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
The Tulsa 'Race Riots'
In reality, the Tulsa "race riots" of 1921 was more like a massacre. Yet it was almost lost to history until 1997, and still not widely known outside of…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa is a captivating work of art. But why? We'll try and figure it out in today's short stuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
Transdermal Implants: Body Art or Nightmare Fuel?
Transdermal implants are just one in a number of procedures under the banner of extreme body modification. We don't like to yuk yums, so we'll offer a fairly…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: Jellyfish - Even Cooler Than Octopi?
Jellyfish are among the most adaptable, competitive organisms on the planet. They can grow back into their juvenile stage when resources are scarce, reproduce…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Disappearance of Flight MH370, Part II
In the absence of an official explanation of why flight MH 370 disappeared in 2014, conjecture and conspiracy theories have filled the vacuum. Learn more about…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Corduroy
Learn 12 minutes worth of stuff about corduroy today! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Disappearance of Flight MH370, Part I
In 2014, a Boeing 777 airliner disappeared. Despite two full years of searching an area of ocean covering more than 120,000 square kilometers, it has never…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: Will Computers Replace Doctors?
With savvy and health-conscious people taking control of their wellbeing through apps and sites, technology is meeting the desire for individuals'…
Stuff You Should KnowHow Safecracking Works
Burglars have come up with a whole range of ways to get into a safe. There’s lock manipulation – methodically testing the dial to coax the combination from it…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Why Does Time Speed Up As You Age?
It’s not just you – time really does seem to pass faster for people as we age. But exactly why remains a mystery, though some of the theories for why life…
- Stuff You Should Know
Are broken arrows a problem?
Are broken arrows are a problem? After all, they are incidents and accidents involving nuclear warheads. Like, sometimes they go missing. But it hasn't…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Wine Fraud Works
Wine fraud may be a case of rich con artists tricking wealthy people into parting with money, but it's still a crime. Learn all about this weird, widespread…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Live: Andre the Giant
Andre the Giant was a giant both figuratively and literally. Sure he was a wrestler, but more than that he was a human being who left a great legacy behind…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Santa Claus Association
If a con man manages to make needy Christmas wishes come true is he still a con man? (Also, Merry Christmas!) Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
The SYSK Holiday Spectacular
It's an annual treat, folks. Our holiday special is back and better than ever, and as always, brought to you ad-free. It's the least we can do. Learn more…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: The Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978
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
Cave Diving: Totally Nuts
There are extreme sports and then there is cave diving, the most extreme activity a person can engage in without leaving Earth. Cave divers stay underwater…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Obituaries
Learn everything we know about obituaries in 12 minutes! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener…
- Stuff You Should Know
MC Escher and His Trippy Art
We love us some MC Escher. Turns out his story is pretty fascinating too. Tune in today. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Currency Works
Even if you entirely eschew the concept of money, we'll bet you'd be hard pressed not to trade in some form of currency. Learn how everything from cows to…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Anorexia and Bulimia Work
Anorexia and bulimia - those twin eating disorders that seem so common and maybe even just a phase for a teenage girl – are actually the deadliest mental…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Whisky or Bourbon?
What's the difference between whisky and bourbon? We'll tell you if you care to listen. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gin
If there's one thing we've learned about Chuck over the years it's that he loves his gin. And he loves it even more now that understands it. Pour yourself a…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Amnesia Works
Those movies where someone gets hit on the head and can't remember who they are anymore? They're actually not too far off from the reality of amnesia. Learn…
- Stuff You Should Know
What's a gap year anyway?
Chuck thought a gap year was post college. Turns out, it's a post high school year off from academics, where you travel the world, help others, and find…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Macadamia Nuts
Macadamia nuts aren't nuts! They're seeds! And they are delicious. And good for you in the right amount. Learn all about them today. Learn more about your…
- Stuff You Should Know
Did Climate Cause the Collapse of the Maya?
After millennia of development, the Maya culture suddenly collapsed at its peak. Why is one of the biggest mysteries of history. One theory says catastrophic…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: Fractals - Whoa
In the 1980s, IBM mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot gazed for the first time upon his famous fractal. What resulted was a revolution in math and geometry and our…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Conversion Therapy Doesn't Work
Conversion therapy is a misguided attempt by religious zealots to convert people from gay to straight. News flash - it doesn't work. Learn all about this…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Niagara Falls Dewatered
In 1969, the Army Corps of Engineers turned off one of the main waterfalls at Niagara Falls to see what could be done to preserve it. They found two corpses…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Carbon-14 Dating Works
Some of the carbon dioxide in your body is radioactive! Don’t worry, it won’t harm you (not sure why we used an exclamation point there). Instead, it might…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: Have all the good ideas already been discovered?
It's no secret that human beings have an obsession with innovation -- but has our species already found every good idea? As Josh and Chuck break down the…
- Stuff You Should Know
What Makes a Must-Have Christmas Toy?
Ever since Cabbage Patch Kids came along in 1983, there’s been an annual holiday frenzy around one particular toy – the must-have Christmas toy of the year…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Backyard Burials
Time was that you’d bury a deceased relative in your yard; now it’s just weird. But it’s still legal – and if you want to do it, here’s how! Learn more about…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Murder Mystery of Ötzi the Iceman
About 5,300 years ago a Copper Age shepherd was murdered. He just happened to die in a place where his body was so well preserved that gave researchers an…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Salt Works
A Roman senator once said, "Mankind can live without gold, but not without salt." Right he was. The human body needs salt so much we have developed a taste for…
- Stuff You Should Know
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 KnowShort Stuff: The Conch Republic
Back in 1982, Key West seceded from the United States. Don’t believe us? It’s true! Just listen to the episode, will you? Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
Augmented Reality: Coming Soon?
Augmented reality adds a digital layer over the real world and soon it will revolutionize how we live. Ultra-tailored information will be everywhere we look…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: Can you Treat Mental Illness with Psychedelics?
Hallucinogenic drugs are currently illegal, but they were once commonly used in psychological treatment. In this classic episode, Josh and Chuck discuss the…
- Stuff You Should Know
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. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Ironman Triathlons Work
Sure, you could train for months to finish a marathon, but why not make things interesting? Ironman triathlons add a 2.4-mile swim and a 112-mile bike race…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The History of Paternity Testing
Paternity testing. It wasn't science for many years, yet they still tried to do it. Learn all about it in 12 minutes. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: Halitosis - Worst Smell Ever?
Occasional bad breath is one thing, halitosis is another. Or is it? From its odd origins as a marketing ploy to modern weight loss diets that can induce this…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK’s Scare Your Socks Off Halloween Spooktacular 2019
Josh and Chuck chose a truly unsettling story by one of the greatest science fiction authors of all time – Philip K Dick. Join the boys as they read “The…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Our Shortie Halloween Spooktacular
Join us today as we read three short horror selections from Ambrose Bierce. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See…
- Stuff You Should Know
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 KnowSYSK Selects: How Haunted House Attractions Work
Ever since the Egyptians, humans have been evolving toward haunted house attractions. The level of sophistication in the scares and gore effects continues to…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Historic Districts Work
A fascinating thing about Americans is that we can disagree on anything. Such is the case with historic districts – areas of historic importance protected by…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Toxic Death of Gloria Ramirez
In 1994 the body of a woman who died in a California ER somehow became toxic and sickened 24 people. To this day, no one is sure what happened. Learn more…
- Stuff You Should Know
What's the deal with subpoenas?
Subpoenas are all the rage. But what do they even mean if someone can just ignore it? Learn this and a lot more in today's episode. Learn more about your…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: The 'Satanic Panic' of the 1980s
In the late 1980s, the United States experienced a "Satanic Panic," leading parents to fear for the safety of their children. But were there any real examples…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Project Blue Book Worked, Pt II
A rash of UFO sightings kicks off a new spike in America’s UFO fever and new headaches for the Air Force, which continues to reluctantly investigate. After…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Disappearance of Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Bierce was a journalist and writer of short stories. He also disappeared rather mysteriously. Listen in and learn of the various theories on what…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Project Blue Book Worked, Pt I
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Black Boxes Work
Black boxes are designed to be the only survivor of plane crashes so they can live to tell the tale of what went wrong to prevent future accidents. Sit in with…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Ins and Outs of Beekeeping
Who wants fresh honey? We do! Learn all about the ancient art of beekeeping today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Devil's Den
The Devil's Den is the sight of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Is it haunted? Nope. But still creepy. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowHow Environmental Psychology Works
In the 60s, psychology expanded from exploring inside the mind to exploring the inside of buildings. Environmental psychology looks at how our spaces affect us…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Pez Works
PEZ began in Vienna as a mint meant to help people quit smoking. But once American kids got ahold of it, the candy took off and a symbol of childhood - and…