How it all began for me.
How video went from hobby to job for me.
Make the first day count.
It it useful to go to college? Maybe. In this video I talk about hard skills versus soft skills and the benefit of blending them.
There's an economic reason why everyone is going to Iceland lately.
I get the question a lot "what's the deal with your orange coat?" so here's the story.
The Power and Problems with Cliché
Building a Dream
Most of your life you just can't remember.
The layers of rocks have an interesting back story
This is the story of my summer and the reflections I've had.
It's the Dutch V. The Ocean. The Dutch Are Winning.
This is always changing.
My thoughts on music as a tool for inspiration and storytelling
It has to do with trains, map makers, and politics.
When I need a break from the pressure, I escape. Here's my recipe.
We're inventing a new way of learning to travel
Wildfires are a catastrophe for humans. Not for forests.
It's not just about the shape of the globe.
How the Swiss gave Canada their mountains.
Strange enclaves, peninsulas, and some pretty big mistakes.
What are they putting in that bottle?
How to map something you can't see
We were lucky to be safe and isolated. Here's what I learned in the process.
How can we possibly measured the distance to things a quadrillion km away?
The date line, it's somewhat of a border, but who is in charge of it?
Why the Swiss put bombs in their borders.
The remote, militarized island that the US secretly stole
How the USA took European food and turned it into morning dessert.
How a group of Jesus-loving sugar warriors took over an island nation.
The Story of how the US/Mexico border got its shape.
The story of many months working on a very complicated goal.
I'm starting my quest to rid junk mail from my life
How bird poop expanded the borders of the United States
I get these questions often, so I decided to answer them here.
Thanks for the wild ride, Vox. And thank you all for the support over these years.
It started with one dot on the coast of Saudi Arabia
Three reasons why this city became so huge
A little island at the center of a blurry border.
What happens to the brain when it recalls good times.
How the US invented a country in Africa to hide its secrets
The news teaches you how the world DOESN'T work.
My workflow, 8 years in the making.
France has some interesting territories. Many from its colonial days.
The story of how a few guys brought the US into war.
It's a story of a certain type of capitalism
Breaking down this historic moment in the simplest terms
The Russian system is reacting.
I attempted to map every US Military base, and it was not easy.
Where was Justin Timberlake during all of this?
How video games helped me rethink language learning.
The story of moving east and just...not stopping
The story of how Skid Row came to be
That time the US considered nuking a new canal.
Yes it's hype. But it could change our world.
Why I haven't washed my hair in 5 years
We already knew that Australia is.. unique, but this is a whole different level.
I grew up Mormon. This is the story of why I left.
Why the the US is still an empire
The Story of Cyprus
In episode 2 of Cyprus, Uncharted, we go into the last divided city in Europe and the last divided capital on earth: Nicosia where a thick green line cuts the city in half. I talk to the people who live with this division every day to better understand how it feels life on a divided island.
The island of Cyprus is no strangers to foreign invaders - but for the past 50 years, a new type of invasion has been brewing; and it's only getting worse. These new invaders are not the great powers of the world, but a different fiend.. or depending on how you look at it, a furry friend.
I went to a country that ‘doesn’t exist’ at least on the map. But it’s a place that sure feels like a real country. Being here is a reminder that international relations can often ignore the realities on the ground, and the people who live in these places. For me it’s important to not just look at these places on a map but to go and see them. Feel them. Talk to the people who live there. That’s what this fourth and final episode from Cyprus is about. I hope you enjoy.
I will never be able to look at bananas the same way again. The history behind this fruit is filled with government coups, propaganda, and predatory corporations. This is the story of how US imperialism gave us crappy bananas - and why the ones in your kitchen might be doomed.
From cryptocurrencies to NFTs, crypto seems as though it's here to stay - but is that a good thing? To find out, I debated.. myself.
I want to tell you about three specific border regions. Each of them are remarkably unique - but they also have a massive impact on the communities that live nearby.
War is heating up on the border of Ukraine and Russia. To understand what’s going on you have to understand what Vladimir Putin really wants.
What happens if China invades Taiwan? Here’s how the start of World War 3 might go down.
Putin is taking over land, but losing the war.
War is big business in the U.S. Here are some of the people who got crazy rich off the war in Afghanistan.
We’re hearing a lot about sanctions against Russia. But what even are sanctions and will they work in pushing Putin out of Ukraine?
China is snatching up the key ingredient for EV batteries.
Julian Assange has a long, complicated past. But regardless of what you think of him and what he did, you should care about what happens to him. Here’s why.
What happens after you die?
Why Everyone is Worried About Inflation
I wanted to know why the bread in Europe tastes so much better than the bread in America, so I went to Paris to find out.
How China Stole All This Land
How Europe Dominated the Planet
Subway has somehow taken over K-Dramas with some very on-the-nose product placement. I looked into it and discovered a pretty fascinating story about media, money, and foot-long sandwiches.
For 200 years map makers drew California as an island. The path to find out why led me on a pretty wild journey.
Note: This is a developing story, and it’s moving quickly. Since we recorded this video, Russia has taken massive steps to implement its annexation playbook over the eastern regions of Ukraine. My hope is that this video can provide a foundation for you to understand the major building blocks of this strategy so that you can follow the news in the coming weeks and months to see how this plays out.
The US decided not to join the rest of the world to go metric. Here’s why.
The Border of North and South Korea can seem like a scary place. And yet, in the US we tend to think of everything wrong. In this piece, I jump into an alternative approach to the modern history of this conflict and try to understand why South Koreans aren’t nearly as afraid of North Korea as Americans are.
Putin’s next move won’t be nukes. Instead he’s using a weapon he’s been holding on to for decades. Let me show you the moves and counter-moves of the next phase of the war in Ukraine.
The modern corporation was invented as a way to fuel imperialism. In Part 2 of our series on European imperialism we explore how Europe created private empires to help spread dominance and resource extraction across the globe.
The Bermuda Triangle has been shrouded in mystery following a huge number of disappearances in the region. I wanted to answer the question: what’s really going on here?
The REAL Reason Qatar is Hosting the World Cup.
Qatar has trapped people in its country, and now they're hiding them from view.
Things are changing in Crypto. Here’s how to think about it.
You’re going to hear the word “recession” a lot in the coming months. In this video I want to explain what recessions are and why they happen.
I went to Switzerland to hunt for bunkers, something I’ve been planning and dreaming about for years. The result wasn’t just a wild trip through the mountains. It was an uncovering of something much deeper: the story of this peculiar country and the cost and benefits of choosing neutrality.
The Scramble for Africa, Explained.
It turns out there’s a very good reason for why I, the breakfast snob, crave Doritos for breakfast.
The US and China are fighting a war. It's a weird one that's hard to see. It's being fought in government offices, in company boardrooms. And it’s being fought over the most important technology in the world: Microchips.
Hundreds of military submarines lurk in the depths of our oceans with enough nuclear weapons to destroy entire countries. Let’s talk about it.
The Pentagon is studying UFOs and I wanted to understand why. What I learned convinced me that we can learn a lot from studying these things.
The US perfected the art of the coup to push out leaders it didn’t like and install leaders it did. In this story I go through some of the major US-led coups to explore how the US rose to power and stayed there.
Putin has cracked down on nearly all information in Russia, but YouTube is still safe (for now).
Ever wonder why your mom made you drink so much milk as a kid? Turns out the answer is a lie.
Unemployment is a bigger deal than any of us realize. If you dive into the economics of it you’ll see why politicians and news anchors are always freaking out about it. Here’s my best explanation in 15 minutes.
Seeing the billion dollar jackpots pop up all over the news had me wondering: why does the government run the lottery and what do they do with all that money?
The war in Bosnia.
Our financial system is pretty wild.
For thousands of years, it was out of reach, remote, and desolate. How did we map it?
It had to do with monster movies
The Race to the North Pole
The fears and the facts around the world’s most contentious energy source
Surviving in Greenland's Wild North
The Conflict in Sudan, Explained
How Congress Cheats The Stock Market. Evidence is mounting that US senators and members of Congress are using insider knowledge on major policy decisions and looming crises to game the stock market. And they think it’s totally okay.
Why Greenland is Suddenly So Important
In part 2 of “How the U.S. Stole America,” we look at how Oklahoma could have looked a lot different.
This is the first episode of a new series we’re calling Eyes Only - where we use leaked and declassified documents to understand what’s really happening behind the scenes. Answering questions like: How do politicians wield their influence? What can these documents teach us about their decisions and motivations? And what do the powerful say to each other when they think nobody is listening? In this episode, we explore an insane plan to conduct false flag attacks against American targets, perpetrated by the US military. Before the Cuban Missile Crisis, the US came dangerously close to going to war with Cuba. The US military was intent on invading the island and removing Fidel Castro from power, and their plan to do it was called Operation Northwoods.
The US military is planning to have a transformative year in the Pacific. To them, that means militarizing the region. More ships, more planes, more troops, more missiles, and more agreements with allies - all aimed at containing China and their ambitions of power.
Surveillance, sabotage, and air strikes on its own citizens. This is the story of how the US stole and kept its prized colony in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico.
WTF is a Deep Fake? Ready or not, deep fakes are here to stay. Deep fakes are going to change the way we trust information around us and even each other. The question is - are we prepared for the threat they cause while being able to harness their potential for good?
The world is changing quickly. Countries are starting to challenge the US-led world order that emerged after World War 2. Countries like China and Russia are hoping to create their own system, based on their own rules and values, and the world’s most important growing economies are taking notice.
Understanding the roots of the Latter-day Saints. Joseph Smith grew from a treasure hunting farm kid in Upstate New York, to the prophet and founder of the LDS Church. This is a story of American expansion, persecution, and a gifted storyteller.
The Largest National Security Risk You’ve Never Heard Of The world is connected by just 500 cables. America is spying on them, China is building out a competing network, Russia is threatening to break them, and everyone else is caught in the middle.
The cult of Joe Rogan, explained. Who is Joe Rogan? I listened to countless episodes of his podcast to understand his past and his influence.
The Secret Memo that Tells the TRUE Story of the Iraq War This is the second episode of the Eyes Only series - where we use leaked and declassified documents to understand what’s really happening behind the scenes. Answering questions like: How do politicians wield their influence? What can documents teach us about their decisions and motivations? And what do the powerful say to each other when they think nobody is listening? In this episode, we explore the run up to the Iraq war, and how the invasion of Iraq and removal of Saddam Hussein was planned within hours of the attacks on 9/11. We use leaked and declassified documents to tell the story of an influence campaign waged by senior Bush Administration officials, despite internal reports admitting that they had no evidence of WMD in Iraq.
Are Somali Pirates the Robin Hoods of the sea? How piracy in East Africa went from frustrated Somali fishermen to highly organized crime networks.
How the Mafia Tricks you with Olive Oil Olive oil has been adored by people for millennia. It’s like the perfect food, it’s healthy and delicious. But there is also a darker side to it, a side that involves widespread corruption and Italian Mafia bosses.
Uncovering the Truth About the Moon Landing. I wanted to know why so many people still believe the moon landing never happened, so I looked into it.
How Facebook Became a Tool for Genocide in Myanmar In 2017, the Rohingya people in Myanmar faced a genocide brought on by Buddhist extremists and the military. But something else was fueling the violence, inciting people, and spreading hatred - Facebook and their algorithm was helping tear the country apart. Over 700,000 Rohingya people fled violence perpetrated by the military in their home country of Myanmar in 2017, seeking safety in neighboring Bangladesh. The majority of them continue to live, years later, in Kutupalong Refugee Camp. Since the beginning of this crisis, UNICEF has been working with the Bangladesh government and other partners to deliver relief to children and families living in the refugee camps and settlements and in neighboring host communities. Help UNICEF continue to support Rohingya refugee children and families. Your donation can make a difference.
Why China’s Borders Keep Shifting A few countries have rejected China’s new 2023 standard map because they think it oversteps China’s boundaries. Here are all of China’s ongoing border disputes, mapped.
How Iran Might Escalate the War in Gaza The conflict between Israel and Hamas is moving to a full scale ground invasion, which could lead to a massive regional war. Because this isn’t just a war between Israel and Hamas- other countries, militaries, and militias are watching what’s happening in Gaza, and they all have their own agendas.
How The Government Covered Up the JFK Assassination In light of the newly released documents, we wanted to go back and look into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to see what the evidence was, how the narrative was shaped by the government immediately following, and all of the information we’ve learned from government agencies since that day in Dallas in 1963. We have had to censor depictions of the assassination in order to make this video widely available on YouTube. The uncensored cut is published on Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/johnnyharris-why-people-think-the-government-killed-jfk
Ukraine's Underground Drone Makers This was a collaboration with the Kyiv independent, the largest English language news outlet in Ukraine. They’ve been covering the war in detail. Drones are dominating the face of the war in Ukraine. From intel gathering and spying to loitering munitions and propaganda, drones are a versatile tool on the battlefield. To keep up with changing battlefield conditions and to keep their soldiers well equipped, everyday Ukrainians are using their engineering skills to create drone labs across the country. This is their story.
America's Most Controversial Statesman is Dead at 100 Henry Kissinger, America’s most controversial statesman, is dead. Let’s explore the record of a man that some call a war criminal, and see what we can learn about American politics.
How Switzerland’s Obsession with Guns is Different Americans and Swiss citizens have some of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world, but their gun cultures differ wildly. One country has seen over 500 mass shootings in 2023 alone, while the other has had less than a handful over the past twenty years. To understand why there’s such a stark difference between these two countries’ gun cultures, we traveled to Switzerland to see how each of these cultures started, and where they began to part ways. Special Thanks to Stephen Halbrook, Rudolf Jaun, Patrick Schmitter , Rita Burch, and Sven Paulin.
Are Vitamins and Supplements a Scam? The supplements industry — with all its vitamins, weight loss pills, workout powders, and hormones — has been growing exponentially over the last couple of decades despite there being no increased regulations for them. We wanted to know — are supplements dangerous to take, and are they even effective? Thank you to the experts we spoke with that helped with our research in this story: Dr. C. Michael White, Pharm.D., FCP, FCCP Dr. F. Perry Wilson, MD, MSCE Dr. Edzard Ernst, MD, PhD, MAE, FMedSci, FRSB, FRCP And thank you to Ryan Howkins, the founder of the Lion’s Mane Recovery subreddit, who brought the Lion’s Mane story to our team. You can find the subreddit here: https://reddit.com/r/lionsmanerecovery Resources to look up supplements and vitamins: US Pharmacopeia: https://www.usp.org/ NSF: https://www.nsf.org/
The End of Globalization The global economy is changing. Countries are realizing that while economic interdependence has brought significant peace to the world, it can also mean supplying the military rise of your biggest rivals. Special thanks to Bill Reinsch, CSIS, and to AP Newsroom.