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
How Desalination Works
Why would people want to remove salt from water? To solve the world's water problem, that's why. Learn all about the efforts to desalinate H2O in cheaper and…
- Stuff You Should Know
10 Bizarre Medical Treatments
Medical science has a long and storied history of trying out cures and procedures that later strike us as wacky. And they're still at it today! Learn about…
- Stuff You Should Know
Earwax: Live With It
Despite tons of people using cotton swabs each day to clean the earwax from their ears, cerumen (as earwax is clinically known) is actually quite beneficial to…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Anesthesia Works
The use of general anesthesia is less than 200 years old. Before doctors were able to cause unconsciousness in patients, surgery was brutal for all involved…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Tea Works
Legend has it that tea was discovered by a curious Chinese emperor after leaves blew into his boiled water. Now tea is the second only to water in popularity…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Fleas Work
Fleas are the bane of the existence of pet owners. From their eggs to their lifespan to their feeding habits, fleas are practically designed to be a nuisance…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Stonehenge Works
Even as far back as the Roman invaders, people have had absolutely no idea just what the massive monument complex in England known as Stonehenge was built for…
- Stuff You Should Know
How ESP Works(?)
Even though almost half of Americans believe in it, ESP usually is treated as a load of bull by skeptics. But some respected researchers have dared to apply…
Stuff You Should KnowSome Movies That Changed Filmmaking
An estimated 50,000 films were made worldwide in 2009 alone. Many are surely clunkers, but in this episode Chuck and Josh talk about the ones that emerged…
- Stuff You Should Know
Why Do Lefties Exist?
For at least the last 200,000 years, between 10-15% of the human population are left-handed and this fact has utterly left science baffled. In searching to…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Perfume Works
Women consistently rate scent as the most important factor in a man's attractiveness and men have been manipulating that for centuries with scents of all…
- Stuff You Should Know
Is there treasure on Oak Island?
Off Nova Scotia, the tiny spit of land called Oak Island has been host to waves of treasure hunters for more than 200 years. Some of them lost their lives in…
- Stuff You Should Know
What is folklore?
What is folklore? Turns out it's just about anything you can think of that's shared by more than two people. Art, literature, stories, dance, music…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Feng Shui Works
Feng Shui is an Asian concept that strives to unlock your chi by how your home or office is arranged. Or at least that's the simplified "Western" version. It's…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Ice Cream Works
We all scream for ice cream, sure, but did you know we're all technically screaming about a colloidal foam? Prepare for deep cravings that will surely emerge…
- Stuff You Should Know
Rainbows: Delighting humanity since forever
Rainbows seem to defy nature, but they're really pretty simple when it comes down to it. Turns out it's just light reacting to water droplets in the air. But…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Hot Wheels Work
If you're an American who had a childhood, you probably have some nostalgia for Hot Wheels. Get your engines revved for this trip down memory lane as we…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Poison Ivy Works
Poison ivy, oak and sumac are all variations of the same plant and they all can make you itch... if you're susceptible that is. In this episode, you'll learn…
- Stuff You Should Know
Nostradamus: Predictor of the future? Not so much.
Nostradamus delighted us all in grade school, but it turns out the real guy wasn't quite as prescient as we were led to believe. In truth, he wrote a lot of…
- Stuff You Should Know
How the March on Washington Worked
1963 was a huge year of conflict and progress for the American Civil Rights Movement and the March On Washington was the high water mark of that eventful year…
- Stuff You Should Know
Juggling: What the Heck
There is a lot - A LOT - to juggling and Chuck and Josh go over the lion's share of it. Delve into the deep history, physics, how-tos and different types of…
- Stuff You Should Know
How the Scientific Method Works
It evolved over centuries to become the gold standard for conducting scientific inquiry. Yet many people - including some scientists - don't fully understand…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Online Gambling Works
Pretty much immediately after the Internet was opened to the world online gambling sites sprang up. Over the last couple decades, U.S. law and online gambling…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Jim Henson Worked
We've already recorded an episode on The Muppets, but Jim Henson was such a neat guy we delved into him even further. Learn all about the man behind the…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK Live: How Bars Work
Join Josh and Chuck live from Vancouver as they dive in to the ins and outs of one of the oldest businesses in the world - the bar! Learn about the history of…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Sea Monsters Work
Legends of sea monsters are as old as humanity, and some ancient cultures even credited with creating the universe. Even today when the sea washes something…
- Stuff You Should Know
Josh and Chuck's 2014 Christmas Extravaganza!
It's that time of year again! Time to get cozy and tuck in with Josh and Chuck as they spread glad tidings and warm Christmas cheer. Tune in to hear about…
- Stuff You Should Know
How the GED Test Works
The GED test was once part of a non-profit organization. That all changed in 2014, when it was privatized, made more expensive and more difficult to pass. But…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Cinnamon Works
In another commodities edition of SYSK, Josh and Chuck dive into the world of cinnamon, once the world's most prized and pricey spice. But did you know it was…
- Stuff You Should Know
Boomerangs: Magic Sticks of Physics
The physics behind returning boomerangs literally may be the most difficult concept to understand in the entire body of science. Join Josh and Chuck as they…
- Stuff You Should Know
Homeschooling: Not Just For Hippies and Religious People Anymore
Back in the 1970s, homeschooling was illegal in the U.S., but after activists of all stripes lobbied lawmakers, schooling kids at home has become a viable…
- Stuff You Should Know
How The Hum Works
There is a mysterious droning sound often described as like a diesel engine idling that is severely impacting the quality of life of 2 percent of people in…
- Stuff You Should Know
How X-Rays Work
Like many huge discoveries, X-rays were accidentally stumbled upon. That serendipity led to a medical breakthrough still in use today. Learn about how X-rays…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Leper Colonies Worked
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, used to mean a one-way ticket to banishment. But once medicine trained its sights on wiping out what might be the most…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Terraforming Will Work
A lot of great thinkers are warning that if humans are to survive as a species we are going to have to find another planet to live on. Terraforming, or…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Kickstarter Works
With billions of dollars raised, Kickstarter has singled itself out as the go-to site for creative crowdfunding. But not without some controversy along the…
- Stuff You Should Know
What is Collective Hysteria?
Throughout the history of the world, there have been many cases of what is known as collective hysteria - groups of people, usually young women, who all…
- Stuff You Should Know
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? Learn about this massive shift…
- Stuff You Should Know
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 Patents Work
What was originally designed to encourage innovation by rewarding the people who create technological advances, the U.S. patent system has become a big mess…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Limousines Work
The first limousines weren't even cars! Learn all about the history of limousines, how they're made and some of the most creative and expensive amenities you…
- Stuff You Should Know
Can Nuclear Fusion Reactors Save The World?
The world's energy consumption is ruining the planet but for decades physicists have been working on what could solve the world's energy and climate change…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK's Halloween Scare Fest
Get ready to be creeped out and join Chuck and Josh as they read you with two spooky classic horror stories, The Striding Place and The Pale Man in this…
- Stuff You Should Know
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
Is there a disease that kills by preventing sleep?
The strange disease of fatal familial insomnia was first recorded in the 18th century. Its victims lose their ability to sleep, slip into coma and die. The…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Animal Camouflage Works
The wild kingdom is filled with examples of animals that can camouflage themselves into their environment, but the means and the methods are also wildly…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Extinction Works
Scientists believe that 99% of the estimated 50 billion species that have ever lived on Earth have disappeared through extinction. This is a natural process…
- Stuff You Should Know
How The Great Train Robbery Worked
In 1963, 15 men got together in England to pull off one of the most daring heists in history. The Great Train Robbery was the crime of the century, capturing…
- Stuff You Should Know
Virus Talk with Josh and Chuck
Viruses are big jerks that invade regular cells and hold them hostage, making you sick while they're doing it. Learn everything you ever needed to know about…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Skywriting Works
Back in the 1920s, skywriting was invented to communicate with troops, but it quickly found its footing as a popular way for companies to advertise. Learn all…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Karate Works
Karate, meaning "open" and "hand", was developed in Okinawa before being exported to Japan and then the rest of the world. It is one of the most widely…
- Stuff You Should Know
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
How Rogue Waves Work
Rogue waves come out of nowhere and tower as much as 100 feet over hapless ships they encounter, breaking across the boat and frequently breaking the boat and…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Animal Domestication Works
It's strange to hear, but the transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture, including the domestication of wild animals, is the single biggest thing to…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Police Interrogation Works
Every year, police across the U.S. get thousands of criminals to confess to their crimes. The trouble is, the procedure that almost all departments use is…
- Stuff You Should Know
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 Socialism Works
In America it's virtually a dirty word, but after being dragged through the mud for a century, socialism is still a part of the U.S.'s national character…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Stem Cells Work
Since scientists realized there is a type of cell that can grow into any other type, they have worked to use them to heal human conditions like Parkinson's and…
- Stuff You Should Know
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
How Pinball Works
Pinball was actually illegal until the 1970s in NY and other cities, hidden in the backs of pornography shops. The game was finally legalized, thanks to a Babe…