Harvesting rainwater has tons of upsides and not many downsides – you just need to take a few precautions first. Don’t miss this episode, which features some Josh Math™. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
They say that smiling requires fewer muscles than frowning, so why not smile? That doesn’t seem to be true, or at least unproven, and there is lots more about smiling that will keep you glued to your earbuds in this fun episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Josh and Chuck delve into the world of 911 in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The disaster at Three Mile Island thankfully did not cost any lives directly, but the notion that it didn't harm people is very much up in the air. Learn all about the worst nuclear disaster in the history of the United States today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In 1955, the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance motor race took a very dark turn when a terrible accident on the track continued into the crowd. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Van Gogh lived a troubled life and did not garner attention as a painter until after his death by suicide. Today we dive into this complicated journey as an artist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The question of Shakespeare's authorship has been around since at least the mid-1800s. Is there anything to it? In this classic episode, we dig in to this dense topic to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From 1968 to 1972 Howard Hughes holed up in a suite in the Desert Inn casino in Las Vegas. Addicted to morphine and living on candy bars and milk, he was in bad shape. When he was told to leave, he bought the hotel and stayed. Soon he owned half of Vegas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Does knuckle cracking give you arthritis? It doesn't appear to. But that doesn't mean it's harmless. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There are quacks and then there is Linda Hazzard. Not only did she starve her patients to death, but she took their family fortunes as she did it. This is the story of Starvation Heights. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Flight attendants have come a long way. From having to put up with rampant sexism, to the current incarnation as your first line of defense in case of an incident, they are valued airline employees. Learn all about this cool job in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
One of the darkest days in the history of American law enforcement came on April 19, 1993, when the FBI’s 51-day siege of the Branch Davidian religious sect’s compound in Waco, Texas ended with a fire and 75 men, women, and children dead inside. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Are BPAs safe? Of course not. Does the FDA care? Of course not. Learn all about what and why today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Eels are pretty much objectively unsettling. They’re not quite fish (although they are) and if they’re snakes, they’re messed up snakes (they aren’t). But they’re fascinating too! There are even little cute eels. It’s time you got acquainted with eels! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
George Mallory was a member of the first three European expeditions to Everest, world’s tallest mountain. He wanted to summit it so badly, he gave his life trying. Since that fateful day in 1924, climbers have wondered – was Mallory the first to summit? Listen as Josh and Chuck explore that question and lots more in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hard to believe we haven't covered this one yet, but here we are. Why did the Hindenburg crash and burn? We still don't really know. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Strange but true, actor Tippi Hedron kickstsarted the Vietnamese manicure industry in the United States in the 1970s. This is that story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you don’t believe in any kind of god or afterlife - or even that there’s a meaning to life – does that mean you’re doomed to a life of gloom and doom? Heck no!, say humanists. Their philosophical movement says you can make your own meaningful life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
First of all, movies can't be cursed because curses aren't real. However, that can't stop Josh and Chuck from taking a look at some movies throughout history that have had a disturbing number of bad things surrounding their production and release. Dive into the world of cursed movies in this very fun classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Camp David is awesome. But not all presidents have liked it. We'll dig into this historic property in today's episiode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Discover the fascinating reasons behind kangaroos' unique hopping locomotion, from their specialized marsupial reproduction where joeys develop in a pouch, to their distinctive anatomy including a powerful "fourth toe" and elastic tendons. The hosts explain how this mode of travel, aided by their tail for balance, makes them one of the most energy-efficient animals, contrasting their current form with their rainforest-dwelling ancestors who climbed.
Boeing used to be one of the most respected engineering firms in the world. Then it changed its focus from making great airplanes to increasing its stock value. The result was the 737-MAX, a plane that took the lives of 346 people in two avoidable crashes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Psychologist Julian Jaynes came up with a stunning hypothesis in 1976, that human consciousness only developed in the last 3000 years. And he seemed to have proof in ancient texts. Scholars have been picking it apart ever since and in this classic episode we join the club. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Of course we're talking all about maple syrup today - the tapping, the processing, the eating. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Josh and Chuck discuss wisdom teeth, or third molars, delving into their historical purpose for ancestral diets with larger jaws. They explore how modern soft diets have led to smaller skulls and less space, often resulting in impacted teeth. The hosts then debate the necessity of common prophylactic extractions, highlighting the "wait and see" approach, the potential benefits of retaining healthy wisdom teeth, and the risks associated with oral surgery.
The podcast delves into the "Save the Whales" movement, one of history's most successful environmental campaigns. It covers the shift from traditional to industrial whaling, the impact of discovering whale intelligence, and the diverse tactics employed by activists, from boycotts to direct action. Despite a global moratorium leading to significant population recovery, the episode also examines the few nations that continue commercial whaling and the new threats whales face today.
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.
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.
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.
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.
