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


  • Apr 30, 2026 LATEST EPISODE
  • weekdays NEW EPISODES
  • 42m AVG DURATION
  • 2,774 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

How to Drink a Tree's Blood

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2026 49:07 Transcription Available


Of course we're talking all about maple syrup today - the tapping, the processing, the eating.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Wisdom Teeth

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2026 13:36 Transcription Available


By all rights there should be three sets of molars in your mouth. But it turns out that our skulls aren’t really set up to accommodate that many anymore. Exactly why depends on who you ask.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Save the Whales!

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2026 44:18 Transcription Available


In the 1970s, conservation groups around the world rose up to protect dwindling whale populations, some on the verge of extinction. They all worked under the same banner: Save the Whales! It turned out to be one of the most successful campaigns ever.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How Fever Dreams Work

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2026 35:17 Transcription Available


Fever dreams can be unsettling experiences. These ramped up nightmares are vivid, detailed and only happen when the human body experiences a fever. What is it about the combination of fevers and dreams that make these night terrors so hellish? Learn all that and more in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UNESCO World Heritage: Preserving the Best of Humanity

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2026 41:48 Transcription Available


Humanity’s created a lot of neat things over the eons and starting in the 1940s, the UN created an agency focused on preserving those things for the whole world and future people. But that mission is in danger of becoming only about branding and money.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Brown-Headed Cowbird

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2026 11:50 Transcription Available


There’s a kind of bird that lots of people think is a real jerk. And it kind of is. But in the brown-headed cowbird’s defense, it’s just evolved that way. Find out why it has such a bad reputation among bird lovers in this Short Stuff.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some Silly Inventions That Became Wildly Popular

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2026 42:54 Transcription Available


Once in a while someone comes up with a solution for a problem we didn’t know we had, and maybe even a problem that didn’t even exist. Even more rarely, the stars align just right so that some crackpot invention captures everyone’s imagination.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: Sammy Davis Jr: National Treasure

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2026 56:24 Transcription Available


In this classic episode Josh and Chuck sit down and detail the complicated life of the late, great Sammy Davis Jr.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Sewol Ferry Disaster

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2026 45:30 Transcription Available


In 2014 a ferry carrying hundreds of South Korean high school students on a field trip sunk, killing almost everyone on board. Hauntingly, their deaths were fully avoidable: everyone from the dock inspector to the Coast Guard to the president failed them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Cherry Blossoms

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2026 12:57 Transcription Available


The Japanese Cherry Blossom is a sight to behold. But how did they get to Washington D.C.?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are Generations Even a Thing?

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2026 49:02 Transcription Available


We all love to tour our generation's superiority, but who decides where the split occurs and what to name it? And is this even a thing or just an arbitrary division?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: What is a Numbers Station?

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2026 38:19 Transcription Available


If you think secretly coded messages sent via short wave radio is Cold War relic, think again. In this classic episode, Chuck and Josh are here to dispel that myth, along with many others relating to numbers stations, including why they might still be operational.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Worker Co-ops Work

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2026 44:33 Transcription Available


The worker co-op has a rich tradition and can work a variety of ways. Join us as we dig into the nuts and bolts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: History of Spring Break

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2026 14:58 Transcription Available


If you think Spring Break started with northern college kids heading to Florida to party, you'd be correct. But there's slightly more to it than that. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roar: The Most Dangerous Movie Ever Made?

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2026 41:38 Transcription Available


Jump in today to hear all about the disaster that was the movie ROAR.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: The Skinny on Lyme Disease

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2026 48:02 Transcription Available


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 world. Learn all about this tick-borne disease in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Colorado River Compact

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2026 36:41 Transcription Available


Deciding how to share water is pretty important stuff when there isn't much of it around. Today we dive into the Colorado River Compact.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Simple Spelling Movement

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2026 12:51 Transcription Available


Pretty much everyone agrees that English is a chaotic language. There are nutso rules of grammar and spelling other languages don’t have. More than once, movements have emerged to simplify English and each time they were beaten back with a vengeance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Middle Class: Canary in the Gold Mine

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2026 52:54 Transcription Available


Lots of nations gauge the health of their country by how the middle class is doing. There’s just one issue with that – no one can say exactly what defines the middle class. But even when you take a guess, it seems like the health isn’t so good these days.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: The Disappearance of Lars Mittank

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2026 43:13 Transcription Available


In 2014, a young German man walked into an airport in Bulgaria with a flight booked, then suddenly ran out leaving all his posessions behind, never to be heard from again. This classic episode tells the story of Lars Mittank.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malcom X

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2026 55:34 Transcription Available


Malcolm X was one of the most revered, feared leaders of the civil rights movement. In contrast to Martin Luther King, Jr., X advocated black self-reliance and separateness in American society and that equal rights should obtained by any means necessary.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Kentucky Meat Shower

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2026 11:12 Transcription Available


In 1876 it rained meat out of the clear blue sky on a homestead in Bath County, Kentucky. While the mystery of what happened will never be solved, the best explanation makes the story even weirder than it seems.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The History of Fire

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2026 37:22 Transcription Available


The first fires came from lightning strikes. After that, no one is super sure when we started controlling it and then later, starting our own. But it's sure fun to speculate!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gin

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2026 49:20 Transcription Available


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 yourself a martini and cozy up to the classic gin-cast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caterpillars: Nature's Magicians

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2026 47:20 Transcription Available


Caterpillars are simply the best. Don't think so? Well listen in and you'll soon agree.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Butterflies: Caterpillars with Wings!

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2026 51:03 Transcription Available


If you thought caterpillars were awesome, just wait until you see them with colorful, iridescent wings!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Snails Work

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2026 53:28 Transcription Available


They seem gross and bothersome at first, but once you get down to ground level and get to know snails, we’ll bet you’ll grow quite fond of them. They are living in a whole world we’re largely unaware of.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fascinating History of Dandelions

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2026 42:45 Transcription Available


Dandelions are way more interesting than you think. Trust us and click play.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's Permaculture All About?

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2026 52:13 Transcription Available


Permaculture is a growing trend in the world of farming and home landscaping. It's basically a design principle that emphasizes sustainability and the would-be, natural ecosystem of an area. Simple concepts like planting downhill from a pond and using gravity to feed plants to planting native plants and vegetation that work well together are hallmarks of permaculture. Learn all about this eco-friendly trend today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Sneezing Works

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2026 48:49 Transcription Available


Unless you have an arcane disorder from a lesion on a very specific spot on our medulla, the chances are you sneeze. Turns out most animals do it, even lizards! Learn the whys and hows of this most interesting involuntary reflex.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wetlands! Wetlands! Wetlands!

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2026 45:12 Transcription Available


It’s time to get jazzed up for some Earth science of the waterlogged variety. Join Chuck and Josh as they tour some of the most interesting ecosystems on the planet and learn why we need to stop destroying them post haste.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Composting: Nature's Most Interesting Process

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2026 51:27 Transcription Available


You may think composting is just a bunch of old banana peels rotting away into dirt but, friend, you're not looking closely enough. Inside that compost pile is a microcosmic universe doing some magical stuff.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Squirrels, Ahoy!

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2026 52:45 Transcription Available


Squirrels are rodents, sure, but they’re rodents with personalities the size of Las Vegas and Detroit put together. Get to know your bushy-tailed (and sometimes not so bushy) neighbors who live interesting hidden lives right out in the open.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Honey: Nature's Wonder Sugar

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2026 54:12 Transcription Available


Honey is an amazing thing. Just ask any bee. They make a ton of it. So much that humans get what bees can't use and that's a lot of honey.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Contortionism: Bend It Like Gumby

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2026 43:47 Transcription Available


If you could put your leg behind your head, would you? Of course you would! You might even make a career out of it, amazing people around the world with your flexibility. That’d make you a contortionist! But first you’d better get started with stretching.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Jeddah Tower

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2026 11:17 Transcription Available


The Jeddah Tower is set to be the tallest building in the world. If it ever gets finished. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ruth Lyons: TV Pioneer

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2026 45:46 Transcription Available


Ruth Lyons basically invented the daytime talk show, yet she doesn't get the credit. Why is that? Probably because she was a woman in a man's industry. Today we tell her story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: Mangroves: Nature's Best Tree?

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2026 44:32 Transcription Available


Mangroves are incredible survivors and adapters. They're also amazing at lessening the impact of tropical storms and climate change. And heck, they're cool looking. So jump into the brackish waters and have a listen to this classic episode all about these beauts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How the Kowloon Walled City Worked

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2026 41:28 Transcription Available


From the 1970s to the early 1990s a patch of land in Hong Kong the size of just a few football fields was the most densely-populated area in the world – and by a longshot. Even more remarkable, it was an outlaw land that somehow formed a tight community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: In-Flight Entertainment

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2026 12:23 Transcription Available


Movies on planes have changed a lot in the last couple of decades. Today, we'll go over how this stuff works. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Fyre Festival Fiasco

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2026 46:42 Transcription Available


What happens when a career grifter tries to throw a "luxury" music festival in only six months? Not much it turns out.This was the Fyre Festival.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How Spiritualism Works

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2026 61:44 Transcription Available


Something spooky was born on the American frontier in the mid-19th century: the idea that people’s personalities survive death and that some gifted individuals can communicate with them. It developed into a religion that some still practice today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's All Go to the World's Fair

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2026 52:35 Transcription Available


Before the internet could show you anything in the universe - including stuff it made up - people had few opportunities to have their minds blown. But every few years, somewhere in the world nations would gather and show off the cool stuff they invented.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: Johnny Ringo

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2026 13:05 Transcription Available


You might be familiar with the outlaw Johnny Ringo from the movie Tombstone. He was indeed a real-life black hat gunslinger, and a tragic figure at that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Gold Standard: When Money Meant Something

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2026 52:51 Transcription Available


There was a time less than 100 years ago when you could exchange your paper currency at the bank for actual gold. Gave folks a sense of stability, it did. Depending on your view, we either ruined or built our economies when money became just paper.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How Dopamine Works

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2026 45:33 Transcription Available


Dopamine is perhaps the most talked-about, most misunderstood biochemical in our bodies. It’s linked to not only addiction and depravity, but also focus, motivation, and living a productive life. How can one molecule be so many things to so many people? Find out all about it in this classic episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Battle of the Sexes

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2026 49:32 Transcription Available


Back in 1973 a male chauvinist played tennis against champion Billie Jean King. This is that story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Short Stuff: MacGuffins

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2026 13:59 Transcription Available


What’s a MacGuffin? We don’t know. No one knows. But it has to do with movies and that’s fun to talk about.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Murder of Jane Stanford

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2026 42:49 Transcription Available


Stanford University was co-founded by Jane Stanford. Not long after she was murdered and it was covered up. We'll probably never know what really happened. Listen in today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Selects: How Free Range Parenting Works

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2026 51:16 Transcription Available


Free range parenting is all about giving your child the freedom to play and explore life on their own. Are there benefits? Sure. Do some people hate the concept? Yes! Listen to this classic episode and learn right here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How the Flexner Report Changed Medicine

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2026 37:50 Transcription Available


The Flexner Report shook up medicine in the United States when it was released in 1910 and it's never been the same since. For better or worse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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