Stuff You Should Know

The Statue of Liberty

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You've seen her there in NY Harbor, standing tall. But do you know the story of how she came to be? Learn all about the Statue of Liberty today. Lear...

Short Stuff: Lake Erie's Rights

22 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The good people of Toledo, OH are leading the environmental pack by giving legal rights to Lake Erie to fight off polluters. Learn more about your ad...

How Mail Order Marriages Work

21 Sep 2021

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...

Selects: How Free Speech Works

18 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Freedom of speech and the press are values vital to American democracy. But the First Amendment doesn't really define free speech, and plenty of expre...

What's the deal with crash testing?

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Crash testing has been around since the 1930s, but only got serious in the 1970s. Today we dive in and learn all about why companies and the U.S. gove...

Short Stuff: The Javelina

15 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pigs, hogs, boars and javelinas. What's the difference? Tune in to find out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com...

How Embalming Works

14 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Death Suite continues! In this installment, Josh and Chuck go over what it takes to preserve a human body using chemicals and whether that’s suc...

Selects: Southerners Aren't Lazy and Dumb, They Just Had Hookworm

11 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There was a time when the lower classes of the American South were considered lazy and dimwitted, a stereotype that still somewhat survives today. But...

How the Magna Carta Worked

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1215 at Runnymede (doo dah, doo dah) the nobles and the king agreed to end a rebellion against the power of the English throne. While the treaty th...

Short Stuff: Chameleons

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In today's short stuff, we bust a few myths about cute little chameleons. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee...

The Creepy Legacy of the Hotel Cecil

07 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Selects: How Temper Tantrums Work

04 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When your kid boils over in the grocery store, it can be tough to stay calm and ignore it, but that's precisely what experts prescribe parents do to d...

Criminal Records: No Thanks!

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

And you thought our crime and punishment suite was finished. Not yet it isn't! Not before we cover criminal records. Learn more about your ad-choices...

Short Stuff: Handwashing vs Dishwashers

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Josh and Chuck finally put to rest the age old debate over which is better – and learn a little about themselves along the way. Learn more about yo...

How Trepanation Worked

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of the oldest medical procedures in human history is also one of the riskiest. For thousands of years humans carried a type of proto brain surgery...

Selects: Composting: Nature's Most Interesting Process

28 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You may think composting is just a bunch of old banana peels rotting away into dirt but, friend, you're not looking closely enough. Inside that compos...

Les Paul & Leo Fender Part II

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today we continue the story of Les Paul and Leo Fender, inventors, innovators and rivals. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodca...

Short Stuff: Jackalope

25 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jackalopes aren’t real, right? Wouldn’t you like to know, city slicker. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comS...

Les Paul & Leo Fender Part I

24 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The story of Les Paul and Leo Fender defines rock and roll music. Listen in to part one of the tale of these two musical rivals.  Learn more about y...

Selects: How Pet Psychics Work

21 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the early 21st century a trend of people who claim to be able to telepathically and clairvoyantly communicate with animals has grown. Today, the co...

Y2K: Much Ado About Something

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Y2K was a special time when we all thought nothing bad would really happen at the stroke of midnight, but secretly worried the world would end. Turns ...

Short Stuff: 5 Lazarus Species

18 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lazarus species were thought to be gone, but had something else in mind. Today we talk about 5 of them. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://w...

How MRI Works

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At long last Chuck and Josh dive into the nuts and bolts of what makes the Wonder Machine so wondrous and find it actually lives up to the years-long ...

Selects: How Animal Domestication Works

14 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's strange to hear, but the transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture, including the domestication of wild animals, is the single biggest thi...

How Fireflies and Lightning Bugs Work

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Whether called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glow worms, the tiny, bioluminescent bugs that light up the evening are universally beloved. Which makes ...

Short Stuff: Humpty Dumpty

11 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Humpty Dumpty is not a good nursery rhyme. And what was Humpty anyway? Listen in to find out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartp...

Child Labor: Not Funny

10 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Child labor is no laughing matter. Even though we've taken care of it in the USA (mostly), it's still an issue around the globe. Listen and learn! Le...

Selects: How Landslides Work

07 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Landslides are a form of mass movement of the Earth, and with the amount of death and destruction they wreak on the people and towns they cover, their...

How Transcendentalism Works

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every teenager in America knows the transcendentalists were a handful of goofy 19th century philosophers who were into walking in the woods, but they ...

Short Stuff: Calamity Jane

04 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Calamity Jane is group with the legends of the Wild West. Who was she really? A tough woman who made her way in a tough world from the age of 12. Lea...

The Three Christs of Ypsilanti Experiment

03 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the early 1960s, one of the most unethical experiments in psychology’s history was quietly conducted in a state hospital in Michigan. It sought t...

Selects: How Police Interrogation Works

31 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, police across the U.S. get thousands of criminals to confess to their crimes. The trouble is, the procedure that almost all departments us...

How Sarcasm Works

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we get to the bottom of why people sometimes talk like jerks some and how sarcasm isn’t all bad. Stand back everybody, this one is ...

Short Stuff: Space Hurricanes

28 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Space hurricanes are officially a thing. What does that mean for us here on Earth? Probably not much. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www...

Conservatorships: #freebritney

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Britney Spears has made a lot of noise lately in her bid to nullify her conservatorship. But what are they even? Listen in to find out! Learn more ab...

Selects: How Mars Works

24 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sure today Mars would kill you with its thin, toxic atmosphere and cold desert temperature swings of 100 degrees,but early on it and Earth were practi...

The Origins of Some Everyday Superstitions

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why exactly do we avoid walking under a ladder? Why is stepping on a crack in the sidewalk such a big deal? What kind of monster carries a rabbit’s ...

Short Stuff: RICO Act

21 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re even passingly interested in mobsters you’ve heard of the RICO Act, but most people don’t know how it actually works. Make your Goodfe...

Stranger Danger!

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you grew up in the 1980s, you thought you had a 50% chance of getting kidnapped every time you left your house. But like with the Satanic Panic and...

Selects: How Ketchup Works

17 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Little-known fact: Ketchup, possibly the most all-American of condiments, evolved from fermented fish sauce people in Southeast Asia have been making ...

How Reverse Osmosis Will Save the World

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Can we save the future of the human race with some thin membranes riddled with ultra-tiny holes? Science says yes! Thanks to reverse osmosis filtratio...

Short Stuff: Hanged, Drawn and Quartered

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The words "hanged, drawn and quartered" are an accurate description of the grizzly execution process. They're just not in the right order. Learn more...

The Radium Girls

13 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Radium Girls painted watched with glow-in-the-dark radium in the 1920s and '30s. Most got sick, many died. This is their story.  Learn more abou...

Selects: How Historic Districts Work

10 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A fascinating thing about Americans is that we can disagree on anything. Such is the case with historic districts – areas of historic importance pro...

SYSK Live: Koko, the Gorilla Who Talked

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Recorded live before the pandemic in January 2020 at the Castro Theatre for San Francisco Sketchfest, Josh and Chuck explore the 70s movement that att...

Short Stuff: Sulfanilamide Disaster

07 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1920s, before the era of consumer protection, a poison entered the medicine supply and killed more than 100 people before the pubic health disa...

The Sad Story of William James Sidis

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are geniuses made or born? Listen in today to the story of child prodigy William James Sidis. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartp...

Selects: Are good samaritan laws effective?

03 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Good samaritan laws have been around for many years, helping to provide legal protections for people who try to help other people. But do they work? L...

The Grand Ole Opry Cast

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Josh and Chuck take a virtual walk through country music's legendary music venue.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetw...

Short Stuff: Beast of Gevaudan

30 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The first truly international news story covered a beast that terrorized the French countryside, eviscerating dozens of villagers for three years in t...

Poison Control Centers: A Good Thing

29 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Poison control centers are one of those things you don’t think about until you need it. With all the poisons in our homes you very well may someday....

Selects: How Royalty Works

26 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In some nations royals are so ingrained in the national fabric they are considered part of the country. In this classic episode, Josh and Chuck take a...

How Faraday Cages Work

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Faraday cages are one of those peculiar miracles of nature that we can actually explain – not to mention, they save us from potentially fatal electr...

Short Stuff: Chastity Belts

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Were chastity belts real? Sort of. But not in the way you might think. Tune in to hear the real story. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://ww...

The Mystery of Damascus Steel

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Damascus steel and the recipe behind it remained a mystery for many years. But it turns out the key was a bygone ingredient. Listen in to this medieva...

Selects: Operation Mincemeat: How A Corpse Fooled the Nazis

19 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ti...

How Venus Works

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Venus is so hot lead would melt on the planet’s surface. It spins backwards. Its year is shorter than its day. Venus is amazingly awesome.  Learn ...

Short Stuff: Mojave Megaphone

16 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What is the Mojave Megaphone? Well, nobody really knows. Listen in today to learn about this desert mystery. Learn more about your ad-choices at http...

Seven - No, Wait, Five - Mysteries of the Art World

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When you get a bunch of artistic types together into a community – aka, the art world – some intrigue and mystery are bound to arise. List...

Selects: How Sea Monsters Work

12 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Legends of sea monsters are as old as humanity, and some ancient cultures even credited them with creating the universe. Learn more about humanity's a...

POGs: The 90s in a Bottle Cap

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Chuck and Josh go down a 90s rabbit hole with another in their classic toy series. This time, they tackle the odd sensation that was POGs. Lea...

Short Stuff: Chinatowns

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you live in a major city in the USA, you probably have a Chinatown. Listen in and learn all about these unique cultural staples today. Learn more...

Slime Mold: 0% Mold, 100% Amazing

08 Jun 2021

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 most...

Selects: Who was America's first murderer?

05 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

John Billington didn't just sign the Mayflower Compact -- he was also the colony's first criminal, and had the dubious honor of being the first Europe...

John Muir: Outdoor Enthusiast

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

John Muir loved being outside. So much so that he dedicated his life to helping preserve it, but not without some controversy. Listen in to this decid...

Short Stuff: Runner's High

02 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in to today's short stuff to learn if a runner's high is really a thing. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork....

What Causes Inflation?

01 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation seems super boring, but if you know how it works (important point: no one really does) you can exist as a functioning human being in a moder...

Selects: How Nitrous Oxide Works

29 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For about 175 years people have been huffing nitrous oxide for everything from vision quests to anesthetic to get plain old high. And after all that t...

Night Trap: The Video Game Failure that Changed the Industry

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the early 90s a video game was released that changed the industry, despite poor sales and bad game play. That game was Night Trap. This is that sto...

Short Stuff: Parachute Emergency!

26 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Your parachute won’t open – now what?! Listen up to Josh and Chuck and you may make it out of this in one piece. Learn more about your ad-choices...

How Cleft Lips and Palates Work

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cleft lips and palates are common birth defects, but for the kids who have them (and their parents), its no small matter: Years of surgeries, therapy,...

Selects: How Hot Wheels Work

22 May 2021

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 ...

Girl Scouts: More than cookie sellers

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We put our research to the test and it turns out the Girl Scouts is a great organization. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodca...

Short Stuff: Speed Reading

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Back in the 60s and 70s, a speed reading craze broke out. Tough luck that speed reading is bunk. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihea...

The Cleveland Torso Murders

18 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

During the depths of the Great Depression, Cleveland’s most vulnerable and destitute residents were prey for one of history’s most horrific serial...

Selects: How Limousines Work

15 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The first limousines weren’t even cars! Learn all about the history of limousines, how they’re made and some of the most creative and expensive am...

How Monster Trucks Work

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve never seen a huge truck with gigantic tires do backflips or roll backward perched only on its two front tires, you haven’t lived yet. Ch...

Short Stuff: Garter Snakes

12 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Garter snakes aren’t scary, they’re pretty great! Learn all the reasons why in this episode! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihea...

The Ivy League

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Ivy League is technically a sports conference, but it's much more than that. Enjoy this special 3D episode with your earbuds on and learn all abou...

Selects: How Snake Handlers Work

08 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Snake handling ranges from professional snake milkers for antivenin to religious handlers who tend to get bitten and sometimes die from it. Either way...

How Uranium Mining Works

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mining uranium is dangerous work. Not only does it involve mining, which is dangerous itself, uranium is also found alongside some very radioactive st...

Short Stuff: Squarer Than Wombat Poop

05 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of the cutest animals on the planet is also the only one that squeezes out cube-shaped poop. Find out why today. Learn more about your ad-choices...

The Appendix: No Respect

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The poor appendix. Despite findings that it serves a purpose, many people still cast it off as a second rate organ and the Rodney Dangerfield of organ...

Selects: How Cave Dwellers Work

01 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You know the cavemen, a race of human cousins who lived exclusively in caves? They didn’t exist. Sure prehistoric hominids used caves sometimes but ...

How Corporate Taxes Work

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are lots of reasons to tax corporations: as a check on their power, to help pay for infrastructure, as a wealth tax. But the biggest reason econ...

Short Stuff: Ivar The Boneless

28 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Was Ivar the Boneless a real Viking warrior? Probably. Did he really have no bones? Probably not. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihe...

Truffles: Underground Treasures

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Truffles are rare, expensive and apparently delicious. Learn all about these earthy fungi today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihea...

Selects: How Profiling Works

24 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At its base, criminal profiling is a legitimate investigatory tool. The Supreme Court has drawn a clear line that bans profiling when it includes race...

How Stamp Collecting Works

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last two centuries philatelists – stamp collectors – have learned just about everything there is to know about every stamp ever printed. ...

Short Stuff: Madam C.J. Walker

21 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Join us today as we dive into the story of the first female self-made millionaire, Madam C.J. Walker. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www...

Mechanical Bulls!

20 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mechanical bulls are kind of weird, but they have certainly made a place in American pop culture over the years. Largely due to one movie, Urban Cowbo...

Selects: How Tupperware Works

17 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tupperware won immediate design acclaim when it was released in 1947, but it took a pioneering female executive to make a line of plastic food storage...

Hair Loss: The Pits

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Losing your hair is a situation that seems to be universally considered to absolutely stink. Unsurprisingly, humans have been trying all sorts of weir...

Short Stuff: Palindromes

14 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Chuck loves palindromes. So much that his very name is one. Oh wait... Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee om...

How the Electrical Grid Works

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The electrical grid that provides power to the US is one of those things you don’t give a second thought to until it stops working – then it’s t...

Selects: The Unsolved Mystery Disappearance of the Sodder Children

10 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1945 a house fire took the lives of five children - except that their bodies were never found. In this classic episode, dive into the longstanding ...

Muzak: Easy Listening Goodness

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Muzak got a bad reputation as bland garbage music. We aim to set the record straight. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastne...

Short Stuff: Venus de Milo

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Step into today's short stuff to learn all about the armless wonder! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omny...

Havana Syndrome: ¿Qué Diablos?

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2016, diplomats at the American embassy in Cuba began suffering weird neurological symptoms after hearing strange noises. Some say it was a sonic a...

Selects: How Circus Families Work

03 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Don't be confused - this one is about actual circus acts made of family members, not the controversial comic strip. Step right up to this classic epis...