BBC GlobalIn most cultures, small talk acts as a social lubricant. But in Sweden, people tend to avoid idle chit-chat. Some experts believe the Swedes are missing out on a vital communication tool, while others say it's just a part of Swedish life.
Video by Björn Nilsson Executive Producer: Camelia Sadeghzadeh
How Sweden survives without small talk - BBC REELBBC Global2020-10-14 | In most cultures, small talk acts as a social lubricant. But in Sweden, people tend to avoid idle chit-chat. Some experts believe the Swedes are missing out on a vital communication tool, while others say it's just a part of Swedish life.
Video by Björn Nilsson Executive Producer: Camelia Sadeghzadeh
#bbcreel #bbc #bbcnewsThe truth about tumbleweed | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-10-20 | Tumbleweed is one of the most iconic symbols of the old American West, made famous by countless cowboy films.
But this invasive plant did not actually reach US shores until the latter part of the 19th Century.
Here's the story of where they came from, and how they came to dominate the mainland so quickly.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #US #natureHow Easy Rider revolutionised Hollywood | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-10-19 | The cult classic's guerilla techniques and daring subject matter helped to kickstart a new era.
Just before its release in 1969, the BBC interviewed its director, Dennis Hopper, discovering an actor as idiosyncratic as his film.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #film #rockThe risqué romcom that pushed Hollywoods boundaries | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-10-15 | Released in 1959, Pillow Talk challenged Hollywood's conservative morality.
The film cleverly navigated restrictions on how bedroom activities could be portrayed.
In the 1980s its stars Rock Hudson and Doris Day talked to the BBC about how the film mirrored the attitudes of a nation on the cusp of sexual revolution.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.comHow your gut microbes shape your health | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-10-08 | In this episode of Health Decoded, science journalist Melissa Hogenboom takes us on a journey inside the human gut.
She explains how a bustling community of trillions of cells influence almost every aspect of our health.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #health #biologyA simple way to keep your skin healthy | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-10-04 | There's a simple and tasty way to help keep your skin healthy, and it doesn't require expensive creams or botox.
While genetic and lifestyle factors play a role, research suggests that adding fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants and vitamin E to your diet could help protect your skin from damage.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #skin #healthWhen Denmark held the first ever same-sex civil unions | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-10-01 | Denmark became the world's first country to offer legal recognition of gay partnerships on 1 October 1989.
The BBC was there to film the ceremonies – recording a day when "something shifted in human affairs".
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #Denmark #governmentIntroducing a new generation of classical musicians. #BBC #Shorts #MusicBBC Global2024-09-30 | ...Visit BBC.com for full election coverageBBC Global2024-09-30 | ...Visit BBC.com for full election coverageBBC Global2024-09-30 | ...Visit BBC.com for full election coverageBBC Global2024-09-30 | ...Visit BBC.com for full US Election coverageBBC Global2024-09-26 | No agendas. Just the issues, covered. Get full insight and analysis of the 2024 US Election.
#BBC #USElectionEarth is about to gain a new mini moon | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-09-26 | An asteroid called 2024 PT5 will go around the Earth for two months this autumn.
Why is it called a 'mini moon' and can you see it?
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #space #earthHow The Shawshank Redemption went from flop to hit | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-09-25 | Stephen King prison drama The Shawshank Redemption bombed commercially on its initial release in 1994, failing to claw back its modest budget.
Now, many regard it as a cinematic masterpiece.
In 2004, its director Frank Darabont spoke to the BBC about its remarkable reversal of fortune.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #film #cinemaThe mistake that changed chickens forever | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-09-23 | For most of history, chickens were kept for eggs, not meat. That all changed 100 years ago after this one error - capitalised upon by one very entrepreneurial American woman. This is the story of how that mistake gave birth to the 50-billion-dollar US chicken industry.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
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In History looks at how Golding's story of English schoolboys and their descent into barbarism narrowly escaped being thrown in the bin.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #books #authorsSeokJong Baek is one of the best young tenors in the world. #BBC #Music #OperaBBC Global2024-09-16 | ...The film classic that made Clint Eastwood a star | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-09-13 | Clint Eastwood was catapulted to film stardom when he played a brooding gunslinger in Sergio Leone's first Spaghetti Western, A Fistful of Dollars.
In a 1977 interview with the BBC, the Italian director confessed that he "really wanted" another actor for the now iconic role.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #film #actorsInside the giant 350-year-old model of St Pauls Cathedral | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-09-07 | High up in the top of London's St Paul's Cathedral sits a little-known object that demands attention - Sir Christopher Wren's highly intricate 1:25 scale model of one of his original Cathedral designs.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #ww2 #historyWhy vanity could be a good thing | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-09-04 | People often think that being vain is a bad thing that we should try to avoid.
Political theorist Dr Nat Rutherford, however, believes otherwise.
By looking at the arguments of two 18th-Century philosophers, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Adam Smith he suggests that vanity is not just good, but crucial if we want society to work.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #philosophy #politicaltheoryMary Poppins premiered 60 years ago this week. #BBC #FilmBBC Global2024-09-03 | Subscribe to BBC Global: youtube.com/c/bbc_global?sub_confirmation=1The 3,000-year-old history of the passport | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-09-02 | The modern passport was introduced as a temporary measure after World War One, but its history spans thousands of years.
Professor Patrick Bixby, author of License to Travel: A Cultural History of the Passport, explains how it has evolved into a deeply emotional part of our personal archives.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#BBC #history #travelJulie Andrews on the legacy of being Mary Poppins | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-08-31 | Hollywood star Julie Andrews seemed to be the embodiment of the magical nanny when she featured in 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins.
In a 1976 interview with the BBC, she talked about being defined by Poppins' sugar-sweet, wholesome persona.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #film #actingThe surprising benefits of self-soothing touch | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-08-29 | Practicing "self-soothing touch" could have positive benefits, according to a new study.
Scientists believe the practice is effective because it can help us self-regulate using a combination of self-compassionate thinking and touch.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #health #psychologyHow sea lions help researchers map the ocean floor | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-08-27 | These underwater videos weren't recorded by humans. They were recorded by sea lions.
In Australia, scientists are strapping cameras to these deep-sea divers to better understand their behaviour and map ocean habitats.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #oceans #scienceStockholm Syndrome and the art of hostage negotiation | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-08-22 | The six-day bank siege that inspired the controversial Stockholm Syndrome theory began this week in 1973.
In 1980, a BBC documentary featured two pioneering New York police negotiators who built careers on lessons learned from hostage situations past, including this bizarre robbery attempt.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #psychology #crimeThe unique undersea tunnels that link the Faroe Islands | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-08-16 | High in the North Atlantic, the Faroe Islands is an isolated archipelago home to just 54,000 people.
Tunnel building began in the 1960s and has transformed this tiny island nation both geographically and socially.
More than two dozen tunnels now link communities that were once separated by mountains or sea.
The newest tunnels are engineering marvels burrowing under the sea.
Recently, the longest tunnel yet opened to the southern island of Sandoy, changing the lives of its small community.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.comAlfred Hitchcock on his filmmaking secrets | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-08-13 | Renowned “master of suspense” Alfred Hitchcock would have turned 125 today.
A master at the art of slowly ratcheting up tension on screen, he believed the key to suspense was not merely shocking the viewers but subtly manipulating their perception and emotions.
In 1964 the filmmaker told the BBC why it was his skill at playing with the audience's expectations that kept them glued to the screen.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #horror #filmIs it safe to swim in the River Seine? | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-08-12 | France invested $1.5 billion (£1.2bn) to clean up Paris' River Seine, but tests show that it is unsafe to swim after heavy rains.
Does this mean that the money went down the drain – figuratively and literally?
BBC senior journalist Petra Zivic interviewed Dan Angelescu, the founder of Fluidion, a company monitoring water quality in the French capital.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #paris #olympicsCan AI tell better jokes than a human? | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-08-11 | British comedian Karen Hobbs tells jokes written by generative AI to an audience to see how they land.
Will it be belly-laughs or tumbleweed?
Beyond the entertainment value lies a deeper question: what does it mean for technology to replicate something as inherently human as humour?
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #ai #comedyWhy NWAs provocative 80s rap became an anthem | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-08-09 | Warning: This video contains language that some may find offensive.
NWA's landmark album Straight Outta Compton was released on 8 August 1988, bringing the sound of gangsta rap to mainstream America.
In History revisits an interview with the young rap crew as they tried to deal with the success and fallout of the record.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #hiphop #musicThe little-known micronation within the US | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-08-06 | The Republic of Molossia is a micronation nestled in north-western Nevada, US.
Micronations are small, unrecognised “countries” of sorts and there are at least 200 of them in the world today.
Molossia houses a First Lady, four dogs and the 'head of state', His Excellency President Kevin Baugh.
The micronation developed its own currency, laws, and government agencies.
The BBC interviewed President Baugh to learn more.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc # #JRR Tolkien on how WW1 inspired The Lord of the Rings | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-08-01 | The first volume of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings was published on 29 July, 1954.
In a 1968 interview, the BBC spoke to Tolkien about his experiences during World War One, how they had a profound effect and influenced his epic fantasy novel.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #books #ww1Englands hidden medieval street | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-07-30 | In the lush, rural landscape of Somerset, England is the cathedral city of Wells.
It's an ancient place that is also home to one of Europe's oldest continually inhabited streets.
Vicars' Close was created in the mid-14th Century to be the communal home of Vicars Choral - Wells Cathedral's male choir, first founded in 1100.
Despite technically being a public road, the historic homes and buildings in the Close have remained virtually off-limits to visitors since the medieval period.
Now a new conservation project hopes to throw open some of its doors to visitors.
And in the process, help save the fabric of Vicars' Close for generations to come.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #medieval #historyWhy Europe has so few skyscrapers | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-07-25 | Only seven of the world’s 1,000 tallest buildings are in countries in the European Union.
Why is that?
The tallest skylines around the world are dominated by North America, China and the Middle East.
No European city comes even close to breaking the top 20.
So is this down to a continental lack of love for skyscrapers – or is Europe being left behind in the march to modernity?
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#BBC #architecture #EuropeIs cold water swimming good for you? | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-07-23 | Cold water swimming has been linked to a range of health benefits – potentially improving brain fog, energy levels and chronic pain, according to researchers.
In this episode of Health Decoded, science journalist Melissa Hogenboom uncovers emerging research that suggests how cold water swimming could help with mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#BBC #swimming #healthThe first ever view inside Tutankhamuns tomb in Egypt | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-07-18 | In 1922, expert photographer Harry Burton joined archaeologist Howard Carter's team as they uncovered the tomb of Ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun.
Ten years later and with over 5,000 objects from the site documented, Burton had amassed an incredible record of photographs from that world-famous discovery.
One iconic photo from Burton's collection recreates the first view Carter had as he broke through the final door into the tomb itself.
Harry Burton’s photo ‘0009’ of the antechamber courtesy of the Griffith Institute / University of Oxford
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#BBC #Egypt #archeologyHow astronauts prepared for the Apollo 11 Moon landing | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-07-16 | Apollo 11 launched on July 16, 1969, carrying the first men to land on the Moon.
In the months leading up to the historic take-off, Nasa put the crew through gruelling, relentless simulations in order to prepare them – and BBC Tomorrow's World paid a visit.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#BBC #space #historyCan magnesium help reduce anxiety? | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-07-14 | There's a lot of online hype around magnesium and its supposed ability to alleviate anxiety and depression.
But does it work? And if so, how?
In our new series: Health Decoded, science journalist Melissa Hogenboom explores whether the mineral has a positive impact on mental health.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #health #anxietyHow tapping therapy could help calm your mind | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-07-13 | A simple on the go therapy could help ease anxiety, stress and reduce the impact of traumatic memories – according to recent scientific research.
It’s called emotional freedom technique, or EFT for short, and involves using your own fingers to tap pressure points in your body.
In our new series: Health Decoded, science journalist Melissa Hogenboom explores how tapping pressure points in your body could ease anxiety and reduce stress.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #health #wellnessAmerican actress Shelley Duvall has died at the age of 75. #bbc #filmBBC Global2024-07-12 | ...Olympics: The true story behind Chariots of Fire | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-07-11 | Scottish athlete Eric Liddell won the 400m gold at the Paris Olympics on 11 July 1924 – but he's just as famous for a race he didn't run.
BBC In History looks at the real story behind the Chariots of Fire movie myth.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #sports #olympicsWhy women need less exercise than men | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-07-10 | There is a gender gap in just how much exercise we need for healthy hearts – and this gap favours women.
In this episode of Health Decoded, science journalist Melissa Hogenboom explores the ways exercise benefits women more than men.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #health #fitnessListen to the oldest known recording of a human voice | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-07-08 | Thomas Edison is often credited with being the first person to record sound.
But it was in fact a Frenchman named Edouard-Léon Scott de Martinville who invented sound recording via his phonautograph in 1857 – 20 years before Edison invented his phonograph.
For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com
#bbc #science #inventionsWe are famously unprofitable: 36-year-old Jeff Bezos on Amazon | BBC Global | BBC GlobalBBC Global2024-07-05 | Amazon was once a "famously unprofitable company", according to Jeff Bazos in an exclusive BBC interview from the year 2000.
Nearly 25 years on, the ubiquitous company has become one of a handful of companies in the world valued at over $2 trillion.