When we asked Bill Gates to curate a list of his favorite talks, his first response was, “There are too many to pick, really.” Here, he's whittled it down to 13 essentials.

At TED2010, Bill Gates unveils his vision for the world's energy future, describing the need for "miracles" to avoid planetary catastrophe and explaining why he's backing a dramatically different type of nuclear reactor. The necessary goal? Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050.

America's school systems are funded by the 50 states. In this fiery talk, Bill Gates says that state budgets are riddled with accounting tricks that disguise the true cost of health care and pensions and weighted with worsening deficits -- with the financing of education at the losing end.

Until recently, many teachers only got one word of feedback a year: "satisfactory." And with no feedback, no coaching, there's just no way to improve. Bill Gates suggests that even great teachers can get better with smart feedback -- and lays out a program from his foundation to bring it to every classroom.

In 2014, the world avoided a global outbreak of Ebola, thanks to thousands of selfless health workers -- plus, frankly, some very good luck. In hindsight, we know what we should have done better. So, now's the time, Bill Gates suggests, to put all our good ideas into practice, from scenario planning to vaccine research to health worker training....

Bill Gates hopes to solve some of the world's biggest problems using a new kind of philanthropy. In a passionate and, yes, funny 18 minutes, he asks us to consider two big questions and how we might answer them. (And see the Q&A on the TED Blog.)

A passionate techie and a shrewd businessman, Bill Gates changed the world while leading Microsoft to dizzying success. Now he's doing it again with his own style of philanthropy and passion for innovation.

Bono picks 8 talks that express powerful ideas -- and shares exactly why each needs to be spread far and wide.

In 1993, Bill and Melinda Gates took a walk on the beach and made a big decision: to give their Microsoft wealth back to society. In conversation with Chris Anderson, the couple talks about their work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as their marriage, their children, their failures and the satisfaction of giving most of their...

How can we create an education system that works for kids, instead of against them? Watch eight inspiring talks from TED's May 2013 PBS special, given in their entirety.

It's the question of our generation: Can we find a sustainable alternative to oil? Scientists, inventors and activists present stern warnings and visionary solutions for the energy of tomorrow.

It’s the giving season. And thus, we give you these great talks on the hows, whys and whats of generosity.

The first TED was held in 1984. What kind of predictions did people make 30 years ago? (And did they turn out to be right?) Watch the world change over three decades in this nearly year-by-year playlist.

Melinda French Gates is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she puts into practice the idea that every life has equal value.

Gain insights, wisdom and advice from visionaries at the top of their fields and industries.

Donald Sadoway is working on a battery miracle -- an inexpensive, incredibly efficient, three-layered battery using “liquid metal."

David Christian teaches an ambitious world history course that tells the tale of the entire universe -- from the Big Bang 13 billion years ago to present day.

This year at TED2011, we issued an unprecedented invitation to two global thinkers: Curate a session of TED. Juan Enriquez (watch his TEDTalks) brings his astonishingly broad perspective on global issues -- from the macro to the micro -- to Session 9 of this year's conference. His research and writing makes an excellent case that new bioscience,...

In 1985, Ronald Reagan was president of the United States, you could see Back to the Future in the theater for less than three bucks, and a 30-year-old Steve Jobs was being forced out of Apple. Doug Menuez was a 28-year-old photographer who had become obsessed with Jobs' story. So he asked a somewhat ridiculous question and got an equally ridicu...

Good design has the power to improve lives. Yesterday, Public Interest Design -- a group dedicated to design for social good -- released the Global Public Interest Design 100, a list of 100 "designers" (including some people you really might not expect) who are designing for the good of all. We love this sweeping list of 100 architects, designer...

Find repose by exciting the mind. Some of the world's leading thinkers offer the books that inspired them and their work. Skim the list for your favorite speakers, or get nerdy on a topic you've always wanted to know more about. Below find 52 books, recommended by TED speakers. Creativity Creative Confidence, by Tom Kelley and David Kelley Cr...

Chris Anderson invited Bill and Melinda Gates to the TED2014 stage for what turned out to be a personal and charming Q&A. This is an edited version of that conversation. Anderson began with the provocation, "On the basis that a picture's worth a thousand words, I asked them to dig from their archive to explain what they've done." The firs...

Glean interview skills and incredible insights from some of the greatest minds to sit down on the TED stage.

Sue Desmond-Hellmann leads the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s mission to establish equity for every person.

With TED-Ed communicator Emilie Soffe as the leading lady, the TED staff puts on a show.

By using citizen journalism platforms, Meera Vijayann explores creative ways that young women can participate in politics and community matters.

Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll overcame poverty, illiteracy, incarceration and a lack of outside support to become a stock investor, creator and teacher of his own financial literacy philosophy.

Great stuff from the comment thread: TED community member Craig Reukers shared this in response to the TED Talk by Bill and Melinda Gates: Why giving away our wealth has been the most satisfying thing we've done: "What Bill and Melinda are doing with their wealth is a fantastic example of enlightened self-interest. They are not merely giving th...

Robb Willer's political research has investigated various topics, including economic inequality, racial prejudice, masculine overcompensation and Americans' views of climate change.

T. Morgan Dixon is the cofounder and CEO of GirlTrek, inspiring more than 100,000 neighborhood walkers.