Stuff You Should Know

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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

iHeartRadio & HowStuffWorks

  • Discover Pods Awards
    2017 Best Kids & Family Podcast

  • Discover Pods Awards
    2017 Best Technology & Science Podcast


  • Nov 22, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
  • weekdays NEW EPISODES
  • 42m AVG DURATION
  • 2,661 EPISODES

4.5 from 69,874 ratings Listeners of Stuff You Should Know that love the show mention: josh and chuck, jeri, chuck bryant, love sysk, ibm, chuck and josh, yawning, mundane topics, chronic lyme, much stuff, movie crush, chuckers, chuck talk, flamingos, multiple times a day, love josh, love listening to josh, chemistry between josh, maggots, love stuff you should know.


Ivy Insights

The Stuff You Should Know podcast is an incredibly informative and enjoyable show hosted by Josh and Chuck. I have learned so much from listening to their discussions on a wide range of interesting topics. They have a great dynamic and their fun banter keeps the episodes entertaining. One aspect that I really appreciate about the hosts is their humility, despite being knowledgeable experts in their field.

The best aspect of this podcast is undoubtedly the wealth of information it provides. From deep dives into scientific concepts to historical events and pop culture phenomena, Josh and Chuck cover a wide variety of subjects. They present the information in a way that is easy to understand, even for those who may not have prior knowledge on the topic. Their ability to break down complex ideas into digestible chunks makes it accessible for a wide audience.

Another positive aspect of the podcast is the thoroughness with which they research their topics. It's evident that they put a lot of effort into ensuring accuracy and providing well-rounded perspectives. The hosts also strike a good balance between presenting facts and injecting their own opinions or anecdotes, which adds personality to each episode.

However, one potential downside of the podcast is the frequency of advertisements. While ads are necessary for revenue, some listeners may find them excessive or disruptive to the flow of the episodes. Though this can be subjective, it would be beneficial if there were fewer interruptions or an option for ad-free listening for subscribers.

In conclusion, The Stuff You Should Know podcast is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys learning new things while being entertained. Josh and Chuck's expertise combined with their engaging personalities make each episode both informative and enjoyable. Despite any minor drawbacks like frequent ads, this podcast remains one of my favorites due to its consistently high-quality content.



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Latest episodes from Stuff You Should Know

Selects: Rockettes: Still Kicking After All These Years

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2025 45:40 Transcription Available


Tune in to this classic episode to learn all about the legendary NYC Rockettes, who actually got their start in Missouri.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Graffiti: So Cool It's A Pillar of Hip Hop

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2025 48:15 Transcription Available


Graffiti – the good kind, done with lots of style and skill – developed when some kids in NYC took up cans of spray paint and started to figure out how to outdo one another. They laid down styles that are so fine they’re still being used by artists today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Victorian Flower Language

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2025 14:24 Transcription Available


What do you do when you want to tell someone you’re smitten with them but you live in a society so repressive decorum prevents you from even speaking such things? Why, you can say it with flowers! And that’s just what people in the Victorian Era did.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AM Radio: Solid Gold

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2025 48:34 Transcription Available


The era of AM radio isn't over, but it's well past its heyday. Dive in today for a trip down memory lane. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How Personality Tests Work

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2025 57:23 Transcription Available


For millennia, we have tried to put human personalities into neat types, an effort psychology took up early in its history in an effort to legitimize itself. But is the idea of types – which all personality inventories are based on - flawed to begin with? Find out in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pop Tarts: No Fruit Necessary

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2025 49:43 Transcription Available


Pop Tarts are a legendary breakfast treat in the United States. They're fruit-filled toaster pastries with very little fruit. But who cares right? It's all about that toasty goodness. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Third Man Syndrome

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2025 12:59 Transcription Available


People who’ve found themselves in life-or-death situations with their endurance at its limit have reported sensing another presence with them, urging them to continue on and survive. No one knows what the heck is going on here but it sure is interesting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eco-Disasters 101: The Salton Sea

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2025 48:09 Transcription Available


In 1905, an engineering mistake created a brand new 400-square-mile sea (lake?) in the California desert. People made the most of it at first, but it didn’t take long to become a toxic brew that now threatens the health of anyone in breathing distance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How Conversion Therapy Doesn't Work

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2025 63:14 Transcription Available


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 this abhorrent practice in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mystery of the Death Valley Germans

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2025 45:05 Transcription Available


In 1996, a small group of German tourists disappeared in Death Valley National Park without a trace. Fifteen years later, the tenacity of one man solved the case.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: "Peace" Pipes

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2025 10:35 Transcription Available


Did Native Americans really smoke peace pipes? Well yes and no. They smoked pipes for many reasons, sometimes to commemorate peace. But they never called them peace pipes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What To Do With All This Nuclear Waste?

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2025 45:35 Transcription Available


You can make a case that it’s a little off-putting to learn the world doesn’t really have any idea what to do with the nuclear waste we’ve been generating for several decades. The best we’ve come up with so far is bury it real deep and forget about it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How Extinction Works

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2025 47:59 Transcription Available


Scientists believe that 99% of the estimated 50 billion species that have ever lived on Earth have disappeared through extinction. This is a natural process typically, but it can also be cataclysmic and it's becoming clear we are amid a massive one. Find out more with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's 2025 Shocktober Halloween Spooktacular

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2025 97:51 Transcription Available


Co-producer Ben knocked it out of the park again, taking the two classic horror stories we read for our annual Spooktacular - Caterpillars and The Deep Drowse – and creating a moody Halloween masterpiece for your spooky listening enjoyment. So enjoy it!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: The Bell Witch

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2025 15:40 Transcription Available


A legend in Tennessee tells of the real-life Bell family, who were haunted back in 1817 by a ghost witch - arguably the worst kind of either of those things.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: Masterpiece

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2025 65:00 Transcription Available


There aren’t too many independent horror movies that make the British Film Institute’s 250 Best Films Ever Made list – AND – make an appearance in the teen comedy Summer School. That makes sense because there’s no other movie quite like The TCSM.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: The Great Finger in the Wendy's Chili Caper

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2025 44:31 Transcription Available


In 2005 a woman named Anna Alaya discovered a length of human finger – nail and all – in her Wendy’s chili. Her cries of disgust would set off a media firestorm, a criminal investigation and a prison sentence for her and her husband. Listen to Josh and Chuck go through the whole mess in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

THE HUMAN SCREAM

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2025 44:33 Transcription Available


Have you ever thought much about screaming? Well we have, and today you'll learn everything we learned. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Curse of Broken Mirrors

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2025 11:23 Transcription Available


It's seven years' bad luck for you if you break a mirror, buddy, sorry. But have you ever wondered why? People have come up with all sorts of great reasons since time immemorial.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

[Insert Your Own Catchy Title About Younger Dryas Here]

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2025 42:49 Transcription Available


Quick, name your favorite geological mystery. You can’t do it! Well, don’t worry. In this episode we’re going to tell you all about what will surely be your favorite (albeit only) one when we get into one weird millennium that happened not that long ago.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How ESP Works (?)

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2025 55:11 Transcription Available


Even though almost half of Americans believe in it, ESP usually is treated as a load of bull by skeptics. But some respected researchers have dared to apply the scientific method to investigate ESP and a few have found some surprising results. Find out all about it with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

VH-1: MTV for Your Parents

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2025 51:29 Transcription Available


Today we complete our music video duology with a dive into the mellow pool of VH-1.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: China's Corpse Walkers

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2025 12:49 Transcription Available


If you died away from home but wanted to be buried there, don’t worry – Taoist priests had you covered. They’d just have your animated corpse walk itself back home.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We want our MTV!

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 14, 2025 66:08 Transcription Available


If you've ever wanted to hear a couple of Gen X'ers wax nostalgic about MTV, then you're in luck. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How Schoolhouse Rock Rocked: Featuring Bob Nastanovich of Pavement

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2025 65:04 Transcription Available


Schoolhouse Rock is possibly the best children's program of all time. Join Josh and Chuck in this classic episode as they tell the story of SR, featuring an interview with Pavement's Bob Nastanovich, contributor to the '90s Schoolhouse Rock tribute record.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone Deserves A Good Death

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2025 51:29 Transcription Available


The concept of hospice was created as a way to help people with only a few weeks to live spend their last days comfortable an surrounded by friends and family in the hope they can pass away peacefully. It’s kind of crazy hospice was ever a radical idea.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: The Call is Coming... FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2025 15:14 Transcription Available


Did you know that the "the call is coming from inside the house" urban legend may be based on a very grisly murder case from the 1950s?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Happy Place of Saturday Morning Cartoons

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2025 52:44 Transcription Available


The greatest period in the history of humankind took place in the short era between 1970 and 1995. During that time kids could tune in every Saturday morning between 8 and noon and find the most amazing cartoons ever created, plus tons and tons of ads.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How Mail Order Marriages Work

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2025 50:37 Transcription Available


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 trafficking. Or are they? Yes and no. Mail order marriage comes with nuance and a surprisingly long history. Learn all about it in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mystery of the Sleepy Sickness

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2025 47:46 Transcription Available


Back in the early 1900s, a new pandemic happened out of nowhere with odd symptoms, that was never solved or cured. It just went away. Which means it's right up our alley. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: La Lechuza - The Witch Owl

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2025 11:59 Transcription Available


Today we kick off the scariest month with the legend of La Lechuza - The Witch Owl.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why Would Anyone Want to Appease Hitler?

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2025 46:48 Transcription Available


It seems ridiculously irresponsible with the benefit of hindsight, but the concept of giving Hitler everything he wanted was the policy among the UK and France as a way to keep the world from sliding into a second world war. Turns out it didn’t work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How Area 51 Works

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2025 50:50 Transcription Available


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-engineering alien technology to coordinating a one-world government. The truth is much more mundane. Listen to this classic episode as Josh and Chuck break it down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Hinterkaifeck Axe Murders

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 46:52 Transcription Available


In 1922, a little farm in the woods of Bavaria became the site of what would become Germany’s most famous unsolved murder, when six people were brutally killed with a pick axe. What led up to it and followed is nothing short of bizarre.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: SYSK Live: The DB Cooper Heist

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 90:32 Transcription Available


Join Josh and Chuck live from Seattle as they (sky)dive into one of the most brazen robberies in the annals of crime and the only unsolved airline hijacking in American history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: Who Committed the 1912 Villisca Ax Murders?

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 46:25 Transcription Available


In a small town in Iowa in 1912 eight people were murdered in the grisliest of ways while they slept. Local reputations were ruined when accusations flew, but could a drifting serial killer working across the Midwest have been behind it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tylenol Murders, Part I

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 44:19 Transcription Available


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 bottles of Extra-Strength Tylenol, one of the most trusted and widely-used products in America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 55:06 Transcription Available


The largest ever kidnapping case in the United States went down in the small town of Chowchilla, CA. Learn all about it today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tylenol Murders, Part II

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 45:54 Transcription Available


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 one has ever been charged with the murders. It remains unsolved to this day. Find out the extent of what we know in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tale of the Bloody Benders

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 48:55 Transcription Available


Long before we knew what serial killers were, a family in remote Kansas was disposing of victims at their family farm. Listen in to the Tale of the Bloody Benders if you dare!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Harvey's Casino Bombing of 1980

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 40:57 Transcription Available


In August of 1980 a bomb containing 1,000 pounds of dynamite was quietly delivered to Harvey’s, a casino and resort at Lake Tahoe. This kicked off a whirlwind caper that lasted 30 hours and ended up nearly demolishing the 11-story resort.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Strange Unsolved Murder of Ken McElroy

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 46:08 Transcription Available


The murder of Ken McElroy comes off like a story from a cheap paperback book you’d get to read on a plane. But this is a true crime story, set in Missouri in the early 80s. And boy does it pack a punch.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Harrowing Story of the North Hollywood Shootout

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 52:21 Transcription Available


Tune in today to listen to the story of when North Hollywood became a war zone after a brazen bank robbery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Unsolved Indiana Dunes Disappearances

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 41:00 Transcription Available


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 day, not a trace of them has ever turned up and theories of what became of them abound.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: How The Great Train Robbery Worked

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 43:33 Transcription Available


In 1963, 15 men got together in England to pull off one of the most daring heists in history. The Great Train Robbery was the crime of the century, capturing the public's attention and leaving them torn on who to root for - the cops or the robbers. Learn all about England's greatest heist in today's episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Tribute To The Far Side

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 25, 2025 43:51 Transcription Available


The Far Side is one of the greatest cartoons in history. Today we go to great lengths to convince you of that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Death Cap Mushroom

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2025 11:45 Transcription Available


The death cap mushroom lives up to its name. It’s a mushroom cap that causes death. Find out why.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tdhtdhtdhtdhtdh: Sound Effects!

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2025 49:39 Transcription Available


Sound effects are one of the unsung parts of any movie or TV show – they’re best when you don’t even notice them making what you see on screen even more real, and when they’re off you notice immediately. Learn how hard this amazing craft is in this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: Slime Mold: 0% Mold, 100% Amazing

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2025 49:04 Transcription Available


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 perplexing organisms on Earth. Listen to this classic episode and get as amazed as Josh and Chuck were when they recorded it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2025 40:59 Transcription Available


As part of our shameful history series, today we dive into the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s and into the 70s.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Killing a Dead Body

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2025 14:00 Transcription Available


If you try to kill someone who was already dead is that a bad thing? Yeah? How bad?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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