Stuff You Should Know

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

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

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 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.

Hosts Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant explore the history, rigorous training, and daily realities of being a flight attendant.

Hosts Josh and Chuck examine the 1993 Waco siege, detailing the Branch Davidians' history under David Koresh and the ATF’s botched raid that sparked a 51-day standoff.

Josh and guest host Chuck discuss the health risks of Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor found in plastics and thermal receipts.

Josh and Chuck explore the biology of eels, covering their unique swimming, metamorphosis, and the long-standing mystery of their reproduction in the Sargasso Sea.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the enduring mystery of whether George Mallory and Sandy Irvine summited Everest in 1924, decades before Edmund Hillary.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the history of the Hindenburg, detailing its construction as a rigid airship and its role in 1930s luxury travel.

This episode explains why Vietnamese Americans dominate the US nail salon industry, tracing its origins to 1975 when actress Tippi Hedren helped train refugees at Camp Hope.

Josh and Chuck explore the history and principles of humanism, a philosophy that affirms ethical living without supernatural beliefs.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the myth of cursed movies, debunking supernatural claims by examining real tragedies behind films like *Poltergeist*, *The Wizard of Oz*, and *The Omen*.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the history and operations of Camp David, the US presidential retreat in Maryland.

In this episode of The Short Stuff, hosts Josh and Chuck explore the biology and mechanics of kangaroo hopping.

Hosts Josh and Chuck discuss the Boeing 737 MAX disasters, tracing the company’s cultural shift from engineering excellence to profit-driven cost-cutting.

Josh and Chuck explore Julian Jaynes’ controversial bicameral mind theory, which posits that humans only developed modern consciousness around 3,000 years ago.

Josh and Chuck explore the science and history of maple syrup, detailing how sugar maples produce sap during specific temperature fluctuations.

In this Short Stuff episode, Josh and Chuck discuss wisdom teeth, covering their evolutionary origins and why modern diets often lead to impaction.

Hosts Josh and Chuck explore the history of the "Save the Whales" movement, tracing its roots from early 20th-century conservation efforts to its 1970s cultural peak.