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 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 KnowShort Stuff: Emperor Norton
After a San Francisco real estate mogul went bankrupt, he reinvented himself as the Emperor of the United States – and became the city’s most celebrated…
- Stuff You Should Know
How the Hygiene Hypothesis Works
In the early 90s, a new study that found that kids who are exposed to more germs early in life are less likely to develop allergies later. With the West in the…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: What's the Deal with Crop Circles?
For a while in the 1980s, people were fascinated and confused about what exactly crop circles were. Now we know that they aren't signs left from aliens, but…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Area 51 Works
The secret military base Area 51 is inextricably linked to every secret, shady project the US government is rumored to be involved in – from…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Smoke Signals
Were smoke signals real or a Hollywood invention? Turns out, they were indeed a thing and invented by the Chinese, even. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
What's the gig economy?
The gig economy is not new, but it's bigger than ever. Is that a good thing? We'll discuss that today! Learn more about your ad-choices at…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How Capgras Syndrome Works
There is an extremely rare condition where the sufferer is convinced that everyone around him is an impostor posing as their friends and family. Learn about…
- Stuff You Should Know
What is perfect pitch?
Perfect pitch, or absolute pitch, is when you can sing a note with no reference from other notes, perfectly on key. Is it an asset? Chuck says yes. Learn all…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Robert Johnson and the Devil
Did the legendary blues singer really sell his soul to the devil in exchange for amazing musical skills? Probably not! But there’s still an interesting story…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Barcodes Work
Barcodes are everywhere. Those little lines and numbers that make up one of the most recognizable barcodes, the UPC, was designed to make going to the grocery…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK Selects: How TV Ratings Work
Ever wonder why some great shows go off the air after a season or less? Blame it on the Nielsen company, which has for more than 60 years been the almost…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Tylenol Murders, Part II
The panic that began in Chicago spreads and begins to change the world. The investigation into the murders turns up leads and suspects, but still no one has…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Look-Alike Old Couples
You know how some older married couples (sorry, senior adult married couples) start to look alike over time? That’s a really weird phenomenon if you think…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Tylenol Murders, Part I
On one terrible day in Chicago in 1982, seven people died suddenly and mysteriously. In just a matter of hours, it becomes clear, someone has poisoned bottles…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: How Acne Works
Over the course of our lives, 80 percent of us will experience acne. Ultimately, acne comes down to one thing, a blockage in the sebaceous gland. Learn what…
Stuff You Should KnowWhat was Tin Pan Alley?
Tin Pan Alley was an area of New York around the beginning of the 20th Century that served as ground zero for the earliest iterations of the music publishing…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: James Polk, Disinterred
Did you know that former president James Polk had his final resting place moved twice? It's true! And almost a third time even. Let's go listen to some short…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Crystals Work
In a new age shop or on display at the Smithsonian, there are varying interpretations of what crystals can be used for. But at their base, they are a thumb in…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: How Dying Works
Chuck and Josh have covered just about every aspect of death except dying itself. Here, they fulfill the death suite of podcasts with an in-depth look at just…
- Stuff You Should Know
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
Short Stuff: Honorary Degrees
Honorary degrees are not real degrees. They are marketing opportunities for universities. They make us mad, but we want one. Learn all about them in the next…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Trampolines Work
The world’s loved trampolines since they were invented by a pair of acrobats in Iowa in the 30s – so much so, trampolining is now an Olympic event. What people…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: How Lie Detectors Work
Instead of actually detecting lies, polygraph machines sense physiological variations, ostensibly brought on by guilt. The results are subject to…
- Stuff You Should Know
Do Dietary Supplements Work?
The world takes $40 billion of dietary supplements – from vitamin A to yohimbe bark – every year. Yet, the jury is still out on whether most of them work. In…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Nicknames
What's in a nickname? Sometimes they make sense, sometimes they don't. Let's get our shorty on and find out the deal. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
Remembering Live Aid
Live Aid was a revolutionary concert event in two countries in 1985 that spanned the world via satellite. The brainchild of musician Bob Geldof, it really did…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: How Does a Diving Bell Work?
About 2,400 years ago Aristotle mentions the use of diving bells, apparatuses that convey divers to the bottom of the sea -- or at least below the surface of…
- Stuff You Should Know
What Happens When the Government Thinks You're Dead?
It’s bad enough when the government knows you’re alive – there are taxes to pay, laws to be followed, all sorts of boring and unpleasant things. But each year…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Number 23
There are people out there who believe that there’s something special about the number 23. Exactly what? Who knows. Exactly why? Because it pops up a lot. But…
- Stuff You Should Know
Michael Dillon: Trans Pioneer
Michael Dillon was a lot of things - author, doctor, and most importantly, trans pioneer. Learn all about his story in today's episode. Learn more about your…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: How Zero Works
Few numbers have as storied a past as zero. Even fewer have had as great an impact on our ability to understand our universe. Yet zero is a relatively recent…
- Stuff You Should Know
What Were Human Zoos?
One of the off-putting byproducts of 19th century European colonialism were human zoos, living dioramas of people from far-away places made to be gawked at…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Fear of Public Speaking
Speaking in public is frequently cited as people’s number one fear, even more fearful than death. Most people go through life avoiding public speaking, but it…
- Stuff You Should Know
Is birth order important?
There have been a lot of studies over the years regarding birth order. Some conclude that it's a big deal, while others more or less discount its importance…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: How Marijuana Works
For millennia people used marijuana for fun and medicine. Not until the 20th century that was it vilified, unfairly say many. Weed has done lots of good…
- Stuff You Should Know
How the Hoover Dam Works, Part II
And now for something completely different. Just kidding – tune in to hear the thrilling conclusion of America’s most amazing public works project in the 20th…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Emu Wars
Did Australians really wage war on a group of emus? YES. Learn all about it in today's short stuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
How the Hoover Dam Works, Part I
It’s one of America’s biggest accomplishments in the 20th century, a slab of concrete holding back one of the country’s most finicky rivers, providing water…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: How Yo-Yos Work
You may have played with a yo-yo before -- perhaps you've even walked the dog -- but do you know about the physics behind what makes a yo-yo sleep and wake up?…
- Stuff You Should Know
How the Electric Chair Works
The electric chair is an all-American invention. It spread almost nowhere else in the world as a capital punishment but worked overtime in the States. Despite…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Lake Peigneur
In 1980 something catastrophic happened to the quiet town of New Iberia, Louisiana. Their wide, shallow lake grew much deeper after it underwent an apocalyptic…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Free Range Parenting Works
Free range parenting is all about giving your child the freedom to play and explore life on their own. Are there benefits? Sure. Do some people hate the…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: How Pollen Works
For about 375 million years, plants have been using pollen (aka plant sperm) to propagate their species. And the technique has stuck around because it works…
- Stuff You Should Know
Were Nazis Drug-Fueled Crankheads?
Nazis were bad people. And it turns out a lot of them were high as kites on speed. Was this a recipe for disaster? Yes it was. Learn more about your ad-choices…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Unspent Campaign Money
Have you ever wondered what happens to all those campaign donations when a political campaign goes belly up? Or, even worse, is in debt! Wonder no more! Learn…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Rape Kits Work
Rape kits are simple forensic evidence collection kits used when someone is sexually assaulted. But the story is deeper than this. Learn all about rape kits…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: How Immigration Works
Immigration systems regulate the flow of foreign immigrants into any given country. But why is immigration such a controversial topic, especially in the United…
- Stuff You Should Know
Etch A Sketch!
The Etch A Sketch is yet another classic toy that Josh and Chuck love and respect. Learn all about this Hall of Fame entry today. Learn more about your…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: When Elvis Met Nixon
Elvis really did meet with Richard Nixon. Because Elvis wanted to help fight the drug trade. True story. Hear about it in today's short stuff. Learn more about…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Druids Worked
Anyone who likes Led Zeppelin, plays Dungeons & Dragons, or worships the rising sun at Stonehenge on the vernal equinox can tell you druids are cool. But…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: How Sign Language Works
It wasn't until the was developed and despite its co-existence alongside English, a user would be hard-pressed to sign with a British person. Find out about…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Disgust Works
Disgust is an odd thing. It makes sense that we would feel a sense of revulsion at the thought of putting rotten meat in our mouths – that’s pure evolution…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The Sandman
Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream! But who is the sandman? We'll tell you in today's edition of short stuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at…
- Stuff You Should Know
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 episode…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: Was Atlantis A Real Place?
While the search for Atlantis has been pushed to the fringes since the 19th century, archaeologists have quietly pursued cities that may have inspired Plato to…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Great Stink: The Stench So Bad They Gave It A Name
In the summer of 1858, a heatwave dried up the Thames River to a trickle in London. As centuries’ worth of human waste, animal carcasses and other nasty things…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Bedbugs
We eradicated bedbugs so thoroughly in the 50s that generations who came later suspected they weren’t anymore real than jackalopes and snipes. But since we…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti
The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, two anarchists accused of murder, was one of the first "crimes of the century." But did they do it? To this day there is…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Selects: How Wildfires Work
Wildfires consume an annual average of 5 million acres in the US. But what causes wildfires? How do they become so powerful? More importantly, how do we fight…