Sunset Blvd: One Famous Road
Sunset Blvd is a long road, but is most known for the 1.7 mile stretch called The Sunset Strip. But it's much more than that. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 26, 2025•54 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: Oedipus Complex
The Oedipus complex is probably Sigmund Freud’s most famous theory – that every little boy or girl goes through a phase where they want to kill one parent and, well, do things with the other. Good thing Freud just made it up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 25, 2025•13 min
Shameful History: Project 100,000
During Vietnam, the U.S. lowered the IQ standards for the draft in order to bulk up their front lines. This put thousands of men in harm's way and was a complete disaster. It was called project 100,000. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 24, 2025•40 min
Selects: The Great Nuclear Winter Debate of 1983
At the height of the Cold War, a group of concerned scientists promoted their findings on the horrific aftereffects of nuclear war and were accused of fearmongering. But were they right after all? Learn all about the debate and its context in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 21, 2025•55 min
Who are the Zizians?
The story of the Zizians is an unusual one. Are they a cult? Or are they simply a group who wants a better world? And why have six deaths in three states been linked to them? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 19, 2025•42 min
Short Stuff: The Shortest War
How long was the shortest war in human history? Under an hour. Hard to believe? Not when you hear the story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 18, 2025•11 min
The Fencing Of The Commons
When England privatized its commons – lands that by custom belonged to all English to work and support themselves for centuries – it began the modern era, industrialization, wage labor, industrialization, or all of those things and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 17, 2025•43 min
Selects: The Kitty Genovese Story
Most people have heard of the story of Kitty Genovese. She was murdered near her apartment in 1964 and her neighbors didn't do much to help. It caused a nationwide outcry, but the story has often been misrepresented. In this classic episode, we set the record straight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 14, 2025•36 min
Anacondas: Not Like in the Movie
Are anacondas big? For sure. Are they able to crush and consume a human? Maybe, but thankfully they don't really do that. Don't believe everything you see in the movies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 12, 2025•42 min
Short Stuff: Andrew Jackson's Inauguration
Wild stories about a crazy party after Andrew Jackson's inauguration have been around since the weeks after it went down. But how wild was it really? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 11, 2025•11 min
How Styrofoam Works
All those to-go cups and food containers aren’t actually Styrofoam but those cups and Styrofoam are both forms of foam polystyrene, one of the rare materials that isn’t biodegradable. Which is a problem, because we make – and throw away – so much of it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 10, 2025•47 min
Selects: How Dementia Works
The number of people suffering from dementia is expected to explode in the coming decades and, in a pleasant surprise, countries around the world are taking steps to plan for the increase in friendly, caring ways. Find out all about this devastating disease and what's being done to prepare in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 07, 2025•48 min
Impression Management
We all in some way care about what other people think of us. At our core we all have a fear of saying something dumb or embarrassing ourselves somehow. One sociological theory says that our effort to prevent those embarrassments is the basis of society. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 05, 2025•55 min
Short Stuff: Can You Not Have A Name?
Is it legal to live without a name? Is it even possible? Find out today in this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 04, 2025•11 min
Pagans, Neo-Pagans, Wiccans – Let’s Sort It Out!
Paganism was the set of original ancient religions around the world. They all had plenty of gods, loved nature, sometimes sacrificed things, and so on. Then the Big Three religions came along and took over. But today paganism has come roaring back! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 03, 2025•49 min
Selects: Yeti: The Asian Bigfoot
We've covered Nessie and Bigfoot, so why not tackle the Yeti? Listen to this classic episode and hear Josh and Chuck cover what used to be known as the Abominable Snowman. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 31, 2025•46 min
The Rosenbergs
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed for espionage in 1953. Whether or not they were both guilty remains unclear, though most historians believe that at least Ethel was innocent. Learn all about this historical stain in today's episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 29, 2025•50 min
Short Stuff: Genetic Mutations
All sorts of exotic and often terrible stuff runs through our heads when we think of genetic mutations, but the vast majority of them are caught before they happen thanks to the crack teams replicating our DNA in our cells. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 28, 2025•13 min
The Group of Seven
Today Chuck and Josh celebrate Canada and their art through the lens of the Group of Seven. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 27, 2025•48 min
Selects: How Publicists Work
Some people call them flacks. Other people call them liars. But if you're in the public eye and suddenly have an image problem, you'll call them your best friend. Learn all about them in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 24, 2025•43 min
Popcorn: Who doesn't love it?
We love popcorn and suspect that most people do too. But do you know why it even pops? Or if it's healthy? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 22, 2025•46 min
Short Stuff: William A. Mitchell: Food Inventor
William A. Mitchell invented some iconic snack foods and candies. Learn all about him today! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 21, 2025•15 min
Faking Your Own Death: We All Do It, But Why?
Face it, when things get desperate we all consider faking our death as an easy way out. But what they don’t tell you in school is that it’s much harder than it looks, it’s way less glamorous, and you have to pull it off perfectly to not get caught. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 20, 2025•50 min
Selects: Night Trap: The Video Game Failure that Changed the Industry
In the early 90s a video game was released that changed the industry, despite poor sales and bad game play. That game was Night Trap. In this classic episode Chuck and Josh present that story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 17, 2025•41 min
The Cliffs Notes on Cliffs Notes
When a man named Cliff packaged book summaries in yellow and black booklets he changed the way kids learned. But was he just creating a cheat code? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 15, 2025•44 min
Short Stuff: Figs & Wasps
Today Chuck and Josh look at the interesting relationship between figs and wasps. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 14, 2025•9 min
Plant-Based Diets
You don’t have to be a hardcore vegan to eat a plant-based diet (although you can be). There’s a whole variety of degrees people adopt phasing out meat from their plates. One kind is even called flexitarian for goodness sake. Seems pretty welcoming to us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 13, 2025•54 min
Selects: How Ice Cream Works
We all scream for ice cream, sure, but did you know we're all technically screaming about a colloidal foam? As you hit play on this classic episode, prepare for deep cravings that will surely emerge as you learn the history of ice cream, how to make it yourself and lots more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 10, 2025•43 min
We Got to Sesame Street
One of the longest-running television shows in history is also one of the best. Sesame Street was conceived as a radical idea – to give disadvantaged preschoolers a leg up in getting ready for school. It ended up becoming a beloved institution worldwide. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 08, 2025•52 min
Short Stuff: Drop Bears
Australia is home to all sorts of things that can kill you, but perhaps the deadliest is the drop bear, a vicious cousin of the koala. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 07, 2025•12 min
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