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 Hindenburg Disaster
Hard to believe we haven't covered this one yet, but here we are. Why did the Hindenburg crash and burn? We still don't really know. See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Did Tippi Hedron start the Vietnamese manicure industry?
Strange but true, actor Tippi Hedron kickstsarted the Vietnamese manicure industry in the United States in the 1970s. This is that story. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Humanists, the Happy Heathens
If you don’t believe in any kind of god or afterlife - or even that there’s a meaning to life – does that mean you’re doomed to a life…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Can movies be cursed?
First of all, movies can't be cursed because curses aren't real. However, that can't stop Josh and Chuck from taking a look at some movies throughout history…
- Stuff You Should Know
Let's Go to Camp... David!
Camp David is awesome. But not all presidents have liked it. We'll dig into this historic property in today's episiode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Why do kangaroos hop?
Kangaroos are the only marsupial to hop, which is pretty weird. We'll investigate why. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
Boeing's Nosedive: The 737-MAX
Boeing used to be one of the most respected engineering firms in the world. Then it changed its focus from making great airplanes to increasing its stock…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: 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 Know
How to Drink a Tree's Blood
Of course we're talking all about maple syrup today - the tapping, the processing, the eating. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Wisdom Teeth
By all rights there should be three sets of molars in your mouth. But it turns out that our skulls aren’t really set up to accommodate that many anymore…
- Stuff You Should Know
Save the Whales!
In the 1970s, conservation groups around the world rose up to protect dwindling whale populations, some on the verge of extinction. They all worked under the…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Fever Dreams Work
Fever dreams can be unsettling experiences. These ramped up nightmares are vivid, detailed and only happen when the human body experiences a fever. What is it…
- Stuff You Should Know
UNESCO World Heritage: Preserving the Best of Humanity
Humanity’s created a lot of neat things over the eons and starting in the 1940s, the UN created an agency focused on preserving those things for the…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Brown-Headed Cowbird
There’s a kind of bird that lots of people think is a real jerk. And it kind of is. But in the brown-headed cowbird’s defense, it’s just…
- Stuff You Should Know
Some Silly Inventions That Became Wildly Popular
Once in a while someone comes up with a solution for a problem we didn’t know we had, and maybe even a problem that didn’t even exist. Even more…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Sammy Davis Jr: National Treasure
In this classic episode Josh and Chuck sit down and detail the complicated life of the late, great Sammy Davis Jr. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Sewol Ferry Disaster
In 2014 a ferry carrying hundreds of South Korean high school students on a field trip sunk, killing almost everyone on board. Hauntingly, their deaths were…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Cherry Blossoms
The Japanese Cherry Blossom is a sight to behold. But how did they get to Washington D.C.? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
Are Generations Even a Thing?
We all love to tour our generation's superiority, but who decides where the split occurs and what to name it? And is this even a thing or just an arbitrary…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: What is a Numbers Station?
If you think secretly coded messages sent via short wave radio is Cold War relic, think again. In this classic episode, Chuck and Josh are here to dispel that…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Worker Co-ops Work
The worker co-op has a rich tradition and can work a variety of ways. Join us as we dig into the nuts and bolts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: History of Spring Break
If you think Spring Break started with northern college kids heading to Florida to party, you'd be correct. But there's slightly more to it than that. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Roar: The Most Dangerous Movie Ever Made?
Jump in today to hear all about the disaster that was the movie ROAR. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: The Skinny on Lyme Disease
If you live in the Northeastern U.S. then you may know someone who has had Lyme disease. But it's spreading all over the country and parts of the world. Learn…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Colorado River Compact
Deciding how to share water is pretty important stuff when there isn't much of it around. Today we dive into the Colorado River Compact. See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Simple Spelling Movement
Pretty much everyone agrees that English is a chaotic language. There are nutso rules of grammar and spelling other languages don’t have. More than once…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Middle Class: Canary in the Gold Mine
Lots of nations gauge the health of their country by how the middle class is doing. There’s just one issue with that – no one can say exactly what…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: The Disappearance of Lars Mittank
In 2014, a young German man walked into an airport in Bulgaria with a flight booked, then suddenly ran out leaving all his posessions behind, never to be heard…
- Stuff You Should Know
Malcom X
Malcolm X was one of the most revered, feared leaders of the civil rights movement. In contrast to Martin Luther King, Jr., X advocated black self-reliance and…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Kentucky Meat Shower
In 1876 it rained meat out of the clear blue sky on a homestead in Bath County, Kentucky. While the mystery of what happened will never be solved, the best…
- Stuff You Should Know
The History of Fire
The first fires came from lightning strikes. After that, no one is super sure when we started controlling it and then later, starting our own. But it's sure…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: 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 KnowCaterpillars: Nature's Magicians
Caterpillars are simply the best. Don't think so? Well listen in and you'll soon agree. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Stuff You Should KnowButterflies: Caterpillars with Wings!
If you thought caterpillars were awesome, just wait until you see them with colorful, iridescent wings! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Stuff You Should KnowHow Snails Work
They seem gross and bothersome at first, but once you get down to ground level and get to know snails, we’ll bet you’ll grow quite fond of them…
Stuff You Should KnowThe Fascinating History of Dandelions
Dandelions are way more interesting than you think. Trust us and click play. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Stuff You Should KnowWhat's Permaculture All About?
Permaculture is a growing trend in the world of farming and home landscaping. It's basically a design principle that emphasizes sustainability and the…
Stuff You Should KnowHow 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 KnowWetlands! 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…
Stuff You Should KnowComposting: Nature's Most Interesting Process
You may think composting is just a bunch of old banana peels rotting away into dirt but, friend, you're not looking closely enough. Inside that compost pile is…
Stuff You Should KnowSquirrels, Ahoy!
Squirrels are rodents, sure, but they’re rodents with personalities the size of Las Vegas and Detroit put together. Get to know your bushy-tailed (and…
Stuff You Should KnowHoney: Nature's Wonder Sugar
Honey is an amazing thing. Just ask any bee. They make a ton of it. So much that humans get what bees can't use and that's a lot of honey. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Contortionism: Bend It Like Gumby
If you could put your leg behind your head, would you? Of course you would! You might even make a career out of it, amazing people around the world with your…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Jeddah Tower
The Jeddah Tower is set to be the tallest building in the world. If it ever gets finished. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
Ruth Lyons: TV Pioneer
Ruth Lyons basically invented the daytime talk show, yet she doesn't get the credit. Why is that? Probably because she was a woman in a man's industry. Today…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Mangroves: Nature's Best Tree?
Mangroves are incredible survivors and adapters. They're also amazing at lessening the impact of tropical storms and climate change. And heck, they're cool…
- Stuff You Should Know
How the Kowloon Walled City Worked
From the 1970s to the early 1990s a patch of land in Hong Kong the size of just a few football fields was the most densely-populated area in the world &ndash…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: In-Flight Entertainment
Movies on planes have changed a lot in the last couple of decades. Today, we'll go over how this stuff works. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Fyre Festival Fiasco
What happens when a career grifter tries to throw a "luxury" music festival in only six months? Not much it turns out.This was the Fyre Festival. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: 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…
- Stuff You Should Know
Let's All Go to the World's Fair
Before the internet could show you anything in the universe - including stuff it made up - people had few opportunities to have their minds blown. But every…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Johnny Ringo
You might be familiar with the outlaw Johnny Ringo from the movie Tombstone. He was indeed a real-life black hat gunslinger, and a tragic figure at that. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Gold Standard: When Money Meant Something
There was a time less than 100 years ago when you could exchange your paper currency at the bank for actual gold. Gave folks a sense of stability, it did…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Dopamine Works
Dopamine is perhaps the most talked-about, most misunderstood biochemical in our bodies. It’s linked to not only addiction and depravity, but also focus…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Battle of the Sexes
Back in 1973 a male chauvinist played tennis against champion Billie Jean King. This is that story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: MacGuffins
What’s a MacGuffin? We don’t know. No one knows. But it has to do with movies and that’s fun to talk about. See omnystudio.com/listener for…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Murder of Jane Stanford
Stanford University was co-founded by Jane Stanford. Not long after she was murdered and it was covered up. We'll probably never know what really happened…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: 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
How the Flexner Report Changed Medicine
The Flexner Report shook up medicine in the United States when it was released in 1910 and it's never been the same since. For better or worse. See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Safety Coffins
Back in the 1800s, people had an outsized fear of being buried alive. Enter... THE SAFETY COFFIN! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.