Stuff You Should Know
Episodes
Selects: PT Barnum: More Complicated Than You've Heard
20 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 wh...
Doggerland: Lost at Sea
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Short Stuff: Battle of Itter Castle
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Battle Royale: Optimists vs Pessimists
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody’s always bagging on pessimists and telling everybody they should be more optimistic. Well, nuts to that! There are plenty of benefits ...
Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular
13 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: What Makes a Must-Have Christmas Toy?
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever since Cabbage Patch Kids came along in 1983, there’s been an annual holiday frenzy around one particular toy – the must-have Christma...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Play-Doh Works
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: A Partial History of Action Figures
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 capt...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Beanie Babies: Reigning Toy Craze Champion
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Babie...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Cabbage Patch Kids: Must-Have Toy of the Century
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Hula-Hoops: The Toy That's A Shape
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, bu...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Monopoly Works
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Etch A Sketch!
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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/li...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How the Nintendo Entertainment System Changed Gaming Forever
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For the holidays in 1986 (and ’87) (and ’88) the most stupendous, most wanted, most amazing thing any kid could possibly get – outsi...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Hot Wheels Work
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Yo-Yos Work
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Easy Bake Ovens Work
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 end...
A Quick History of the BBC
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 omn...
Short Stuff: Atacama Skeleton
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2003, a tiny – really, really tiny – humanoid skeleton surfaced that had been taken from Chile. The only possible explanation is that i...
Operation Paul Bunyan
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 omny...
Selects: What Is A Mold-A-Rama?
06 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 pelle...
What's the bar exam like anyway?
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Short Stuff: Camberley Kate
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Camberley Kate was the nickname for the first independent animal rescuer in England, rescuing hundreds of dogs and cats over her lifetime. Come get ac...
The Brutal History of Prison Labor
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 pr...
Selects: How Black Friday Works
29 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, i...
Julia Child, la Grandes Gourmande
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Short Stuff: Pies
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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/listen...
Rice is Nice
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rice may be the most eaten food on the planet, accounting for 50% of the caloric intake of Asian countries and 25% worldwide. Learn all about this edi...
Selects: Rockettes: Still Kicking After All These Years
22 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to this classic episode to learn all about the legendary NYC Rockettes, who actually got their start in Missouri.See omnystudio.com/listener f...
Graffiti: So Cool It’s A Pillar of Hip Hop
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Graffiti – the good kind, done with lots of style and skill – developed when some kids in NYC took up cans of spray paint and started to f...
Short Stuff: Victorian Flower Language
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when you want to tell someone you’re smitten with them but you live in a society so repressive decorum prevents you from even spe...
AM Radio: Solid Gold
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The era of AM radio isn't over, but it's well past its heyday. Dive in today for a trip down memory lane. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
Selects: How Personality Tests Work
15 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For millennia, we have tried to put human personalities into neat types, an effort psychology took up early in its history in an effort to legitimize ...
Pop Tarts: No Fruit Necessary
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pop Tarts are a legendary breakfast treat in the United States. They're fruit-filled toaster pastries with very little fruit. But who cares right? It'...
Short Stuff: Third Man Syndrome
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
People who’ve found themselves in life-or-death situations with their endurance at its limit have reported sensing another presence with them, u...
Eco-Disasters 101: The Salton Sea
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1905, an engineering mistake created a brand new 400-square-mile sea (lake?) in the California desert. People made the most of it at first, but it ...
Selects: How Conversion Therapy Doesn't Work
08 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Conversion therapy is a misguided attempt by religious zealots to convert people from gay to straight. News flash - it doesn't work. Learn all about t...
The Mystery of the Death Valley Germans
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1996, a small group of German tourists disappeared in Death Valley National Park without a trace. Fifteen years later, the tenacity of one man solv...
Short Stuff: "Peace" Pipes
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did Native Americans really smoke peace pipes? Well yes and no. They smoked pipes for many reasons, sometimes to commemorate peace. But they never cal...
What To Do With All This Nuclear Waste?
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You can make a case that it’s a little off-putting to learn the world doesn’t really have any idea what to do with the nuclear waste we&rs...
Selects: How Extinction Works
01 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists believe that 99% of the estimated 50 billion species that have ever lived on Earth have disappeared through extinction. This is a natural p...
SYSK's 2025 Shocktober Halloween Spooktacular
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Co-producer Ben knocked it out of the park again, taking the two classic horror stories we read for our annual Spooktacular - Caterpillars and The Dee...
Short Stuff: The Bell Witch
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A legend in Tennessee tells of the real-life Bell family, who were haunted back in 1817 by a ghost witch - arguably the worst kind of either of those ...
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Masterpiece
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There aren’t too many independent horror movies that make the British Film Institute’s 250 Best Films Ever Made list – AND – m...
Selects: The Great Finger in the Wendy’s Chili Caper
25 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2005 a woman named Anna Alaya discovered a length of human finger – nail and all – in her Wendy’s chili. Her cries of disgust wou...
THE HUMAN SCREAM
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever thought much about screaming? Well we have, and today you'll learn everything we learned. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...
Short Stuff: Curse of Broken Mirrors
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's seven years' bad luck for you if you break a mirror, buddy, sorry. But have you ever wondered why? People have come up with all sorts of great re...
[Insert Your Own Catchy Title About Younger Dryas Here]
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Quick, name your favorite geological mystery. You can’t do it! Well, don’t worry. In this episode we’re going to tell you all about ...
Selects: How ESP Works (?)
18 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
VH-1: MTV for Your Parents
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we complete our music video duology with a dive into the mellow pool of VH-1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Short Stuff: China's Corpse Walkers
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you died away from home but wanted to be buried there, don’t worry – Taoist priests had you covered. They’d just have your animat...
We want our MTV!
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever wanted to hear a couple of Gen X'ers wax nostalgic about MTV, then you're in luck. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...
Selects: How Schoolhouse Rock Rocked: Featuring Bob Nastanovich of Pavement
11 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Schoolhouse Rock is possibly the best children's program of all time. Join Josh and Chuck in this classic episode as they tell the story of SR, featur...
Everyone Deserves A Good Death
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The concept of hospice was created as a way to help people with only a few weeks to live spend their last days comfortable an surrounded by friends an...
Short Stuff: The Call is Coming... FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that the "the call is coming from inside the house" urban legend may be based on a very grisly murder case from the 1950s?See omnystudio....
The Happy Place of Saturday Morning Cartoons
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The greatest period in the history of humankind took place in the short era between 1970 and 1995. During that time kids could tune in every Saturday ...
Selects: How Mail Order Marriages Work
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody knows mail order marriages are at best a last resort for jerks looking to boss a foreign spouse around or, at worst, a front for human traff...
The Mystery of the Sleepy Sickness
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Back in the early 1900s, a new pandemic happened out of nowhere with odd symptoms, that was never solved or cured. It just went away. Which means it's...
Short Stuff: La Lechuza - The Witch Owl
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we kick off the scariest month with the legend of La Lechuza - The Witch Owl.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Why Would Anyone Want to Appease Hitler?
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It seems ridiculously irresponsible with the benefit of hindsight, but the concept of giving Hitler everything he wanted was the policy among the UK a...
Selects: How Area 51 Works
27 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The secret military base Area 51 is inextricably linked to every secret, shady project the US government is rumored to be involved in – from rev...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Hinterkaifeck Axe Murders
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1922, a little farm in the woods of Bavaria became the site of what would become Germany’s most famous unsolved murder, when six people were ...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: SYSK Live: The DB Cooper Heist
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Josh and Chuck live from Seattle as they (sky)dive into one of the most brazen robberies in the annals of crime and the only unsolved airline hij...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: Who Committed the 1912 Villisca Ax Murders?
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a small town in Iowa in 1912 eight people were murdered in the grisliest of ways while they slept. Local reputations were ruined when accusations f...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tylenol Murders, Part I
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On one terrible day in Chicago in 1982, seven people died suddenly and mysteriously. In just a matter of hours, it becomes clear, someone has poisoned...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The largest ever kidnapping case in the United States went down in the small town of Chowchilla, CA. Learn all about it today. See omnystudio.com...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tylenol Murders, Part II
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The panic that began in Chicago spreads and begins to change the world. The investigation into the murders turns up leads and suspects, but still no o...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tale of the Bloody Benders
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Long before we knew what serial killers were, a family in remote Kansas was disposing of victims at their family farm. Listen in to the Tale of the Bl...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Harvey’s Casino Bombing of 1980
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In August of 1980 a bomb containing 1,000 pounds of dynamite was quietly delivered to Harvey’s, a casino and resort at Lake Tahoe. This kicked o...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Strange Unsolved Murder of Ken McElroy
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The murder of Ken McElroy comes off like a story from a cheap paperback book you’d get to read on a plane. But this is a true crime story, set i...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Harrowing Story of the North Hollywood Shootout
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in today to listen to the story of when North Hollywood became a war zone after a brazen bank robbery. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: The Unsolved Indiana Dunes Disappearances
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In July 1966, three women out for a day at the beach waded into the water of Lake Michigan, got onto a boat and were never heard from again. To this d...
SYSK’s Fall True Crime Playlist: How The Great Train Robbery Worked
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, ca...
A Tribute To The Far Side
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Far Side is one of the greatest cartoons in history. Today we go to great lengths to convince you of that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
Short Stuff: Death Cap Mushroom
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The death cap mushroom lives up to its name. It’s a mushroom cap that causes death. Find out why.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...
Tdhtdhtdhtdhtdh: Sound Effects!
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sound effects are one of the unsung parts of any movie or TV show – they’re best when you don’t even notice them making what you see...
Selects: Slime Mold: 0% Mold, 100% Amazing
20 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever wandered past what looked like a pile of dog barf on a log during a hike in the woods, you’d just seen slime mold - one of ...
The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As part of our shameful history series, today we dive into the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s and into the 70s.See omnystud...
Short Stuff: Killing a Dead Body
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you try to kill someone who was already dead is that a bad thing? Yeah? How bad?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What was the Four Pests Campaign?
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Say one thing about Mao's communist China, they could kill some sparrows. Learn why and how in today's episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
Selects: What's the deal with subpoenas?
13 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Subpoenas are all the rage. But what do they even mean if someone can just ignore it? Learn this and a lot more in this classic episode.See omnystudio...
You’re So Good At Conversation!
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s an understated miracle that humans can get across ideas to one another by saying things out loud. We’re strangely good at not constan...
Short Stuff: North Sentinel Island
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the last uncontacted people in the world live in the Bay of Bengal and they have made it clear they don’t want you to visit.See omnystudi...
The Man with the Golden Arm
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Aussie James Harrison gave blood close to 1,200 times over a 60 year period and saved 2.5 million babies in the process. That makes him a hero. S...
Selects: Noise Pollution: Arrrgh!
06 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever found your blood pressure rising because some guy down the street doesn’t know how to keep the trigger on a leaf blower pul...
America’s Militarized Police
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1960s, America took stock of itself when scores of low-income cities broke out in riots. It found that racism was at the root of many social pr...
Short Stuff: The Mpemba Effect
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why does water seem to freeze faster when it starts out warmer?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How Dolphins Work!
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
E-e-e-eek! E-e-e-eek, we say! Adding to the tradition of our wonderful animal episodes we contribute this amazing installment on one of the all-time g...
Selects: What Were the BONE WARS?
30 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A pair of old timey fossil hunters had a rootin’ tootin’ rivalry that spilled from academic journals into the American Wild West - where f...
What are Blue Zones?
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Blue zones are areas where people supposedly have more 100+ year-olds than average. But is it all based on faulty records?See omnystudio.com/listener ...
Short Stuff: 1561 Celestial Event
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An amazing case of an early modern mass sighting of UFOs came in Nuremberg, Germany in 1561. Except it wasn’t that at all.See omnystudio.com/lis...
The History of Orthodontics
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Crooked teeth have always been a thing, but it took us a long time to do something about it. Learn about the twisted history of orthodontics today!See...
Selects: The Flannen Isles Mystery
23 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In December 1900 three lighthouse keepers vanished without a trace from a deserted island in Scotland. To this day no one knows exactly what happened ...
Private Equity: Your Ears Will Bleed
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Private equity is a business operation where companies are bought and run at their leanest to maximize returns for a handful of investors. It can be a...
Short Stuff: The Lost (?) Continent of Lemuria
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why aren't there lemurs in Africa? That question created a whole theory about a lost continent. Turns out it's not true.See omnystudio.com/listener fo...
The Unsolved Murder of Hall and Mills
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1922, a pastor and his mistress were murdered in New Jersey. Nobody was ever convicted of the crime even though it seems clear who did it. See...
Selects: How Rape Kits Work
16 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rape kits are simple forensic evidence collection kits used when someone is sexually assaulted. But the story is deeper than this. Learn all about rap...
Heavy Metal Pt II
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of Heavy Metal Week Josh and Chuck break down how specialized heavy metal music has become, talk about some of the great album covers, loo...
Short Stuff: Devil Horns
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Metal fans have many ways to express themselves, but none are as metal as throwing the devil horns. But who did it first?See omnystudio.com/listener f...
Heavy Metal Pt I
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the most talented musicians in the world play heavy metal, some of the hardest-hitting music ever made. In this episode Chuck and Josh wade in...