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Discover how the Pyramids of Egypt were built

The most common misconception about the pyramids is that they were built by slaves. Recent archeological evidence suggests they were instead constructed by paid workers. Some may have performed this work as a form of tax payment for several months of the year. Skilled engineers would have planned and orchestrated the building. An estimated 10,000-20,000 people would have been working on a pyramid at any one point in time. They were well fed and provided with shelter near the pyramids. Plus their burial sites close by indicate they were respected and were not slaves. Much of the limestone was quarried from the Giza plateau itself, meaning the stones did not need to be transported far. The granite casing of Menkaure’s pyramid, on the other hand, was transported from Aswan, around 600 miles, or 1000 km up the Nile.

Learn@Home

Learn@Home is a YouTube resource for families with children of different ages and areas of interest

As schools around the world close their buildings and families find themselves at home, we want to ensure that learning together continues. So we’re partnering with learning creators to bring parents & families resources and activities. These resources are not meant to replace homework assigned by teachers, but meant to complement that work.

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Best free virtual cooking classes

Because of the internet, celebrity chefs have — in lieu of working in restaurants — turned their home kitchens into virtual classrooms for our benefit. It’s a horrible time for the restaurant industry, one we hope can be salvaged with our support. The same chefs responsible for creating stellar dining-out experiences are now doing what they can to replicate that magic in your own home.

Chefs are answering cooking questions, doing demos and even giving you tours of their homes ― all for free. Below are seven of our favorite online cooking and cooking-adjacent classes for all your self-isolation needs

Read more on The Best Free Virtual Cooking Classes To Take During Self-Isolation, HuffPost, 2 April 2020

Watch Anne Frank video diary

Premiering on YouTube this week, “Anne Frank Video Diary” includes 15 episodes (Mondays and Thursdays) to be aired through early May. Filmed in selfie-style with quick cuts, each episode is between five and 10 minutes in length. Here’s the trailer – some episodes already online. Subscribe to keep up to date with new episodes.

Watch a Big Think video

Big Think is a knowledge forum

[At] Big Think, we believe that success in the future is all about knowing the ideas that allow you to manage and master this universe of information. Therefore, we aim to help you move above and beyond random information, toward real knowledge, offering big ideas from fields outside your own that you can apply toward the questions and challenges in your own life.

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A sonnet a day keeps the doctor away

Patrick Stewart reads a daily sonnet. Here’s No 1.

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