A phenomenally powerful international lobbying group -- Freedom Cities -- pushes the idea of US communities run by corporations. An opioid update reveals the Sackler family will pay money rather than prison time. A threat in Antarctica, while astronauts finally return home. All this and more in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 24, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Tariffs! If you're like most people in the US, you probably didn't think much about the concept until recently -- it's always been one of those historical footnotes. However, the current news about proposed tariffs has the United States and the world overall in a tizzy. So what are tariffs? Why do some people love them, why do some people hate them -- and what can history teach us about the future? In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel separate the fact from fiction. They don't want you to re...
Mar 21, 2025•1 hr 14 min
Dognition asks for a nickname. Big Randy checks in. Multiple folks in the Greater Manchester area follow up with their opinions on murder. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 20, 2025•48 min
With global impact and domestic dissent, the U.S. Treasury remains one of the world's most impactful institutions. What happens when this institution is compromised? In tonight's episode, the guys explore the harsh reality of successful conspiracies against the United States. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Did someone really hang themselves on camera in the Wizard of Oz? Did Stanley Kubrick hide a secret message in Eyes Wide Shut? It's no secret that the world of film is fraught with conspiracy -- both on and off the screen. But do any of these strange rumors and urban myths hold any sand? Join the guys with their special guest and long-time friend, Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant, cohost of Stuff You Should Know and creator of the Movie Crush podcast, as they separate fact from fiction in the world of ...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Updates on space exploration. A seemingly-symbolic quarrel between an eagle and a goose. Large language models try out religion and pre-crime, all as a recent graduate gets deported for his political views. In other news, light becomes solid, prompting Ben and the gang to call for input from a physicist. All this and more in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 10 min
While astrology is often portrayed as a belief system of ancient empires and ages past, the popular assumption could not be further from the truth. In the second episode of this series, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the times U.S. Presidents looked for guidance from the stars. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 15, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Is the world genuinely witnessing the unfolding Prophecy of the Popes? The Wondering Wizard wants to know. Alpha Flight comments on the growing tension between the United States and Canada. Aaron A Aaronson inspires a future episode on sovereign wealth funds. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 13, 2025•48 min
Astrology! To true believers, this genre of divination provides deep inside to the secret mechanicisms of the Heavens and the Earth. To skeptics, it's bunk -- another mistaken set of beliefs best left to benighted empires of old. And yet, as Ben, Matt and Noel discover in the first part of this special two-part series, astrology still can play a massive role in the modern world. In Chapter One, the guys explore the origins of astrology before traveling to Myanmar, where multiple rulers made extr...
Mar 12, 2025•55 min
For thousands of years, people have been convinced that the weather and the position of the moon can wreak profound havoc on human behavior. This belief continues in the modern day, with numerous law enforcement officers, medical professionals and more swearing people act strangely during the full moon. Additionally, science shows certain environmental factors, such as an extended lack of sunlight, can spark measurable changes in mood. So what's the truth here? Can the weather really make people...
Mar 11, 2025•53 min
The race toward de-extincting mammoths (and other creatures) continues apace, here at what Ben calls "the end of history." The newest step toward this furry resurrection? WOOLY MICE. An unidentified bird drops a severed hand at a school. Also schoolteachers are getting in trouble for "pretending" to sell pills, and forcing kids to fight each other in Juvie. Hoping to end on a positive note, the guys come through with some fantastic space updates (side note: spacedates?) -- anyhow, all this and m...
Mar 10, 2025•57 min
It's a harrowing story, often untold in the West: while everyone's tired of scam calls and texts, we rarely ask about the lives of people on the other side of the call. While it's devilishly easy to make light of the scammers and the con artists, the harsh reality is that thousands of people pushing scams are being forced to do so, often held against their will in what amounts to modern-day slavery. Following up on their earlier episode investigating the terrifying scam compounds in Myanmar, Ben...
Mar 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Look around you as you listen to tonight's episode -- how far did these objects travel to meet you here? In centuries past, the average person would be surrounded by local objects. Today, the most mundane of possessions may have traveled more than halfway across the world to become your fabrics, your electronic components, your favorite snacks. Make no mistake: The world as we know it will collapse if our species stops shipping things across the planet. Global trade is dangerously close to a rel...
Mar 06, 2025•50 min
True story: throughout China's Sichuan province right along the border with Tibet, the land is riddled with ancient towers of unknown origin. No one knows who built them, nor why. In tonight's episode, Ben and Noel explore the fascinating hidden history of architecture that withstood millennia of chaos -- and how an ancient series of towers survived the rise and fall of empires into the modern day. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-re...
Mar 05, 2025•46 min
The majority of human beings currently live in urban areas -- and this trend seems set to continue. According to the most recent estimates, two-thirds of humanity will live in urban areas by 2050. However, not all cities are created equally. In fact, countries throughout the world are home to cities that, in one sense or another, do not officially exist. So what exactly are these secret, closed cities. What goes on there? Why are these areas hotbeds of the stuff they don't want you to know? Join...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 4 min
True story: Ben, Matt and Noel know 'witches.' We’re all familiar with the spooky, stereotypical witch depicted in film, fiction and folklore – a creepy crone with a pointy hat, riding a broom through the sky and cackling at the moon, often accompanied by her animal sidekick. But how accurate are these depictions? Were there ever really any covens, any infernal Black Masses and secret rituals dedicated to the powers of darkness? Join Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know as the guys explore fact, fi...
Mar 03, 2025•39 min
Everyone's heard of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster -- but what about the hundreds of other cryptids rumored to exist around the world? Join the guys as they delve into the stories of cryptids you may have never heard of. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 28, 2025•58 min
Each year, millions of people across the planet grapple with some form of cancer. Doctors work around the clock to create better treatments methods, early diagnosis techniques and more, but for many people these innovations will sadly come too late. With so many lives on the line, it’s no surprise that multiple, unrelated individuals have claimed that they possess the cure for cancer — and that powerful forces are conspiring to keep this cure hidden from the masses. They don't want you to read o...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 13 min
On March 8th, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished during a routine flight from Kuala Lumpaur to Beijing. While public -- and, later, private -- entities from across the region searched for signs of the craft, no one was able to figure out what exactly happened. Join the guys as they delve into a mystery that remains largely unsolved three years later -- the disappearance of MH370, and why some people claim there's a conspiracy afoot. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static....
Feb 26, 2025•55 min
It began in August -- five photographs of what appeared to be a sinister figure dressed as a clown loitering in a Green Bay, Wisconsin parking lot went viral. Eight days later, a local filmmaker admitted this was just an attempt to garner PR for an upcoming indie film... but the clowns kept coming. In the space of just a few months numerous people around the world reported being attacked or stalked by clowns. So what exactly was going on? They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.mac...
Feb 25, 2025•50 min
While it might sound weird to think of the CIA conspiring to hire magicians, tradecraft and stage magic actually have a lot in common: sleight-of-hand, misdirection, performance -- you name it. With all this in mind, the CIA hired globetrotting magician John Mulholland to teach the world's most dangerous spies the hidden strategies for magic, and how to translate these entertainment skills to real world theft, smuggling, and homicide. The catch? Mulholland could never breathe a word about this f...
Feb 21, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Multiple Conspiracy Realists reach out regarding firefighters. Sacremento responds to the exploration of social media and attention spans. A Combustable (and stoned) Coyote ask for more information on the earlier story about exploding headsets. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 20, 2025•52 min
The US Central Intelligence Agency gets a lot of criticism these days - historically, the institution has a number of missteps. The thing about unorthodox "outside-the-box" approaches is simply this: some ideas work, and some ideas are superb. A few decades back, the CIA hired a magician. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 20, 2025•59 min
Toward the end of World War II, German forces realized they were in an unsustainable situation, on the losing side of a war rapidly drawing to a close. In an effort to prop up their wartime economy, the Nazi party stole and fenced tons of gold and other valuables -- and, depending on who you ask, some of that gold remains hidden away and forgotten in the modern day. Join the guys as they delve into the abiding rumors of hidden nazi treasure, as well as the Nazi banking conspiracies that may stil...
Feb 19, 2025•52 min
A massive olive oil heist. Some US politicians apparently genuinely want to annex Greenland, and rename it to "Red, White and Blueland." New York Mayor Eric Adams -- who's huge in Türkiye -- will have all corruption charges dropped. An update on Mangione's legal crowdfunding. Corporate chemical giant Bayer fights back against anti-pesticide activists. Sweden rolls out DUI laws for drone pilots. Fatberg updates. All this and more, in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to read o...
Feb 18, 2025•54 min
If you're like more than 90% of Americans, you own a cellphone of some kind -- and it's no wonder. Like tablets or smart speakers, these handy devices are incredibly convenient, providing a universe's worth of knowledge at your fingertips... at a price. What exactly do your smart devices know about you, and where is all that information going? Tune in to learn more with Ben and Matt in tonight's Classic episode. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff...
Feb 15, 2025•58 min
Colby Jack Cheese continues the conversation about chimeras. Ward invites the gang to a Bigfoot Festival. Mike gives a first-hand account of fighting fires out west. Plebe prompts a conversation about telepathic communication -- all this and more in this week's listener mail segment. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 3 min
What does the Consitution say about self-armed paramilitary forces? Can a state create its own defense force, functioning under the supervision of a governor rather than the command of the larger armed forces? Inspired by an earlier conversation with Conspiracy Realist Anonymous Owl, the guys explore the bizarre position of state militias in the U.S. -- and what this odd legal arrangement may mean for the future of the country. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/...
Feb 12, 2025•55 min
Have you ever felt as if somebody was watching, following or even stalking you? If so, you're not alone. Most people have, at some time or another, had an experience like this -- and, tragically, many people are physically stalked every year. Yet there's a strange twist to the tale: More and more people are claiming they're being stalked by a group of people -- a gang. Join Ben and Matt to learn more in this evening's Classic episode. They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmill...
Feb 11, 2025•1 hr 11 min
Unelected "special government employee" Elon Musk continues to lead an unprecedented flurry of changes and cuts to US institutions - supporters call it good budgeting; critics call it an attack on democracy. Rising egg prices lead to a massive heist, and Waffle House is charging a per-egg fee to diners. The Pentagon changes its media stance, Google lifts its long-standing ban on AI weaponry. Oh, and Zombie Spiders. All this and more in this week's strange news segment. They don't want you to rea...
Feb 11, 2025•1 hr 5 min
