Stuff You Should Know
iHeartPodcasts
300 episodes
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 page 1 of 6
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(Don't Fear) The (Grim) Reaper
Cultures have come up with lots of personifications of death: Young and attractive? Yes. Riding a black buffalo? Check. Covered in tongues and eyeballs? Uh-huh. But in the West there’s only been one go-to soul taker…
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Selects: John Lennon and the FBI
Did you know that Richard Nixon had a FBI case file open on Beatle John Lennon? Well he did! Why? Listen to this classic episode to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Twilight Zone Episode
Today, Chuck and Josh unlock a door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension. A dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance,…
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Short Stuff: Spooky Recommendations
This week Josh and Chuck are trying something a little different, some recomemdations for the spooky season. For Josh, it's some movies, for Chuck, it's some books. Check it out and let us know what you think! See…
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Winnie the Pooh: Silly Old Bear
On Dec 24, 1925, the world got a Christmas gift from a little-known writer named A.A. Milne when the first Winnie the Pooh story was published. Milne was inspired by the imaginative woodland strolls he shared with his…
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Selects: Sacagawea: Impressive Teen
Sacagawea was only 16 when she joined the Corps of Discovery. That is one seriously impressive teenager. Find out all about her in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Disappearance of Dorothy Arnold
When socialite Dorothy Arnold disappeared in 1910, no one imagined the case would remain forever unsolved. Today we tell her story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Short Stuff: Currency Symbols
In today's shorty, Josh and Chuck go over the stories behind some of the world's currency symbols. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Asteroooooid De-FENSE!
There’s no question that millions of asteroids are circling the Earth at incredible speed and every one of them is just dying to get a chance to smoosh our planet and wipe out life in the universe once and for all. But…
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Selects: What's the deal with swing states?
Swing states are all the rage once again this election season, but the makeup has changed a bit. In this classic episode, learn all about what makes a swing state a swing state right now. See omnystudio.com/listener…
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Stand-Up Pt II
The SYSK boys continue the episode on stand-up comedy in part two, placing it in the rarefied company of other two-parters like Evel Knievel, the Hoover Dam, and the Trail of Tears. In this ep: should anything be off…
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Short Stuff: The Style Cycle
Why do clothing styles get stale and then come back into fashion? Listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Stand-Up Comedy Pt I
Chuck and Josh do their best to tackle “the craft,” which most normal people call stand-up comedy. Stand-up dates back to the vaudeville days but it really started to take off in the 60s when comics stopped wearing…
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Selects: How Bras Work
Bras are loved and hated, sometimes at the same time. But as difficult and restrictive as they can be, they rescued women from a much cruel contraption: corsets. The question remains, though, do women need bras at all?…
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Let's Thank Universal Pictures for Monster Movies!
Basically everything you think of when you think of vampires, mummies, werewolves, and Frankenstein all come from a spate of films made in the 1930s, and every one of them by Universal Pictures. Amazingly, they are…
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Short Stuff: The Retirement Curse
Is retirement bad for your health? Well it certainly can be if you don't take steps to prevent it. Listen in to learn more about the "retirement curse." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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A Good Walk Ruined: The History of Golf
The history of golf is a bit muddled, but once it was truly born in Scotland, it started the beginning of lifelong obsessions for people dumb enough to pick up a club and give it a try. Learn all about the early…
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Selects: Wetlands! Wetlands! Wetlands!
It’s time to get jazzed up for some Earth science of the waterlogged variety. Join Chuck and Josh in this classic episode as they tour some of the most interesting ecosystems on the planet and learn why we need to stop…
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Introducing 3 Putt Bogey
3 Putt Bogey is a golf podcast hosted by Chuck Bryant and Adam Pranica, two mid handicappers who are just good enough to know exactly how bad they still are. The name says it all: one great shot, followed immediately…
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Emily Post: Ettiquette Queen
In today's episode, we detail the life and times of ettiquette queen Emily Post. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Short Stuff: Mabon
Mabon is often called the Pagan Thanksgiving but though it seems like it’s as ancient as Halloween, it’s actually only around 50 years old. But, pagan or not, it’s a great chance to really feel the fall and thank…
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Our Big Fat Dream Episode
No you’re no dreaming – go ahead, pinch yourself – we’ve finally made an episode on dreams! We’ve done episodes on lucid dreaming, night terrors, sleepwalking, sleep paralysis – basically everything but dreams…
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Selects: Fallout Shelters: Probably Useless (Let’s Never Find Out)
The advent of nuclear weapons and the Cold War kicked off a craze in the US for building rec rooms with foot-thick reinforced walls and outfitted with survival rations and board games. Would they work? Probably not.…
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SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: 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 exhibit the same physical symptoms of non-existent conditions. Is…
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SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: What was the Philadelphia Experiment?
The Philadelphia Experiment is a bad movie from the 1980s, and also the conspiracy theory that refuses to die, despite virtually zero evidence of its occurrence. Learn all about this strange non-event in today's show.…
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SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: Mermaids: Not a real thing
Mermaids aren't real. That much we know. But the history and lore of these magical and sometimes menacing creatures of the sea is pretty interesting stuff. Learn all about these half women/half fish today. See…
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SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: Will We Find Evidence of Aliens by Their Engineering Projects?
In 1960 physicist Freeman Dyson suggested that in the hunt for alien life, we should search for evidence of massive engineering projects that encapsulate stars with solar arrays to harness their energy. Could we humans…
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SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: The Mystery of the Mary Celeste
When the Mary Celeste was discovered floating and abandoned in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean one day in 1872, the legend of the ghost ship was born. Why did the Mary Celeste’s crew disappear? Was it pirates? Mutiny?…
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SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: The Max Headroom Incident
In 1987, a very strange broadcast intrusion occurred in the city of Chicago. For just a couple of minutes, the odd TV character Max Headroom appeared onscreen in the middle of an episode of Dr. Who. He spoke in garbled…
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SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: Dragons: As Real as Mermaids
Dragons are like mermaids in that they're not real. And that's about where the comparison ends. Learn all about dragons today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: The Creepy Legacy of the Hotel Cecil
The Hotel Cecil in downtown Los Angeles has had no less than 16 unnatural deaths, from suicides to murders and everything in between. Listen in to the history of this decidedly creepy hotel. See…
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SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: What's the deal with blue people?
The famous blue people of Kentucky are no longer blue. But why were they like that in the first place? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: Doppelgängers: Hey you, you're me!
Seeing your near twin is probably pretty weird. But could there be a genetic commonality as well? You bet there could! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: The Story of the Nuclear Boy Scout
David Hahn was a kid who was really into science. So much that he built a nuclear reactor in his mother's potting shed. And it worked. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Cancer Episode
Cancer is a terrible word in any language for at least two reasons: It’s incredibly difficult to get rid of once it grows in the body, and there’s a very good chance that you or someone close to you will be diagnosed…
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Short Stuff: Leisure Suits
You know the leisure suit, perhaps the tackiest suit to ever be invented. It was so huge in the 70s and spread as wide the lapels of the shirts worn with them. Then, as fast as they hit the scene they disappeared in…
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How Boredom Works
Are there benefits to boredom? Or is it all negative? Why do we get bored? What can we do to break free from boredom? The answers to those questions and more are coming your way today. See omnystudio.com/listener for…
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Selects: Wasps: Not as cute as bees
Wasps have a bad rap. Because their sting really hurts and they don't make honey like their cousins. But they are super cool and you shouldn't kill them. Listen to this classic episode and learn! See…
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The Odyssey Episode
Why does the story of The Odyssey endure this many years after it was first spoken? Listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Short Stuff: Flappers
In the 1920s, a certain set of women wanted to loosen up and have a good time. Today, we get into it with the flappers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Nickelodeon:The Best of Slimes
Today we tell the story of the kids TV network that changed it all, Nickelodeon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Selects: Blacksmiths? You got that right!
Blacksmiths? You got that right. Learn all about this age old occupation in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Social Identity Theory: Your Group Rules, Others Drool
In the 80s, a pair of psychologists theorized why being part of a group can change people’s thoughts and feelings, both about themselves and other people. It sounds dry, but SIT explains everything from how people…
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Short Stuff: Hisashi Ouchi
Japanese nuclear worker Hisashi Ouchi is often called on the internet “the world’s most radioactive man.” That’s not exactly true, but it gets the point across about how severe the fatal dose of radiation he received…
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Terry Fox: Greatest Canadian Hero
It is to the great nation of Canada’s lasting credit that it has prized Terry Fox as one of the most beloved and admired citizens for nearly 50 years now. It’s difficult to get across how much he means to Canada. Lucky…
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Selects: Flagpole Sitting: A Real Fad
The 1920s were just absolutely nuts. People got into weird fads really intensely and one of the strangest of all was flagpole sitting. It’s just what it sounds like – sitting on top of a flagpole for as long as you…
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The Fall of the USSR, Pt II
The break-up of the USSR was a tough one for Russia, being the jilted republic. For the entire decade after, the country plunged into a type of controlled chaos, with a rampantly corrupt kleptocracy taking the place of…
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SYSK Tribute: Why does everyone love Dolly Parton?
Today we dive in to celebrate the international treasure that is Dolly Parton. Why is she nearly universally loved? Listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Short Stuff: Cyclospora
The US has an unusual number of outbreaks of food-borne illness going on in the summer of 2026, and the star of the show is cyclospora. How does this parasite make people sick, where does it come from? You may not want…
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The Fall of the USSR, Pt I
It’s rare that the downfall of an empire can be chalked up to the decisions of just one person. It’s even rarer, when the empire falls over the course of a year. That’s pretty much what happened with the Soviet Union…
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