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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.

The Manhattan Grid

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.7K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 51:40

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Short Stuff: Haint Blue

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.2K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 12:22

Haint Blue is a kind of robin's egg color that you might commonly find on porches of the low country of the Southeastern United States. But what does it have to do with ghouls and ghosts? Listen and learn! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: How Flamethrowers Work

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.2K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 28:10

Who first decided that it would be a great idea to shoot flame at other people from a distance? Josh and Chuck talk about the (very) early origins, history and technology of the flamethrower in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Can You Eat A Tapeworm To Lose Weight?

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.3K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 45:47

There’s a persistent insistence that you can ingest a tapeworm and as the parasite hijacks a lot of the calories you eat, the pounds will fall right off. In theory this could be true, but it’s also extremely dangerous. And has anyone ever really done it? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Short Stuff: Foie Gras

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.4K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 14:33

Foie gras means “fatty liver” in French, which makes sense because it’s made from the overripe livers of force-fed ducks and geese.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

How Project Star Gate Worked

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.8K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 58:37

In yet another testament to how amazingly great the 70s were, in 1975 the US started a program that tried to harness the powers of clairvoyance to remotely spy on the Soviet Union. Since clairvoyance doesn’t seem to exist, it wasn’t super successful. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: How The Black Panther Party Worked

Stuff You Should Know

  • 2K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 01:11:17

The Black Panther Party was a complex political movement that was unfairly painted as a militant group who hated white people. Far from it, they were actually men and women trying to affect change in their community. Their history is one of the more interesting American stories, from the early stages of policing the police to their community service efforts to their inevitable fall. Learn all about the Black Panther Party in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

The Massacre at Tiananmen Square

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.5K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 01:07:07

Tank Man. An indelible image burned in our brains. But what led to this extraordinary event? Chuck and Josh walk you through the days and weeks leading up to the massacre at Tiananmen Square, which is more of a cautionary tale than we realized. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: How Jackhammers Work

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.4K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 36:41

It’s likely that without the invention of the pneumatic jackhammer, the Industrial Revolution wouldn’t have hummed along quite so smoothly. Certainly a lot more trains would go around mountains than through them. Learn about this essential tool in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

How Narcolepsy Works

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.5K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 57:58

Narcolepsy is one of those amazing rare disorders that everyone thinks they understand – people just fall asleep at random times, even in the middle of doing something. But there’s a lot more to it and – even better – we actually may be able to explain it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Short Stuff: Lawn Darts

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.4K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 14:52

There was a time when kids had to look out for flying darts that could pierce their skulls when they played in the backyard. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Hummingbirds: Ornery Helicopters of the Animal Kingdom

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.4K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 51:50

If you didn’t already know how amazing hummingbirds are, prepare to learn. Not only do they count among their numbers the smallest bird species, they are also lightning fast and have the endurance of a marathoner and a telethoner put together. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: How The Enlightenment Works

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.5K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 45:09

The Enlightenment stands as the moment the West withdrew from superstition and found its faith in reason. Did it shift too far? In this classic episode, learn about this massive shift in thinking which we are still sorting through and coming to understand today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

How Bras Work

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.5K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 57:46

Bras are loved and hated, sometimes at the same time. But as difficult and restrictive as they can be, they rescued women from a much cruel contraption: corsets. The question remains, though, do women need bras at all? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Short Stuff: Mary Had A Little Lamb

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.5K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 15:53

Did you know the little nursery rhyme is controversial? It’s true: Two towns in New England can barely stand to see one another on the map (kind of). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

How Spiritualism Works

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.3K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 01:06:23

Something spooky was born on the American frontier in the mid-19th century: the idea that people’s personalities survive death and that some gifted individuals can communicate with them. It developed into a religion that some still practice today. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: How Fire Works

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.4K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 32:41

Creating fire was possibly the most important human discovery, but it's easy to take for granted. But. Josh and Chuck get to the bottom of the chemistry of fire in their quest to explain everything in the universe, in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

How Peanut Butter Works

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.8K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 01:00:41

No food is more all-American than peanut butter – 80 percent of homes in the country have a jar of it in the pantry right now. And while the rest of the world might find peanut butter peculiar, maybe even gross, the rest of the world is wrong. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Short Stuff: Charley Horse

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.5K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 14:42

You know those terrible leg cramps that come out of nowhere? They may be named after a drunken baseball pitcher. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

SYSK Selects: How Caving Works

Stuff You Should Know

  • 1.6K views
  • over 4 years ago
  • 55:09

Entrances to the underworld have been places of wonder for eons, and humans have ventured into caves to sleep, hunt, create art and explore. Thanks to the hobby of caving, that tradition continues today. Get all this plus Chuck discussing his caving experience, in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers