The Negro Sailor | US Navy propaganda

In 1945 a remarkable film was produced, the result of an unusual combination of interests. The United States Navy, black rights advocates, social scientists, and the Hollywood movie community, all contributed to a curious work of propaganda entitled “The Negro Sailor”. This video describes the film and its purpose. Administration, United States National Archives and …

Don’t trust NewScientist magazine

NewScientist is a popular science magazine which indulges in some very bad journalism. This may be due to the fact that the company often hires freelance writers who are encouraged to narrativize their articles and use an eye-catching title. They do not require freelancers to have any particular qualifications in the subjects on which they …

The myth of witches’ hallucinogens

It is commonly believed that Early Modern women accused of being witches, made ointments from local plants containing powerful psychoactive agents, which caused hallucinations of flight and other supernatural events. These videos examine the history of the hallucinogenic flying ointment narrative, and present evidence discrediting the myth of witches’ hallucinogens. Ahmed, Shokhan Rasool. “Witches Which …

The Kavernacle is wrong about cyberpunk & Blade Runner 1982

Youtuber The Kavernacle has made three separate videos about the history of cyberpunk as a genre, and about the 1982 movie Blade Runner. In all three videos he makes serious errors about both subjects. These videos explain why The Kavernacle is wrong about cyberpunk and Blade Runner 1982. Abohela, Islam. “Future City in Science Fiction …

The Kavernacle is bad at history

Youtuber The Kavernacle mainly makes social commentary, media analysis, and political videos. Occasionally he comments on history, and often makes mistakes. These posts demonstrate The Kavernacle is bad at history. The Kavernacle is wrong about the transmission of Greek philosophy to Europe Here’s a tweet Kav posted which contains some bad history. The only reason …

An anarchist perspective on Puerto Rico

This video is a conversation providing an anarchist perspective on Puerto Rico and the history of the Puerto Rico independence movement, with a Puerto Rican anarchist. Note this is a casual unscripted conversation intended as a contribution to a broader discussion, without the depth of research typical of my usual videos. However, my views have …

How to research & assess scholarly literature

By the time someone is in college, they should have already been taught basic information literacy to the extent that they can write a properly researched essay using reliable formal sources. This video explains how to research & assess scholarly literature. Amrhein, Valentin, David Trafimow, and Sander Greenland. “Inferential Statistics as Descriptive Statistics: There Is …

Havana Syndrome is a mythical medical condition | the facts

Havana Syndrome is the name given to a collection of apparent physiological symptoms reportedly experienced by US and Canadian government staff while in Cuba. Although it has been attributed to a range of causes, most commonly some kind of attack by Cuban government agents, this video explains that the majority of medical evidence indicates Havana …

How to understand historical sources | primary, secondary, & tertiary

If you study or read history long enough, especially at an academic level, you’ll soon come across references to sources, in particular what are referred to as primary, secondary, and tertiary historical sources. This video explains how to understand historical sources and where to find them. In the list of references below you can find …