Stuff You Should Know

Scrabble is a game that neither of us plays with regularity. And maybe that's good for this episode. We're all learning, right?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 11 March 2025

It is literally all around you (and even inside you) - electricity makes up the basis of modern life. But what exactly is electricity and how does it work? In this classic episode, Josh and Chuck chase away the darkness and explain electricity in their usual electrifying way.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 8 March 2025

The market for Chinese art used to be very small and is now a billion dollar annual industry. What changed? And how is this all tied to a string of heists? Listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2025

A request by our producer Dave C, we explore how totally on your own you were in Medieval England when the court declared you an outlaw.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 March 2025

The telephone switchboard was a real wonder of technology and laid the groundwork for the next generation of connectivity. Learn how these things worked today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 4 March 2025

Crickets are part of a larger insect-based diet enjoyed in most parts of the world. Loaded with vitamins, minerals and protein, and green to boot, crickets could help solve some of the world's food problems if Europe and America get on board. Learn all about cricket farming in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 1 March 2025

In a tribute to the late founder of HowStuffWorks Marshall Brain, we chose one of his great articles. Learn all about how your phone knows how to get you around without bumping into stuff or running people over in this episode. Thank you, Marshall.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 27 February 2025

Fanta has its roots in Germany during WWII, so the Nazi association is something that's tough to deny. Dive in and hear all about how this beloved soda got its start as a non-orange, bad-tasting fizzy drink.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 February 2025

One of the more famous unsolved true crime cases concerns a woman found stuffed into a tree in a woods outside Worcestershire during WWII. Despite an extensive effort by police at the time of her discovery, she still has never been identified.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 February 2025

A decade before the U.S. officially segregated in 1896, baseball banned black players. A decade before the US integrated, baseball broke the color barrier. Between, the Negro Leagues produced some of the finest players to ever take the field. Explore this important piece of American history with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 22 February 2025

Does everyone have an inner monologue? What purpose do they serve? What if you don't have one? Listen in to find out these answers and MORE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 20 February 2025

The 24/7 short order restaurant Waffle House is known for staying open during natural disasters, so much so that federal agencies gauge where to start helping in areas where they’re closed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 19 February 2025

Harry Belafonte is most famous for introducing America to calypso music, with hits like Day-O and Jump In the Line. But he was also one of the most earnest and hard-working fighters of injustice America has ever produced and he deserves to be celebrated.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 18 February 2025

The collar bomb heist is the crime caper that keeps on giving. Every time the story seemed like it was figured out, another layer appeared. Tune in to this classic episode to hear Josh and Chuck detail this very odd and twisty story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 15 February 2025

Operation Flagship was undertaken at a time when the U.S. Marshals performed their jobs with a lot of flair. What other agency would throw a football party in order to arrest a handful of (mostly) non-violent criminals?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 13 February 2025

If you lived in ancient Persia, you could do a lot worse in trying to cool things down than by building a yakhchāl. Today we break down how the early fridges worked.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 February 2025

Keeping things cold with electricity changed the world as we know it. In more ways than you might expect. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 11 February 2025

The robber barons were not a group of evil super villains. OR WERE THEY? Learn all about these titans of industry from the Gilded Age in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 8 February 2025

Since it was introduced in the 60s, the Tragedy of the Commons, the idea that humans will inevitably ruin any resource we all share, has had sweeping effects on government and public attitudes on who owns the environment. Problem is, it was fictitious.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 6 February 2025

One of the lesser-known cases of American true crime is also a very sad one. Meet Charles Morgan, a man who got in over his head with organized crime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 February 2025

Beneath Paris lies the bones of more than 6 million people. And you can walk among them for 31 euros. These are the Paris catacombs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 4 February 2025

It was only in the last few decades that science became aware that itches aren't just low-level pain. And in that time, the mystery of how we itch and why we scratch has gotten even more baffling. Explore the mystery with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 1 February 2025

You want payback don’t you? Sure, we all do. We all want it so bad. So bad. Sometimes people do things to get payback against someone who’s wronged them and sometimes those things they do are memorable and monumental. We commemorate some here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 30 January 2025

Guiness beer is famous for its smooth and creamy texture, thanks in part to nitrogen, and also a simplistically brilliant little device called the Guinness widget.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 29 January 2025

Being gullible is a weird thing. But are you born with it? Is it learned? Can you be trusting and not gullible? Listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 28 January 2025

Mount St. Helen's is a lovely sight to behold, but was a pretty scary thing to be around in the Spring of 1980. Listen in to the harrowing story in this classic episode!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 January 2025

Once upon a time no visit to New York was complete without eating at an automat. Putting a nickel in a slot and pulling your own ham sandwich from a lit glass case thrilled people to no end. Eventually the novelty wore off and automats faded into history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 23 January 2025

Bread is about 30,000 years old. Sliced bread is less than 100. What gives? Listen in to find out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 22 January 2025

Whether you’re 20.5 or 50, if you love pot then High Times was the magazine for you. With ton of photos of marijuana, tips for how to grow it yourself, and other illegal stuff, High Times hung in there long enough to go from outlaw to mainstream.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 21 January 2025

Foreign accent syndrome isn't when your mom talks funny when she goes abroad. It's an actual condition where people wake up one day with an entirely different accent, usually from some kind of head trauma. Learn all about this decidedly rare affliction in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 18 January 2025

Every Spring in northeastern Tennessee, roughly 40 people compete in a marathon they are very unlikely to finish. This is the Barkley Marathons. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 January 2025

Bourgeoisie is more than a word. It means something different depending on when and where it's being used.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 15 January 2025

During WWII a perfectly-executed sabotage operation by British Special Operations and the Norwegian Resistance put a dent in the Nazi’s quest for an atomic bomb. Today, it’s unclear how effective it really was, but it’s still a heckuva story!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 14 January 2025

What has become a buzz word for corporate retreats and a way to get a discount on your health insurance is, at its core, a powerful, centuries-old Buddhist method of moving through life and dealing with the suffering that inevitably comes along with it. Learn all about it in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 11 January 2025

Larry Bader disappeared in 1957 and reappeared a few days later with a new identity. Was it a brain injury or a scam? To this day, nobody knows. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 9 January 2025

Join us today to learn the story of The Mad Trapper of Rat River, Canada's largest and most intense manhunt.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 8 January 2025

Chuck Barris was a TV visionary, developing shows in the 70s that were decades ahead of their time. But was he also a covert assassin for the CIA? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 January 2025

Quinoa is a trendy food, right alongside kale and anything else farm to table. But it's really an ancient grain. Although it's not exactly a grain at all. Technically it's a pseudo-cereal. But it is tasty and nutritious, a true superfood. Learn all about the food with the funny name in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 4 January 2025

Saturn is the fanciest planet thanks to its prominent rings, cocked jauntily to the side. But this showy gem of the solar system has a lot of substance in addition to a great sense of style. Learn what makes Saturn so interesting in this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 2 January 2025

Watch Night has been observed on New Year’s Eve by African-American Methodists in the US since 1862, to mark the passage of the Emancipation Act. But this religious holiday goes back even farther in history, with even more layers of meaning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 1 January 2025

Studio 54 was a nightclub, but really much more than that. It became a symbol of the times as much as anything else in the 1970s. Strap on your platform heels and get down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 31 December 2024

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 to upend the delusions of the three patients involved, but ultimately disabused the experimenter of his own. Tune in to this classic episode to hear Josh and Chuck explore this disturbing project.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 28 December 2024

We've all heard it - local news reports identifying a body from dental records. But how does this work? Well, that's our job!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 December 2024

Herman Scheunemann wasn’t the only captain carrying Christmas trees across Lake Michigan to Chicago at the turn of the last century, but he was the most beloved. Which makes this episode even sadder.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 December 2024

Welcome to the end of 2024 and our annual Christmas Extravaganza episode, brought to you ad-free for you listening pleasure. Please pour a hot toddy and enjoy around the fir tree of your choosing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 23 December 2024

Frances Perkins was an incredibly influential American yet is virtually unknown. What did she do? A lot! For instance, Social Security was her brainchild. And that's just the tip of the old iceberg. Explore her legacy with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 21 December 2024

For our annual pre-Holiday-Special-holiday-episode-about-a-holiday-toy we are jumping into one of the greatest games of all time, Trivial Pursuit (and we’re not just saying that because there’s an SYSK edition). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2024

You know that old adage that you should feed a cold but starve a fever? It’s an ancient idea and what’s surprising is that it’s kind of correct. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 18 December 2024

If you’ve ever lost your job thanks to a management consultant coming through your company or been timed for how fast you work, you can thank Frederick Winslow Taylor, the father of scientific management. If that field sounds made up that’s because it is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 17 December 2024

In 1947 the port town of Texas City, Texas became the site of the largest industrial disaster in American history. An enormous explosion blew ships out of the water, created a tidal wave that flooded the town, and killed hundreds of people instantly. Find out all about it in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 14 December 2024