Stuff You Should Know
Episodes
SYSK Selects: How Salt Works
16 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A Roman senator once said, "Mankind can live without gold, but not without salt." Right he was. The human body needs salt so much we have developed a ...
NYC Water: An Engineering Marvel
14 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Getting the rain and melted snow from upstate NY into the taps of every NYC resident and business is one of the great feats of engineering. Does it ta...
Short Stuff: The Conch Republic
13 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Back in 1982, Key West seceded from the United States. Don’t believe us? It’s true! Just listen to the episode, will you? Learn more about your a...
Augmented Reality: Coming Soon?
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Augmented reality adds a digital layer over the real world and soon it will revolutionize how we live. Ultra-tailored information will be everywhere w...
SYSK Selects: Can you Treat Mental Illness with Psychedelics?
09 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Hallucinogenic drugs are currently illegal, but they were once commonly used in psychological treatment. In this classic episode, Josh and Chuck discu...
Cockney Rhyming Slang: Beautiful Gibberish
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is Cockney Rhyming Slang? It's complicated and its origins are unclear. Learn everything we know about it today. Learn more about your ad-choi...
How Ironman Triathlons Work
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sure, you could train for months to finish a marathon, but why not make things interesting? Ironman triathlons add a 2.4-mile swim and a 112-mile bike...
Short Stuff: The History of Paternity Testing
06 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Paternity testing. It wasn't science for many years, yet they still tried to do it. Learn all about it in 12 minutes. Learn more about your ad-choice...
SYSK Selects: Halitosis - Worst Smell Ever?
02 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Occasional bad breath is one thing, halitosis is another. Or is it? From its odd origins as a marketing ploy to modern weight loss diets that can indu...
SYSK’s Scare Your Socks Off Halloween Spooktacular 2019
31 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Josh and Chuck chose a truly unsettling story by one of the greatest science fiction authors of all time – Philip K Dick. Join the boys as they read...
Short Stuff: Our Shortie Halloween Spooktacular
30 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Join us today as we read three short horror selections from Ambrose Bierce. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.co...
Where Did Trick-Or-Treating Come From?
29 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We aren’t exactly sure who invented trick-or-treating – kids who realized they could extort adults for candy, or adults who bought off kids in exc...
SYSK Selects: How Haunted House Attractions Work
26 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ever since the Egyptians, humans have been evolving toward haunted house attractions. The level of sophistication in the scares and gore effects conti...
How Historic Districts Work
24 Oct 2019
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...
Short Stuff: The Toxic Death of Gloria Ramirez
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 1994 the body of a woman who died in a California ER somehow became toxic and sickened 24 people. To this day, no one is sure what happened. Learn...
What's the deal with subpoenas?
22 Oct 2019
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 today's episode. Learn more abou...
SYSK Selects: The 'Satanic Panic' of the 1980s
19 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the late 1980s, the United States experienced a "Satanic Panic," leading parents to fear for the safety of their children. But were there any real ...
How Project Blue Book Worked, Pt II
17 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A rash of UFO sightings kicks off a new spike in America’s UFO fever and new headaches for the Air Force, which continues to reluctantly investigate...
Short Stuff: The Disappearance of Ambrose Bierce
16 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ambrose Bierce was a journalist and writer of short stories. He also disappeared rather mysteriously. Listen in and learn of the various theories on w...
How Project Blue Book Worked, Pt I
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SYSK Selects: How Black Boxes Work
12 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Black boxes are designed to be the only survivor of plane crashes so they can live to tell the tale of what went wrong to prevent future accidents. Si...
The Ins and Outs of Beekeeping
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Who wants fresh honey? We do! Learn all about the ancient art of beekeeping today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwo...
Short Stuff: The Devil's Den
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Devil's Den is the sight of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Is it haunted? Nope. But still creepy. Learn more about your ad-choi...
How Environmental Psychology Works
08 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the 60s, psychology expanded from exploring inside the mind to exploring the inside of buildings. Environmental psychology looks at how our spaces ...
SYSK Selects: How Pez Works
05 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
PEZ began in Vienna as a mint meant to help people quit smoking. But once American kids got ahold of it, the candy took off and a symbol of childhood ...
What were the Freedom Schools?
03 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Freedom Schools were set up in Mississippi in the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, with the aim of giving young black school children agency and a ...
Short Stuff: Fish n' Chips
02 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How did these two wonderful strangers meet up and become best friends? The answers lie within today's short stuff. Learn more about your ad-choices...
Guardian Angels: Behind the Red Beret
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you grew up in the 1980s, then you know who the Guardian Angels are. If you don't then you're in for quite a story. Listen in! Learn more about ...
SYSK Selects: What Happened at Kent State?
28 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On May 4, 1970, four days of anti-war protests at Kent State University in Ohio culminated in the unthinkable when Ohio guardsmen opened fire on prote...
What are paraphilias?
26 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Josh and Chuck dive into the world of paraphilias so you can get the skinny in 45 minutes or less. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www....
Short Stuff: Dare Stones
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What happened to the Lost Colonists who disappeared from Roanoke Island in the 1580s remains a mystery to this day. But it’s possible a carved stone...
We Are Running Out of Sand and That Actually Matters
24 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sand, we’re beginning to realize, is a non-renewable resource - and we are consuming it at a voracious pace. We use it in every construction project...
SYSK Selects: Could You Live Without a Refrigerator?
21 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do you know that hulking refrigerator in your kitchen emits CO2 thanks to the electricity it uses each year? It's a comparatively small amount, in tru...
How the US Interstate System Works
19 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Wait! This is actually a good episode! It turns out that America’s 48,000 miles of superhighways – possibly the largest civil works project in the...
Short Stuff: Scurvy
18 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Scurvy seems like a terrible way to go: Your gums swell so you can’t eat, your teeth fall out and your brain and/or heart hemorrhages. Fortunately, ...
The Skinny on Lyme Disease
17 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you live in the Northeastern U.S. then you may know someone who has had Lyme disease. But it's spreading all over the country and parts of the worl...
SYSK Selects: How Wills Work
14 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Whether it's oral, scrawled in blood or signed on a deathbed everyone should have a will. But how do they actually work? Join Chuck and Josh as they e...
Special Effects: A Short History
12 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Special effects have been around since the first movies. In fact, the techniques the earliest filmmakers created are still around today, we just use c...
Short Stuff: Papasan Chairs
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Oh, the papasan. What a chair! But where did it come from? And what does the name mean? The answers lie within. Learn more about your ad-choices at h...
How Government Shutdowns Work
10 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Every year Congress decides how the federal government will spend money. Simple enough, but in practice politics tend to mess it up. Sometimes it gets...
SYSK Selects: How Ouija Boards Work
07 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Although most people who've used Ouija boards don't think they're communicating with the beyond, there is something mysterious about how it works. Lea...
What's the deal with MSG?
05 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
MSG got a bad rap in the 70s and 80s. But what is it exactly and how bad is it for you? The answers to those questions lie within. Learn more about...
Short Stuff: Barbed Wire
04 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Barbed wire changed the Western US as much as the railroad and the six-shooter. Before barbed wire arrived, the West was free and open; after, the Wes...
Ed Gein: The Serial Killer's Serial Killer
03 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Any movie featuring a deranged killer who’s perversely devoted to his mother and makes things out of human skin has a real-life person named Ed Gein...
SYSK Selects: How Icebergs Work
31 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Icebergs: floating chunks of ice. True, but whoa there. Scientists are learning that there's a lot more to icebergs. Appropriately enough, we've only ...
The Rubik's Cube Episode
29 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Rubik's Cubes. Ronald Reagan. Jerry Falwell. Just Say No. One of these things was awesome. Take a guess and hop on board the 80s train. Learn more ...
Short Stuff: Dead Bodies and Airline Codes
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know there are airline codes for pilots and flight attendants? And some of them have to do with dead bodies on board? Learn all about it today...
A Brief Overview of Punk Rock
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Punk rock really needs about 10 episodes to do it justice, but we'll try and tackle anyway. Learn all about this movement right now. Learn more abo...
SYSK Selects: How Sleepwalking Works
24 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sleep behaviors are pretty fascinating. Some people snore, some grind their teeth -- and some take a little stroll, or perhaps a drive. In this classi...
How Ventriloquism Works
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ventriloquism – where a skilled performer “throws” their voice, making it seem like a dummy on their knee is talking – has taken a long, circu...
Short Stuff: Horseshoe Crab Blood
21 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps the most expensive liquid on the planet is the blue blood that comes from horseshoe crabs. Researchers realized that horseshoe crab blood coul...
Nuclear Semiotics: How to Talk to Future Humans
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The nuclear waste we produce will be dangerous for a very long time. We’ve figured out how to safely store it in the earth until it’s no longer a ...
SYSK Selects: Are We in a Cyberwar?
17 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There's a secret war going on around us, and it's happening on a daily basis. The Air Force has a unit specifically designed to carry out and defend a...
How Peyote Works
15 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Josh and Chuck have tackled a lot of drugs on the show, but peyote has loomed like a bad Jim Morrison poem. Learn all about this plant today. Learn...
Short Stuff: Petrichor
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You know that amazing smell when it rains? Kind of clean, kind of earthy, one of a kind? It turns out that a miracle of nature produces it. Learn mor...
Solar Power: The Future or What?
13 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve been promised solar energy for a while now – where is it? Turns out, it’s been quietly and steadily growing across the world. And with a f...
SYSK Selects: What Is a Shotgun House?
10 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Shotgun houses are iconic pieces of American architecture: they're long, narrow, and filled with artistic flourishes. But where did they come from? Jo...
Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 2
08 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the operation expands it also begins to unravel. Word starts to leak out of the illegal stuff the Reagan administration was up to, Congress and the...
Short Stuff: Time Zones
07 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Time zones are a pain. Let's get rid of them! Can we? Sure! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.co...
Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 1
06 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When Ronald Reagan was president, America got involved in some deeply shady stuff, not the least of which was the Iran-Contra scandal – a convoluted...
SYSK Selects: How the Black Death Worked
03 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Black Death was gruesome: Symptoms included tumors, purple splotches, fevers and vomiting. But how did this disease manage to spread from the Gobi...
What Were the BONE WARS?
01 Aug 2019
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 fossils w...
Short Stuff: The Man Who Didn’t Eat for a Year
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 1965, a 456-pound man walked into a hospital in Scotland and asked for help with a fast. That was the last day he ate for more than a year. Learn a...
Will Deepfakes Ruin the World?
30 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Very recently, thanks to a new type of AI, it’s gotten much easier to create convincingly realistic videos of people saying and doing things they’...
SYSK Selects: How Human Cannonballs Work
27 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There's no question that human cannonballs are daredevils. They pack themselves into the confines of huge cannons, which shoot them into the air. But ...
How Eyewitness Testimony Works(?)
25 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Few things are more compelling than a witness pointing out a defendant in the courtroom as the perpetrator. But few things are also more unreliable th...
Short Stuff: Aristides de Sousa Mendes
24 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week we highlight another little known historical hero. In this case, a Portuguese diplomat who rescued people from Nazi Germany, at his own peri...
MOVE: Or When the Philly Police Dropped a Bomb on a Residential Neighborhood
23 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Believe it or not, in 1985 the Philadelphia Police Department dropped a bomb from a helicopter onto a residential building in an African-American neig...
SYSK Selects: How Crack Works
20 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Back in the mid-1980s a new and extremely potent drug hit the scene: crack cocaine. In short order, America was in the grip of both a sweeping addicti...
Sand Dunes: They Are What You Think They Are
18 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sand dunes are exactly what you think they are. But still pretty interesting. Learn all about them right now! Learn more about your ad-choices at htt...
Short Stuff: Yellow Rain
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After the Vietnam War, the Hmong people told the world a toxic weapon was being used on them. Thus began a mystery that still remains today, which mig...
How Going to the Moon Works
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Fifty years ago, the first humans stepped onto the moon. After going back a few more times, humanity lost its taste for moon travel. But it’s being ...
SYSK Selects: Duels - A Guide to Throwing Down the Gauntlet
13 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Pretty much everything you know about duels is true - it's a challenge to violence to defend honor. But did you know the U.S. Navy used to publish det...
How Sloths Work
11 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone knows sloths are super slow, but do you know they’re slow because their bodies produce an astoundingly small amount of energy? And did you ...
Short Stuff: The Coconut Cult
10 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why we love short stuff - because we can tell stories like this one. A man goes to an island to start a commune of sorts that subsists entirely on coc...
Cleopatra: Ms. Understood
09 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the great misunderstood figures in history was the last pharaoh of Egypt. Cleopatra’s story is almost always told along with the men in her l...
SYSK Selects: What Makes us Yawn?
06 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is it that makes us suddenly draw in a deep breath through a wide-open mouth? The beautiful thing about yawning is that researchers really don't ...
How the Fairness Doctrine Worked
04 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Back in the day, broadcasters were bound by law to provide contrasting opinions on political matters. Why? Because of the Fairness Doctrine. What happ...
Short Stuff: Mitsuye Endo
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In today's short stuff, we look at another amazing woman who has all but been ignored by history. The story of Mitsuye Endo. Learn more about your ...
Is photographic memory a real thing?
02 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Photographic memory is the stuff of movies and TV, but is it real? Sort of. But not really. But kind of. It's a little bit a matter of semantics. List...
SYSK Selects: What Makes a One-hit Wonder?
29 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The term "one-hit wonder" gets thrown around a lot, and - yes - you probably are using it correctly, but Chuck Bryant went to the trouble to really de...
What is the Civil Air Patrol?
27 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Civil Air Patrol is a civilian group of pilots and plane enthusiasts who do a lot of things, namely help out in search and rescue missions. But th...
Short Stuff: Prison Food
26 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Prison food is kind of a joke, like airplane food. But there are real consequences involved. Let's get into it in today's short stuff. Learn more abo...
Planned Obsolescence: Engine of the Consumer Economy
25 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever heard an old timer gripe that things aren’t built like they used to be, that old timer was right! Learn about the nefarious, possib...
SYSK Selects: How the Donner Party Worked
22 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Did they or didn't they? There is plenty of written evidence that the ill-fated Donner Party resorted to cannibalism - except there are no bones. Lear...
What happened to the Neanderthals?
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As recently as 40,000 years ago we lived among humans from an entirely different species – Neanderthals. About the same time our species showed up, ...
Short Stuff: Emperor Norton
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After a San Francisco real estate mogul went bankrupt, he reinvented himself as the Emperor of the United States – and became the city’s most cele...
How the Hygiene Hypothesis Works
18 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 90s, a new study that found that kids who are exposed to more germs early in life are less likely to develop allergies later. With the We...
SYSK Selects: What's the Deal with Crop Circles?
15 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For a while in the 1980s, people were fascinated and confused about what exactly crop circles were. Now we know that they aren't signs left from alien...
How Area 51 Works
13 Jun 2019
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 reverse...
Short Stuff: Smoke Signals
12 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Were smoke signals real or a Hollywood invention? Turns out, they were indeed a thing and invented by the Chinese, even. Learn more about your ad-c...
What's the gig economy?
11 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The gig economy is not new, but it's bigger than ever. Is that a good thing? We'll discuss that today! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://ww...
SYSK Selects: How Capgras Syndrome Works
08 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There is an extremely rare condition where the sufferer is convinced that everyone around him is an impostor posing as their friends and family. Learn...
What is perfect pitch?
06 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Perfect pitch, or absolute pitch, is when you can sing a note with no reference from other notes, perfectly on key. Is it an asset? Chuck says yes. Le...
Short Stuff: Robert Johnson and the Devil
05 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Did the legendary blues singer really sell his soul to the devil in exchange for amazing musical skills? Probably not! But there’s still an interest...
How Barcodes Work
04 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Barcodes are everywhere. Those little lines and numbers that make up one of the most recognizable barcodes, the UPC, was designed to make going to the...
SYSK Selects: How TV Ratings Work
01 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder why some great shows go off the air after a season or less? Blame it on the Nielsen company, which has for more than 60 years been the alm...
The Tylenol Murders, Part II
30 May 2019
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...
Short Stuff: Look-Alike Old Couples
29 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You know how some older married couples (sorry, senior adult married couples) start to look alike over time? That’s a really weird phenomenon if you...
The Tylenol Murders, Part I
28 May 2019
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...