TED Talks

49–96 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 Steven Pinker on the myth of violence 2007 · Talk · 19 min Steven Pinker charts the decline of violence from Biblical times to the present, and argues that, though it may seem illogical and even obscene, given Iraq… Internet Archive Malcolm Gladwell: The unheard story of David and Goliath 2013 · Talk · 15 min It's a classic underdog tale: David, a young shepherd armed only with a sling, beats Goliath, the mighty warrior. The story has transcended its biblical… Internet Archive Devdutt Pattanaik: East vs. West -- the myths that mystify 2009 · Talk · 18 min Devdutt Pattanaik takes an eye-opening look at the myths of India and of the West -- and shows how these two fundamentally different sets of beliefs about… Internet Archive Heather Brooke: My battle to expose government corruption 2012 · Talk · 18 min Our leaders need to be held accountable, says journalist Heather Brooke. And she should know: Brooke uncovered the British Parliamentary financial expenses… Internet Archive Rick Warren on a life of purpose 2006 · Talk · 21 min Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life, reflects on his own crisis of purpose in the wake of his book's wild success. He explains his belief… Internet Archive Rachel Botsman: The currency of the new economy is trust 2012 · Talk · 19 min There's been an explosion of collaborative consumption -- web-powered sharing of cars, apartments, skills. Rachel Botsman explores the currency that makes… Internet Archive Johnny Lee demos Wii Remote hacks 2008 · Talk · 5 min Building sophisticated educational tools out of cheap parts, Johnny Lee demos his cool Wii Remote hacks, which turn the $40 video game controller into a… Internet Archive Neil Harbisson: I listen to color 2012 · Talk · 9 min Artist Neil Harbisson was born completely color blind, but these days a device attached to his head turns color into audible frequencies. Instead of seeing a… Internet Archive Eric Whitacre: A virtual choir 2,000 voices strong 2011 · Talk · 14 min In a moving and madly viral video last year, composer Eric Whitacre led a virtual choir of singers from around the world. He talks through the creative… Internet Archive Billy Graham on technology and faith 2008 · Talk · 26 min Speaking at TED in 1998, Rev. Billy Graham marvels at technology's power to improve lives and change the world -- but says the end of evil, suffering and… Internet Archive Lennart Green does close-up card magic 2008 · Talk · 31 min Like your uncle at a family party, the rumpled Swedish doctor Lennart Green says, "Pick a card, any card." But what he does with those cards is pure magic --… Internet Archive Alexander Tsiaras: Conception to birth -- visualized 2011 · Talk · 9 min Image-maker Alexander Tsiaras shares a powerful medical visualization, showing human development from conception to birth and beyond. (Some graphic images.) Internet Archive Steven Pinker on language and thought 2007 · Talk · 17 min In an exclusive preview of his book The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker looks at language and how it expresses what goes on in our minds -- and how the words… Internet Archive Rodney Mullen: Pop an ollie and innovate! 2012 · Talk · 18 min The last thing Rodney Mullen, the godfather of street skating, wanted were competitive victories. In this exuberant talk he shares his love of the open… Internet Archive E.O. Wilson on saving life on Earth 2007 · Talk · 22 min As E.O. Wilson accepts his 2007 TED Prize, he makes a plea on behalf of all creatures that we learn more about our biosphere -- and build a networked… Internet Archive Keith Barry does brain magic 2008 · Talk · 19 min First, Keith Barry shows us how our brains can fool our bodies -- in a trick that works via podcast too. Then he involves the audience in some jaw-dropping… Internet Archive Sarah-Jayne Blakemore: The mysterious workings of the adolescent brain 2012 · Talk · 14 min Why do teenagers seem so much more impulsive, so much less self-aware than grown-ups? Cognitive neuroscientist Sarah-Jayne Blakemore compares the prefrontal… Internet Archive Margaret Heffernan: Dare to disagree 2012 · Talk · 12 min Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes… Internet Archive Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on flow 2008 · Talk · 18 min Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi asks, "What makes a life worth living?" Noting that money cannot make us happy, he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting… Internet Archive Roxane Gay: Confessions of a bad feminist 2015 · Talk · 11 min When writer Roxane Gay dubbed herself a "bad feminist," she was making a joke, acknowledging that she couldn't possibly live up to the demands for perfection… Internet Archive Derek Sivers: Keep your goals to yourself 2010 · Talk · 3 min After hitting on a brilliant new life plan, our first instinct is to tell someone, but Derek Sivers says it's better to keep goals secret. He presents… Internet Archive Terry Moore: How to tie your shoes 2011 · Talk · 3 min Terry Moore found out he'd been tying his shoes the wrong way his whole life. In the spirit of TED, he takes the stage to share a better way. (Historical… Internet Archive Meaghan Ramsey: Why thinking you're ugly is bad for you 2014 · Talk · 12 min About 10,000 people a month Google the phrase, “Am I ugly?” Meaghan Ramsey of the Dove Self-Esteem Project has a feeling that many of them are young girls. In… Internet Archive Wade Davis: Dreams from endangered cultures 2007 · Talk · 22 min With stunning photos and stories, National Geographic Explorer Wade Davis celebrates the extraordinary diversity of the world's indigenous cultures, which are… Internet Archive Julian Treasure: How to speak so that people want to listen 2014 · Talk · 9 min Have you ever felt like you're talking, but nobody is listening? Here's Julian Treasure to help. In this useful talk, the sound expert demonstrates the… Internet Archive Reggie Watts disorients you in the most entertaining way 2012 · Talk · 9 min Reggie Watts’ beats defy boxes. Unplug your logic board and watch as he blends poetry and crosses musical genres in this larger-than-life performance. Internet Archive Carol Dweck: The power of believing that you can improve 2014 · Talk · 10 min Carol Dweck researches “growth mindset” — the idea that we can grow our brain's capacity to learn and to solve problems. In this talk, she describes two ways… Internet Archive Stacey Kramer: The best gift I ever survived 2010 · Talk · 3 min Stacey Kramer offers a moving, personal, 3-minute parable that shows how an unwanted experience -- frightening, traumatic, costly -- can turn out to be a… Internet Archive Erik Johansson: Impossible photography 2012 · Talk · 6 min Erik Johansson creates realistic photos of impossible scenes -- capturing ideas, not moments. In this witty how-to, the Photoshop wizard describes the… Internet Archive Dalia Mogahed: The attitudes that sparked Arab Spring 2012 · Talk · 14 min Pollster Dalia Mogahed shares surprising data on Egyptian people's attitudes and hopes before the Arab Spring -- with a special focus on the role of women in… Internet Archive Marco Tempest: The electric rise and fall of Nikola Tesla 2012 · Talk · 6 min Combining projection mapping and a pop-up book, Marco Tempest tells the visually arresting story of Nikola Tesla -- called “the greatest geek who ever lived”… Internet Archive Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend 2013 · Talk · 14 min Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research… Internet Archive Richard Dawkins on militant atheism 2007 · Talk · 29 min Richard Dawkins urges all atheists to openly state their position -- and to fight the incursion of the church into politics and science. A fiery, funny,… Internet Archive Dan Gilbert on our mistaken expectations 2008 · Talk · 33 min Dan Gilbert presents research and data from his exploration of happiness -- sharing some surprising tests and experiments that you can also try on yourself.… Internet Archive Steven Johnson: Where good ideas come from 2010 · Talk · 17 min People often credit their ideas to individual "Eureka!" moments. But Steven Johnson shows how history tells a different story. His fascinating tour takes us… Internet Archive Elizabeth Loftus: The fiction of memory 2013 · Talk · 17 min Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus studies memories. More precisely, she studies false memories, when people either remember things that didn't happen or remember… Internet Archive Ray Kurzweil on how technology will transform us 2006 · Talk · 23 min Inventor, entrepreneur and visionary Ray Kurzweil explains in abundant, grounded detail why, by the 2020s, we will have reverse-engineered the human brain and… Internet Archive Tim Urban: Inside the mind of a master procrastinator 2016 · Talk · 14 min Tim Urban knows that procrastination doesn't make sense, but he's never been able to shake his habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done. In… Internet Archive Graham Hill: Why I'm a weekday vegetarian 2010 · Talk · 4 min We all know the arguments that being vegetarian is better for the environment and for the animals -- but in a carnivorous culture, it can be hard to make the… Internet Archive Candy Chang: Before I die I want to... 2012 · Talk · 6 min In her New Orleans neighborhood, artist and TED Fellow Candy Chang turned an abandoned house into a giant chalkboard asking a fill-in-the-blank question:… Internet Archive Drew Dudley: Everyday leadership 2012 · Talk · 6 min We have all changed someone’s life -- usually without even realizing it. In this funny talk, Drew Dudley calls on all of us to celebrate leadership as the… Internet Archive Ji-Hae Park: The violin, and my dark night of the soul 2013 · Talk · 12 min In her quest to become a world-famous violinist, Ji-Hae Park fell into a severe depression. Only music was able to lift her out again -- showing her that her… Internet Archive Bill Gates: Teachers need real feedback 2013 · Talk · 10 min Until recently, many teachers only got one word of feedback a year: “satisfactory.” And with no feedback, no coaching, there’s just no way to improve. Bill… Internet Archive Sleepy Man Banjo Boys: Bluegrass virtuosity from ... New Jersey? 2013 · Talk · 8 min All under the age of 16, brothers Jonny, Robbie and Tommy Mizzone are from New Jersey, a US state that's better known for the rock of Bruce Springsteen than… Internet Archive Ruby Wax: What's so funny about mental illness? 2012 · Talk · 8 min Diseases of the body garner sympathy, says comedian Ruby Wax -- except those of the brain. Why is that? With dazzling energy and humor, Wax, diagnosed a… Internet Archive Colin Powell: Kids need structure 2013 · Talk · 17 min How can you help kids get a good start? In this heartfelt and personal talk, Colin Powell, the former U.S. Secretary of State, asks parents, friends and… Internet Archive Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: We should all be feminists 2017 · Talk · 29 min We teach girls that they can have ambition, but not too much ... to be successful, but not too successful, or they'll threaten men, says author Chimamanda… Internet Archive Kenichi Ebina's magic moves 2007 · Talk · 3 min Kenichi Ebina moves his body in a manner that appears to defy the limits imposed by the human skeleton. He combines breakdancing and hip-hop with mime using…