Stuff You Should Know
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Episodes
Social Identity Theory: Your Group Rules, Others Drool
In this episode, hosts John and Chuck explore Social Identity Theory, which posits that individuals derive self-esteem and identity from group membership.
Short Stuff: Hisashi Ouchi
This episode details the 1999 Tokaimura nuclear accident in Japan, where worker Hisashi Ouchi suffered a massive radiation dose after his company, JCO, ignored safety protocols.
Terry Fox: Greatest Canadian Hero
Hosts Josh and Chuck discuss Terry Fox, the Canadian athlete who ran the Marathon of Hope to raise cancer research funds after losing a leg to cancer.
Selects: Flagpole Sitting: A Real Fad
Hosts Josh Clark and Charles Bryant explore the bizarre 1920s fad of flagpole sitting, sparked by Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly.
The Fall of the USSR, Pt II
In this episode, hosts Chuck and Josh conclude their two-part series on the fall of the Soviet Union, focusing on the chaotic aftermath in Russia.
SYSK Tribute: Why does everyone love Dolly Parton?
Hosts Josh and Chuck revisit their 2023 episode to honor Dolly Parton following her recent passing.
Short Stuff: Cyclospora
Josh and Chuck discuss the historic cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to Taylor Farms, noting it as the largest in human history with over 28,000 cases.
The Fall of the USSR, Pt I
In this two-part episode, hosts Josh and Chuck explore the rapid dissolution of the Soviet Union between 1990 and 1992.
Selects: How Narcolepsy Works
Hosts Josh and Chuck explore narcolepsy, detailing symptoms like excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, and sleep paralysis.
Rope, yeah ROPE!
Josh and Chuck explore the history, construction, and cultural impact of rope, highlighting its role in sailing, whaling, and the Industrial Revolution.
Short Stuff: Did a shipwreck double the size of the United States?
In this Short Stuff episode, hosts Josh and Chuck discuss an article by former colleague Kristen Conger about the 1784 shipwreck of the El Cazador.
Isn't It Ironic, Dontcha Think?
Hosts John and Chuck explore the elusive definition of irony, tracing its roots from Greek drama to modern pop culture.
Selects: The Manhattan Grid
Hosts Josh Clark and Charles Bryant explore the history of Manhattan’s street grid, focusing on the 1811 Commissioner’s Plan.
Who was Robert Maxwell?l
Hosts Josh and Chuck examine the life of Robert Maxwell, a controversial media tycoon and father of Ghislaine Maxwell.
Short Stuff: Nero and His Fiddle
Josh and Chuck debunk the myth that Nero fiddled while Rome burned, noting fiddles didn't exist then.
Bonnie and Clyde
Hosts Josh and Chuck, joined by guest Machine Gun Jerry, explore the true story of Bonnie and Clyde, examining their rise from Depression-era poverty to infamy.
Selects: Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 2
In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant conclude their series on the Iran-Contra affair.
Selects: Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 1
Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the Iran-Contra affair, detailing how the Reagan administration secretly funded Nicaraguan Contras despite congressional bans.
Reggae: Kingston’s Gift to the World
This episode traces reggae’s evolution from Mento and Ska to Rocksteady, highlighting influences like American R&B, Jamaican sound systems, and Rastafarianism.
Short Stuff: Phone Books
Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the history of the telephone directory, contrasting the physical Yellow and White Pages with modern digital search.
Beans and Rice Feeds the World
Hosts Josh, Chuck, and Jerry explore the global history and cultural significance of beans and rice.
Selects: How Peanut Butter Works
This episode explores the history and science of peanut butter, tracing its origins from South American legumes to its modern status as an American staple.
How Russia Shapes What the World Thinks
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.
Short Stuff: Shark Arm Murders
This episode details the 1935 "Shark Arm Murder" in Sydney, where a tiger shark regurgitated a human arm, leading to the identification of missing gangster Jim Smith.
The Beloved Judy Blume
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?
Selects: Plant Migration
Josh and Chuck explore plant migration, explaining how species like ferns and trees shift ranges in response to climate change.
What's the deal with Swiss neutrality?
Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the history of Swiss neutrality, tracing its origins from medieval military prowess to its formal establishment in 1815.
Short Stuff: Sardines!
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.
The Tobacco Master Settlement: That Time We Got Em
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.
Selects: The Soul Train Episode
Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant explore the history and cultural impact of the iconic TV show Soul Train.
White Boy Rick
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.
Short Stuff: The Voice of God
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.
You Are Not Alone With Postpartum Depression
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.
Selects: The First Road Trip
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.
Eleanor Roosevelt: Best First Lady
Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the life of Eleanor Roosevelt, highlighting her evolution from a sheltered debutante to a pioneering activist.
Short Stuff: Great Britain
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.
Kola: The World’s Deepest Hole
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.
Selects: Chopsticks > Forks
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.
Alaska Earthquake of 1964
Josh and Chuck discuss the 1964 Good Friday earthquake in Alaska, the second-largest ever recorded.
Short Stuff: Toronto Clown Riot
In this Short Stuff episode, Josh and Chuck discuss the 1855 Toronto Clown Riot, sparked when circus clowns clashed with firefighters at a brothel.
The Hillsborough Disaster
Josh and Chuck examine the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, detailing how police mismanagement caused a fatal crowd crush that killed 97 Liverpool fans.
Selects: How Enron Fooled the World
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.
Freetown Christiania
Josh and Chuck explore Freetown Christiania, an anarchist commune in Copenhagen founded in 1971 on an abandoned military base.
Short Stuff: Why does it feel good to be scared?
Josh and Chuck explore why people voluntarily seek out scary experiences like haunted houses and thrill rides.
Some Interesting Curses
Josh, Chuck, and Jerry explore famous curses, starting with the legend that their podcast cancels TV shows.
Selects: Birthmarks: Probably Not the Mark of the Devil
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.
How Global Warming Works
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.
How Chaos Theory Changed the Universe
Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant explore chaos theory, debunking the deterministic view of the universe established by Newton.
How X-Rays Work
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.
The Stuff You Should Know Doin’ Science Playlist: Things We Believed Before the Scientific Method
Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant explain the scientific method, distinguishing between hypotheses, theories, and laws while discussing inductive and deductive reasoning.