Short Stuff: The Zipper Merge
When you switch lanes on the highway after noticing that the lane you’re in is ending up ahead, you are literally ruining the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 29, 2023•15 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
Plate Tectonics Are What Makes Earth Inhabitable
It’s time to get jazzed about Earth science again. It’s only been 60 or so years since we’ve known the continents move around and we’re still figuring out exactly how they do. But one thing is for sure, that super-slow movement is super important. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 28, 2023•49 min
Selects: NYC Water: An Engineering Marvel
Getting the rain and melted snow from upstate NY into the taps of every NYC resident and business is one of the great feats of engineering. Does it taste great and make perfect bagels and pizza crust? Sources say yes! Learn all about it in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 25, 2023•48 min
The Wreck of the Costa Concordia
It’s astounding that with the exceptional navigational equipment aboard a cruise ship can run aground in the 21st century, and 32 passengers and crew can lose their lives within a thousand feet of land. Such is the power of incompetence and cowardice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 23, 2023•51 min
Short Stuff: Magnetic Pole Switcheroo
Everyone once in a while, say a few hundred thousand years or so, the north and south poles of Earth’s magnetic field switch places. The result: Dogs and cats living together. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 22, 2023•12 min
Legs! Legs! Legs! (The Periodic Table)
If you’ve ever wanted to listen to two totally untrained, non-chemists who are fully unqualified to explain how the periodic table works nervously explain how the periodic table works, then this episode is for you. Chemistry majors, be warned. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 21, 2023•48 min
Selects: E.T.: Is It Really the Worst Video Game of All Time?
If you play video games you probably have an easy answer to worst game of all time: ET. But it turns out there are no easy answers, especially when you’re talking about a game so terrible it’s blamed for bringing the entire video game industry with it. Find out more in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 18, 2023•42 min
Diners: The Most American Establishment?
Diners may just be the most American establishment there is. They were born in the USA, thanks to European immigrants, and they only exist in the USA, unless it's a kitschy homage. So break open that 12-page menu and order up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 16, 2023•47 min
Short Stuff: Liberty Bell
The story of the Liberty Bell is far more confusing than we imagined. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 15, 2023•12 min
The Tragic Death of Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood was Hollywood royalty who tragically drowned after a long night of partying with her husband, Robert Wagner, and actor Christopher Walken. Over the last 40 plus years, stories have changed and the investigation has moved from closed to open. Listen in to learn this tragic story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 14, 2023•50 min
Selects: Who were the Buffalo Soldiers?
Josh and Chuck dive into history in this classic episode to tell the story of the Buffalo Soldiers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 11, 2023•51 min
How Scuba Works
It’s a good, old fashioned how it works episode where we break down all of the nuts and bolts and threats to safety that make scuba diving such a unique and thrilling hobby. Dive in feet first with Josh and Chuck on the undersea adventure of a lifetime! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 09, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Short Stuff: Petrified Wood
Petrified wood isn't just hard wood. Listen in today to learn all about this unique process. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 08, 2023•10 min
Things We Believed Before the Scientific Method
It’s easy to think of people in the distant past as kinda dumb for believing things like that mice could spontaneously generate from old grain. But if you look a little deeper, you’ll find there was a sensibility to the odd beliefs that came before science. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 07, 2023•44 min
Selects: Are Election Laws Designed to Suppress Voting?
Are laws that are meant to protect the sanctity of the polling place in reality designed to make it harder for groups that traditionally vote Democrat to cast their ballots? Find out in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 04, 2023•1 hr 10 min
The Harlem Globetrotters: American Treasures
The Harlem Globetrotters are an American entertainment institution. Their story may not be quite what you think either. Hint, they didn't originate in Harlem. Tune in now to learn their fun, fascinating story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 02, 2023•54 min
Short Stuff: White Dog Poop
If you grew up from the 70s to the 90s you know white dog poop. It’s the old, crusty – yes, white – phase that dog poop goes through as it ages on a lawn. Or it used to. Where has all the white poop gone? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 01, 2023•14 min
The 14th Annual Halloween Spooktacular!
As per tradition, today Josh and Chuck perform a spooky Halloween story reading to delight, amuse and FRIGHTEN YOU TO YOUR CORE. Will Meagle show up? Tune in to find out! Thanks to guest producer Ben Hackett for all the great sound effects. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 31, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Selects: How Mummies Work
A mummy is a human being whose soft tissue has been preserved after death, and there are mummies around the world -- including natural mummies, as well as corpses that have been intentionally embalmed. Listen to this classic episode with Chuck and Josh to learn more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 28, 2023•40 min
Naked Mole Rats: A Face Only a Mother Could Love
Naked mole rats are funny looking to be sure, but neither moles nor rats. So what are they? You'll have to tune in to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 26, 2023•47 min
Short Stuff: Bed Sheet Ghosts
The simple bed sheet has provided countless kids and adults with an easy go-to Halloween costume. But why do we associate white sheets with ghosts anyway? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 25, 2023•13 min
The Compton Cafeteria Riot
Three years before the riots at Stonewall, the LGBTQ community of San Francisco's Tenderloin rose up. And the story was almost lost to time. Learn how and why today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 24, 2023•38 min
Selects: Where Did Trick-Or-Treating Come From?
We aren’t exactly sure who invented trick-or-treating – kids who realized they could extort adults for candy, or adults who bought off kids in exchange for laying off pranks? The bigger question is: Will trick-or-treating survive the 21st century? Learn more in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 21, 2023•52 min
Kindness: Do It
In the tradition of our episodes on forgiveness and revenge, comes the third installment in the Emotional Roller Coaster trilogy. Kindness, it turns out, really does make the world go round. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 19, 2023•48 min
Short Stuff: Candy Corn
Is it vile? Is it delicious? It seems to be both! Hear all about the history of candy corn, how it’s made, and who likes it in this pre-Halloween episode! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 18, 2023•15 min
The Criminal Father of Criminology
Eugene Francois Vidocq is without a doubt one of the most interesting figures in modern history. He’s a former criminal turned undercover informant who went on to found the French national police force and the world’s first private detective agency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 17, 2023•54 min
Selects: Pain Scales: Yeeeow!
Pain is subjective; it is whatever the person experiencing it says it is. But to effectively treat pain, it helps to quantify it, which is why medicine came up with pain scales. Learn all about them in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 14, 2023•44 min
How Intellectual Property Works
Intellectual property sounds as dry as can be, but it’s actually very interesting. It’s at the heart of the global economy and the center of a dispute over what should belong to the people who create things, from poetry to pharmaceuticals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 12, 2023•53 min
Short Stuff: Longyou Caves
What’s better than discovering a mysterious cavern? Discovering five! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 11, 2023•16 min
Parasocial Relationships: That Podcaster is Your Friend!
Parasocial relationships are fascinating and it turns out Chuck knows what it's like from both sides. Listen in today to your old friends. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 10, 2023•54 min
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