of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, standup comic Maz Jobrani riffs on the challenges and conflicts of being Iranian-American -- "like, part of… Internet Archive Nadine Burke Harris: How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime 2015 · Talk · 16 min Childhood trauma isn’t something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and… Internet Archive Nina Tandon: Could tissue engineering mean personalized medicine? 2012 · Talk · 6 min Each of our bodies is utterly unique, which is a lovely thought until it comes to treating an illness -- when every body reacts differently, often… Internet Archive David Gallo on life in the deep oceans 2008 · Talk · 13 min With vibrant video clips captured by submarines, David Gallo takes us to some of Earth's darkest, most violent, toxic and beautiful habitats, the valleys and… Internet Archive Deborah Lipstadt: Behind the lies of Holocaust denial 2017 · Talk · 15 min "There are facts, there are opinions, and there are lies," says historian Deborah Lipstadt, telling the remarkable story of her research into Holocaust… Internet Archive George Dyson on Project Orion 2008 · Talk · 8 min Author George Dyson spins the story of Project Orion, a massive, nuclear-powered spacecraft that could have taken us to Saturn in five years. His insider’s… Internet Archive Lawrence Lessig: We the People, and the Republic we must reclaim 2013 · Talk · 18 min There is a corruption at the heart of American politics, caused by the dependence of Congressional candidates on funding from the tiniest percentage of… Internet Archive Imogen Heap plays "Wait It Out" 2009 · Talk · 3 min Imogen Heap plays a powerful stripped-down version of "Wait It Out," from her new record, Ellipse. Internet Archive Iwan Baan: Ingenious homes in unexpected places 2013 · Talk · 16 min In the center of Caracas, Venezuela, stands the 45-story "Tower of David," an unfinished, abandoned skyscraper. But about eight years ago, people started… Internet Archive Frank Gehry asks "Then what?" 2008 · Interview · 22 min In a wildly entertaining discussion with Richard Saul Wurman, architect Frank Gehry gives TEDsters his take on the power of failure, his recent buildings, and… Internet Archive Reuben Margolin: Sculpting waves in wood and time 2012 · Talk · 8 min Reuben Margolin is a kinetic sculptor, crafting beautiful pieces that move in the pattern of raindrops falling and waves combining. Take nine minutes and be… Internet Archive Yves Rossy: Fly with the Jetman 2011 · Talk · 14 min Strapped to a jet-powered wing, Yves Rossy is the Jetman -- flying free, his body as the rudder, above the Swiss Alps and the Grand Canyon. After a powerful… Internet Archive Alexa Meade: Your body is my canvas 2013 · Talk · 7 min Alexa Meade takes an innovative approach to art. Not for her a life of sketching and stretching canvases. Instead, she selects a topic and then paints… Internet Archive Bill Gates on mosquitos, malaria and education 2009 · Talk · 20 min Bill Gates hopes to solve some of the world's biggest problems using a new kind of philanthropy. In a passionate and, yes, funny 18 minutes, he asks us to… Internet Archive Robert Lang folds way-new origami 2008 · Talk · 15 min Robert Lang is a pioneer of the newest kind of origami -- using math and engineering principles to fold mind-blowingly intricate designs that are beautiful…