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
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Mobile Phones
Today we deep dive on mobile phones, wonders of the modern world! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Death of Billy the Kid
Sure, together Young Guns and Young Guns II form an exhaustive biography of Billy the Kid’s life. But did you know they also contain misleading information?…
- Stuff You Should Know
How We Almost Got Rid of Polio
For more than half of the 20th century parents in the industrialized world were freaked out by an unseen waster of youth, the poliovirus. It spread easily and…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How a Flea Circus Works
If you've ever seen a flea circus, then count yourself among the few. It's a dying art, but back in the day they thrilled and delighted young and old alike…
- Stuff You Should Know
Robber Barons!
The robber barons were not a group of evil super villains. OR WERE THEY? Learn all about these titans of industry from the Gilded Age in today's episode. Learn…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Centralia Coal Fire
An old coal mine in Pennsylvania caught fire one day in the 60s and it’s been burning ever since. What’s crazy is this happens all the time. Learn more about…
- Stuff You Should Know
Flagpole Sitting: A Real Fad
The 1920s were just absolutely nuts. People got into weird fads really intensely and one of the strangest of all was flagpole sitting. It’s just what it sounds…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Landfills Work
Well-planned landfills have only recently come into widespread use. Recently, waste managers have found that they work a little too well and now the landfill…
- Stuff You Should Know
Essential Oils: Nature's Cure?
Essential oils are from plants and they can help the human body in a lot of ways. There are also many false medical claims. Learn all the ins and outs today…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The @ Symbol
You know the at symbol? This thing: @? There’s a name for it, just not in English. We just call it the at symbol. But other countries – stand back! Learn more…
- Stuff You Should Know
What was the KGB?
The KGB was the notorious strong arm of the Kremlin. Run afoul and you died. Learn all about them today. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: All We Know About Guessing
Guessing is a weird thing. For millennia, it could have meant the difference between life and death. Now it's not as vital, but we still do it every day…
- Stuff You Should Know
Oh Yes, How Soil Works
There is maybe nothing that sounds more boring than hearing two people talk about soil, but friend, prepare to be amazed at the details of what makes this…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Science of Funny Words
Why are some words funnier than others? Well, one man has sought to figure that out. We'll tell you all about him and his project in today's episode. Learn…
- Stuff You Should Know
Bruxism: Grinding Your Teeth Is the Pits
Researchers have noticed that as incidence of anger increases so too has teeth grinding, known clinically as bruxism. That’s a problem because when people…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: Juggling: What the Heck
There is a lot – A LOT – to juggling and Chuck and Josh go over the lion’s share of it in this classic episode. Delve into the deep history, physics, how-tos…
- Stuff You Should Know
Matcha: That Ain't Just Tea
Matcha is something else, healthy and delicious and all the rage. Learn all about this trendy beverage today. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Nouns of assemblage... assemble!
A gaggle of geese. A murder of crows. Nouns of assemblage are awesome and we talk about them for about 12 minutes in today's Short Stuff installment. Learn…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Ultrasound Works
Sure you know all about ultrasound. You can see pictures of little babies right there cozy in the womb just by waving a magic plastic stick over the mom’s…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: Research tips from SYSK
People often ask us how we do our research. We're not going to disclose all of our secrets, but we'll give you some tips on how to root out the bad studies…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Manhattan Grid
Ever wanted to know more about how the Manhattan grid was made? Well this is your chance. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Haint Blue
Haint Blue is a kind of robin's egg color that you might commonly find on porches of the low country of the Southeastern United States. But what does it have…
- Stuff You Should Know
The War on Fat: The Seven Countries Study
The Seven Countries Study was a fairly impressive, long-term study on the effects of fat in our diet, among other things. But it was very flawed and launched…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Flamethrowers Work
Who first decided that it would be a great idea to shoot flame at other people from a distance? Josh and Chuck talk about the (very) early origins, history and…
- Stuff You Should Know
Can You Eat A Tapeworm To Lose Weight?
There’s a persistent insistence that you can ingest a tapeworm and as the parasite hijacks a lot of the calories you eat, the pounds will fall right off. In…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Foie Gras
Foie gras means “fatty liver” in French, which makes sense because it’s made from the overripe livers of force-fed ducks and geese. Learn more about your…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Project Star Gate Worked
In yet another testament to how amazingly great the 70s were, in 1975 the US started a program that tried to harness the powers of clairvoyance to remotely spy…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How The Black Panther Party Worked
The Black Panther Party was a complex political movement that was unfairly painted as a militant group who hated white people. Far from it, they were actually…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Massacre at Tiananmen Square
Tank Man. An indelible image burned in our brains. But what led to this extraordinary event? Chuck and Josh walk you through the days and weeks leading up to…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Disappearing Dirty Dancing Lake
The lake from one of the all-time great movies (search your feelings, you’ll find that it’s true) is turning into a dried up mudhole. Turns out it has some…
- Stuff You Should Know
Heroin: The Drug
We've covered a lot of drugs in our history, and today we tackle heroin, one of the most dangerous of all. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Jackhammers Work
It’s likely that without the invention of the pneumatic jackhammer, the Industrial Revolution wouldn’t have hummed along quite so smoothly. Certainly a lot…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Narcolepsy Works
Narcolepsy is one of those amazing rare disorders that everyone thinks they understand – people just fall asleep at random times, even in the middle of doing…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Lawn Darts
There was a time when kids had to look out for flying darts that could pierce their skulls when they played in the backyard. Learn more about your ad-choices…
- Stuff You Should Know
Hummingbirds: Ornery Helicopters of the Animal Kingdom
If you didn’t already know how amazing hummingbirds are, prepare to learn. Not only do they count among their numbers the smallest bird species, they are also…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How The Enlightenment Works
The Enlightenment stands as the moment the West withdrew from superstition and found its faith in reason. Did it shift too far? In this classic episode, learn…
- Stuff You Should Know
Josh Clark's Speech from Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020
Hi listeners, in case you haven't heard already, iHeartRadio just released a brand new podcast called Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020, where we…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Bras Work
Bras are loved and hated, sometimes at the same time. But as difficult and restrictive as they can be, they rescued women from a much cruel contraption…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Mary Had A Little Lamb
Did you know the little nursery rhyme is controversial? It’s true: Two towns in New England can barely stand to see one another on the map (kind of). Learn…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Spiritualism Works
Something spooky was born on the American frontier in the mid-19th century: the idea that people’s personalities survive death and that some gifted individuals…
- Stuff You Should Know
Chuck Bryant's Speech from Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020
Hi listeners, in case you haven't heard already, iHeartRadio just released a brand new podcast called Commencement: Speeches for the Class of 2020, where we…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Fire Works
Creating fire was possibly the most important human discovery, but it's easy to take for granted. But. Josh and Chuck get to the bottom of the chemistry of…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Peanut Butter Works
No food is more all-American than peanut butter – 80 percent of homes in the country have a jar of it in the pantry right now. And while the rest of the world…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Charley Horse
You know those terrible leg cramps that come out of nowhere? They may be named after a drunken baseball pitcher. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Herd Immunity Works
Herd immunity is an epidemiological concept that if enough people are inoculated against a disease the rest of us won’t get it. It’s been useful in holding…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Caving Works
Entrances to the underworld have been places of wonder for eons, and humans have ventured into caves to sleep, hunt, create art and explore. Thanks to the…
- Stuff You Should Know
Zippers: Humans’ Greatest Invention? No, But Still Good
The zipper may be the most unsung invention we humans have ever come up with. Prior to zippers, everyone walked around like idiots with nothing but buttons to…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Gibtown: Sideshow Central
There was a glorious time in American history when circus sideshow performers lived together in a small town in Florida. Learn about the fascinating history of…
- Stuff You Should Know
I'm Spartacus!
Spartacus was a real dude. He led a slave revolt, and was pretty successful to boot. I'm Spartacus. You're Spartacus. We are all Spartacus. Learn more about…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How do dogs perceive time?
A dog that knows exactly when its owners will arrive home every day seems to have a human perception of time, but in fact, they perceive time very differently…
- Stuff You Should Know
Agatha Christie: Queen of the Murder Mystery
Agatha Christie was a great writer of murder mystery novels and is probably the best selling author of all time. Listen in today to learn her story. Learn more…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Mullets: 'Nuff Said
Business in the front, you know the rest. Listen in as we discuss the lifestyle choice that is the mullet. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Existential Risks Work
An existential risk is a special kind of threat that are different from other types of risks in that if one of them ever befalls us, it would spell the…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How the U.S. Postal Service Works
Back when this episode aired, the USPS was teetering on the edge of going under and there were a lot of plans on the table to save it. With the USPS again at…
- Stuff You Should Know
How the Voyager Golden Records Work
As part of a super 70s push to get Earth to a seat at the table of the Galactic Federation (in case there is, in fact, such a thing), astronomer Carl Sagan…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The NY Times Crossword
Today Chuck and Josh take a shallow dive in the warm pool that is the NY Times Crossword Puzzle. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Soul Train Episode
Today, Chuck and Josh dive into the funky, cool world of the classic TV show, Sooooooooul Train. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Labor Unions Work
Yes, it's true: Unions have a shady mob-related past and were originally championed by anarchists. Born from medieval trade guilds, these organizations also…
Stuff You Should KnowHow Wastewater Treatment Works
All that gross stuff we humans put in the water that gets flushed down the sewers has to be taken back out before that water is reintroduced to the…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Turning Down the Radio When You're Lost
It’s a typical human reaction: When you’re driving and you realize that you’re lost, you turn down the radio. On its face it makes no sense – or does it? (It…