March 24, 2025

20 Years of LearnOutLoud.com

Hard to believe it has been 20 years since we officially launched LearnOutLoud.com back in March of 2005! It’s been quite a journey in the world of audio and video learning since then. Back in 2005, I was still popping CDs and cassettes into my car to listen to the latest “books on tape” available. The Apple iPod was in its infancy and I was connecting my iPod up to my laptop to get the audiobooks I downloaded from Audible.com onto my device. It would be another 5 years until I got my first iPhone (3GS I think it was).

When we launched, the term podcast was hardly known, as podcasts didn’t show up in Apple iTunes until June of 2005. We started our very first podcast back in March of 2005 called the Audio Learning Revolution Podcast where we attempted to be audio learning DJs playing samples highlighting various audio books. YouTube had just been launched in February of 2005, so the online video revolution was just getting started.

For many years we sold audio books, first on CD and cassette, and then on MP3 audio download for your iPods and iPhones. When Amazon Purchased Audible for $300 million in 2008, they really escalated the marketing and technology of digital audio books and eliminated most of the audio book retailer competition. After years of declining sales, we decided to stop selling audio book downloads in 2018 and now we just link to Audible on Amazon for about 70,000 Audio Books on Download. Now we stay alive through advertising and affiliate revenue.

In August of 2005, we launched the Internet’s First Directory of Educational and Self-Development Podcasts. It’s been amazing to see podcasting take off over the past two decades, and we now feature over 5,000 of the best podcasts you can learn from in our LearnOutLoud.com Podcast Directory.

And in late 2005, we launched one of the most popular sections of our site which is our LearnOutLoud.com Free Audio & Video Directory. This section features free audio books, courses, documentaries, talks, interviews, speeches, and many other great free audio and video learning resources. Over the course of 20 years, the free directory has grown to over 12,000 titles.

And in 20 years, we’ve certainly learned a lot! Our love for audio & video learning started by listening to audio programs from publishers like The Great Courses, Nightingale-Conant, and Sounds True. While working at LearnOutLoud, we’ve listened to and reviewed thousands of audio books, lectures, podcasts, courses, documentaries, and so much more. We’ve seen great audio & video learning resources come and go as the World Wide Web ebbs and flows.

Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen the Internet change a lot, some for better and some for worse. In the early days, we were scouring the web to look for any new audio books, podcasts, and videos to feature. Now there’s an unbelievable glut of audio and video you can learn from: 4 million podcasts, 14 billion YouTube videos, and 500,000 audio books on Audible. While the technology and sheer amount of educational audio & video has changed significantly, our mission to showcase the best audio & video learning content on the web hasn’t changed much. We’re still searching the web to try to find the best audio & video resources out there that you can learn from.

February 28, 2025

Watch Over 15 Oscar-Winning Short Documentaries for Free Online

It’s Oscar weekend! We’ve previously highlighted on our blog 20 Oscar-Winning Feature Film Documentaries for Free Online, that you can watch both on YouTube and Tubi. Today we’re looking at over 15 of the Oscar-winning short documentaries that you can watch for free online on YouTube from 1941 to the present.

Much like the documentary features, the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film started off by honoring World War II propaganda films like Churchill’s Island (1941) and December 7th (1943). As the years went on the award went to films that highlighted important social issues from Nine from Little Rock (1964) all the way up to last year’s big winner The Last Repair Shop (2023).

We searched all the winners on YouTube and found over 15 there that are legally available to watch for free from providers like the U.S. National Archives, the National Film Board of Canada, and other channels. Here are the short documentaries we found in chronological order with brief summaries to guide you. Watch an Oscar-winning short from the Academy’s 95-year history!

Churchill’s Island (1941) – Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, this World War II documentary covers the Battle of Britain that took place in 1940.

December 7th (1943) – Shot by famed director John Ford and cinematographer Gregg Toland, this World War II documentary covers the events of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. There is both an 82-minute version and a 32-minute version, the latter of which won the Oscar for Documentary Short Subject.

Seeds of Destiny (1946) – Post-World War II film that focuses on the millions of child refugees after the war. This short documentary helped to raise over $200 million to help civilians affected by the war.

First Steps (1947) – Short film from the United Nations covering the physical therapy of disabled children with the focus on helping children to walk.

Glass (1958) – Fast forward to 1959 and this short, poetic documentary made in a glass factory in the Netherlands.

Nine from Little Rock (1964) – A film from renowned documentary filmmaker Charles Guggenheim (he won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short four times). This film covers the Little Rock Nine, who were the first African-American students to attend an all-white Arkansas high school in 1957. One of the students, Jefferson Thomas, narrates this documentary at an important time in the Civil Rights Movement.

A Year Toward Tomorrow (1966) – Documentary about the Volunteers in Service to America that originated from an idea by President John F. Kennedy and came to fruition under President Lyndon Johnson. Actor Paul Newman narrates this doc.

Princeton: A Search for Answers (1973) – This recruiting film from Princeton University portrays the teaching and learning of many subjects and highlights the importance of a college education.

If You Love This Planet (1982) – This short film features a lecture by anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott. The lecture is given along with footage of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Flamenco at 5:15 (1983) – Fun documentary covering a flamenco dance class at the National Ballet School of Canada.

Defending Our Lives (1993) – This documentary highlights the important issue of domestic violence, with personal testimonies from four imprisoned women.

Smile Pinki (2008) – Documentary set in rural India where two children, Pinki and Ghutaru, receive surgery from their cleft lips.

The White Helmets (2016) – This short documentary covers the Syria Civil Defence during Syrian Civil War, as these volunteers seek to save lives in the conflict.

Period. End of Sentence. (2018) – In this film, Indian women seek to lead a menstrual health revolution as they make affordable menstrual pads to help women in the community.

Colette (2020) – In this documentary, 90-year-old French Resistance fighter Colette Marin-Catherine visits the German concentration camp where her brother died.

The Queen of Basketball (2021) – Short film about the basketball player Lusia Harris who was the first and only woman ever to be officially drafted by the NBA.

The Last Repair Shop (2023) – This film covers a Los Angeles repair shop that fixes musical instruments for free for L.A. public school students.

Many interesting short documentaries to watch, all under an hour in length!

January 23, 2025

500 Top Podcasts from the Past Five Years

It’s been a little while since we added podcasts to our LearnOutLoud.com Podcast Directory. So we recently did a deep dive into the major podcast directories of iTunes and Spotify and picked out 500 top podcasts from the past five years to add to our directory.

We’re changing up our strategy somewhat with our podcast directory. In the past, we’ve allowed submissions to our podcast directory and pretty much added anything that was educational. But the sheer amount of podcasts out there is overwhelming with estimates of between 3 and 4 million podcasts to choose from worldwide. So instead of trying to add everything under the sun to our podcast directory, we’ve decided to hone in on the very best podcasts out there. These include podcasts that are highly rated, most-rated, and also many hidden gems we’ve discovered that we thought were worth highlighting. Our focus is always on the best podcasts that you can learn from! We currently feature over 5,000 of the best podcasts available which you can browse here:

Browse Over 5,000 Podcasts in the LearnOutLoud.com Podcast Directory

Sort by Recently Added, and you’ll see the latest podcasts we added. We’ve removed some of the podcasts that have been deleted or podfaded (produced only a few episodes and then disappeared from existence), and we’ve added over 500 more that have risen to prominence in the past five years. In this blog post, we’ll highlight some of the best podcasts we’ve added in each of our main 16 categories. So let’s get into it:

Top Arts & Entertainment Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs Podcast

The Plot Thickens Podcast from Turner Classic Movies

The Movies That Made Me Podcast Hosted by Joe Dante and Josh Olson

You’ll Hear It: Jazz Explained Podcast

Aria Code Podcast from The Metropolitan Opera

Classical Breakdown Podcast

The Art Angle Podcast

Top Biography Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

The James Baldwin 100 Podcast

Bruce Lee Podcast Hosted by Daughter Shannon Lee

Celebrity Memoir Book Club Podcast

Dolly Parton’s America Podcast

Catholic Saints Podcast

The Wonder of Stevie Podcast

Founders Podcast

The Hurricane Tapes – BBC Podcast

Real Dictators Podcast

Top Business Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

Business Movers Podcast

Afford Anything Podcast

Invest Like the Best Podcast

Coaching Real Leaders Podcast from the Harvard Business Review

Do This, Not That: Marketing Tips Podcast

The Side Hustle Show Podcast

BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

Top Education & Professional Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

How to Be Awesome at Your Job Podcast

What It’s Like To Be Career Podcast Hosted by Dan Heath

Exam Study Expert Podcast

Those Who Can’t Teach Anymore Podcast

Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast

Straight A Nursing Podcast

Top History Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

American History Hit Podcast

History That Doesn’t Suck Podcast

NPR: Throughline Podcast

The Ancients Podcast

The Civil War & Reconstruction Podcast

The History of WWII Podcast

The History of England Podcast

The History of China Podcast

The History of the Twentieth Century Podcast

Top Languages Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

ChinesePod – Beginner Podcast

Learning English Grammar – BBC Podcast

Duolingo French Podcast

Learn Italian with Joy of Languages Podcast

LearnCraft Spanish Podcast

Lingthusiasm Podcast

Top Literature Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby Podcast

ABC News: The Book Case Podcast

Shakespeare For All Podcast

National Review’s Great Books Podcast

The History of Literature Podcast

Storytime for Grownups Podcast

Poetry Unbound Podcast

Top Philosophy Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

Practical Stoicism Podcast

Lives Well Lived Podcast Hosted by Peter Singer & Kasia de Lazari Radek

Closer To Truth Podcast

Life Examined Podcast

The Gray Area Podcast

Top Politics Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

Political Theory 101 Podcast

The Foreign Affairs Interview Podcast

The Bulwark Podcast

Fast Politics Podcast

Hoover Institution: Goodfellows Podcast

BBC Newscast Podcast

Top Religion & Spirituality Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

The Way Out Is In Podcast

Jesus Calling Podcast

Wild at Heart Podcast Hosted by John Eldredge

Ask N.T. Wright Anything Podcast

The Stories of Mahabharata Podcast

Unpacking Israeli History Podcast

The C.S. Lewis Podcast Hosted by Alister McGrath

Conspirituality Podcast

Turning to the Mystics Podcast Hosted by James Finley

Through the ESV Bible in a Year Podcast

Top Science Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

NASA’s Curious Universe Podcast

NPR: Short Wave Podcast

The Science of Everything Podcast

Ologies with Alie Ward Podcast

Why This Universe Podcast

A Brief History of Mathematics – BBC Podcast

Into the Impossible Podcast Hosted by Brian Keating

Top Self Development Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

The Daily Motivation Podcast Hosted by Lewis Howes

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Podcast Hosted by Mark Manson

You Can Heal Your Life Podcast Produced by Hay House

We Can Do Hard Things Podcast

ZOE Science & Nutrition Podcast

Feel Better, Live More Podcast Hosted by Rangan Chatterjee

Calm Parenting Podcast

Jed McKenna Nonduality Podcast

Michael Singer Podcast Produced by Sounds True

Top Social Sciences Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

Altered States Podcast

Choiceology Podcast

The Psychology Podcast

Your Brain On: The Neuroscience of Everything Podcast

Therapist Uncensored Podcast

Top Sports & Hobbies Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

The Ringer NBA Show Podcast

Talkin’ Baseball MLB Podcast

Gastropod Podcast

The Athletic Football Show Podcast

The Joe Gardener Show Podcast

Shaped by Dog Podcast

Top Technology Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

AI For Humans Podcast

Endless Thread Podcast

Search Engine Podcast

Your Undivided Attention Podcast

Kim Komando Daily Tech Update Podcast

Better Offline Podcast

Top Travel Podcasts from the Past Five Years:

Join Us in France Travel Podcast

Untold Italy Travel Podcast

The Atlas Obscura Podcast

You Be Trippin Podcast Hosted by Ari Shaffir

So there you have it. Some of the top podcasts you can learn from in many categories from the past five years. We’ll be adding many more to come, so stay tuned!

December 13, 2024

Watch Carl Sagan, David Attenborough, and Richard Dawkins in the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on YouTube

The Royal Institution of Great Britain was founded in 1799, and in 1825, began its annual Royal Institution Christmas Lectures for scientific education. Every year since then, a leading scientist has delivered a series of lectures. Since 1936, these Christmas Lectures have been broadcast on TV, making them the oldest science television series. The Royal Institution now has an archive of these lectures going back to the 1960s, with videos you can watch on their website of most of these Christmas Lectures:

Watch the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Archive

To celebrate 200 years of these lectures, The Royal Institution YouTube Channel, has uploaded three of their most popular Christmas Lecture series onto YouTube from astronomer Carl Sagan, naturalist Sir David Attenborough, and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. We’ve added these three Christmas Lecture series to our site and have written up some reviews of them.

David Attenborough: Christmas Lectures on The Language of Animals (1973)

Sir David Attenborough is known for the nature documentaries he has written and narrated for the BBC from the 1950s to the present day (as of this writing he’s still alive at age 98!). In 1973, he gave this series of Christmas Lectures for the Royal Institution on The Language of Animals. Presented before an audience of children, Attenborough brings out many animals in his lectures to demonstrate the variety of ways in which these animals communicate. In the opening lecture, he conveys ways in which animals portray threats, usually to other creatures that want to eat them. Sometimes the animals communicate real threats, and sometimes they are “bluffing”, or communicating a threat even if they aren’t dangerous. In later lectures he explains how animals communicate attraction, young animals communicate with their parents, and then asks the question of if humans can effectively communicate with animals and vice versa. Lecture four called “Simple Signs and Complicated Communications” was lost from the archives, but the other five lectures are available to watch now on YouTube. These are enjoyable lectures on animal communication that are accessible to young and old alike.

Carl Sagan: Christmas Lectures on The Planets (1977)

Planetary scientist and science communicator Carl Sagan gave this series of six lectures on the planets in 1977, predating his popular 1980 PBS series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by a few years. Using many visual aids, Sagan takes a look at the planets in our Solar System and their relation to the rest of the universe. He starts with a lecture on planet Earth, relating it to the other planets and analyzing it with photos from space. He emphasizes how close you have to get to really see evidence of life on Earth. In subsequent lectures, he explores the possibility of life in outer space, with a focus on the history of Mars and some of the discoveries that were being made there with unmanned space probes. In the final lecture, Sagan looks at the likelihood of billions of planets beyond our Solar System. While no extra-solar planets had been found by the late 1970s, in the past 20 years over 450 extra-solar planets have been discovered, while the possibility of life on them is yet to be known.

Richard Dawkins: Christmas Lectures on Growing Up in the Universe (1991)

Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has written popular science books such as The Selfish Gene (1976), The Blind Watchmaker (1986), and The God Delusion (2006). In 1991, he delivered a series of Christmas Lectures for the Royal Institution on Growing Up in the Universe. His first lecture, entitled “Waking Up in the Universe”, gives us a sense of the vastness and complexity of life on Earth. He tries in many ways to convey the long expanses of time that evolution has taken to arrive at the present moment of life and how lucky we are to have been born as humans in this moment. He stresses the importance of science in conveying the wonder and meaning of life as greater than any supernatural explanation. In the next four lectures, he confronts the problem of design, the improbability of evolutionary success, whether life was made for our benefit, and how human brains have developed a sense of purpose in the Universe. In lecture four, author Douglas Adams shows up to read a relevant passage from his novel The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Enjoy these scientific Christmas Lectures and many more on the Royal Institution website:

Watch the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures Archive

November 27, 2024

Watch 20 Oscar-Winning Feature Film Documentaries for Free Online

Starting in 1942, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences began bestowing the award for Best Documentary Feature Film. In recent years, many of these excellent feature-length documentaries have become available legally for free on YouTube and free movie sites like Tubi. From the war propaganda films of World War II to the contemporary political and social issue documentaries that often win today, you’ll get a wide variety of documentaries from film history in this list. So here, in chronological order, are twenty Oscar-winning feature film documentaries available to watch for free online. We’ve written reviews of many of them below and will write more reviews here as we watch them all!

1. Prelude to War (1942)

Watch this historic first documentary in Frank Capra’s Why We Fight series produced by the US Department of War from 1942 to 1945. The 50-minute film is an effective piece of war propaganda directed by Capra that was initially meant to be shown to American soldiers to explain why we were heading to war. President Franklin Roosevelt liked the film so much that he pushed for it to be viewed publicly, and it was eventually seen by over 50 million Americans.

In the film, Capra uses propaganda footage from the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan, and re-contextualizes it to contrast it with the American way of life. Capra had watched Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will (1935) and wanted to make a counterpart to that piece of Nazi propaganda. He sets the stage for the film by contrasting the world of freedom and the world of slavery. Using animations drawn by Walt Disney Productions, he shows maps of the spreading of fascism in Europe and Asia. And he shows the leaders Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, and Hirohito in a villainous light.

The documentary does show Americans arguing for isolationism which was popular at the time, but the movie argues that totalitarian militarism was spreading fast and would soon reach American shores if not countered. In the end, the movie quotes Army Chief of Staff George Marshall: “The victory of the democracies can only be complete with the utter defeat of the war machines of Germany and Japan”. This documentary was the very first film to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.

2. The True Glory (1945)

This Oscar-winning documentary features amazing footage from the U.S. Office of War Information and the British Ministry of Information in the final year of World War II. General Dwight D. Eisenhower introduces the film which features narration of the words of soldiers and others who contributed to the war effort. The documentary footage begins with the Normandy landings on D-Day of June 6, 1944, all the way through the battles in France and Germany up to the fall of Berlin and the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945. Along the way, dramatized voices from the Allied Forces chime in with accompanying combat footage from land, sea, and air.

While it’s not a comprehensive history lesson of the final year of the war, it certainly leaves an impression of what the last year of World War II was like in the European theatre of combat. From the beaches of Normandy to the concentration camps in Germany, you’ll see the triumphs and horrors of this major 20th-century conflict, restored in high definition by the U.S. National Archives. The direction of the film is attributed to British director Carol Reed, with many other significant contributors, utilizing footage from over 1,000 cameramen.

3. Kon-Tiki (1951)

Watch the harrowing journey of Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his crew of five men as they travel from Peru to the Polynesian Islands on a raft named “Kon-Tiki” made out of balsa logs. Heyerdahl hypothesized that South Americans could have reached Polynesia during pre-Columbian times, and he set out on a crazy journey to prove his point. At first, the documentary might make you seasick from the shaky camera work as the Kon-Tiki sails across the Pacific Ocean. But you’ll soon settle in and witness this survival tale as the men battle off sharks and whales and deal with other treacherous elements that seek to end their voyage. In the end, they do arrive on a Polynesian island after 101 days and 4,300 miles. While Heyerdahl admits this doesn’t prove South Americans made this voyage, he nevertheless showed that it was possible. Thor Heyerdahl wrote the narration of the film which is read by an English narrator. The footage is black and white 16mm and the transfer isn’t great in this version on Tubi, but it still makes for a compelling watch in this Oscar-winning documentary from 1951.

4. Albert Schweitzer (1957)

This documentary on the life of Albert Schweitzer uses archival footage to detail the life and work of the beloved philosopher, doctor, and humanitarian. Starting with Schweitzer’s upbringing, the viewer gains direct insight into what motivated him, including an early love of nature, animals, and the searching way he went from being a musician, to preaching, to teaching, until he decided upon a life of service in equatorial Africa. In addition, this program offers priceless footage of Schweitzer’s daily work habits, and follows him on a return trip he made later in life to the village where he grew up. This film won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

5. Sky Above and Mud Beneath (1961)

Sky Above and Mud Beneath follows a grueling 7-month journey of a Franco-Dutch expedition led by Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau into what was at the time Dutch New Guinea. The film is part ethnographic and part exploration as they encounter tribes along the way. The encounters with cannibals, headhunters, and Pygmies present the more interesting aspects of film, as the filmmakers capture many ceremonies and rituals of the various tribes. The exploration part of this documentary is more ridiculous as the explorers complain of the horrid conditions and are air-dropped rescue supplies frequently. Nevertheless, the filmmakers capture some gorgeous places along their thousand-mile journey. The film has no dialogue and only narration. William Peacock narrates the English version of this film with a script by director Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1961.

6. Marjoe (1972)

7. The Man Who Skied Down Everest (1975)

Watch this impressive documentary on Yuichiro Miura’s attempt to become the first person to ski down Mount Everest on May 6, 1970. Most of the movie covers the large crew’s ascent up Everest starting in Kathmandu, Nepal until they reach the summit. The film is shot on 35mm CinemaScope providing some gorgeous views as they climb the mountain. The audio narration consists of excerpts of Yuichiro Miura’s insightful diary during the climb and is narrated by Douglas Rain (who interestingly enough provided the voice of the HAL 9000 computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey). The expedition takes a dark turn when six Sherpas died after a glacier collapse. The rest of the voyage up is a brutal, existential survival story and we won’t spoil the ending, but it is riveting. This movie won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film in 1975.

8. Scared Straight! (1978)

9. From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China (1980)

10. Genocide (1981)

11. Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)

12. The Panama Deception (1992)

13. The Long Way Home (1997)

14. Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001)

15. Bowling for Columbine (2002)

16. Born Into Brothels (2004)

17. Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)

18. Undefeated (2011)

19. Citizenfour (2014)

In this chilling and paranoia-inducing documentary, director Laura Poitras follows around whistleblower Edward Snowden as he exposes the current methods the NSA is spying on people around the globe. At first Snowden’s paranoia seems a bit ridiculous, but all involved including journalist Glenn Greenwald are rapidly engulfed in a web of global surveillance, as the United States seeks to bring Snowden back to the U.S. for violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and other counts. It’s a fascinating and frightening tale that is sure to get you thinking about how your digital life is being monitored. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2015 Oscars.

20. 20 Days in Mariupol (2023)

Watch this brutal documentary on the invasion of Mariupol, Ukraine, by Russian forces in 2022. The documentary was directed by Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov and produced by the Associated Press and PBS Frontline, which is offering the documentary for free on their YouTube channel. The footage Chernov captures is the ground-level reality of the siege of Mariupol over the first 20 days of the invasion. It features the killing of civilians, the bombing of hospitals, and other war crimes carried out by Russian forces. Chernov presents the thoughts and emotions of the people of Mariupol as the invasion is carried out and all the chaos and suffering that ensues. It is bleak and essential viewing of the realities of a war that has killed thousands of Ukrainians.

And you can check out over 1,500 Free Documentaries in our LearnOutLoud.com Free Documentaries Collection!