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 Crowds Work
If you’ve ever been out of your house you’ve probably been in a crowd before. They can be as mundane as an elevator full of people or as…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Charles Darwin Worked
Charles Darwin wasn't the first or only scientist to grasp the theory of evolution through natural selection, but he became its father and icon. In this…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Lasers Work
It turns out that lasers are even cooler than they look. And as far as acronyms go, they’re pretty solid in that respect too. There’s way too much…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Aztec Death Whistle
In the late 90s, a strange musical instrument was excavated under the streets of CDMX. Listen in to learn all about the Aztec Death Whistle. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
How Cognitive Biases Work
Humans have all sorts of weird quirks that cause us to do silly things and make bad decisions. It’s not our fault though. Our brains are wired that way…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Why Do Great Flood Myths Seem To Be Universal?
If look into the mythology of just about any culture in the world, you will find a myth about a great flood that destroyed humanity and submerged the Earth in…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Cajun Navy: Heroes or Liability?
The Cajun Navy was formed after Hurricane Katrina and really got its legs after the Louisiana flood of 2016. They save a lot of lives, but some fear the…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Color Psychology
Have you ever cried way longer than usual when you were in a yellow room? You’ve been smacked by color psychology my friend and it’s got your…
- Stuff You Should Know
Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan: Miracle is Right
Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan were one of the most amazing non-magical duos in history. Imagine living trapped in your own mind – unable to see or hear…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Operation Mincemeat: How A Corpse Fooled the Nazis
In World War II, a secret department of British 'corkscrew thinkers' hatched a plan to use the cadaver of an unclaimed homeless man to turn the tide of the war…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Magnificent Golden Gate Bridge
If you think the Golden Gate Bridge is named because of its color then you are wrong. That name proceeds the bridge by a long time. But that’s just one…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Magic 8 Ball
The Magic 8 Ball, the mystical fortune telling pool ball started out as a piece of customer swag for the Brunswick Billiard Company. Since then, it has changed…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade is a famous poem about a lesser famous military action during the Crimean War. Tune in today for a rare SYSK walk through…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: The Truth Behind Cage-Free and Free-Range
You’d think terms like cage-free and free-range means the chickens we eat are frolicking happily in the fresh air under the shining sun, but you’d…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Ballad of Biggie and Tupac
Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur had a famous beef with one another in the mid-90s. It was so intense, it sparked an even wider rivalry between the East and West…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: The S7VEN Deadly Sins
The Seven Deadly Sins are tied to religion, but not really in the Bible. So where did this naughty list come from? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
Keeping Time
Today, Chuck and Josh walk you through the history of keeping time, from sticks in the sun to atomic clocks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: BPD: The Worst Disorder or Not a Disorder at All?
Borderline Personality Disorder has been described as emotional “third degree burns over ninety percent of your body.” It’s as close to a…
- Stuff You Should Know
Data Centers: Can't Live With Em, Can't Live Without Em
Data centers are the backbone of our digital world. All the sites you visit and social media you post happen there. A boom in huge data centers to support AI…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Did a vampire legend help win the Cold War?
During the Cold War, the CIA used the legend of a vampire named Aswang to scare locals into not helping the communists. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
Doin’ Science in the National Radio Quiet Zone
West Virginia is home to sensitive radio telescopes that could easily pick up your cell phone’s signal on Mars. And the cell reception on Mars is about…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Forgiveness Works
For most of history, forgiveness fell under the domain of religion. But in the 1980s science started investigating it and found that forgiving someone is…
- Stuff You Should Know
The SAD Episode
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is much more than the winter blues. It's a serious subset of depression. Learn all about it and what to do if you suffer…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Neighborhood Watch
Since 1972 neighborhoods have been officially banding together to prevent crime together. Does it work? It seems to. Does it go too far? It often does, yes…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Warrens: Paranormal Power Couple
Today we dive into the interesting story of paranormal power couple the Warrens, inspiration behind The Conjuring movie franchise. See omnystudio.com/listener…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: MC Escher and His Trippy Art
We love us some MC Escher. Turns out his story is pretty fascinating too. Tune in to this classic episode and find out all about it with Josh and Chuck. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
TV Moments That Changed The World
Whatever you think of TV, you have to admit it has shaped the world (maybe more than the internet, according to Josh). There have been moments here or there in…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: All About Porcelain
What exactly is this durable ceramic anyway? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Stuff You Should Know
What We Lost When We Lost Home Ec
Home economics seems antiquated – a class that teaches high school kids how to bake a cake and sew doesn’t sound super useful. But would you…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Miniature Golf Works
Playing miniature golf is a very fun thing to do and, you’re about to find, learning about its origin and history is very fun as well. Join Josh and…
- Stuff You Should Know
Dolls and Dolls, Guys!
In this special Christmas Day episode, we get cuddly with one of the all-time great holiday gifts, dolls! Where did they come from? Why are the so cute? Why…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Why is holly a holiday thing?
Holly is waxy and super sharp, not exactly the kind of thing you'd want all over your house. Yet it happens every holiday season. Today we dig in to discover…
- Stuff You Should Know
SYSK's 2025 Holiday Extravaganza Christmas Special
Deck your tidings and get your halls nice and gladded because it’s time for maybe the best episode of the year, where SYSK loosens our ties, puts on our…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: PT Barnum: More Complicated Than You've Heard
When your life is as outsized as the World’s Greatest Showman PT Barnum it’s pretty easy to - you know - gloss over the grimmer aspects when you…
- Stuff You Should Know
Doggerland: Lost at Sea
The story of Doggerland is pretty fascinating. The idea is that mainland Europe and the UK were connected not only by a land bridge, but a place where plants…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Battle of Itter Castle
At the end of WWII in Europe, one of the strangest battles of the war took place between German troops fighting alongside Americans and French to beat back an…
- Stuff You Should Know
Battle Royale: Optimists vs Pessimists
Everybody’s always bagging on pessimists and telling everybody they should be more optimistic. Well, nuts to that! There are plenty of benefits from…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular
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 KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: 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…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: A Partial History of Action Figures
Action figures have a long and glorious history. From GI Joes to Star Wars figures, these offshoots of dolls came along at just the right time to capture the…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Beanie Babies: Reigning Toy Craze Champion
The world has seen a lot of weird investment bubbles in its time, but few of them rival the fever that gripped the world in the 90s after Beanie Babies took…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Cabbage Patch Kids: Must-Have Toy of the Century
Surprisingly, Cabbage Patch Kids have turned up on SYSK almost as much as the Nazis or Seinfeld. It’s finally time to dive all the way into CPKs, from…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: 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. See omnystudio.com/listener…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: 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 KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Monopoly Works
Since more than 1 billion people have played it, you're probably familiar with the board game Monopoly, but we bet you don't know its secret origins as a…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Play-Doh Works
Do you love Play-Doh? Chuck and Josh certainly love to talk about it, from its interesting history as a wall cleaner, to its more scientific chemical…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: 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 KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How the Nintendo Entertainment System Changed Gaming Forever
For the holidays in 1986 (and ’87) (and ’88) the most stupendous, most wanted, most amazing thing any kid could possibly get – outside of a…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Hula-Hoops: The Toy That's A Shape
We've covered our fair share of pop-culture icons and here is another - Hula-Hoops. They've been around since ancient time in some form or another, but made…
Stuff You Should KnowSYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Easy Bake Ovens Work
Easy Bake Ovens are as iconic as a toy can get, as American as apple pie or baseball. Learn all about these light bulb cooking, working ovens that endanger…
- Stuff You Should Know
A Quick History of the BBC
The BBC has been around as long as there has been radio. Today we salute the venerable institution that's as British as tea and crumpets. See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Atacama Skeleton
In 2003, a tiny – really, really tiny – humanoid skeleton surfaced that had been taken from Chile. The only possible explanation is that it had to…
- Stuff You Should Know
Operation Paul Bunyan
If we told you that World War III was in danger of happening over the trimming of a tree would you believe us? This was Operation Paul Bunyan. See…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: What Is A Mold-A-Rama?
In the 1960s, a very cool machine debuted at the Seattle World's Fair - the Mold-A-Rama. It made real plastic toys on-demand from melted plastic pellets, to…
- Stuff You Should Know
What's the bar exam like anyway?
You've always heard about "the bar" but what do you really know about it? Unless you've taken it, probably not much. Well join the club. Let's discuss. See…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Camberley Kate
Camberley Kate was the nickname for the first independent animal rescuer in England, rescuing hundreds of dogs and cats over her lifetime. Come get acquainted…
- Stuff You Should Know
The Brutal History of Prison Labor
The idea of prison labor is relatively new in the annals of crime and punishment. And it's just as bad as you think. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy…
- Stuff You Should Know
Selects: How Black Friday Works
On the day after Thanksgiving, Americans go kind of crazy for the deep discount sales that kick off the holiday shopping season in stores. So crazy, in fact…
- Stuff You Should Know
Julia Child, la Grandes Gourmande
Julia Child is one of the most recognizable names in the cooking world, but even still so many of her accomplishments aren’t widely known. And the…
Stuff You Should KnowShort Stuff: Pies
We’ve done episodes on cake, cookies and, at long last, pie. Belly up to your pod player and prepare to crave some pie! See omnystudio.com/listener for…