Who was Dr. Bronner?
You may have his soap in your shower, but what do you know about the man himself? Buckle up, here comes Dr. Bronner! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 30, 2024•40 min
Stuff You Should Know
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.
Episodes
Selects: The Tulsa 'Race Riots'
In reality, the Tulsa "race riots" of 1921 was more like a massacre. Yet it was almost lost to history until 1997, and still not widely known outside of Oklahoma until HBO's The Watchmen put it on the cultural map. Learn all about this dark chapter in American history in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 27, 2024•47 min
The KILLDOZER Rampage
The Killdozer rampage is one of those stories you just couldn't make up. Yet it happened. And we're here to tell you the story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 25, 2024•51 min
Short Stuff: The Ritchie Boys
Who were the Ritchie Boys? Listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 24, 2024•12 min
Phone Phreaking: The Advent of Hacking
Years ago the telephone network was like the internet is to us today: a vast, interconnected means of communicating and sharing information. And, like the internet today, it attracted people who were interested in learning how it worked by hacking it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 23, 2024•48 min
Selects: The Duality of Caffeine
Caffeine is a heck of a drug - at the same time it's both good and bad for you. Learn the good, bad and ugly about this everyday stimulant in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 20, 2024•46 min
HPV and You
Human papilloma virus, HPV, is an unusually common bug among humans. Most of the time it’s benign and your body manages to overcome the infection. Sometimes it can linger and cause warts. But in the worst cases, HPV infections can actually cause cancer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 18, 2024•44 min
Short Stuff: Sitzpinklers Unite
Sitzpinklers - men who sit down to pee - is a big thing in Germany, and a handful of other places. And if Josh and Chuck have any say it’ll catch on like wildfire around the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 17, 2024•16 min
The Puritans in America
The founding of New England by the Puritans is quite a story. Today, we dive into who those people were. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 16, 2024•50 min
Selects: Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, Feminist Physician
Becoming the first licensed woman physician in America was tough, convincing male surgeons to wash their hands between patients was even tougher. In this classic episode Josh and Chuck pay tribute to a genuine pioneer in medicine and society. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 13, 2024•49 min
Salsa: NOT THE DANCE
Salsa is one of the great inventions of the culinary world. Here in the USA it's mainly a vehicle for tortilla chips. In Mexico, it's more like a sauce to add to, well, anything. Get ready to be hungry! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 11, 2024•45 min
Short Stuff: Milk Wars
If you’re a mobster and you can’t make money off of booze any longer what should you move to next? How about milk? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 10, 2024•15 min
Jane Goodall: All Good
There aren’t too many people walking around today who get a pass from the entire world for anything remotely negative they do or say. That’s just how the world receives Jane Goodall, and she’s earned that from a lifetime of building greater human understanding of our animal relatives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 09, 2024•47 min
Selects: How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Work, Part II
In this classic episode, we finish revisiting our 2017 tour of the best sights of the ancient world when we get deep into the history of a lighthouse that stood for 1200 years, an unsettling statue of Zeus, the world’s first mausoleum, and Chuck’s favorite, the Colossus of Rhodes! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 06, 2024•45 min
Salute to Women Inventors
Women inventors have always had a tough time, for obvious reasons. So we're here today to pay tribute to those who persevered in the face of the laws and customs that prevented progress. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 04, 2024•42 min
Short Stuff: POW Olympics
While it sounds like something out of a movie, some POWs in WWII really held an Olympics. And it happened more than once. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 03, 2024•11 min
How Dopamine Works
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? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 02, 2024•45 min
Selects: How Restaurant Health Inspections Work
If you've ever worked in a restaurant, you know the feeling that occurs when the health inspector pays a visit. While nerve wracking, it's the best insurance patrons have that their food will be prepared and served in a proper environment. Learn all about how these inspections work, from their past history to current incarnation, in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 29, 2024•51 min
EXTRA! EXTRA! The Newsboy Strike Episode!
When paperboys stopped delivering a couple of very big newspapers in 1899 it was a big deal. Big enough that the two biggest publishers in the world got pretty scared. But did it actually accomplish anything? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 27, 2024•49 min
Short Stuff: James Dean's Car
The story of what happened to the car that James Dean crashed. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 26, 2024•14 min
Whistling!
Whistling is pretty cool when you think about it because it can mean many things, from simple happy tunes to legit communication. Learn all about this ubiquitous skill today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 25, 2024•50 min
Selects: How the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World Work, Part I
Long before slide rulers and pocket protectors, civilizations across the world used their noggins to build some impressive structures. Almost all have crumbled to ruins over the millennium, but thanks to the earliest tourists, we admire them still today. Explore some of them with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 22, 2024•42 min
The Big Episode on Wikipedia
Wikipedia changed the world. Before it came along, you had to go to the library to get the answers you sought. And you and your friends had to just agree to disagree on facts. And as the internet grew and commercialized, Wikipedia remains free and open. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 20, 2024•47 min
Short Stuff: Hostile Architecture
Those armrests in the middle of benches aren’t just for your comfort, they’re intended to keep the homeless from laying on them. Cities are filled with these mean-spirited inconveniences. But who’s to say how a person should use a bench? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 19, 2024•14 min
Why Must Widowhood Be So Difficult?
In almost every part of the world, in some form or fashion, widows have things harder than they did when their spouses were alive. In some places it means they pay higher taxes, in others it means they’re ostracized to live on the margins of society. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 18, 2024•47 min
Selects: The Murder Mystery of Ötzi the Iceman
About 5,300 years ago a Copper Age shepherd was murdered. He just happened to die in a place where his body was so well preserved that gave researchers an actual shot at determining the course of his final day on Earth. Josh and Chuck take you through their reconstruction in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 15, 2024•53 min
A Brief History of Air Travel
Today we take to the friendly skies to detail the fascinating history of air travel. From planes with piano bars and lounges to the current no frills varieties. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 13, 2024•59 min
Short Stuff: Peace Sign
The peace sign is one of the most globally recognized symbols around today, but it’s only a few decades old. And it wasn’t the hippies who created it, it was a group of Brits dedicated to nuclear disarmament in the 50s. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 12, 2024•11 min
Coercive Control, the Invisible Basis of Abuse
When we think of an abused spouse we tend to think of horrific physical or emotional violence. But over the last decade or so, it’s become clear that’s only a symptom – that domestic abuse is in fact an all-consuming form of interpersonal terrorism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 11, 2024•54 min
Selects: Sunburn, Suntans and Sunscreen
It's pretty obvious something's gone wrong when you get a sunburn, but did you know a tan means you've damaged your DNA? Dive into the three Ss of summer and learn all about how to protect yourself from the sun. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 08, 2024•47 min