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
What's so important about legal precedent?
Legal precedent is an odd thing. It matters, but it isn't codified. There are advantages and disadvantages. Let's all dive in and take at STARE DECISIS today…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: What is an invasive species?
Invasive species can mean a lot of things, from fungus to feral pigs and European starlings to kudzu vines. Basically, it's anything brought to a place, either…
- Stuff You Should Know
Vaudeville: Step Right Up!
In today's episode, you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about vaudeville, whether you like it or not. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Birth Certificate Access
It’s unjust but true – if you are an adoptee in the US you may not have the same right to access your birth certificate that someone who wasn’t adopted does…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Harvey's Casino Bombing of 1980
In August of 1980 a bomb containing 1,000 pounds of dynamite was quietly delivered to Harvey’s, a casino and resort at Lake Tahoe. This kicked off a whirlwind…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Vampires Work
Out of obligation, Chuck and Josh mention Twilight, but it is the longstanding vampire lore that gets the most attention in this examination of how the…
- Stuff You Should Know
The 13th Annual Halloween Spooktacular!
It's hard to believe, but this is our 13th edition of the Halloween Spooktacular! So pour up a creepy brew and gather the kids for a dramatic reading of two…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Robert the Doll
Robert the Doll is decidedly creepy. So is his story. Listen in to this spooky tale right now! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
The Tale of the Bloody Benders
Long before we knew what serial killers were, a family in remote Kansas was disposing of victims at their family farm. Listen in to the Tale of the Bloody…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: 10ish Cases of Really Bad Luck
Some guys have all the luck, some guys have all the pain. So said Rod Stewart. And if this list is any indication, “guys” is gender neutral. Listen to this…
- Stuff You Should Know
Fundamentalism: Menace II Society
Fundamentalism is usually thought of as a problem religions have to deal with, but not all fundamentalists are religious. And no matter what their belief…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Water Towers
Water towers are so ubiquitous you can look right past them, despite them being giant balls of water thrust triumphantly skyward. Learn about these…
- Stuff You Should Know
The History of Fake Towns.
There have been a lot of fake towns built throughout history for a lot of different reasons. Tune in to learn about some of these bogus burgs. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Pompeii Worked
What must be one of the most famous natural disasters in history took place when Mt Vesuvius buried Pompeii in 79 CE. But when the town was resurrected 1700…
- Stuff You Should Know
10 Cases of Mistaken Identity
There’s a lot that can go wrong when your identity is at question. Charged with abandoning a baby? Check. Years in prison? That too. Accused of assassinating…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Blaschko's Lines
Did you know you have stripes? It’s true, you just can’t see them. Learn all about these little-known lines today! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
Doppelgängers: Hey you, you're me!
Seeing your near twin is probably pretty weird. But could there be a genetic commonality as well? You bet there could! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Josh and Chuck's List of Horror Movies that Changed the Genre
Once in a while a movie comes along that's so forward-thinking it changes the way that horror is done. A new subgenre is spawned, new tropes are established…
- Stuff You Should Know
How License Plates Work
The first tags were required just a few years after the firs cars debuted, as a way to catch jerks scaring horses and running down pedestrians. A century on…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Scratching
Listen in today as we salute turntablism, aka, record scratching. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
Vinyl Records: Black Magic at Work
Despite reading all about how vinyl records are recorded and made, it's still a bit like black magic to us. Dive in and learn all about the coolest music…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Clowns Work
Jesters of some sort have been around since ancient Egypt and China. Our modern clown was invented around 1800 and ever since they have been getting steadily…
- Stuff You Should Know
How The Rosenhan Experiment Worked
In 1973 a study was published in Science where psychologist David Rosenhan revealed he had duped hundreds of psychiatric workers by planting perfectly sane…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Curse Tablets
Curse tablets are exactly what you think - tablets with curses inscribed on them. But what were they used for, and when did people do this? Hit play and those…
- Stuff You Should Know
Vasectomies: Stop Being A Wimp
You can uncross your legs you big babies. Getting a vasectomy isn’t bad at all – recovery time is a breeze, pain is minimal, and you can consider it a gift to…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How LSD Works
In 1943 Swiss chemist Albert Hofman discovered he'd created what may be the most potent hallucinogen known to humankind. Then he took a bike ride. Learn about…
- Stuff You Should Know
Sitcoms Part II
Listen in now for part II of our homage to sitcoms. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Laugh Tracks
Laugh tracks have been around since the early 1950s and it’s all thanks to one (reviled) sound engineer who invented them. But as much as people like to hate…
- Stuff You Should Know
Sitcoms Part I
Traditional multi-camera sitcoms have fallen out of style in recent years, but the golden age of the genre lives on with streaming services. Sitcom will never…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Frida Kahlo: Painter, Icon, Genius
Frida Kahlo was a painter who transcended her own work to became an icon. Learn all about her fascinating and inspiring life and work in this classic episode…
- Stuff You Should Know
Pearls: Second Best Thing About Oysters
Pearls are super cool. And humans figuring out how to make them is even cooler. Learn all about the most interesting gemstone today! See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Hangry?
When you’re hungry, you’re not yourself. So say the good people at Snickers and it turns out science backs it up. Being hangry is a verifiable thing, we’re…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Georgia Guidestones: The Elite Have a Laugh
In 1980 the “rural as rural can be” town of Elberton, Georgia erected a granite monument with a bizarre set of instructions (commandments?) that touched on…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: What Happened to the Neanderthals?
As recently as 40,000 years ago we lived among humans from an entirely different species – Neanderthals. About the same time our species showed up…
- Stuff You Should Know
Everything We Know About Squids
Squids are very closely related to our old friend the octopus, but there are some key differences. You can learn all of this and more by simply clicking the…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: RIP Man of the Hole
The Man of the Hole has died and we're pretty sad to hear it. Listen in to our tribute to this solitary hero today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
Did Mallory Make it to the Top of Everest First?
George Mallory was a member of the first three European expeditions to Everest, world’s tallest mountain. He wanted to summit it so badly, he gave his life…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How the Pony Express Worked
For as long a shadow as it casts across the history of the Old West, the Pony Express was a failed business venture, doomed from the start, that only lasted 18…
- Stuff You Should Know
Rolling Stone Magazine
Part celebration and part take down, this episode on Rolling Stone magazine dives into the highs and lows of one of America's iconic rags. See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Mason-Dixon Line
The dividing line between the North and South is purely political. But the story of its creation is pretty interesting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
We Need More Sustainable Packaging, Like, Yesterday
Since the advent of single-use plastics, we’ve become awash in waste. Barrels of petroleum are extracted, turned into plastics that contain products, which are…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Knife Throwing: Super Cool
Sure knives can cut through a steak or slash through jungle vines, but probably the coolest thing you can do with a knife is throw it. At a person mounted to a…
- Stuff You Should Know
Kissing Cousins: A History of Marrying Family
Despite the overall creepiness of it, marrying family members is way more common than you might think, both historically and today. Ewwww! See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Marrying Up
The idea of "marrying up" is as old as the hills, but things are, and have been, changing for quite a while. And this episode explains it all. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Introvert or Extravert: Which are you? (Probably both)
The world isn’t divided into cat people and dog people, or Beatles fans and Rolling Stones fans (or neither). What really divides us is introversion or…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Gossip Works
You know what I heard? That Josh and Chuck hate each other and they're just faking being friends for the show. That's called gossip, folks and it can do…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Enemas Work
If you think about it, enemas are kind of gross. And if you don’t now you definitely will by the end of this wild ride of an episode. All who make it through…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Selling the Brooklyn Bridge
You've heard the phrase "If you believe that I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you." But did you know it's based in truth? See omnystudio.com/listener for…
- Stuff You Should Know
Mariachi: The Rodney Dangerfield of Music
Mariachi bands have a bad rap as nothing more than "restaurant music." But there is a rich and long cultural tradition many people are missing and the music…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Desert Survival: Josh and Chuck Save Your Tookus
The chances are pretty low that you’ll find yourself lost in the desert, but on the off chance you do you’ll thank yourself that you listened to this classic…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Origins of Breakfast Foods
Who doesn't love breakfast? But do you know where most of the typical breakfast foods come from? Well listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Berners Street Hoax
A full 200 years on, we're still talking about one of the most sweeping hoaxes of all time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
What's the deal with energy drinks?
Chuck hates them, Josh has flirted with them. Energy drinks. Listen in to learn all about this canned speed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Droughts Work
Droughts can be an inevitable feature of a local climate or a catastrophic result of human meddling. In this classic episode, learn the ins and outs of…
- Stuff You Should Know
Thrill to the Stunning Bicameral Mind Hypothesis
Psychologist Julian Jaynes came up with a stunning hypothesis in 1976, that human consciousness only developed in the last 3000 years. And he seemed to have…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Divorcing Your Parents
It really happens! But most people call it emancipation of a minor. Either way, there's some interesting legal stuff in here. See omnystudio.com/listener for…
- Stuff You Should Know
Silly String: Disaster in a Can
It's been a while since we tackled a classic toy, so here we go with all you ever wanted to know about Silly String. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Some Movies That Changed Filmmaking
An estimated 50,000 films were made worldwide in 2009 alone. Many are surely clunkers, but in this episode Chuck and Josh talk about the ones that emerged…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Menstruation Works
Two dudes talking about menstruation? You bet! And there’s no way you could be any more nervous to listen than we were to record it. But give it a listen, we…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Mars Rock with Signs of Life?
In 1996, real-deal NASA scientists announced they had discovered signs of ancient microbial life in a rock that had broken off Mars and landed on Antarctica…