The speaker discusses the concept of last words and their potential impact on the universe. He mentions Gary Gilmore, executed in 1977, whose last words "Let's do it" were later adapted into a slogan by Dan Wyden. The speaker then delves into the idea of Earth's first words being broadcast into space. He discusses the broadcasting of signals with radio waves for over 100 years, which could potentially reach extraterrestrial beings. The speaker speculates that the earliest signal robust enough to be picked up light-years away might have come from Hitler's 1936 broadcasting of the Summer Olympics.
The speaker then talks about the broadcasting of signals in the last 50 years, which have become stronger than Hitler's Olympics. He mentions that the earliest of these broadcasts have traveled 50 light-years away from Earth. He also discusses signals that have traveled to the brightest 133 stars, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and Neil Armstrong's words spoken on the moon.
The speaker then delves into the concept of anonymous influence, stating that even if people stop saying your name, your influence can continue long after you die. He mentions the world record for most children passed out of one single woman, Mrs. Theodore Vasilyev, who had 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets, for a grand total of 69 children.
The speaker concludes by discussing the idea of being an initial condition for the universe's future, using the example of Bach's incomplete "Art of Fugue". He suggests that this concept is uniquely alive, with new people constantly meeting it and finishing it in their own way. He ends by saying that no matter how small one feels, their impact will be remembered.
1. "Vsauce" is a YouTube channel.
2. "Michael" is the host of the "Vsauce" YouTube channel.
3. The video was recorded on December 17th.
4. Gary Gilmore was executed for murder in 1977.
5. He was the first prisoner executed by the United States after a 10-year suspension of the practice.
6. When asked if he had any last words, Gary Gilmore replied, "Let's do it."
7. The advertising executive Dan Wyden adapted Gary Gilmore's last words into a slogan.
8. The first words from Earth that extraterrestrials out there might hear from us have been broadcasting signals with radio waves wirelessly through the air for more than 100 years.
9. Under the right conditions, these signals can leak into space and keep going outward at the speed of light through our galaxy, through the universe.
10. Current human technology would struggle to tune into regular TV and radio broadcasts from as near as Mars.
11. Intelligent beings out there might be better and could point their instruments at Earth and hear us.
12. The earliest thing extraterrestrials could receive our cosmic first words from might have come from Hitler's 1936 broadcasting of the Summer Olympics.
13. The earliest signal robust enough to be picked up light-years away might have come from a 1936 broadcasting of the Summer Olympics.
14. As of today, the last words spoken on the moon were by Eugene Cernan on December 14th, 1972.
15. Inside the lunar module, the crew kept talking, meaning that technically the very last words humans have said on the surface of the moon were a countdown spoken by Harrison Jack Schmitt.
16. The first word spoken on the surface of the moon, not to Armstrong but to Buzz Aldrin, was when he felt at least one of the landing pads softly settle onto the lunar soil.
17. Earth's radio sphere is puny in comparison to the Milky Way galaxy.
18. The universe is huge, and it's challenging to be remembered in it.
19. The famous quote from Banksy is "They say you die twice, one time when you stop breathing and a second time a bit later when somebody says your name for the last time."
20. Despite being anonymous, your influence continues long after you're gone.
21. The world record for most children passed out of one single woman belongs to Mrs. Theodore Vasilyev, who had 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets for a grand total of 69 children.
22. The documented record for most children fathered by one man is held by his majesty King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who is estimated to have had more than 900 children with multiple women.
23. The plane flying from London to Los Angeles will be flown by pilots who can steer it toward the correct runway in the United States.
24. If the airplane needed to be aimed from London and sent on a straight shot, a miss aiming just one degree to the left at the beginning would send the plane not to Los Angeles but nearly a hundred kilometers south to Tijuana, Mexico.
25. Your status as an initial condition for the universe's future is already happening.
26. The art of fugue by Bach ended abruptly during contra punctus 14, so composers continue reconstructing it.
27. Even as new people meet and finish it in their own way, Bach's last words will continue to have an impact.
28. No matter how small you feel, your impact will be remembered.
29. The video ends with a thank you to the viewer for watching.