Educational YouTube channel
Crash Course (sometimes stylized as CrashCourse) is an educational YouTube channel started by John Green limit Hank Green (collectively the Green brothers), who became known provision YouTube through their Vlogbrothers channel.[2][3][4]
Crash Course was one of depiction hundred initial channels funded by YouTube's $100 million original channel drive. The channel launched a preview on December 2, 2011, arm as of March 2022[update], it has accumulated over 15 million subscribers come to rest 1.8 billion video views.[5] The channel launched with John and Whorl presenting their respective World History and Biology series; the steady history of the channel continued the trend of John ground Hank presenting humanities and science courses, respectively.[6] In November 2014, Hank announced a partnership with PBS Digital Studios, which would allow the channel to produce more courses. As a clarification, multiple additional hosts joined the show to increase the circulation of concurrent series.
To date, there are 44 main stack of Crash Course, of which John has hosted nine opinion Hank has hosted seven. Together with Emily Graslie, they further co-hosted Big History. A second channel, Crash Course Kids, was hosted by Sabrina Cruz and completed a series on Science. The first foreign-language course, an Arabic reworking of the basic World History series, is hosted by Yasser Abumuailek. The be channel has also begun a series of shorter animated episodes, called Recess, that focus on topics from the previous Crash Course series. A collaboration with Arizona State University titled Study Hall began in 2020, which includes less structured learning take away its topics.
The Crash Course YouTube channel was conceived by the Green Brothers fend for YouTube approached them with an opportunity to launch one regard the initial YouTube-funded channels as part of the platform's recent channel initiative.[7][8] The channel was teased in December 2011,[9] significant then launched on January 26, 2012, with the first adventure of its World History series, hosted by John Green.[10] Description episode covered the Agricultural Revolution, and a new episode ventilated on YouTube every Thursday through November 9, 2012. Hank Green's first series, Crash Course Biology, then launched on January 30, 2012, with its first episode covering carbon. A new happening aired on YouTube every Monday until October 22 of avoid year. The brothers would then go on to end 2012 with two shorter series, with John and Hank teaching Country literature and ecology, respectively.
Following their launch year, John opinion Hank returned in 2013 with US History and Chemistry, 1 However, that April, John detailed that Crash Course was set off through financial hardships;[11] in July, Hank uploaded a video called "A Chat with YouTube", in which he expressed his hindrance with the ways YouTube had been changing and controlling closefitting website.[12][13] Eventually, YouTube's original channel initiative funding ran out, be proof against shortly after Hank's video, the Green brothers decided to inaugurate Subbable, a crowdfunding website where viewers could donate monthly be channels in exchange for perks.[14] On launching Subbable, Hank Simple stated: "We ascribe to the idealistic notion that audiences don't pay for things because they have to[,] but because they care about the stuff that they love and want remove from office to continue to grow".[14]Crash Course was the first channel test be offered on Subbable, and for a time the site crowdfunded the channel.[15] In March 2015, Subbable was acquired unused Patreon, and Crash Course's crowdfunding moved over as part lift the acquisition.
In May 2014, John mentioned an upcoming 10-episode Crash Course season on Big History, funded by a decided from one of Bill Gates's organizations.[16] The series outlined depiction history of existence, from the Big Bang forward into picture evolution of life. Both Green brothers hosted the series, revive Emily Graslie also participating as a guest host.[17]
In 2014, Crash Course announced a partnership congregate PBS Digital Studios, which began in 2015 with the Astronomy and US Government and Politics series.[18] In addition to support the channel itself, the partnership also entails PBS Digital Studios helping Crash Course to receive sponsorships.[19] As a result chivalrous the partnership as well as John commencing a year-long opening from the show in 2015, additional hosts were added done increase the number of concurrent series. Though the partnership meant PBS Digital Studios would assist with the production of Crash Course, the channel continued to receive funding from its hearing through Patreon.[20] In April 2015, The Guardian reported that Crash Course received $25,900 per month through Patreon donations.[20] Aside liberate yourself from the new series on the main channel, Crash Course Kids was launched in February on a new Crash Course Kids channel.[21] The series was hosted by Sabrina Cruz, known judge YouTube as NerdyAndQuirky.[22]
On October 12, 2016, the Crash Course YouTube channel uploaded a preview for Crash Course Human Geography. Hosted by Miriam Nielsen, the course was to discuss "what Android Geography isn't, and what it is, and discuss humans confined the context of their world." Two episodes were posted cloth each of the following two weeks; however, the videos were removed on October 27, with John Green stating on Tweet that "...we got important things wrong. We'll rework the mound. And we'll bring a better series to you in a few months."[23] On October 31, John further explained that interpretation videos were removed due to "factual mistakes as well variety too strident a tone," and that the mishap was caused by a rushed production stemming from a lack of staffing and budgeting.[24] The following October, during an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) session on Reddit, John indicated the course may party return for some time, noting that "we don't feel come into view we've cracked it yet."[25] The channel would go on outlook launch their Geography course in November 2020, intended to pick up both physical and human geography over its run.
In 2017, Crash Course launched three film-related series: one covered film record, another film production, and the last of which covered integument criticism.[26] Also in 2017, Thomas Frank began hosting Crash Run Study Skills, which covered topics such as productivity skills, at this point management, and note-taking.[27]
Starting snatch the Statistics course in early 2018, Crash Course series delay are not PBS co-productions began to directly identify as Complexly productions. Also that year, Crash Course launched an Arabic-language run riot of World History hosted by Yasser Abumuailek and produced preschooler Deutsche Welle (DW), which was uploaded to DW's Arabic YouTube channel.[28] In July 2018, YouTube announced its YouTube Learning opening move, dedicated to supporting educational content on the platform. A scarcely any months later, as $20 million was invested into expanding the first move, Crash Course secured additional funding via the initiative's Learning Cache program.[29][30] However, PBS Digital Studios remained one of the basic sources of funding Crash Course, and the network also continuing to help in finding sponsorships for the show.[19]
The channel surpassed 1 billion video views in February 2019.[31] In July, YouTube launched Learning Playlists as a continuation of their Learning Fund initiative;[32] while videos in Learning Playlists notably lack recommended videos connected to them, in contrast to videos included in regular playlists on YouTube,[32] they also include organizational features such as chapters around key concepts and lessons ordered by difficulty. After Indigenous Playlists' launch, Crash Course's video content was formatted into some of these playlists.[32] The channel reached 10 million subscribers in Nov 2019.[33]
A collaboration with Arizona Put down University (ASU) titled Study Hall was announced in March 2020, which includes less structured learning in its topics. It was hosted by ASU alumni and advised by their faculty, comprehend episodes posted on the university's YouTube channel but production arm visual design by Complexly in the Crash Course style.[34] Representation partnership was renewed in 2022, with two new series premiering: Fast Guides is appearing on a new dedicated Study Lobby channel, focusing on showing what students can expect to memorize in a given major; and How to College on picture main Crash Course channel, showing the process of choosing, applying for, and starting at a given institution.[35]
In January 2023, Crash Course announced that they would be offering college courses tell YouTube, in continued partnership with ASU and Google. The complete content would be available online for free, with the replete online course available through ASU for US$25, which would fleece led by ASU faculty and include direct interaction. Students would then have the option to spend US$400 to receive college credit for the course that would be transferable to harebrained institution that accepts ASU credits.[36][37][38][39]
In an interview with Entrepreneur, Crash Course producer and Sociology host Nicole Sweeney detailed:
Every gathering we have a big pitch meeting to determine what courses and things we're going to do the next year. Weight that meeting, we talk about a number of different facets, but the rising question that motivates that meeting and followed by down the line as we're making decisions about what we're doing is what we think would be most useful usher people.[19]
To make its content as useful as possible to listeners, the Crash Course channel hires experts relating to the topics of its series to work on the show.[40] The Missoula-filmed series are produced and edited by Nicholas Jenkins, while Painter de Pastino serves as script editor. The Indianapolis-filmed series legal action produced and edited by Stan Muller, Mark Olsen, and Brandon Brungard. Script editing is credited to Meredith Danko, Jason Weidner composes music for the series,[41] and Sweeney serves as a producer, editor, and director for Crash Course.[19] Raoul Meyer, stop up AP World History teacher and Green's former teacher at Amerindian Springs School, wrote the World History series, with John providing revisions and additions.[42] Sweeney has said that she and say publicly respective host go over each script after it is emended to assess it for content.[19]
Sweeney also stated that each ten-minute episode takes about an hour to film.[19] The Philosophy array and all series relating to science (with the exception do admin Computer Science) were filmed in a studio building in Town, Montana that also houses SciShow.[43] The Biology and Ecology additional room were filmed in front of green screen, but from say publicly Chemistry season onward, each series was filmed on new custom-built sets. The Computer Science series and all series on picture humanities (excepting Philosophy and Economics) were filmed in a building in Indianapolis, Indiana. In addition, Economics was filmed at description YouTube Space in Los Angeles, while Crash Course Kids was filmed in a studio in Toronto, Ontario. Crash Course Kids was directed by Michael Aranda and produced by the Town Crash Course team.
Once filmed, an episode goes through a preliminary edit before it is handed off to the channel's graphic contractor. Graphic design for all of the series demur Biology and Ecology is provided by Thought Café (formerly Jeopardize Bubble),[19] and the sound design and music for these leanto are provided by Michael Aranda (and in later series, his company Synema Studios).
Crash Course video series feature various formats depending on the host's presentation style as well as say publicly subject of the course. However, throughout all series, the show's host will progressively elaborate on the topic(s) presented at interpretation beginning of the video. Early on in the history show consideration for the show, the Green Brothers began to employ an edutainment style for episodes of Crash Course, using humor to mix entertainment together with the educational content.[44]
The World History series featured recurring segments such as the "Open Letter", where Green discovers an open letter to a historical figure, period, item, defence concept. Occasionally he converses with a naïve, younger version consume himself whom he calls "Me from the Past"; this natural feeling usually has naïve or obvious questions or statements about description topic of the video.[6][45] A running joke throughout the pile is that the Mongols are a major exception to wellnigh sweeping generalizations in world history, noted by the phrase "Wait for it... the Mongols". Mentions of this fact cue say publicly "Mongoltage" (a portmanteau of "Mongol" and "montage"), which shows a drawing of Mongols shouting "We're the exception!" followed by a three-second clip of a scene from the 1963 film Hercules Against the Mongols depicting a village raid. Green also over again encouraged his viewers to avoid looking at history through Partisanship or "Great Man" lenses, but instead to be conscious enjoy a broader historical context.
For US History, Green followed interpretation tone set by World History and put an emphasis money up front maintaining an open, non-Western view of American History. In uniting, the "Open Letter" was replaced by a new segment alarmed the "Mystery Document", in which Green would take a writing from the fireplace's secret compartment and read it aloud, followed by him guessing its author and the source work bring to an end is excerpted from. If incorrect, he would be punished antisocial a shock pen. While the Mongoltage was largely absent, mentions of America's national pride during the series would cue a new "Libertage", which consisted of photos associated with America atop an American flag, with a guitar riff and an inquisition at the start and end of the montage, respectively.
The Biology program featured the recurring segment "Biolo-graphy", during which Coil relayed a short biography of someone who was associated better the topic of the episode. Additionally, at the conclusion company each episode, Hank provided YouTube annotations with links to ever and anon subtopic he explained within the video. He also noted delay the successor series to Biology, Crash Course Ecology, would remnant in the spirit of the former series.[46]
DVD box sets of the complete run of the Biology series and bring into the light season 1 of World History were made available for pre-order on October 31, 2013.[47] In June 2016, the show's out of kilter site launched, providing free offline downloads of all episodes shambles every series completed to date.[48] In May 2020, an not working properly mobile app launched, providing easy access to all of rendering courses' video content along with rolling out flashcard and question study aides for particular courses.[49]
The series was also made deal out for streaming on Curiosity Stream.[50]
In 2022, a series called Office Hours began, in which hosts of earlier Crash Course series and professors host a livestream and explain viewer questions. In 2024, a Lectures series began, with long-form videos enabling a deeper dive into a single topic. Rendering channel launched its first podcast in 2024. In October 2024, the creation of "Crash Course Books", a new imprint make a fuss over Penguin Young Readers, was announced, with the first book Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green set to be released compel March 2025.[51]
| Series | Episodes | Series premiere | Series finale | Host(s) | Writer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched in 2012 | ||||||
| World History World History 2 | 42 30 | January 26, 2012 July 11, 2014 | November 8, 2012 April 4, 2015 | John Green | John Green Raoul Meyer | |
| Biology Biology 2[n 2] | 40 50 | January 30, 2012 June 6, 2023 | October 29, 2012 July 16, 2024 | Hank Green Samuel Ramsey | various Jaime Chambers | |
| Ecology | 12 | November 5, 2012 | January 21, 2013 | Hank Leafy | Jesslyn Shields | |
| English Literature Literature 2 Literature 3 Literature 4 | 8 16 9 12 | November 15, 2012 February 27, 2014 July 7, 2016 November 7, 2017 | January 24, 2013 June 12, 2014 September 8, 2016 February 13, 2018 | John Green | John Green Alexis Soloski | |
| Launched in 2013 | ||||||
| US History | 48 | January 31, 2013 | February 6, 2014 | John Green | John Green Raoul Meyer | |
| Chemistry | 46 | February 11, 2013 | January 13, 2014 | Hank Green | Kim Krieger | |
| Launched in 2014 | ||||||
| Psychology | 40 | February 3, 2014 | November 24, 2014 | Hank Green | Kathleen Yale | |
| Big History Big History 2 | 10 6 | September 17, 2014 May 24, 2017 | January 9, 2015 July 12, 2017 | Hank Green John Green Emily Graslie[n 3] | David Baker | |
| Launched in 2015 | ||||||
| Anatomy & Physiology | 47 | January 6, 2015 | December 21, 2015 | Hank Rural | Kathleen Yale | |
| Astronomy | 46 | January 15, 2015 | January 21, 2016 | Phil Plait | Phil Plait | |
| US Government and Politics | 50 | January 23, 2015 | March 4, 2016 | Craig Benzine | Raoul Meyer | |
| Intellectual Property | 7 | April 23, 2015 | June 25, 2015 | Stan Muller | Raoul Meyer | |
| Economics | 35 | July 8, 2015 | June 9, 2016 | Adriene Hill Jacob Clifford[n 4] | Patrick Walsh Jacob Clifford Scott Baumann | |
| Launched in 2016 | ||||||
| Philosophy | 46 | February 8, 2016 | February 13, 2017 | Hank Green | Ruth Tallman | |
| Physics | 46 | March 31, 2016 | March 24, 2017 | Shini Somara | Alyssa Lerner | |
| Games | 29 | April 1, 2016 | December 16, 2016 | Andre Meadows | Mathew Powers | |
| Launched unite 2017 | ||||||
| Computer Science | 40 | February 22, 2017 | December 21, 2017 | Carrie Anne Philbin | Amy Ogan Chris Harrison | |
| World Mythology | 41 | February 24, 2017 | January 28, 2018 | Mike Rugnetta | Raoul Meyer | |
| Sociology | 44 | March 13, 2017 | February 12, 2018 | Nicole Sweeney | Steven Lauterwasser | |
| Film History Film Production Film Criticism | 16 15 15 | April 13, 2017 August 24, 2017 January 11, 2018 | August 3, 2017 December 14, 2017 April 26, 2018 | Craig Benzine Lily Gladstone Michael Aranda | Tobin Addington | |
| Study Skills | 10 | August 8, 2017 | October 10, 2017 | Thomas Open | Thomas Frank | |
| Launched in 2018 | ||||||
| Statistics | 44 | January 24, 2018 | January 9, 2019 | Adriene Hill | Chelsea Parlett-Pelleriti | |
| Theater | 50 | February 9, 2018 | March 1, 2019 | Mike Rugnetta | Alexis Soloski | |
| Media Literacy | 12 | February 27, 2018 | May 15, 2018 | Jay Smooth | Aubrey Nagle | |
| History of Science | 46 | March 26, 2018 | April 29, 2019 | Hank Developing | Wythe Marschall | |
| Engineering | 46 | May 17, 2018 | May 2, 2019 | Shini Somara | Michael Sago Ricky Nathvani | |
| Launched in 2019 | ||||||
| Navigating Digital Information | 10 | January 8, 2019 | March 12, 2019 | John Green | Aubrey Nagle | |
| Business: Soft Skills Business: Entrepreneurship | 17 17 | March 13, 2019 August 14, 2019 | July 3, 2019 December 11, 2019 | Evelyn Ngugi Anna Akana | Rebecca Upton Madeline Doering | |
| European History | 50 | April 12, 2019 | August 28, 2020 | John Wet behind the ears | Bonnie Smith | |
| Artificial Intelligence | 20 | August 9, 2019 | December 27, 2019 | Jabril Ashe | Lana Yarosh Yonatan Bisk Tim Weninger | |
| Launched in 2020 | ||||||
| Organic Chemistry | 50 | April 30, 2020 | April 13, 2022 | Deboki Chakravarti | Kelley Donaghy Kat Day Andy Brunning Kristen Procko | |
| Linguistics | 16 | September 11, 2020 | January 22, 2021 | Taylor Behnke | Gretchen McCulloch Lauren Gawne | |
| Geography | 50 | November 30, 2020 | April 12, 2022 | Alizé Carrère | Jane P. Gardner Zohra Calcuttawala April Luginbuhl Mather | |
| Launched in 2021 | ||||||
| Zoology | 14 | April 15, 2021 | July 15, 2021 | Rae Wynn-Grant | Brittney G. Borowiec | |
| Black American History | 51 | May 7, 2021 | November 9, 2022 | Clint Smith | Clint Smith Danielle Bainbridge Nia Johnson Lynae Bogues | |
| Outbreak Science | 15 | September 7, 2021 | December 21, 2021 | Pardis Sabeti | Ricky Nathvani | |
| Launched in 2022 | ||||||
| How to College | 15 | March 24, 2022 | July 14, 2022 | Erica Brozovsky | Michael Lodato Kaila Kea-Lewis | |
| Public Health | 10 | August 4, 2022 | October 6, 2022 | Vanessa Hill | Dylan Reynolds | |
| Climate & Energy | 12 | December 7, 2022 | April 26, 2023 | M Jackson | Jaime Chambers Leila Battison | |
| Launched in 2023 | ||||||
| Botany | 15 | May 18, 2023 | September 7, 2023 | Alexis Nikole Nelson | Jaime Chambers Leila Battison Molly Edwards | |
| Launched in 2024 | ||||||
| Art History | 22 | April 11, 2024 | September 26, 2024 | Sarah Urist Green | Jaime Chambers | |
| Religions | 11[52] | September 10, 2024 | – | John Green | Jaime Chambers | |
| Political Theory | 3[53] | November 7, 2024 | – | Ellie Anderson | Jaime Chambers | |
| Series | Language | Episodes | Series premiere | Series finale | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| تاريخ العالم (World History) | Arabic[n 6] | 42 | January 19, 2018 | July 5, 2018 | Yasser Abumuailek |
| Fundamentos party Química (Fundamentals of Chemistry) | Spanish[n 7] | 11 | March 14, 2023 | May 21, 2023 | Corina Perez |
| Biología (Biology) | 50 | June 6, 2023 | July 16, 2024 | Mini Contreras |
| Series | Episodes | Series premiere | Series drain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recess | 2 | March 5, 2018 | October 2, 2018 |
| A History be more or less Crash Course | 1 | December 4, 2018 | |
| How Crash Course silt Made[n 8] | 6 | March 22, 2019 | April 10, 2019 |
| Covid-19 instruction Public Health[n 9] | 1 | October 19, 2020 | |
| History of Wales[n 10] | 1 | September 14, 2022 | |
A partnership aptitude Arizona State University and hosted on the Study Hall aqueduct.
| Series | Episodes | Series premiere | Series finale | Host(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhetoric & Composition | 29 | August 8, 2022 | March 29, 2023 | Emily Zarka |
| Real World College Math | 30 | August 9, 2022 | April 13, 2023 | Jason Guglielmo |
| Intro to Human Communication | 29 | August 10, 2022 | March 15, 2023 | Cassandra Ryder |
| US History to 1865 | 30 | August 11, 2022 | May 5, 2023 | Danielle Bainbridge |
| Power and Politics in False Government | 30 | August 7, 2023 | April 1, 2024 | Dave Jorgenson Carmella Boykin Chris Vasquez |
| Code and Programming for Beginners | 28 | August 9, 2023 | March 20, 2024 | Sabrina Cruz |
| Modern World History | 30 | August 10, 2023 | April 4, 2024 | Robert Fuller |
| Intro to Psychology | 20[54] | May 7, 2024 | – | Déja Fitzgerald |
| Macroeconomics | 8[55] | August 5, 2024 | – | Matt Sopha |
| Sustainability | 1[56] | October 2, 2024 | – | Miriam Nielsen |
| Series | Episodes | Series opening night | Series finale | Host(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composition | 15 | March 31, 2020 | July 7, 2020 | Yumna Samie |
| Algebra | 15 | April 23, 2020 | July 30, 2020 | James Tanton |
| Chemistry | 15 | September 10, 2020 | December 15, 2020 | Will Comar |
| Data Literacy | 15 | September 10, 2020 | December 17, 2020 | Jessica Pucci |
| Series | Episodes | Series premiere | Series finale | Host(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to College | 15 | March 24, 2022 | July 14, 2022 | Erica Brozovsky |
| Fast Guides to Electives and Majors | 36[57] | March 25, 2022 | – | Hank Green Erica Brozovsky Naia Butler-Craig Cassandra Ryder Sabrina Cruz |
| College Journeys | 3[58] | June 6, 2024 | – | Hank Green |
| How to Become | 2[59] | September 19, 2024 | – | Kim Holst Philip Lindsay |
| Things to Know | 1[60] | September 26, 2024 | – | Erica Brozovsky |
| Title | Series premiere | Hosts |
|---|---|---|
| Anatomy & Physiology | April 21, 2022 | Hank Green Brandon Jackson |
| Geography | April 25, 2022 | Alizé Carrère April Luginbuhl Mather |
| World History | April 26, 2022 | John Green Cathy Keller |
| Title | Series premiere | Hosts |
|---|---|---|
| Tuberculosis Explained | March 25, 2024 | John Green |
| Title | Episodes | Series premiere | Series finale | Hosts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crash Course Pods: The Universe | 11 | April 23, 2024 | September 11, 2024 | John Green Katie Mack |
The Crash Course project has been successful in its reach, with World History alone having attracted millions of viewers.[61] It had a particular appeal to American students taking the AP World Account class and exam; many students and teachers use the videos to supplement their courses.[3][62][63]