Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

CLASSIC: What was the Black Hand?

27 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the early 20th century, Europe was a smoldering powder keg of international tension, imperial ambitions and long-held resentments between great pow...

CLASSIC: Serial Killers on the Loose: Part 2

26 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It sounds like something straight out of a noir film -- an unidentified killer goes on a murder spree and disappears in a clean getaway, taunting the ...

Companies Run by Cults

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From fast food to mass media, it can be tough to know who really runs a company. In today's episode, the guys dive into the true stories of companies ...

CLASSIC: What is red mercury?

22 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since the 1980s, Russian and US sources have repeatedly claimed that various groups of terrorists are dangerously close to acquiring a mysterious subs...

Does China Have "Police Stations" Abroad?

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The rumors have been building for years: multiple countries now accuse China of illegally setting up police stations abroad, forcing hundreds of innoc...

CLASSIC: Unacknowledged: An Interview with Dr. Steven Greer

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, thousands of people across the planet report seeing unidentified flying objects -- and thousands more believe world governments keep secre...

CLASSIC: Facial Recognition with Jonathan Strickland

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You've heard of facial recognition technology before, and you've definitely seen some representation of it in films and television shows -- but how do...

The 1752 Calendar Heist

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the Earth approaches another holiday season and the end of one more year, the guys start thinking about the passage of time -- and not in the norma...

Listener Mail: Cloudbusting -- and What To Do If You Find a Random Firearm

15 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever tried to disperse clouds with the power of your mind? What should you do if you stumble across a random firearm in public? In this week'...

FIFA Is So Cartoonishly Corrupt

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Guess who's going to win the 2022 World Cup? We can tell you. Tune in to learn more about the past, present and future of FIFA -- one of the world's o...

CLASSIC: What the heck is a Toynbee Tile?

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, mysterious tiles have appeared in dozens of cities across North and South America, touting a strange -- and strangely consistent -- messa...

Strange News: Massive Coup Attempt in Germany, Chinese Police Stations and More

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In a story that sounds straight out of a comic book, German authorities announce the arrest of more than twenty people who were apparently on the cusp...

The New Chronology Theory

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's no secret that human understanding of history is constantly evolving. Each year, experts across the planet make new connections and discoveries t...

Listener Mail: Forcing the Mentally Ill into Hospitals, Hallucinogens and Religion, Strange Lights in Michigan

08 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Depression Dave reveals New York's controversial plan to force the mentally ill into treatment facilities -- whether or not they consent. Michigan lig...

Space Ghost: The Return of the X-37B, Part II

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's true -- Earth's near orbit is filled with all sorts of stuff. Most of it is mundane, and most people honestly don't think about it too often. But...

CLASSIC: What happened to Hitler?

06 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On April 30th, 1945, one of the most infamous men in recent history died by his own hand as Allied forces bore down on his bunker. At least, that’s ...

Strange News: Black Hole Beams at Earth, Tax Sites Snitch to Meta, and San Francisco Deploys Robots with Explosives

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists have spotted a black hole energy beam as bright as 1,000 trillion suns pointed directly at Earth. Major tax-filing websites are secretly sh...

Space Ghost: The Return of the X-37B, Part I

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's true -- Earth's near orbit is filled with all sorts of stuff. Most of it is mundane, and most people honestly don't think about it too often. But...

CLASSIC: ConspiracyStuff LIVE: The Future of Surveillance

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Manhattan is home to some of the world's most iconic buildings -- but it's also home to something more mysterious: A looming, windowless skyscraper in...

Is the Moon Messing with you?

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Billions of years ago, something about the size of Mars smacked into Earth, launching tons of debris that later became the moon. This means life on Ea...

CLASSIC: Where are the world's most frequent UFO sightings?

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For millenia people across the planet have reported seeing bizarre objects in the sky. However, efforts to collect and analyze these reports have ofte...

CLASSIC: Did Hallucinogens Create Religion?

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How did the human species become the most self-aware, successful primate on the planet? They don’t want you to read our book.They don't want you to ...

The World's Infamous Prisoners: Thoughtcrime

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In part one of this two-part series, a question from a fellow Conspiracy Realist led the gang to explore the idea of 'dangerous' prisoners -- in this ...

Listener Mail: Secret Vietnam Tech, How the US Became Hooked on Cars, and the Truth about Monopolies

24 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A fellow Conspiracy Realist asks whether Google is propping up Mozilla to disguise their search engine monopoly. The Driver asks for more details on s...

The World's Most Infamous Prisoners: Violent Crime

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's no secret that the world's prison systems have tons of serious, fundamental problems -- yet most people can agree some criminals simply cannot be...

CLASSIC: The Mysterious Lake City Quiet Pills

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Did a group of private assassins use a series of sleazy websites as fronts for their base of operations? Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they delve into th...

Strange News: Team America, FTX Crash, and the Mystery of the X-37B in Space

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A former DEA ageny sentenced to 12 years for a string of corruption-related crimes shares his story with the press. Bahamas-based cryptocurrency excha...

How Secure are Security Clearances?

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How does a government decide who can know what? In the modern day, it comes down to something called security clearances. In today's episode the guys ...

Listener Mail: Nicholas Rossi's "Hospital Tattoos," Tennessee Spirits, and Mysteries of the Moon

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fiona hips the gang to the bizarre, disturbing tale of a man called -- occasionally -- "Nicholas Rossi." Plaquetos calls for more information about th...

How Federal Classification Works (and why it’s a problem)

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You've seen it in countless works of film and fiction -- a shady operative hands someone a folder, marked 'classified,' or 'top secret.' But what is c...

CLASSIC: Did the CIA invent counterculture?

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the US, the 1960s were a crucible of culture -- college students, veterans, the disadvantaged and activists across the country sought to overthrow ...

Strange News: Mysterious Ghosts on Camera, Kanye, the National Park Service Begs You To Stop Licking Toads

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An indoor security camera captures a strange, disturbing image. The owners of the "White Lives Matter" offer to sell the trademark for a billion dolla...

The PROMIS Affair - Digging Deeper

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How did a little piece of software meant to organize files become the centerpiece of a global conspiracy? In today's episode, the guys dive deep into ...

Listener Mail: Space Junk, The Feds Roll Up, and the Terrifying Reality of Precrime in the US

10 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Chen calls in with an extraordinary tale of mysterious government agents detaining him at work. The Baron writes in to ask about ancient metal from th...

Rent To Own: Brilliant Business or Brutal Corruption?

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the modern day, many individuals define their lives in terms of large financial purchases -- buying a house, a home, or an appliance. Acquiring deb...

CLASSIC: Die Glocke: The Legend of the Nazi Bell

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Like most other militaries of the time, the Nazi army conducted extensive classified research into all aspects of warfare, from rocketry to drugs, tan...

Strange News: Delphi, A Meat Heist, Pelosi Conspiracies, and the FBI Raids a Journalist

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Officials have arrested a suspect in connection to the harrowing Delphi murders. Three men from the Miami area get caught in a multi-state meat heist ...

Behind The Scenes: Inside Our Book

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why write a book about conspiracies and conspiracy theories? In today's behind-the-scenes episode, the guys explore how the Stuff They Don't Want You ...

Listener Mail: Reincarnation, Late-night Modems and Ben Goes Off The Grid

03 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A fellow Conspiracy Realist writes in with a unique perspective on reincarnation. A late-night modem noise triggers a primal response. Ben remains awa...

ShotSpotter: Part Two

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

ShotSpotter is a private company leveraging audio technology and proprietary algorithmns to locate gunfire with an incredibly high degree of accuracy....

CLASSIC: The Sick, Sweet Secret of the Sugar Cover-up

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone knows sugar in excessive amounts can have damaging effects on your health -- but just how bad is it, and why do people in the US still consum...

Strange News: Ye Update, A Bizarre 911 Call, and Ben Goes Missing

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An update on the ongoing fallout surrounding Kanye West. Investigators are looking for a Fremont family, worried that no one has seen them for four da...

CLASSIC: Did the US abandon soldiers in the Vietnam War?

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At the close of the Paris Peace Accords, the US and Vietnam agreed to return any POWs to their home country -- however, for decades after the close of...

ShotSpotter: Part One

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

ShotSpotter is a private company leveraging audio technology and proprietary algorithms to locate gunfire with an incredibly high degree of accuracy. ...

Digging Deeper Into Food Deserts

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nutrition is a huge deal. The need to eat is one of the very few things all human beings have in common, and nations have risen and fallen based on th...

CLASSIC: Does China Have Psychic Child Soldiers?

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nowadays many people are familiar with the US government's bizarre psychic experiments -- but what about China's? Join the guys as they explore the st...

CLASSIC: What happened to Elisa Lam?

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2013, Canadian college student Elisa Lam disappeared while on a solo trip through California. For weeks law enforcement was at a loss to explain th...

Propaganda At Home: The Smith-Mundt Act

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Let's be honest: propaganda is a bit of a dirty word nowadays. When you hear it mentioned in the media, it's almost always framed as a sinister tool o...

Listener Mail: Glitter Insider, Shotspotter, Fishing Scandals

20 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A listener from the world of government regulation writes with surprising insider information about the great glitter mystery. Multiple Conspiracy Rea...

The Silurian Hypothesis

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today, the vast majority of experts can largely agree on the basics of human evolution, from the early days of the first populations migrating out of ...

CLASSIC: The NSA: Fact, Fiction and Fright

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since the 1950s, the National Security Agency has been responsible for collecting, analyzing and verifying a vast amount of signals intelligence, oste...

Strange News: Superorganisms in Your Mouth, the Overview Effect, and Police Making Dangerous Portraits with DNA

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

New research shows cavity-causing microbes can form superorganisms able to ‘crawl’ and spread on teeth. William Shatner experiences the Overview E...

Creatures of the Night: Alleged Monsters Around the World, Part II

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For many people, monster stories are just that -- stories. Tall tales and folklore meant to entertain an audience. However, you might be surprised to ...

Listener Mail: On the Frontlines of Iran, Peanut Allergies on the Rise, and Holy Land, USA.

13 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Unwilling Stardust writes in with a harrowing account of Iran's growing protests. Coinkydink asks why peanut allergies seem to be on the rise. Agent M...

Creatures of the Night: Alleged Monsters Around the World, Part I

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For many people, monster stories are just that -- stories. Tall tales and folklore meant to entertain an audience. However, you might be surprised to ...

CLASSIC: Grimoires: Fact and Fiction

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From fictional works like the Necronomicon to the all-too-real Key of Solomon, humanity has long been obsessed with the idea of ancient tomes holding ...

Strange News: Plants Swing Machetes, Cheating Fishermen, Possible Serial Killer in California

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The United States has created a new Ambassador exclusively for plants -- and good thing, too, because plants just learned to use machetes. The world o...

Who's Buying All The Glitter?

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When most of us think of glitter, we think of arts and crafts -- not a conspiracy. But, as it turns out, the glitter industry has a strange, enduring ...

Listener Mail: Conspiracies About Conspiracies, Shotspotter, the Nature of Fact

06 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A-Frame asks whether the wildest conspiracies are, themselves, part of a larger conspiracy to bury stories those in power would prefer we ignore. A ca...

A Monster in Belgium: The Dutroux Affair, with Matt Graves

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 1996, hundreds of thousands of Belgian citizens marched in public protest against an apparent conspiracy of the highest order -- the kidnapper and ...

CLASSIC: The Hemp Car Cover-up

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Make no mistake: the United States is a car culture, and the extreme sprawl of the country means the vast majority of citizens can’t realistically l...

Strange News: Big Pharma, Mysterious Airport Moans and Bret Favre

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Pharma company Biogen is on the hook for 900 millions dollars due to allegations of an unethical kickback scheme. Brett Favre is under suspicion of fi...

The Bizarre Tale of the Circleville Letters

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The small town of Circleville, Ohio is, in most respects, a normal place. It has all the usual trappings of a small community: churches, grocery store...

Book Excerpt: Assassinations

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How many governments has the US overthrown? In today's special episode, we're sharing an excerpt from our upcoming Stuff They Don't Want You To Know a...

Vigilante Justice: The Story of La Sombra Negra

29 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the wake of a horrific civil war, El Salvador found itself confronted with enormously pervasive, deadly gang activity -- it seemed the official law...

CLASSIC: Did Sheldon Gosline Discover a Lost Civilization?

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries self-assured academics believed Troy was a mythological city -- until, that is, the ruins were discovered. Over the span of history, the...

Havana Syndrome Update, with Jack O'Brien

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The story began, officially, in 2017 -- multiple US government employees stationed abroad began reporting eerily similar symptoms, ranging from mild d...

Strange News: The Pentagon Will 'Review' Its Own Psyops, NPCs and Inequality, Autopsy Crimes in Kansas

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A conman in Kansas has just been sent to prison for a long series of illegal autopsy schemes. Self-appointed technocrats float the idea of poor people...

Listener Mail: Martian Helicopters, Quran Translations, Frightening Shipwrecks, and So Many Bad Jokes

22 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Seven shares his inside experience working in the space industry. Alice writes to explain the tricky issue of translation applied to the Quran. Tyler ...

What is "Clearing" a House ?

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever encountered a place with an inexplicable bad vibe? Do you believe events of the past can leave an intangible mark affecting the present?...

CLASSIC: The Mystery of the Cagots

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries communities in France and Spain practiced a brutal, widely-accepted system of discrimination against a group of families and individuals...

Strange News: Alleged Chess Scandal, "Baby Shark" as Torture, and Russia Proven to Spend Millions Rigging Your Government

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An Oklahoma County inmate was found dead while embroiled in a case alleging he had been psychologically tortured by the "Baby Shark" song. An alleged ...

The Calvine UFO Photograph

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine you're hiking through the Scottish countryside, and hear a low, long hum. You look up to see -- something. You take photos, and send them to t...

Listener Mail: Food Deserts, Hijacking Planes, and the World's Most Dangerous Prisoners

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bad Ghost hips us to a recent plane hijacking, targeting a Walmart. Roadrunner asks where the world's most dangerous prisoners are kept. Lactrodectus ...

Modern Cults, Part II: The Creativity Movement, Kashi Ashram and Angel's Landing

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What makes one belief system a religion, and another a cult? How can non-religious organization themselves be cults? In part two of this two-part seri...

CLASSIC: The Search For Noah's Ark

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries various groups claimed they'd discovered the remnants of Noah's Ark, the legendary wooden ship of Biblical fame. Despite controversy, sk...

Strange News: Animal Attacks, Tragic Love with a Hologram, and NASA Plays Pool in Space

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Turtles and turkeys attack humans. Kangaroos overrun a small Australian town. A man in Japan loses his hologram wife when a company stops supporting h...

Modern Cults, Part I: Black Hammers and More

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What makes one belief system a religion, and another a cult? How can non-religious organization themselves be cults? In part one of this two-part seri...

Listener Mail: Rare Blood Types, PROMIS, and Poop in the Mail

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A first-hand account of finding poop in the mail. A deep dive into the world of spycraft and software. An exploration of the facts behind rare blood t...

Who's Hiding the Broccoli? A Conversation with Jordan Harbinger

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever spoken with a spy? How do you use critical thinking to cut past the noise of mass media and propaganda? In today's interview, Ben, Matt ...

CLASSIC: Is the Military on Drugs?

06 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From the old stories of Viking Berserkers to the rise of the Assassins and more, humanity has spent millennia using drugs as a way to explore spiritua...

Strange News: Governor Warns against Drinking City Water, Texas vs. The Bible, and Legal Rights for Plants

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Governor of Mississippi warns people to avoid drinking any water from Jackson. A Texas law accidentally flags the bible -- and Florida rejects oth...

Hairy-handed Road Rage: A British Ghost Story

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, locals near England's B3212 spun a strange tale: a pair of disembodied hands might just take the wheel while you're driving -- and you ju...

Listener Mail: A Surveillance Meet-Cute, A Second Coming and The Dolphin Illuminati

01 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Janky Jay has a chance encounter with the ghost in her machine, Al sends us down a Swedenborg rabbit hole and the Baron Upon Eaton relays an ancient v...

Cartels as Corporations -- and Governments

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the War on Drugs continues, cartels have grown from street-level gangs to something like corporations, complete with diversified portfolios of crim...

CLASSIC: What is Project Iceworm?

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How many secret military bases exist around the world? How many of those are active, and how many abandoned? Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they explore b...

Strange News: Roomba Snoops, Loose Poops and Meta is a Snitch

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A disgruntled man takes revenge on politicians by mailing feces. Meta (formerly Facebook) is under scrutiny after sharing info that led law enforcemen...

Permaculture

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As humanity pushes ever closer to global catastrophe -- and non-human life on planet Earth struggles to survive -- a growing body of experts argue for...

CLASSIC: Catholics, Children and Conspiracy: The Epidemic of Abuse

25 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For decades various individuals and organizations with the Catholic Church were dogged by rumors of horrific abuse – and, eventually, it turned out ...

Would the US really invade the Hague?

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Since 2002, the International Criminal Court has served as a "court of last resort" with a jurisdiction that spans the globe from its headquarters in ...

CLASSIC: What’s the US National Radio Quiet Zone?

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tucked away in a stretch of rural land in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland, the radio quiet zone is 13,000 square miles of near-total electronic s...

Is there a real "truth serum"?

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We've all seen truth serum in any number of big screen thrillers, or read about it in fanciful crime novels. A spy, a terrorist, even a high-ranking p...

CLASSIC: The Hidden World of Psychopaths

18 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How common are psychopaths? Is it possible that you've met one? Join the guys as they explore the fact, fiction and controversy surrounding one of the...

The Strange Story of Bob Lazar

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

These days, it's common knowledge that governments hide any number of things from the public -- but how deep does the rabbit hole go? According to Bob...

CLASSIC: Did aliens appear over Los Angeles?

16 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the wee hours of February 25th, 1942, air raid sirens resounded across LA. Anti-aircraft guns fired the better part of 1500 shells at something. To...

CLASSIC: How could the CIA have faked the moon landing?

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For nearly half a century people around the world have believed the moon landing was faked. If that were true, how could people possibly perpetrate su...

Listener Mail: Big Brother At Work, Standardized Tests and a Crucial Guinea Pig Correction

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A fellow Conspiracy Realist shares first-hand experiences with Big Brother at your Job. K Dubs calls in with more info about the dangers of privatized...

The Clintons and Corruption, Part II: White Water, Dirty Money and Larger Problems

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From the politics of Arkansas to the heights of Presidential power, Bill and Hillary Clinton have become one of the world's most influential political...

The Clintons and Corruption, Part I: Origins and Body Counts

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From the politics of Arkansas to the heights of Presidential power, Bill and Hillary Clinton have become one of the world's most influential political...

CLASSIC: Sport Conspiracies, Part II

09 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Could your favorite sports be fixed? Join Ben, Matt and Noel for their continuing interview with author Brian Tuohy as they explore the murky world be...