Tom Scott
Season 10
A series of educational web videos across a range of topics.
Where to Watch Tom Scott • Season 10
52 Episodes
- The bridge that's in two countries at the same time
E4The bridge that's in two countries at the same timeSchengen is a small town in Luxembourg, on the borders with France and Germany. But one of those borders is a little more complicated: the Mosel (or Moselle) river is a condominium, it belongs to both countries at the same time. And thus, so the bridges above it. - The Dutch headwind cycling championships are amazing
E6The Dutch headwind cycling championships are amazingAbout once a year, on the Oosterscheldekering barrier in the south of the Netherlands, there is NK Tegenwindfietsen: a bicycle race cycling into a headwind. This year it was 120km/h: this is why it's so difficult, and also why it's so brilliant. - The country where all public transit is free
E8The country where all public transit is freeFrom March 1st 2020, Luxembourg will have free public transit throughout the country: you'll be able to travel on buses, trains, trams, and that one funicular railway without a ticket. It sounds like a good idea: but is it? - Abso-b____y-lutely: Expletive Infixation
E15Abso-b____y-lutely: Expletive InfixationThere are rules in the English language that you've probably never been taught, but you know anyway: how to split apart words with "infixes". But you've never been taught it because some of those infixes are words you probably shouldn't use in front of your high school English teachers. - The Hidden Rules of Conversation
E18The Hidden Rules of ConversationGricean Maxims are a vital part of how we understand each other: a set of, well, maybe "rules" is a bit strong. They're guidelines that we follow without realising it. And it's the reason that "asbestos-free cereal" sounds suspicious. - Why some remastered music videos look awful
E20Why some remastered music videos look awfulWhen YouTube allowed music labels to "remaster" their original uploads, different videos had very different approaches. Some are in crystal-clear 4K; others are very definitely not. Here's why some of them look terrible. - How England's Oldest Road Was Nearly Lost Forever
E23How England's Oldest Road Was Nearly Lost ForeverThe Icknield Way, in south-east England, is a road and footpath that's been part of the landscape for millennia. But if parts of it hadn't been legally marked down, then those parts would have become private land, gone forever. Who has the right to walk where? - The "first internet bench" probably wasn't
E24The "first internet bench" probably wasn'tIn the Abbey Gardens of Bury St Edmunds, in a quiet corner of a park, sits the World's First Internet Bench. Well, sort of. It's been nearly twenty years, and it's arguable whether it ever did the job in the first place. - The Abandoned Hill With Two Members Of Parliament
E27The Abandoned Hill With Two Members Of ParliamentOld Sarum, in Wiltshire, is a now-desolate hillfort run by English Heritage. But it was once one of the most important sites in southern England: so important that it had two members of Parliament. Then, it became a "rotten borough": and a warning about power. - A Million Dollars vs A Billion Dollars, Visualized: A Road Trip
E28A Million Dollars vs A Billion Dollars, Visualized: A Road TripThere are lots of ways to compare a million to a billion, but most of them use volume. And I think that's a mistake, because volume just isn't something the human brain is great at. So instead, here's the difference between a million and a billion, in a more one-dimensional way: distance. - The Village That The Luftwaffe Bombed By Mistake
E29The Village That The Luftwaffe Bombed By MistakeLinby is a small village in Nottinghamshire, England. It wouldn't have much strategic value - unless some commander didn't read their map properly. Here's a local legend, with a few questions about it. - Britain once forgot how long an inch is
E30Britain once forgot how long an inch isIn 1834, Parliament burned down, and the Standards of Measurement were melted or destroyed. So when there's no agreed-upon standard for length: how do you fix it? Also: how you can still publicly check the length of your sandwich. - Is the most northern part of Iceland still there?
E33Is the most northern part of Iceland still there?Kolbeinsey is the most northern part of Iceland, a tiny island that, according to Wikipedia, is due to disappear due to wave erosion "probably around the year 2020". Which raised an obvious question: is it still there? - Swimming between two continents, debunked
E35Swimming between two continents, debunkedSilfra, in Þingvellir National Park in Iceland, is where the Eurasian and North American continental plates are dividing. It's a crack in the earth where you can snorkel or dive between the continents. Well, sort of. As ever, it's a bit more complicated than that. - Would you swim in power plant wastewater?
E37Would you swim in power plant wastewater?Normally, the answer would be no. But in these very limited circumstances, at Iceland's Blue Lagoon, you can swim in geothermal power plant wastewater, and it's even healthy: although the marketing material doesn't usually mention it. Here's a story about geothermal energy, cheap heat, and how to keep some ducks warm. - The tiny monorails that once carried James Bond
E38The tiny monorails that once carried James BondThe Roadmachines Mono-Rail may have been the only truly useful, fit-for-purpose monorail in the world. Of the hundreds that were built, most were never meant for passengers. But they did carry a couple of famous people in their time, including a certain secret agent. - If these pumps ever stop, part of Germany floods.
E44If these pumps ever stop, part of Germany floods.The Ruhr Valley, in north-west Germany, is an industrial coal-mining area. And because of that kilometre-deep mining, parts of it have sunk, the drainage patterns have changed: and now, if the pumps of Emschergenossenschaft ever stop, quite a few towns and cities will end up flooded. - We walked the most dangerous path in Britain
E48We walked the most dangerous path in BritainThe Broomway is surrounded on both sides by quicksand and deep, sucking mud. It has no markers and no guideposts. And if you mistime your walk, you won't outrun the tide. Oh, and it's in the middle of a Ministry of Defence firing range. But most of the time, if you want to visit Foulness Island, it's the only way. - The Greatest Title Sequence I've Ever Seen
E51The Greatest Title Sequence I've Ever SeenThis is a story about a television title sequence, and about me, as a child, watching it. It's also a warning about how YouTube won't last forever, and it's the reason I'm climbing one particular hill in the Lake District. Merry Christmas, Denis Norden.
