The Cher Episode
Cher is an icon, with hits spanning an unbelievable SEVEN decades. So kick back as we laud the singer/actress/legend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 15, 2024•51 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.
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Episodes
Short Stuff: Tarring and Feathering
Being tarred and feathered is an old trope in America, but the actuality of it was pretty brutal, not the least of which included burning skin. Let's dive into history - now! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 14, 2024•12 min
Minecraft! Minecraft! Minecraft!
It’s so simple, yet so compelling: you mine blocks and cut down trees to put things together to make cool new stuff. There isn’t really a point and there’s not really a way to win. Minecraft is a non-game and it’s the second-most popular game of all time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 13, 2024•54 min
Selects: Genghis Khan: Madman or Genius?
Depending on who you talk to, Genghis Khan was either a sadistic madman or one of the great leaders in world history. One thing is sure, he was one of the most advanced military minds of all time. Learn all about him in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 10, 2024•50 min
The Call of the Void: Don’t Pick Up!
Many of us have experienced the odd sensation that we shouldn’t trust ourselves not to simply jump from a high place for no reason. Some even feel an urge. Philosophers and psychologists have tried to make sense of this senseless urge for centuries now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 08, 2024•42 min
Short Stuff: Pruney Skin
We know how our skin prunes, but we don't know for sure why. Chuck likes the leading theory, Josh does not. WHO WILL WIN? (nobody) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 07, 2024•12 min
The Story of Rudolf Diesel
Rudolf Diesel was a game changing inventor, though his most famous product was not used how he envisioned it. Listen in and learn about his life and mysterious death. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 06, 2024•44 min
Selects: Timber! How Timber Works
Throughout much of the world, the forests are being managed through sustainable timber harvesting practices. This has come at the cost of much legal battling and a century of practice. Find out all about it in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 03, 2024•1 hr 5 min
The One About Car Washes
The car wash you get to ride through on a journey to sparklingness is made of a handful of different tools that have been developed over the last century. They have just now reached the point where it all works together so well the industry is booming. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 01, 2024•49 min
Short Stuff: ZIP Codes!
ZIP codes are pretty self-explanatory, but there are all kinds of fun facts around the topic. Listen in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 31, 2024•14 min
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
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
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