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 KnowShort Stuff: Fruit Flies, Why?
Have you ever wondered why we do so much scientific testing on fruit flies? Turns out they make better models for humans than you’d think. Learn more about…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Amazing Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente was what’s called a “complete” baseball player – he could hit, run and, man could he throw, so it’s no surprise he was made a Hall of Famer…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Ghosts Work
According to a 2009 poll, more Americans believe in ghosts than don't. But what are ghosts exactly? If they do exist, what are they made of and why are they…
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SYSK’s Scare Your Pants Off (and Back On) Halloween Spooktacular
It’s that time of year again! So turn down the lights, pull the sheets over your eyes and prepare to be thrilled and frightened with two great Halloween…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Poe Toaster
For at least sixty years a mysterious person (or persons) showed up at Edgar Allen Poe’s grave to toast the master on his birthday. No one ever found out who…
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A History of Nursing Homes
In America, we've treated our senior citizens in very different ways over the years. Tune in to hear about how we've tackled compassionate care. Learn more…
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Chuck Bryant On The Why I’m Voting Podcast
Hey, SYSK listeners! We wanted to make sure you heard Chuck on iHeartRadio’s Why I’m Voting podcast. Check it out and don’t forget to vote on November 3rd! If…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Book Banning Works
If you want to control the masses, control what they read. After all, books are seeds that germinate new points of view. As a result, the struggle against…
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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 today. Learn more…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Haunted Real Estate
Do you have to disclose the notion that your house may be haunted upon sale? Listen in to find out. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
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10 Voter Suppression Methods
Voter suppression in the USA is as old as voting itself. Listen in to hear about 10 ways we stifle the vote. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Sushi Works
Sushi grew out of a way to ferment fish a couple thousand years ago and in the late 20th century began to take the world by storm. What began as traditional…
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Porcupines: Little Stabby Cutie Pies
We love animals. A lot. Especially underrated ones like the darling porcupine. Listen in today to learn all about these stabby little boogers. Learn more about…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: What is Latinx anyway?
We love to keep up with the current terminology for groups of people. Learn about the origin of Latinx today. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
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Wind Tunnels: More Important Than You Realize
Without wind tunnels we may not have airplanes right now. Early aviationists built them to puzzle out how to get and stay airborne. But wind tunnels are used…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Bigfoot Works
For centuries North American tribes have told stories of a hairy wild giant in the wilderness, and once Europeans arrived they claimed to see it, too. Chuck…
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Printing press? Big deal!
Was the printing press a big deal? You bet it was. One of the biggest. Learn all about the early history of printing today. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Lying in State
After RBG passed away she had the honor of lying in state. Who decides this? Listen and you'll know. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
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What's the deal with swing states?
Swing states are all the rage once again this election season, but the makeup has changed a bit. Learn all about what makes a swing state a swing state right…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How the Electoral College Works
When you vote in an American presidential election, you're not voting for your candidate - you're voting for a group of people you hope will in turn vote for…
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Fallout Shelters: Probably Useless (Let’s Never Find Out)
The advent of nuclear weapons and the Cold War kicked off a craze in the US for building rec rooms with foot-thick reinforced walls and outfitted with survival…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: That's A Head Scratcher
It’s actually really strange that scratching your head is a widely understood sign that you’re puzzling over something. No one’s exactly sure why we do that…
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Conjugal Visits: Not exactly what you think
After reaching their peak, conjugal prison visits are all but gone in the U.S. Learn all about these frisky visits in today's episode. Learn more about your…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Rabies Works
Rabies may have gotten a lot of attention in the U.S. in the 70s and 80s, but it's still an issue in developing countries. Learn all about this nasty virus in…
- Stuff You Should Know
At Long Last: Hawaiian Overthrow Episode
By longstanding listener request, we look at how Hawaii was basically stolen by the United States in the 19th century. Rather than reverse this bit of…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Petticoat Rulers
Petticoat rulers were women who ran the show long before anyone thought they could. We’re talking mayors and entire city councils comprised of women in the Old…
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How Sweepstakes Work
Sweepstakes were invented as marketing tools to drum up interest for a product or sales. But winning them can be fun and as they’ve proliferated an entire…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How White-collar Crime Works
White-collar crime often involves fraud and other nonviolent acts. For most people, the term "white-collar crime" conjures up images of CEOs conniving their…
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How Election Polling Works and Doesn't Work
Election polling had a pretty good rep until 2016. But it turns out they weren't far off even then. It's really the media driving the narrative. Learn all…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Black Cowboys
Most people don't realize that around a quarter of the cowboys found in the Old West during the golden age cattle driving were African American. Let's meet…
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Origami: Folding Goodness
Origami is an amazing art that consists of making folds in paper to create something beautiful. Learn all about it today. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Porta-Potties Work
Despite our lengthy history of evacuating our bowels and bladders, it wasn’t until the relatively recent 1940s that we began to construct portable…
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Wetlands! Wetlands! Wetlands!
It’s time to get jazzed up for some Earth science of the waterlogged variety. Join Chuck and Josh as they tour some of the most interesting ecosystems on the…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Streisand Effect
What does Barbra Streisand have to do with the internet? Listen and learn! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See…
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Frances Perkins: Influential and Unknown
Frances Perkins was an incredibly influential American yet is virtually unknown. What did she do? A lot! For instance, Social Security was her brainchild. And…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Police Chases Work
Entire TV shows are dedicated to them and Americans love to watch a live one, but police chases aren't as routine as they seem. While police assert chases are…
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The Disturbing Disappearance of Tara Calico
When Tara Calico mysteriously vanished in 1988, suspected to be the victim of foul play, her case may have gotten lost with the countless other missing person…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: More Phrase Origins
We're back with another handful of phrase origins. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for…
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How the Escape from Alcatraz Worked
In 1962, three ordinary criminals transcended into folk heroes when they crawled out of their cells in Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary took to the water in a…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: Polyamory: When two just won't do
In this classic episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck dive into the world of polyamory. Turns out polyamorists aren't aren't weirdos and deviants…
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Blacksmiths? You got that right!
Blacksmiths? You got that right. Learn all about this age old occupation in today's episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Carrots and Your Eyes
Join Chuck and Josh as they learn that one of the great childhood truths – that carrots help you see better in the dark was totally made up! Learn more about…
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How Sneezing Works
Unless you have an arcane disorder from a lesion on a very specific spot on our medulla, the chances are you sneeze. Turns out most animals do it, even…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Panic Attacks Work
Almost three percent of Americans suffer from a debilitating disorder that causes them to suffer intense fear seemingly without reason and science hasn’t yet…
- Stuff You Should Know
1-800-PODCAST
Chuck and Josh dive into the wacky world of 800 and 900 phone numbers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Great American Coin Shortage of 2020
In addition to all the lousy things that’s come out of the Coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. is also experiencing a coin shortage thanks to a stalled-out economic…
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How Anti-Dieting Works
There’s a movement afoot that says we should all stop thinking about our weight and just enjoy food. No, it doesn’t help you lose weight…No, it’s not a…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How The Human Microbiome Project Works
If it was possible to take a full scan of all of the DNA of every cell in and on your body the results would be startling: Only 1 percent would be human. The…
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Olympic Torches: Remember Those?
Back in the pre-pandemic days we had a sporting event called The Olympic Games. And at those games there was an opening ceremony that featured the lighting of…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Return of Bill Gates!
Our old pal Bill Gates is back for a very special short stuff where we talk all about Covid vaccines and therapeutics. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
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Pirate Radio: Mavericks on the High Seas
Pirate radio started out in England as a way to sidestep the regulations of Big Radio. While outlawed, it still exists today in the UK and America. Learn all…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How The Moonwalk Works
When Michael Jackson debuted the moonwalk in 1983 the world was enrapt. The dance goes back farther, to the 1930s, and pops up again in the 50s, before…
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How Miniature Golf Works
Playing miniature golf is a very fun thing to do and, you’re about to find, learning about its origin and history is very fun as well. Join Josh and Chuck as…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Jigsaw Puzzles
Who doesn't love a good puzzle? Tune in to learn a few facts and figures about jigsaw puzzles right now. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
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Wasps: Not as cute as bees
Wasps have a bad rap. Because their sting really hurts and they don't make honey like their cousins. But they are super cool and you shouldn't kill them…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How the Rosetta Stone Works
Sometimes providence smiles on historians. Thus is the case with the Rosetta stone, an ancient Egyptian tablet that served as the key for unlocking…
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How Soap Works
Soap is a miraculous substance – and mysterious too: we have no idea how humans first figured out to make it. We lived with soap for millennia before we…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Habsburg Jaw
The Habsburg Jaw is the result of inbreeding. But what is it? Click play and learn! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com…
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How Hurricanes Work
Hurricanes are perhaps the most destructive force of nature we have to deal with here on Earth. When a mind-boggling number of factors all fall into place just…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Lobbying Works
Lobbying is an entrenched part of American politics and one that many people think is breaking government. But petitioning the government is protected in the…