Stuff You Should Know

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore Russian state-sponsored disinformation, focusing on the Internet Research Agency and the "Doppelganger" tactic of cloning legitimate news sites to spread chaos.

Hosts Josh and Chuck discuss the life and legacy of beloved children’s author Judy Blume, covering her childhood anxieties, early career struggles, and breakthrough with *Are You There, God?

Josh and Chuck explore plant migration, explaining how species like ferns and trees shift ranges in response to climate change.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the history of Swiss neutrality, tracing its origins from medieval military prowess to its formal establishment in 1815.

Josh and Chuck discuss their recent experiences eating canned sardines, noting that while the flavor is pleasant, the texture of whole fish can be off-putting.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the history of Big Tobacco’s deceptive PR campaigns and the legal battles that led to the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement.

Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant explore the history and cultural impact of the iconic TV show Soul Train.

Josh and Chuck explore the true story of Richard “White Boy Rick” Wershe, a 14-year-old Detroit teen who became an off-the-books FBI informant during the 1980s crack epidemic.

Josh and Chuck, with Jerry filling in for Dave, honor the late Don LaFontaine, known as the "voice of God" for his iconic movie trailer narration.

Hosts Josh and Chuck discuss postpartum depression as a serious maternal mental health crisis, covering symptoms, risk factors, and the biological role of hormones like allopregnanolone.

Josh and Chuck recount the 1903 journey of Horatio Nelson Jackson and Sewell Crocker, who became the first people to drive across America in a Winton touring car.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, highlighting her evolution from a sheltered debutante to a pioneering activist.

In this episode of The Short Slip, hosts Josh, Chuck, and guest Jerry clarify the distinctions between England, Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the Kola Superdeep Borehole, the USSR’s Cold War-era project to drill deeper into Earth than any other human endeavor.

Hosts Josh and Chuck discuss the history, usage, and etiquette of chopsticks, tracing their origins from cooking tools to eating utensils driven by dietary shifts like wheat and sticky rice.

Josh and Chuck discuss the 1964 Good Friday earthquake in Alaska, the second-largest ever recorded.

In this Short Stuff episode, Josh and Chuck discuss the 1855 Toronto Clown Riot, sparked when circus clowns clashed with firefighters at a brothel.

Josh and Chuck examine the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, detailing how police mismanagement caused a fatal crowd crush that killed 97 Liverpool fans.

Hosts Josh and Chuck dissect the Enron scandal, detailing how executives Ken Lay, Jeffrey Skilling, and Andrew Fastow orchestrated one of history’s largest corporate frauds.

Josh and Chuck explore Freetown Christiania, an anarchist commune in Copenhagen founded in 1971 on an abandoned military base.

Josh and Chuck explore why people voluntarily seek out scary experiences like haunted houses and thrill rides.

Josh, Chuck, and Jerry explore famous curses, starting with the legend that their podcast cancels TV shows.

Josh and Chuck explore the science and history of birthmarks, distinguishing between vascular types like port-wine stains and pigmented ones like café-au-lait spots.

Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant explain the mechanics of global warming, distinguishing it from broader climate change and detailing the greenhouse effect using a hot car analogy.

Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant explore chaos theory, debunking the deterministic view of the universe established by Newton.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore nuclear fusion, focusing on the massive ITER project in France aimed at creating clean, abundant energy.

Hosts Josh and Chuck discuss the history and science of elastic, covering its origins in indigenous rubber use, Charles Goodyear’s vulcanization breakthrough, and the invention of spandex.

Josh and Chuck explore Occam’s Razor, a philosophical principle attributed to medieval monk William of Ockham, which suggests that simpler explanations are often preferable.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore historical scientific beliefs that predated the modern scientific method, examining why these ideas seemed plausible at the time.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the Big Bang theory, clarifying it as a rapid expansion of space rather than an explosion.

Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant explain the scientific method, distinguishing between hypotheses, theories, and laws while discussing inductive and deductive reasoning.

Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryan explain the science behind X-rays, covering their accidental discovery by Wilhelm Röntgen and their place in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Hosts Josh and Chuck demystify the periodic table, tracing its history from early atomic theories to Dmitri Mendeleev’s predictive layout.

Josh and Chuck discuss the history of MASH, from its origins as a novel and Robert Altman’s 1970 film to the beloved 11-season TV series.

Josh and Chuck discuss the physical and mental health benefits of singing, particularly in choral groups.

Josh and Chuck examine how 24-hour cable news eroded America’s shared reality, tracing the shift from the Fairness Doctrine to the rise of opinion-driven programming.

Josh and Chuck revisit their 2022 episode on the Fairness Doctrine, exploring its history from the 1920s radio boom to its 1987 repeal.

Hosts Josh and Chuck examine the 1984 shooting of four teenagers by Bernard Goetz on a New York City subway, known as the "Subway Vigilante" case.

Josh and Jerry discuss rain barrels, covering their history, benefits for plants, and environmental impact.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the science and history of smiling, debunking myths like the muscle count difference between smiles and frowns.

Hosts Chuck and Josh explore the history and mechanics of the 9-1-1 emergency system, tracing its origins from Haleyville, Alabama, to its current nationwide implementation.

Josh and Chuck examine the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident, detailing how a stuck valve, poor instrumentation, and human error nearly caused a catastrophic meltdown.

Josh and Chuck discuss the 1955 Le Mans disaster, a catastrophic crash during the 24-hour endurance race that killed 83 spectators and driver Pierre Levegue.

Josh and Chuck discuss Vincent van Gogh’s life, debunking myths about his lack of fame and single sale.

Josh and Chuck explore the Shakespeare authorship question, debating whether William Shakespeare wrote his works or if nobles like Francis Bacon or Edward de Vere did.

Josh and Chuck explore the bizarre life of Howard Hughes, focusing on his reclusive years in Las Vegas.

In this episode of The Short Stuff, hosts Josh, Chuck, and Jerry explain that cracking knuckles is caused by gas bubbles popping in synovial fluid, not bones grinding.

Josh, Chuck, and Jerry discuss Linda Hazard, a notorious early 20th-century quack who killed patients through extreme fasting and enemas.