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: Nuclear Semiotics: How to Talk to Future Humans
The nuclear waste we produce will be dangerous for a very long time. We’ve figured out how to safely store it in the earth until it’s no longer a biohazard…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Primitive Will Our Descendants Find Us?
It’s all fun and games to think about how backwards and misguided some things people did in the past were until you realize we’ll be “the past” one day. What…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Scheele's Green
Can you imagine a color so alluring that even though you know it’s toxic you’d still use it to your heart’s content? The Victorians certainly could. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Snails Work
They seem gross and bothersome at first, but once you get down to ground level and get to know snails, we’ll bet you’ll grow quite fond of them. They are…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Fireplaces Work
They are dirty, harmful to your health, bad for the environment and utterly charming. Wood-burning fireplaces have been with us for centuries and, despite…
- Stuff You Should Know
The 2023 SYSK Ho-Ho-Holiday Spectacular!
Happy Holidays, friends! Tune in today to listen to our annual ad-free holiday extravaganza. There will be talk of merriment and joy! See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Christmas Lights
Just three years after the lightbulb was invented a compadre of Thomas Edison thought to use them to decorate his Christmas tree. It set off a sensation that’s…
- Stuff You Should Know
Beanie Babies: Reigning Toy Craze Champion
The world has seen a lot of weird investment bubbles in its time, but few of them rival the fever that gripped the world in the 90s after Beanie Babies took…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular
Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made. What happened on the night of November 17, 1978 can never…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Dictators Work
There are many types of dictators, from so called "benevolent" ones to the kind who rule with an iron fist. There are also many ways they can come into power…
- Stuff You Should Know
What was the Skeleton Army?
The Skeleton Army was a rowdy group of folks in England who battled, sometimes violently, with the Salvation Army - largely against their efforts to keep…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Pickles
Josh loves pickles but hates cucumbers. Chuck loves cucumbers but hates pickles. WHO WILL WIN? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
The Matewan Massacre
The Matewan Massacre was a pivotal moment for the US mining industry and the labor movement as a whole. Learn about what happened in this sleepy West Virginia…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: What were the Freedom Schools?
Freedom Schools were set up in Mississippi in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, with the aim of giving young black school children agency and a future…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Murder of John Lennon
On December 8th, 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed outside his apartment building in New York City, by Mark David Chapman. Music history was altered…
- Stuff You Should Know
Short Stuff: Boba Tea
Boba tea is bubble tea. But what are the bubbles? Tapioca pearls! Listen in today to learn about the disputed history of this trendy beverage. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Life and Works of J.D. Salinger
J.D. Salinger was a complicated and problematic human who stopped publishing soon after creating one of the great works of literature. Listen in today to learn…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Beavers: Tail Slapping Fun
Beavers are in fact, very busy. They're builders and solid family members, husbands and wives. Learn all about N America's largest rodent in this classic…
- Stuff You Should Know
You Down With OED?
The story of the Oxford English Dictionary is really something. From its origin to its crowd-sourced literary quotations. Dive in today to learn all about the…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Zipper Merge
When you switch lanes on the highway after noticing that the lane you’re in is ending up ahead, you are literally ruining the world. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Plate Tectonics Are What Makes Earth Inhabitable
It’s time to get jazzed about Earth science again. It’s only been 60 or so years since we’ve known the continents move around and we’re still figuring out…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: NYC Water: An Engineering Marvel
Getting the rain and melted snow from upstate NY into the taps of every NYC resident and business is one of the great feats of engineering. Does it taste great…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Wreck of the Costa Concordia
It’s astounding that with the exceptional navigational equipment aboard a cruise ship can run aground in the 21st century, and 32 passengers and crew can lose…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Magnetic Pole Switcheroo
Everyone once in a while, say a few hundred thousand years or so, the north and south poles of Earth’s magnetic field switch places. The result: Dogs and cats…
- Stuff You Should Know
Legs! Legs! Legs! (The Periodic Table)
If you’ve ever wanted to listen to two totally untrained, non-chemists who are fully unqualified to explain how the periodic table works nervously explain how…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: E.T.: Is It Really the Worst Video Game of All Time?
If you play video games you probably have an easy answer to worst game of all time: ET. But it turns out there are no easy answers, especially when you’re…
- Stuff You Should Know
Diners: The Most American Establishment?
Diners may just be the most American establishment there is. They were born in the USA, thanks to European immigrants, and they only exist in the USA, unless…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Liberty Bell
The story of the Liberty Bell is far more confusing than we imagined. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
The Tragic Death of Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood was Hollywood royalty who tragically drowned after a long night of partying with her husband, Robert Wagner, and actor Christopher Walken. Over…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Who were the Buffalo Soldiers?
Josh and Chuck dive into history in this classic episode to tell the story of the Buffalo Soldiers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
How Scuba Works
It’s a good, old fashioned how it works episode where we break down all of the nuts and bolts and threats to safety that make scuba diving such a unique and…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Petrified Wood
Petrified wood isn't just hard wood. Listen in today to learn all about this unique process. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
Things We Believed Before the Scientific Method
It’s easy to think of people in the distant past as kinda dumb for believing things like that mice could spontaneously generate from old grain. But if you look…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Are Election Laws Designed to Suppress Voting?
Are laws that are meant to protect the sanctity of the polling place in reality designed to make it harder for groups that traditionally vote Democrat to cast…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Harlem Globetrotters: American Treasures
The Harlem Globetrotters are an American entertainment institution. Their story may not be quite what you think either. Hint, they didn't originate in Harlem…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: White Dog Poop
If you grew up from the 70s to the 90s you know white dog poop. It’s the old, crusty – yes, white – phase that dog poop goes through as it ages on a lawn. Or…
- Stuff You Should Know
The 14th Annual Halloween Spooktacular!
As per tradition, today Josh and Chuck perform a spooky Halloween story reading to delight, amuse and FRIGHTEN YOU TO YOUR CORE. Will Meagle show up? Tune in…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Mummies Work
A mummy is a human being whose soft tissue has been preserved after death, and there are mummies around the world -- including natural mummies, as well as…
- Stuff You Should Know
Naked Mole Rats: A Face Only a Mother Could Love
Naked mole rats are funny looking to be sure, but neither moles nor rats. So what are they? You'll have to tune in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Bed Sheet Ghosts
The simple bed sheet has provided countless kids and adults with an easy go-to Halloween costume. But why do we associate white sheets with ghosts anyway? See…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Compton Cafeteria Riot
Three years before the riots at Stonewall, the LGBTQ community of San Francisco's Tenderloin rose up. And the story was almost lost to time. Learn how and why…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Where Did Trick-Or-Treating Come From?
We aren’t exactly sure who invented trick-or-treating – kids who realized they could extort adults for candy, or adults who bought off kids in exchange for…
- Stuff You Should Know
Kindness: Do It
In the tradition of our episodes on forgiveness and revenge, comes the third installment in the Emotional Roller Coaster trilogy. Kindness, it turns out…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Candy Corn
Is it vile? Is it delicious? It seems to be both! Hear all about the history of candy corn, how it’s made, and who likes it in this pre-Halloween episode! See…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Criminal Father of Criminology
Eugene Francois Vidocq is without a doubt one of the most interesting figures in modern history. He’s a former criminal turned undercover informant who went on…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Pain Scales: Yeeeow!
Pain is subjective; it is whatever the person experiencing it says it is. But to effectively treat pain, it helps to quantify it, which is why medicine came up…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Intellectual Property Works
Intellectual property sounds as dry as can be, but it’s actually very interesting. It’s at the heart of the global economy and the center of a dispute over…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Longyou Caves
What’s better than discovering a mysterious cavern? Discovering five! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
Parasocial Relationships: That Podcaster is Your Friend!
Parasocial relationships are fascinating and it turns out Chuck knows what it's like from both sides. Listen in today to your old friends. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Motion Sickness Works
Motion sickness is the worst and hits about 25 to 40 percent of humans when they ride in cars, boats, or simply watch the wrong 3-D movie. Join us as we break…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Andy Warhol Worked
You know Andy Warhol from his quip on being famous for 15 minutes and paintings of soup cans, but even as far as artists go he was an eccentric and…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Rhodium
Rhodium is one of the most valuable precious metals on Earth, though it has dropped in value by about 80% in the last year. Learn why by clicking play. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Night of the Grizzlies
Grizzly bears had never killed a person in Glacier National Park until the night of August 12, 1967. That's when everything changed for National Parks moving…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Social Security Numbers: Less Boring Than You'd Think
Do you know that up until July 2011 an ambitious hacker with a good software program could deduce your social security number based on your date and place of…
- Stuff You Should Know
Revenge: Bitter, Not Sweet
Someone cuts you off in traffic or makes fun of your friend and all you can think of is how to get back at them and then some. But wait! Research has found…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Dakota
The Dakota is one of New York City's great buildings. And its backstory is pretty great to boot. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
The Amazing Life of Christine Granville
Christine Granville was about as James Bond as it gets. Stories of her life as a spy during World War II are legendary. Today we'll tell her story. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Cockney Rhyming Slang: Beautiful Gibberish
What is Cockney Rhyming Slang? It's complicated and its origins are unclear. Learn everything we know about it today in this classic episode. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Kombucha: Fizzy Goodness
Kombucha is pretty popular right now. But what is it exactly and where did it come from? The answers await you! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Origin of Math Signs
Have you ever stopped mid-pencil mark and realized to your astonishment where the plus sign came from? Then this one’s for you. See omnystudio.com/listener for…