The culmination of nearly a year’s effort, history of the entire world, i guess combines history and humour in an intense, but highly entertaining class in astronomy/chemistry/biology/geology/geography/history/politics set to some highly catchy tunes.
It’s the latest video from Bill Wurtz, an enigmatic Youtube artist who was best known for bizarre jingles until the release of The History of Japan in early 2016. Thanks to Wurtz’s unique deadpan delivery of digestible, well-researched narration, the video went viral, receiving 27 million views over the next 12 months.
history of the entire world, i guess takes the offbeat charm that made the original video so popular, and amplifies it. Little moments like Wurtz coaxing what would become the first land-based animals onto the shore with the promise of food, or Gandhi’s surprised “wow, that worked?” as the British withdraw their claims on India in response to his peaceful protests may at first seem immature, but in truth they are masterful. In a mere second or two, they encapsulate entire scientific discoveries or philosophies, and inspire viewers to pursue further research.
That alone makes it worth a watch. Compare it to Bill Nye Saves the World, a new series from an iconic ‘edutainer’ that we reviewed last week. Both handle their topics with similar brevity, but for different reasons. Where Nye falls back on awkward audience reactions and his international reputation to get his perspective across, Wurtz relaxes and lets objectivity take the reins. Its factual, wondrous, and silly, clever, inciting, and entertaining.
Without a doubt, history of the entire world, i guess will inspire more people to learn more about their world than Nye’s show will, and that’s worth exploring. Maybe teachers should start every school year with this video? Maybe it should be broadcast across major networks, addressed to those who believe in such crazy notions as a flat earth, or intelligent design?
Or maybe it should simply be enjoyed by those who love to marvel at the brilliance of our little corner of the universe.
Bill Wurtz doesn’t monetise his videos.
Want to support his work? Check out his website to find out how you can.