Short Stuff: Did a vampire legend help win the Cold War?
During the Cold War, the CIA used the legend of a vampire named Aswang to scare locals into not helping the communists. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 14, 2026•13 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
Doin’ Science in the National Radio Quiet Zone
West Virginia is home to sensitive radio telescopes that could easily pick up your cell phone’s signal on Mars. And the cell reception on Mars is about as good as it is in the NRQZ, since cell towers are banned in the interest of furthering astronomy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 13, 2026•51 min
Selects: How Forgiveness Works
For most of history, forgiveness fell under the domain of religion. But in the 1980s science started investigating it and found that forgiving someone is really, really good for you. Learn how anybody can be the better person in this classic, and really great, episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 10, 2026•59 min
The SAD Episode
Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is much more than the winter blues. It's a serious subset of depression. Learn all about it and what to do if you suffer from it today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 08, 2026•51 min
Short Stuff: Neighborhood Watch
Since 1972 neighborhoods have been officially banding together to prevent crime together. Does it work? It seems to. Does it go too far? It often does, yes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 07, 2026•13 min
The Warrens: Paranormal Power Couple
Today we dive into the interesting story of paranormal power couple the Warrens, inspiration behind The Conjuring movie franchise. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 06, 2026•43 min
Selects: MC Escher and His Trippy Art
We love us some MC Escher. Turns out his story is pretty fascinating too. Tune in to this classic episode and find out all about it with Josh and Chuck. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 03, 2026•58 min
TV Moments That Changed The World
Whatever you think of TV, you have to admit it has shaped the world (maybe more than the internet, according to Josh). There have been moments here or there in TV history where the world took a new course and we go over some of them in this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 01, 2026•45 min
Short Stuff: All About Porcelain
What exactly is this durable ceramic anyway? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 31, 2025•13 min
What We Lost When We Lost Home Ec
Home economics seems antiquated – a class that teaches high school kids how to bake a cake and sew doesn’t sound super useful. But would you believe that everything from the obesity epidemic to student debt can be chalked up to home ec disappearing? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 30, 2025•40 min
Selects: How Miniature Golf Works
Playing miniature golf is a very fun thing to do and, you’re about to find, learning about its origin and history is very fun as well. Join Josh and Chuck in this classic episode as they tee off on the mini golf story! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 27, 2025•48 min
Dolls and Dolls, Guys!
In this special Christmas Day episode, we get cuddly with one of the all-time great holiday gifts, dolls! Where did they come from? Why are the so cute? Why are they sometimes creepy? Why do they tell us to do things we don’t want to with their minds? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 25, 2025•50 min
Short Stuff: Why is holly a holiday thing?
Holly is waxy and super sharp, not exactly the kind of thing you'd want all over your house. Yet it happens every holiday season. Today we dig in to discover why. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 24, 2025•11 min
SYSK's 2025 Holiday Extravaganza Christmas Special
Deck your tidings and get your halls nice and gladded because it’s time for maybe the best episode of the year, where SYSK loosens our ties, puts on our smoking jackets and Santa hats and create holiday nostalgia in real time. Happy holidays, everybody! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 23, 2025•51 min
Selects: PT Barnum: More Complicated Than You've Heard
When your life is as outsized as the World’s Greatest Showman PT Barnum it’s pretty easy to - you know - gloss over the grimmer aspects when you turn it into an uplifting musical movie. But the way to understand a person is to look at them, warts and all. Josh and Chuck take a full accounting in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 20, 2025•59 min
Doggerland: Lost at Sea
The story of Doggerland is pretty fascinating. The idea is that mainland Europe and the UK were connected not only by a land bridge, but a place where plants, animals and even humans, thrived. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 18, 2025•39 min
Short Stuff: Battle of Itter Castle
At the end of WWII in Europe, one of the strangest battles of the war took place between German troops fighting alongside Americans and French to beat back an assault by the Nazi SS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 17, 2025•15 min
Battle Royale: Optimists vs Pessimists
Everybody’s always bagging on pessimists and telling everybody they should be more optimistic. Well, nuts to that! There are plenty of benefits from being a pessimist. Although being an optimist still wins in basically every category ☹ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 16, 2025•56 min
Selects: Star Wars Holiday Spectacular
Long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, George Lucas allowed the Star Wars Holiday Special to be made. What happened on the night of November 17, 1978 can never be fully explained, but we make our best effort in our annual special edition of SYSK. May the force be with us all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 13, 2025•54 min
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: What Makes a Must-Have Christmas Toy?
Ever since Cabbage Patch Kids came along in 1983, there’s been an annual holiday frenzy around one particular toy – the must-have Christmas toy of the year. But what makes a toy a must-have toy? Josh and Chuck investigate (and kick off the holidays). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•49 min
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Beanie Babies: Reigning Toy Craze Champion
The world has seen a lot of weird investment bubbles in its time, but few of them rival the fever that gripped the world in the 90s after Beanie Babies took off. Let’s visit this strange chapter in toy history together. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•50 min
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How the Nintendo Entertainment System Changed Gaming Forever
For the holidays in 1986 (and ’87) (and ’88) the most stupendous, most wanted, most amazing thing any kid could possibly get – outside of a pony, *maybe* – was the NES. That year, video games came back from the dead and changed forever. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•58 min
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: A Partial History of Action Figures
Action figures have a long and glorious history. From GI Joes to Star Wars figures, these offshoots of dolls came along at just the right time to capture the hearts and minds of children everywhere. Learn all about the partial history of action figures right here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•1 hr 13 min
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Hula-Hoops: The Toy That's A Shape
We've covered our fair share of pop-culture icons and here is another - Hula-Hoops. They've been around since ancient time in some form or another, but made their name in during the Hoop Boom of the 1950s. Learn all about this popular fad and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•40 min
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Etch A Sketch!
The Etch A Sketch is yet another classic toy that Josh and Chuck love and respect. Learn all about this Hall of Fame entry today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•40 min
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: Cabbage Patch Kids: Must-Have Toy of the Century
Surprisingly, Cabbage Patch Kids have turned up on SYSK almost as much as the Nazis or Seinfeld. It’s finally time to dive all the way into CPKs, from their controversial origins to the Christmas craze of ‘83 to their alter egos, Garbage Pail Kids. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•52 min
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Yo-Yos Work
You may have played with a yo-yo before -- perhaps you've even walked the dog -- but do you know about the physics behind what makes a yo-yo sleep and wake up? Learn all about inertia, angular momentum and the history of the yo-yo in this episode of SYSK. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•32 min
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Hot Wheels Work
If you're an American who had a childhood, you probably have some nostalgia for Hot Wheels. Get your engines revved for this trip down memory lane as we discuss these fun and iconic toys. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•42 min
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Play-Doh Works
Do you love Play-Doh? Chuck and Josh certainly love to talk about it, from its interesting history as a wall cleaner, to its more scientific chemical properties. It's everything you ever wanted to know about the pliable children's toy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•42 min
SYSK's 12 Days of Christmas… Toys: How Monopoly Works
Since more than 1 billion people have played it, you're probably familiar with the board game Monopoly, but we bet you don't know its secret origins as a left-wing socialist teaching tool. Learn about the history, rules and cultural impact of Monopoly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•57 min
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