Stuff You Should Know

By iHeartPodcasts

Society & Culture

What's Stuff You Should Know about?

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.

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Selects: Elephants: The Bes...

01.28.2023

Elephants are pretty much the best. Why? Josh and Chuck will let you know in great detail in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stuff You Should Know episodes:

01.28.2023 Selects: Elephants: The Best Animals? Elephants are pretty much the best. Why? Josh and Chuck will let you know in great detail in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.26.2023 How Attachment Theory Works A theory in the field of psychology has become so pervasive, it’s generally taken on faith that it’s true. It says that how your parents respond to you during a short window in your infancy has lifelong effects on your ...
01.25.2023 Short Stuff: Adam's Apples and Throat Lumps This week's short stuff is all about throat lumps and Adam's apples. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.24.2023 Let's Talk About John DeLorean John DeLorean: visionary, car maker extraordinaire, buyer of large amounts of cocaine, provider of time machine chassis. There is a lot to understand about John DeLorean so let’s get busy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.21.2023 Selects: How Game Shows Work Join Josh and Chuck and a whole bunch of great people at the Gothic Theatre in Denver for this live show on game shows and their place in cultures around the world, recorded on June 28, 2018. You just come ...
01.19.2023 Toast: As in browned bread Toast is bread that has been browned by heat. It's delicious. This is our ode to toast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.18.2023 Short Stuff: Women Pirates The Golden Age of Pirates didn’t have just men floating on the high seas. Some women became very successful pirates and today you’ll learn about two of them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.17.2023 The Louisiana Purchase: Not a Purchase Turns out the Louisiana Purchase was not so much a purchase, but the right to (steal) purchase it from indigenous peoples. But it did transform the United States as we know it. Listen and learn! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.14.2023 Selects: How Therapeutic Hypothermia Works Physicians noticed centuries ago that people exposed to cold temperatures often have amazing recoveries from serious medical emergencies. Now medicine is learning how to purposefully induce hypothermia in order to buy time to fix otherwise fatal trauma. Find out all ...
01.12.2023 How Tarot Works? This is not a hit piece! Tarot helps plenty of people navigate their lives and reflect on their feelings – plus the art is unbelievable. We cover the backstory, real and imagined, and lure the innocent into tarot’s grip, er, ...
01.11.2023 Short Stuff: Forest Lawn Memorial Park Forest Lawn is no ordinary cemetery. Why? Listen in and find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.10.2023 How Enron Fooled the World Until the 2007, the largest single corporate bankruptcy was Enron, a $67 billion energy trading company. Its decline was breathtaking, and while it’s a fascinating story of corporate malfeasance and greed, it’s also about the lives of ruined workers. See ...
01.07.2023 Selects: 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 sorts. Learn about the fascinating history -- and, well, art -- of making perfumes in ...
01.05.2023 When Mount St. Helens Blew Its Top Mount St. Helen's is a lovely sight to behold, but was a pretty scary thing to be around in the Spring of 1980. Listen in to the harrowing story today! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.04.2023 Short Stuff: Dangers of Nose Picking You don’t have to lie - everybody picks their nose. But did you know it can be life-threatening? It’s true and you can learn how in this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
01.03.2023 The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (not the song) Today Josh and Chuck delve into the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Not the song, but the maritime accident. Though the song makes an appearance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.31.2022 Selects: Could There Be A Loch Ness Monster? People have believed something strange lives in Loch Ness for at least 3500 years. Thousands of people have sighted the Loch Ness Monster and dozens of expeditions have been launched. But does the fact that nothing’s been found mean it’s ...
12.29.2022 The Rocky Horror Picture Show Podcast Episode This one goes out to the SYSK Army as a special request. Let's do the time warp again! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.28.2022 Short Stuff: Mesas: Flat Mesas, buttes and plateaus are all very similar. We'll break down the differences in each one just to be sure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.27.2022 Juicy: The Fried Chicken Story Fried chicken is Chuck’s favorite food, and Josh sure doesn’t dislike it. It is with this appreciation that SYSK plunges into the hot grease of fried chicken history – and there’s a lot to it! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.24.2022 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 be fully explained, but we make our best effort ...
12.22.2022 2022 Holiday Spectacular! Another year comes to a close here at SYSK, which means our annual Holiday Spectacular is at hand. So light a fire, pour up a comforting beverage and gather the family for some good cheer! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.21.2022 Short Stuff: Snow Globes See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.20.2022 Who was Dorothy Parker, really? She was known for her quick wit and sharp tongue. But she was also a poet, screenwriter and activist. Tune in today to learn what outside her "vicious circle." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.17.2022 Selects: 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 purposefully confusing riddles that people have twisted into meaning ...
12.15.2022 Interesting Origins of Everyday Phrases We don’t think about the words and phrases we use all the time - until Josh and Chuck look into them and tell everyone what they found. That’s the gist of this episode! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.14.2022 Short Stuff: The Atlanta Washer Woman Strike One of the very first union strikes in US history was mounted by a group of African American women in the deep South. Listen in and learn all about this little known slice of history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.13.2022 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 pony, maybe – was the NES. That year, video games came back from the ...
12.10.2022 Selects: How Polar Bears Work Polar bears are more than just lovable creatures that roam the ice in search of food. They're one of the most fascinating animals on planet Earth. Sadly, as ice shrinks, so does their habitat. Learn all about these huggable beasts ...
12.08.2022 True Crime: The Phantom of Heilbronn After the murder of a cop in southwest Germany in 2007 a massive hunt was launched across Europe. The suspect was a female serial killer who had left DNA behind during a number of crimes. She was so slippery, she ...
12.07.2022 Short Stuff: Birthday Paradox The Birthday Paradox involves math, so you know this one will go perfectly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.06.2022 How Face Blindness Works It’s not that the person who can never remember meeting you is snobby or even absent-minded; they may have a fascinating – and often difficult – neurological condition called prosopagnosia, known more commonly as face blindness. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
12.03.2022 Selects: The Rubik's Cube Episode Rubik's Cubes. Ronald Reagan. Jerry Falwell. Just Say No. One of these things was awesome. Take a guess and hop on board this classic episode, aka the 80s train. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
12.01.2022 How Down Syndrome Works People with Down syndrome lead rich, complex lives like any other human, but it’s only been in the last few decades that everyone else stopped persecuting them long enough to notice this. As a result, both their IQ and their ...
11.30.2022 Short Stuff: Goosebumps Goosebumps are a pretty cool evolutionary holdover from our earlier days as furry beasts. Don't believe us? Listen in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11.29.2022 Peripersonal Space: Humans’ Got Talent The space around you that you can reach with your arms is a very special place. It’s where we interact with reality. And although we are so good at using it we don’t give it a second thought, our ability ...
11.26.2022 Selects: How Umami Works! For millennia humans have recognized four tastes, but in the 1980s a fifth taste first isolated in Japan gained worldwide acceptance - and took off like a rocket! Learn about meaty, musty, savory umami in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener ...
11.24.2022 Roller Skating: Fun and Cool The Victorians were the first to go bonkers for roller skating and since then the pastime has had bursts of popularity every few decades. Over the years skaters have come up with some amazing things to do on skates that ...
11.23.2022 Short Stuff: Liquid Paper Correction fluid goes by many names, but the OG was Liquid Paper. And it has a pretty cool origin story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11.22.2022 Typewriters: Mechanical Brilliance Chuck loves typewriters because he loves mechanical brilliance. Dive into the cool history of these amazing machines today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11.19.2022 Selects: How Dark Money Works Since the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 in the Citizens United case that political contributions are speech and should be protected, the floodgates of anonymous political contributions have opened. But does absolute funding corrupt absolutely? Find out in this classic ...
11.17.2022 Did Shakespeare really write all that stuff? The question of Shakespeare's authorship has been around since at least the mid-1800s. Is there anything to it? We'll dig in to this dense topic to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11.16.2022 Short Stuff: Incomplete Yawns Is there anything – anything – worse than a yawn you can’t finish? It’s hard to think of anything else and as your obsession with yawning like a normal human being grows it only becomes more difficult. Why? Why?! See ...
11.15.2022 The Sordid History of Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties When it comes to pre-wedding festivities, bachelor and bachelorette parties take the penis-shaped cake. Learn all about these sordid affairs today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11.12.2022 Selects: Finders Keepers: Real Law You know that heartbreak of the schoolyard – finders keepers, losers weepers? That’s actual law in a great many grown up places. Enter the murky legal world of finding something that belongs to someone else, from buried treasure to a ...
11.10.2022 How Owls Work It’s time for another great animal episode and in this one we swoop into the world of owls – nature’s greatest silent predator who (hooo) also look very cute and intelligent. Not to mention they can turn their heads 270 ...
11.09.2022 Short Stuff: Dodleston Messages It’s not everyday that a message from the 16th century appears on a computer from the 1980s, so when that happened it caught an English couple’s attention and launched a still-unresolved mystery - across tiiiiiiime! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11.08.2022 What's so important about legal precedent? Legal precedent is an odd thing. It matters, but it isn't codified. There are advantages and disadvantages. Let's all dive in and take at STARE DECISIS today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
11.05.2022 Selects: What is an invasive species? Invasive species can mean a lot of things, from fungus to feral pigs and European starlings to kudzu vines. Basically, it's anything brought to a place, either by humans or nature, that didn't originate there. They aren't always a problem, ...
11.03.2022 Vaudeville: Step Right Up! In today's episode, you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about vaudeville, whether you like it or not. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Older episodes

Stuff You Should Know

What's Stuff You Should Know about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Stuff You Should Know episodes:

Selects: Elephants: The Best Animals?

How Attachment Theory Works

Short Stuff: Adam's Apples and Throat Lumps

Let's Talk About John DeLorean

Selects: How Game Shows Work

Toast: As in browned bread

Short Stuff: Women Pirates

The Louisiana Purchase: Not a Purchase

Selects: How Therapeutic Hypothermia Works

How Tarot Works?

Short Stuff: Forest Lawn Memorial Park

How Enron Fooled the World

Selects: How Perfume Works

When Mount St. Helens Blew Its Top

Short Stuff: Dangers of Nose Picking

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (not the song)

Selects: Could There Be A Loch Ness Monster?

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Podcast Episode

Short Stuff: Mesas: Flat

Juicy: The Fried Chicken Story

Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular

2022 Holiday Spectacular!

Short Stuff: Snow Globes

Who was Dorothy Parker, really?

Selects: Nostradamus: Predictor of the future? Not so much.

Interesting Origins of Everyday Phrases

Short Stuff: The Atlanta Washer Woman Strike

How the Nintendo Entertainment System Changed Gaming Forever

Selects: How Polar Bears Work

True Crime: The Phantom of Heilbronn

Short Stuff: Birthday Paradox

How Face Blindness Works

Selects: The Rubik's Cube Episode

How Down Syndrome Works

Short Stuff: Goosebumps

Peripersonal Space: Humans’ Got Talent

Selects: How Umami Works!

Roller Skating: Fun and Cool

Short Stuff: Liquid Paper

Typewriters: Mechanical Brilliance

Selects: How Dark Money Works

Did Shakespeare really write all that stuff?

Short Stuff: Incomplete Yawns

The Sordid History of Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties

Selects: Finders Keepers: Real Law

How Owls Work

Short Stuff: Dodleston Messages

What's so important about legal precedent?

Selects: What is an invasive species?

Vaudeville: Step Right Up!

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