Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
The Mysterious Story of Larry Bader
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Larry Bader disappeared in 1957 and reappeared a few days later with a new identity. Was it a brain ...
Short Stuff: The Mad Trapper of Rat River
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Join us today to learn the story of The Mad Trapper of Rat River, Canada's largest and most intense ...
GONG: The Chuck Barris Story
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Chuck Barris was a TV visionary, developing shows in the 70s that were decades ahead of their time. ...
Selects: The Quinoa Revolution!
04 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Quinoa is a trendy food, right alongside kale and anything else farm to table. But it's really an an...
How Saturn Works
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Saturn is the fanciest planet thanks to its prominent rings, cocked jauntily to the side. But this s...
Short Stuff: Watch Night
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Watch Night has been observed on New Year’s Eve by African-American Methodists in the US since 186...
The Filthy Magic of Studio 54
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Studio 54 was a nightclub, but really much more than that. It became a symbol of the times as much a...
Selects: The Three Christs of Ypsilanti Experiment
28 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the early 1960s, one of the most unethical experiments in psychology’s history was quietly cond...
Forensic Dentistry
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
We've all heard it - local news reports identifying a body from dental records. But how does this wo...
Short Stuff: Captain Santa
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Herman Scheunemann wasn’t the only captain carrying Christmas trees across Lake Michigan to Chicag...
The 2024 SYSK Christmas Extravaganza!
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Welcome to the end of 2024 and our annual Christmas Extravaganza episode, brought to you ad-free for...
Selects: Frances Perkins: Influential and Unknown
21 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Frances Perkins was an incredibly influential American yet is virtually unknown. What did she do? A ...
The Trivial Pursuit Trivia Edition
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
For our annual pre-Holiday-Special-holiday-episode-about-a-holiday-toy we are jumping into one of th...
Short Stuff: Feed A Cold, Starve a Fever
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
You know that old adage that you should feed a cold but starve a fever? It’s an ancient idea and w...
Taylorism: Work Faster!
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
If you’ve ever lost your job thanks to a management consultant coming through your company or been...
Selects: The Texas City Disaster of 1947
14 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 1947 the port town of Texas City, Texas became the site of the largest industrial disaster in Ame...
Tugboats: Pushing Their Way Around Since 1803
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Tugboats are amazing because they do the dirty work without much recognition. Well that's changing t...
Short Stuff: Joro Spiders
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
These invasive spiders are everywhere these days. But how did they get to the USA and are they harmf...
Ba-Gawk! How Peacocks Work
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
If you’ve ever wanted to know why peacocks have such amazing feathers, why they’re not all calle...
Selects: How The Pill Changed the World
07 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
When the birth control pill hit the market in 1960 it landed like a social bomb. Almost overnight, w...
The Ruby Ridge Standoff
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Ruby Ridge standoff still lingers after more than 30 years. But who was at fault for the lives l...
Short Stuff: Franca Viola
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
One of the world’s unsung heroes – at least outside of Italy – is a brave woman who stood up t...
Solipsism: This Is All In My Mind?
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
As the philosophical holds, there’s a chance you don’t exist, that not only you, but this episod...
Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular
30 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made...
LIVE: Minneapolis - The Madd Gasser of Mattoon
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Please enjoy our 2024 live show about the wild tale of the Madd Gasser of Mattoon. See omnystudio.c...
Short Stuff: Erfurt Latrine Disaster
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A terrible thing happened in Germany in the summer of 1184.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...
The Wild History of Tetris
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Tetris is an iconic game with a fascinating history. Dive in today to learn all about this classic p...
Selects: How the Stanford Prison Experiment Worked
23 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The infamous Stanford Prison Experiment wasn't really much of an experiment as it turns out. It was ...
The Story of Tavern on the Green
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Tavern on the Green is a legendary NY eatery that has never rated particularly well with food critic...
Short Stuff: The Gaslighting of Martha Mitchell
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Martha Mitchell, the wife of Nixon's Attorney General, was well-known to spread a juicy rumor. That'...
The Saga of Silk Road
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The US government took a thumb in the eye with the creation of the Silk Road website. Right there on...
Selects: The Cleveland Torso Murders
16 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
During the depths of the Great Depression, Cleveland’s most vulnerable and destitute residents wer...
The Fascinating History of Dandelions
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Dandelions are way more interesting than you think. Trust us and click play. See omnystudio.com/lis...
Short Stuff: The wAve
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
It’s a thrill to stand and, raise your arms, maybe give a woo! then sit down again, especially if ...
Kids' Chemistry Sets: KABOOM!
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A surprising number of Nobel Prize winners credit their childhood chemistry set for sparking their i...
Selects: What's a quinceañera anyway?
09 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A quinceañera is the celebration of a girl of Hispanic heritage becoming a young woman on her 15th ...
ADHD pt 2
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, the conclusion of the two-part episode on ADHD.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...
Short Stuff: Tornado Alley
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
North America gets as many as 1400 tornadoes a year. The place with the next highest is the UK at 33...
ADHD pt 1
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Today, Josh and Chuck dive into part one of their two-part suite on ADHD.See omnystudio.com/listener...
Selects: The Strange Story of Sea Monkeys
02 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Anyone who ever picked up a comic book as a kid probably marveled at the ads for the mysterious Sea ...
15th Annual SYSK Halloween Spooktacular!
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Buckle up folks, it's time for another of our favorite traditions, the SYSK Halloween Spooktacular! ...
Short Stuff: Two Scary True Shorties!
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Josh and Chuck dive into two spooky true stories in today's Short Stuff.See omnystudio.com/listener ...
The Mystery of the Skeletons of Roopkund Lake
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the greatest unsolved historic mysteries is found in a lake atop a mountain glacier high up i...
Selects: Why Landmines Are The Deadliest Legacy Of War
26 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the worst legacies of war are the millions of landmines left behind. They hide for decades af...
Spend Some Time with Fairies
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most people think of Tinkerbell when we think of fairies, but the Disney versions capture only the l...
Short Stuff: The Story of Spirit Halloween
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Every August, abandoned storefronts across America are filled with the spirit of Halloween, by way o...
Q Anon: When Wild Conspiracy Went (sort of) Mainstream
22 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Q Anon believes many things, including that Tom Hanks is a Satan-worshipping, child-eating pedophile...
Selects: Porcupines: Little Stabby Cutie Pies
19 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We love animals. A lot. Especially underrated ones like the darling porcupine. Listen in to this cla...
Kudzu: The Vine That Just Won't Stop
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you're from the American South, then kudzu is something that cannot be avoided. But how did this ...
Short Stuff: Redacted!
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The process of redacting sensitive information is long and storied. But are there even any rules tha...
The Anarchist Cookbook: Funny but Dangerous
15 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You might have owned the Anarchist Cookbook once, but you probably didn’t use it to turn a shotgun...
Selects: How Paramedics Work
12 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Paramedics are not EMTs. Or fire fighters. Or cops. But they do ride around in ambulances (and drive...
Swatches!
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The story of the Swatch is super cool and one of the great retail successes. Listen in today to find...
Short Stuff: Mystery of the Sarah Jo
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In another chapter of our continuing mysteries of the sea theme, we deliver a truly baffling mystery...
Gobekli Tepe
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gobekli Tepe is a profoundly ancient spiritual site that shouldn’t exist, according to conventiona...
Selects: How the Escape from Alcatraz Worked
05 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1962, three ordinary criminals transcended into folk heroes when they crawled out of their cells ...
The Strange Story of Lysol
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Lysol we know now is sold as disinfectant only. But at one time it was also marketed as a means ...
Short Stuff: Flower Power
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What we equate with acid, hippies, and garish polyester prints actually began as a theatrical way of...
The Shadow Biosphere: Is There Other Life on Earth?
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As far as we know life evolved once in the universe – here on Earth in the form of life as we know...
Selects: Rosa Parks: Agent of Change
28 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rosa Parks finishes out our Black History Month episodes in grand fashion. While most know her from ...
The Judas Priest Suicide Trial
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A greatest hit of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s came when the metal band Judas Priest was put on tr...
Short Stuff: The SS Ourang Medang
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We love our ghost ships here at SYSK and this is one of the better ones. But did it really even exis...
Four Eyes Good: The History of Glasses
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Glasses as we know them have only been around for a few hundred years. So what did people do before ...
Selects: How Government Shutdowns Work
21 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Every year Congress decides how the federal government will spend money. Simple enough, but in pract...
Tom Slick: Not the Cartoon
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There's a good chance that if you don't live in San Antonio, Texas, you may not know who scientist/a...
Short Stuff: The Killing Stone
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Killing Stone looms large in Japanese folklore, so when it split in half in March 2022, people w...
Would A Love Drug Be Ethical?
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What if science could create a drug that made you connect with people more deeply, let your emotions...
Selects: The Manson Family Murders Part 2
14 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Listen in to this classic episode for the conclusion of the story of the Manson Family Murders.See o...
Celebration Florida: The Story of a Utopia that Never Was
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The town of Celebration, Florida was supposed to be a utopia. What it ended up as is a mediocre neig...
Short Stuff: Uncle Sam Wants YOU!
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who is Uncle Sam anyway? Was it a real person or just a marketing exercise? And why does he refuse t...
Henry Ford: The Good, Bad and Ugly
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Henry Ford was an odd guy, but one who had a vision for America that centered around a populist, aff...
Selects: How Futurology Works
07 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Science fiction writers have made some amazingly accurate predictions over the years, but in 1945 th...
Ludwig II: The Only Real King of the 19th Century
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Outside of Germany, King Ludwig II is relatively unknown. And, yet, he is one of history’s most tr...
Short Stuff: Rescuing Mistreated Pets
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You – yes, you! – can be a hero to neglected and abused animals. But there’s a right way to do...
The History of Streaming Music
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Napster reared its head in 1999, it marked the beginning of the end of the compact disc era. To...
Selects: The Manson Family Murders Part 1
31 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The '60s ended with a lot of turbulence, not the least of which was the Manson Family Murders. What ...
How Bomb Disposal Works
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Out of all the jobs a person can have, few are as overtly dangerous as making sure bombs don’t go ...
Short Stuff: Skid Row (not the band)
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did a large section of downtown Los Angeles become a permanent fixture of unhoused individuals? ...
The Strange Story of the 1904 Olympic Marathon
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Olympic marathon of 1904 is an incredible story filled with wacky characters, cheating, heat and...
Selects: Hummingbirds: Ornery Helicopters of the Animal Kingdom
24 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you didn’t already know how amazing hummingbirds are, prepare to learn. Not only do they count ...
The Luddites: Misunderstood Working Class Heroes
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we think of Luddites as people who don’t know how to use technology or are maybe even afraid...
Short Stuff: Chupacabra
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What in the world is a chupacabra? Is it even real or is it the stuff of legend? Listen in to find o...
True Mysteries of the Internet
20 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There is A LOT of made-up stuff on the internet that gets passed off as true. But once in a while so...
Selects: Body Language!
17 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Body language is how you communicate without words. Some say it bears more impact in communication t...
The Cher Episode
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cher is an icon, with hits spanning an unbelievable SEVEN decades. So kick back as we laud the singe...
Short Stuff: Tarring and Feathering
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Being tarred and feathered is an old trope in America, but the actuality of it was pretty brutal, no...
Minecraft! Minecraft! Minecraft!
13 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s so simple, yet so compelling: you mine blocks and cut down trees to put things together to ma...
Selects: Genghis Khan: Madman or Genius?
10 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Depending on who you talk to, Genghis Khan was either a sadistic madman or one of the great leaders ...
The Call of the Void: Don’t Pick Up!
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us have experienced the odd sensation that we shouldn’t trust ourselves not to simply jump...
Short Stuff: Pruney Skin
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We know how our skin prunes, but we don't know for sure why. Chuck likes the leading theory, Josh do...
The Story of Rudolf Diesel
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rudolf Diesel was a game changing inventor, though his most famous product was not used how he envis...
Selects: Timber! How Timber Works
03 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout much of the world, the forests are being managed through sustainable timber harvesting pr...
The One About Car Washes
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The car wash you get to ride through on a journey to sparklingness is made of a handful of different...
Short Stuff: ZIP Codes!
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
ZIP codes are pretty self-explanatory, but there are all kinds of fun facts around the topic. Listen...
Who was Dr. Bronner?
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You may have his soap in your shower, but what do you know about the man himself? Buckle up, here co...
Selects: The Tulsa 'Race Riots'
27 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In reality, the Tulsa "race riots" of 1921 was more like a massacre. Yet it was almost lost to histo...
The KILLDOZER Rampage
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Killdozer rampage is one of those stories you just couldn't make up. Yet it happened. And we're ...
Short Stuff: The Ritchie Boys
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who were the Ritchie Boys? Listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...
Phone Phreaking: The Advent of Hacking
23 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Years ago the telephone network was like the internet is to us today: a vast, interconnected means o...
Selects: The Duality of Caffeine
20 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Caffeine is a heck of a drug - at the same time it's both good and bad for you. Learn the good, bad ...