Though most might be unaware, the US state of California was named after a place that doesn't exist outside of literature, similar to Narnia. "California" comes from a novel written in the Spanish Golden Age.

January 6 commemorates the day that three dudes gave a bunch of gifts to baby Jesus. But... who were they and why did they have hipster beards?

The First Lady welcomes the first act in an evening of poetry, music and spoken word at the White House. Pianist ELEW and bassist/singer Esperanza Spalding kick off the evening with an instrumental jazz fusion performance. Enjoy!

Writer Ayelet Waldman and her Pulitzer Prize-winning husband Michael Chabon share their White House Talk at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word.

Theater director Simon Stone deconstructs some of the common visual and audio tricks of modern theater, utilizing a cast of first-time volunteer actors recruited in the days prior to TEDxSydney 2011 and rehearsed just once.

Annette shows us Salt Lake City's very modern and light-filled public library and takes us up to the roof for a surprise.

A live performance, by The Navvies, of a traditional Irish song about North men and South men being on the same road, and carrying the same burdens.

Let's find out more about an American activity aimed at school kids: the spelling bee. What is it and how does it work?

Sigrid talks about "The Elementary Spelling Book" by Noah Webster, which was the basis for the American English dictionary and a big part of the development of spelling bees in the United States.

Sigrid explains how a spelling bee normally proceeds. There are fixed rules and there are options.

Ever wondered why most Americans don't like tea? Have they ever even tasted a cup of tea properly prepared? Simon Jones is convinced that they haven't and gives a nice detailed description, taken from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," of how to make a proper cup of tea. Enjoy!

Sigrid explains what a limerick is, and how to write one. If you are so inclined, you can submit your limericks in the "comments" section of the video tab.

Sigrid has more fun with limericks, attempting to sing one, and dedicating another limerick to her boss. She offers a final limerick from Edward Lear, the king of limericks. See Part 1 for instructions on how limericks work and how to write one.

Nursery rhymes are for children. The rhyme about Humpty Dumpty, however, is so famous that it's been used in literary and cinematic contexts as well.

One way to prepare for Halloween is to make a jack o' lantern. In this segment, Sigrid explains what a jack o' lantern is, and how kids and adults celebrate Halloween.