Stuff You Should Know - podcast cover

Stuff You Should Know

iHeartPodcastswww.iheart.com
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.
Last refreshed:
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Leave Brutalism Alone!

The most reviled, hated, despised, no-good, low down, dirty rotten architectural style of all time is actually just the most misunderstood. Learn about this unfairly treated architectural movement and why it’s awesome. Learn to love brutalism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 12, 202449 min

Selects: The Science of Break-Ups

Breaking up is hard to do. Your brain might even think you're getting over a cocaine addiction. Learn all about the science behind break-ups in this classic episode! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 09, 202451 min

The Smiley, Stubborn Llama

Llamas are pretty great. They smile! They also spit and if they feel overworked will just lay down. There's a lot to admire there. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 07, 202441 min

Short Stuff: Roly Poly...Bugs?

Roly Poly bugs go by many names. They look like tiny armadillos. They're great for your garden. And they're crustaceans. Yeah, you read that right. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 06, 202411 min

Multitasking: Working slower with worse results

Multitasking isn't really possible, because of the way the human brain works. We know you think you're getting more done, but you're really working slower and with worse results than working sequentially. We promise. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 05, 202446 min

Selects: The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti

The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, two anarchists accused of murder, was one of the first "crimes of the century." But did they do it? To this day there is speculation that they did not. Learn all about this famous case in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 02, 202456 min

Wireless Electricity: When Can We Unplug Our TVs?

You know all of those cords and cables and wires that we use to connect our stuff to the electrical grid so they’ll, you know, work? Imagine a day when energy flies through the air like wifi, utterly cord-free. Well, imagine no more! That day is coming! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 29, 202447 min

Short Stuff: Smudging: Not just for hippies

Smudging is the process of wafting around the smoke of burning white sage. What is it good for? Listen in and find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 28, 202415 min

Haile Selassie: Statesman, Colonizer, God?

If you grew up outside of Africa, you might know Haile Selassie’s name from reggae music - the man who ruled Ethiopia is considered a god in Jamaica. In Ethiopia opinions are more varied. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 27, 202457 min

Selects: How Zero Population Growth Works

In 1968, Paul Erlich published The Population Bomb, predicting coming famine and mass death. Erlich's predictions didn't pan out but his ideas launched a debate still raging today. Learn all about it in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 24, 202452 min

The Story of the Nuclear Boy Scout

David Hahn was a kid who was really into science. So much that he built a nuclear reactor in his mother's potting shed. And it worked. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 22, 202441 min

Short Stuff: Benin Bronzes

One of the world’s cultural treasure troves were created in West Africa. But for over a century they’ve been held in museums outside of Africa. In fact, an estimated 95 percent of Africa’s cultural heritage is kept in museums overseas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 21, 202415 min

Ray and Charles Eames: More than Chairs

Charles and Ray Eames were superstar designers who dreamed up some of the most iconic pieces of furniture ever made. And they did much more than that. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 20, 202457 min

Selects: Geodesic Domes: The Wave of the Future That Wasn't

Sometimes a good idea doesn’t pan out in real life. Take Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome: It requires less energy to heat and cool, it’s cheap, and it’s durable enough to withstand a hurricane – but it’s also godawful ugly and that was its undoing. Learn more with Josh and Chuck in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 17, 202450 min

Like, here's the episode on "like"

Like is a very divisive word. Purists think it's like, a filler word born in the 80s that's like, destroying the English language. Turns out none of these are like, true. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 15, 202439 min

Short Stuff: The Original Snake Oil Salesman

There’s a great origin story behind snake oil salesmen, and it has to do with just one guy who singlehandedly gave it a bad name. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 14, 202411 min

What Americans Ate When There Were No Food Laws

There was a brief period in America’s history – after people left the farm to work in the city and before the government started regulating it – when there was a total, lawless free-for-all in the food industry. Things were bad. Really, really bad. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 13, 202448 min

Selects: The Unabomber: Misguided to say the least

The Unabomber was one of the most notorious and longest lasting cases in the history of the FBI. Just because the manifesto reads like he was a fortune teller doesn't make his actions any less deplorable. Learn all about this fascinating case in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 10, 202445 min

What's the Pygmalion Effect?

Do teachers and managers give special treatment to those who they're told have great academic or professional promise? Does this create a self-fulfilling prophecy, regardless of the truth? That's just part of the fascinating Pygmalion Effect. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 08, 202447 min

Short Stuff: School Bus Yellow

Why are all school buses the same color? Because one man made it so. This is that story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 07, 202412 min

Clue(do): Third Best Board Game Ever

Whether you know it as Clue or Cluedo, the whodunnit mystery board game is one of the best of all time. Learn all about the history behind the game’s development, and strategies on how to crush your fellow players as soundly as Chuck’s wife crushes him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 06, 202449 min

Selects: How Disgust Works

Disgust is an odd thing. It makes sense that we would feel a sense of revulsion at the thought of putting rotten meat in our mouths – that’s pure evolution. But why would we feel the same emotion at the thought of weird sex or from hearing a racist rant? Find out more in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 03, 202455 min

The History of Las Vegas

How did the sleepy Nevada town of Las Vegas become LAS VEGAS? Well, we'll let you know over the course of about 45 minutes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 01, 202450 min

Selects: A List Of Games You Would Surely Lose to a Computer

We live in a time where computers can beat the best humans in the world at chess, checkers, poker and video games. But these games are really just demonstrations of how intelligent our machines are growing. They’re growing more intelligent by the hour. This classic episode features a special guest, Tech Stuff's Jonathan Strickland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 27, 202456 min

Esperanto: Tre Mojosa

One thing you could do is create your own language. Some people do and for lots of different reasons. LL Zamenhof created Esperanto to try to bring about world peace. It worked, but on a less-than-global scale. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 25, 202448 min

Short Stuff: Hot Cold Plunge

Jumping into a cold pool after a long sauna or hot tub can be pretty great. Saunas have proven health benefits like lowering blood pressure; cold plunges are shown to reduce inflammation. Why not combine them? A bunch of safety reasons, bucko, that’s why. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 24, 202414 min

The Strange Unsolved Murder of Ken McElroy

The murder of Ken McElroy comes off like a story from a cheap paperback book you’d get to read on a plane. But this is a true crime story, set in Missouri in the early 80s. And boy does it pack a punch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 23, 202446 min

Selects: Is yogurt a miracle food?

Yogurt has been touted as a health food, but is it? Maybe. If you eat it every day. We get into the rich and creamy history of this supposed miracle food in today's episode. Get an earful of the stuff in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 20, 202446 min
Hosted on Omny Studio
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android