Stuff You Should Know - podcast cover

Stuff You Should Know

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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: How Jet Lag Works

It was only since 1958 that the Jet Age began, and jet lag became a real condition. Also known as desynchronosis, jet lag can lead to all manner of ailments, from sleeplessness to irritability to diabetes and cancer. In this classic episode, learn about how the body's natural clock runs normally and what happens when it gets out of whack when we cross time zones quickly. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 01, 202336 min

What's the deal with dowsing?

Dowsing, aka water-witching has been around a long time. And you might be surprised that's still a thing. We get into all the nitty gritty of this pseudo-science today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 30, 202345 min

Short Stuff: Theme Park Cremations

There’s a little-discussed trend you might run into at your favorite theme park – people scattering the ashes of a loved one on rides. Here's hoping you don't literally run into it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 29, 202312 min

The First Road Trip

Back when cars were a brand new thing, before people even knew they'd stick around, two men and a dog drove from San Francisco to New York. This is their story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 28, 202349 min

Selects: Is The Uncanny Valley Real?

In 1970, roboticist Masahiro Mori wrote an essay that said the closer robots come to lifelike, the more they unsettle humans. His theory became the Uncanny Valley, and science has been evaluating it – and what makes something creepy - in recent years. Learn all about it with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 25, 20231 hr 8 min

An Interesting, Vastly Incomplete Look at Baseball Cards

One of the all-stars of the hobby world is collecting baseball cards. Over time it’s gone from a kids’ hobby to a major investment vehicle, complete with its own bubble that recently burst. But at the heart of it is something both engrossing and endearing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 23, 202355 min

Short Stuff: Semantic Satiation

You know when you read a word over and over it starts to lose its meaning? There’s a term for that and why it happens is fascinating. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 22, 202312 min

The Tragic Tale of Floyd Collins

Floyd Collins was a natural-born caver who met a terrible fate, becoming stuck underground where no one could get him loose. His unlucky, slowly unfolding plight also turned out to be one of the first national media sensations of the 20th century. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 21, 202348 min

Selects: Do People Really Run Off to Join the French Foreign Legion?

Anyone who knows anything about Jean-Claude Van Damme knows he played a French legionnaire in the movies. He was just one of many actors to star in films that romanticized this mercenary force. Check out the details in this classic episode with Josh and Chuck. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 18, 202319 min

Arcades: Nostalgia Abounds

Chuck and Josh were around during the Golden Age of the arcade. And look how they turned out! Join them on a trip down memory lane. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 16, 202359 min

Short Stuff: John Cage's 639 Year Concert

John Cage was a unique artist to say the least. Learn all about this avant-garde composer today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 15, 202313 min

That's Amaro!

Amaro is a delicious traditional liqueur, usually from Italy, that has delighted diners and drinkers for centuries. Tune in to learn all about this wonderful digestif. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 14, 202354 min

Selects: The Time Nazis Invaded Florida

During World War II, Nazis invaded the United States with saboteurs bent on fomenting chaos. Three times. Learn all about it in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 11, 202356 min

Woodstock: The Festival for Stardust, Golden Hippies

You may have heard your parents or – gasp – grandparents prattle on about how amazing the original 1969 Woodstock Festival was. It turns out that, as much as people who lived through the 60s like to talk them up, Woodstock really was that amazing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 09, 202357 min

Short Stuff: Paprika

Paprika is more than a smoky Hungarian spice. Actually, that's not true, that's exactly what it is. But it sure is delicious! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 08, 20239 min

Noncompete Agreements, Come On

A noncompete agreement, a pledge not to work for a competitor for a set amount of time, makes sense – when the worker is well compensated and privy to company secrets. But that doesn’t describe the vast majority of workers who’ve signed noncompetes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 07, 202350 min

Selects: Live From San Francisco: How Malls Work

In this classic show recorded live on January 5, 2017 at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, Josh and Chuck delve into the history and the heyday of the church of consumerism and what it means for local communities and our capitalist society at large when malls die. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 04, 20231 hr 6 min

Crosswords episode, perhaps?

Crossword puzzles have an interesting history and are a lot of fun to do. Dive in today to learn about Chuck's latest obsession. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 02, 202354 min

Short Stuff: La Pascualita

In a bridal shop in Chihuahua, Mexico a mannequin has been standing in the window since the 1930s that’s so lifelike some say it’s actually a corpse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 01, 202311 min

The Awe-Inspiring, Absolutely Crucial Amazon

If you’ve ever thought, “What’s the Amazon rainforest ever done for me? Nothin, that’s what,” then you’re dead wrong, friend. It covers 1 percent of the Earth’s surface but houses perhaps 30 percent of its species and it’s invaluable to all life on Earth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 28, 202354 min

Selects: Who Committed the 1912 Villisca Ax Murders?

In a small town in Iowa in 1912 eight people were murdered in the grisliest of ways while they slept. Local reputations were ruined when accusations flew, but could a drifting serial killer working across the Midwest have been behind it? Learn all about it with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 25, 202346 min

Naps: Chuck's Secret Talent

Naps are great if you can manage to find the space to take them. The trick is to do it for the right amount of time. We get into all in the ins and outs of Chuck's favorite time of day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 23, 202344 min

Short Stuff: Sleeping On It

It’s pretty well known that if you wait to make a big decision until after you get some sleep, you’re likelier to make a good one. But why should that be? Why, we’ll explain if only you’d listen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 22, 202314 min

The Mystery of the Lost Amber Room

Chuck and Josh turn into the Hardy Boys for one of the great unsolved mysteries of WWII, a work of art worth a king’s ransom that went missing in 1945. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 21, 202347 min

Selects: The Max Headroom Affair

In 1987, a very strange broadcast intrusion occurred in the city of Chicago. For just a couple of minutes, the odd TV character Max Headroom appeared onscreen in the middle of an episode of Dr. Who. He spoke in garbled tones, brandished a marital aid, and was spanked on the rear with a fly swatter by a person dressed in Annie Oakley garb. If this sounds weird, it is. It's the Max Headroom Incident. Find out all about it in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

Feb 18, 202348 min

The Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire

The fire at the Beverly Hills Supper Club was not in Los Angeles, but Kentucky. Which happened to be Las Vegas before Vegas was Vegas. Confused? Listen in and all will be clear. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 16, 202353 min

Short Stuff: Beulah Mae Donald

In 1981 a Mobile mother of six was forced into the role of civil rights activist when the Klan murdered her son and she was moved to fight back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 15, 202312 min

The Glorious Flamingo

Flamingos are much more than just pretty pink birds. They are in fact, quite remarkable! Listen and learn… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 14, 202349 min

Selects: Cave Diving: Totally Nuts

There are extreme sports and then there is cave diving, the most extreme activity a person can engage in without leaving Earth. Cave divers stay underwater swimming miles into – that’s right – caves, where no human has ever been before. It’s pretty cool. Wade in with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 11, 202351 min

How (O)possums Work

Josh and Chuck take a listener’s suggestion – many, many suggestions – and learn that possums are pretty great and very much misunderstood. By the end of this episode you will too! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 09, 202350 min