Department
People
The human body and human stories. 80 case files (22 cross-filed from other departments).
DID YOUKNOW?Tyler, The CreatorDD-207
Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator (Tyler Gregory Okonma) is an American rapper, songwriter and producer, born on March 6, 1991, in Los Angeles. He co-founded the alternative hip-hop collective Odd Future (OFWGKTA) in 2007. His debut studio album, Goblin, came out in 2011. IGOR (2019) won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2020, and Call Me If You Get Lost (2021) won the same award in 2022. His music mixes hip-hop with R&B, funk, soul and jazz. The footage shows performances and interviews, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?Starry EyedDD-001
Starry Eyed
Asteroid hyalosis fills the eye's vitreous gel with hundreds of tiny yellow-white spheres ('asteroid bodies') made of calcium, phosphate and lipids. To an eye doctor they glitter like stars in a night sky, but most people who have them never notice. It affects roughly 1 in 100–130 people, becomes far more common with age, is more common in men, and usually affects only one eye. It needs no treatment unless it hides the retina during an exam or, rarely, blurs vision.
DID YOUKNOW?Rick CharlsDD-742
Rick Charls
In 1983, ABC's Wide World of Sports staged its last World Record High Dive at SeaWorld San Diego. To count, a dive had to include at least one somersault, and the diver had to leave the water without help. Five divers succeeded from 172 ft (52.4 m): Rick Charls, Rick Winters, Dana Kunze, Bruce Boccia and Mike Foley, and all five share credit for the record. Charls, from Cincinnati, was a collegiate All-American at Ohio University and the 1980 world tandem high-diving champion.
DID YOUKNOW?Kenny POWERsDD-740
Kenny POWERs
The St. Lawrence 'Super Jump' was Canadian stuntman Ken Carter's project, begun in 1976, to jump a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental about a mile from near Morrisburg, Ontario to the United States. On September 26, 1979, after Carter's attempt was aborted, the backers and film producers had American stuntman Kenny Powers make the jump while Carter was away. The bumpy runway damaged the car, the parachutes deployed early, and it traveled about 506 feet before landing in shallow water. Powers survived with eight broken vertebrae, three broken ribs and a broken wrist. He died in 2009.
DID YOUKNOW?I'm Obsessed...DD-732
I'm Obsessed...
Obsession is an R-rated horror film written and directed by Curry Barker, released in U.S. theaters by Focus Features on May 15, 2026. Bear (Michael Johnston), a music-store worker, breaks a novelty 'One Wish Willow' to make his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) love him, and the wish turns her obsessive and dangerous. The Reel's 'love story' review is deliberately ironic. Critics praised the film, with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 77 on Metacritic, and Box Office Mojo lists a worldwide gross of about $522.8 million.
DID YOUKNOW?The OdysseyDD-728
The Odyssey
The Odyssey is an ancient Greek epic poem in 24 books, traditionally attributed to Homer and generally dated to around the late 8th or early 7th century BCE. It follows Odysseus, king of Ithaca, on his ten-year return from the Trojan War: blinding the Cyclops Polyphemus, a year with the sorceress Circe, sailing past the Sirens tied to his mast, and finally reclaiming his home from his wife Penelope's suitors. Counting the war, he's away for twenty years. The Reel was posted on July 18, 2026, the day after Christopher Nolan's film adaptation opened in U.S. theaters.
DID YOUKNOW?Air JordanDD-713
Air Jordan
Michael Jordan won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1987 and again on February 6, 1988, at Chicago Stadium. In 1988, he closed with a dunk from the free-throw line that earned a perfect 50 and edged out Dominique Wilkins, a result that's still debated. The dunk wasn't new. Julius Erving won the first-ever dunk contest, at the 1976 ABA All-Star Game, with a free-throw-line dunk, and Jordan had tried one in the 1985 contest. Both Jordan and Erving have said Erving suggested the 1988 attempt from the stands. 'Air Jordan' was also the name of Nike's Jordan signature shoe, launched in 1985.
DID YOUKNOW?Ali KhameneiDD-076
Ali Khamenei
Ali Khamenei was born on April 19, 1939, in Mashhad and studied at the seminary in Qom, including under Ruhollah Khomeini. From 1963 he took part in protests against the monarchy and was imprisoned several times. After the 1979 revolution he sat on the Revolutionary Council, served as deputy defense minister and was elected president in 1981, a largely ceremonial post at the time; he was reelected in 1985. When Khomeini died in June 1989, the Assembly of Experts chose Khamenei as leader, and a referendum that July loosened the office's clerical qualifications. He held the post for 37 years. On Feb. 28, 2026, he was killed in the opening U.S.-Israeli strikes of the 2026 war with Iran. The Assembly of Experts named his son Mojtaba Khamenei supreme leader on March 8, 2026.
DID YOUKNOW?The White TempleDD-042
The White Temple
Wat Rong Khun, the White Temple, stands about 15 km south of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand. In 1997 the Chiang Rai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat set out to rebuild a run-down local temple entirely at his own expense, and he's still building. White plaster stands for the Buddha's purity, and thousands of mirror chips for the Buddha's wisdom. To reach the white ordination hall (ubosot), visitors cross the 'bridge of the cycle of rebirth' over a pit of hundreds of reaching stucco hands representing desire and suffering. Inside, murals mix flames and demons with Neo, Superman and a Terminator. The site survived a 2014 earthquake, and the nine-building plan may not be finished until about 2070.
DID YOUKNOW?Winter in HarbinDD-034
Winter in Harbin
Harbin, the 'Ice City' of China's northeast, began its modern ice festival on January 5, 1985. Its roots go back to a 1963 ice-lantern show and Qing-dynasty lanterns made from blocks of river ice. Each December, workers saw blocks two to three feet thick out of the frozen Songhua River. Sculptors then turn them into palaces, landmark replicas and LED-lit castles. The centerpiece, Harbin Ice and Snow World, opened in 1999, is rebuilt from scratch every year, and holds a Guinness record as the world's largest ice-and-snow theme park.
DID YOUKNOW?Anti-Defamation LeagueDD-674
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit. B'nai B'rith, a Jewish service organization, founded it in Chicago in autumn 1913, with attorney Sigmund Livingston as its first leader. Wikipedia's account places the founding in the wake of the contested murder conviction of Leo Frank that year. The ADL became independent of B'nai B'rith in 2009, and Jonathan Greenblatt has been its CEO since 2015. The ADL describes its purpose as protecting the Jewish people and fighting antisemitism and hate. It's known for incident audits, research on extremism, law-enforcement training and pro-Israel advocacy. The ADL is politically contested. Critics on the left have accused it of conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism. In late 2025, conservative critics, including Elon Musk and FBI Director Kash Patel, attacked its extremism research after its glossary included an entry on Turning Point USA. The ADL took the glossary down, the FBI announced it was cutting ties, and the ADL said it remained committed to protecting the Jewish people. This case reports those claims with their sources and doesn't judge them.
DID YOUKNOW?Coffin HomesDD-046
Coffin Homes
Hong Kong's high housing costs have pushed about 220,000 people into roughly 110,000 subdivided units (SDUs). The median SDU in the 2021 census was 11 m², about 6 m² per person. At the extreme are 'coffin' cubicles: wooden, bed-sized compartments in partitioned flats, with a lockable door and little else. They're too low to stand in, and residents share kitchens and toilets. Per square foot, these tiny spaces rent for more than private flats. Hong Kong has regulated 'cage home' bedspace apartments since 1994. A new Basic Housing Units Ordinance, in force from March 1, 2026, sets minimum standards for subdivided flats (at least 8 m², a window and a toilet), but it doesn't cover bedspace or coffin-cubicle housing.
DID YOUKNOW?OrwellianDD-045
Orwellian
George Orwell's ninth and final completed book, Nineteen Eighty-Four, came out from Secker & Warburg in London on June 8, 1949, and in the U.S. five days later. Orwell died seven months after publication. The novel is set in London, chief city of 'Airstrip One', a province of the superstate Oceania, ruled by the Party under its symbolic head, Big Brother. Winston Smith, an Outer Party member, works at the Ministry of Truth, revising back issues of The Times while the originals vanish down 'memory holes' into a furnace. He rebels with Julia and is betrayed by O'Brien of the Inner Party. Under torture he is broken until he loves Big Brother. The Reel's footage comes from Michael Radford's 1984 film, with John Hurt as Winston.
DID YOUKNOW?KirkDD-672
Kirk
Charles James 'Charlie' Kirk (October 14, 1993 – September 10, 2025) was an American conservative political activist and media personality. He was born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and raised in nearby Prospect Heights. In June 2012, at 18, he co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) with businessman Bill Montgomery, as a student organization promoting free markets and limited government. He led it as its public face for 13 years and became widely known for campus debates and his daily program, The Charlie Kirk Show. On September 10, 2025, he was shot and killed while speaking at a TPUSA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, at age 31. A suspect, Tyler Robinson, was arrested two days later and charged with aggravated murder. Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, was elected CEO of TPUSA on September 18, 2025, and he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on October 14, 2025. He was a polarizing figure who drew both strong support and strong criticism, and this case sticks to the documented record.
DID YOUKNOW?EllisonDD-069
Ellison
Larry Ellison was born in New York City in 1944 and adopted as a baby by relatives in Chicago. He left the University of Illinois and later the University of Chicago without a degree. In 1977 he co-founded Software Development Laboratories with Bob Miner and Ed Oates, colleagues from Ampex, where they had worked on a CIA-funded mass-storage project code-named ORACLE. The company released the first commercial SQL relational database in 1979 and later took the Oracle name. Ellison was CEO from 1977 until September 2014 and is now Oracle's executive chairman and chief technology officer; Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia have been co-CEOs since September 2025. He owns roughly 40% of Oracle, and his fortune moves with its stock: Forbes put it at $167.2 billion on Oct. 17, 2026, after he briefly topped $400 billion in September 2025.
DID YOUKNOW?Nic MadDD-068
Nic Mad
Nicolás Maduro, born Nov. 23, 1962, in Caracas, worked as a bus driver and transit-union representative before entering politics alongside Hugo Chávez. He served in the legislature, as foreign minister from 2006 and as vice president from October 2012. After Chávez died in March 2013, Maduro became interim president and narrowly won an April 2013 special election. He was reelected in 2018, and in 2024 the National Electoral Council declared him the winner of an election that the opposition and several foreign governments disputed. On Jan. 3, 2026, U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas and flew them to New York, where they face federal charges. Both have pleaded not guilty, and Maduro calls the accusations false. Delcy Rodríguez, his former vice president, has led Venezuela as acting president since January 2026. This Reel was posted in November 2025, before those events.
DID YOUKNOW?GyotakuDD-671
Gyotaku
Gyotaku (from gyo, 'fish', and taku, 'impression') is the Japanese practice of printing fish. The oldest known gyotaku, Kinshibori no funa ('Crucian Carp from the Kinshibori Canal'), is dated to 1839. It records a crucian carp caught in Edo (now Tokyo) by Sakai Tadaaki, ninth lord of the Shōnai domain, and is kept at the Tsuruoka City Museum of Local History. Nippon.com reports that the Shōnai region around Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture is considered gyotaku's birthplace. The domain encouraged its samurai to fish from the rocky shore as training, and they used prints to record their big catches. There are two main methods. In the direct method (chokusetsuhō), ink or paint goes on the fish and paper is pressed over it, which gives a mirror image. In the indirect method (kansetsuhō), thin damp washi paper is molded onto the fish and color is dabbed on with a silk-wrapped pad called a tanpo, like a rubbing. After photography spread in the postwar period, colorful 'art gyotaku' grew into a style of its own. Researchers have also used old gyotaku as historical records of fish sizes and species. The footage shows the technique on an octopus, which is inked, printed on paper and finished with a red seal stamped on the print. Gyotaku is traditionally done with fish, and octopus and squid prints are also common.
DID YOUKNOW?Stick WalkDD-668
Stick Walk
The Banna (also written Bena) are a people of the Lower Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia's South Omo Zone. They live in the higher country around the market town of Key Afer and are closely related to their Hamar neighbors, with whom they share the Hamar-Banna language and major ceremonies. Their best-known tradition, the one in the footage, is stilt-walking, not walking with sticks. Young men and boys strap their feet to tall wooden poles and stride across roads and fields, sometimes about three meters above the ground. A 2026 DW report describes it as an old herding skill that helps young herders watch over their animals and stay safe from snakes. Other accounts describe it as a rite of passage and a performance at festivals, where stilt-walkers may paint their bodies with white stripes. Explanations vary, and some accounts doubt the practical origin story. Stilt-walking now also draws tourists, which DW reports brings extra income along with outside influences. The footage shows young men on long stilts walking along a road and across red earth, with green hills behind.
DID YOUKNOW?Digital IDDD-667
Digital ID
The Reel blends two separate UK projects. The first is GOV.UK Wallet, announced on January 21, 2025. It's an optional app for storing government-issued documents on a phone, starting with the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card and with a digital driving licence planned. The government said every government-issued credential should be available digitally by the end of 2027, alongside the physical versions. Its technical documents say credentials are tied to the user's GOV.UK One Login account and device, can't be moved to another device, and can be revoked by the issuer. The second project is a national digital ID. On September 26, 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a free digital ID for citizens and legal residents. The government said it would be mandatory for right-to-work checks by the end of the Parliament, to curb illegal working, and would make it easier to use public services. Critics including Big Brother Watch and a coalition of 13 NGOs warned of mission creep, surveillance, data-security risks and exclusion. A parliamentary petition against digital ID cards gathered more than 2.9 million signatures and was debated on December 8, 2025. In January 2026, the government dropped the plan to require the digital ID itself for right-to-work checks, saying other digital documents such as eVisas and e-passports could be used. It published a consultation in March 2026. In May 2026, the Home Affairs Committee called the original announcement 'rushed' and 'poorly thought through'. On July 21, 2026, the government cancelled the national digital ID programme; Reuters reported the decision as one of new Prime Minister Andy Burnham's first moves. In its September 2026 response to the committee, the government said GOV.UK One Login, GOV.UK Wallet and digital credentials such as the Veteran Card and driving licence will continue as separate projects. Employers must still carry out right-to-work checks, but won't be required to do them digitally.
DID YOUKNOW?Aquatic AmbulancesDD-644
Aquatic Ambulances
In Venice's historic center and the islands of its lagoon, emergency calls to Italy's 118 number are answered by idroambulanze, water ambulances run by the local emergency medical service SUEM 118. The boats in the footage are yellow, with red-and-yellow checks and the word 'AMBULANZA'. They are fast motorboats with a covered cabin for a stretcher patient and equipment much like a land ambulance: oxygen, a monitor and defibrillator, and stretchers. Italian sources describe the usual crew as a boat pilot, two healthcare workers and a nurse, with an emergency doctor joining for the most serious ('red code') calls. Italy has no separate 'paramedic' profession like the U.S. or UK, so nurses lead the clinical care. Local reporting has put the service at about 18,000 call-outs a year across the lagoon. It has run seven boats, with several on standby at once, based at the city's main hospital, the Ospedale Civile (SS. Giovanni e Paolo). Getting a patient from a narrow canal or a house without a nearby landing usually means carrying them by stretcher through the streets to the boat. A 2023 paper in the European Journal of Emergency Medicine described the service's unusual conditions.
DID YOUKNOW?Felix FallsDD-637
Felix Falls
Felix Baumgartner was an Austrian skydiver and BASE jumper. On October 14, 2012, in the Red Bull Stratos project, he rode a pressurized capsule under a helium balloon from Roswell, New Mexico, and stepped off at 38,969.4 m (127,852 ft). Red Bull's final mission data say he went supersonic 34 seconds into the fall and reached 1,357.6 km/h (843.6 mph), Mach 1.25, at 50 seconds. He became the first person to break the speed of sound in freefall without a vehicle. He was in freefall for 4 minutes 20 seconds, and the whole descent from jump to landing took 9 minutes 18 seconds. The FAI, air sports' world governing body, ratified three world records from the jump: exit altitude, maximum vertical speed and freefall distance (36,402.6 m). It now lists the exit-altitude record as superseded, while the speed and freefall-distance records still stand. Baumgartner died on July 17, 2025, aged 56, when he lost control of a motorized paraglider over Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy, and crashed at a resort. The investigating prosecutor later said the crash was caused by human error and found no technical fault with the equipment. This Reel was posted about four weeks after his death and doesn't mention it.
DID YOUKNOW?The ShahDD-065
The Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was born in Tehran on Oct. 26, 1919. He became shah on Sept. 16, 1941, after British and Soviet forces occupied Iran and his father, Reza Shah, abdicated. In August 1953, during a power struggle with Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, he briefly fled the country and returned after a coup backed covertly by the United States and Britain. His White Revolution, ratified by referendum in 1963, redistributed land, set up literacy and health corps and extended voting rights to women. Iran's economy grew quickly, but by the 1970s inflation was high and there was little room for political participation. Opposition came from the clergy, secular nationalists and the left. He left Iran on Jan. 16, 1979; the Islamic Republic was declared on April 1, 1979; and he died in Cairo on July 27, 1980.
DID YOUKNOW?KarpDD-062
Karp
Alex Karp studied at Haverford College and Stanford Law School, where he met Peter Thiel, and earned a doctorate from Goethe University Frankfurt. Palantir was founded in 2003, and Forbes dates Karp's start to 2004; he has been CEO since. Early funding included an investment from In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture arm. Its clients include the U.S. Department of Defense, the FBI and foreign police agencies. Palantir went public through a direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 30, 2020. Fortune reported in February 2025 that Karp had sold about $1.88 billion of stock since the start of 2024 under preset trading plans. Forbes estimated his net worth at $19.9 billion on Oct. 17, 2026.
DID YOUKNOW?SclerotherapyDD-597
Sclerotherapy
Sclerotherapy treats unwanted veins by injecting a solution (a sclerosant) that damages the vein's inner lining, the endothelium. The vein then becomes inflamed, scars and closes, and over weeks to months the body clears it and it fades. It's used for spider veins (telangiectasias), small reticular veins and some varicose veins. For larger varicose veins, the sclerosant is often whipped into a foam and injected under ultrasound guidance, a technique NICE has assessed in its guidance. The sclerosants in widest use are detergents such as polidocanol and sodium tetradecyl sulfate, which break down the cell membranes of the lining. Hypertonic saline, a concentrated salt solution, works by drawing water out of the cells. It's one option, but not the usual one, and ordinary saline wouldn't close a vein. Several sessions may be needed. Clinical sources list common effects such as pain at the injection site, bruising, temporary lumps, brown staining of the skin and new tiny red veins ('matting'). They list rare complications including skin ulcers, allergic reactions, and clots in deeper veins. This case is general information, not medical advice. The footage shows a needle injecting into small purple veins on a leg.
DID YOUKNOW?BransonDD-053
Branson
Richard Branson, born July 18, 1950, started a mail-order record business in 1970 and launched the Virgin Records label in 1972. Virgin signed the Sex Pistols in 1977; the Rolling Stones came much later, in November 1991. In March 1992 he sold Virgin Music to Thorn EMI for about $1 billion. Virgin Atlantic flew its first flight on June 22, 1984. He was knighted in 2000 and founded Virgin Galactic in 2004, and on July 11, 2021, he flew to the edge of space on its Unity 22 flight. Forbes estimated his net worth at $2.8 billion on Oct. 17, 2026.
DID YOUKNOW?GatesDD-565
Gates
Bill Gates, born in 1955 in Seattle, co-founded Microsoft, which became the leading personal-computer software company. He stepped down as CEO in 2000 and left the board in 2020. The Reel puts his 2025 net worth at about $104.6 billion and highlights his philanthropy through the foundation he co-founded, which works on health, education and poverty and was renamed the Gates Foundation in 2024. The footage, credited to Leon - 4k Nature Film, shows scenic footage.
DID YOUKNOW?AdelsonDD-564
Adelson
Miriam Adelson, born in 1945 in Tel Aviv, is an Israeli-American physician, philanthropist and businesswoman. She studied microbiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and medicine at Tel Aviv University, researched addiction at Rockefeller University, and co-founded substance-abuse clinics in Tel Aviv and Las Vegas. The Reel puts her net worth at $27 to $35 billion as of 2025, a range consistent with published rich-list estimates. The footage, credited to United Hatzalah, shows Adelson at an event.
DID YOUKNOW?BezosDD-556
Bezos
Jeff Bezos, born in 1964 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is an American entrepreneur who founded Amazon. After graduating from Princeton University in 1986 in electrical engineering and computer science, he worked on Wall Street, then launched Amazon in 1994 as an online bookstore. It expanded into a vast e-commerce, cloud computing and media company. He also founded the space company Blue Origin. The footage, credited to Personal Finance Insider, NDTV Profit, CNET Highlights, Earth Explore TV, Mr Mozart, KIRO 7 News and Amazon, shows Bezos and Amazon operations.
DID YOUKNOW?AndreessenDD-555
Andreessen
Marc Andreessen, born July 9, 1971, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, co-created the Mosaic web browser while at the University of Illinois. Mosaic, the first widely used graphical browser, helped popularize the World Wide Web. In 1994 he co-founded Netscape Communications, whose Netscape Navigator dominated the early web. He later co-founded the venture firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The footage, credited to a16z speedrun, shows Andreessen speaking.
DID YOUKNOW?ThielDD-554
Thiel
Peter Thiel, born in 1967 in Frankfurt, West Germany, is a German-American entrepreneur and investor. He co-founded PayPal and was its CEO until eBay acquired it in 2002, made a $500,000 investment as Facebook's first outside investor in 2004, later selling most of his stake for over $1 billion, and co-founded Palantir Technologies in 2003. He is also active in politics, the Reel notes. The footage, credited to Big Think, shows Thiel speaking.
DID YOUKNOW?Traffic ControlsDD-540
Traffic Controls
Congestion pricing charges drivers a fee to enter or drive in busy urban areas, usually during peak hours, to cut traffic and emissions and encourage public transit. Systems typically use cameras that read license plates, with fees varying by time, location or vehicle type. New York City launched the first U.S. program in Manhattan on January 5, 2025, after long political and legal debate. The footage, credited to cinetrove, shows city traffic.
DID YOUKNOW?HHSDD-539
HHS
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) protects Americans' health and provides human services. It traces to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, created in 1953 and renamed HHS in 1979. It oversees Medicare, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act programs and agencies including the CDC, FDA and NIH. The Reel was posted in April 2025, shortly after HHS announced a major restructuring and staff cuts. The footage, credited to New York Post, shows HHS leaders and offices.
DID YOUKNOW?Trade WarsDD-538
Trade Wars
Tariffs are taxes a government places on imported goods, used to raise revenue, protect domestic industries or gain leverage in trade disputes. They can support local producers but also raise prices for consumers and businesses and invite retaliatory tariffs from trading partners. The Reel was posted on April 8, 2025, days after the U.S. announced broad new tariffs on April 2, 2025, and amid retaliation and market turmoil. The footage shows the U.S. Capitol, container ships and markets.
DID YOUKNOW?FauciDD-537
Fauci
Anthony Fauci directed the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 1984 until he stepped down in 2022, and served as chief medical adviser to the president from 2021 to 2022. He worked on responses to HIV/AIDS, SARS, Ebola and COVID-19, and became a prominent and politically debated public figure during the COVID-19 pandemic, including over public health communication and vaccination. The footage, credited to NBC News, Sky News and CBS Evening News, shows Fauci in interviews and briefings.
DID YOUKNOW?ZuckerbergDD-536
Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook in 2004 while a student at Harvard and remains CEO of its parent, renamed Meta Platforms in 2021. Under him the company acquired Instagram (2012), WhatsApp (2014) and Oculus (2014) and expanded into messaging and virtual reality. He has been central to debates over data privacy, misinformation, content moderation and social media's political impact. The footage, credited to TheProjectTV, shows Zuckerberg.
DID YOUKNOW?SorosDD-535
Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American investor and philanthropist. He made his fortune in hedge funds, notably the Quantum Fund, and became famous on September 16, 1992 ('Black Wednesday'), when his short bet against the British pound earned about $1 billion as the U.K. left the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. Through his Open Society Foundations he has given more than $32 billion, the Reel says, to causes such as democracy, human rights and education. He is also a prominent, and often debated, political donor. The footage, credited to Bloomberg Originals, shows Soros.
DID YOUKNOW?TAKEOFFDD-532
TAKEOFF
In ski jumping, athletes slide down an in-run, launch from the take-off and fly as far as possible before landing on a sloped hill. Scores combine distance points with judges' style points for flight form and landing. Since 2009, compensation points adjust for wind and for changes to the start gate to keep competition fair. The footage, credited to Red Bull, shows a ski jumper in flight.
DID YOUKNOW?DOGEDD-521
DOGE
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was established by executive order on January 20, 2025, by renaming the U.S. Digital Service, with a stated goal of modernizing federal technology and cutting spending. Elon Musk was its most prominent figure. It is not a cabinet-level department. Around the time of this Reel, the administration announced federal workforce reductions, including plans to cut Department of Defense civilian staff, and floated returning savings to taxpayers. Its actions have been the subject of political debate and lawsuits. The footage, credited to United States Institute of Peace, shows a federal building.
DID YOUKNOW?Huangluo VillageDD-506
Huangluo Village
In Huangluo village, in Longsheng County in China's Guangxi region, women of the Red Yao, a branch of the Yao people, are known for very long hair, often more than 1.7 meters (5.5 feet), the Reel says. They traditionally wash it with fermented rice water, credited locally with keeping it strong, shiny and dark into old age, and long hair is linked with prosperity and longevity. The village draws many tourists. The footage, credited to guilinchina, shows Red Yao women with their long hair.
DID YOUKNOW?On ICEDD-488
On ICE
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal agency within the Department of Homeland Security, created in 2003 after the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was dissolved. Its main divisions are Enforcement and Removal Operations, which handles immigration enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations. The Reel was posted in February 2025, when ICE enforcement was prominent in U.S. news. The footage, credited to WGN News, shows ICE officers during an operation.
DID YOUKNOW?MAiDDD-487
MAiD
Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) is legal in several jurisdictions, including Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands, and some U.S. states, where it is usually limited to terminally ill adults. A physician or nurse practitioner administers or prescribes medication under strict legal criteria, such as a grievous and irremediable condition, intolerable suffering and informed consent. Laws and eligibility differ widely and remain debated.
DID YOUKNOW?H-1B VisasDD-483
H-1B Visas
The H-1B is a U.S. nonimmigrant visa for workers in specialty occupations such as technology, engineering, finance and healthcare. An employer sponsors the worker; the visa is usually granted for three years and can be extended to six. Applicants generally need at least a bachelor's degree or equivalent. The annual cap is 85,000: 65,000 regular and 20,000 for holders of U.S. master's or higher degrees. The program was the subject of public debate when this Reel was posted in February 2025.
DID YOUKNOW?DEIDD-482
DEI
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) refers to organizational policies and programs. As the Reel defines them, diversity concerns representation across groups such as race, age and background; equity concerns fair treatment and access to resources; and inclusion concerns a culture where people feel welcome and able to contribute. DEI programs have been the subject of political and legal debate in the United States, including in early 2025 when this Reel was posted. The footage, credited to Apple, shows people in an office.
DID YOUKNOW?Executive OrdersDD-481
Executive Orders
An executive order is a directive from the U.S. president that manages operations of the federal government. It does not need congressional approval but must rest on the Constitution or existing law. Orders can be challenged in court, blocked by Congress through legislation, or revoked by later presidents. This Reel was posted in February 2025, during a period of numerous new executive orders. The footage, credited to C-SPAN, shows a president signing orders.
DID YOUKNOW?Advanced Bicycle Riding IIDD-419
Advanced Bicycle Riding II
Snow biking covers riding bicycles on snow, mostly on fat bikes with tires about 4 to 5 inches wide run at low pressure for grip and flotation. Ski bikes or skibobs replace one or both wheels with skis and are ridden on slopes. Riders use groomed trails, backcountry routes and ski areas. The footage shows riders racing down a snowy slope.
DID YOUKNOW?The ChaseDD-416
The Chase
Police vehicle pursuits in the United States can end in fatal crashes. The Reel cites at least 3,336 deaths from 2017 to 2022, nearly two a day, and says about 27% were bystanders; many pursuits begin over traffic violations or other nonviolent offenses, and policies on when to pursue vary by department. I attributed the figures to the Reel. The footage shows a police chase.
DID YOUKNOW?Hazardous Working ConditionsDD-404
Hazardous Working Conditions
Falls from height are among the leading causes of death in construction worldwide. The Reel describes skyscraper sites where weak regulation, limited training and missing harnesses, fall-arrest systems and safe scaffolding put workers at risk, along with unguarded machinery and unsafe material handling. The footage shows a first-person view from high on a building under construction, with no visible fall protection.
DID YOUKNOW?Spreading SeedsDD-403
Spreading Seeds
In January 2022, Brazilian skydiver Luigi Cani jumped over a deforested area near Novo Aripuanã in Brazil's Amazonas state and released about 100 million seeds of 27 native tree species from a biodegradable box. The box was dropped from a plane, and Cani reached it in free fall and opened it at about 6,500 feet so the seeds would spread evenly. The project aimed to help regrow the forest. The footage shows the jump and the seed release.
DID YOUKNOW?A Little CrowdedDD-373
A Little Crowded
In Bangladesh, demand for rail travel peaks around holidays such as Eid, when many people return to their home districts. Trains become so crowded that passengers ride on roofs and cling to the outside, which is dangerous and officially discouraged. Bangladesh Railway has expanded services and enforcement to reduce it. The footage shows a train with passengers packed on its roof.
DID YOUKNOW?Maeklong MarketDD-370
Maeklong Market
The Maeklong Railway Market in Samut Songkhram Province, Thailand, sits on the tracks of the Maeklong Railway. When a train approaches, vendors fold their awnings and pull goods back from the rails; once it passes, they reopen within moments. The market sells fresh produce, seafood and local food and is a popular tourist stop. The footage shows a train passing through the market.
DID YOUKNOW?Cliffside Honey HeistDD-351
Cliffside Honey Heist
In mountainous parts of China, Nepal and elsewhere in Asia, honey hunters harvest wild honeycombs from colonies on steep cliffs, often those of giant honeybees. The Reel describes the practice in Yunnan and Sichuan: climbers rappel or use ropes and ladders, then cut the comb with long poles. The honey is valued locally for its flavor. The footage shows climbers removing comb from a cliff hive.
DID YOUKNOW?Embryonic DevelopmentDD-333
Embryonic Development
Embryonic development begins with a zygote, a single fertilized cell, which divides rapidly in a process called cleavage. In mammals the cells form a blastocyst that implants in the uterus. Cells then differentiate into tissues and organs, the basic body plan is laid down, and the nervous system, heart and limbs form under tight genetic control. The footage shows microscope views of a dividing embryo.
DID YOUKNOW?Synthetic ConceptionDD-320
Synthetic Conception
In vitro fertilization (IVF) fertilizes an egg with sperm outside the body. The ovaries are stimulated to produce several eggs, which are collected in a minor procedure and combined with sperm in the lab, sometimes by injecting a single sperm into the egg. Embryos are grown for a few days, and one or more are transferred to the uterus. The first IVF baby, Louise Brown, was born on July 25, 1978, and more than 10 million babies have since been born through IVF. The footage shows microscope views of eggs, sperm and early embryos.
DID YOUKNOW?Your Heart in a GlassDD-315
Your Heart in a Glass
Cardiomyocytes are the muscle cells of the heart. They can generate and conduct electrical impulses, and their myofibrils of actin and myosin let them contract. Neighboring cells are joined by intercalated discs, which pass electrical signals quickly so the heart contracts together. Lab-grown cardiomyocytes can beat by themselves in a dish. The footage shows beating heart cells under a microscope.
DID YOUKNOW?Advanced Bicycle RidingDD-312
Advanced Bicycle Riding
Urban riding uses city features such as stairs, railings, ledges and benches for tricks, jumps and technical lines. It draws on mountain bike trials and BMX street riding and is known for self-expression. The footage is a rider's point-of-view clip descending long outdoor staircases.
DID YOUKNOW?A Prison for Your MindDD-305
A Prison for Your Mind
As of 2024, virtual prisons are a speculative idea, not a system any prison uses. The footage comes from 'Cognify', a concept video that Berlin-based filmmaker and science communicator Hashem Al-Ghaili posted on June 24, 2024. His concept goes further than the Reel's VR headsets: it imagines AI-generated artificial memories implanted into a prisoner's brain so that years of rehabilitation could be experienced in minutes, including seeing a crime from the victim's perspective. Al-Ghaili told Dazed he was motivated by problems such as overcrowding, false imprisonment and ineffective rehabilitation. Snopes reported in 2025 that no such technology exists; implanting false memories has only been shown in a basic form in mice. Commentators also raised ethical concerns about consent and the collection of prisoners' brain data. The footage shows a person in a headset strapped to a chair, with computer-generated scenes.
DID YOUKNOW?The Opening CeremonyDD-283
The Opening Ceremony
The Olympic opening ceremony marks the start of each Games, with performances that showcase the host nation's culture and history, the parade of athletes and the lighting of the cauldron. Each ceremony is designed by the host. I posted this Reel two days after the Paris opening ceremony on July 26, 2024. The footage shows the fou drummers from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
DID YOUKNOW?Synaptic TransmissionDD-275
Synaptic Transmission
Neurons communicate at synapses, junctions between two nerve cells. When an action potential reaches the end of the presynaptic neuron, it triggers the release of neurotransmitters from vesicles. They cross the synaptic cleft and bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron, opening ion channels. Depending on the neurotransmitter and receptor, the effect excites or inhibits the next neuron. The footage is an animation of a synapse.
DID YOUKNOW?I Wanted You to Know...DD-265
I Wanted You to Know...
The cardiac cycle is the sequence of contraction and relaxation that pumps blood. It starts in the sinoatrial node, the heart's natural pacemaker, which fires an electrical impulse. The two atria contract and push blood into the ventricles. The impulse then passes through the atrioventricular node and down the bundle of His, and the ventricles contract, pumping blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. The familiar 'lub dub' sound comes from the heart valves closing. The footage is an animated 3D heart.
DID YOUKNOW?Le Petit CaporalDD-224
Le Petit Caporal
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 to 1821) rose through the French Revolutionary army, seized power in 1799 and crowned himself Emperor of the French in December 1804. His wars reshaped Europe until his defeats in 1814 and at Waterloo in 1815, after which he was exiled to Saint Helena. The Napoleonic Code of 1804 influenced civil law in many countries. 'Le Petit Caporal', the little corporal, was an affectionate nickname from his soldiers; he was about 1.69 m tall, roughly average for a Frenchman of his time. The footage shows illustrations of Napoleon, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?SHŌGUNDD-223
SHŌGUN
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543 to 1616) won the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and was appointed shogun in 1603, founding the Tokugawa shogunate. His successors ruled Japan from Edo, now Tokyo, until 1868, a period of about 265 years known as the Edo period. The era brought internal peace after more than a century of civil war, strict social order, economic growth and policies that sharply limited foreign contact. The footage shows illustrations of Ieyasu and Edo-era Japan, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?Khan of KhansDD-222
Khan of Khans
Genghis Khan, born Temüjin around 1162, united the Mongol tribes and was proclaimed Great Khan in 1206. He led campaigns across northern China and Central Asia that were both innovative and highly destructive, and introduced a legal code, a postal relay system and protections for trade along routes such as the Silk Road. He died in 1227. Under his successors the Mongol Empire grew into the largest contiguous land empire in history. The footage shows illustrations of Genghis Khan and the steppe, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?The Famine QueenDD-221
The Famine Queen
Queen Victoria ruled the United Kingdom from 1837 until her death in 1901, a reign of 63 years surpassed among British monarchs only by Elizabeth II. The Victorian era saw industrial, scientific and political change and the expansion of the British Empire; from 1876 she was also Empress of India. She is associated with strict moral standards but was a keen dancer in her youth. The nickname 'the Famine Queen' was used by the Irish activist Maud Gonne in a 1900 article, criticizing her government's record during the Great Famine of the 1840s; the Reel's voiceover does not discuss it. The footage shows illustrations of Victoria and Victorian Britain, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?The Virgin QueenDD-220
The Virgin Queen
Elizabeth I ruled England and Ireland from 1558 until her death in 1603, the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. Her reign is often called the Elizabethan era or a golden age, with the theater of Shakespeare and Marlowe, overseas exploration and the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. She never married, and was celebrated as the Virgin Queen. Contemporaries noted her command of languages including Latin, Greek, French and Italian. The footage shows illustrations of Elizabeth, Tudor London and the Armada, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?Russia's Greatest EmpressDD-219
Russia's Greatest Empress
Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great, was born a German princess in 1729 and married the future Peter III of Russia. In 1762, months after he took the throne, a coup overthrew Peter and Catherine became empress, ruling until her death in 1796, longer than any other female ruler of Russia. Her reign saw territorial expansion, Enlightenment-era reforms, and patronage of the arts; the art collection she began in 1764 became the Hermitage Museum. She was a keen rider and often rode astride rather than sidesaddle. The footage shows illustrations of Catherine, her court and Russia, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?The Last CzarDD-218
The Last Czar
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, reigning from November 1894 until his abdication in March 1917. His reign included rapid industrial growth, defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 to 1905, the 1905 Revolution and Russia's entry into the First World War. Wartime losses and shortages fed the February Revolution of 1917, and he abdicated. In July 1918, Bolshevik forces shot Nicholas, his wife Alexandra, their five children and four attendants in Yekaterinburg. The Russian Orthodox Church canonized the family in 2000. The footage shows illustrations of Nicholas II, his family and Russia, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?CharlemagneDD-217
Charlemagne
Charlemagne (Charles the Great, about 747 to 814) was King of the Franks from 768 and King of the Lombards from 774. On Christmas Day 800, Pope Leo III crowned him Emperor of the Romans, a title later seen as the start of the Holy Roman Empire. His reign saw the Carolingian Renaissance, a revival of learning, art and religious scholarship through the Church, including new schools and the standardized Carolingian minuscule script. His biographer Einhard wrote that he tried to learn to write late in life but had little success. The footage shows illustrations of Charlemagne and his court, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?Canute the GreatDD-216
Canute the Great
Canute the Great (Cnut) was a Danish prince who became King of England in 1016, King of Denmark in 1018 and King of Norway in 1028, ruling all three until his death in 1035. Historians call this union the North Sea Empire. He kept peace in England for most of his reign, worked with the Church and English nobles, and supported trade across the North Sea. A later legend says he ordered the tide to stop to show his courtiers the limits of royal power. The footage shows illustrations of Canute and his court, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?Little BootDD-215
Little Boot
Caligula, born Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus in AD 12, was Rome's third emperor. His nickname, meaning 'little boot', came from the miniature soldier's boots he wore as a child in his father's army camps. He became emperor in AD 37 and was assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard in January AD 41. Ancient writers such as Suetonius and Cassius Dio describe extravagant spending, cruelty and claims to divinity; modern historians note that these sources were hostile to him. According to Suetonius, he planned to make his horse Incitatus a consul. The footage shows illustrations of Caligula and Rome, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?The Beast of RomeDD-214
The Beast of Rome
Nero was Roman emperor from AD 54 to 68. He was known for his love of performing, singing and acting in public, which Roman elites considered beneath an emperor. After the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, the historian Tacitus wrote that rumors blamed Nero and that he in turn blamed and punished Christians. In AD 67 Nero competed at the Olympic Games, which were rescheduled for his visit; ancient sources say he was declared the winner of the chariot race even though he fell and didn't finish. He died by suicide in AD 68 after being declared a public enemy. Some early Christian writings associated him with the 'Beast' of the Book of Revelation. The footage shows reconstructions of Nero and Rome, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?The First Roman EmperorDD-213
The First Roman Emperor
Augustus, born Gaius Octavius in 63 BC, was the great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar. After Caesar's assassination in 44 BC and years of civil war, he defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra and became Rome's first emperor in 27 BC, ruling until his death in AD 14. His reign began the Pax Romana, about two centuries of relative peace. He used art, coins and building programs to shape his public image. The biographer Suetonius wrote that he lived modestly and usually wore clothes made at home by his wife, sister, daughter and granddaughters. The footage shows statues and reconstructions of Augustus and Rome, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?JackDD-108
Jack
Jack the Ripper is the name given to an unidentified serial killer active in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. Five victims, Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly, are known as the 'canonical five'; they were killed between 31 August and 9 November 1888. Police investigated eleven Whitechapel murders between 1888 and 1891, but not all are linked to the same killer. Several canonical victims had organs removed, which led some at the time to suggest the killer had anatomical knowledge. The killer was never identified, and many suspects have been proposed since. The footage shows dark AI-style renderings of Victorian London and a figure in a top hat.
DID YOUKNOW?MarthaDD-107
Martha
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (1731-1802) was the wife of George Washington and the first first lady of the United States. Her biography on Wikipedia notes she took to riding as a girl, once riding her horse up and down the stairs of her uncle's house. During the Revolutionary War she traveled to the Continental Army's winter encampments each year of the war, supporting the officers and troops, according to George Washington's Mount Vernon. Her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis, died in 1757, and she married Washington in 1759. The footage shows AI-style portraits and riding scenes, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?CleoDD-099
Cleo
Cleopatra VII (69-30 BC) was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Her dynasty descended from Ptolemy I, a Macedonian Greek general, and her first language was Koine Greek. She is the first Ptolemaic ruler known to have learned Egyptian. Plutarch implies she also spoke Ethiopian, the language of the 'Troglodytes', Hebrew (or Aramaic), Arabic, Syrian, Median and Parthian, and Wikipedia notes she could apparently also speak Latin. She formed alliances with Julius Caesar and later Mark Antony, and after her death in 30 BC Egypt became a Roman province. The footage shows AI-style portraits and court scenes, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?Ada All-TimeDD-095
Ada All-Time
Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) was an English mathematician who worked with Charles Babbage on his proposed Analytical Engine, a mechanical general-purpose computer. In 1843 she translated an article by Luigi Menabrea about the engine from French and added her own notes, which were longer than the article. Note G sets out an algorithm for computing Bernoulli numbers on the engine, often called the first published computer program. She also suggested the machine could act on things other than numbers, such as music. Historians debate how much credit belongs to her versus Babbage. The engine was never built. The footage shows portraits of Lovelace and Babbage, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?RosalindDD-093
Rosalind
Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer. She worked on the structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal and graphite. Photo 51, an X-ray diffraction image of DNA taken in 1952 in her lab at King's College London by her PhD student Raymond Gosling, was shown to James Watson without her knowledge. Together with her data, it was key evidence for the double-helix model Watson and Francis Crick published in 1953. Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Franklin had died in 1958, and the prize isn't awarded posthumously. The footage shows portraits and lab scenes, with the presenter.
DID YOUKNOW?Tenzing on TopDD-084
Tenzing on Top
Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa mountaineer, and New Zealander Edmund Hillary became the first people confirmed to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953, as part of a British expedition. Tenzing's exact birth date was not recorded; he is usually said to have been born in the Khumbu region of Nepal, though some accounts place his birth in Tibet. He chose to celebrate his birthday on May 29.
DID YOUKNOW?ArisTutorDD-081
ArisTutor
Around 343 BC, King Philip II of Macedon hired the philosopher Aristotle to teach his son Alexander, then about 13. Lessons were held at Mieza and covered subjects such as philosophy, ethics, politics, science and literature. Alexander later conquered an empire stretching to India, spreading Greek culture through the Hellenistic world; how much Aristotle shaped his rule is debated.
DID YOUKNOW?Performing EmperorDD-078
Performing Emperor
The Roman emperor Nero, who ruled from 54 to 68 AD, saw himself as an artist and performed publicly as a singer, lyre player and actor, which many in Rome's elite found shameful. During a tour of Greece he competed in the Olympic Games of 67 AD, which were rescheduled for him. He drove a ten-horse chariot, fell and did not finish, but the judges declared him the winner anyway.
DID YOUKNOW?ChimeraDD-077
Chimera
In Greek mythology, the Chimera was a fire-breathing monster from Lycia. Homer's Iliad describes it as a lion in front, a serpent behind and a goat in the middle; later art shows a goat's head rising from its back and a snake for a tail. The hero Bellerophon killed it with the help of the winged horse Pegasus. Today 'chimera' also means any mix of different parts.