Shows / Stuff You Should Know
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Episodes
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Famines Work
It's common knowledge that famines are usually caused by major droughts: Rain doesn't fall, crops don't grow, and people go hungry. But recent research…
- Stuff You Should Know
Testosterone and Estrogen: Wondrous Hormones
We think of estrogen and testosterone as the female and male sex hormones and they may seem kind of gross (is that just Josh?), but that simple understanding…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Straitjackets
Straitjackets aren't really a thing anymore unless you're watching a movie or TV show. Or in prison. That's the sad truth. See omnystudio.com/listener for…
- Stuff You Should Know
The 1977 Women's Conference That Changed America
The 70s were the decade of the woman in the US. America finally was coming around to the understanding women and men are equals and the government sponsored a…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: All the Gold In Fort Knox: Meh
When Fort Knox was built in the 1930s to house America’s gold supply, it was billed as an impenetrable, impregnable, don’t-even-think-of-trying vault. But as…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Everglades: Wowee
One of America’s most important ecosystems takes up more than half the state of Florida. It’s a river of grass, a cactus desert, and a saltwater bay all rolled…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Knock on Wood
What's the deal with knocking on wood? It's an action one takes to ensure good luck. Which doesn't exist. Yet we do it. Humans are funny that way. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Greedflation Is Real
One of the things we rely on is for the companies who make the stuff we need to not stick it to us, the customer. But it’s become painfully clear that’s just…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Who is The Man of the Hole?
In 2018, there's a man from a lost tribe still living deep in the jungles of Brazil who has been all alone since the mid 1990s. He's referred to as the Man of…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Pulitzer Prize: A major award!
It doesn't get much bigger than the Pulitzer Prize if you're a journalist. Or a novelist. Or really any kind of writer. They even give them to podcasts now…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Ramree Island Crocodile Massacre
The strange thing about the story of the Ramree Island Crocodile Massacre is that it didn't happen. Yet the story lives on. See omnystudio.com/listener for…
- Stuff You Should Know
Love Canal: Even Dirtier Than It Sounds
A man with an unfulfilled vision left a huge gash in the ground near Niagara Falls. Then a chemical company came along and filled it with toxic waste. Then…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: MOVE: Or When the Philly Police Dropped a Bomb on a Residential Neighborhood
Believe it or not, in 1985 the Philadelphia Police Department dropped a bomb from a helicopter onto a residential building in an African-American neighborhood…
- Stuff You Should Know
Peanuts (the comic) Part II
Today is part II of our tribute to one of the most iconic pieces of American culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Mariko Aoki Phenomenon
Ten percent of people – in Japan at least – get the urge to poop when they visit bookstores. But it wasn’t until a courageous woman stepped up and became the…
- Stuff You Should Know
Peanuts (the comic) Part I
Today we pay tribute to one of the most iconic pieces of American culture. Listen in to hear us gush about Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy and the rest of the…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Dyslexia Works
For a learning disability that everyone seems to know about, dyslexia is maybe the most commonly misunderstood and controversial cognitive difficulty there is…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Alien Abduction Phenomenon of the Mid-20th Century
It started with New Hampshire couple Betty and Barney Hill, who learned under hypnosis they’d been abducted and examined by aliens in 1962. Since then…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Skittles and TIO2
There’s an ingredient in Skittles and lots of other food that Dunkin Donuts stopped using it in their powdered donuts. Skittles said they were phasing it out…
- Stuff You Should Know
Leave Brutalism Alone!
The most reviled, hated, despised, no-good, low down, dirty rotten architectural style of all time is actually just the most misunderstood. Learn about this…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: The Science of Break-Ups
Breaking up is hard to do. Your brain might even think you're getting over a cocaine addiction. Learn all about the science behind break-ups in this classic…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Smiley, Stubborn Llama
Llamas are pretty great. They smile! They also spit and if they feel overworked will just lay down. There's a lot to admire there. See omnystudio.com/listener…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Roly Poly...Bugs?
Roly Poly bugs go by many names. They look like tiny armadillos. They're great for your garden. And they're crustaceans. Yeah, you read that right. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Multitasking: Working slower with worse results
Multitasking isn't really possible, because of the way the human brain works. We know you think you're getting more done, but you're really working slower and…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti
The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, two anarchists accused of murder, was one of the first "crimes of the century." But did they do it? To this day there is…
- Stuff You Should Know
Wireless Electricity: When Can We Unplug Our TVs?
You know all of those cords and cables and wires that we use to connect our stuff to the electrical grid so they’ll, you know, work? Imagine a day when energy…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Smudging: Not just for hippies
Smudging is the process of wafting around the smoke of burning white sage. What is it good for? Listen in and find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
Haile Selassie: Statesman, Colonizer, God?
If you grew up outside of Africa, you might know Haile Selassie’s name from reggae music - the man who ruled Ethiopia is considered a god in Jamaica. In…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Zero Population Growth Works
In 1968, Paul Erlich published The Population Bomb, predicting coming famine and mass death. Erlich's predictions didn't pan out but his ideas launched a…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Story of the Nuclear Boy Scout
David Hahn was a kid who was really into science. So much that he built a nuclear reactor in his mother's potting shed. And it worked. See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Benin Bronzes
One of the world’s cultural treasure troves were created in West Africa. But for over a century they’ve been held in museums outside of Africa. In fact, an…
- Stuff You Should Know
Ray and Charles Eames: More than Chairs
Charles and Ray Eames were superstar designers who dreamed up some of the most iconic pieces of furniture ever made. And they did much more than that. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Geodesic Domes: The Wave of the Future That Wasn't
Sometimes a good idea doesn’t pan out in real life. Take Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome: It requires less energy to heat and cool, it’s cheap, and it’s…
- Stuff You Should Know
Like, here's the episode on "like"
Like is a very divisive word. Purists think it's like, a filler word born in the 80s that's like, destroying the English language. Turns out none of these are…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Original Snake Oil Salesman
There’s a great origin story behind snake oil salesmen, and it has to do with just one guy who singlehandedly gave it a bad name. See omnystudio.com/listener…
- Stuff You Should Know
What Americans Ate When There Were No Food Laws
There was a brief period in America’s history – after people left the farm to work in the city and before the government started regulating it – when there was…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: The Unabomber: Misguided to say the least
The Unabomber was one of the most notorious and longest lasting cases in the history of the FBI. Just because the manifesto reads like he was a fortune teller…
- Stuff You Should Know
What's the Pygmalion Effect?
Do teachers and managers give special treatment to those who they're told have great academic or professional promise? Does this create a self-fulfilling…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: School Bus Yellow
Why are all school buses the same color? Because one man made it so. This is that story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
Clue(do): Third Best Board Game Ever
Whether you know it as Clue or Cluedo, the whodunnit mystery board game is one of the best of all time. Learn all about the history behind the game’s…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Disgust Works
Disgust is an odd thing. It makes sense that we would feel a sense of revulsion at the thought of putting rotten meat in our mouths – that’s pure evolution…
- Stuff You Should Know
The History of Las Vegas
How did the sleepy Nevada town of Las Vegas become LAS VEGAS? Well, we'll let you know over the course of about 45 minutes. See omnystudio.com/listener for…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Wainscoting: When Half a Wall is Enough
Wainscoting is a beloved and time-tested decorative way to spruce up your walls. But what is it anyway? Listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Harrowing Story of the North Hollywood Shootout
Tune in today to listen to the story of when North Hollywood became a war zone after a brazen bank robbery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: A List Of Games You Would Surely Lose to a Computer
We live in a time where computers can beat the best humans in the world at chess, checkers, poker and video games. But these games are really just…
- Stuff You Should Know
Esperanto: Tre Mojosa
One thing you could do is create your own language. Some people do and for lots of different reasons. LL Zamenhof created Esperanto to try to bring about world…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Hot Cold Plunge
Jumping into a cold pool after a long sauna or hot tub can be pretty great. Saunas have proven health benefits like lowering blood pressure; cold plunges are…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Strange Unsolved Murder of Ken McElroy
The murder of Ken McElroy comes off like a story from a cheap paperback book you’d get to read on a plane. But this is a true crime story, set in Missouri in…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Is yogurt a miracle food?
Yogurt has been touted as a health food, but is it? Maybe. If you eat it every day. We get into the rich and creamy history of this supposed miracle food in…
- Stuff You Should Know
Jonestown
We all know what happened at Jonestown, but who was Jim Jones before the tragedy at the People's Temple? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Frozen Dead Guy
Back in 1994, Nederland, Colorado found out it had a resident it hadn’t accounted for. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
Dry Cleaning: Not Really Dry(!)
Dry cleaning is one of those things that we’re all familiar with but don’t actually know much about. That will hold true no more! Learn about all the ins and…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: History's Greatest Traitors
The annals of history hold a special place for people who have carried out treachery and betrayed their own. Thousands of years later, their names are still…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Cranes Work
You’ve probably seen cranes moving elegantly in the sky, but did you know what an important role they play in their surroundings? Learn all about cranes in…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: NYT Bestseller List
What kind of black magic goes into deciding who makes the NYT Bestseller List? Well you probably don't know the whole story unless you work there. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Kenton Grua: Grand Canyon Legend
Tune in today to listen to the amazing story of Colorado River guide Kenton Grua's wild 277 mile record-breaking speed run down the center of the Grand Canyon…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Dr. Seuss: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Seuss is loose in this episode about legendary children's book author Ted Geisel. The funny thing is, he didn't ever want children of his own, and his past…
- Stuff You Should Know
The 2000 Presidential Election: A Real Cluster
When George W Bush and Al Gore ran against one another, most pundits predicted a tight race. Absolutely zero of them predicted the election would come down to…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Blueprints
The story of why blueprints were blue is more involved than you think. It involves a chemical process and the Prussian Army. Yeah you heard me right. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Live in Nashville: The Biosphere II Experiment
Hello, friends! Join us today for our annual live show release, recorded in beautiful Nashville. On the docket? The Biosphere II Experiment! See…