Simple Things - Surprising Histories YouTube channel thumbnail

Subscribers 158K

Videos 124

Views 17.9M

Channels Like Simple Things - Surprising Histories

Simple Things – Surprising Histories explores the origins and hidden stories behind everyday objects, answering how things began, why they’re named, and how they became popular. The channel uses informational, explainer-style videos that delves into the history of simple things and everyday inventions, with tutorials-like clarifications and narrative storytelling. It publishes content from its India-based channel since Sep 14, 2025, averaging around 1.3M views per video across 124 published works.

Similar Channels

We found 42 YouTube channels similar to Simple Things - Surprising Histories

#1

Ryan George view on YouTube ▶

85% relevance

Subscribers 1.8M

Videos 416

Views 698.6M

Appearances 20

SERP 100%

Similarity 75%

how things got named how tools were named

Shares audience interest in the origins and naming of things, with high search overlap on queries like how things got named and how tools were named, aligning with Simple Things' naming-origin angles, though content style is more humor-focused than historical exploration.

#2

TED-Ed view on YouTube ▶

57% relevance

Subscribers 22.4M

Videos 2.3K

Views 4.5B

Appearances 10

SERP 32%

Similarity 74%

history of measurements how things work history ancient and modern technologies

Similar to Simple Things in covering history and evolution of everyday phenomena (history of measurements, how things work history, ancient and modern technologies), but TED-Ed delivers longer, structured lessons with formal pedagogy rather than concise narrative histories.

History of Simple Things YouTube channel thumbnail

#3

History of Simple Things view on YouTube ▶

56% relevance

Subscribers 869K

Videos 2.4K

Views 115.8M

Appearances 4

SERP 13%

Similarity 85%

how things work history history of common tools

Directly aligned in scope by exploring how things work and the history of common tools, matching both the subject matter and historical storytelling approach, though with potentially differing depth or presentation.

#4

BRIGHT SIDE view on YouTube ▶

56% relevance

Subscribers 44.7M

Videos 11K

Views 11.8B

Appearances 3

SERP 24%

Similarity 76%

how things work history invention origins invention discovery stories

Targets similar curiosity about invention origins and how things work, drawing on invention discovery stories; shares search interest in everyday object history, though BRIGHT SIDE often emphasizes quick-list, thumbnail-driven formats.

#5

Reece Batts

55% relevance

Subscribers 170K

Videos 30

Views 125.6M

Appearances 2

SERP 26%

Similarity 75%

history of measurements history of measurement systems

Centers on history of measurements and measurement systems, overlapping with Simple Things’ interest in how measurements shape everyday objects, while Reece Batts tends to focus more narrowly on metrology history.

#6

Name Explain

55% relevance

Subscribers 391K

Videos 1.1K

Views 72.1M

Appearances 4

SERP 29%

Similarity 72%

history of naming conventions origins of everyday names

Explores history of naming conventions and origins of everyday names, directly mirroring Simple Things’ emphasis on naming origins and etymology, with a similar curiosity-driven, explanatory format.

Content Landscape

Top competitors: 1) TED-Ed (57% match, 22.4M subscribers) and 2) BRIGHT SIDE (56% match, 44.7M subscribers) share overlapping queries such as history of measurements, how things work history, invention origins, and invention/discovery stories. 3) History of Simple Things (56% match, 869K subscribers) also competes on how things work history and the history of common tools. Simple Things – Surprising Histories, with 158K subscribers, is smaller than these competitors but targets similar topics and search terms around origins and histories of everyday items. The channel also overlaps with Ryan George (85% match, 1.8M subscribers) on naming and origins topics.

Video Highlights

Didn't Make the Cut

36 additional channels that were close

Rank	Relevance	Channel	Similarity	Subscribers	SERP	Appearances
#7	55%	CrashCourse ▶	68%	16.9M	34%	10
#8	53%	Design Theory	74%	743K	20%	6
#9	52%	HistoryofID • Matthew Bird	66%	27.1K	32%	7
#10	52%	Lost in Time	72%	2.3M	22%	3
#11	52%	The Atlantic	69%	912K	26%	2
#12	52%	RobWords ▶	72%	940K	21%	5
#13	52%	Ominous History	69%	1.5K	25%	4
#14	51%	Veritasium ▶	78%	20.4M	11%	2
#15	51%	Machine Thinking	77%	367K	11%	3
#16	51%	Institute of Human Anatomy	75%	8.7M	14%	3
#17	50%	Origins Explained	73%	3.9M	15%	5
#18	50%	PBS Eons	75%	3.2M	11%	1
#19	50%	Taylor Sparks ▶	75%	48.5K	11%	1
#20	50%	I am MoBo	68%	10M	21%	2
#21	49%	Simple History	70%	5.1M	17%	2
#22	49%	Forbes ▶	74%	2.1M	11%	1
#23	49%	Invention Flex	74%	4.6K	11%	1
#24	49%	Fact Retriever	73%	7.3K	13%	2
#25	49%	Great Big Story ▶	72%	6.3M	14%	3
#26	49%	TEDx Talks ▶	67%	44.2M	22%	5
#27	49%	warmbru curiosity	75%	16.9K	10%	1
#28	48%	Global List	74%	51.5K	10%	2
#29	48%	Zach Star ▶	73%	1.4M	11%	1
#30	48%	Shattered History	71%	34.5K	13%	4
#31	48%	Harvard Magazine	72%	55.6K	11%	1
#32	48%	Uncharted Historian	72%	25.2K	11%	1
#33	48%	CBS Sunday Morning	68%	1.8M	18%	2
#34	47%	Hands-On Education	68%	2.0K	17%	2
#35	47%	Proko ▶	66%	4.3M	19%	2
#36	47%	The School of Life ▶	68%	9.6M	15%	2
#37	46%	Rhetty for History	67%	253K	16%	2
#38	46%	WatchMojo.com ▶	70%	25.9M	11%	2
#39	46%	Smile and Learn - English	66%	2.2M	14%	1
#40	46%	Jacob Geller ▶	68%	1.5M	11%	1
#41	45%	Red Stapler	68%	176K	11%	1
#42	44%	GDC Festival of Gaming	63%	551K	14%	1

Search Queries Used

history of everyday objects origins of common items how things got named history of measurements engineering hidden histories material origins technology origins science behind everyday things how things work history industrial origins transportation history invention origins anatomy of objects history of naming conventions ancient and modern technologies history of common tools origins of everyday names how tools were named early engineering origins development of devices birth of inventions ancient technology origins history of consumer objects how everyday items evolved manufacturing history overview material origins explained design origins and evolution how products become popular history of measurement systems industrial design history powering technology origins transportation milestones history invention discovery stories science behind everyday objects anatomy of everyday items

Frequently Asked Questions

Which YouTube channels are most similar to Simple Things - Surprising Histories?

Ryan George (85% match, 1.8M subscribers), History of Simple Things (56% match, 869K subscribers), and TED-Ed (57% match, 22.4M subscribers). They share a focus on educational or explanatory content about everyday topics and histories, catering to viewers who enjoy learning surprising or unknown facts.

What type of content does Simple Things - Surprising Histories make?

Simple Things - Surprising Histories creates short-to-mid form explainer content about origins and histories of everyday things, as shown by video titles like What Expiration Dates REALLY Mean, Why Do Some Truck Tires Not Touch the Ground?, and Why Ships and Planes Use ‘Knots’ Instead of Miles per Hour? Upload frequency is suggested by the note average: ~1.3M views per video, with an implied regular posting schedule (uploads per week around the average level), and recent videos garner between about 1.1M and 6.3M views.

How do we determine which channels are similar to Simple Things - Surprising Histories?

We analyze Simple Things - Surprising Histories's recent videos, generate topic-relevant search queries, check YouTube search results, and compare the meaning of each channel's content to measure similarity. The result is a ranked list sorted by SERP overlap, semantic similarity, and search appearances.

Analyze Another Channel

Discover similar channels for any YouTube creator