Stuff You Should Know

Short Stuff: The NY Times Crossword

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today Chuck and Josh take a shallow dive in the warm pool that is the NY Times Crossword Puzzle. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihea...

The Soul Train Episode

21 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Chuck and Josh dive into the funky, cool world of the classic TV show, Sooooooooul Train. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihea...

SYSK Selects: How Labor Unions Work

18 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Yes, it's true: Unions have a shady mob-related past and were originally championed by anarchists. Born from medieval trade guilds, these organization...

How Wastewater Treatment Works

16 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

All that gross stuff we humans put in the water that gets flushed down the sewers has to be taken back out before that water is reintroduced to the en...

Short Stuff: Turning Down the Radio When You're Lost

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a typical human reaction: When you’re driving and you realize that you’re lost, you turn down the radio. On its face it makes no sense – ...

Bidets: Now More Than Ever

14 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We all know the benefits of bidets. But with toilet paper in short supply, they're more important than ever before. Learn more about your ad-choices ...

SYSK Selects: How Dissociative Identity Disorder Works

11 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dissociative Identity Disorder was known as multiple personality disorder until a case of mass hysteria brought on by the movie-mad public and unscrup...

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, Feminist Physician

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Becoming the first licensed woman physician in America was tough, convincing male surgeons to wash their hands between patients was even tougher. Toda...

Short Stuff: AAirpass

08 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the go-go 80s and 90s, American Airlines offered the AAirpass, a lifetime pass for unlimited first class travel. It was an amazing deal, but AA did...

The Legends of Lost Nazi Gold

07 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As if being murdering SOBs weren’t enough, the Nazis were also thieving rats. During WWII, they stole billons in gold from countries they overran an...

SYSK Selects: How the Deep Web Works

04 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Perhaps you didn’t realize that when you search the web you’re only skimming the surface. In fact, the types of web pages that turn up in your sea...

Student Loans: UGH!

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Student loans can be pretty complicated. Luckily Chuck and Josh are here to wade through the financial muck for you. Learn more about your ad-choices...

Short Stuff: 666

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Chuck and Josh dive into that scary number...666. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/l...

How Dog Training Works

31 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chuck and Josh explore the age-old question: Should you train your dog by treating it like a living, feeling being or should you beat them up and brea...

SYSK Selects: Can Nuclear Fusion Reactors Save The World?

28 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The world’s energy consumption is ruining the planet but for decades physicists have been working on what could solve the world’s energy and clima...

How COVID-19 Works

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We’re in the middle of an odd, tense time and Josh and Chuck are here to explain what’s going on and how to stay safe.  Learn more about your ad...

Short Stuff: Dagen H

25 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One day in 1967, Sweden changed what side of the road its citizens drive on. It went surprisingly well, considering. Learn more about your ad-choices...

Could A Robot Tax Win the War on Poverty?

24 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An old idea – giving every resident of a country a set amount of money every month with no strings attached – became a hot item in Silicon Valley ...

SYSK Selects: Virus Talk with Josh and Chuck

21 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Viruses are big jerks that invade regular cells and hold them hostage, making you sick while they're doing it. Learn everything you ever needed to kno...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Jim Henson Worked

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve already recorded an episode on The Muppets, but Jim Henson was such a neat guy we delved into him even further. Learn all about the man behind...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: SYSK Live: How Bars Work

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Join Josh and Chuck live from Vancouver as they dive in to the ins and outs of one of the oldest businesses in the world – the bar! Learn about the ...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Grass Works? Yes, How Grass Works

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There’s nothing more boring than watching grass grow, which is why Josh and Chuck aren’t asking you to do that. Instead, you can learn about all s...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Terraforming Will Work

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of great thinkers are warning that if humans are to survive as a species we are going to have to find another planet to live on. Terraforming, o...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Rogue Waves Work

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rogue waves come out of nowhere and tower as much as 100 feet over hapless ships they encounter, breaking across the boat and frequently breaking the ...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: Was there a real King Arthur?

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The legend of King Arthur is very old and very established. By the time the king who saved Britain and united it was first written about, his story wa...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: The Amazing History of Soda

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The soda we get instantly mixed at a fast-food joint owes a lot to a rich history going back to the Roman baths, that features drugs, diseases and exp...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Rodney Dangerfield Worked, Live From LA

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Other comedians cry on the inside, but Rodney Dangerfield built his entire act around his sad life. Get to know this legendary comic who was nearing 5...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: How Pinball Works

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pinball was actually illegal until the 1970s in NY and other cities, hidden in the backs of pornography shops. The game was finally legalized, thanks ...

SYSK Distraction Playlist: Sugar: It Powers the Earth

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Since sugar spread from Polynesia a few thousand years ago, the world has been crazy for it. Insanely high prices, wars and even slavery couldn't undo...

What was the Falkland Islands War all about anyway?

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The battle between Britain and Argentina over the rocky, cold Falkland Islands is one of the weirder wars in history. Learn all about it today! Learn...

Short Stuff: The Pledge of Allegiance

18 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The American Pledge of Allegiance is much more interesting than you might think. Give us 12 minutes and we'll fill you in. Learn more about your ad-c...

Chopsticks > Forks

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today Chuck and Josh sit and converse on the simple, elegant chopstick.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee...

SYSK Selects: How Monopoly Works

14 Mar 2020

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 origi...

How Ice Climbing Works

12 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A few decades ago, some people who liked to climb mountains decided they wanted to make it even harder and ice climbing was born. If you think rock cl...

Short Stuff: Teresita Basa

11 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the annals of American justice there is a 1977 case where the police were tipped off to the identity of a murderer by a woman who said she was poss...

How Coyotes Work

10 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The coyote truly is wily. Even after a century-long attempt to drive them to extinction, this close relative of domesticated dogs not only hung onto s...

SYSK Selects: How Gold Works

07 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As of early 2013, only 161,00 metric tons of gold had been mined in the entire history of the world. Considering about 85 percent of it is recycled, t...

Mardi Gras! One month late

05 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In true SYSK fashion, Josh and Chuck are late to the game. But never fear, they will still detail Mardi Gras in all its colorful glory.  Learn more ...

Short Stuff: Exclamation Points!

04 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We all use them! But did we always? NO!! Learn all about everyone's favorite punctuation mark today! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www....

How Morphic Fields Work?

03 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Biologist and science historian Rupert Sheldrake is known as a heretic of science, mostly for his deeply strange ideas about what connects all living ...

SYSK Selects: Your limb is torn off - now what?

29 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Were you to be the unfortunate victim of a limb removal of any sort, you could take hope. Here in the 21st century, doctors have gotten pretty handy a...

Sammy Davis Jr: National Treasure

27 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Today Josh and Chuck sit down and detail the complicated life of the late, great Sammy Davis Jr. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihea...

Short Stuff: Hawaiian Night Marchers

26 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Get ready for some Hawaiian folklore, people. Today we discuss the Night Marchers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwo...

What's the deal with indigo?

25 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Indigo is a color with a rich past. Learn all about it today.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudi...

SYSK Selects: How Cult Deprogramming Works

22 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The fear of cults in the 1970s drove Americans to look the other way on kidnappings, abuse and torture of cult members by deprogrammers – but did it...

Birthmarks: Probably Not the Mark of the Devil

20 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a pretty safe assumption that people have been born with birthmarks since humanity began, and between then and now we’ve come up with some wa...

Short Stuff: Mexican Jumping Beans

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mexican jumping beans are a real thing and they really do move around. It’s not magic, it’s nature! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://w...

The Unsolved Indiana Dunes Disappearances

18 Feb 2020

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 Selects: A Podcast on Zoot Suits? Yes

15 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Few riots can be attributed to passing fashions, but zoot suits are top among them. After originating among the Harlem Renaissance crowd, the zoot sui...

911 Is Not a Joke

13 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Josh and Chuck delve into the world of 911 in today's episode.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystud...

Short Stuff: Body Under The Bed

12 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A couple unknowingly spending the night above a dead body stuffed under their bed is a longstanding urban legend. And a true one. Learn more about yo...

Optogenetics: Controlling Your Genes with Light

11 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What if a genetic brain disease could be turned off simply by flashing a light in your eyes? What if your depression could be cured that way? Sounds a...

SYSK Selects: How Bonsai Works

08 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For thousands of years people have been taking normal trees and forcing them into miniature. Learn all about the history and art of this strangely eng...

Why are Pentecostals growing so rapidly?

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pentecostals are seemingly taking over the world. Or at least they're making up a larger section of Christianity than every before. Why? We'll dig in ...

Short Stuff: The Iowa Caucus

05 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Iowa Caucus is super important. But not really. Find out why.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnys...

How AI Facial Recognition Works

04 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With the development of increasingly smart artificial intelligence and lots more cameras spread around than ever before, we have reached a critical po...

SYSK Selects: How Maglev Trains Work

01 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to the amazing properties of magnets, clever engineers have figured out how to make entire trains levitate above their tracks, letting them mov...

Who were the Buffalo Soldiers?

30 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Josh and Chuck dive into history today to tell the story of the Buffalo Soldiers.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetw...

Short Stuff: The O.K. Corral

29 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in as we detail, in short, the legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com...

Amazing Animal Stories!

28 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Regular animal stories are wonderful enough, but when animals lead amazing lives the stories become almost unbearably wonderful. You’ve been warned!...

SYSK Selects: How the Scientific Method Works

25 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It evolved over centuries to become the gold standard for conducting scientific inquiry. Yet many people - including some scientists - don't fully und...

Barefoot Running: The Best Podcast Episode in History

23 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What is barefoot running? I think you know. But we'll detail all of the ins and outs. Listen and learn! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://w...

Short Stuff: Byford Dolphin Incident

22 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 1983, what may be the worst diving catastrophe in the history of deep sea oil exploration took place when a pressurized chamber was opened, instant...

Why Postal Employees Go Postal

21 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

1993 was known as the peak of a disturbing trend in America: post office shootings, carried out by postal workers. A stunned country looked for answer...

SYSK Selects: How the Placebo Effect Works

18 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For centuries, doctors have prescribed drugs they knew weren't real – but that still somehow worked. It wasn't until the 1980s that the placebo effe...

The Tulsa 'Race Riots'

16 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In reality, the Tulsa "race riots" of 1921 was more like a massacre. Yet it was almost lost to history until 1997, and still not widely known outside ...

Short Stuff: The Mona Lisa

15 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Mona Lisa is a captivating work of art. But why? We'll try and figure it out in today's short stuff. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...

Transdermal Implants: Body Art or Nightmare Fuel?

14 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Transdermal implants are just one in a number of procedures under the banner of extreme body modification. We don't like to yuk yums, so we'll offer a...

SYSK Selects: Jellyfish - Even Cooler Than Octopi?

11 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jellyfish are among the most adaptable, competitive organisms on the planet. They can grow back into their juvenile stage when resources are scarce, r...

The Disappearance of Flight MH370, Part II

09 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the absence of an official explanation of why flight MH 370 disappeared in 2014, conjecture and conspiracy theories have filled the vacuum. Learn ...

Short Stuff: Corduroy

08 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Learn 12 minutes worth of stuff about corduroy today! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/list...

The Disappearance of Flight MH370, Part I

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 2014, a Boeing 777 airliner disappeared. Despite two full years of searching an area of ocean covering more than 120,000 square kilometers, it has ...

SYSK Selects: Will Computers Replace Doctors?

04 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

With savvy and health-conscious people taking control of their wellbeing through apps and sites, technology is meeting the desire for individuals' res...

How Safecracking Works

02 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Burglars have come up with a whole range of ways to get into a safe. There’s lock manipulation – methodically testing the dial to coax the combina...

Short Stuff: Why Does Time Speed Up As You Age?

01 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not just you – time really does seem to pass faster for people as we age. But exactly why remains a mystery, though some of the theories for ...

Are broken arrows a problem?

31 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Are broken arrows are a problem? After all, they are incidents and accidents involving nuclear warheads. Like, sometimes they go missing. But it hasn'...

SYSK Selects: How Wine Fraud Works

28 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Wine fraud may be a case of rich con artists tricking wealthy people into parting with money, but it's still a crime. Learn all about this weird, wide...

SYSK Live: Andre the Giant

26 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Andre the Giant was a giant both figuratively and literally. Sure he was a wrestler, but more than that he was a human being who left a great legacy b...

Short Stuff: The Santa Claus Association

25 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If a con man manages to make needy Christmas wishes come true is he still a con man? (Also, Merry Christmas!) Learn more about your ad-choices at htt...

The SYSK Holiday Spectacular

24 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It's an annual treat, folks. Our holiday special is back and better than ever, and as always, brought to you ad-free. It's the least we can do.  Lea...

SYSK Selects: The Star Wars Holiday Special of 1978

21 Dec 2019

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 ...

Cave Diving: Totally Nuts

19 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There are extreme sports and then there is cave diving, the most extreme activity a person can engage in without leaving Earth. Cave divers stay under...

Short Stuff: Obituaries

18 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Learn everything we know about obituaries in 12 minutes! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/l...

MC Escher and His Trippy Art

17 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We love us some MC Escher. Turns out his story is pretty fascinating too. Tune in today.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodc...

SYSK Selects: How Currency Works

14 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Even if you entirely eschew the concept of money, we'll bet you'd be hard pressed not to trade in some form of currency. Learn how everything from cow...

How Anorexia and Bulimia Work

12 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Anorexia and bulimia - those twin eating disorders that seem so common and maybe even just a phase for a teenage girl – are actually the deadliest m...

Short Stuff: Whisky or Bourbon?

11 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

What's the difference between whisky and bourbon? We'll tell you if you care to listen. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcast...

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gin

10 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If there's one thing we've learned about Chuck over the years it's that he loves his gin. And he loves it even more now that understands it. Pour your...

SYSK Selects: How Amnesia Works

07 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Those movies where someone gets hit on the head and can't remember who they are anymore? They're actually not too far off from the reality of amnesia....

What's a gap year anyway?

05 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chuck thought a gap year was post college. Turns out, it's a post high school year off from academics, where you travel the world, help others, and fi...

Short Stuff: Macadamia Nuts

04 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Macadamia nuts aren't nuts! They're seeds! And they are delicious. And good for you in the right amount. Learn all about them today. Learn more about...

Did Climate Cause the Collapse of the Maya?

03 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

After millennia of development, the Maya culture suddenly collapsed at its peak. Why is one of the biggest mysteries of history. One theory says catas...

SYSK Selects: Fractals - Whoa

30 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1980s, IBM mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot gazed for the first time upon his famous fractal. What resulted was a revolution in math and geometr...

How Conversion Therapy Doesn't Work

28 Nov 2019

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...

Short Stuff: Niagara Falls Dewatered

27 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In 1969, the Army Corps of Engineers turned off one of the main waterfalls at Niagara Falls to see what could be done to preserve it. They found two c...

How Carbon-14 Dating Works

26 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Some of the carbon dioxide in your body is radioactive! Don’t worry, it won’t harm you (not sure why we used an exclamation point there). Instead,...

SYSK Selects: Have all the good ideas already been discovered?

23 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It's no secret that human beings have an obsession with innovation -- but has our species already found every good idea? As Josh and Chuck break down ...

What Makes a Must-Have Christmas Toy?

21 Nov 2019

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 Christmas toy of...

Short Stuff: Backyard Burials

20 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Time was that you’d bury a deceased relative in your yard; now it’s just weird. But it’s still legal – and if you want to do it, here’s how!...

The Murder Mystery of Ötzi the Iceman

19 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

About 5,300 years ago a Copper Age shepherd was murdered. He just happened to die in a place where his body was so well preserved that gave researcher...